Whether it was the arrangement of the Counter Force or a simple coincidence, the moment the Vasavi Shakti dissipated was also the end of the Clarent Son of Arthur.
A passionate red, a lively red, a straightforward red, a dazzling red—different from Artoria's brilliance but equally resplendent—returned to calm.
In the flames, King Arthur, Artoria, maintained her original posture, unscathed.
She did not carry the scabbard, which was more precious than the holy sword and could nullify any attack. Her strength was not great enough to ignore an A++ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
The reason she was unharmed was that this Noble Phantasm was "The Son of Arthur." As the child of King Arthur, this Noble Phantasm would bring harm to everything along its path but would not harm Artoria, the parent.
Having come to terms with her true feelings, Mordred would not repeat past mistakes. Even if she rebelled, she would not harm her father, nor would she spill Arthur's blood. The only blood she would spill was that of enemies, especially those of her father.
Yes, just like Semiramis, who was now kneeling on the ground.
The enchanting and alluring aura was completely gone. The scale armor woven from God Fish Scales had been reduced to fragmented pieces. The black swan-like evening dress beneath was torn and tattered, the openings in disarray, constantly oozing blood. There was no trace of her former bewitching beauty.
"Just like my mother, a coward with first-class survival skills."
Mordred grimaced in displeasure, raised the king's sword, and advanced step by step. No matter how badly injured or pitiful Semiramis appeared, Mordred would not waver. What this woman had done to her and her father earlier was unforgivable, even if she died ten times over.
Perhaps due to her severe injuries, Semiramis ignored Mordred's taunts and spoke calmly:
"A fine strike. The passion within it reminded me of an old friend. She was as dazzling as you, with the power to inspire others."
"Saying nice things now won't help. Just leave quietly."
As she spoke, Mordred had already reached Semiramis and placed her sword against her neck.
Semiramis remained calm as if she didn't care about Mordred's threat at all.
"If I could, I would like to leave quietly, but the performance isn't over yet, so—"
"!!!"
Mordred instinctively sensed danger and exerted force with her right hand to behead Semiramis.
Unfortunately, she was a step too late. The flash of the king's sword met not flesh and bone but ripple after ripple, like water waves.
The ripples quickly spread outwards, twisted, and turned into butterflies. The butterflies danced, scattering droplets of light like the clear moonlight, falling into a sea of flowers.
"Illusion? Damn, using tricks again! Show yourself!"
Sword light flashed, red lightning surged, and Mordred's magic power rampaged through the surrounding space, but it didn't reveal Semiramis.
Not far away, Artoria carefully observed the butterflies for a moment, and then her expression changed. She sprinted towards the door of the Throne Room as fast as she could.
"No, her target is—"
Before she could finish speaking, she stomped heavily on the ground, forcibly stopping her charge.
Because a dark gold metal spike was already at Kairi's neck, and Semiramis, who had disappeared in a flutter of butterflies, was now outside the Throne Room.
Mordred, filled with rage, pointed her king's sword wrapped in red lightning at Semiramis.
"Let go of my master, or I will tear you to pieces!"
"Uh, I need to correct you on two points."
Someone interjected—it was Merlin, who had been watching the drama unfold.
"First, servants vanish directly after receiving fatal wounds, leaving no corpse behind, so you can't tear her to pieces."
"Second, even if she doesn't let go, there's nothing you can do. If your master dies, you will disappear too."
"Merlin, you bastard, whose side are you on?"
Mordred's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. If not for him helping her earlier, she would have already swung her sword at him, even if it wouldn't accomplish anything.
"I'm not on any side; I'm just an observer."
Merlin shamelessly shrugged and then smiled at Semiramis.
"An excellent performance—illusion, footwork, breath concealment. This is a true assassin, not a caster or berserker in an assassin's guise."
"Mr. Merlin, you're too kind. Since my stealth has been seen through, it means my covert maneuvers have failed. He's right; Mr. Merlin, with your keen sight, it's hard to deceive your eyes."
"Heh, I'm not boasting, but I can indeed see anywhere in this world. However, it's limited to this world. I can't see more expansive places—for example, you and Mr. Shirou have many aspects that are beyond my sight. Could you enlighten me?"
Hearing Merlin's words, Artoria seemed to think of something:
"More expansive, could it be the stars..."
"That's enough, Miss Artoria. Saying more might cause unnecessary trouble; you know what I mean."
"I understand, this..."
Artoria nodded, her expression serious.
"Just call me Semiramis. Other names don't matter to you."
Mordred questioned sharply, "So, you're not Semiramis. What are you trying to do?"
"I don't intend to do anything myself, nor do I want to interfere in your conflicts."
The voice was the same, but it carried a completely different gentle tone, sounding very pleasant.
"But she is my friend. I can't just watch you kill her. This Hanging Gardens hasn't reached the point of collapse yet, so I must ask you to wait patiently here for a moment in this somewhat unfriendly manner. It won't take long—"
Mordred impatiently interrupted, "Nice words, but what about the Holy Grail? What will happen to the world?"
"There's no issue over there. Jeanne d'Arc has already reached the Holy Grail and is suppressing its activation."
"Merlin, you—"
Mordred was utterly helpless against this constantly interfering person.
"Fake Semiramis, give it to us straight! How long are we supposed to wait?"
"Until their battle concludes."
Semiramis pointed to the sky, where the frequency of the flashing red and blue lights, and black and white colors, was increasing. Finally, a strong light burst forth, overshadowing the brightest stars in the sky.
Two stars collided head-on, erupting in unprecedented flames and a thunderous roar that echoed across the land.
After the collision, the red star soared high into the sky, while the blue star fell heavily, plunging into the dark abyss beyond sight.