Unlike Saber Artoria, who failed to recognize the fully armored Lancelot, Lancer Artoria identified him instantly.
"Is that you, Sir Lancelot?"
At the sound of Lancer Artoria's voice, Lancelot reacted violently.
"ARTHURRRR!!!"
Driven by rage and guilt, the maddened knight drew his weapon and charged at her.
Only to be sent flying by a swing of Artoria's holy lance.
"How dare you raise your hand against me, Sir Lancelot! Do you even realize what you're doing?"
Unlike the somewhat naive Saber Artoria, who wielded the Excalibur, Lancer Artoria exuded greater authority and maturity.
For a mere Lancelot to dare attack her was nothing short of an outrage!
Lancer Artoria didn't care if he was maddened or not.
To her, she was his lord, whom he had sworn to serve. Even under Mad Enhancement, he shouldn't have struck at her.
Unless his Master used a Command Spell.
But Sakura Matou hadn't used one, and yet he attacked.
Utter disrespect.
Such a Lancelot deserved a heavy-handed response.
Moreover, Lancer Artoria had long wanted to teach this man—who had secretly courted her queen behind her back—a lesson.
"Please leave him to me, Master."
Without waiting for Morpheus's approval, Artoria gripped her holy lance and charged at Lancelot.
Her eagerness was so palpable she didn't even bother to hide it.
Morpheus couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Lancelot.
If he didn't end up with broken legs today, it would be a miracle.
Meanwhile, Morpheus turned his attention to the old worm.
"You're the head of the Matou family."
Zouken Matou nodded. "Indeed, I am the head of the Matou family. May I ask who you are?"
Morpheus rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. I've already thrown a Servant in your face—guess who I am?"
Zouken hurriedly clarified, "The one participating in the Holy Grail War is my granddaughter. It has nothing to do with me."
He had no choice. As a creature of worms, fire was his greatest weakness.
In any other setting, he might have been more defiant, but in this Blazing Inferno, he couldn't muster any bravado.
This place was his natural counter. No matter how many worms he had, they'd all be reduced to ash.
Who could withstand that?
Certainly not him.
So he swiftly sold out his granddaughter, claiming innocence and pinning everything on Sakura.
If Morpheus hadn't seen Fate/stay night, he might have been fooled.
"No matter what you say today, it's useless. I came here to kill you."
Morpheus snapped his fingers, and a burst of flames erupted from beneath Zouken, engulfing him instantly.
Zouken let out a hysterical scream as his body collapsed, transforming into a swarm of worms that scattered in all directions.
He was trying to escape. If he didn't, Morpheus would finish him off.
But this was Morpheus's domain. Where could he run?
Morpheus snapped his fingers again, and flames shot up from the ground, precisely targeting the airborne worms.
In the blink of an eye, every last worm was incinerated.
Seeing this, Shinji Matou's face went pale.
"It's not my fault! It's not my fault! I have nothing to do with this. Holy Grail War? I don't know anything about it!"
He shouted frantically, terrified that if he spoke too slowly, Morpheus would burn him to ash.
He was still young and didn't want to die.
"Shut up."
Morpheus shot him a glare, and a flame rose from beneath Shinji, consuming him.
The vile, seaweed-haired boy didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to cinders.
Only Sakura Matou remained.
When Morpheus's gaze fell on her, she showed no fear, only calm.
To her, death wasn't an end but a release.
Yet Morpheus didn't kill her. Instead, he turned his attention with interest to the battle between Artoria and Lancelot.
It was clear Lancelot was no match, even with Mad Enhancement. Artoria was thrashing him like a ragdoll, each strike more brutal than the last.
Anyone watching could tell there was some personal bad blood between them.
And there was. Lancelot had betrayed her with her queen. Was she not allowed to seize this chance to teach the scoundrel a lesson?
Even if the gods themselves intervened, they'd have to forgive Artoria's actions.
"Why aren't you killing me?"
As Morpheus watched the fight with relish, Sakura voiced her deepest question.
Morpheus turned back to her, countering, "Why should I kill you?"
"Aren't we enemies?"
Sakura knew well that the Holy Grail War had only one victor.
If their roles were reversed and she held the upper hand, she'd probably attack Morpheus… right?
The Holy Grail War was that cruel.
Morpheus chuckled softly. "Don't worry, we're not enemies. I didn't come here to kill you but to deal with those two."
Sakura was confused. Not killing a Holy Grail War participant but targeting unrelated people—what kind of behavior was this?
"Did my grandfather and brother offend you?"
"Not exactly. I just can't stand their actions."
Morpheus said candidly, "To me, those two barely qualify as human, so I sent them to hell."
Sakura fell silent.
During their conversation, Artoria found an opening and shattered both of Lancelot's legs.
When he could no longer stand, she knocked off his helmet with a flick of her lance, revealing that familiar face.
The Knights of the Round Table were often jokingly called the "Round Table Idol Group" by fans, each member a dashing, charismatic figure.
Lancelot was no exception.
Though middle-aged, his handsome features still hinted at his youthful charm.
But under Mad Enhancement, his face was twisted, marring its once-noble appearance.
"ARTHURRRR!!" Even beaten down, Lancelot remained frenzied.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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