"What is... this?"
Gazing at the knight emerging from the golden light, Carmilla frowned deeply.
Just moments ago, exactly as Caster Merlin had planned, she and Rider had the perfect opportunity to kill Kotomine Souya directly with their Noble Phantasms. Yet, at the very last second, a dazzling golden light erupted from his body, and immediately after, both her Iron Maiden and Rider's lance were swatted away.
When the golden light dissipated, the figure of Kotomine Souya was gone. In his place stood someone clad in black armor and wielding a white-gold lance, dressed as a knight.
Watching the knight step forth amidst holy light and hymns, Carmilla instinctively guessed his identity.
"A Paladin?"
Meanwhile, at the Black Faction's castle, Merlin took in this entire scene through the shared vision with Carmilla.
Facing this knight who appeared to have transformed from Souya, her face showed no surprise. Instead, it was filled with the joy and anticipation of a successful scheme.
"Yes, yes! This is exactly what I wanted to see! When my grand plan finally arrives, the more Saints, the better!"
"This is..."
Taking advantage of Carmilla's momentary daze, Atalante kicked away the Iron Maiden that was tightly clamping down on her thigh. Ignoring her leg injury, she hastily looked in Souya's direction.
Her eyes fell upon the armor-clad figure, whose aura and presence were completely different. She froze in place.
In unison, everyone present stopped their movements, their gazes instinctively lingering on that figure.
After a slight hesitation, Atalante perked her fluffy ears vigilantly and tested the waters.
"Souya?"
The figure paused. His helmet dissolved into motes of light, revealing Souya's face, unchanged except for his hair, which had turned grayish-white.
"Accurately speaking, my name right now should be Lamorak."
Feeling the familiar yet foreign power within his body, and receiving the faint, joyous emotional feedback from the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad in his hand, a smile surfaced on Souya's lips.
This is the reward I deserve!
He was not a Pseudo-Servant of any class right now, but the true Heroic Spirit himself, fully wielding his own power.
Due to the unique nature of his Spirit Origin, Souya, like Jeanne, could not dematerialize and still required normal food. However, in terms of strength and class, he was the genuine Lancer, Lamorak.
"Lamorak?"
Hearing Souya declare this name, both Atalante and Carmilla instinctively searched their memories. Soon, both looked up with expressions of shock.
Relying on the knowledge granted by the Holy Grail, they naturally knew who owned this name and what kind of power he possessed.
Hearing this name from Souya's mouth, their expressions instantly grew complex.
Atalante's eyes held curiosity and scrutiny, as if she had just realized something.
Carmilla's expression was filled with suspicion and wariness. As a noblewoman, she naturally knew the title of the legendary British knight, Lamorak.
She knew she had to test whether his words were true. If he had truly obtained the power of the Lion of Britain through some unknown method, Carmilla would have to consider fleeing. Her contract with Caster was more of a mutually beneficial employment than a strict command structure. Faced with potential danger, she naturally prioritized her own survival.
With that thought, she did not hesitate.
"Playing tricks, are we? I will see for myself if your name as Lamorak holds any truth!" she sneered.
Despite her words, Carmilla merely used her Noble Phantasm to summon several Iron Maidens around Souya to snap at him. Her true killing move was to have Astolfo attack while Souya's attention was drawn to the Iron Maidens.
"Watch out!"
Atalante instinctively tried to intercept the attack for Souya, but before she could move, Souya gave her a reassuring look.
"Leave it to me."
Facing the pincer attack from the two Black Faction Servants, Souya appeared surprisingly calm and relaxed, as if he hadn't even noticed.
With a mere glance, the effects of his Fairy Eyes allowed Souya to instantly identify the nodes of magical energy flowing through the surrounding Iron Maidens. He raised his lance slightly. In the blink of an eye, the tip of the Holy Lance precisely struck the Iron Maidens' weak points. Under the effect of his technique, Souya shattered them with a single strike.
"Impossible..."
Carmilla gritted her teeth at the sight. The opponent had merely swung his lance a few times, destroying her Noble Phantasm without even releasing its True Name. This sheer disparity in strength made Carmilla feel exceptionally irritated.
But immediately after, when she saw Souya sweep his lance horizontally after shattering the Iron Maidens, perfectly knocking away Astolfo—who had teleported behind him using his Hippogriff—her irritation turned into deep dread.
"Is this guy... really Lamorak?"
Watching Souya relentlessly swing his lance, forcing Astolfo to rely entirely on the Hippogriff's teleportation to avoid defeat, the thought of escaping quietly arose in Carmilla's mind.
As an Assassin who barely qualified for the class in the normal sense, Carmilla knew that to win this war and obtain the Holy Grail, the most important and fundamental requirement was to stay alive.
She had finally managed to form a contract with Caster Merlin and secure an adequate mana source; she did not want to die here.
With this in mind, she glanced at Astolfo. Confirming that he was temporarily holding off Souya's attacks, she quietly activated her blood magecraft, preparing to slip away.
But just as her figure began to glow red, an arrow interrupted her actions.
Narrowly dodging the incoming projectile, Carmilla glared angrily at the culprit: Atalante, who had her bow drawn and aimed at her.
"Archer! Do not interfere!"
"You come and go as you please. Do you think you own this place, blood witch?" Seeing Carmilla's resentful gaze, Atalante scoffed and mocked her.
"Tch! You wretch!"
Feeling Atalante's locked-on gaze, exactly like a hunter eyeing her prey, Carmilla realized her escape plan was ruined. Since that was the case, she could only choose to fight and wait for another opportunity.
Having made her decision, Carmilla raised her hands, summoning numerous Iron Maidens to surround Atalante.
"You chose this, Archer. Do not blame me for not warning you. As a Servant, my skills possess a special attack against females, particularly young girls like you," she spoke coldly.
"Then I will tell you this: a venomous woman like you would be treated as a monster in Greece," Atalante shot back, unfazed by the threat.
"Heh! Just wait and see. I will turn your blood into my new nourishment!"
The word "monster" seemed to deeply sting Carmilla. The Blood Countess clenched her right hand toward Atalante, pouring her magical energy in without reservation.
The next moment, countless smaller Iron Maidens fused together, transforming into a massive iron coffin standing six meters tall, which abruptly swallowed Atalante whole.
"Become the elixir that grants me eternal youth amidst absolute agony!"