[FMMIKA] Chapter 215: Artorius vs Ultimate Heroine Z (I)

Artorius watched Z with a hint of helplessness as if he were a loving father looking at his mischievous daughter.

Even though, in terms of blood relations, it was the other way around, the way he looked at her made him feel like he could even be her grandfather in terms of maturity.

"Now, it's just the two of us, son." Z said without hesitation, ignoring the people around her.

Artorius, slightly surprised, watched as she unsheathed her sword and swiftly struck down both Heroine B and Heroine S on her side before they could react.

Artorius opened his mouth as if he wanted to comment on her actions, but in the end, he remained silent. The two Heroines, when stabbed, didn't show any surprise, anger, or any reaction one would expect from someone being betrayed. They just looked disappointed, as if they had known they would be stabbed.

'The Pendragons' moral compass is sinking lower and lower...' Artorius couldn't help but think, feeling a hint of regret.

He had played a role in undermining the family's morals, knowingly or not, he was the same. If he had known that moral standards would plummet so quickly, he might have tried to maintain them.

'I hope it's not too late.'

With this in mind, Artorius swung his sword, aiming for Z. Their swords clashed in an instant, and the force of the impact left him feeling both pain and numbness.

"This strength... it's even stronger than Lion King?!" Artorius realized he was being overpowered in terms of strength.

"Kukuku, though it might sound like I'm bragging..." Z said with a cheerful smile, "My actual combat abilities are the strongest among all Artoria Species!"

In the next moment, although Artorius managed to dodge Z's sudden thrust, he was hit in the leg by her kick.

'This kind of move...' Artorius said with a serious tone inside his mind.

Regular knights wouldn't use their legs for attacks during combat. Of course, Z wasn't a conventional knight. Her fighting style was something Artorius understood very well, having witnessed it earlier.

It was robust and unconventional as if she had received rigorous knight training and then experienced countless street brawls. It combined the ruthlessness and persistence of street fighting with the finesse of precise combat techniques and knightly swordsmanship.

If he had to make a comparison, Artorius thought of her as an upgraded and enhanced version of Mordred. So, whether she used taunts or tricks during battle, such as saying taunts like, "Your mother is ugly!" or pulled off silly tricks like, "Look, there's UFO!", Artorius wouldn't be surprised.

During the battle, she used dirty tricks like gouging eyes and hitting vulnerable spots—except for the groin kick, which she refrained from using to secure her 'future happiness' obviously.

In short, Z's fighting style was completely unrestrained.

This aspect didn't surprise Artorius at all. What truly surprised him was that Z's raw power was greater than his own!

Not by a lot, but significantly so. Her speed, strength, reflexes, and agility—in all aspects of physical ability, Z surpassed Artorius completely.

'Why is this happening?' Artorius wondered, 'I didn't feel this way when I fought Lion King before.'

"Could it be, Artorium?" He muttered his conclusion.

"Correct, Artorium, the source of power for us, the Artoria Species."

Hearing Artorius's mutters, Z understood what he meant and said while wearing a delighted smile:

"Do you know where my advantage lies? It's in my absorption efficiency!

With the same amount of Artorium, its effect on an ordinary Artoria Species is 10, but for me, it's at least 50, maybe even 100! Ordinary Artoria Species can absorb around 30%, I can absorb at least 50%!

That's why, I'm the strongest! I'm the Ultimate Heroine, the Heroine of all Heroines. I'm the peak of the Artoria Species. In other words, I'm the most powerful Artoria Species!"

If X were to hear this, she would surely protest vehemently. In fact, XX and Ex nearby were already protesting loudly.

"Stop talking nonsense! I am the strongest Artoria Species!" XX retorted loudly.

"If it weren't for this old hag holding me back, you'd be dead by now, Z." Ex said with a calm tone.

"Who are you calling an old hag?! Look at the mirror, you're an old hag yourself!"

"I'll forever be 14 years old."

"Nonsense!"

As they exchanged banter, they fought with all their might.

Ex's magical energy and strength far exceeded the typical Artoria Species. It was as if she were a massive artillery cannon, freely squandering nearly limitless magical energy.

In contrast, XX employed guerrilla tactics, pushing Aahvalon's engine to the maximum, soaring through the sky like a butterfly.

In terms of speed, the Aahvalon mech armor couldn't match the mechanical steed of Lion King. However, when it came to maneuverability, Aahvalon was far superior.

As long as she ignored the burden that could crush a person, XX could effortlessly evade Ex's attacks, like the nimblest hummingbird.

"Don't run away. Can't you just let me kill you?"

"Are you stupid?! There's no way you could kill me!"

It seemed that the battle between 'Sith' and 'Gundam' would continue for some time.

Meanwhile, the battle between Artorius and Z had escalated.

After the initial surprise, Artorius focused, not aiming for a quick victory over Z—that's what he had initially thought.

The reason he chose Lion King as his first opponent was that he believed the more mature and older the Artoria Species, the stronger and more stable they were.

Defeating her would make the following Artorias with 'chuunibyou' disease and alphabet code names seem trivial.

They were young, childish, and lacked maturity.

Their fighting styles were also too rough, their techniques not refined enough, and their combat awareness and mentality were not perfect.

Indeed, that was the case.

After confirming that her strength surpassed Artorius's, Z became cocky and arrogantly talked about her abilities, only to get thrashed by his wits and tricks. She suffered significant losses, nearly falling into self-doubt.

Such a fool couldn't possibly achieve anything significant.

However, reality proved Artorius had been too confident.

Everything had been calculated except one thing—Z's strength.

With superior attributes exceeding Artorius, Z even momentarily outperformed him. Even though she was beaten due to her arrogance, she didn't get defeated and could steady her position.

After losing the initial overconfidence, Z mumbled:

"How could this be?"

"This shouldn't happen."

"It doesn't make sense."

But she gradually calmed down, opting for a stable approach rather than rushing blindly toward Artorius.

'But, a protracted battle would favor me.' Z thought joyfully.

A one-on-one fight with Artorius was, after all, could be considered an intimate activity between 'mother and son'. Intimate activity meant more Artorium.

Therefore, with the sub-element from Artorius, Z would get stronger the more she fought. Her strength would keep rising. In the end, her unparalleled power would unquestionably bring her victory and glory.

"In the end, I'll still be the one to win!" Z said with confidence.

'I need to figure something out!'

Artorius, once again, found himself in a fierce struggle and was racking his brains.

'A protracted battle doesn't favor me. So... what should I do? I have to put my thinking cap on, and come up with a plan—where is Z's vulnerability?! What are Z's weaknesses?! Damn it, there's still too little information; it's impossible to conduct an effective analysis...!'

"You've realized too, haven't you? You've realized my invincibility. After all, you, as my dearest son, must have already figured out the greatness of your mother and how your mother will secure victory in this battle, right? Hehehe~"

Watching Artorius's gradually darkening expression and his furrowed brow, Z revealed a delighted smile and said:

"My power keeps increasing!"

"Thinking you can find my weakness?"

"Don't be delusional! I am perfect, the mightiest Artoria; there's no such thing as a weakness!"

As time passed, Z's strength did indeed grow stronger. Therefore, she once again started acting smug and babbling about various things.

However...

"Yes, I don't know, but maybe someone does—everyone! Who knows Z's weakness?! Tell me, and I will owe you a favor!" Artorius shouted loudly to the surroundings.

This sentence was directed at the Artorias present without the need for a question.

"What?!"

Upon hearing Artorius shout this way, Z's composure disappeared, and she became anxious.

'She really is a fool; she wears her thoughts on her face. This girl indeed has a weakness, and among the people here, there might be someone who knows it.' Artorius said inwardly as he watched Z's reaction.

"Is it true, Artorius?!"

A Heroine standing by and conserving energy raised her hand, asking happily. At this point, there were only single-digit Artoria Species left within the bounded field.

They were all the cream of the crop and the most experienced ones among the Artoria Species, aside from the remaining god-level Artorias.

At this stage of the battle, they stopped in unison and began to observe and regroup. They seemed to be anticipating the strongest participants turning on each other, giving them a chance to gain an advantage.

"Of course, I'll keep my word." Artorius responded with confidence.

"My code name is A, remember your words, Artorius—Z's weakness is related to you!"

"Shut up you rascal!"

In the next instant, Z rushed towards Heroine A. She was also relatively the strongest among Z's subordinates and had spent the most time with her.

'She probably knew some of my secrets, if she told Artorius then...' Z thought in panic.

*CLANG!*

In the next instant, Artorius intercepted and blocked Z's path toward Heroine A.

"Tell me quickly!" Artorius shouted toward Heroine A behind him.

"Understood!"

Heroine A didn't waste any time. While Artorius struggled more and more to resist Z, she quickly informed Artorius:

"Z's advantage indeed lies in her ability to absorb and secrete Artorium more efficiently. But there is a limit to this absorption! If she exceeds this limit, Z will enter a state of Artorium intoxication. She would become vulnerable in that state! And that is your chance to win, Artorius!"

"Thanks!"

After thanking Heroine A, Artorius sidestepped, allowing Z to pass, and simultaneously charged toward another Heroine who was watching the spectacle.

"?!?!"

Under Heroine A surprised gaze, Z rushed over, forcing her into a battle against Z.

"Artorius?!" Heroine A protested loudly, "I just helped you!"

"Tit for tat!" Artorius responded as he battled another Heroine.

"Did you think I don't know what your intention is? I don't want to be interrupted when I'm halfway through my fight with Z. I also don't want to win a hard-fought battle only for someone else to reap the rewards. I'm sure the others feel the same way, right?!"

As Artorius spoke, Ex and XX, who had just fought each other fiercely, also turned their attention to the few other Artorias who were spectating.

"Damn it!"

"They want to eliminate all of us!"

"Let's fight them!"

They might say that, but the god-level Artoria Species were just that—god-level. Even two against one, the ordinary Artoria Species were easily overwhelmed.

In the end, under the resentful gaze of the Heroine he attacked, Artorius eliminated her and then turned to look at Z, who had almost simultaneously taken out Heroine A.

On the other side, Ex and XX's battle had already resumed.

The bounded field was cleared, leaving only the four of them fighting it out in pairs.

This symbolized the approaching conclusion of the great battle of Pendragons.

Among the four contenders who stayed, a new leader and head of the Pendragons were about to be born.