Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 65: Battle Between Magus and Magus Killer (2)

Kenneth sighed contemptuously, striding heavily toward the center of the hall.

Just as Kenneth reached the center of the hall, the four vases placed in the corners of the hall suddenly emitted a roar and shattered.

Flying out from the explosion were not shards of porcelain, but countless metal beads. These metal beads flew towards Kenneth like bullets.

This was not a magical mechanism but a purely physical weapon.

The Claymore Personnel Anti-Personnel Mine, also known as the Directional Mine or Bouncing Betty, was a directional anti-personnel mine (also known as an anti-infantry mine) developed and produced by the US military during the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

The M18A1 had three detonation modes to choose from: command mode (remote detonation), victim-operated mode, and time-delay mode. The one set up at the castle gate was in victim-operated mode, using a primitive yet effective tripwire as the mine's triggering device.

This was a terrifying weapon invented to wipe out entire infantry groups. When the mine exploded, it released over 700 steel balls with a diameter of only one or two millimeters. The steel balls would fan out in all directions, turning the personnel within range into sieves.

Of course, this was under the assumption that the target wasn't a magi.

In the instant that the 2,800 steel balls shot toward Kenneth, the spot where he stood was enveloped in a silver semicircle. The mercury sphere that was originally beneath his feet instantly transformed into a semicircular shape.

A watertight mercury film surrounded Kenneth, and although its thickness was less than a millimeter, it gained the strength of steel under the enhancement of magical energy. The barrage of bullets emitted by the mine didn't hit Kenneth at all; instead, they were all bounced back to various parts of the hall, instantly wreaking havoc and destroying the castle's facilities.

This was the automatic defense mode of Moon Spirit Marrow. When Kenneth was threatened, this preset magecraft automatically responded, instantly deploying a powerful defensive membrane. With its reaction speed, it could even defend against bullets. When the Kay Hotel collapsed, it was this defensive membrane created by Moon Spirit Marrow that protected Kenneth and Sola.

The versatile mercury, capable of transforming between offense and defense, could be both Kenneth's sword and his armor.

"Hmph!"

As Kenneth undid the defensive membrane and surveyed the devastation around him, he didn't hide his disgust for such methods and couldn't help but recall the attack that occurred last night.

Even without analysis, it is clear that among the Masters of the remaining six groups, the only one who wants to eliminate Kenneth more than anyone else is the Saber's Master, the Einzbern family. However, Kenneth didn't believe that the magus from the Einzbern family, whose history was longer than the Archibald family's, would resort to such despicable tactics.

But now, he couldn't help but lose his faith. The explosive expert who used deplorable methods to destroy Kenneth's workshop last night was now lurking in this city.

"Have you fallen to such a state, Einzbern?"

Kenneth sighed, burning with anger.

Whether the one who set up this mechanism was Saber's Master or not, he couldn't forgive the Einzbern family for defiling this sacred ritual and tarnishing the dignity of the magus.

"Well then, this is no longer a duel; it's an execution."

After regaining his resolve, Kenneth marched deeper into the enemy's territory.

Do you remember the three verses Kenneth chanted before breaking down the door?

The first verse of the automatic defense had already been activated when it resisted the anti-personnel mine. The second verse began operating when he uttered the word "subjugation."

Countless threads suddenly stretched out from the surface of the spherical Moon Spirit Marrow, like a metal sea urchin spreading out numerous flowing spikes, extending through various gaps in the castle. It was like a spider casting a large web to catch its prey.

Automatic target acquisition - using the mercury's sensitivity to changes, it captured fluctuations in the air and variations in heat, thus detecting the target's presence.

The castle wasn't equipped with air conditioning, and the nighttime temperature was below freezing. The human body's temperature ranges between 36-37 degrees Celsius, creating a noticeable heat difference. The body's normal physiological functions, such as respiration and heartbeat, would cause disturbances in the air. Moon Spirit Marrow captured these characteristics and fed them back to Kenneth through magic.

"Are you there? Scalp! (Cut)"

In an instant, the Moon Spirit Marrow converged back into a spherical shape from its net-like form, and then instantly compressed into a thin sheet, slicing through the ceiling of the castle's first floor.

Then, under the pressure of magic, the Moon Spirit Marrow spread out, extending countless tentacles like a flat silver jellyfish. The tentacles of the jellyfish grabbed hold of the circular incision, carrying Kenneth's body as it ascended to the second floor.

The Moon Spirit Marrow had cut through the floor of the conference room, just as the automatic target acquisition had indicated. Kenneth saw a tall, slender man wearing a trench coat—Emiya Kiritsugu.

The surprised expression on Kiritsugu's face satisfied Kenneth. He stared at the man before him with a mocking gaze, saying triumphantly, "Found you, you filthy rat."

Kiritsugu, embodying the spirit of a killer who didn't wait for the enemy to finish speaking before attacking, immediately pulled back the gun's bolt and began shooting.

The machine gun Kiritsugu used was the Calico M950 submachine gun, known for its full-auto capability, high firepower, large magazine capacity, good accuracy, and strong self-defense and assault capabilities. However, these advantages couldn't penetrate the Moon Spirit Marrow's automatic defense.

Without Kenneth having to operate it himself, the Moon Spirit Marrow formed a protective film in front of him, completely neutralizing the power of the 9mm bullet rain.

"Scalp! (Cut)"

Just as Kiritsugu finished firing his bullets, Kenneth proclaimed his death. With his words, two mercury whips flew toward his prey in a pincer attack.

However, just as the command was given, Kenneth exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm?"

At the moment the two mercury whips were about to hit their target, the enemy evaded the whip attacks with an almost unbelievable speed and swiftly leaped beneath the Moon Spirit Marrow where Kenneth stood, in the hollow space created by the mercury blades.

The enemy's speed was so fast that even his movements couldn't be seen clearly. No matter how one thinks about it, this shouldn't be a level of physical technique that an ordinary person could exhibit.

Recalling the incantation the enemy uttered before moving—"(Time Manipulation, Double Accel)!"—combined with Kenneth's extensive knowledge of magecraft, he saw through the method Emiya Kiritsugu was using.

"Creating an inherent barrier within oneself to manipulate time, huh? It seems you have some understanding of magecraft. You, a despicable person who resorts to such lowly means despite being influenced by magecraft, will experience your incompetence through death!"

The intensity of the killing intent in Kenneth's heart grew stronger and stronger. If it were just an ordinary rat, it would be somewhat tolerable, but he absolutely couldn't tolerate the behavior of someone who insulted magus while being a magus themselves.

"Ire: (Tracking Eradication)!"

Kenneth flipped the lapel of his coat and jumped down to the first floor, followed by the slowly descending Moon Spirit Marrow, which had reverted from its jellyfish form.

The mercury, receiving the command, scattered with its thin tendrils and began searching the entire first floor once again.

The mercury quickly provided feedback. Kenneth, who followed the tracking route from behind, revealed a sadistic smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Have you found him? I'm curious to see how far your body can escape."