Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.
Personally I think this chapter may be lacking but for the life of me I can't see how no matter how many times I read it. So if it is lacking I apologise I've had some personal stuff to deal with at home, so maybe that's why.
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Hidden behind some trees in the Fuyuki central park, Kariya Matou was waiting out of sight. He'd sent a message requesting a meeting to Harry and in the hope that he would come and at least hear him out.
Frankly Kariya would be surprised if Harry didn't blame him for Yume's death. He had kept pondering about it and couldn't come up with anything that even remotely justified not telling Yume the dangers of stealing from Tokiomi's mansion, especially with the Holy Grail War about to begin.
Kariya Matou's thoughts were broken as a nearby bush rustled, out of the shadows stepped Harry Potter. The seven year old was not amused; he looked rather tired and was none too pleased to see Kariya.
"So, you're a master as well?" Harry asked rhetorically with a cold tone.
Kariya flinched but was unsurprised by lack of friendliness from the boy. Yume had told Kariya about how Harry's relatives had abandoned him here in Japan, and how she suspected that they were neglectful if not outright abusive towards him.
Yume herself was like a shining light that made everyone around her feel warmer and happier. Even spending a week with Yume after having such a life would have quickly created a strong attachment to her. For Kariya, Yume's visits were the highlight of his usually miserable week ever since they had met.
Though there were no romantic feelings between them of course, yet she always managed to cheer him up one way or another even after Zouken had made his best attempts to remind Kariya of his numerous failures. He wouldn't put it past the old worm to celebrate Yume's death; because now he would be able to milk Kariya's misery for all that he could and not worry about Yume brightening his day anymore, or ever again.
"Yes, I am" Kariya replied carefully "Is Archer here?"
Kariya's response did not come in words but rather in the form of something dousing him from above.
"Disgusting" a proud voice came from above as bottle of wine landed in a nearby bush "Modern man truly has no taste"
The culprit was Archer lazing on a tree branch seemingly not paying attention. She pulled another bottle of wine from somewhere that Kariya couldn't see and opened it up only to throw it away immediately after she tasted it.
"I knew I should have borrowed some of Kirei's wine instead of trying this swill" Archer complained deciding to try another bottle.
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The stench of blood thickened. Mud was wrapping itself about the edge of Saber's armour, stopping her steps. Behind her, the ground was obscured by stirred dust, soaked through with dampness—not the dampness of rain. A sea of blood surrounded her.
The slaughtered ones were all children. Saber's heart was rent at the thought. She remembered the vision of them, screaming with terror, in the live feed through one of the bat familiar's camera's set up in the forest. That scene was only minute's old, taking place just before Saber burst into the forest. In those short minutes, the lively children became corpses.
Kiritsugu had sent Irisviel and Maiya away from the castle some time ago, apparently anticipating an assault.
"Welcome fair Jeanne. I have waited a long time." Caster greeted the stationary silver-white figure. A complacent smile was plastered on his face, betraying his satisfaction with the lavish banquet. "What do you think of this horrible sight? Does it not pain you?"
Saber had no intention of replying or listening listen. She wanted only to slice Caster in two with her sword. Without hesitation, she took a step forward. Caster stopped talking as he sensed the killing intent radiating from the King of Knights.
He suddenly pulled his hands out from the edges of his cassock. Watching the thing held in front of the mad servant's chest, Saber once again stopped her advance. It was a child—the sole surviving hostage. He was still sobbing as Caster's forearms held him close. It seemed as though Caster left him alive to use as a shield in the battle against Saber.
Caster, feeling relaxed smiled briefly toward Saber.
"Do you despise me Jeanne? Yes, I'm sure you must. I'm certain that you'll never forgive me for turning from Gods love.
"Unhand the child. Monster" Saber's was as tone cold and keen as a blade.
Caster could not help his bursts of laughter. With an expression of disappointment, he softly released his grip and placed the child on the ground.
"Jeanne, if you so dearly wish to save the boy then….child; you should rejoice and be exceedingly glad. God's devout messenger says that she will save you from the fate of your departed friends."
The young child, seemingly understanding that the blonde girl who had sprinted here was his saviour, began to cry loudly at once, and started running toward Saber. His little hands clasped her shin guard, and Saber softly brushed the child's hands with her fingertips. Her situation was now desperate; she could not prepare for battle and ensure the child's safety at the same time. Only the surrounding mountains could protect the child and put her heart at ease.
"It's dangerous here. Now you need to run. Just follow this path and you'll find a castle—"
Clack—the child's spine made a sound and his sobs became painful wails. Saber was shocked speechless as the youth burst apart before her eyes. What erupted out of the child was not red blood bit rather the tentacles of some strange octopus-like creature.
Each one of the appendages were as thick as Saber's arms, extended in a flash and wrapped themselves around the silver armour, constricting Saber's arms and legs. The flesh and blood of the children still clung onto the demonic monsters that Caster had summoned from another world.
More of the creatures continued to emerge from the remains of the hostages scattered everywhere, and almost immediately Saber found herself surrounded by a dozen or so of the beasts.
They were roughly the same size, limbless and lacking a lower body—a verbal description is difficult. Each appendage ended in a circular mouth, an orifice containing razor teeth like a shark's. Their origins were unknown, but they were certainly not living creatures of nature; perhaps creatures from another world, one that does not obey the natural laws.
"Do you not remember what I told you?" Caster let out a loud celebratory laugh. As he spoke, a thick book appeared in his hands. "I said that the very next time that we would meet I would be prepared for you"
The cover was glistening wet. To Saber's disbelief, a piece of human skin was placed on it. Although it looked like an ordinary book by its cover, Saber's senses, detected a massive amount of prana surging and expanding around the book.
Saber remained tightly bound. The carcass, rotten and smashed, was still in her hands. The demonic monsters consumed the flesh of their hosts as they emerge; the carcass remains did not impart any solid sense of weight. The child, crying and clutching her clothes a moment ago, was already reduced to this tragic state.
"Very well. My fight with you, is no longer over….THE GRAIL" Saber announced loudly releasing the raging anger bridled in her heart.
The monsters began to retreat as Saber's Prana exploded outwards. The impact brought a force to Caster's eardrums unmatched by any physical shockwave.
The binding limbs, succumbing to the prana burst before the second was up, disintegrated into slivers of flesh, and scattered out of sight. Not a trace of slime lingered. The silver armour regained its brilliant shine. Amid the hordes of demonic monsters, the girl stood like a god of war, and glared at Caster with blazing eyes.
"Ohhhh, my fair Jeanne …" Caster, awed by Saber's majesty, began to gasp weakly. His expression was not one of doubt or fear; he looked slightly lost and confused. "How noble, how beautiful … Oh Holy Maiden, even gods beauty pales before you!"
"Caster! I take up my sword solely to destroy you. Prepare"
Caster's voice, extraordinarily happy, suddenly lapsed into silence. Taking the cue, the fragile tentacles lashed toward Saber like an avalanche. The swinging of a sword and mad laughter lifted the curtains of another battle to the death.
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Shaking away the memories of Yume and some of the wine he had been doused with, Kariya faced Harry, and behind him, the black form of Berserker appeared. Behind Harry, Archer leapt down from her tree branch leaning up against the trunk without a care in the world.
"So what do you want?" Harry asked coldly, and again, Kariya winced.
"An alliance." he answered, willing Berserker to vanish.
"Alliance?" Harry frowned, showing some kind of emotion for the first time.
"I don't want to fight." Kariya said, shaking his head, "Not yet at any rate. Between my Berserker and your Archer, there shouldn't be any trouble wiping out all of the other serva-"
"Mongrel..." Archer said casually, "You realize that I neither need nor want the help of you or your mad dog to put these pretenders in their place? As such, why should I even bother with something as tedious as an alliance? I could simply annihilate your rabid puppy and move on."
"Because without Tokiomi, you don't have sufficient information gathering." Kariya replied to the golden king, "He had a network of spies and sources, both local and aboard, that could be used to keep tabs on the other masters. But with him dead, you no longer have access to those resources. I'm sure that at one time, you could have made due using your youth as a smokescreen to gather information, but after the battle at the docks, your identity is revealed. And the other masters will kill you without a second thought."
" I don't need any information." Harry shook his head, "Archer can handle the other servants, and if I need to, I will deal with masters."
" Then you're a fool!" Kariya shouted, "Do you really intend to throw away the life that Yume save-"
"That's enough." Archer said harshly, and Kariya froze. The look in her eyes was totally different. She was a single word away from obliterating him where he stood and neither he nor Berserker could stop her. Walking towards him with all the grace of a king, she continued talking, "You, of all people, have no right to comment on that matter. After all, who's fault is it that my vassal is in this situation?"
" It's mine..." He answered bitterly, "It's entirely my fault. I.. I never thought that this would happen..." wiping away the phantom tears from his eyes, he looked over at Harry who looked just as distraught as he did, if not more, "And that's why." Kariya said, ignoring the servant glaring at him, "That's why I wanted to talk to you. Why I want to form an alliance between us. Harry, I want you to be able to live through this war more than almost anything. And if things keep going as they have, you won't... let me protect you, for Yume's sake."
" I'm getting her back." Harry said in a hushed voice, but it still echoed in the empty hotel room.
"You're what?" Kariya asked.
"I said that I'm getting her back!" Harry shouted, "Once I win the Holy Grail war, Archer said that she would give me the grail... So I can bring her back..."
Kariya let out a small sigh, "You too, huh?"
Now, it was Harry's turn to look up at him in confusion.
"My own desire for the grail is the same." he said sadly, "There's a little girl out there, suffering a fate worse than death even now. A sweet little girl who never hurt a fly is suffering because a sick old man needs eternal life-" He spat the last two words like they were the most vile curse in humanity's history, and with every ounce of loathing that he could, "The only reason that I'm here, competing in this war, is because that little girl doesn't deserve this. To be violated by worms, tortured endlessly..."
"Because of you?" Archer said, drawing his attention back to the golden armoured servant less than ten feet from him, "That's what you were about to say, right?"
"Because I was too weak." Kariya sighed again, "The Matou magic should have passed to me, but I was too weak and too cowardly to accept it. Instead, I left. I left, and they had to find a replacement..."
Shaking his head to try and alleviate the feeling of guilt he felt, he looked at Harry pleadingly, "I'm not asking you to give me the grail. After what I've done, I don't deserve to ask you for that. All I ask is that you consider this alliance. Once we're the only ones left, Berserker and I will try and rescue Sakura from Zouken's clutches. If I die in the attempt, Berserker will vanish, and the grail will be yours. If I succeed, I will have no need of the grail, and will order him to commit suicide. You can have the grail, either way."
Just as Harry opened his mouth to respond, a loud gunshot was heard. A golden blur stepped in front of Harry at almost impossible speeds. The bullet, aimed at Harry's chest, bounced harmlessly off of Archer's armour.
"It would seem that our meeting was interrupted." Archer said softly, but with an obvious hint of anger. Taking a single step forward, she vanished into golden dust.
-
Maiya cursed as the bullet missed its mark. Hurriedly, she threw the gun to the side and turned to run. Screw hiding the evidence. If that servant were to find her-
As she reached for the door to the rooftop she was sniping from, the ground beneath her cracked and an intense pain tore through her body from her knee. Looking down, she saw a rapier sticking out of her destroyed knee. Archer was standing idly behind her.
"So, it's you." She said, walking towards her, "Now, I do not care what your reason is for trying to harm my master. However, I will not allow it. Pass this message on to your master, mongrel. The next time you attempt this, I will kill you. Painfully."
As Maiya felt the blood pooling beneath her, she could only watch as the golden armoured servant walked away, disappearing at the edge of the building in a shower of golden light.
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Saber believed that she might understand the enemy's intentions somewhat after defeating three monsters. She did not know the reason for it yet but she felt uneasy.
After ten monsters, Saber's suspicion was confirmed. Her enemy intended to overwhelm her by summoning an endless number of these creatures. No matter how many she killed more would replace them. Eventually she would run out of Prana.
But even so it mattered not to her; Saber silently steeled herself. No matter how large the crowd of enemies continued to swell, she had only to defeat them twice as quickly.
Driven by her boiling anger, Saber's sword sped up in the blink of an eye. Thirty. The enemies's numbers did not falter, and a flash of anxiety passed in Saber's heart. Fifty. Saber understood that it was pointless to count anymore. The children's flesh and blood were not the only breeding ground for the demonic monsters.
Through her peripheral vision, Saber realized that new demonic monsters were being born from the corpses of the defeated monsters. That explained why their numbers did not decrease. The defeated demonic monsters were being resurrected almost indefinitely.
'How is this? Is there no end to his Prana?' Saber wondered, the situation looked grim as her eyes settled on the book in his grip 'Impossible the source of his prana is-"
"So that book is your Noble Phantasm?" Saber stated angrily.
"That's right; the Grimiore left to me by the legendary teacher Prelati" Caster confirmed "It gives me the means command a demonic legion to do my will. What do you think my fair Jeanne? It brings back memories doesn't it? Everything is just as it was then, your indomitable warrior spirit and noble bearing proves you to be non other than Jeanne D'Arc!"
'Full of nonsense as always!'But Saber subdued the anger filling her heart, and concentrated on killing the sundry weaklings before her. A word-by-word rebuke would only encourage him.
"So why Jeanne? Why have you not awakened to the truth of this? Do you still believe in God's grace even now? Faced with mortal peril you still believe a miracle will save you. How terribly tragic! Have you forgotten the battle of Compiegne? Even after that awful humiliation you still chose to remain Gods puppet!?"
If only she could block that blabbering mouth! She dearly wished to inform him, with the full force of justice, of the judgment which would be passed on him for the sin he had committed—robbing the lives of children to feed his boring vain hopes—but even as the thought formed, her sword could not touch him at all. Saber was stopped by the wall of demonic monsters that overwhelmed her ten-fold, twenty-fold … She was still too far from Caster.
Finding a slight gap, Saber leapt in—but a tentacle behind her wrapped itself around her head. Reflexively, she stretched out a hand to grab it before it wrapped around her. Her left hand, its thumb completely out of her control, slipped powerlessly across the skin of the limb.
"Uuuu …"
As soon as Saber stopped, her field of view was entirely covered by the wall of monsters. She could only use a prana burst to blow them apart. But with this many …
In the blink of an eye, golden red lightning flashed past and pushed the alien horde back. Before Saber, still gasping after her bonds were loosened, a tall figure dressed in teal armour came into sight.
"That was pathetic, such swordsmanship is unworthy of the tile 'King of Knights'" Saber looked up and was surprised that Lancer had arrived with a smile upon his face.
But Caster's surprise was much greater than Saber's.
"Who are you?!" Caster demanded "And who gave you leave to interfere with our private affair!"
"Yes well, that is my question to you, monster" Lancer stared coldly at the provoked Caster, and with his left pointed the short spear's tip. "It will be my Lance alone that takes Saber's life."
"No it was my prayer! It was my Holy Grail that brought her back to life! She is mine intruder, every scrap of flesh, every drop of blood, and even her very soul belongs to me!" Caster clawed his head, bulged out his eyes, and made strange sounds in his throat.
Lancer was not overwhelmed at all. He shrugged his shoulders and took a deep sigh.
Slowly, Lancer lifted up the tips of the twin spears by his sides, and took up his unique double-spear stance. Standing in front of Saber, he seemed to be shielding the King of Knights behind his back.
"Listen Caster, I am not going to comment on your bizarre notion of romance here. So if you really believe that you are going to make Saber yours here today then go ahead and try it." A burning and yet desolate resolution filled the handsome soldier's eyes as he proclaimed. "But know, that I Diarmuid will not allow you to defeat a crippled Saber in any sort of battle before I can!"
"You came, to help?"
"Don't get the wrong idea" Lancer's sharp glance stopped Saber's words. "The only thing that brought me here today is the order to find and defeat Caster, and so I believe co-operation is our best option Right?"
His words were insufficient explanation; such bold declarations ere unnecessary. He could have chosen the moment when Caster was completely engrossed while dealing with Saber, and looped around behind Caster to launch a surprise attack instead. But Saber questioned him not, and merely nodded at Lancer, a hint of a smile playing on the corners of his mouth, taking up position at his right. Her left now secured, Saber held her sword and face her right. At this moment, she had a most trustworthy left arm.
"Just to be perfectly clear Lancer, Right now, I could kill a hundred of those things with just my left arm."
"A mere hundred of them is child's play."
Trading jests, the two Heroic Spirits sprang toward the gathered demonic monsters. The holy sword and two demonic spears cleaved through the mass of tentacles that stretched toward them from all directions.
"You will pay, don't be conceited you SAVAGE!"
The magecraft tome in Caster's hand throbbed curiously, as if reinforcing his roar; pages flipped by themselves in succession.
The number of demonic monsters suddenly doubled. The fiercer, more tragic second act of the battle began.
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Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald felt enough ease to snicker. Although many of the magecraft artefacts he brought from England were lost when the hotel collapsed, his strongest trump card, his Mystic Code, had always been by his side. He did not feel his battle strength was at any disadvantage.
The trees hindering his sight suddenly disappeared, and the antique stone castle appeared in his sight. So this is it; no less from these prestigious northern magi. Even a relocated castle was a building of abnormal size. But Kayneth, son of the prestigious house of Archibald, only snorted. The castle's majesty might overwhelm others, but it earned no such sentiment from him.
'Not bad. Once Einzbern was dealt with, it maybe I'll take this castle as my new headquarters' Kayneth thought to himself gleefully.
After losing the Hyatt hotel suite; he had obtained an abandoned factory on the city outskirts as his temporary base, and hid Sola there.
Predictably, his fiancée's mood could not be worse; even his own pride would not tolerate such an environment. If this was his plan, he would have to keep building damage to a minimum. Kayneth laughed presumptuously and placed the large porcelain vase he carried under his arm on the ground. As it left his hand, the vase sank deeply into the earth. This vase, under a weight reduction spell to make it easier to carry, actually weighed almost a hundred and forty kilograms.
"Fervor, mei sanguis."
Once he chanted the activating spell, something oozed out from the mouth of the vase. The mirror-like metal sheen of the liquid made it readily identifiable as mercury. Flowing from the vase like a disciplined primeval creature, the mass of shivering mercury—roughly ten kilograms or so—formed a ball. Among the many in his possession, this was one of the Mystic Codes Lord El-Melloi took much pride in: Volumen Hydragyrum.
"Automatoportum defensio: Automatoportum quaerere: Dilectus incursio."
Obeying Kayneth's low chanting the surface of the mass of mercury vibrated and rustled as if in answer, following his feet on the ground to approach the gates of the castle.
"Scalp!"
As Kayneth yelled, a part of the mercury ball suddenly became a long and thin ribbon, extending upwards. The mercury ribbon savagely thrashed the door like a whip. Right before impact, the mercury whip suddenly compressed itself into a thin edge only a few millimetres thick, becoming a razor sharp mercury blade.
Attacked by this mercury blade edge, the heavyset bolt was cut in half smoothly, like a piece of tofu. The great gates collapsed inwards with a heavy groan.
Mercury is a heavy liquid at room temperature; moving rapidly under high pressure, it possessed great kinetic energy. Furthermore, mercury could change its form, creating functional weapons like whips, spears, and blades. Its sharpness could even overwhelm laser rays and rival pressurized water jet cutters. He carried about him the confidence of assured victory, for even the most solid defence stood no chance before Lord El-Melloi's Volumen Hydragyrum. Titanium alloys, or diamonds—nothing was unbreakable.
Kayneth walked leisurely toward the great hall of the castle after finishing off the obstacle. The crystal chandelier in the hall emanated brilliant light, and the marble floor, polished to an extreme, had not a single flaw. Even the air felt extraordinarily still, save for Kayneth's presence—of course, not a single person came out to greet him.
"Kayneth El-Melloi has arrived, the ninth patriarch of the Archibald family!" Kayneth, with an air of command, proclaimed loudly in the deserted hall. "Mage of the Einzberns, Come forth and let us duel for possession of the Holy Grail, with our lives and our sacred honour on the line."
As he reached the center of the hall, the four flower vases placed at the four corners suddenly exploded with an enormous roar. However, it was not porcelain fragments that flew out from the explosion, but countless metal beads, springing toward Kayneth like bullets.
In the split second before nearly three thousand steel balls reached Kayneth, the spot he was standing on was enveloped in a silver semi-circle. The mass of mercury lying recumbent beside his feet suddenly changed form. Although the tight, thin mercury membrane wrapped around Kayneth was barely a millimetre thick, its surface tension could match the strength of steel when supported with prana. Not a single bead dispersed by the Claymore mines had hit Kayneth. The storm of beads, reflected by the mercury barrier, hammered the setups in the hall into smithereens. This was Volumen Hydragyrum's "automated defence" mode.
This pre-set magecraft automatically responded when Kayneth was threatened, forming a powerful protective membrane in a split second. This kind of reaction speed could defend him even from bullets. It was also this defence system Volumen Hydragyrum created that protected Kayneth and Sola when the Hyatt hotel collapsed. The malleable mercury was a perfect weapon that combined attack and defence, serving Kayneth as both sword and shield.
"Have you fallen so low, Einzbern?" Kayneth mumbled more lamentation than anger in his tone. Saber's Master probably was not the one employing such despicable methods; it must have been some lowly hired goon. Even so, it was a very contemptible thing to do. Inviting unrelated combatants to this holy battlefield was utterly unforgivable. "Fine then. This is no longer a duel, but an extermination."
Stirring his killing intent, Kayneth walked deeper into the enemy's defences.
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Through the CCTV cameras concealed in the main hall, Kiritsugu meticulously observed the power of Volumen Hydragyrum, Lord El-Melloi's pride. It worked by using spells to manipulate mercury for automatic protection.
Its speedy defence meant that Kiritsugu could not rely on firearms to attain victory. Although annoyed, he admitted that this magus possessed first-rate skills. In which case he would have to confront this opponent as a magus, on his own terms of course
Right now, in his search for his enemy, Kayneth was most likely searching each room on the first floor one by one. Kiritsugu was located at the innermost part of the second floor. If he acted immediately, there should be enough time to pick a stage to his advantage. Kiritsugu analysed the castle floor plan in his head as he walked out of his room and toward the door—his footsteps suddenly stopped.
A drop of mercury, like a thread of cobweb, hung in the door's keyhole. Although only a tiny bit of mercury, Kiritsugu could still see it drooping toward the ground, leaving a silver trail on the door's surface. Right when he spotted it, the drop of mercury suddenly stopped moving. Retracing its tracks, it retreated back through the keyhole like a live creature, and disappeared.
"I see; automated probes."
Following his bitter remark, a ray of silver light sprang up from below the salon's carpet. In the blink of an eye, a circle was cleanly cut through the floor at the centre of the room, which fell to the ground below.
A silver tentacle leapt up from that circular hole. Rising before Kiritsugu, Volumen Hydragyrum took the form of a metallic jellyfish. Endless appendages grabbed the edge of the opening on the floor, while the base, opening in the middle like an umbrella, expanded into a flat, bowl-like platform. The smiling one on the platform was Lord El-Melloi himself.
"I found you, pathetic rat …"
Before the triumphant Kayneth ordered an attack, Kiritsugu had already drawn the submachine gun from his waist holster and opened fire.
Reacting immediately, Volumen Hydragyrum formed a protective membrane in front of Kayneth and blocked the ferocious bullet hail. It took only a few seconds to empty fifty bullets—precious seconds that gave Kiritsugu ample time to chant his spell.
"Time Alter: Double Accelerate!" The prana inside Kiritsugu began to dart at light speed.
"Scalp!" Kayneth gave the proclamation of death the moment Kiritsugu's firing ceased. The two mercury whips that leapt up flew toward the prey in a pincer formation, attacking from the flanks.
"Hm?!"
Just as the two silver whips were about to hit, Kiritsugu dodged the attack with
unbelievable speed and quickly leapt below Volumen Hydragyrum, on which Kayneth was standing, through the hole in the ground cleaved out by the mercury blade. This took place with such rapidity that human eyes could not see his movements clearly.
Though Kayneth felt a little careless, this strange sight failed to surprise him. After all, this was a battle between Magus which ignored ordinary rules; a little pest with extraordinary abilities was hardly an oddity.
"He manipulated the flow of time to greatly accelerate himself by using his own body as a Reality Marble." Kayneth deduced "It seems that he knows a little magic after all."
A small smile passed Kayneth's face, but a killing intent was already in heart. Ordinary pest or otherwise, even if he had some schooling in magecraft, he was a lowly man who stooped to dirty means. Such actions, which brought dishonour to mages, could not be tolerated.
"Still only a miserable little coward would depend on petty tricks after being trained as a Magus. Perhaps dying will teach him his place"
Kayneth flipped the tail of his coat and leapt down to the first floor. Volumen Hydragyrum liquesced and slowly descended as well.
"Ire: Sanctio!"
The mercury's thin tentacles scattered with these orders, once again scanning the entire first floor, immediately confirming the target's location. Following the tracks of the tracing mercury, a bloodthirsty smile gleaned on Kayneth's lips.
"If he's manipulating his inner time it must be placing enormous stress on his body." Kayneth reasoned "I've found him, now then how far can you run as exhausted as you are?"
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Kiritsugu, who was running through the corridors, felt like his entire body was being devoured by the after-effects of his magecraft. The skill he used to dodge Kayneth's Mystic Code just then was not a basis physical enchantment. It was advanced magecraft with a greater range of utility—and, of course, with far stronger side effects.
The ability to separate the passage of time inside a designated space from the flow of time in the outside world—in some ways, Time Manipulation could be regarded as a type of Reality Marble.
Although classified as greater magecraft, it was definitely not unreplicatable magic. Compared to Time Modification, which could reverse cause and effect, changing the past, this was merely magecraft of Time Adjustment which could stagnate time passed and accelerate time to come; it was not magecraft of extraordinary difficulty. The only consideration was the size of the bounded field and the amount of time that needed to be manipulated.
For Kiritsugu Emiya, who only crafted strategies to survive on the battlefield, it was originally a rather useless inheritance. However, to use the time control ability he had inherited optimally, Kiritsugu created a flexible way of utilizing this magecraft on a very small scale. A method that limited the bounded field's scope within the practitioner's body made it easier to establish a Reality Marble.
Although it was impossible to completely isolate the flesh from the outside world, it could minimize the effect of the outside world on the body. Within this minimal bounded field, he could manipulate time, a few seconds at a time. This was the magecraft that Emiya Kiritsugu created—Innate Time Control.
In the fight with Kayneth just then, Kiritsugu accelerated his blood flow, metabolism, and muscle movement all at the same time. The rest was simply his quick reaction to the attack; the paths of the mercury whips were easily predicted and avoided. Kiritsugu was capable of accomplishing physical feats impossible for ordinary humans after he accelerated time inside his body. Its biggest drawback was the huge burden it placed on the body.
The craft of time modification inevitably created discrepancies between the time within and without the bounded field. These discrepancies would immediately be corrected by natural forces when the bounded field is removed, in accordance with natural laws, wherever they occurred. Now, in Kiritsugu's bounded field —his physical body—adjustments were taking place in his flesh to synchronise it with the ordinary flow of time.
Death was an ever-present danger that accompanied the use of magecraft, and Innate Time Control was Kiritsugu's riskiest technique. He had just walked the tightrope of his lifeline above the canyon of Death.
Kiritsugu suddenly stopped as he turned a corner, and hid in the shadow of a pillar. The mercury approached him not only from behind, but spread silently over the entire corridor, creeping ever closer, and closer. In all likelihood, the mercury tentacles were forming a giant web and sealing off all his exits.
"Time Alter: Triple Stagnate."
Following the chanting of the spell, Kiritsugu's field of view suddenly brightened incredibly. The outer world had not changed; it was only his delusion. Though Kiritsugu's optic nerves still registered the same visions, his cornea was receiving three times the amount of light a person's eyes would normally take in.
'These things don't have eyes' Kiritsugu thought to himself as the probe continued trying to detect his presence 'If I can slow my internal time to a third and lower my pulse and respiration as far as they go, they can't sense me.'
Detecting no signs of the enemy, the searching mercury web speedily retreated, retracing its steps. The sound of footsteps on the marble floor followed. Thinking no one present, Kayneth walked on without precaution …
"Release Alter!"
His brightened sight and sharp hearing returned to normal in the blink of an eye. Kiritsugu's heart began to beat extremely quickly; every blood vessel in his body seemed at bursting point.
His aching body was adjusting to blood flow up to three times its original speed; it must be bruising in a few places from internal bleeding due to burst capillaries. But before these adjustments completed themselves, Kiritsugu had already leapt from behind the pillar. Kayneth, arriving at the corridor, reacted, but Kiritsugu was merely fifteen meters away.
"Kayneth!"
Kiritsugu immediately opened fire on the wide-eyed magus with the Calico in his left hand. Despite Kayneth's shock, Volumen Hydragyrum deployed its abilities accurately and loyally as ever. The protective membrane opened up in the blink of an eye and blocked the storm of bullets—a replay of the scene before.
"You're a fool it's a waste of time"
Kiritsugu ignored Kayneth and with his unencumbered right hand pulled the Contender out and took aim at center of the expanded, semi-circular mercury membrane. A grin found its way onto his face. Victory was his.
[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri was currently disgusted, which was to be expected as she was wandering through the sewers after all. Usually she would give up or find another way if what she wanted was only gotten through means like trudging through the sewers. But not this time.
No. She wanted to impress Lancer, and what better way than by tracking down Berserkers Master? Whom she had realized was hiding down here in the sewers somewhere. However what she sought now wasn't the Master of Berserker but something perhaps more valuable. She had found an entrance crudely carved into the sewers underneath the Tohsaka Manor. Her familiars indicated that it lead straight into the Manor.
It certainly explained how Archer and her Master were able to leave without being seen. It was clever to hide the entrance down here, most Magus wouldn't even think of looking in the sewers as they were too arrogant to think of it. However Sola was not most Magus, she learnt to succeed and get what she wanted by thinking outside the conventional box that most Magus like stay inside of.
Finally after nearly half an hour of trudging she found the entrance her familiars had discovered. She cautiously approached and began analysing it just in case of anything that might be hidden.
"Strange, no bounded fields, no barriers and absolutely nothing to detect an intruder at all." Sola muttered to herself "I suppose Archer and her Master probably thought that no one would find this place. Unfortunately for them I am not most Magus"
Sola Ui entered the passage and passed through the tunnel into the Tohsaka Manor, making sure to keep a wary eye out for any traps that might lie ahead.
