Magus Who Uses Fists

With a powerful straight punch tearing through the air to begin, Karl, despite being a Magus, unleashed an attack that even a Servant would avoid.

Of course... this was also due to the Assassin class's less-than-stellar endurance. Their base [Endurance] stat wasn't high, and they lacked skills like Magic Resistance or Battle Continuation. Once they suffered a major blow, they could very well be eliminated from the Holy Grail War.

If it were a Three Knight or a Berserker, they would likely use their proud muscle armor to tank the hit and then crush Karl with a single counterattack.

Unfortunately, if it were a Three Knight or a Berserker, they wouldn't be able to approach Karl without him noticing. As a member of the cautious Magus faction, he wouldn't rush into danger. His previous actions were proof enough of this.

But...

He had still been discovered.

Karl's brow furrowed, unable to understand how the Assassin had found him. While it was true that Assassins possessed superior stealth abilities, [Investigation] and [Concealment] were two different things... How exactly had they known his location?

Could it be that they had been tailing him since he got off the plane?

No, that was impossible.

If that were the case, the Assassin would have had plenty of opportunities to strike; there was no reason to wait until now.

For example, when they both dropped their luggage in the hotel room, or when they poisoned him during dinner – those methods could have effectively assassinated him.

Surprisingly, Karl was so calm that even he found it terrifying.

For a Magus, the first step into the magical arts was to recognize death.

Then, to understand death.

Finally, to transcend death, to disregard death, and to become immensely powerful.

Karl was a legitimate Magus, and naturally, he no longer feared life or death.

Only by overcoming fear could one muster the will to resist at the brink of life and death.

Missing with his punch, Karl immediately lowered his center of gravity, lunged forward with a bow stance, stepping his right foot into the Assassin's attack range – and his left foot rapidly lifted!

Under the enhancement of reinforcement magic, Karl's body was like a hero from an anime, his knee thrusting out at high speed, drawing his body forward with a powerful surge!

This was... martial arts.

In the country of Thailand in the East, a martial art that emphasized lethality—Muay Thai.

Many might think that Magus should focus solely on the magical arts, with no distractions, and therefore, would likely have poor athletic abilities.

However, in reality, as early as fifty years ago, Magus widely recognized the auxiliary benefits of a strong body for magic.

If exploring the magical arts were like drinking water, mana would be the water. The body, then, would be the cup itself. No matter how much water you had, you needed a cup to hold it. The smaller the cup, the less water you could hold each time.

Therefore, solely pursuing the magical arts, while leading to rapid progress, would be limited by the physical body, making it difficult to perform. Thus, Magus often minored in some form of combat technique, both to strengthen their weakness in close combat and to improve their physical condition, enabling them to cast more powerful magic.

For instance, the Tohsaka Family in Japan chose to minor in Baji Quan, while the Edelfelt Family in Finland practiced grappling techniques...

What Karl practiced was Muay Thai, which emphasized practicality and aggression and was known for its rapid progress in the martial arts world. Unlike Baji Quan, which required years of rigorous training, Muay Thai could yield noticeable results in just a few months. For Karl, who urgently needed to revive his family, this martial art was the most practical.

His body, repeatedly reinforced by magic, had transformed into an overloaded, runaway machine, radiating a dangerous pressure. Karl, mutated into a monster by the magical arts, had gained the strength to contend with a Servant – though, only to contend with.

The Assassin felt that every punch and knee strike from this Magus carried immense power. While he wouldn't lose to the Assassin in a head-on confrontation, the Assassin's instinct urged him to avoid risk.

His mission was to definitively kill these two Magus.

Therefore, there was no need to dwell on close combat.

His body moved like a massive black panther, the characteristic flexibility of felines displayed to its fullest. Using the momentum of his backward lean, he twisted his entire body at high speed, pushing off the ground with his elongated arms. His body, gaining support, seemed to teleport thirty paces away!

Only when the Assassin reappeared on his retina did Karl feel a stinging sensation on his shoulders! A burning pain rapidly spread from his shoulders throughout his body, as if he were enveloped by a scorching fishing net. The searing pain was clearly distributed across his skin, reminding him of his precarious situation.

It turned out that as the Assassin pushed off and flipped, sharp blades had rapidly extended from his feet, piercing Karl's shoulders!

His bones seemed to have fractured.

As expected of B-rank Strength, even when launching a surprise attack during an escape, it still possessed such formidable destructive power!

Karl judged this, his mind racing. He immediately chanted a healing spell, sensing a ticklish, crawling sensation beneath his skin, like insects moving. As the wound healed, Karl continued to focus intently on his enemy.

As expected of A-rank Agility! Karl hadn't even figured out what had just happened!

"—Declare! Your body hear my command, and my fate is with your sword! If you are willing to follow this will, this reason, then answer!"

Tsukahara Meiji's voice, trembling with tension, reached him.

However, despite the fear in his voice, his incantation was incredibly precise.

For a foreigner who didn't understand English, it was truly commendable—Karl was German, and the summoning incantation he used was naturally not in Japanese. Translating it into English had been a special arrangement for Karl.

"!"

The Assassin's brow involuntarily creased with difficulty.

His Master had repeatedly and strictly commanded: "You must definitively kill the two before summoning a Servant."

Ninjas were special assassins born to fulfill their lord's missions. More than infiltration, assassination, and mission execution, [Loyalty] was paramount. A disloyal ninja, no matter how skilled, would not be employed.

The Assassin felt his loyalty being tainted.

As a Servant in the Holy Grail War, one should faithfully carry out the Master's orders.

With that thought, the Assassin's hands moved rapidly, forming peculiar gestures.

Karl suppressed the pain in his shoulder, casting healing magic on himself while warily guarding against the assassin's attacks.

If he had known more about Japan, or about the profession of ninja, or even if he had bothered to flip through Tsukahara Meiji's manga during his studies of magic, he wouldn't have done this.

It was a special "magic" widely known as "Ninjutsu."

Such a thing didn't exist in history; it was merely a hand seal for self-hypnosis among ninjas.

But this wasn't history.

This was the Holy Grail War.

Rather than how things were in [history], humanity's [widespread perception] was the only standard.

If everyone believed ninjas used battle axes, then he would use a battle axe. It didn't matter if ninjas themselves only used ninjatō and chains.

In this era where Japanese anime culture had invaded the entire world, every middle-aged person and every young boy, when thinking of Japanese ninjas, would recall that clearly deified "Ninjutsu."

As the assassin formed the hand seals, he opened his hands and shouted, "Ha!" A fireball the size of a basketball rapidly condensed before him and shot towards Karl!