"The ingenious combination of fire and earth, with bone powder carrying the special properties of Kiritsugu's Origin—Severance and Binding. Though the craftsmanship was terrifyingly crude, looking to me like some third-rate Alchemist had forcibly kneaded together a defective product, its composite attributes were still utterly frightening..."
"Emiya Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu. Severance and Binding... Someone actually wrote his greatest secret into his own name. What an unexpected development. That despicable man had almost succeeded."
Thinking of the Origin Bullet Emiya Kiritsugu had fired at him in the harbor, Kenneth could not help feeling fortunate that he had not rashly tried to catch it. Otherwise, no matter how extraordinary his magecraft was, he would have been taken out in one blow.
"Weber Velvet, now that you have watched my experiment, it is time for questions. What do you think would happen if a Magus were struck by this bullet?"
Kenneth glanced at the trembling Weber Velvet beside him and asked impatiently.
"I know," Rider suddenly clapped his hands before Weber could answer. Then, as if struck by realization, he answered, "Nothing would happen, right? Since it severs and then reconnects, that does not mean nothing changes, does it? This is far too simple."
"You idiot..."
Kenneth frowned deeply. He wanted to kick this fool, but after seeing his towering build, he could only abandon that tempting thought.
"Idiot Rider, why would anyone make something that does nothing? If it had no effect, why would Professor Kenneth fear this bullet so much?"
Weber shook his head and replied irritably, "Do not assume everyone is as stupid as you..."
"So I was wrong?"
Iskandar scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Did you not say severance and binding?"
Ignoring Iskandar's interruption, Weber pondered for a moment before giving the correct answer. "The more precise something is, the more expensive it is, and the more fragile it becomes. For a Magus, the most precious and fragile thing is undoubtedly the Magic Circuits within the body, which are as important as vital organs. This thing severs and reconnects. If a Magus is struck by this bullet, the Magic Circuits inside their body will undoubtedly be thrown into disorder the instant they activate, then brutally reconnected together."
"Correct. That is indeed its effect, and its power is quite terrifying."
Kenneth nodded in approval.
"That really is terrifying." Weber's face suddenly turned ugly.
It was only a tiny bullet, yet it could easily bury a Magus before they even noticed it. Such a weapon instinctively filled Weber with fear.
"Huh? But did it not reconnect everything in the end?"
"You really are an idiot..."
Weber covered his head, utterly speechless.
"That is not how you should think about it. It does reconnect them, but the locations of the reconnections become confused. For ordinary people, it would be like blood vessels being misplaced. Randomly connected vessels would prevent blood from circulating properly. For Magi, it is the same thing, except the blood vessels are replaced with Magic Circuits."
"To put it more simply, it would be like me completely destroying the circuitry in your game console, then reconnecting it randomly. It would no longer boot up properly and would freeze. And when the game freezes, that is equivalent to a Magus dying."
"...Hiss. A game console freezing means a Magus dies. I think I understand now. You mean that if a Magus gets hit by this, they die, right?"
Iskandar rubbed his chin and finally came up with the answer.
"That is right. If a Magus is struck by it, all the Magic Circuits in their body will be violently tangled together. That is not much different from immediate death."
Weber nodded, acknowledging Iskandar's answer.
"So this tiny thing is that terrifying? It can easily kill even Magi? That truly surprises me."
"Yes. Something this excessive is practically the natural enemy of Magi."
Weber said warily, "It is hard to imagine just how much someone would have to hate Magi to create a weapon like this..."
"There is no denying that the facts are as you say. However..."
Kenneth nodded, agreeing with him. "You need not worry too much, Weber Velvet. This thing's power depends on the quality of the Magus it strikes. With those few barren, inferior Magic Circuits in your body, even if you were truly hit by this bullet, you would not suffer much damage. You definitely would not die."
At those words, Weber's mouth twitched.
Thanks for the reassurance. I feel so much better... Though for some reason, I cannot be happy about it.
"But would you not be in considerable danger? You are a Lord, after all." Iskandar looked at Kenneth.
"Indeed. If I had not known about it, I might truly have fallen for his trick and capsized in the gutter." Kenneth smiled confidently.
"But now that I know his hidden secret, this thing can no longer pose a threat to me. At most, it is merely a Mystic Code. Once someone knows its secrets and principles, there are countless ways to counter it. All one has to do is avoid being hit. Even if one is unfortunately struck, there will not be much of a problem as long as one does not activate one's Magic Circuits."
Kenneth spoke with confidence.
"Weber, if I handed the problem of dealing with this Origin Bullet to you right now, what would you do?"
"Uh... Under normal circumstances, I would analyze the Mystery within the Origin Bullet and infer the rules and sequence behind its severance and reconnection. Then I would prepare my body's Magic Circuits in advance. If it truly hit me, I would use magecraft prepared beforehand to stabilize the Magic Circuits that had gone berserk, preventing the Origin Bullet from causing the upheaval of severance and reconnection... rendering it completely ineffective."
"Mm, not a bad answer. It seems you are not entirely worthless."
Kenneth nodded and was about to say something when Weber once again said something shocking.
"But I cannot accomplish such a complicated method at all right now... So I would choose to wear several more layers of bulletproof vests."
"That makes sense!!"
Iskandar clapped in agreement, while Kenneth did not know what to say.
After thinking about it briefly, he realized that this was indeed the simplest and most practical method in the short term, so he nodded.
"A Magus wearing a bulletproof vest... You certainly have plenty of crooked ideas, Student Weber."
"Still, it is indeed feasible. This time, you pass."
"Though I would like to reprimand you, even I would need at least two days to complete the adjustments to my Magic Circuits. So for now, we will use your method." Kenneth's lips curled slightly as he called out toward the room's entrance, "Lancer."
"My lord, what are your orders?"
Hearing the summons, Fionn mac Cumhaill materialized from spirit form and entered the room.
"Go to the Fuyuki City police department and acquire some bulletproof vests and riot shields. The next time we meet, I will personally crush that despicable Magus Killer!"
Weber froze at those words and looked at Kenneth strangely—
He had never expected Kenneth, who had never even given him a proper look, to adopt and acknowledge the plan he had proposed. It was... somewhat overwhelming.
Yet before he could ask anything else, suddenly...
—BOOM!!
"Hm?"
The violent explosion made the three people present shudder, and they all frowned.
"Enemy attack!!"
Someone had actually launched an attack on his Magic Workshop in broad daylight?!
Thinking of that possibility, incomparable fury appeared in Kenneth's eyes.
The Covenant of the Three Families
—RUMBLE!!
Without any warning, a piercing explosion suddenly rang out. The fierce shockwave and violent tremors caused the entire building to begin shaking.
Inside the workshop, Kenneth had just finished his extracurricular lesson and helped Weber solve his insufficient mana supply problem when his heart lurched.
"What?!"
He glared furiously out the window and roared.
"Professor Kenneth, what happened?"
Weber, beside him, was clearly also shocked by the sudden explosion and hurriedly asked.
He had just been smug over receiving Kenneth's recognition for the first time and had clearly not expected such a situation to arise.
"Rider!!"
Since Fionn had just been sent out, Kenneth looked directly at Iskandar and ordered him to go outside and check the situation.
However, at that moment, Scáthach and Rovey, who had been waiting outside, pushed open the door and entered.
Scáthach had one eye closed, while her other eye used the power of the Primordial Runes to conduct surveillance across an enormous range. After a moment, she spoke.
"Enemy attack."
"Hmph, so it truly is an enemy attack? What a foolish fellow. This is my Magic Workshop, and with your subsequent reinforcements, every part of this place is now covered in numerous composite barriers. Some areas are practically separate dimensions. On top of that, I have three Lord-class Mana Furnaces. If they dare to break in, they are simply courting death!!"
Hearing Scáthach's report, the enraged Kenneth burst into laughter and immediately felt secure. This workshop was the culmination of his life's learning, built with the guidance of an Age of Gods Magus. Its functionality could practically be called his Reality Marble. How could mere modern Magi possibly—
"Oh, they did not come inside. They blew up the building."
Scáthach spoke calmly.
"Huh???"
Kenneth's face filled with question marks.
Several hours earlier.
The grounds of Einzbern Castle.
Not long before, two uninvited guests had appeared on this land.
Tokiomi Tohsaka, dressed in a fitting red suit, personally came here with Kirei Kotomine behind him and politely offered a proposal to the owner of this place.
"An invitation to form an alliance... That truly came suddenly, Tohsaka Patriarch."
Emiya Kiritsugu, who had just been discharged from the hospital after suffering serious injuries, walked out of the room with bandages wrapped around his body. Artoria followed behind him with a stern expression.
He looked at the refined and easygoing middle-aged man before him and... the young priest behind him?
Even someone from The Church had gotten involved?
"Yes. I believe King Arthur, who has fought Lancer, must have witnessed the opponent's terrifying strength." Tokiomi Tohsaka spoke sincerely. "To be frank, both Scáthach and Fionn mac Cumhaill possess a threat that makes me extremely uneasy. Therefore, I believe it should not be difficult to accept the idea of seeking suitable allies, forming an alliance, and eliminating them first."
Tokiomi Tohsaka possessed incomparable confidence in the strength of his trump card, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. He believed that, with Gilgamesh's power, even exceptional Servants such as King Arthur and the King of Conquerors would all be destroyed by him.
But those two Lancers alone...
Not only were they exceptional Servants, they were both godslayers. Their compatibility perfectly countered the King of Heroes, who possessed Divinity. This added countless variables to the situation and naturally made Tokiomi Tohsaka uneasy. If possible, he had to eliminate the threats as quickly as he could—eliminate those two godslayers, clear the path for Gilgamesh, and ensure his final victory.
For that reason, Tokiomi Tohsaka had canceled many of his previous plans and chosen to personally appear to draw other Masters into cooperation.
"Oh, I see..."
Emiya Kiritsugu nodded slightly at Tokiomi Tohsaka's words, indicating that he understood. Then he turned his gaze toward the young priest who had silently followed Tokiomi Tohsaka all this time—Kirei Kotomine, who had not spoken a word.
"...Then what about the one behind you?"
Emiya Kiritsugu asked.
"Ah, there is no need to worry. His name is Kirei Kotomine. He is my disciple and also the Master of Assassin, who has already withdrawn. He will not pose any..."
Tokiomi Tohsaka had just intended to conceal some important information when Emiya Kiritsugu ruthlessly exposed him.
"Any threat? Heh."
Emiya Kiritsugu sneered and said, "Tohsaka Patriarch, do not treat others as fools, and do not think yourself too clever. If you have come to seek cooperation, you should show some sincerity."
"There are no walls without cracks. My assistant has already gathered information on Assassin and saw him last night. So the news that the Assassin has withdrawn cannot fool me. Please do not take me for an idiot."
Emiya Kiritsugu spoke coldly.
"...I see. My apologies for causing a misunderstanding. However, I had no intention of deliberately concealing it. I had originally planned to share that information after our alliance was established. Since you already know, that saves me the trouble of explaining too much."
Even after Emiya Kiritsugu exposed his little scheme to his face, Tokiomi Tohsaka told his lies without blushing or skipping a beat, maintaining an utterly sincere attitude. The shameless scene made the eyelids of everyone present twitch.
However, despite his appearance.
Tokiomi Tohsaka, whose plan had been seen through at a glance, was cursing furiously in his heart.
First, he cursed those incompetent fools in Assassin's group. Did they not possess A-rank Presence Concealment? How had they still been noticed? What a pack of useless idiots.
Then he continued cursing Archer, Gilgamesh, who had refused to accompany him.
Ever since summoning that fellow, Tokiomi Tohsaka had not been allowed a single moment of peace. Even this time, despite earnestly asking him to come and discuss the alliance, he had been casually refused with, "I have no intention of cooperating with mongrels who covet my treasures, nor do I have any reason to cooperate with them. Victory in the Holy Grail War has long been within my grasp. If you wish to go, go yourself!"
Then he decisively turned into spirit form and disappeared, never returning, leaving Tokiomi Tohsaka alone in the room at a complete loss.
For that reason, without Gilgamesh's protection, Tokiomi Tohsaka naturally did not dare go out lightly, much less enter Saber's territory alone. Thus, he could only bring his disciple Kirei Kotomine and Assassin with him in case something went wrong.
He had simply not expected the excuse he had carefully prepared beforehand to be so easily seen through at their very first meeting. It made his originally calm state of mind nearly break apart.
Even so, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew he could not show it. He could only continue to endure and lie low. The most urgent matter was to deal with the two godslayers who posed the greatest threat to Gilgamesh.
Other than that, everything else could be endured and set aside for now. Once Scáthach and Fionn mac Cumhaill had withdrawn, everything would return to his control.
When the Holy Grail War neared its end, no matter which Servant it was—even Archer—he would use Command Seals to properly teach them what the dignity of a Master and the humility of a Servant truly were.
He was merely a Servant, yet he dared act so arrogantly...
Though he appeared refined and easygoing, Tokiomi Tohsaka was constantly suppressing a burning rage within his heart.
Before you continue