Someone in Type-Moon, Starting with Adopting Sakura

"A clever combination of fire and earth, its bone powder carries the Origin's [Sever and Connect], a special property of cutting and linking. Although the craftsmanship is terrifyingly crude, in my eyes, it's like a defective product forcefully pieced together by some third-rate alchemist, but the composite properties within are still terrifyingly formidable..."

"Emiya Kiritsugu, Kiritsugu, Sever and Connect... To think someone actually wrote their greatest secret into their name. This is truly an unexpected development. I almost fell for that despicable fellow's trap."

Recalling the Origin Bullet Emiya Kiritsugu had fired at him at the harbor, Kirei felt a sense of relief that he hadn't recklessly tried to catch it. Otherwise, no matter how astonishing his magical attainments were, he would have been taken out by it then and there.

"Weber Velvet, since you've witnessed my experiment, it's now time for questions. What do you think would happen if a magus were hit by this bullet?"

Glancing at the trembling Weber Velvet beside him, Kirei asked impatiently.

"This King knows," Rider suddenly clapped his hands, having watched for a long time, and answered as if struck by sudden realization. "Nothing would happen, right? After all, cutting and then connecting – doesn't that mean there's no change? This is too simple."

"You idiot..."

Kirei's brow furrowed. He wanted to kick the fool, but seeing his towering physique, he could only abandon the tempting thought.

"Stupid Rider, how could anyone create a tool that does nothing? If it had no effect, why would Teacher Kirei be so wary of this bullet?"

Weber shook his head and replied irritably, "Don't assume everyone is as foolish as you are..."

"It's not right?"

Iskandar scratched his head, then said with considerable confusion, "Didn't you say it was about cutting and connecting?"

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 also the more fragile. And for a magus, the most precious and fragile thing is undoubtedly their Magic Circuits, which are as important as vital organs within their body. The effect of this thing is to cut and reconnect. If a magus were hit by this bullet, their internal Magic Circuits would undoubtedly be disrupted the moment they operated, and then they would be crudely reconnected."

"Correct answer. This thing indeed has that effect, and its power is quite terrifying."

Kirei nodded, agreeing with his answer.

"That's truly terrifying." For a moment, Weber's expression also turned grim.

Just a small bullet, yet it could easily doom a magus without them realizing it. Such a weapon instinctively filled Weber with fear.

"Eh? But in the end, didn't it reconnect?"

"You really are an idiot..."

Weber covered his head, completely speechless with him.

"Your thinking is incorrect. Think about it: although it will be reconnected, the position of reconnection will be misplaced. For an ordinary person, this would be akin to misaligned blood vessels; improperly connected vessels would prevent normal blood flow. For a magus, it's like replacing their Magic Circuits with blood vessels."

"To put it in more common terms, it's like I've completely destroyed your game's circuits and then haphazardly reconnected them. Then it wouldn't be able to start normally and would enter a frozen state. My 'game freeze' is equivalent to a magus's death."

"...Hiss, a game console freeze means the death of a magus. I think I understand what you mean. You're saying that if a magus is hit by this, they will die, right?"

Iskandar stroked his chin, finally arriving at the answer.

"That's right. If a magus is hit by this, all their internal Magic Circuits will be violently tangled together, which is no different from direct death."

Weber nodded, acknowledging Iskandar's answer.

"So this little thing is this terrifying? It can even kill magi so easily? This truly surprises this King."

"Yes, such an excessive thing is practically a bane for magi."

Weber said warily, "It's hard to imagine what kind of person who hated magi so much could create such a weapon..."

"Undeniably, that is indeed the case, but..."

Kirei nodded, agreeing with his answer. "You don't need to worry too much, Weber Velvet. The power of this thing is tied to the aptitude of the magus who is hit. With those few meager, inferior Magic Circuits you have, even if you were actually hit by this bullet, you wouldn't suffer much damage. You definitely wouldn't die."

Upon hearing this, Weber's mouth twitched.

Thank you for the comfort. That puts my mind at ease... but for some reason, I don't feel happy?

"But aren't you in considerable danger? After all, you are a Lord," Iskandar looked at Kirei.

"Indeed, if I hadn't known its secret, I could have fallen victim to it and suffered an unexpected defeat," Kirei smiled confidently.

"But now that I know its hidden secret, this thing poses no threat to me anymore. At best, it's just a Mystic Code. Once its secret and principles are known, there are countless ways to counter it. It's simply a matter of ensuring you aren't hit. Even if you are unfortunately hit, as long as you don't use your Magic Circuits, there won't be much of a problem."

Kirei spoke confidently.

"Weber, if I were to hand over the task of dealing with this Origin Bullet to you right now, what would you do?"

"Uh... Normally, I would analyze the mystery within the Origin Bullet, deduce the rules and order of its severance and reconnection, and then prepare my Magic Circuits accordingly. If it were to hit me, I would trigger pre-arranged magic to stabilize the chaotic Magic Circuits, preventing the Origin Bullet from causing disruption through severance and reconnection... rendering it completely ineffective."

"Hmm, that's a decent answer. It seems you're not entirely useless."

Kirei nodded, about to say something more, but Weber then uttered another astonishing statement.

"But such a complex method is completely beyond my current capabilities... So, I would choose to wear several layers of bulletproof vests."

"Makes sense!!"

Iskandar clapped his hands in agreement, while Kirei on the side didn't know what to say.

After a moment of thought, he realized that this method was indeed the simplest and most feasible in the short term, so he nodded.

"To wear bulletproof vests as a magus... You have many unconventional methods, Weber."

"However, it is indeed feasible. You've passed this time."

"Although I'd like to reprimand you, even for me, adjusting the Magic Circuits would take at least two days. So, for now, I'll adopt your method," Kirei said, a slight smile forming on his lips as he called out towards the room, "Lancer."

"My Lord, what is your command?"

Hearing the call, Fionn entered as a spirit.

"Go to the Fuyuki City Police Department and buy some bulletproof vests and riot shields. The next time we meet, I'll personally crush that despicable Magus Killer!"

Hearing this, Weber froze. He looked at Kenneth with a strange expression—

He hadn't expected Kenneth, who had never even looked him in the eye, to adopt and approve of his plan. This was truly... a bit overwhelming for him.

However, before he could ask anything else, suddenly...

—Bang!!

"Huh?"

A violent explosion made the three people present tremble, and they all frowned.

"Enemy attack!!"

Someone dared to attack his Magic Workshop in broad daylight?!

Thinking of this possibility, Kenneth's eyes showed unparalleled rage.

Chapter 47: The Three Families' Alliance (6K words)

—Boom!!

Without any warning, a piercing explosion suddenly erupted, followed by a violent impact and strong tremors that shook the entire building.

Inside the workshop, Kenneth, who had just finished his extracurricular lesson and helped Weber solve the problem of insufficient magical energy supply, felt his heart jolt.

"What?!"

He looked angrily out the window and roared.

"Teacher Kenneth, what happened?"

Weber, standing beside him, was clearly shocked by the sudden explosion and quickly asked.

He, who had just been feeling smug about receiving Kenneth's approval for the first time, had certainly not anticipated such a sudden turn of events.

"Rider!!"

Since Fionn had just been sent out by him, Kenneth looked directly at Iskandar and ordered him to go check the situation.

However, at this moment, Scáthach and Rovey, who had been waiting outside, pushed the door open and walked in.

Scáthach closed one eye, while her other eye used the ability of Primordial Runes to achieve a super-wide range of visual reconnaissance. After a moment, she spoke:

"Enemy attack."

"Hmph, so it is an enemy attack? What a foolish fellow. This is my Magic Workshop, and with your subsequent reinforcement, every part of it now possesses numerous composite barriers, some even equivalent to a different dimension. Not to mention my three Lord-class mana furnaces. If they dare to break in, they're simply asking for death!!"

Hearing Scáthach's report, the originally enraged Kenneth laughed heartily, instantly feeling confident. His workshop was the culmination of his life's learning, combined with guidance from an Age of Gods Magus. Its functionality could be considered his own Reality Marble. How could a mere modern magus possibly...

"Oh, they didn't come in; they blew up the building instead."

Scáthach said calmly.

"Whaaaat???"

Kenneth was completely bewildered.

Time was about a few hours ago.

Einzbern Castle territory.

Not long ago, two uninvited guests appeared in this land.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, dressed in a neat red suit, personally arrived with Kirei Kotomine behind him and politely made his proposal to the lord of this place.

"An invitation to an alliance... This is quite sudden, head of the Tohsaka Family."

Emiya Kiritsugu, who had just been discharged from the hospital after a serious injury, walked out, his body wrapped in bandages. Artoria, with a serious expression, followed behind him.

He saw the refined and amiable middle-aged man in front of him and... the young priest behind him?

Even someone from The Church was involved?

"Yes, I believe King Arthur, who has fought with Lancer, must have witnessed their terrifying strength." Tokiomi Tohsaka said sincerely, "To be honest, the threat posed by both Scáthach and Fionn makes me extremely uneasy. Therefore, I believe that finding suitable teammates to form an alliance and eliminate them first is something that should not be difficult to accept, right?"

Although Tokiomi Tohsaka had unparalleled confidence in the strength of his trump card, King Gilgamesh, he believed that with Gilgamesh's power, even opponents who were also exceptional Servants, like King Arthur and the King of Conquerors, would all be eliminated by him.

But only those two Lancers...

Not only were they exceptional Servants, but they were also both god-killers. Their compatibility perfectly countered the divine nature of the King of Heroes, which introduced many variables and naturally made Tokiomi Tohsaka uneasy. If possible, he had to eliminate the threats as much as possible now, meaning to eliminate those two god-killers, pave the way for Gilgamesh, and ensure his final victory.

For this reason, Tokiomi Tohsaka had canceled many of his previous plans and chosen to appear in person to win over other Masters for cooperation.

"Oh, I see..."

Emiya Kiritsugu nodded lightly at Tokiomi Tohsaka's words, indicating his understanding. He then shifted his gaze to the young priest, Kirei Kotomine, who had been silently following Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"...And what about this gentleman behind you?"

Emiya Kiritsugu asked.

"Ah, please don't worry. His name is Kirei Kotomine, he is my disciple, and also the Master of the Assassin who has already been eliminated. He will not possess..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka was about to conceal some important information, but Emiya Kiritsugu quickly and mercilessly exposed him.

"Nothing? A threat? Heh,"

Emiya Kiritsugu let out a cold laugh before speaking, "Head of the Tohsaka Family, don't think too little of others, nor too highly of yourself. If you're here seeking cooperation, you need to show sincerity."

"There's no such thing as a wall that doesn't leak. My assistant has already gathered information about Assassin, and saw their presence last night. So, the news that the Assassin hasn't withdrawn can't be hidden from me. Please don't treat me like an idiot, okay?"

Emiya Kiritsugu said coldly.

"...Is that so? My apologies for the misunderstanding. However, I had no intention of deliberately hiding it. I was planning to share this information with you after we formed an alliance anyway. Since you already know, it saves me from having to elaborate."

Even though Emiya Kiritsugu had seen through his little scheme right to his face, Tokiomi Tohsaka continued to lie without batting an eye, his attitude projecting utmost sincerity. The shamelessness of the scene made those present twitch.

However, despite how it appeared.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, whose plan had been seen through at a glance, was inwardly cursing up a storm.

First, he cursed the incompetent failures of Assassin. Didn't they possess A-rank Presence Concealment? How could they have been detected? What useless gluttons.

Next, he cursed Archer, Gilgamesh, who had refused to accompany him.

Ever since he had summoned this fellow, the other party had never given him a moment's peace. Even when he had pleaded this time, hoping Gilgamesh would accompany him to discuss an alliance, he was brushed off with a casual, "This King has no desire to cooperate with mongrels who covet his treasures, nor any reason to do so. Victory in the Holy Grail War is already within this King's grasp. If you want to go, go by yourself!"

Gilgamesh then promptly dematerialized into spirit particles and never returned, leaving Tokiomi alone and bewildered in the room.

Because of this, Tokiomi Tohsaka, without Gilgamesh's protection, naturally dared not venture out carelessly, let alone enter Saber's territory alone. Thus, he could only bring his disciple, Kirei Kotomine, and Assassin along, just in case.

He just hadn't expected that the meticulously crafted excuse he had prepared before coming would be so easily seen through by the other party in a single encounter, driving his originally calm demeanor to the brink of madness.

However, even so, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew he couldn't show it. He could only continue to endure and lie low. The priority now was to deal with the two god-slayers who posed the greatest threat to Gilgamesh.

Beyond that, everything else could wait. Once Scáthach and Fionn were eliminated, matters would return to his control.

When the Holy Grail War neared its end, regardless of which Servant it was, even Archer, he would use his Command Seals to properly teach them the authority of a Master and the humility of a Servant.

Just a mere Servant daring to be so arrogant...

Although outwardly refined and amiable, Tokiomi Tohsaka's heart was constantly suppressing a surge of anger.