Dating Caster

As a master of magecraft, Medea could also discern the strength of Emiya Kiritsugu. Compared to Kayneth, who held the home-field advantage, Emiya Kiritsugu essentially had no chance of winning.

"You shouldn't underestimate him..."

Wang Xiaoming remarked with a sigh:

"That man is Emiya Kiritsugu. I wouldn't be surprised by anything he does."

Every Master qualified to participate in the Holy Grail War is naturally no weakling. As a Lord, the magical prowess of Kayneth ranks among the best of all the Masters, not to mention that his talent in the Department of Spiritual Evocation has been brought into full play this time.

Normally, there is only one causal link between a Servant and a Master. However, through his genius, Kayneth achieved the impossible: a technique that separates the supply of magical energy from the authority of the Command Spell, with the two roles held by different summoners. While retaining the Command Spells for himself, he transferred the function of supplying the magical energy required to maintain the Servant's manifestation to his fiancée, Sola, allowing himself more abundant magical energy to deal with other participants.

It can be said that when facing any Master in this Holy Grail War, Kayneth holds a significant advantage—except for Emiya Kiritsugu.

The vast majority of mages in this world subconsciously ignore or even despise technology. In their eyes, mysticism and magecraft are supreme; as for science, it is merely the struggle of ordinary people without talent, not worth mentioning.

As a representative of traditional mages, Kayneth thinks the same, and naturally assumes that all mages share his views. But this time, he has encountered an anomaly among mages—Emiya Kiritsugu.

If Wang Xiaoming had not "intervened" this time, the result of a genius from the highest institution of magecraft facing the Magus Killer would likely have been a tragedy.

"Maiya, what is the situation now?"

Arriving at an open space, Emiya Kiritsugu used his phone to ask his female assistant about Kayneth's current status.

"After receiving a second phone call, Kayneth seemed to have a very heated argument with the person on the other end. After hanging up, he began to pack his things."

The inorganic voice of Maiya Hisau, who was monitoring Kayneth's movements from another building, rang in Emiya Kiritsugu's ear.

The intelligence has been leaked—

This was Emiya Kiritsugu's first reaction.

Who was it, how did they find out about this operation, and was he being watched?

These questions flashed through Emiya Kiritsugu's mind, but he clearly understood that these were not the most important things right now.

Instantly, Emiya Kiritsugu reached into the pocket of his trench coat, where the remote detonator for the explosives was kept.

"Stop right there—"

A sharp object suddenly pressed against Emiya Kiritsugu's back, forcing him to halt his movements.

It was Lancer—

The spear-wielding knight was standing behind Emiya Kiritsugu, pointing his magic spear at the spot over Emiya Kiritsugu's heart.

"Whatever means you intended to use to harm my Lord, now that I have discovered you, surrender at once!"

Hearing Lancer's words, Emiya Kiritsugu slowly took his hand out of his coat and raised it above his head. Suddenly, he asked Lancer:

"How did you know I was here?"

"Are you still trying to fish for information at a time like this?"

Lancer pointed out Emiya Kiritsugu's intent with sharp precision; how could a loyal knight reveal his lord's intelligence? However, even Lancer himself was still confused by his Master's orders at this moment.

Ring-ring~~

The phone in Kayneth's room rang once again.

"Who could it be now?"

Kayneth was somewhat puzzled. Seeing that the caller ID was still the same hotel switchboard number as before, he lost the desire to answer.

But the phone rang persistently, as if it knew Kayneth was in the room.

"Hello?"

Kayneth picked up the phone impatiently, and Wang Xiaoming's voice came from the other end.

"This is Wang Xiaoming. I'm downstairs."

After briefly stating his identity, Wang Xiaoming said directly:

"The one attacking you is Saber's Master, Emiya Kiritsugu. I suggest you abandon your current workshop immediately."

"Tell me... are you looking down on me?"

Kayneth's voice leaked a sense of anger; he felt severely insulted. Even if the opponent is the Magus Killer, so what? In Wang Xiaoming's eyes, has he really become so weak that he would flee at the mere mention of a name?

"No, I am not looking down on you as a Lord."

Wang Xiaoming said truthfully: "Emiya Kiritsugu is outside the hotel right now. You can send Lancer to investigate."

After saying this, Wang Xiaoming hung up the phone.

Do you expect me to tell you that Emiya Kiritsugu is insane enough to blow up the entire building?

Would you even believe me if I dared to say it?

Listening to the busy signal on the other end, Kayneth slammed the receiver onto the table, leaving his fiancée, Sola, wondering who had called.

But seeing Kayneth's irritable state, Sola didn't ask the question.

Pacing back and forth in the room a few times, Kayneth waved his hand and ordered Lancer, who was patrolling outside:

"Go to the first floor and scout for suspicious individuals."

"Is that so."

Unable to get an answer, Emiya Kiritsugu faced Lancer, who possessed the highest agility among the Servants. Not daring to be careless, he immediately chanted his trump card:

"Time Alter—double accel!"

His body moved faster than his brain could process. Emiya Kiritsugu instantly activated the double-speed Time Alter, and with his movements significantly faster than before, he escaped from under Lancer's spear in an instant!

His internal organs began to ache faintly, but he could not afford to worry about the damage the Time Alter was inflicting on his body; all he cared about now was escaping Lancer's pursuit.

"Trying to run?"

In the eyes of Lancer, who possessed an A+ agility stat, Emiya Kiritsugu's speed was only slightly faster than an ordinary person's. This speed was completely beneath his notice!

He thrust his spear—

The moment he caught up to Emiya Kiritsugu, Lancer unleashed a near-lethal strike!

But he did not expect that this was exactly what Emiya Kiritsugu had been waiting for!

"Time Alter—triple accel!"

Chanting a spell equivalent to an act of suicide, Emiya Kiritsugu accelerated once more, barely dodging the spear.

"It's useless!"

Although he had dodged Lancer's strike, in Lancer's view, it was merely a difference between dying sooner or later for Emiya Kiritsugu.

However, he did not know that Emiya Kiritsugu was waiting for this very moment of inertia after Lancer's thrust!

Taking advantage of this instant—

Emiya Kiritsugu's hand reached into his coat pocket and fumbled for a button.

He pressed it without hesitation—

BOOM—!!!

Chapter 29. The Aftermath of the Explosion

Following Emiya Kiritsugu pressing the detonator.

Immediately after—

A booming sound erupted from within the hotel building. It wasn't just one, but a series, each sound drowning out the last, and the next second connecting with a new explosion, a continuous demolition process like a string of firecrackers. The flames of the C4 Explosive rotated rhythmically along the building's structure; although it lasted only a moment, it was unexpectedly spectacular. The next second, the building, which had been as solid as a rock, collapsed with a roar. All the walls fell inward, not a single piece of debris flew in any other direction, and the building, over 150 meters tall, was sucked into the ground as if by a vacuum, instantly turning into a neat pile of ruins.

This was a highly sophisticated demolition technique—controlled demolition, an advanced method used primarily to destroy large high-rise buildings by compromising load-bearing walls and key pillars, causing the structure to collapse inward under its own weight. It used the minimum amount of explosives to achieve complete destruction. This was a neat and artistic feat of engineering that Emiya Kiritsugu, who was well-versed in various demolition techniques, was fond of.

And the mastermind behind this demolition was currently ignoring his own exploding internal organs, fleeing the battlefield like a madman.

Lancer glared hatefully in the direction Emiya Kiritsugu had fled, then turned back to the site of the exploded building. Although through the existence of the Holy Grail contract, Lancer sensed that his Master's current state was not in any immediate danger, a loyal knight still had to rush back to his lord's side to prevent any mishaps.

"Tsk tsk, Kayneth is going to be severely weakened this time."

Standing on the roof of the adjacent building, watching the entire process of Emiya Kiritsugu's demolition, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help but remark.

Indeed, if Kayneth could escape this explosion unscathed, it would be a miracle. A height of 32 stories was no joke; escaping from over a hundred meters up, he shouldn't even think about bringing anything out with him.

Tsk tsk, three mana furnaces and those magical artifacts...

If he remembered correctly, after this explosion, all Kayneth would have left by his side was a slime...

Having just caught a glimpse of the path of magic, Wang Xiaoming now had a new understanding of the value of these items.

"This person..."

Medea, standing beside him, wanted to comment on Emiya Kiritsugu's actions but didn't know how to begin.

From her traditional magus standpoint, this method was undoubtedly something she disdained. Yet, it was the most effective—

No matter how sturdy your place is, I'll just tear it down from the outside. What can you do about it?!

Crude, but effective.

"Don't dwell on that for now. Can you find Kayneth?"

Wang Xiaoming asked Medea.

As an ally, when Kayneth's side was in trouble, Wang Xiaoming had considered taking advantage of the situation, but after weighing it repeatedly, he abandoned that tempting thought.

There was no help for it; his own side was still too weak. A snake trying to swallow an elephant would only burst its own stomach.

So, it was better to offer help in a time of need.

"Over there—"

Medea pointed in a direction in mid-air for Wang Xiaoming.

Due to the night, Wang Xiaoming could only see a faint point of light slowly descending from the direction of the hotel ruins.

"There are people over there."

Medea pointed again, indicating the unfinished building opposite the hotel, and spoke to Wang Xiaoming.

"And there's more than one."

In that direction—

Wang Xiaoming pondered for a moment, then said to Medea:

"Send a signal to Kayneth and the others."

Emiya Kiritsugu had planned this operation to take Kayneth's life. Even though things had gone slightly awry due to Wang Xiaoming's "tip-off," he still had his own contingency plan—

Maiya Hisau, Emiya Kiritsugu's most capable assistant.

Her mission, originally surveillance, had shifted to precision sniping. Once she spotted Kayneth using magecraft to escape from the top floor of the hotel, Maiya Hisau would immediately take the shot.

She was currently positioned in the unfinished Fuyuki Central Tower, and through her specialized scope, she naturally spotted Kayneth as he escaped from the top floor.

The crosshairs drifted slowly along Kayneth's falling trajectory, and her finger was already curled around the trigger.

Suddenly, she noticed something unusual.

Even the temperature of the air seemed to carry a sense of urgency—

Maiya Hisau's body instinctively tensed; as a veteran of the battlefield, she was all too familiar with this feeling.

It was killing intent—

She immediately pulled her rifle back against her chest, turned, and assumed a combat stance.

"A woman with sharp instincts, aren't you?"

A voice hidden in the shadows reached Maiya Hisau's ears. Seeing that she had discovered him, the person no longer hid and slowly stepped out from behind the pillar that had been concealing him.

"Kirei Kotomine—"

Maiya Hisau recognized the man in the priest's cassock with the stern expression instantly.