Dating Caster

Kayneth said coldly.

"Your subordinate shall surely bring back victory!"

Lancer knelt before Kayneth and swore his oath.

Chapter 31. Worm Pit

A dim basement.

Worms constantly writhing formed an ocean of insects here. Amidst the tide of bugs, a strange old man leaning on a cane suddenly opened his eyes: "We have guests visiting. Wouldn't it be rude not to entertain them?"

A hoarse voice echoed through this insect-filled room, heavy with a dark atmosphere.

"Kariya--"

"Arrrrrrrr--!!!"

A roar that chilled the soul erupted from the mansion, causing Lancer, who had already breached the courtyard of the Matou House, to stand at the ready.

"Has he arrived?"

Lancer held his twin spears, assuming a combat stance.

The next second--

The black Servant suddenly appeared in the courtyard and charged directly at Lancer!

Facing the berserk Berserker, Lancer did not show weakness and met him head-on.

In an instant, the two Servants collided!

The shockwave from their collision kicked up dust in the courtyard. The swirling dust made it so that those watching from outside the battlefield could only vaguely distinguish the state of the fight by the silhouettes of the two Servants!

Every strike delivered by the two Servants, shrouded in dust, carried a powerful wind pressure. The surrounding dust was quickly blown away, revealing the figures of the two Servants in combat.

The black Servant held an iron rod he had casually snapped off in the courtyard. This "weapon" was covered in blood-red patterns, and even when clashing with the Two-Colored Roses in Lancer's hands, it did not fall behind.

"Judging by your martial arts, you must surely be a renowned hero from history."

Although they had only exchanged a few blows, Lancer could still discern the strength of Berserker's technique. Even under the violent curse of Mad Enhancement, the martial arts deeply branded into his memory were still executed by Berserker without the slightest hesitation.

"Arrrrr--"

But the only answer Lancer received was the black Servant's meaningless roar.

"It is a pity that I cannot learn your name; it is truly regrettable."

Facing the rampaging black Servant, Lancer revealed an excited smile, and the aura around him climbed once more.

And so--

The two Servants clashed again, and the clanging sound of their weapons colliding rang out across the entire courtyard once more.

Taking advantage of the time while Lancer and Berserker were locked in fierce combat in the courtyard, Wang Xiaoming and his group broke directly into the Matou House.

As for the mansion's defensive barrier?

Medea indicated that you must be joking.

With Medea, an existence that could be called a bug in terms of magecraft, assisting from the side, the group entered the mansion with almost no effort.

"There are two sources of magical energy in this house. One is in an upper room, and the other is below. The one below..."

As soon as the group walked into the mansion, the nauseating feeling intensified. Medea kept her brows tightly furrowed the entire time as she said this.

The one below should be that Old Worm, Zouken Matou. As for the one above...

"We don't need to worry about the one above for now, but..."

Wang Xiaoming looked at Kayneth:

"Can you have Lancer just hold Berserker back and keep him from leaving the fight?"

Although he did not understand Wang Xiaoming's intent, Kayneth did as he was told. He closed his eyes to transmit the order to Lancer, then nodded at Wang Xiaoming.

"It is done."

"Then let's head down."

Following Medea's instructions, the group arrived before a basement door.

"Hehe-- I wonder what business brings you all to the Matou House in the middle of the night?"

As the door was pushed open, a withered laugh reached everyone's ears.

The surrounding environment was pitch black, and the dim candlelight made everything look shadowy and indistinct, making it impossible to judge where the voice was coming from.

"Playing god!"

Kayneth snorted coldly, and a light source composed of magical energy lit up the room, allowing everyone to see the environment within--

In the center of the massive basement was a hollowed-out stone pit, from which countless worms were constantly crawling out. Writhing, murmuring, rubbing against each other, and the sound of them devouring one another. This stone pit, extending several meters downward, was already filled with countless such terrifying magical insects that one couldn't even name.

Even under everyone's feet, these worms had crawled over at some unknown point in time.

Even though Wang Xiaoming had already mentally prepared himself, he was still struck pale by the sight before him, to say nothing of the others.

Aside from Medea and Shirou, whom Wang Xiaoming had subconsciously pulled behind him, Kayneth's face had already turned livid upon seeing this scene, while Sola at his side was already retching from the sheer terror of the dense, swarming insects.

"Scalp!"

With a cold snort and at Kayneth's command, the mercury sphere beside him instantly transformed into a sharp blade, shredding the insects surrounding them!

"So, uninvited guests have arrived."

An old man emerged from the insect pit. He was bald, his limbs as thin and withered as a mummy's, and his deep-set eye sockets gleamed with a sharp, piercing light. He wore a kimono of ultramarine and dark gray, leaning on a cane; although he stood below the level of the pit, his presence was no less imposing than anyone else present.

"Then there's no need for courtesy. Everyone, become bait for my precious little bugs!"

He tapped his cane against the floor, and the tide of insects that had been restless around him erupted in an instant!

What should have been slow-crawling insect bodies burst forth with incredible speed under the old man's command. In the blink of an eye, they reached the group, leaping up and opening their slime-coated mouthparts, eager to devour everyone before them.

"Automatoportum defensio!"

At Kayneth's command, the mercury sphere beside him instantly expanded to envelop the group. But the insect swarm cared little for this, piling on one after another until they densely covered the mercury sphere.

Volumen Hydrargyrum, with its 140 kilograms of mercury as a carrier, was created by utilizing the physical properties of mercury combined with the fluid manipulation the magus himself excelled at. Its functions included automatic attack, automatic target acquisition, and automatic defense.

As the Mystic Code most favored by its user, Kayneth, it naturally had its reasons.

Squelch, squelch, squelch—

A series of shattering sounds echoed from the "insect ball." The insects wrapped on the outside fell to the ground one after another; after their mangled bodies oozed foul-smelling liquid and twitched for a moment, they fell silent.

Once the swarm had all been shaken off, the defensive state of Volumen Hydrargyrum quietly dissipated.

"Hehehe—"

The old man's withered voice rang out once more: "A fine Mystic Code, but how many times can your magical energy sustain it?"

"Enough to execute you right here."

Kayneth said coldly.

"Then let us see..."

The old man tapped his cane against the floor again, and that hair-raising laughter echoed once more:

"Whether my insects die out first, or your magical energy runs dry first."

With the crisp sound of the cane striking the floor, a sudden change occurred—

Under the influence of the old man's magical energy, the insects crawling on the floor broke through their own shells, and flying insects covered in slime rose from within.

These flying insects were extremely bizarre; their mouthparts were like those of mosquitoes but far more terrifying than blades, and their bodies were the size of an adult's forearm, looking hideous and grotesque. It was enough to make one feel a chill from the bottom of their heart.

Upon seeing these flying insects, even the usually calm and collected Kayneth could not help but change his expression slightly.

Chapter 32. Extermination

Seeing the dense swarm of flying insects behind the old man, even Kayneth could not help but change his expression.

Just as the old man had said, the magical energy required for Kayneth to sustain a precise Mystic Code like Volumen Hydrargyrum was quite substantial. While once or twice was no great matter, under the overwhelming assault of such a vast number of insects, even a Heroic Spirit would find it no easy task to escape unscathed.

If this continued, his side would inevitably fall into a disadvantageous position.

However—

Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the expressionless Wang Xiaoming behind him, all Kayneth could do now was grit his teeth and hold on.

The old man amidst the insect tide saw Kayneth's hesitation and couldn't help but snort coldly:

"Does the Matou House look like a place where a few small fries can come and go as they please!"

As the old man's voice fell, the long-accumulated insect tide erupted once again—

Watching the surging insects, Kayneth had no choice but to raise Volumen Hydrargyrum once more.

The insects rushed forward one after another, crashing against the surface of the mercury sphere as if throwing their lives away. The mouthparts of those flying insects stabbed fiercely into it, as if trying to bore a hole through the sphere.

Standing inside the mercury sphere, watching the ripples constantly spreading across the outer surface while feeling his internal magical energy depleting rapidly, even Kayneth was reaching his limit. He turned his head and asked Wang Xiaoming:

"Are you not done yet?!"

Hearing this, Wang Xiaoming turned to look at Medea. Seeing her nod, he replied to Kayneth:

"Just in time!"

Upon hearing this, Kayneth's eyes returned to the sharpness characteristic of a magus.

"Though it was a bit sluggish, it's not too late—"

The mercury sphere enveloping the group shattered with a boom! Every insect on the perimeter was caught in the blast; those struck by the mercury beads fell to the ground, emitting shrill, screeching sounds as they struggled in agony.

Those insect bodies that had already ceased moving were quickly devoured by the others.

The mercury that fell to the ground gathered once more beside Kayneth, though it was a size smaller than before; it seemed that the previous shattering had also caused no small amount of damage to this Mystic Code.

"Finally decided to stop being a turtle in a shell?"

The old man's raspy voice echoed in the room.

Standing on the ground that had just been cleared, Kayneth watched the old man amidst the insect tide with cold eyes.

"I will naturally settle the score for the insult you have dealt me."

"Heh heh--"

The old man's laughter was as chilling as a night owl hunting for prey:

"Young man, you shouldn't speak with such arrogance."

"That's right--"

At this moment, another voice from the room chimed in to support the old man, which was quite surprising. Kayneth then realized it was actually Wang Xiaoming standing right beside him.

After the initial disgust and shock, Wang Xiaoming's emotions had stabilized.

"After all, this is an Old Worm who has lived for five hundred years; it would be inexcusable if he didn't have a few trump cards up his sleeve."

Looking at the old man amidst the swarm of insects, Wang Xiaoming said calmly:

"Am I right? Zouken Matou, or rather, I should call you--

Makiri Zolgen instead."

The old man's expression, which had been sneering the entire time, finally changed.

"Who are you?"

Zouken Matou stared at Wang Xiaoming. Only now did he realize that this man who had spoken seemed to be the leader of this group.

"Me? Just a passing reporter."

Facing Zouken Matou's question, Wang Xiaoming shrugged and replied.

"Although I don't know where you obtained your information, it is clear that you know far too much."