Fate/Zero:Act 7 Part 3
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Anger, like acid, was indeed corroding Kayneth’s heart drop by drop.
He is a first-rate magus. He should never lose his cool due to his emotions, especially when facing a situation when he is fighting for his life.
Actually, if this is a duel of secret craft between first-rate magi colleagues, Kayneth wouldn’t be harboring things like anger at all. He would probably admire and acknowledge the opponent’s finesse, calmly analyzing its true value, and concentrate in performing his magecraft that would serve as a proper reply for the enemy’s craft. Those noble and flamboyant, gentlemanly games are what Kayneth knew as ‘battles’. He made a bid for the right to use the Holy Grail, aiming to compete with Tōsaka Tokiomi, Mato Kariya, and four other unknown outstanding opponents, and arrived at this desolate place at the farthest east.
However – the pain of the wound on his right shoulder throbbed and invaded his senses as if mocking Kayneth, continuing the pain as if it was humiliating him.
This isn’t a wound taken in battle. Those things – are never fit to be called “battles”.
It was as if he stepped on a piece of rotten floor board. As if he tipped over a steaming pot. As if the only piece of presentable clothing he owns got stained with mud.
The opponent is as insignificant as an ant, not worthy to be called an enemy. A piece of rubbish that even seeing it would make him feel dirty and unpleasant.
These things are just daily hassles. Something close to being bitten by a stray dog.
It was just bad luck. Dismiss it as a simple misfortune.
Even as he tried to convince himself in this way – the wound on his shoulder was still unbearably painful. The severe pain that felt like he was being burnt alive piece by piece reprimanded Kayneth’s pride, consumed his self-respect.
Kayneth’s icy cold face was as expressionless as a mask, not loudly swearing or gritting his teeth. For an observer, that is definitely not the expression of someone in anger.
Indeed. He didn’t hate anyone. All his anger was pointed towards his own heart. It was merely that he was provoked by a situation that surprised him – something that is impossible, unreasonable.
“Impossible – ”
The rage that had nowhere to go became impulses of destruction that spread along the Volumen Hydragyrum. Kayneth smashed the walls of the corridors around him with his whips of blades.
“That base scum made me bleed… impossible! It shouldn’t have happened!”
Using a stride that looked as if he was sleep walking, Kayneth pursued Emiya Kiritsugu, who had fled. The shapeless mercury lump, taking the place of its master’s heart, followed him with its full of murderous desire.
The door that blocked his way wasn’t pushed open, but smashed to smithereens with the mercury’s weight.
Be it flower vases, paintings, or elegant furniture: all the decorations that happen fall into his sight are all smashed and destroyed.
There were many traps along the way. Using strings to pull on Kayneth’s defenseless fingers, or prepare a fuse in the carpet that got the pre-set grenade to explode or canister to scatter shots if he stepped on it. At those times, the mercury protective membrane would expand immediately and rush forward to block it.
Those set traps were like toys made to fool children, so ridiculous that Kayneth wanted to laugh. But the sound of his laughter was at the same time mocking Kayneth, who was hurt by those tricks that were like toys made to fool children around.
Self-mockery cut into self-respect like a razor. That humiliation ignited the rage in his heart even stronger.
Lord El-Melloi’s admirable Mystic Code isn’t something that is made to use for this kind of foolish tricks. His mercury should be a weapon that takes in bullets, deflects magical swords, and breaks through supernatural fire, ice and thunder. It should be a craft that make whichever magus who hates him marvel, revere, and at the same time arrive at death.
Then, what would his current distasteful situation be?
The opponent that he unleashed his proud Mystic Code to chase is nothing more than an anonymous mouse… every passing second was making him feel humiliated. The wound on his shoulder was hurting worse and worse.
An endless hysterical downward spiral – however, that had also come into sight of its conclusion.
No matter how big the castle may be, the possibilities of escape become limited if one runs upwards. The mouse finally got chased to the end of the corridors in the third floor. The stream of mercury that Kayneth sent out earlier to find the enemy accurately located him this time. Looks like the target had set himself to stay firmly where he is. He should have decided to have the final confrontation with Kayneth at that place.
Confrontation – as that word floated into Kayneth’s mind, he couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Seems like the enemy still hasn’t given up. So that’s how it is. He had wounded Kayneth once, so there should still be a chance of victory if the same luck decided to grace him again. He should have made this final decision with all the spirit of a desperate mouse trying to bite the cat.
“Idiot…”
Kayneth’s tight mouth became twisted with his sneer as he muttered.
It wasn’t because of his skills or outstanding strategies that the mouse managed to touch Kayneth. It was just an unreasonable coincidence. There’s a need to make sure he knows the difference.
Not a confrontation. This is execution. This is slaughter.
Kayneth, as his body full of his cruel intention to kill, turned the final corner with his Mystic Code and arrived at the end of the corridor,
It basically fitted the setting Emiya Kiritsugu expected. The third confrontation with Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
The distance was barely 30 meters. The width of the corridor was a bit more than 6 meters. There are no places to hide. No way of going back.
Kayneth’s Volumen Hydragyrum has potentially fatal speed and power within a 7.5 meter range. The right to attack remains in Kiritsugu’s hand before Kayneth becomes that close to him.
In his left hand – within the spiral chamber of the Calico that had a new clip inserted, 50 shots of .9mm bullets waited for the moment to open fire.
Then, the Contender Mystic Code was in his right hand. The “magecraft bullet” was already within the single-load chamber.
Kiritsugu didn’t show any fear or begged for mercy; he merely stood silently holding two guns. This made Kayneth even more unpleasant and twisted his expression as he uttered mocking jeers.
“You wouldn’t think that the previous method would still work, right? Despicable thing.”
It won’t work. It would only make Kiritsugu annoyed if it does work – however, he needn’t tell the other person this. He needed to have Kayneth think that Kiritsugu is stupid enough to repeat an attack that is exactly the same as the previous one.
“I won’t just simply kill you. I’ll only heal your lungs and heart to make them revive, then I’ll slowly deal with you starting from the fingertips.”
Kayneth said sinisterly as he slowly walked towards Kiritsugu step by step. The Volumen Hydragynum twirled beside him, flexing its countless whips dauntingly as it shook their sharp tips.
“Die in regret, in pain, in despair. And curse when you die. Curse the cowardice of your employer… The Einsbern Master who humiliated the Holy Grail War!”
Right – Kiritsugu sniggered within his heart as he regarded Kayneth’s proclamation of execution as nothing more than a breeze beside his ear. It seems the Master substitution plan he proposed worked at the end.
The distance was 15 meters. If he was to make a move, it would be now.
Towards Kayneth, who was looming nearer, Kiritsugu firstly used the Calico in his left hand to automatically fire 9mm bullets continuously, thick as the rain. It was a completely identical replay of that sneak attack in the first floor corridor, a pinning attack made to trigger Volumen Hydragynum’s automatic defence. In order to make it unable to take the following strike by the Contender, this is a fake attack was made to weaken the mercury’s defensive membrane.
Of course, Kayneth El-Melloi would not fall for the same trick twice.
“Fevor, mei sanguis!”
The mercury’s defensive form activated immediately, but this time it wasn’t a membrane. Volumen Hydragynum leapt in front of its master and formed countless spikes from the floor to the ceiling. It was like a thick bamboo forest covered Kayneth’s entire body, and at the same time completely blocked all the bullets flying near.
There’s no need to use a membrane as defense if he wasn’t facing an attack such as flames or mist. Things such as bullets would become harmless as long as it is not allowed to move in a straight line. Thus, using only “columns” to defend would be enough.
Of course, the prana needed to expand the mercury into a mountain of swords isn’t even comparable to that used to form a membrane. Every single spike, twirled as thin as a steel wire, had to be equipped with all the strength and malleability to deflect bullets. The automatic defense this time was completed using all the prana Kayneth had in his possession. The inherited Magic Crests of the Archibald family on his shoulders circulated to its ultimate limit, creating extraordinary pain to the practitioner.
It could be said that the defense this time was the true impregnable fortress.
The bullets hindered by the mountain of swords, made from mercury, bounced back and forth in the gaps between the numerous spikes, making raucous metallic noises. Finally, they lost all power and dropped to the ground. Not one of them reached Kayneth’s body.
Then, the Contender in Kiritsugu’s right hand gave a roar. This is the single load bullet that made Kayneth bear his despicable scar the first time it penetrated Volumen Hydragynum’s defenses, something with far more destructive power than the 9mm bullets.
However, the degree of defence the mercury mountain of swords put up wasn’t even comparable to that of the membrane.
All the spikes closed up together like a Venus flytrap the instant before the killing move touched the mercury spikes, and surrounded the bullet. The thick cluster thin spikes became a single giant column in the blink of an eye, completely sealing off the .30-06 Springfield bullet.
Volumen Hydragynum, made to interchange forms freely, showed what marvels it can do. The immaculate skill that controlled the magecraft of flow to such perfection should indeed be the epitome of this unparalleled craft, fully worthy of the prestigious name of the Archibald house.
The moment he beautifully completed this magecraft he devoted all his skills in – Kayneth El-Melloi’s destiny also came to its end.
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Even a Master and a Servant, whom had made a contract, have to use communication techniques such as speech to establish a connection between them when they are far away from each other.
But if the two of them are connected with the bondage of the Command Seal, then one party would quickly detect a disturbance in the other’s scent if the other is in a life-threatening crisis.
Therefore, Kayneth’s dire situation swiftly passed to Lancer, who was still in the forest.
“What – !?”
Lancer suddenly turned to gaze at the direction of the Einsbern castle straight after he destroyed Caster’s army of demonic monsters, just when he was prepared to finish off their nemesis with Saber. For the first time, Lancer realized the fact that his Master, whom he thought was observing his battle behind the frontline, had already entered the enemy formation and undertook another battle.
Lancer’s momentary wavering was a god-send gap for the desperate Caster.
Within Caster’s hand, having already finished regenerating, Prelati’s Spellbook throbbed with torrents of prana. Of course, Saber wouldn’t stand aside and leave the magus’s spells alone.
“Futile struggles!”
Saber wielded her holy sword with only her right hand and rush forward, trying to defeat the enemy before he could complete his incantation.
But Caster wasn’t foolish enough to pronounce incantations in front of a sword blade. He didn’t speak even one syllable of incantations, just chaotically let out the surge of prana that the Noble Phantasm produced.
Although the previous summoning magecraft was nullified, the pools of blood that stained the ground were still connected to the prana. The uncontrollable prana that spurt out flowed into that mesh of blood, but finally scattered apart without forming any shapes.
“Uuu…”
Her sight was blocked off before she got close enough to strike; even Saber didn’t take a rash move and stopped her steps.
Caster didn’t intend to complete the spell to begin with, but forcibly activated a magecraft that was bond to fail. That would be enough in this situation. The blood that didn’t form any summoned monsters immediately boiled and evaporated due to the saturated prana in them, spreading out in all direction as a fog. This is an imprudent skill that could only be used with the enormous amount of prana provided by a Noble Phantasm.
What he expected – was a blinding mist.
Even Caster, overloaded with confidence, deducted that it would be impossible to reverse the situation and arrive at victory at this state. The magus Servant quickly removed materialization in the time while the bloody mist covered Saber and Lancer’s sight. Faced with two of the three knight classes, he didn’t even get to leave a word behind. Swallowing his anger and humiliation, Caster rapidly left the battlefield in spiritual form.
Luckily for Caster, Saber doesn’t have the ability to turn into spirit form and chase him; Lancer, who has that ability, could not chase him due to his Master’s crisis.
“Bastard… what a despicable guy.”
Saber muttered in anger as she recalled Invisible Air from the surrounding atmosphere. The refreshing wind immediately blew in from all direction and scattered the filth of the blood mist. When the two Servants regained their field of sight and Invisible Air was recalled to once again conceal the holy sword’s form, even Caster’s spiritual aura had disappeared, not to mention his physical figure.
“Lancer. What’s wrong?”
Regarding the fact that Lancer could easily have chased their enemy but instead let Caster escape, Saber didn’t heckle him but just questioned calmly. It was obvious that something happened based on his changed expression.
“My master is in trouble… Looks like he left me and attacked your headquarters.”
Lancer explained hesitantly. Saber also figured what have probably happened, and displayed a dejected expression.
“Then… everything happened according to Kiritsugu’s plans?”
It wasn’t what she wanted. She doesn’t want to completely deny tricks and odd tactics, but the cruel trap that Kiritsugu set is an existence that can not co-exist with the King of Knights’s belief of standing stoically in the battlefield no matter what happens.
“It mast be my Master’s work… Lancer, you’d better be quick. Hurry up and go save your Master.”
The spearman was at first dumbfolded at Saber’s unhesitating urging, but then bowed his head deeply in thanks. For Saber, this decision was the same as going against her master. Retain Lancer here so his master can be killed would be the reasonable choice made to win the Heaven’s Feel.
But if we continue on this train of thought, then there was no need for Lancer to fight Caster to save Saber from her crisis. He didn’t think of himself as stupid then. Therefore, he wouldn’t think Saber, who let him go on his way, as foolish now.
“King of Knights, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. We swore to have a duel between knights. Let’s hold on to that glory till the end.”
Lancer nodded briefly, then disappeared into spirit form. Just like that, he galloped towards the castle in the depth of the forest as a whirl of wind.
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The Emiya family of the previous generation didn’t know what to do when they tried to determine the “Origin” of their son, and named the baby “Kiritsugu” due to that strange result.
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