"Fairy Tale Magecraft? It cannot be… I received no intelligence suggesting the Witch of Fairy Tales had joined the fray...!"
"What is it, my lord? Has something else occurred?"
"…That is one of the Great Three Ploys. I never imagined the Witch of Fairy Tales would abandon her own territory to participate in a Holy Grail War… In that case, was her initial appearance merely a disguise? A truly remarkable talent, indeed."
Lancer stood beside Kayneth, observing the state of his defensive systems. As the final Bounded Field faced the threat of being breached by Flat Snark, the Heroic Spirit bowed his head toward his Master.
"Master, please give the order. At this rate, they may storm this room directly. While I am certain I could secure victory if I fought the Archer at the cost of my life, I cannot guarantee the safety of you and your fiancée!"
"Lancer, look at me. Do I appear to be some common dabbler to you? My defenses were only breached because I have not yet fully transplanted my Magecraft Foundation here. I am Lord El-Melloi, the ninth head of the Archibald family. My studies are not so shallow as to be overcome by some interloper treading upon my domain with muddy boots."
"…I understand. In that case, do I have your permission to head out and intercept them?"
"Very well. Go, and bring me an absolute victory, Lancer!"
As Lancer departed with his two spears in hand, Kayneth quickly turned toward a jar in the corner of the room and intoned the activation command.
"[Fervor, mei sanguis]"
As the incantation left his lips, the magical furnace deep within the room vibrated. Simultaneously, a silver substance inside the jar began to writhe and flow outward.
* * * * *
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses,
With all the king's horses,
And all the king's men,
And all the king's men.
couldn't put Humpty together again.
They could not put him back together again.
The door swung open with a bang, accompanied by a song that was a disaster in pitch, rhythm, and lyrics alike.
As a red-haired youth entered, Magic Bullets streaked through the air toward him, only to be deflected by a shimmering blue film that draped over him like a veil.
"Hoh, that attack was surely reinforced to five times the usual strength. Despite your youth, your skill is impressive… And those eyes. Are they Mystic Eyes?"
"…You've performed some quite magnificent modifications here. To wait after turning the entire hallway into an Otherworld… If I had known, I would have simply brought the entire hotel down."
Kayneth's face contorted, as if such a barbaric thought hadn't even crossed his mind. In that moment, sensing a presence from behind, I activated Shinra Tensei again. I watched as a stream of something resembling water halted abruptly just inches from my back.
"Volumen Hydrargyrum, I see."
"You are remarkably well-informed regarding the Mystic Codes of the Archibald family."
This man was strong in a completely different sense than Kiritsugu Emiya.
If Kiritsugu Emiya was a man like an awl—an assassin who could pierce you from an unexpected angle at any time—then this man belonged to those who were primevally powerful.
…However, because of that, he was far easier to deal with than Kiritsugu.
Flat Snark, which had been gradually invading the guest room, intercepted Kayneth's magecraft attacks one by one. I was able to maintain adequate pressure on him simply by occasionally brushing aside his offensive spells.
Of course, he wasn't an easy opponent. He utilized various Mystic Codes to fire spells and pressured me with something akin to the Tohsaka family's Jewel Magecraft, but everything was repelled by Shinra Tensei.
"…I see. An ability specialized in defense. Then let us see if you can withstand a relentless, continuous assault!"
As he chanted again, the Volumen Hydrargyrum transformed into tentacle-like shapes, lashing out at me like whips.
Just as Kayneth had discerned, Shinra Tensei had a slight interval—a 'cooldown'—between uses. He had caught onto that brief opening and immediately transitioned from defense to a fierce offensive.
"Bansho Ten'in—Pulse."
By inverting gravity to slam the Volumen Hydrargyrum into the floor, I countered. Kayneth responded by firing a Gandr—a curse of paralysis—directly at Flat Snark. While the Ploy's momentum was momentarily halted by the paralysis, he reactivated the Volumen Hydrargyrum and opened his magical furnace, beginning to push back Flat Snark's Bounded Field.
"Your skill is decent, but it seems you lack the caliber required to confidently step into a magus's workshop. I do wonder how someone who is not the Witch of Fairy Tales herself came to possess a Mystic Code as legendary as the Great Three… but I shall investigate that at my leisure once you are captured."
"Well, perhaps you should say such things… after you've actually defeated me!"
I reached out toward him without a Mystic Code. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, but sensing something, he shouted his command at the top of his lungs.
"[Automatoportum defensio!]"
Immediately, a massive film-like barrier unfolded, cutting across the center of the room. Though Bansho Ten'in managed to tear away a portion of the mercury, it soon returned to a liquid state and was reabsorbed into the wall of silver.
"[Ire sanctio]. Show no mercy! Dispose of him!"
Following his command, thorn-like projectiles formed on the mercury barrier and began to fire like arrows.
While Shinra Tensei and Flat Snark could intercept most of the mercury, several stray shards ricocheted, wrecking the room's interior. A sprinkler must have burst somewhere, as the entire room began to turn into a watery grave.
Even amidst the chaos, Kayneth harassed me with Water-attribute spells from behind his barrier, while I responded with Flame-attribute spells I had learned from Alice-san.
As the room filled with thick, billowing steam, the wraiths from the end of the hallway reappeared, engaging in combat with the phantasmal monsters of Flat Snark that were hammering at the defensive wall.
'Flat Snark is certainly superior in terms of durability and Mystery, but breaking through Kayneth's home ground in one go might be difficult.'
Ending my brief contemplation, I quickly pulled out a glass test tube and retrieved Flat Snark.
After blowing away the monsters attempting to swarm me in that opening, Kayneth deactivated the mercury barrier and revealed himself.
"Are you insane? Withdrawing your most vital Mystic Code in a battle between magi?"
"I am perfectly sane, Lord El-Melloi. The reason I've dismissed this Mystic Code now is because I am confident I can defeat you without it."
"Ha! The moment you dismissed that tool, your defeat was etched in stone!"
He swiftly fired Magic Bullets, but they were once again blocked by Shinra Tensei. Unperturbed, he used Volumen Hydrargyrum to surround and compress my defenses.
"Even after discarding your primary means of attack, did you truly think you could achieve victory against my supreme Mystic Code!"
"You seem to be mistaken about one thing. That wasn't my primary means of attack in the first place."
Honestly, if the sprinklers hadn't burst, I would have used a full-power Shinra Tensei to demolish the entire floor, just as I did with Kiritsugu.
But fortunately, the sprinklers had triggered, and the steam produced by the collision of Kayneth's Water magecraft and my Fire magecraft had condensed, causing water to flow across the floor once more.
It was merely a tiny, meager trickle—hardly enough to quench the thirst of a parched man—but for me, it was more than enough to call a 'river.'
London Bridge is falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
My fair lady.
"Come forth, Thames Troll."