Chapter 85: An Ordinary Top-Spinning
"Capture complete."
The magus Clement Wolff calmly confirmed that the figure had been imprisoned within the Bounded Field; then, he opened his other eye. From the pupil of that open eye, a strange fluctuation emanated.
A curse of "immobility" mixed with magical energy invisibly wrapped toward the target, successfully permeating the Bounded Field. In that instant, Clement observed the figure inside the barrier clearly become unnatural.
"It's done."
The magus was certain.
Mystic Eyes of Compulsion.
These were non-artificial Mystic Eyes that forcibly took over and controlled the target's body. While their upper limit couldn't reach the power of manipulating every single movement or forcing a target to commit suicide, they were exceptionally useful for "freezing" someone in place.
To have the target bound was essentially equivalent to victory.
Under normal circumstances, any Mystic Eye carries the possibility of being defended against through technique. For example, if the line of sight is obstructed by something sudden and the enemy's silhouette is lost, the binding is broken; or, if the user's vision cannot keep up with the enemy's speed, even a powerful Mystic Eye user can be counter-killed.
However, for Clement, such a scenario would not occur. This was because the oddly-shaped Bounded Field he had constructed existed specifically to ensure there were no blind spots the Mystic Eyes couldn't reach.
The mirror refraction effect—something modern technology utilizes—inevitably has a corresponding magecraft to achieve the same result, as magecraft consists of things that can be achieved through human technical skill. Although Clement was merely standing in front with his eyes open, to the person inside the barrier, the gaze of the Mystic Eyes was piercing through from all directions. Even if they blocked the front, the gazes projected from the soles of the feet, the back, both sides, and overhead would pin them firmly in place.
Even if Clement stood perfectly still, this person could not possibly break the immobilization and move again; they were like a wooden carved stake.
"Do we really have to fight?" Shirou asked seriously with his eyes.
"A meaningless question."
Similar to the "Zwinger" group of magi who also handle assassination matters, this magus was somewhat famous on the West Coast of the United States. He had begun active work as an
assassin magus ten years ago. There was no special reason for him becoming an assassin; it was simply... a lack of money.
Clement was a pure magus. His research direction required massive funding, and he himself happened to hold no patents to speak of, so he had to utilize his innate talents to earn extra commissions. This time, a sudden, exceptionally high-priced request appeared to assassinate a man named Shirou Emiya, and Clement took it.
As for who made the request, Clement didn't know; since they were Emiya's enemy, Emiya himself likely knew who it was. Regardless, for a magus, as long as a deposit is paid, it suffices.
Curiously, the employer who had been constantly urging him had suddenly stopped initiating contact. But since assassinating a single person wasn't difficult for someone with Mystic Eyes, he could just finish the job first and then re-establish contact.
It was strange to set such a high bounty on a target like this, but the man was already frozen in place. He'd finish up, collect the bounty, and head back to crack the research topic he'd been working on lately.
"Antivirus."
Clement raised one hand. Colored winds, resembling liquid nitrogen, surged from the four sides within the Bounded Field and began to swirl. To be struck by this wind meant being torn into pieces. Without any idle thoughts, Clement continued to stare at the enemy purely out of the necessity to maintain his ability—and then he discovered...
The helpless expression Shirou Emiya had held while frozen in a stone-sculpture pose had turned somewhat dangerous.
His heart twisted violently twice. As if sand had been jammed into his eyes, his Mystic Eyes felt a stinging pain, forcing Clement to squint.
Clement's combat style involved forcibly immobilizing the subject, turning them into a ground stake that couldn't move a single finger, allowing them to be executed at will by Clement's magecraft. With such easy, one-sided conditions, the possibility of things going sideways was naturally non-existent—
Zzt.
Around the youth who was looking on coldly, electric sparks flashed in the air, electrolyzing crystals that gradually took shape. Numerous armaments, surging forth like foam from the void, tilted in unison, their blades concentrating toward one side.
Countless abstract things exist in this world. Such as sharp blades. Such as wisdom. Such as pain. Such as salvation. The crystallization of non-concrete things is the manifestation of fantasy.
The Holy Sword of dragon-slaying. The Demonic Sword bearing a curse. The Divine Sword bestowed upon a hero.
"Impossible."
All were like racing thunder. A thunderbolt that cut the planar joints to the point of destruction was currently searing Clement's magecraft.
While the wielder remained stationary, only the brutal lethal weapons were completely unaffected, scrambling to charge forward. The blinding flashes of light, closing in at extreme speed, erupted toward Clement like machine-gun fire.
"!?"
Before Clement even had time to move, the boundary of the Bounded Field blocking him was struck by dozens of intersecting ripples. The lethal weapons hammered blow after blow against Clement's barrier, which took pride in its defensive power, causing the blue light to flicker in and out as azure glass fragments showered down.
One second.
Spider-web-like cracks climbed across the barrier at an incredible speed. The sudden storm easily blew away a small section of the attacking airflow, which soon vanished without a trace. Inefficiently used as firearms, the vast quantity of Noble Phantasms was like a descending downpour. It was just that the bullets fired were not metered—each was at a level capable of shattering a Servant's Saint Graph in a single hit.
Perhaps it could be called "Summoning"—though he made no gesture to raise his hand, the man at the center of the barrier briefly "summoned" and reproduced a rain of swords on the same level as another man.
The entire pile of rubble, as fragile as a sheet of paper, collapsed with a roar, leaving only a single magus frozen on the spot. Without any feeling of magical depletion, when things stopped, Shirou Emiya's mana was—incredibly—still abundant.
The fact that Clement's Mystic Eyes were still in effect meant that Shirou had obediently remained stationary throughout the process.
"...."
However, even this ended here. The angle of the two refined short swords held in Shirou's hands began to change—the change came from the wrists.
Shirou began to move.
Like bursting out of a life-sized transparent mold, he used brute force to change his posture, focusing his gaze on Clement as his mouth moved slightly.
Clement's Mystic Eyes were, of course, still in use; the feedback he felt was that they were still in effect, but they were being mostly neutralized by some unknown means. With his current Mystic Eyes, it seemed he actually couldn't completely constrain the other's actions!
"Don't come any closer!!"
Clement suddenly threw up his arms, the corners of his mouth twitching with great strain. He had devised a final emergency plan based on the investigated style of Shirou Emiya; the magus had thought he wouldn't need it at all, but had prepared it just to be cautious. Now the problem was, if he didn't play this card, he was truly finished. This was his last chance.
The movement of Shirou projecting the final sword stopped as he noticed what was in front of him.
Cradled in the inner crook of Clement's arm was the girl Shirou had seen earlier. Her eyes were tightly closed, her breathing was steady, and she appeared to have lost consciousness.
At the very last moment, he had resorted to this move.
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