In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

A name that is famous in European history and mythology.

Kenneth, being an old London nobleman, was naturally familiar with this figure. On the contrary, he had read the Arthurian legend countless times when he was a child. Now, seeing him in person, he felt a strange sense of unreality.

The mighty King Arthur was actually a girl? That's truly astonishing...

Kenneth smiled as he watched the intense battle between Artoria and Finn.

King Arthur as a Servant is very strong, but he is still much weaker than the Servants he summons.

Although both are heroes in Celtic mythology, he summoned the descendant of Nuada, the Celtic god of war, and the grandmaster of the glorious Fiona Knights.

He not only vanquished numerous terrifying monsters, but also achieved the incredible feat of slaying gods, making him a great hero who created many heroic legends. His status is comparable to that of Cú Chulainn, the great hero of the Celts and the Son of Light!

Kenneth, who had lost his cloak, originally planned to return to his family to find a similar one to replace it for the battle. But who could have imagined that Rowe would be so ruthless?

During his visit, he practically emptied his entire collection, leaving only a few secondhand items and a letter from him in the workshop.

The gist of it is something like this: 'The Holy Grail War is extremely dangerous; he would die if he came. So we emptied his materials room beforehand, so he wouldn't have any relics to use in the war. That kid even specifically told me not to come looking for him, to stay in the Clock Tower and enjoy my honeymoon with Sora, and definitely not to come and die.' Things like that.

Upon seeing the letter, Kenneth's already bad mood exploded.

Not only did he empty his own materials room, but he also cursed himself to die? He, Kenneth, the Lord of the Minerals Department, the ninth generation head of the Magicians, would die in a rural magic ritual? This is simply a fantasy!

So Kenneth simply ignored the letter and flew to Fuyuki City as fast as he could.

What if you don't have suitable artifacts?

Then let's just skip the artifacts and summon directly using affinity!

Kenneth simply didn't believe that someone of his caliber couldn't participate in the Holy Grail War without a relic.

Today, I will show those two unfilial sons that even without the sacred artifact, I, Kenneth, can still achieve victory!

Thus, without any relics, he summoned this famous hero from Celtic mythology solely based on affinity.

Not only is he incredibly strong, but he's also obedient, has no airs whatsoever, and most importantly... he's truly loyal!

This was a real comfort to Kenneth, who had been betrayed twice.

Seeing his outstanding performance, Kenneth couldn't help but applaud him in his heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

We get along so well, we really get along extremely well.

How can there be a Servant in the world who is so perfect for me?

Unbeknownst to him, Kenneth was now even somewhat grateful to Waver, that unfilial son who stole the sacred relic.

"Hmm, the situation is about right. In a bit, let Lancer unleash his Noble Phantasm to finish off King Arthur, and then continue to hold off the remaining Servants who have appeared..."

So… now it's time for him to personally take action and wipe out those lurking in the shadows. The feud between master and disciple is a family matter, and it must be settled thoroughly. He won't allow any other foolish magicians to get involved!

Watching the intense battle on the screen, Kenneth's lips curled up slightly. He then walked back to his workshop and donned all the dozens of carefully prepared formal attire.

"Love, Weber... you two unfilial sons better pray you don't run into me soon, otherwise I will definitely give you an unforgettable tutoring session!"

He muttered to himself.

He then tossed out two gems, opened a hidden door that had been placed in the workshop beforehand, and silently walked outside the building before rushing towards the battlefield.

Chapter Thirty-One: Kenneth's Intelligence (Two Chapters Combined)

The sharp clash of gun and sword easily tore through the air, and two blinding arcs of light created a series of sonic booms. The power unleashed by the mere collision of weapons was enough to tear the earth apart and shatter the surrounding environment...

At this very moment, in a place undetectable by any detector, a battle unlike any other in this era is unfolding.

This is a unique battle that does not exist in the modern era, the recent era, or even the Middle Ages. If you want to trace its origins, you can only look back at that misty and legendary world, and also search in the more ancient mythological chapters.

Two warriors from different eras, each possessing extraordinary abilities, are summoned by a magical ritual to begin a battle that transcends time and space...

At this moment, whether openly or secretly, all the magicians who witnessed this battle held their breath. This was the first time they had seen a battle between heroes from that era. Through this earth-shattering battle, they were also fortunate enough to glimpse a corner of the mythical age...

……

……

In the darkness, the man in the black trench coat silently endured the cold night wind, pressing his body tightly against the huge steel container, using the darkness as a camouflage. He held his breath, not daring to make any unnecessary noise, but his heart was still unsettled after witnessing this mythical battle that mortals could not comprehend.

"Is this what a Servant is...?"

The reappearance of those heroes from the distant age of gods.

Although Kiritsugu Emiya had read about these heroes in the Einzbern database before heading here to participate in this Holy Grail War, and had mentally prepared himself for this Servant who completely defied modern common sense, he still realized he had greatly underestimated these heroes when he actually witnessed this battle belonging to the mythical age.

The glorious king of Britain brandished his holy sword, harnessing the raging winds to launch a fierce offensive; the golden spearmen spun their magic spears, using the water to dissolve them all.

Those ultimate martial arts techniques that only existed in myths were now so easily presented before his eyes.

His prepared trump cards: the Origin Missile and the Fixed Time System, along with some high-tech modern firearms. Faced with these ridiculously powerful heroes, all he could do was chuckle...

Having witnessed the battle firsthand, Kiritsugu Emiya finally understood the true meaning of Ahadeon's advice during the battle.

"In the Holy Grail War, you must use Servants to defeat Servants. Only heroes can fight against heroes. Do not act impulsively, and be cautious in everything you do." At this moment, this advice began to echo in Kiritsugu Emiya's mind, and he finally realized his own situation.

He had naively believed that with the inherent time system, the Origin Bullet, and the power of modern firearms, even if he couldn't defeat these Servants head-on, he would still have a chance to stall them and buy time for King Arthur to launch a surprise attack on the other Masters. Only now did he realize how naive his thoughts were.

Putting aside the Saber King Arthur he summoned, just judging from the martial arts displayed by the golden man on the other side who was controlling the water, if he dared to go up and try, he would die the next moment.

Even with the aid of magic like [Inherent Time], he couldn't last more than a few rounds against his opponent, let alone launch a counterattack. The only outcome was that his opponent would see through his weakness and kill him on the battlefield with a single spear thrust.

So he kept warning himself, "Don't do anything reckless, don't do anything reckless..." He should give up the absurd idea of ​​defeating the Servant head-on with the body of a magician as soon as possible.

"call……"

Emiya Kiritsugu exhaled a breath of stale air, forcibly suppressing his restless mind. He then retrieved the infrared night vision device he had prepared beforehand from his pocket, set up the Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle he had prepared in advance, and began searching for the other Masters in the surrounding area.

Although he could not possibly defeat a Servant, that did not mean he could not defeat a Magician.

On the contrary, it is no coincidence that he was given the title of "Magician Killer," because the bullet in his pistol is the nemesis of all magicians in the world—the Origin Bullet.

It is a bullet specially made from its own origin. As long as it hits a magician, it will take effect the moment the magician uses magic and drives magic power, causing the magic circuits and meridians in the magician's body to go berserk. If the magician is hit by this bullet and still uses magic, then even a god cannot save him.

This was also his trump card, a crucial factor in his ability to establish such a fearsome reputation in this world. To date, no magician who has ever seen his Origin Bullet has survived...

No, except for a certain Grand Doll Master, that mysterious woman truly left him feeling helpless.

Recalling the red figure that had haunted him like a nightmare, Kiritsugu Emiya on the container shook his head slightly, quickly putting it out of his mind, and then continued to search diligently for the other magicians' tracks, namely the Master of the blond Lancer below.

Although the enemy has not shown up since the beginning, Kiritsugu Emiya's intuition tells him that the enemy must be hiding in the vicinity of this area, observing the battle situation and ready to provide magical support to Lancer at any time.

After all, during the Holy Grail War, Servants and Masters are only temporarily matched and have only brief contact. It is impossible for them to truly trust each other completely and have a deep understanding of each other.

As long as there is doubt between the two, things will definitely turn out as they think. After all, a proud and self-centered magician would never entrust the initiative in battle to a Servant, so... the other party must be hiding nearby.

Thinking this, Kiritsugu Emiya's movements gradually quickened.

While this is indeed the case, Kiritsugu Emiya was unaware that due to someone's intrusion, Kenneth, who had been unable to unleash his full potential due to carelessness and negligence, had completely changed his ways in this Holy Grail War.

As a veteran nobleman of the Clock Tower's magic path, he was indeed indifferent and disdainful of some rural magicians, but when it came to his own disciple, who had the potential to succeed him in the future, he, as the teacher, dared not be careless in the slightest.

Since taking Lowe as his hypothetical enemy, Kenneth is no longer letting his pride get in the way, and is now extremely cautious.

He not only canceled his original plan to bring his fiancée to the magic competition and enjoy their honeymoon, but also specifically commissioned a magician from the intelligence department to thoroughly investigate this so-called Holy Grail War before taking action.

To ensure his victory, he not only guarded against his own good students but also made special preparations to deal with the other contestants, ensuring that nothing went wrong. It can be said that he is now extremely confident.

Furthermore, having learned more about that distant age of gods, he naturally didn't consider himself more skilled in combat than those ancient heroes. After all, he was just a magician, not a magic swordsman, so he simply entrusted the matter to Finn, letting him fight however he wanted. In any case, he had already solved the problem of mana supply with his mana furnace, so even releasing a Noble Phantasm wouldn't affect him.

So he simply handed over all the initiative to his Servant. As long as Finn felt the time was right, he could use that magic at any time.

As for Kenneth...

He also decided to take advantage of the other magicians' rigid thinking to launch a surprise attack, so that the clever attackers would feel what a thunderous blow from a monarch was like!

So before he arrived at the battlefield, Kenneth had Finn make considerable preparations for him there, setting up tempting bait for the other magicians.

The trap has now been set, and all that's left is to lure the prey into it.

This time, he was going to make sure all the other magicians understood just how terrifying a fully prepared and all-out Clock Tower Lord could be!

That brat Rowe dares to say he'll die in this country magic ritual?

What a huge joke!

He's Kenneth! A peerless genius destined to reach the pinnacle of this era!!

Color Magician, Monarch of the Clock Tower... Who dares to kill me? Who can kill me?! It's just a magic ritual held in the countryside!

Don't underestimate him... Today he's going to use his real skills to tell Luo Wei that your teacher will always be your teacher, the simplest truth.

The trap has been set, and now all he needs to do is wait.

Who is the prey and who is the hunter? We'll find out soon enough with just one try.

……

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya, completely unaware of what was about to happen, was crawling under the cover of night, making his way up the shipping containers a short distance, calmly analyzing the situation and continuing to search for the other magicians in the surrounding area.

Emiya Kiritsugu, who had quickly and quietly reached the high ground, was finally able to see the entire area through the suddenly open view.

The huge port, the complex terrain, and the massive steel containers everywhere make it a very suitable place to hide.

But... times have changed, magicians.

And so, having secured the high ground, Kiritsugu Emiya used his infrared night vision goggles to search along the edge of the steel container towards a more concealed location. Soon, with the aid of the night vision, he finally found his target: the outline of a human figure.

Even though he deliberately used covert magic, those conservative magicians could not have predicted that such an anomaly could infiltrate this Holy Grail War, let alone that someone would use modern high-tech weapons in a magic ritual. Even though he concealed his magic power, he did not eliminate the temperature on his body surface.

"Found it! It was right here..."

Upon seeing the red and orange outline appearing in the infrared night vision device, Kiritsugu Emiya clenched his fists, a surge of joy welling up inside him.

To confirm further, Kiritsugu Emiya switched to the laser sight again to continue peering, and what he finally saw was still a clear target emitting a pale green light, which was practically a live target in his eyes.

At this point, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of these guys.

He prided himself on the nobility of the demonic path, completely unwilling to accept the progress of the times, and began to isolate himself from the world. He was unaware of the changes of the times, which exposed such a fatal flaw, and thus allowed him to succeed!

As a magician killer, Kiritsugu Emiya naturally wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately attached a silencer to his sniper rifle and made adjustments, then pressed his eyes tightly against the scope, and finally, impatiently pulled the trigger.

Bang--!!

The bullet pierced the air with a sharp bang, and at that moment, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was lying on the high ground, had already seen the end.

As always, a magician who hasn't made the necessary preparations beforehand has absolutely no chance of withstanding a sudden attack from a sniper rifle.

No matter how magical and bizarre a magician's magic may be, their body is ultimately just a mortal being that bleeds, gets injured, and even... dies.

Having done all this, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but smile. After all, this way, the incredibly troublesome blonde Lancer below would also be forced to leave the stage due to losing his Master.