"LANCER!" Seeing the handsome man wielding dual spears, Artoria spoke with delight. As an opponent, he was a huge headache, but as a teammate, he was extremely reliable.
"Berserker, I won't let you kill SABER when she can only use one hand!" Diarmuid's dashing entrance was ignored; the only answer he got was a sword swing coming right at his face.
The greatsword clashed with the red spear, sending sparks flying, and Diarmuid was swatted away. If Artoria had only slid back a few meters, then Diarmuid was sent flying a considerable distance.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Diarmuid's strength was indeed much lower than Artoria's.
And a Berserker under Mad Enhancement was above both of them.
Having lost the ability to summon eldritch gods, Bluebeard's individual combat capability at this moment had strengthened to an unbelievable level.
"LANCER! Don't clash with him head-on. His strength is much greater than both of ours. But... he has a fatal weakness: speed!" Worthy of being the battle-hardened King Arthur, Artoria's sharp eyes quickly spotted the opponent's weakness as Diarmuid engaged Berserker.
That's right—speed! Although the opponent's strength had grown to an incredible level, his speed hadn't become as terrifying as his strength.
As long as they didn't clash head-on, there was hope for victory!
Hit and run! This was the battle plan Artoria and Diarmuid adopted. Both Artoria and Diarmuid completely outclassed Berserker in agility! Not only did they avoid being hit again, but they also used the openings after his weapon swings to inflict numerous wounds on his body.
"ROAR!!!" Following Berserker's angry roar, Diarmuid's Gáe Dearg pierced into Berserker's body.
"Now!" Seizing the opportunity, Artoria swung her sword, looking ready to split him in two with a single strike.
However, Berserker's reaction wasn't slow either. risking another stab from Diarmuid, he swung his greatsword and forced Artoria back.
"Huff, huff..." Fighting two agile Heroic Spirits at the same time, even as a Berserker, Bluebeard was already panting with exhaustion. Mad Enhancement didn't mean he didn't consume stamina; on the contrary, the stamina consumption was even greater than in a normal battle.
The scales of battle were continuously tipping toward Artoria's side.
"ROAR!" Berserker let out another beast-like roar at the two, but they weren't affected. However, Berserker's goal wasn't to intimidate them. He reached toward his own black-aura-covered body, and when he pulled his hand out again, a massive flag appeared in his grasp.
Berserker took the flag and stabbed it fiercely into the ground beneath his feet, burying it three feet deep.
A mysterious light radiated from the flag beneath Berserker, covering his entire body! Berserker let out a massive roar again! When he appeared before Artoria and Diarmuid once more, his stamina had completely recovered, as if he had eaten a Senzu Bean.
B-rank Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm: "Roar of Rallying Under the Holy Flag"!
Stamina fully recovered? Believe in Brother Chun and gain eternal life? This was practically cheating. With no choice, Artoria and Diarmuid had to engage Berserker in a tangle once again.
Meanwhile, a fierce battle was also taking place inside the Einzbern castle. Director Kayneth had come back to settle the score after Kiritsugu nearly killed him by blowing up the building earlier.
Although Kiritsugu was called the Magus Killer and had dozens, if not a hundred, magi deaths on his hands, Kayneth was completely different from those he had dealt with before. Whether in reconnaissance methods, magecraft, or even direct confrontation, Kiritsugu was at an absolute disadvantage.
Relying solely on Volumen Hydrargyrum, Kayneth easily dismantled all the traps Kiritsugu had set. He also easily located Kiritsugu, forcing Kiritsugu to use his strongest magecraft, "Time Alter," to escape Kayneth's assault with the advantage of double speed.
At this time, seeing his Mystic Code "Volumen Hydrargyrum" perfectly defend against all the opponent's attacks...
Thinking victory was in his grasp, Kayneth actually entertained the thought of playing cat and mouse. Instead of finding Kiritsugu immediately and dealing a fatal blow, he continuously applied pressure, attempting to torture Kiritsugu with fear.
"It's useless. You can't even break through my defense." Kayneth said smugly, standing within the defensive circle of "Volumen Hydrargyrum." I've played enough, so I'll just break his limbs first.
"This is the moment I was waiting for!" Unhurriedly, Kiritsugu pulled a strange-looking old-fashioned pistol from inside his clothes and aimed it in Kayneth's direction.
At this moment, Kayneth only saw it as a desperate struggle.
He never expected that this was Kiritsugu's unique Mystic Code—the Origin Bullet.
The Origin Bullet was exactly Kiritsugu's final trump card as the Magus Killer. Everything he did before was just to lure Kayneth out, even using himself as bait. And he succeeded; Kayneth was completely exposed before him.
One shot fired, easily piercing the defense of "Volumen Hydrargyrum" and hitting Kayneth's right shoulder.
"Got him!" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Kiritsugu's mouth, and without waiting for Kayneth to react, he fled directly.
"Hmph, not bad. I was careless. But it won't be that easy next time. I will definitely tear you to shreds." Kayneth said with a ferocious expression, seemingly not caring at all about the blood gushing from his right shoulder.
Makes sense. As a magus, especially an elite among magi, making a fuss over a small wound would make him unworthy of the title.
What Kayneth didn't know was that the bullet he took wasn't a normal bullet, but—an Origin Bullet. The damage of an Origin Bullet isn't just physical; or rather, the physical aspect is the least of its effects.
Its most terrifying aspect is that it can "short-circuit" the target's Magic Circuits, causing their mana to run wild and completely destroying the circuits. Not only does it cause damage, but it also renders them unable to use magecraft ever again.
In other words, for a magus who views their Magic Circuits as their life, this thing possesses the ultimate lethality.
Now, Kiritsugu didn't need to confront Kayneth directly; he only needed to wait for the Origin Bullet to take its intended effect.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.