Easily breaching the window of the Matou residence, they entered without making a single sound. The dark mansion was eerily quiet, and the two Heroic Spirits outside remained unaware.
As a Magus Killer specializing in assassinating magi, Kiritsugu Emiya deftly determined his current location within the mansion.
Now, he only needed to find the little girl. Gently stepping onto the floor of the new Matou residence, Kiritsugu Emiya nodded to Maiya Hisau. Both put on thermal sensors specifically for nighttime use and split up.
He knew the layout of the Matou mansion even better than Meruem. He had conducted a rigorous investigation beforehand, even knowing exactly how many toilets were in the new Matou residence.
However, were things really proceeding as Kiritsugu Emiya anticipated?
What Kiritsugu Emiya didn't know was that... everything he did was actually being watched by someone. Every move, including his current infiltration and his location.
Otherwise, given Kiritsugu Emiya's methods, if Meruem hadn't deliberately gone easy on him, he probably wouldn't even have been able to enter the Matou family's gate. As mentioned before, the defensive measures Meruem set up included not only magecraft but also black technology from the Big Gete Star.
Moreover, the so-called magical traps and mechanisms included Barrier Ninjutsu from Naruto, which Kiritsugu Emiya was completely unfamiliar with. Unless Meruem intended it, how could Kiritsugu Emiya infiltrate so easily?
So, now... who is the hunter, and who is the prey?
Or rather, what exactly is Meruem thinking?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Meruem was still conversing with Artoria.
"King of Knights, let's fight." Meruem looked at Artoria seriously and said. Since your plan is to stall me, then I'll grant your wish, Kiritsugu Emiya.
"KING, I was thinking the same thing." Artoria looked at Meruem and unconsciously revealed a slight smile. King Arthur fears no challenge. Besides, I've wanted to cross swords with you for a long time.
From the void, Meruem drew a weapon resembling a spear. Both ends had sharp blades, bearing an 80% resemblance to Diarmuid's weapon.
"KING, come!" Artoria, wielding the holy sword, launched an attack at Meruem.
Sword and spear clashed, producing a crisp metallic sound. Sparks flew everywhere. Although Artoria's holy sword was wrapped in Invisible Air, this meant nothing to Meruem.
Artoria's speed was fast, but for Meruem, it was within an acceptable range; he didn't even need to use the Rinnegan.
"KING, your spearmanship..." Artoria sensed something unusual not long after exchanging blows with Meruem. It was a very strange feeling. She was clearly fighting Meruem, yet she had the illusion of fighting Diarmuid.
No, faster and stronger than Diarmuid!
At first, he seemed a bit unskilled, and she could suppress him, but not long after, the tables turned, and she was the one being suppressed.
Artoria suddenly recalled the swordsmanship he displayed when they teamed up against Berserker, which was 90% similar to her own.
Could it be that the opponent's ability...
"You guessed right, King of Knights." Meruem seemed to see through Artoria's thoughts and said casually, not caring at all how much of a blow his casual remark dealt to Artoria.
"One of my abilities is learning. Your swordsmanship, LANCER's spearmanship—I've taken them all. What? Are you afraid?"
"No, I am excited!" Artoria said, her body trembling slightly. Isn't such an opponent exactly what she dreamed of? It's been a long time since she encountered an opponent who could push her into a desperate situation. "In the end, it's just a copy. I won't lose to a fake!"
Artoria slashed down with her sword, but was easily blocked by Meruem's spear as he turned. Sorry, but in terms of strength, you're still a bit lacking.
She shook her right hand, which was numb from the impact. "Sure enough, is the injury on my left hand still affecting the battle? If I were in peak condition, I wouldn't lose to him!"
Keep in mind, Artoria possesses the blood of a Red Dragon; her strength is much greater than that of some men. Of course, she can't compare to a certain Hercules (Berserker Heracles from FSN), but she is much stronger than Cu Chulainn (LANCER, Child of Light from FSN) and Diarmuid!
"Again, King of Knights. I know your left hand is injured, so I won't take advantage of you. I'll fight you with only my right hand." Meruem knew Artoria couldn't exert her full strength due to her left hand's injury, so as he spoke, he put his left hand behind his back.
Using fairness as a reason—this is a prime opportunity to farm some goodwill.
"I don't need you to go easy on me. This little injury won't hinder my performance!" Sure enough, hearing that Meruem didn't want to take advantage of her, Artoria looked at him with slight approval. But approval didn't mean she needed someone else's concession.
I am the King of Knights! The King of Britain!
"Talk is useless, King of Knights! Come again, for a fair fight between you and me!" When Meruem said the word "fair," he particularly emphasized the pronunciation, and a subtle smile appeared on his face.
Kiritsugu Emiya, go ahead and continue trampling on King Arthur's dignity. Only your continued courting of death will push her to my side.
Essentially, you are no different from Tokiomi, except... your death-courting behavior is slightly less frequent than his. Of course, you should also be glad you summoned King Arthur and not Goldie.
Otherwise, your end wouldn't be much better than Tokiomi's, although your ending in the canon storyline isn't that great either.
Those who treat Heroic Spirits as tools will eventually be bitten back by those tools.
"Come on, KING!" Artoria looked at Meruem with a smile of acknowledgement, completely unaware that she was sinking deeper into Meruem's layout bit by bit.
"Maiya, found it!" On the other side, Kiritsugu Emiya looked at the door in front of him, forcing a stiff smile onto his rigid, dead-pan face.
On the other side of the door was the bedroom where Sakura was.
"Maiya, we must act fast! Otherwise, that Heroic Spirit will rush over quickly. Use sleeping gas first to prevent the opponent from using a Command Spell to summon the Heroic Spirit."
"By the name of the Command Spell, I order SABER to attack the Servant KING with full force!" A intense red light emitted from the back of Kiritsugu's hand.
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