Shinji Matou At Your Service

Since Lancer appeared, it was not difficult to anticipate Kenneth's plan to attack the castle.

Whether it was Shinji, who was familiar with the story, or Kiritsugu, who had hunted many magi, they both knew that these guys, to put it nicely, prioritized reason over emotions, but to put it bluntly, they were selfish and self-serving.

For Kenneth, who had already used up one Command Seal, the reward proposed by the Supervisor for subjugating Caster was something he wanted to obtain no matter what. However, even if they were to defeat Caster here, it would mean forming a common front with Saber. The Master of Einzbern should also be given additional Command Seals, which was not what Kenneth wanted to see.

Therefore, Kenneth decided to leave Caster to Lancer and personally infiltrate the castle. He intended to eliminate Saber's Master and seize the Command Seals for himself.

Although this was the stronghold that the Einzbern family had managed for many years, Kenneth had full confidence because he was the head of the Archibald family, the most renowned genius in the Clock Tower who had achieved the "Brand" rank at a young age. How could a mere artificial family that was self-isolated and not skilled in combat stand in his way?

Doesn't it sound arrogant? But this was Kenneth's most genuine thought. Even though there were surveillance cameras set up throughout the castle and magical visual perception granted by the bounded field, Kiritsugu, and Justeaze could still sense Kenneth's infiltrating arrogance that had seeped into his bones.

Justeaze, who remained in a spiritual form, unconsciously frowned. Lancer's Master reminded her of several examples that Scáthach had mentioned—people who were arrogant and complacent, ultimately defeated by their opponents.

As she watched Kiritsugu, who had an expressionless face and silently tidied up the table and prepared his weapons, Justeaze became more convinced of her judgment.

Suddenly, she reached out and lightly touched her brow—since when did she start frowning?

And since when did she start analyzing people's psychology and feeling pleased or dissatisfied about it?

It must have been influenced by Shinji, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Do you not find it ridiculous for an artificial being who doesn't understand humans to claim to save them?"—those were the words Shinji said when he first met Justeaze. At that time, she couldn't understand, but now she understood it to some extent.

At this moment, Kenneth had already arrived at the front gate of the castle. Even as a prestigious family head like him, he held a high regard for the Einzbern family's ancient castle. Compared to luxury hotels simply constructed with money, this quaint Nordic castle suited his taste much better.

"After dealing with the Einzberns, it wouldn't be bad to take over this castle as a new stronghold."

As for the abandoned factory where he had been hiding before, hehe, Kenneth would never admit that it was his base. His beloved fiancée, Sola, had mocked him many times for it.

Thinking of this, Kenneth's possessiveness grew even stronger.

"That's decided then. I'll try to minimize the damage to the building as much as possible."

Kenneth smiled arrogantly, raising a test tube with his gloved right hand and slowly pouring the silver liquid onto the ground.

"Fervor, mei sanguis. (Boil, my blood.)"

The incantation to activate the spell began, and the seemingly 100-milliliter solution started expanding rapidly as soon as it left the test tube, eventually swelling into a silver sphere with a diameter close to one meter.

This was Kenneth's trump card, as well as his proud creation. It was also one of the Mystic Codes that Shinji desired the most.

The Mystic Code was called "Moon Spirit Marrow," a unique combat Mystic Code created by Kenneth combining his Feng Shui dual attribute and his expertise in fluid manipulation magecraft.

The essence of the silver sphere was specially treated mercury, and Kenneth could freely manipulate this mercury. The mercury had no fixed shape and could be molded into any form.

"(Self-disciplined defense)."

"(Automatic target acquisition)."

"(Automatic attack)."

As Kenneth chanted softly, the blocks of mercury vibrated on the surface as if in response and followed him as he approached the castle gate.

"Scalp! (Behead)"

At Kenneth's command, a portion of the mercury sphere suddenly transformed into long, thin strips that extended upwards. Then, the mercury strips violently struck the gate like a whip.

Just as it was about to impact, the mercury whip compressed into thin, razor-sharp mercury blades only a few micrometers thick. Under the sharpness of the mercury blades, the heavy door latch was sliced in half like tofu, and the gate toppled inward with a heavy sound.

Mercury was a very heavy liquid substance at normal temperatures. When it moved at high speed under high pressure, it possessed a powerful momentum. Moreover, mercury could be freely transformed into various shapes like whips, spears, and knives. Its sharpness could even surpass that of lasers.

In the face of Moon Spirit Marrow, no matter how sturdy the material was, whether it was titanium alloy or diamond, it couldn't withstand the mercury blades unless it had been similarly enhanced with special mysteries.

After clearing the obstacle in front of him, Kenneth leisurely walked towards the main hall of the castle.

The crystal chandelier in the hall emitted a dazzling light, and the polished marble floor was flawless. The air seemed unusually calm, with only Kenneth's presence and no one coming out to greet him.

This was to be expected. As soon as they sensed Kenneth's presence, Irisviel had left the castle under the protection of Maya. Only Kiritsugu remained to face the enemy. With Kiritsugu's ruthless style of action, how could he foolishly engage in a confrontation with Kenneth?

And even now, Kenneth didn't know who his opponent would be, or rather, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

"Kenneth Archibald, the ninth head of the Archibald family, is here."

Kenneth declared loudly in the empty hall.

"Magus of the Einzbern family, I stake my life and honor on the Holy Grail. I have come to settle our score."

No one responded, as if they didn't anticipate a duel with Kenneth.

If Shinji saw this scene, he would sneer and shake his head, saying, "Lord Kenneth, you've chosen the wrong place."

If he didn't come looking for trouble with the Einzberns but entered the Tohsaka residence in this manner. Tohsaka Tokiomi, a traditional magus who values elegance and pride, would undoubtedly appear and face Kenneth with dignity.

If it were the Matou family... Well, except for Zouken, if you can break through the gate, you win.

PS: There are differences between the anime and the original novel. In the novel, Kenneth's Moon Spirit Marrow is directly stored in a pottery jar, totaling ten liters. Dear readers, ten liters. Director Kenneth carrying around something like that instantly makes his coolness level plummet. In the anime, they changed it to using a test tube, which matches Director Kenneth's status better.