Clock Tower, Combat Training Room.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Silvery liquid condensed into razor-sharp whips, ruthlessly slicing through a puppet in front. Its body, made of special alloy, crumbled like fragile paper, revealing countless cracks.
Anyone could see that with the sharpness of this silver mercury, dealing with a puppet of this caliber would be a matter of moments. Yet, the manipulator chose not to finish it quickly. Each swing of the mercury blade conveyed the resentment and anger invested in it.
After enduring a humiliating five minutes, the puppet finally liberated itself from this endless torture. Its body disintegrated into numerous fragments, scattered on the ground.
The horrific sight made one wonder if it had consciousness, it would probably be a vengeful spirit by now.
The silvery liquid retracted into a small test tube, completely disproportionate to its volume.
"Hahh..."
The golden-haired executioner exhaled a long breath. The cruelty and ferocity from slaughtering the puppet gradually faded from his face, restoring the calm and tranquility of a genius.
He turned and left, heading straight back to his room.
Sitting on a custom-made Italian sofa, he scanned the books scattered on the long table in front.
Opened books piled up in a disorderly fashion, resembling a small hill. The rough folds on the paper made it clear that the reader did not pity these precious books, each over a hundred years old.
These were intelligence reports sent by the intelligence department, supposedly books the traitor had perused before leaving the library with the stolen catalyst. The contents varied, but without exception, they all pointed to one thing—
The Holy Grail War.
Kayneth pulled out a document from beneath the stack, looking at the photo of a timid, green-haired boy on it.
A smirk, mocking and contemplative, appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Dare to steal from a Lord, Waver Velvet, you've got some nerve. If this is your resolve, then I, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, accept the challenge."
"Easy for you to say. Without that catalyst, how will you participate in the Holy Grail War?"
The door suddenly opened, and an unknown beauty walked in while retorted.
Though she had fiery red hair like a blazing flame, her demeanor felt like an icy snow queen. She appeared slightly younger than Kayneth, maybe in her early twenties, a sensitive and noble young lady. Her stern gaze exuded a queenly majesty.
"The ninth head of the prestigious Archibald family and the Lord of El-Melloi, having a precious catalyst stolen by a third-rate mage from a third-rate family. Kayneth, you disappoint me."
In the entire Clock Tower, even the Lords from the three major families wouldn't dare to reprimand Kayneth like this, but she was an exception.
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, Kayneth's fiancee, and the only woman he truly loved.
This was the most perplexing part.
No one understood why the promising Lord El-Melloi stumbled over this crooked branch. If one delved deeper, the only conclusion would be 'Love makes people blind'.
"Sola..." Kayneth stood up, a rare embarrassment on his face. "Please believe me, this is just an accident, I—"
"I don't need explanations and excuses!" Sola interrupted Kayneth, and a fierce light appeared in her proud phoenix-like eyes. "Since you're my fiance, show me solid evidence!"
Kayneth took a deep breath, and like an impassioned young man, he loudly replied "Yes!" and then left the room.
Ten minutes later, he returned, holding an elegantly decorated wooden box.
"In the distant East, there's a phrase of 'a wise rabbit has three burrows', describing truly clever individuals who never leave themselves with only one way out."
Meeting his fiancee's perplexed gaze, the scholarly Lord displayed a calm and indifferent smile. With a casual wave, the wind stirred by magecraft swept all the books on the table to the floor. Following that, he placed the wooden box on the table, carefully opening it.
Inside lay a yellowed and aged book, its surface text blurred by the passage of time. Only faint traces revealed it belonged to the Gaelic script abandoned since the 19th century.
"This is one of the four great legendary stories of ancient Ireland, the Celtic epic—Fenian Cycle." Kayneth explained with a slight lift of his chin.
Hearing that, Sola's eyes lit up.
Despite being raised for a political marriage, she was the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Spiritual Evocation. Knowledge involving the world of magecraft was as familiar to her as common sense.
'Fenian Cycle' recounted the great hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his valiant adventures leading the elite warriors of the Fianna. Its significance rivaled that of the Indian epic, 'Ramayana'.
With this original text as a catalyst, a powerful Servant could undoubtedly be summoned. Even if not Fionn himself, it would certainly be one of the illustrious heroes of the Fianna.
To prevent a tragedy like before, Kayneth decided not to delay any longer. He immediately took his fiancee to his magic workshop, preparing for the Heroic Spirit summoning ritual.
Soon, Kayneth's solemn voice resounded.
"I shall declare here!"
"Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason... then answer!"
With a deep voice accompanying the solemn oath, Sola's gaze involuntarily shifted, focusing on Kayneth's serious appearance, drawn in by the sanctity of the moment.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"
===
Meanwhile, in the Throne of Heroes.
Arkhan, sitting idly on the throne, suddenly noticed an inexplicable fluctuation from a certain world.
A pillar of light pierced through, connecting with the Throne of Heroes.
"It's finally here..."
His eyes slightly brightened as he unhesitatingly tossed his own Heroic Spirit avatar into the pillar of light.
Another Heroic Spirit, which was about to enter the pillar of light, paused. After a moment of hesitation, they ultimately chose to retreat, returning to the direction they came.
*Whoosh—!!!*
Inside the magic workshop, a bright red glow shone from the summoning circle.
Sola shivered and clutched her dress tightly, she felt the continuous flow of magical energy around her and the heavy pressure hitting against her skin.
Kayneth clenched his palms and felt a rare excitement surfaced in his heart. With such a grand momentum, it was undoubtedly a top-tier Servant!
"Appear, Fionn mac Cumhaill! Your Master awaits—"
Staring at the dimming radiance, Kayneth's voice abruptly halted. If he remembered correctly, Fionn should be a Celt.
The wild wind gradually subsided, the red glow slowly extinguished, and a silver figure stood tall on the summoning circle.
"Lancer, Arkhan, summoned by your call. I ask, are you my Master?"
The majestic voice of the man in silver resounded and shook the air.
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