Campione: Strongest Godslayer!

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Kayneth stood in the plaza below the Hyatt Hotel, his eyes locked on Kiritsugu above, a murderous glint in them.

"Diarmuid! Rescue Sola-Ui! And keep that Magus Killer's Servant occupied! Can you do it?"

Diarmuid dropped to one knee, his head bowed. "I will not fail, Master."

"Good." Kayneth nodded, despite his doubts about Diarmuid's—competence. At the very least, he should be able to protect Sola-Ui.

And Kayneth was confident that, with Diarmuid holding off Lancelot, he could eliminate Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, at your service!" he declared, his voice echoing through the plaza as he strode towards the hotel entrance.

By stating his full name, he was formally declaring his intent to engage in battle—as a Magician.

As the elevator ascended, he began to chant.

"Boil, my blood!"

A silvery liquid, thick and viscous, oozed from beneath his black coat—quicksilver.

The liquid, as if alive, formed a large sphere on the elevator floor.

This was Kayneth's Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum—liquid mercury.

Mystic Codes were tools used by Magicians to enhance their magecraft, similar to magical staffs, but with more diverse functions.

Kayneth specialized in the manipulation of liquids. And Volumen Hydrargyrum, his unique creation, allowed him to control and shape liquid mercury, transforming it into a versatile and deadly weapon.

He was glad he'd brought it with him, this 140-kilogram monster of a Mystic Code, intending to use it to protect Sola-Ui during the Servants' battle. Otherwise, he'd be completely unarmed.

"Autonomous defense! Automatic targeting! Automated attack!"

The sphere of mercury pulsed and rippled, as if responding to his commands.

The elevator continued its ascent, carrying Kayneth and his—liquid metal companion.

--

Diarmuid, having watched Kayneth enter the hotel, looked up at the shattered window on the thirty-second floor, then, bending his knees, he leaped.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

A cloud of dust erupted as the concrete beneath his feet shattered, leaving two, one-centimeter-deep footprints.

Using his powerful leg muscles, he defied gravity, launching himself upwards in a perfect arc, his body hurtling towards the Hyatt Hotel's exterior wall.

As he neared the wall, his feet made contact, the impact softened by his superhuman agility. He began to run, scaling the building's vertical surface.

To Diarmuid, this was faster than taking the elevator, the most efficient way to reach Sola-Ui and intercept Lancelot.

He drew Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg, his expression grim as he neared the shattered window on the thirty-second floor.

"Prepare to die!" He burst through the window, appearing before Lancelot, Gáe Buidhe flashing forward like a bolt of yellow lightning.

Clang!!!

Lancelot, who'd been waiting, his hand already on his sword's hilt, drew the blade, the air around him ripping as a crescent-shaped wave of energy erupted.

The sound of spear clashing against sword echoed through the night.

--

In the hallway on the thirty-second floor, Kiritsugu Emiya prepared for battle. Rifles, grenades, a light machine gun, a rocket launcher, high explosives, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

He'd spent years accumulating this arsenal, placing caches in twenty locations throughout Fuyuki City.

And the Hyatt Hotel, Kayneth's known base of operations, naturally held one of these caches.

Seeing Sola-Ui being thrown from the building, then Kayneth's return, Kiritsugu had known a confrontation was inevitable. He was trapped in Kayneth's workshop, surrounded by the Magician's defenses.

He had no choice but to fight.

Kiritsugu, watching the elevator's progress on the nearby display, hefted the machine gun.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, revealing Kiritsugu.

"Now, let our battle begin, Magus Killer," Kayneth snarled, his face twisting into a cruel grin—then he froze.

"Idiot," Kiritsugu muttered, the rattle of the machine gun's barrels the only warning Kayneth received.

BRRRRRRRRRRT!

A stream of bullets, tracers flashing orange in the dimly lit hallway, erupted from the M134 minigun Kiritsugu held, his magically reinforced hands absorbing the weapon's recoil.

The six-barreled, six-thousand-rounds-per-minute beast unleashed its fury.

"Autonomous Defense!" Kayneth roared, his eyes wide with shock.

The sphere of Volumen Hydrargyrum surged forward, rising from the floor to the ceiling, forming a wall of liquid mercury that shielded him from the hail of bullets.

The bullets splattered against the quicksilver shield, their impact harmlessly absorbed.

Rage, like acid, burned through Kayneth.

He was a Magician, not some street thug. He shouldn't be losing his composure like this. But his anger, like a volcano erupting, couldn't be contained.

"You—you disgrace of a magus! How dare you—insult me like this?!"

To Kayneth, raised in a noble mage family, a battle between Magicians was a duel of wits, a clash of meticulously crafted spells, a display of skill and knowledge.

They should be admiring each other's techniques, analyzing their intricacies, responding with equally elegant counter-spells.

A graceful, almost gentlemanly, exchange of magical power—that was a true Magician's battle.

And what had he been met with? The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he'd been greeted with a hail of bullets—a weapon beneath a Magician's dignity.

He'd been—machine-gunned.

"What kind of battle is this?!" he roared, channeling his magical energy into the mercury shield, desperately trying to maintain its defenses against the relentless barrage.

Kiritsugu, hearing Kayneth's outburst, smirked. 'Another Magician blinded by his own pride. In a fight for survival, there are no rules.'

Then, he frowned, seeing the bullets' ineffective impact against the mercury, and stopped firing.

Kayneth's face darkened. "Out of ammunition? Then it's my turn. I won't kill you quickly. I'll just keep your lungs and heart regenerating—and then I'll slowly—tenderize you, starting with your fingers…"

Ignoring Kayneth's maniacal rant, Kiritsugu calmly picked up a rifle and carefully loaded a single bullet into the chamber.

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