Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 434: The Converging Storm in Sighişoara (Part 8 )

Do you remember the bet between Shinji and Fiore? The one about whether Gordes would lose his mind?

As it turns out, Shinji won, and Fiore lost. As a result, Fiore had to make several items for Shinji, two of which were a hidden blade and a hand axe. The rest included essential assassin gear like a hand crossbow and throwing darts, as well as Shinji's favorite slingshot—though this was the most demanding item. Despite Fiore's exceptional skill in creating metal prosthetics and the Yggdmillennia family's decades of resource accumulation, the slingshot wasn't completed.

The choice of a hidden blade, hand axe, hand crossbow, and throwing darts was mainly because these weapons fit an assassin's role. While Shinji's Noble Phantasms were powerful, they emitted noticeable magical energy when used, making them unsuitable for stealth attacks or close-quarters combat. These new tools helped to compensate for this weakness.

As for the idea of playing a real-life Assassin's Creed, that was secondary. Shinji knew what was important and what wasn't.

Unaware of Shinji's reputation, Mordred naturally didn't take these insidious tools seriously. She could tell at a glance that they weren't Noble Phantasms and were merely reinforced with magic. Whether they could pierce her armor was uncertain, and even if they could, she was confident she wouldn't get hit.

With full confidence, Mordred gave Shinji no chance to breathe, pressing him relentlessly.

Mordred might be fearless, but Kairi was more cautious. Though he shared Mordred's fearless temperament, he wasn't foolish. Seeing Black Assassin's weapons and reckless fighting style, he knew charging it would be suicidal. So he chose to hide in a spot where he could observe the battle without being ambushed by Archer or Assassin.

Scanning the surroundings, he found a duplex about thirty meters away—the multi-layered structure provided natural cover.

That's the spot!

With his decision made, Kairi ducked into an alley and sprinted toward his target.

Just as he was about to reach it, he heard a strange noise.

"Bang," "bang," came the muffled sound, as if something was striking the walls. The noise was faint but rhythmic and getting closer.

Kairi sensed something was wrong, his muscles tensing.

Soon, he saw a girl.

She wasn't on the ground but "floating" in midair.

In a narrow alley between two buildings, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia was using the two "arms" extending from her back to anchor herself to the walls. These "arms" had a smooth, hard appearance, resembling a spider's legs.

"So, your target is me?" Kairi relaxed upon spotting his enemy.

"No, you're all targets." The girl smiled sweetly.

"Then, I suppose introductions are unnecessary?"

"Indeed. We should already know each other's names. But may I still offer a warning?"

"Go ahead."

"Leave this place immediately, necromancer. Every inch of this land belongs to the Yggdmillennia. I can overlook your uninvited intrusion. But if you ignore this warning, I'll have to make you pay the ultimate price for your folly."

"Oh... So you think I'll listen?"

Hearing Kairi's response, Fiore's smile grew even brighter:

"No. But without declaring it, I can't resolve myself internally."

In other words, once she made the declaration, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

Kairi had no intention of heeding her warning. Reaching for the shotgun in his bag was his response. Instantly, the surrounding magical energy density surged.

This sudden rise in magical power was quickly noticed by the two nearby Servants.

"That's...!" Mordred's magical energy was entirely supplied by Kairi. As Kairi started using a large amount of magical energy, Mordred immediately noticed, causing a slight pause in her relentless sword strikes.

"Heh, looks like things are starting over there too," Shinji remarked, unsurprised.

Before the ambush, he and Fiore had already devised a strategy—Shinji would engage Mordred and find a way to drive off Kairi, creating an opportunity for Fiore to engage in a magus duel. Servant battles and modern magus duels were on completely different levels; if a Servant was present, magus could only play a supporting role. Only away from the Servants could the magus fully display their skills and compete in the Magecraft.

Coincidentally, the observation point Kairi chose was also targeted by the Forvedge siblings.

Naturally, Kairi ran into Fiore.

The momentary pause in Mordred's sword strikes didn't escape Shinji's notice. He swiftly swung his small hand axe, aiming at the weak spot in the sword's trajectory, targeting Mordred's head—thanks to a height difference of over twenty centimeters, this strike felt particularly effortless for Shinji, marking his best performance of the night.

However, this excellent maneuver still didn't harm Mordred. Her response was nothing short of astonishing. With a few light "clicks," certain parts of Mordred's chest and shoulder armor sprang upward, instantly forming a helmet that covered her entire head, leaving only her eyes visible.

Indeed, Mordred's Noble Phantasm, "Secret of Pedigree," was normally disassembled into parts stored in her shoulder and chest armor. A single thought could assemble or disassemble it, surpassing even high technology.

With the helmet on, Mordred slightly tilted her head. Although it was only a few centimeters, it was enough to block Shinji's hand axe.

How?

Simply, with the horns on the helmet.

Shinji had always thought the horns on the helmet were decorative—historically, many generals liked to adorn their helmets with various horns, commonly from bulls or deer. Unexpectedly, these horns were so sturdy that they chipped the edge of the hand axe—could these horns be the true essence? Or did Morgan enchant them with magic?

Regardless, Mordred blocked Shinji's lethal strike unexpectedly, and her counterattack followed swiftly—an eye for an eye, blood for blood, she swung her sword down at him.

Shinji had no choice but to block with his hidden blade while retreating. With equal strength, it was impossible to resist the power of a two-handed strike with just one hand.

As he retreated step by step, Shinji didn't forget to launch a verbal assault: "My Master is over there waiting for your Master. Aren't you worried at all?"

However, not only was Mordred unaffected, but her momentum also increased.

"I'm not worried at all. He's my Master, the best Master! He won't lose."

The knight's sword, like her words, was full of confidence and unwavering determination.