272 Hunting a mage

"Who are you?"

Kayneth was alarmed when he heard the stranger's voice. But, after all, he was still one of the most influential people in the world of magic. He regained his composure quickly and waved his hand.

A large porcelain mug approached discreetly towards Kayneth.

"I'm... no, I'm not anymore. You can say I'm something like a Servant."

Actually, Zoë was going to introduce herself as one of the Artemis Hunters. In the end, she decided not to. She had already embraced her identity as Drako's Servant. It was not the time to back out.

Anger, like acid, gnawed at Kayneth drop by drop.

The girl, who looked no more than sixteen years old, reminded him too much of the person who had stolen all his dignity. She exuded that same mysterious air as Drako and his strange companion. They also happened to be something related to a Servant.

He is a first-rate mage. He would never lose his composure over emotions, especially when faced with a situation where he is fighting for his life.

In fact, this is a secret art among fellow top-notch magicians; Kayneth would not harbor things like anger at all. He would probably admire and acknowledge the opponent's abilities, calmly analyze their true value, and concentrate on performing his magecraft as an appropriate counter to the enemy's technique. Those noble and pompous games between knights are what Kayneth knew as 'battles'. For the right to use the Holy Grail at stake, he intended to compete with Tohsaka Tokiomi, Matou Zouken, and four other outstanding opponents yet unknown, and arrived at this desolate place the edge of the earth.

"What are your intentions?"

Kayneth asked in a cold, dry tone, not bothering to hide his anger.

Zoe simply raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Men, you're all idiots."

She muttered as she picked up the object hanging on her back.

Kayneth hadn't noticed that the girl was carrying something, so he paid special attention to it. He was surprised to see the silver glow covering the bow. His surprise increased when he realized that this glow transferred from the bow to the girl's body. He realized that he was in front of an extraordinary person.

Starlight was illuminating Zoe's body.

Or so it seemed to Kayneth's eyes. At the same time, he began to feel a sense of extreme danger.

"Fervor, mei sanguis."

Once he recited the spell that activated the magic, the contents in the mug sweated from his mouth. That liquid, giving a mirror-like metallic sheen, is a large amount of mercury. Flowing from the jar as if it were a primitive, trained creature, the nearly ten kilograms of mercury, shaking, formed a ball.

Among the many of his possessions, this is the Mystic Code in which Lord El-Melloi placed his pride. Volume Hydrargyrum: Marrow of the Moon Spirit

"Automatoportum defensio: Automatoportum quaerere: Dilectus incursio."

Following Kayneth's low chanting, the mercury mass's surface vibrated and crackled as if responding to him, rising up beside him.

Kayneth, who possesses the two attributes of water and wind, a rare case even among magicians, excels in the art of manipulating fluids, which is shared between these two attributes. Thus, he created this unique Magic Code, using magic-abundant mercury as his weapon, and controls it at will.

The formless mercury can also be sculpted into any shape -

"Decapitate!"

As soon as Kayneth shouted, a part of the mercury ball suddenly turned into a thin ribbon stretched upwards. Then, the mercury ribbon wildly lashed forward like a whip.

As it was about to strike Zoe, the mercury whip unexpectedly compressed itself into a thin edge only a few millimeters thick, transforming into a blade of mercury as sharp as a razor.

Mercury is a heavy liquid at room temperature; when moving rapidly under high pressure, it possesses powerful kinetic energy. Moreover, mercury can change into shapes like whips, spears, and swords at will. Its sharpness can even surpass LASER beams, rivaling even the cutting power of a pressurized water jet.

And this material was headed straight for Zoe's neck.

Perhaps he carries with him the confidence of assured victory. For, against Lord El-Melloi's Volumen Hydrargyrum, not even the strongest defense stands a chance. Be it titanium alloys or diamond, nothing is unbreakable—much less a girl's neck.

Things did not go Kayneth's way.

The mercury quickly surrounded him, stopping two arrows going in different directions. One was headed for Kayneth's forehead, the other for his heart.

Cold sweat covered Lord El-Melloi's back.

In the split second before the arrow fatally struck Kayneth, the mass of mercury had suddenly changed shape. Thus, he had managed to save his life.

This was the automatic defense mode of Volumen Hydrargyrum. This preset magic can automatically respond when Kayneth is threatened, forming a powerful protective membrane in a split second. This kind of reaction speed can even defend him from bullets, let alone simple magic arrows. Malleable mercury is a perfect weapon that gathered attack and defense in one, being Kayneth's sword and shield.

"That's all you have?"

Kayneth asked condescendingly, mocking Zoe's attack.

"No."

The one-time Lancer Master didn't have time to react.

Zoe was an Archer. Her archery skills were top-notch; she was undoubtedly the best archer in this world without counting Drako. But, that was not her greatest weapon.

She was a Servant, and she was also the daughter of the titan Atlas. Her physical strength was enormous. But, that was not her greatest weapon.

Zoe's agility surpassed that of Artoria and approached that of Diarmuid. As good a mage as Kayneth was and as powerful as his magic was, how could they react to Zoe's speed?

The moment Kayneth relaxed, Zoe pulled out a hunting knife and ran at him. A simple slash across his throat and the proud mage of the Clock Tower was dead.

"This man's skills were real," Zoe muttered as she looked at the mage's limp body. "If it had been the old me, I probably wouldn't have been able to overcome the defenses of his magic."

Of course, if she really had to hunt Kayneth down, she wouldn't have waited for him to conjure his magic. Zoe could have executed him before he summoned his mercury, but she was curious about this mage's abilities.

"Now, I have to stop the destruction of a building."