Chapter 213: Battle At The Gertler Workshop (Part 2)

Chapter 213: Battle At The Gertler Workshop (Part 2)

Upon hearing the girl's statement, Shinji couldn't help but let out a sneer that only he could hear.

Etiquette?

Talking about etiquette with an assassin who intruded into someone's home in the middle of the night and engaged in a bloody slaughter?

There was no logic, let alone etiquette.

Even if they were to talk about etiquette, it should be a universally recognized code of conduct that applies across different times and cultures – reciprocity.

If you make a move, don't blame me for going all out. It's impolite not to reciprocate!

"Scalp!"

With the chanting of a syllable, the mercury film instantly dispersed, splitting into seven or eight mercury blades that attacked the middle-aged man from all directions. If even one of them struck, the target would undoubtedly die.

"Step back." The noble girl casually pushed Shinji's target a few steps back. The wand in her right hand traced a peculiar mark in the air, resembling both a badge and a kind of rune.

A faint azure force emanated from the wand, spreading outward. The moment it touched the mercury blades, the delicate edges disintegrated, reverting into liquid mercury that dripped and scattered on the ground.

Shinji's expression finally changed. Regardless of how the opponent blocked the mercury blades, he wouldn't be surprised. However, he had only encountered situations where the moon spirit marrow was directly disintegrated by two people.

One was the unparalleled Queen of Shadows, Scáthach, who was the highest-ranking magus in any era. The other was Kenneth, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower and the creator of the "moon spirit marrow." It was not difficult for him to perceive and unravel the spells woven into the mercury.

Kenneth had proudly stated that even without manipulation, only a top-tier magus could decipher the "moon spirit marrow." If he were to control it, no one would stand a chance. When he made that statement, he had already experienced failure in the Fourth Holy Grail War, so the exaggeration was unlikely. Could it be that this girl, who was only slightly older than himself, had already reached the top tier? Or was there some other reason?

The intricate magecraft of effortlessly deciphering the moon spirit's marrow, the skill to easily withstand his blade attack, and the peculiar Mystic Code that possessed both softness and hardness, made her a versatile magus in terms of magecraft and physical abilities—it was almost like a second version of himself!

Since his mentor, Scáthach, had left, Shinji had not encountered a magus who resembled him so closely. Neither his sister, Sakura, who shared a similar rune magic nor Kariya Matou, who practiced both magecraft and martial arts, gave him this feeling.

Sakura's physical techniques were only for self-defense and far weaker than her magecraft, while Kariya Matou lacked offensive spells. Only this girl had a comprehensive similarity in combat style and tactical approach.

If there was anything different, it was perhaps that the girl's maturity level was not yet sufficient. Despite already being in battle, she was still asking, "You, how dare—!"

Her words gave Shinji an opportunity. In a swift movement, he sidestepped and shifted his stance, and with his right hand free, he threw two runic stones: one with a flame rune, Fehu, and the other with a sun rune, Sowilo.

The two runic stones ignited in the air, transforming into two fireballs, one in front and one behind, heading straight to the family head.

Although Shinji was intrigued by the girl, he knew his priorities, and killing Gertler's family head was his primary objective.

The family head eyes widened, and the magic circuits on his body, extending from his clavicle to his jaw, manifested on his skin. The invisible wall that had previously blocked the silver bullet of thunder reappeared, hoping to thwart Shinji's long-range attack as it did before.

However, he underestimated Shinji's strength and the power of runic magic. The original eighteen runes expanded into twenty-four runes, each had more than one meaning. Shinji usually used the high-damage elemental interpretations, but that didn't mean he couldn't utilize other meanings.

Fehu: wild, fierce, rapid change.

Sowilo: smooth success.

Defensive magecraft often relied on stability and lack of change, which happened to be in opposition to the two runes. With the clash of concepts, the two fireballs, one red and one yellow, successfully pierced through the barrier and continued their advance, on the verge of smashing into the man's head.

At the critical moment, a gust of wind swept through the entire workshop. This force pushed away Shinji's Divine Guns Blade and propelled the man's body several meters away, directly outside the workshop.

In the eye of the hurricane, the girl raised her head proudly, her chest out, and her long hair dancing in the wind.