Magician in Type-Moon

Page 4

Suddenly, the entire insect chamber stirred, and swarms of winged blade insects molted from other nests and attacked the location of Matou Pond.

Having just been attacked, Matouchi was prepared. With a wave of his hand, the winged blade insects from his own hive molted and emerged, engaging in a fierce battle with the attacking winged blade insects, staging a scene of fratricide, even though the insects did not know what blood was.

The winged blade insects belonging to Matouchi first formed a net-like protective shield around Matouchi. After ensuring the safety of the insect users, they began to surround and separate the attacking winged blade insects in groups, dividing the entire battlefield into dozens of small combat zones.

Seeing this, Matou Ike didn't hesitate and took out a special outfit he had customized from the famous American magic workshop Pollock Haldane—"Little Helper," with a total magazine capacity of nine rounds.

In addition, this gun has the characteristics of fast reloading, enhanced shooting, aiming assistance, and bullet selection, making it the best helper to complement the magician's attack methods, hence the name "Little Helper".

[Phosphorus bomb!]

After selecting the bullets to use, I aimed briefly at the swarms of insects locked in combat and fired. As for friendly fire, that was a minor matter. When the insect wielder is inside the hive, the insects are merely expendable resources. Of course, the enemy probably thinks the same way now.

Several enchanted bullets made from fire-attribute magical materials shot out, and the moment they came into contact with the swarm of insects, they burst into flames at a temperature of 3000°C, burning the still chaotic swarm of insects into piles of ashes.

As for why they didn't use the Fireball Ants, which had just performed brilliantly, it was simply because they had confirmed who the other side of this battle was—Zoken Matou.

The true owner of this insect hive, after confirming his continued connection with the hive following the initial attack, determined that the old insect did not plan the attack with the intention of killing him.

If fire ants are used, the insects that have been corroded by the formic acid of the fire ants will become waste that cannot be reused. Even insects that have been burned to ashes by a large fire are more practical as feed than insect bodies that have been soaked in formic acid.

"Clap clap clap!"

In a dark, dark corner on the upper level of the insect house, Zouken Matou clapped his hands, revealing half of his body. Since all the light sources in the insect house were on the lower level, they were still a sinister green light.

A layer of fluorescent green light shone on Zouken Matou's body, which, combined with his monstrous face and withered, mummy-like limbs, made him look truly terrifying!

Matou Ike looked in the direction from which the sound came, narrowed his eyes, and thought to himself, "This old bug always appears in places that perfectly fit the composition of horror movies. It's so unintentional. I already look like a monster, yet I deliberately act like one. No wonder I'm not likable."

Zouken Matou doesn't possess the ability to read minds or the Mystic Eyes that grant future vision, so he's unaware that Ike Matou is internally ranting about him. However, seeing that Ike hasn't responded, he decides to speak first:

"Chi, it seems that my years of combat training have not been wasted. Your perception of danger, sensitivity to the battle situation, and judgment have all improved significantly compared to your first battle. This gives me a little bit of confidence in who will win the Holy Grail this time."

Faced with Zouken Matou's sarcastic words, Ike Matou couldn't help but think of the time when Zouken Matou told him that he was going to start combat magic training. Just after he finished speaking, a blood mosquito rushed towards him and launched a sneak attack.

Because it was right after a day of magic training, and the old bug had taken advantage of a linguistic loophole to make him believe that the combat magic training would begin the next day, he hadn't taken many precautions. He only realized what was happening when the blood mosquito got close, and in the end, he frantically dealt with it.

"Really? Grandpa, if you don't have confidence in me, you can go yourself. With your hundreds of years of cultivation, it shouldn't be difficult for you to win the Holy Grail once using your most skilled insect control technique, right? Could it be that you're too old to control insects anymore if you're not near your own insect hive?"

Matouchi retorted to the old insect.

"Heh heh, what a sharp-tongued brat. It seems you know quite a bit about me."

Zouken Matou did not react much to the offense from Ike Matou. For someone who had lived for hundreds of years, these things were no longer worth arguing about.

The punishment for Matouchi at noon was simply because Matouchi had not followed his instructions and had carried out a spirit summoning ritual without authorization, and that the ritual was even above the prescribed standards.

Matou Ike looked at Matou Zouken and saw that he didn't do anything about Matou Zouken's sarcasm, and was instead somewhat disappointed.

Because he didn't want someone who might become his enemy in the future to be a monster without emotional fluctuations—a person lacking emotions would have many weaknesses—he continued to provoke:

"So you came all this way to the insect room to ambush me just to spout this nonsense, Grandpa? Looks like you're really getting senile."

Zouken Matou seemed to see through Matou Ike's thoughts, and chuckled, saying:

"Chi, don't try to play these childish tricks on me. You should know that they won't work on me."

Matou Ike played with his "little helper" in his hand, pondering whether he should just shoot Matou Zouken and show him what childish tricks were.

After thinking it over, he realized that this behavior was a bit foolish, so he put the "little helper" into the gun holster, preparing to do something even more foolish to annoy the old bug.

After a moment's hesitation, he raised his head, opened his eyes wide, and said in a slightly tearful voice:

"Grandpa, can't you just let me go? I'm your own grandson! I'm proof of your bloodline! I'm also the last heir to the Matou family, no, the Makiri family, in the art of magic. Do you really want me to go and die, Grandpa?!"

"Grandpa, please let me go, okay, Grandpa!"

Zouken Matou remained silent for a moment after hearing these two sentences, as if analyzing the truth of the words. His already withered bald head was covered with multiple layers of skin folds due to his frown, making him look like he was missing the human side and evolving in the direction of a monster.

"Enough! Stop your idiotic behavior and stop making that stupid face in front of me." Zouken Matou walked towards Matou Pond. Strangely, all that could be heard was the sound of his cane hitting the ground, while his clogs seemed to make no friction at all.

Matou Ike looked at the old bug approaching him, knowing he had disgusted him, so he withdrew his "heartbroken" expression and returned to a poker face.

"So, what brings you here?" Matou Ike asked.

The old insect looked at Matouchi without speaking, but walked past him to the edge of the giant insect's nest steps, watched quietly for a while, and then replied:

"The Holy Grail War is just one year away..."

Chapter 3 "Relics and Tests" (Please add to your favorites! Please continue reading!)

"Artifacts? You want me to choose the artifacts myself? Have you lost your mind, Grandpa?"

Matou Ike looked at Matou Zouken, who was leaning on a cane, with some surprise. It was hard to imagine that he would say something like letting her choose any relic at will.

Choosing a relic is an indispensable part of the Holy Grail War, serving as a kind of anchor for Servants, since the summoning of Servants is essentially a random lottery.

By preparing artifacts in advance when summoning Servants, the summoned Servant will inevitably be a Servant closely related to that artifact, which is equivalent to limiting the prize pool to a certain range.

Of course, it is possible to summon a Servant without using a relic, but such a summoning depends entirely on luck. If you are unlucky, the summoned Servant may not even be as good as the Master.

However, this also has its advantages. If you don't use artifacts to summon, the Servants you summon will have the best compatibility with your Master.

One of the factors that influences a Servant's strength is the popularity of their backstory.

Relics left behind in history are already precious antiques, and the value of items left behind by world-renowned heroes is self-evident.

Not to mention those relics that have survived the test of time and are still available today. Even if they cannot be compared with conceptual weapons, they are still among the rare magical artifacts that magicians can use.

Treasures of this caliber are extremely valuable, both in terms of their universal worth and their mystical significance.

"Of course, since the Matou family supports your participation in this Holy Grail War, this level of support is definitely achievable."

Zouken Matou looked at the large insect nest at his feet and made no reaction to Matou Ike's rudeness, simply saying indifferently.

Matou Ike remained silent, simply watching Matou Zouken's retreating figure.

It's strange, really strange. When did this strange feeling start? In fact, Matou Ike herself couldn't explain the strangeness of the old insect, but there was always some unusual feeling.

However, even if there is something wrong with Matou Zouken, it is not something that Matou Ike can ponder at this stage. After all, he does need Matou Zouken's support to achieve some of his goals.

After a moment's thought, Matou Ike walked up to Matou Zouken and told him what he needed: a relic that could point to the Caster class.

"Caster, huh? That's arguably the weakest of the seven classes. Ike, are you planning to abandon this Holy Grail War and start preparing for the Holy Grail War sixty years from now?"

Zouken Matou looked somewhat displeased. He paused for a moment, then said, "I can't wait that long, can I? Or do you intend to drag this out until I die?"

Caster was indeed at a disadvantage most of the time in the Holy Grail War. First of all, the three knights represented by Saber all had high magic resistance, and magic below B-rank was difficult to cause substantial damage to them.

Furthermore, the Caster class bonus "Territory Creation" is difficult to maximize within the limited time of the Holy Grail War. Moreover, once Territory Creation is completed, unless it is used as a "floating city" type of territory, it is difficult to have high mobility and may even be forced to stay in one place.

Finally, Caster is usually a Heroic Spirit who is a magician. For magicians, mystery corresponds to strength, which is contrary to the bonus that comes from legend when a Heroic Spirit appears in the world.

Aside from the monsters of the Age of Gods, who were already considered mysterious, magicians after the Age of Gods rarely enjoyed the dual benefits of high mystery and widespread popularity.

In this way, compared with other Servants, Caster-class Servants are in a situation where all enemies have the Legendary status buff, while they themselves do not, which is tantamount to cutting off their own arm.

However, if the purpose of participating in the Holy Grail War is not to obtain the Holy Grail, the benefits of choosing the Caster class far outweigh the cost of the Holy Grail War.

First of all, Servants who can serve as Caster must have superb magical skills and rich magical knowledge and experience. As long as they can learn even a little bit, even a newcomer who has just entered the field of magic can get a good position in the headquarters of the Mage's Association - the Clock Tower.

If the Servant is unwilling to impart their knowledge, things become much easier; a single Command Seal can force them to hand over all their life's learning. However, one must act first, and the chances of failure are high.

This technique is limited to the Holy Grail War, because the first step in summoning a Heroic Spirit is to communicate with the Valhalla, which stands on the outer edge of the world.

Without the aid of the Holy Grail system, this step would be incredibly difficult.

Secondly, even if you are able to summon a Heroic Spirit, you cannot succeed without the binding of a Command Seal.

“I have my reasons. Choosing Caster is not without its advantages.”

Ignoring Zouken's displeasure, Matou Ike stated calmly:

"Besides, if you can find the relics that point to those famous magicians, the ownership of the Holy Grail can be determined directly. So, whether you can get the Holy Grail depends on you, Grandpa."

"Passing the buck to me? Ike, do you think I can't guess what you want? It's nothing more than getting the knowledge from the ancient magician that can get rid of the Matou family."

Zouken Matou turned around and looked directly at Ike Matou, saying calmly, "Is it really okay to just hand over the Holy Grail like this?"

“I have my reasons, Grandpa.”

While answering, Matou Ike pondered the strategy for the Holy Grail War. As for the Holy Grail, he had already learned during the previous séance that it had been corrupted.

If it's a pure Holy Grail, then whether it's given to the old bug or used by oneself, it might be able to end the current situation.

After Matou Ike finished speaking, he looked at Matou Zouken, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart again. The old insect had been too gentle lately, which was too strange.

Recalling the cold and cruel face when he was thrown into the insect hive when he was seven years old, and then talking to him now, the old insect's change seems to be a progressive process, but when exactly did it begin?

As the saying goes, a dying man's words are often kind. Perhaps the old bug is dying soon, which is why it's changing like this. But given the old bug's methods of prolonging its life, shouldn't it become more frenzied the sooner it dies? Could it just be the calm before the storm?

It seems we'll have to investigate the old bug's whereabouts next.

"Chi, I hope you can keep your word. I will also help you find a suitable relic, but now, I need to test whether you are qualified to participate in the battle. If you fail, I will take your skin and use it to obtain the Holy Grail!"

Before Zouken Matou could finish speaking, he plummeted into the giant insect nest below. His body instantly transformed into dozens of Crest Insects, mingling with the insects inside the nest.

At that moment, tens of thousands of insects chirped together, resonating with the unfinished second half of Matou Zouken's sentence to create a piercing sound wave.

Matou Ike, swept by the sound waves, instantly felt dizzy, her ears filled with a buzzing sound, as if a powerful force had suddenly struck, making it unbearable.

The once quiet insect room suddenly became restless, with the chirping of various insects rising and falling, as if the calm before a storm had been completely shattered. An unease and tension permeated the air like a tide, making people feel an ominous atmosphere enveloping the entire room!

As soon as Matouchi came to his senses, he immediately tried to contact the three insect nests that belonged to him in the insect room, but the connection was cut off, as if an invisible wall had completely separated him from the insect nests.

Damn it! That old bug is serious!

[Aura concealed!] [Concealed form] [Seal broken!]

Faced with this situation, Matou Ike did not hesitate to conceal himself and quickly retreated to the vicinity of his insect nest, unleashing all his magical power to break through Matou Zouken's blockade of the nest. In this relatively safe area, he began to rethink his next course of action.

When I broke the seal on the insect hive, some magic leaked out, and the old insect should have already detected my location. If I stay here, the number of insects is far from enough; I can only hold out for a little over half an hour at most.

While pondering a countermeasure, Matou Ike was extracting magic power from the demonic worms to replenish his own magic.

"It's not wise to stay here any longer," Matouchi thought. He cut his wrist and fed his blood to the insects in the nest, ordering the insects that had drunk his blood to stay in the deepest part of the nest and simulate his magical fluctuations.

He then cast a layer of [Aura Concealment] and [Concealment of Form] on himself, while simultaneously collecting one-third of the insects in the nest, as well as some of the queen insect. He left half of the remaining insects in the nest, while the other half went out to attack.

The insects that took the initiative soon encountered the vanguard from Zouken Matou—a group of winged blade insects.

The swarm of insects gathered from all around the insect house like a tsunami, but they seemed not to notice the Matou Pond in the corner.

These terrifying worms, as fat as rats, began to slowly twist their bodies and convulse in pain, as if in spasms, when they spotted each other.

Straight cracks split open on their backs, and the winged beetles struggled to squeeze out, revealing their steel-like, shiny black carapaces and wings. These were not creatures that could arise in nature; rather, they resembled steel monsters forged in a machine factory.