HBWnovel Chapter 93 Distant Gaze
Chapter 93 Distant Gaze
Tokiomi's answer was watertight, maintaining the persistence and rationality expected of a magician.
Arthur's gaze did not completely relax; he merely glanced at Tokiomi.
Knowing that words could not stop a magician seeking the root of the matter, he ultimately said nothing more.
Kirei, who was standing to the side, kept his head down and remained silent as usual, but when he heard the word "black mud," a strange and twisted tremor ran through his spine like an electric current.
In the long-parched desert of his soul, he vaguely longed for that kind of despair that could engulf everything.
……
Einzbern Castle in Germany, on the other side of the world, remains locked in the biting cold and snow.
In the dimly lit room, heavy curtains completely blocked out the daytime snow light.
The air was thick with the smell of nicotine, and the ashtrays were piled high with crumpled cigarette butts.
Kiritsugu Emiya sat behind his large desk, looking at a stack of high-resolution reconnaissance photos scattered on the surface.
These photos were taken from a distance using state-of-the-art modern optical instruments, and the focus of each one is locked on the same blond man.
Like a ghost blending into the darkness, Hisayu Maiya stood quietly in front of the desk, her usually expressionless face now showing a rare solemnity.
"This is a summary report of the surveillance conducted on the Tohsaka residence and its surrounding area over the past month."
Mai's voice was calm and cold, like a machine broadcasting data:
"The blond man in the photo suddenly appeared at the Tohsaka residence a year ago. He had no immigration records, no social security number, and seemed like a ghost created out of thin air."
He currently lives with Tokiomi Tohsaka's two daughters, acting as either a "tutor" or a "bodyguard."
Kiritsugu didn't speak. He picked up a photograph and ran his rough fingers over it.
The photo shows a blond man with such handsome features that it seems almost unreal.
He was wearing an ordinary beige trench coat and carrying a shopping bag full of vegetables and fresh meat.
His other hand was holding the hand of the second daughter of the Tohsaka family, and he was looking down at her with a gentle smile.
Sunlight shone on his blond hair, creating a heartwarming scene reminiscent of a cheap family insurance policy.
"A flawless, gentle, ordinary young man." Kiritsugu exhaled a puff of smoke, but his eyes were cold.
"But that's the most illogical part. Tokiomi Tohsaka is the kind of traditional magician who has 'elegance' and 'magic' ingrained in his very bones."
"It is absolutely impossible to let an ordinary person with no background get close to his bloodline, let alone let him live in a magic workshop full of barriers without any defenses."
"Your judgment is correct, Kiritsugu."
Mai stepped forward and handed over a special film that was sandwiched in a plastic film.
Three days ago, a hidden defensive barrier outside the Tohsaka family's residence briefly went berserk due to fluctuations in the earth's ley line magic.
This created a miniature storm that indiscriminately cuts through living organisms.
At that time, the man was walking by with the two daughters of the Tohsaka family.
Kiritsugu paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigarette, his gaze fixed on the negative that Maiya handed him.
"He didn't use any magic." Maiya slowed her speech, as if she herself was repeatedly pondering this incredible fact.
"I used both an infrared thermal imager and a magic detector to make calculations. There was no magic circuit in operation, nor was there any conversion of life force into magic."
Faced with a magical storm powerful enough to slice through steel bars, he simply extended one hand.
Wu Mi paused for a moment, a dangerous glint flashing in her lifeless eyes.
"Then, as if relying solely on pure physical grip strength, he forcefully crushed the magically woven barrier."
The ash from the cigarette butt fell silently onto the table.
Kiritsugu's pupils suddenly contracted. He crushed the barrier? With the grip of his flesh?
This goes beyond the scope of human understanding.
Even those agents of the Holy Church who have honed their physical abilities to the extreme...
It is absolutely impossible to shatter a conceptualized magical defense with only flesh and blood without any magical protection.
"His physical performance data, especially his explosive power and reaction speed, completely surpasses the limits of modern biology."
Maiya gave her final report, "Kiritsugu, he is not human, at least not in the conventional sense."
A suffocating silence fell over the room.
Kiritsugu picked up the photo of the blond man smiling and carrying shopping bags again, and a sense of unease crept up his spine like a venomous snake.
In the logic of the "magician killer," a flamboyant magician is not difficult to deal with because they are traceable and possess the arrogance and weaknesses inherent in magicians.
But the man before them was different. He possessed terrifying power that transcended common sense, yet he could perfectly conceal all his sharpness.
Like an ordinary person, she blended into the everyday life of the city, buying groceries, taking walks, and showing her children a genuine, untroubled smile.
The more perfect the "everyday" disguise, the more terrifying the monster hidden beneath.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka..." Kiritsugu slammed the photograph heavily on the table. "Is this your trump card for the Holy Grail War?"
Kiritsugu's brain began to work frantically.
He speculated that the blond man was likely a monster familiar that the Tohsaka family had secretly cultivated over generations.
Or perhaps it is some kind of "ancient mythical beast" that was awakened by Tokiomi Tohsaka using a secret technique and given a human body.
Tokiomi deliberately allowed this monster to operate during the day as a "guard," which was a declaration to the magicians who were secretly watching:
The Tohsaka family's defenses were impregnable.
"Kiritsugu, should we change our strategy?" Maiya asked in a low voice.
"If Tokiomi Tohsaka already possesses such extraordinary combat power, and he then summons a powerful Heroic Spirit, our chances of winning will be greatly reduced."
"There's no need to change our strategy. Since the enemy has deployed an extraordinary shield, all we need to do is prepare a spear that can kill them with a single blow."
Kiritsugu stood up, stubbed out his cigarette, and turned to walk towards the metal safe in the corner of the room, which was sealed with layers of magic.
With the complex password input and magical verification, the safe opened, revealing a wooden box inside that exuded an ancient and sacred aura.
Those were sacred relics that the Einzbern family had excavated in Cornwall at great cost.
The legendary scabbard of the King of Britain—Avalon.
"Although I would prefer to summon a magician or an assassin... as long as I can summon this hero who stands at the pinnacle of all Heroic Spirits..."
Kiritsugu stared at the wooden box, his eyes filled with a cold and resolute expression.
"No matter what kind of ancient monster Tokiomi Tohsaka raised, the strongest Knight King will surely crush it completely."