Chapter 92 Flower of Hope

  "What does Darnic want to do? Not only did he specify the location for the final battle with Lancer, he also specifically specified the location for the battle with you, Teacher Kenneth."

  Waver looked at the letter that the familiar had handed over to him earlier and carefully examined the address on it.

  "It's nothing special. It's just a wide street. Even if you want to set a trap, you can't do it."

  "He's probably afraid that I'll use the enclosed space to build a small workshop temporarily. After all, this guy knows the strength of the Lord Family."

  Kenneth said disapprovingly, urging Wever on.

  "Go and ask the hotel to prepare a car. We can't walk this distance on foot."

  "I notified the hotel when I was in the suite."

  Wever nodded, took a few steps forward, looked out the window, and then waved to Kenneth.

  "Teacher Kenneth, the car is ready!"

  Hearing Wever's voice, Kenneth subconsciously glanced out the window and saw a black car quietly parked on the side of the street. He then walked slowly to Wever's side.

  "Let's go."

  There was no one in sight on the street that was dyed a fiery red by the dusk. Because of the private room, even the hotel staff was on standby inside. Weber could not help but sigh in admiration at the beautiful scenery.

  "It feels so quiet, and there are no people on the streets. It's really different from London."

  "Maybe it's because of the church's martial law a few days ago. Ordinary people wouldn't be as careless as you."

  Hearing Kenneth mention his own scandal, Weber touched the back of his head a little embarrassedly.

  "That's not important anymore... Now is the time to cheer up."

  "You're in a really good mood,"

  Kenneth looked at Wever in surprise, wondering how this usually timid boy could suddenly become so brave.

  "Of course, this is my first time participating in a real magecraft battle. Teacher Kenneth is so serious, and Rider is also working hard, so I have to work harder too!"

  "That's right. The growth of a magus comes from past experience and accumulation. We must prove that what our family has accumulated since the past generations is not all in vain. This is the meaning of being an heir. In the future, as long as we don't stop, the road to the roots will continue to extend..."

  Seeing Wever's serious expression, Kenneth smiled, which was rare for him. The feeling of witnessing his disciple's slow growth was also a very novel experience for him.

  Suddenly, just as the two walked out of the hotel door and came to the street, the harsh sound of brakes broke the peaceful atmosphere.

  On both sides of the street, several cars appeared one after another, blocking the entrance and exit. Then, as the car doors opened, a group of expressionless homunculi who looked exactly like Darnic walked out. Each of them held a cold gun in their hands.

  Then, amid the spurting flames, countless bullets poured towards the defenseless master and disciple.

  Before he could issue a warning, Weber was grabbed by Kenneth and blocked behind him.

  Not running away, not resisting, and the ongoing attacks made Weber completely lose his mind. He stared blankly at the blood dripping from Kenneth's shoulder to the tip of his nose, and questioned in a trembling voice.

  "Teacher Kenneth, what are you doing, Teacher Kenneth!"

  Kenneth responded with an icy roar: "Stop making noise, I'm not dead yet!"

  In the large ceramic bottle that Kenneth carried with him, the mercury with a metallic luster had turned into a sphere at some point, enveloping the two of them.

  Wever recognized the name of the ceremonial outfit, Volumen Hydrargyrum. This was the ceremonial outfit that Kenneth had made when he was in his twenties. Because of its outstanding performance and perfect interpretation of fluid operation, it soon became the representative ceremonial outfit of El-Melloi.

  The suit was activated at the moment of the attack, and it was because of this that the two men survived. Apart from the wound on Kenneth's shoulder, this attack did not achieve any results.

  "Automatically lock onto the enemy, self-defense, track and kill!"

  Without caring about Waver at all, Kenneth quickly chanted the spell, and at the very end, with an angry tone that sounded like a scolding, he issued an order to counterattack.

  "Scalp(Slash)!"

  The mercury ball wrapped around the two of them trembled with a rustling sound as if in response, and then turned into a thin and long ribbon, and then continued to extend, spreading to the end of the street like a whip at a speed that people could not react to!

  As it moved and extended at high speed, the mercury whip became thinner and thinner, and finally turned into a sharp blade only a few millimeters thick, cutting the attackers at both ends into pieces along with their vehicles.

  In an instant, the situation was reversed!

  "What? My attacks are pretty accurate. After all, they are just a bunch of homunculi."

  Before Kenneth could show a smug expression, Wever's crying voice came from behind him.

  "Teacher Kenneth, your wound... was caused by your protection of me. That's why the Volumen Hydrargyrum failed to completely cover you at the first moment..."

  "Weber, why are you making such a noise... I am your lecturer, Kenneth El-Melloi, the ninth generation heir of the Archibald family. Protecting students is my responsibility as a lecturer. One bullet is not a problem. The healing function of the engraving has already been used for emergency treatment."

  Kenneth looked around with a ferocious expression and announced in a majestic voice.

  "Darnic! Do you think you can defeat me, Kenneth, by deliberately setting up a trap like this on the road you must pass? Just relying on those homunculi using guns? I didn't expect that as the leader of the Yggdmillennia, you have even lost the honor of a magus!"

  "From the perspective of efficiency, using firearms is the most convenient method, that's all."

  Darnic walked out from among the homunculi corpses and glanced at Kenneth in front of him with cold eyes.

  "Now, the death of these androids means that I am the only Master left."

  Danic lifted his clothes nonchalantly, exposing the deformed disc on his chest to Kenneth. "Now, with the excitement of brushing shoulders with death, coupled with the excitement and anger of fighting, and the desire for victory, your soul is in excellent condition. It's time to harvest it."

  "Are you relying on this meaningless dress of yours?"

  Kenneth sneered disdainfully and his face quickly turned cold.

  "But you are right. My rage is about to burst out! Volumen Hydrargyrum!"

  The flowing mercury rushed towards Darnic like a raging tide.

  But he just tapped the talisman on his chest again, and the next moment, a hazy white light flashed across the street.

  When the white light flashed, the surging Volumen Hydrargyrum, Kenneth who was waving his hands to give orders, and Wever who was holding up the amulet with a determined look on his face, all froze in place.

  "Yes, this is the normal effect."

  Danic looked around carefully and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "If I hadn't forced you to use this ceremonial garment mixed with soul engineering so that the Sheep Talisman could defeat the enemy in one blow, there would be no need to go through so much trouble."

  He walked quickly towards Kenneth, then frowned again.

  Because he found that although most of the Volumen Hydrargyrum used for attack fell into standby mode under the impact of the Sheep Talisman, the thin film surrounding Kenneth and Weber did not disappear.

  "When you activated the ritual outfit through chanting, you still retained some of the authority in the Magic Crest? You are indeed a prodigy."

  Even though his own research on the soul has reached the top level, Darnic still admires Kenneth's talent. Unlike guys like him who keep moving forward on the path of specialization, Kenneth is the magician's best interpretation of the word genius.

  Magic Crest are the accumulation of research results from the ancestor of the magus family. They were created to avoid the passage of time. They are organ-like things and are fixed mysteries.

  Therefore, the magecraft engraved in it can be activated automatically by just injecting magic power. Even those who do not understand the secrets of the techniques in the Magic Crest can use it conveniently. When the inheritor encounters a life-threatening situation, the Magic Crest will spontaneously inject power to allow the user to survive. In a sense, for the magus's family, the Magic Crest is the real master, and each generation of magus is just a vessel to pass it on.

  Being able to write his own spells and utilize this mechanism at such a young age made Darnic admire Kenneth a little.

  "It's a pity. If it were me sixty years ago, I would be helpless. But now, Prodigy, witness the power of the Grand Master Magus."

  A sinister smile appeared on Danik's face, and he placed his hand on the sheep charm again.  

  "The so-called imprint is nothing more than an organ whose efficiency is determined by the fluctuation of blood and the frequency of the soul..."

  Suddenly, the mark on his arm slowly lit up and made a sound like a scream.

  Danic spat out a mouthful of blood, and the madness in his eyes became deeper and deeper.

  "In other words, by tuning the frequency of the soul to resonate with your Magic Crest, and then destroying my Magic Crest, your Magic Crest will also be irreversibly damaged!"

  "Aaaaa——!"

  As the patterns engraved on Darnic's arm exploded into balls of blood, the magic patterns on Kenneth's body inevitably became disordered, causing the surrounding mercury to droop weakly.

  Then, Darnic suddenly grabbed Kenneth's head, and the moment he touched it, a shock wave hit his abdomen hard, knocking him away.

  Wever, with a pale face, still maintained the posture of throwing the amulet, and subconsciously supported Kenneth beside him.

  "I underestimated you, Wever Velvet. I didn't expect that after the shock of your soul, you would recover faster than Kenneth. You dared to attack me. You have a very noble courage."

  Darnic climbed up in a panic, covering his torn abdomen, but the smile on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

  "Unfortunately, you are still one step behind."

  Wever looked intently and suddenly found that Darnic seemed to be holding something in his hand, but before he could see clearly, Darnic swallowed him up!

  "Teacher Kenneth! Teacher Kenneth!"

  As if he realized something, Wever subconsciously shook Kenneth, but although the other party's eyelids were open, the light in his pupils was extremely dim.

  "It's useless, he's already a pile of debris," Darnic stood up nonchalantly. After swallowing Kenneth's soul, his face suddenly became extremely rosy, and he didn't even care about the injuries on his body.

  He was about to kill the troublesome little man when he suddenly discovered that Kenneth, who should have lost consciousness, raised his fingers and chanted in a hoarse voice.

  "Boil, my blood."

  Following his command, the Volumen Hydrargyrum that had just been spread on the ground gathered around him again.

  "Did the remnants of the soul temporarily regain their personality from the body during the final moments of life?"

  Danic sneered and said, "What a pity! It would be better to die in a coma."

  But as he looked at the gradually surging Volumen Hydrargyrum, obvious hesitation appeared on his face. Finally, he shook his head, gave up the idea of cut the weeds at their roots, and quickly left the street.

  There would be plenty of time to do this after he and Enkidu merged into one. Now that his soul was so excited, he couldn't miss this opportunity. Today, he would squeeze out the last value of Lancer!

  After Darnic left, Waver didn't even bother to wipe his tears and quickly dragged Kenneth into the hotel.

  He called out again only after he re-entered the magical workshop and was under the protection of the barrier.

  "Teacher Kenneth, we are safe now... I will help you heal your wounds now..."

  "There's no need for that," Kenneth leaned against the wall, suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes, and looked at Wever, "Wever Velvet, I ask one thing of you, quickly cut off my hand with the mark on it!"

  "quick!"

  After hearing Kenneth's order, Wever changed his previous indecisiveness, quickly grabbed a ritual dagger, and used enhanced magic to cut off Kenneth's arm with one blow!

  Despite the heart-wrenching pain, a smile appeared on the corners of Kenneth's mouth.

  "Thank you... Waver. El-Melloi's Magic Crest has been broken down by that guy's spell, but with such timely treatment, perhaps some usable parts can be preserved. I can't let El-Melloi die in my hands. The Magic Crest is out of control, the soul is missing, and my life is irreparable."

  Kenneth's voice became hoarse and his eyelids began to flutter.

  "It's all my fault... If I had known myself better... If I had never participated in this Holy Grail War, you wouldn't have..."

  Seeing this hypocritical teacher dying after protecting him, while he was powerless to do anything, Waver was overwhelmed by guilt and self-blame.

  "Wever Velvet, you don't have to worry about it. This is my own choice. It's not your turn to bear the consequences."

  Kenneth glanced at Wever. The slightly pale voice sounded again.

  "I have read your paper carefully. You believe that the difference in bloodline can be made up through sophisticated techniques. Unfortunately, this is the most ideal situation. Perhaps in the future a hundred years from now, after the foundation of Modern Magecraft is born, this possibility will indeed exist. But now, this goes against common sense."

  "A so-called magus is a creature that keeps moving forward in order to reach the root. If one generation fails, the next generation will succeed. The bloodline and research of each generation will directly stand on the achievements of the previous generation. Even if it takes a long time, even if the family line may be cut off due to an accident along the way, we will still not stop."

  Kenneth's head drooped weakly, as if he was dozing off, but his consciousness was extremely clear, as if he had left his body and walked towards that beautiful dream.

  "As long as you keep moving forward, the path to the root will continue to extend. Didn't you say you wanted to subvert the magic world? Let alone subversion, even if you just change a little bit, it would be a great achievement."

  "So, Wever Velvet, don't stop. You are my Kenneth's disciple. As long as you keep moving forward, I will always be there for you."

  "Teacher Kenneth!"

  Wever's vision had become blurry, and he kept wiping away the tears that were welling up in his eyes. However, every time his vision became clear, more tears flowed out.

  "I know, Mr. Kenneth, I know everything... Although you are a member of the aristocracy and you are always arrogant, when you mark homework, no matter it is a commoner or aristocratic student, you will read it equally, and you will not deliberately hide your knowledge when teaching. The happiest thing in my life is to meet a teacher like you."

  Although his voice was getting quieter, Kenneth's sharp words did not stop.

  "Even now, I still won't take back my evaluation of you. Your past theoretical achievements are nothing but castles in the air. Your impulsive attitude in the past is nothing but self-righteousness."

  "——However, I will give you an excellent grade for this extracurricular practice."

  To receive such an evaluation from that stubborn man, Waver subconsciously asked.

  "Teacher Kenneth?"

  But there was no response from Kenneth.

  He is dead.

  After a long while, in the distant sky, Rider drove his chariot and rushed into the barrier like a falling meteor.

  "Lancer was suddenly called away by his Master, and I rushed back. As a result, I felt that the contract was broken on the way. Boy, the Master is fine..."

  The Conqueror King's voice suddenly stopped, and he subconsciously tightened the reins to calm the violent bull.

  Looking at the corpse in front of him and Weber sitting next to him, Iskandar touched his head, his rough face full of heaviness.

  "I have actually fallen into a trap. I have failed in my duty. Boy, leave here quickly. Something is wrong with the direction of this war. I don't know what these masters are planning. They let go of victories that are within their grasp time and time again, as if what they are pursuing is not the Holy Grail at all. Although I am very reluctant, it seems that my journey is about to enter its final scene."

  "No," the King of Conquerors responded with a resolute voice.

  Wever held Kenneth's broken arm, looked at the Command Spell that had not yet dissipated above him, and completed the medium's ritual in the most meticulous and serious way of his life.

  "Boy, you..."

  At the King of Conquerors' surprised voice, Waver raised his head, his face filled with a determination as strong as steel.

  "If I leave in such a disgraceful manner, wouldn't all of Kenneth's efforts be in vain? King of Conquerors, let me become your subject."

  "In the name of Waver Velvet... In the name of El-Melloi, I swear that your journey will not stop here."

  As he spoke, Waver slowly stood up and raised his left hand. On it, two still bright red Command Seals were clearly visible.