Striding boldly into the enemy's base is either foolishness or absolute confidence in one's own strength.
Kenneth felt he was the latter.
As a Magus of the Color rank, and with Volumen Hydrargyrum at his disposal, Kenneth didn't believe he would lose to any other Magus in the Holy Grail War.
Soldier against soldier, king against king.
As one of the twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, Kenneth was confident he could crush all other Magi and secure victory in the Holy Grail War.
Lancer would face Saber, while he himself would personally confront the Magi of the entire Einzbern Family.
This was Kenneth's strategy for Einzbern Castle.
Volumen Hydrargyrum, filled with various operational modes, was sufficient to deal with several Magi or more.
The Magi of the Einzbern Family, who were highly skilled in alchemy, were typically not adept at combat, so as long as Kiritsugu Emiya, the external aid, was dealt with, Saber's Master would be nothing more than a plaything.
Kenneth leisurely stepped through the castle gates and walked towards the main hall inside the castle.
The crystal chandelier in the castle hall emitted a brilliant light, and the marble floor was polished to perfection, without a single blemish.
Exquisite stone carvings were placed on both sides of the corridor, and beautiful vases held vibrant, fresh flowers.
The entire interior of the castle exuded an atmosphere of nobility and elegance.
This was truly a residence befitting a prestigious and aristocratic Magus family.
Kenneth surveyed the decorations inside Einzbern Castle with satisfaction; only a castle like this was worthy of being the dwelling place for his fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.
"Kenneth El-Melloi, the ninth head of the Archibald family, has come to visit!"
Kenneth looked straight ahead, standing imposingly in the castle's main hall and declared.
"Magi of Einzbern! For the Holy Grail that you and I both seek, let us fight a fair battle, with our lives and honor as the stakes!"
After Kenneth's declaration ended, the hall remained silent, with no one responding.
It made sense; with Saber injured, it was only natural that the Einzbern side would not dare to engage in battle.
Kenneth let out a disdainful sigh and walked with heavy steps towards the center of the hall.
After only a few steps, the four sculptures placed in the hall suddenly exploded.
Countless metal ball bearings rushed towards Kenneth like bullets.
"Watch out, Master!"
Sensing danger, Lancer, who was nearby, quickly blocked in front of Kenneth, his spear weaving an impenetrable defense, blocking all the metal ball bearings flying towards them.
However, the steel balls fired in other directions wreaked havoc on other parts of the hall.
Even without Lancer standing in front of him to show loyalty, this level of attack, even relying on Volumen Hydrargyrum, could be blocked without a scratch, and he would not feel worried about his safety.
Kenneth, with his hands behind his back, glanced at the devastation caused by the mechanical steel balls in the hall and scoffed at Einzbern's method of attack.
"The esteemed Einzbern Family, resorting to mere mechanisms..."
Kenneth muttered, his tone more of a sigh than anger.
He hadn't detected any magical energy during the explosion; in other words, the sneak attack was not a magical attack at all, but merely a weapon created by ordinary explosives.
Using explosives directly as an offensive method reminded Kenneth again of the unpleasant experience from last night.
Originally, Kenneth still held a glimmer of hope, wishing that he had misjudged.
He thought that the Magi of the Einzbern Family, who also held high prestige, should be like him, not resorting to such despicable and vulgar methods for victory.
But now, the incident at Einzbern Castle directly shattered Kenneth's last shred of illusion, further confirming that the despicable fellow known as the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, who used extremely vile explosives to blow up the Hyatt Hotel last night, was now in Einzbern Castle.
The culprit was that despicable fellow known as the Magus Killer—Kiritsugu Emiya.
"I had originally intended to demand an explanation from your Einzbern Family, but it seems there's no need now."
"To think you have fallen to such a degree?"
"Then this will no longer be a duel between Magi, but my subjugation of you fallen Magi!"
Gazing at the silent hall, Kenneth rekindled his killing intent and walked deeper into the hall.
However, Kenneth's every move was clearly observed by Kiritsugu Emiya and others, who were planning their strategy in the second-floor conference room.
The moment Kenneth stepped into Einzbern Castle, Irisviel sensed the intruder's presence.
By setting up a CCD camera in a hidden spot in Einzbern Castle's main hall, they could clearly see Kenneth, unharmed under Lancer's protection, through this camera.
Seeing the castle gate cut into several pieces by Lancer, his trap rendered useless, and hearing Kenneth's arrogant declaration, Kiritsugu Emiya felt a surge of anger.
He glanced at the map of the entire Fuyuki City on the table, filled with various intelligence about Fuyuki City.
"It seems the plan has changed."
If Kenneth hadn't arrived, he should now be formulating the next course of action with Irisviel.
But since Kenneth had arrived, there was no time to continue devising a battle plan.
With Saber's left hand injured, she could not use her noble phantasm, and in a direct fight, Saber was probably no match for Lancer.
Until a method to heal Saber's left hand was found, it was best not to let Saber directly confront Lancer.
Although Irisviel had Saber's scabbard, "Avalon," inside her body, the scabbard had the ability to heal the holder's injuries.
However, Kiritsugu Emiya did not consider telling Saber about the scabbard.
Firstly, as the vessel for the Grail, Irisviel's scabbard was a factor in stabilizing her body and could not be casually taken out for Saber to use.
Secondly, his ideals differed from Saber's, and he could not fully trust Saber. Saber already had A-rank Magic Resistance; if Saber knew about the scabbard and it was returned to her, even the Command Spells might become less effective against Saber.
Therefore, not only did he not tell Saber, but he also instructed Irisviel not to tell Saber about the scabbard's existence.
But if he were alone, he would be unable to intercept Kenneth and Lancer and would need Saber to stay behind to buy Maiya and Irisviel time to evacuate.
"Maiya, immediately take Irisviel through the castle's secret passage. Saber and I will stay behind to buy you time."
Kiritsugu Emiya pulled out a Calico M950 submachine gun from a desk drawer, already prepared for battle.
"Understood!"
Maiya nodded without hesitation, preparing to immediately lead Irisviel out of the conference room.
