A Mystic Code could be said to be a magus' very "arms and legs." For Fiore, this was even more so. Through daily training, her control over the mechanical arms had reached a point where they responded as perfectly and naturally as her own limbs.
Their automatic defensive reaction speed was nearly flawless, likely comparable to Miss El-Melloi's autonomous maid—the Volumen Hydrargyrum.
At this moment, crouched behind the car to evade her bullets, Kairi peered through the crack of a shattered window, analyzing her movements.
But…
Every tool has a weakness. And in this case—
"She's not suited for handling wide-area destructive attacks, is she?"
Though she possessed a shield, its coverage could only block part of an assault, leaving numerous blind spots.
"In times like this, it calls for this."
From his pocket, he drew a heart-shaped throwing device. Embedded within were teeth and nails of magi, crafted into a necromantic tool of considerable value.
Upon exploding, the shrapnel infused with malevolent mana would penetrate flesh and unleash bursts of magical energy, rotting skin and organs in an instant.
He pulled the string. The "heart" began to beat. Finding his angle, Kairi leaned out and hurled it toward Fiore's feet!
That's…!
Fiore had been closely watching his movements all along. The instant she saw him throw the device, her gaze locked on it.
She knew exactly what it was. Back at the Fortress of Millennia, through the eyes of Caster's puppet eagle, she had witnessed him use this same tactic. Later, she had examined the reclaimed homunculi corpses destroyed by it. The destructive power of that grenade was undoubtedly lethal.
"Saturn: Lead arm of Roaring, trample!"
At her command, the steel claw of her right foot shifted, transforming into a concave, bowl-shaped form. Just as the device struck the ground, her claw clamped down over it! With a further adjustment, the claw's surface reshaped, sealing it tightly within.
Boom!
With a metallic shudder, the grenade exploded, smoke seeping faintly from the gaps… but all the shrapnel that should have torn her apart was locked away beneath her claw. The ground below cracked violently instead.
"Haa…"
Fiore let out a small sigh of relief, then refocused her gaze forward—only to see that Kairi had already climbed into the car and started the engine.
The vehicle had been reinforced with magecraft. Even under heavy assault, it could still start and run.
Vrrrm—!
The roar of the engine bellowed like a beast.
"Miss… try this on for size!"
Whoosh!
With that taunting cry, Kairi slammed the accelerator. The beast charged straight toward her at full speed!
Wait—! Isn't this too reckless?!
Blinded momentarily by the car's glaring headlights, Fiore was shaken for an instant by his overwhelming momentum. But only for an instant. Narrowing her eyes, she calculated swiftly and seized her chance.
Bang!
At the very moment the car would have hit her, she shot out a claw, latching onto the car's window and pulling herself onto the hood in a single bound.
"Tch…"
Kairi clicked his tongue at the sight, then pressed the pedal harder, the vehicle surging faster!
"Ugh…"
At this rate… she'd be thrown off!
Squinting against the rushing wind, Fiore clung to the hood with one claw while driving the other into the wall beside them!
Bang!
Skrrrch!
The steel claw pierced the wall, grinding against it as the car dragged her along.
Crashhh!
A spray of sparks burst forth where claw and concrete met, leaving a long scar gouged deep into the wall.
The opposing force slowed the car's speed little by little…
"Damn it!"
Kairi cursed. He had thought brute force would work, but she had met his recklessness with even greater recklessness—hand-braking the car with her own arm!
Their eyes met through the windshield: Fiore clinging fiercely to the hood, Kairi gripping the wheel in the driver's seat.
The car's engine was already nearing its limit, black smoke beginning to leak from beneath the chassis.
"Please… stop this nonsense!"
Fiore too noticed the black smoke rising from beneath the hood and shouted a warning to Kairi, who still stubbornly clung to the wheel.
"If this isn't madness, then what do you call a battle between magi?!"
Kairi roared back, slamming down the accelerator once more. Estimating his timing, he suddenly pulled a sharp drift!
Crack!
The violent force sent Fiore flying off the hood! Even the claw embedded in the wall ripped free along with chunks of concrete, and part of the car's hood was torn away with her.
The girl and her steel arms were hurled into the shadows of a nearby alley, vanishing from sight.
Screech!
Seeing this, Kairi immediately braked after the drift, leaning out the window to scan the alley. No sound. The furious clash of moments before had vanished as though it had never been.
Behind his sunglasses, his eyes narrowed warily. He dared not lower his guard.
"Where did she go?"
Bang!!
"!!"
Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the roof of the car, nearly stopping his heart!
Bang!
Another impact.
Crack!
A massive mechanical arm punched straight through the iron roof, claws slashing wildly for his head like blades.
"Hey—hey! Cut it out, lady!!"
Panic-stricken, Kairi instinctively stomped the accelerator, sending the car lurching forward again.
Fiore clung to the rooftop, seizing the handle with one hand as her other arm smashed down once more!
Bang!
Another hole burst open in the roof, revealing Kairi's head beneath.
Seeing her opening, Fiore smiled faintly, her claws seizing the edges of the tear. With brute strength, she ripped the steel roof apart!
Crack!
"Please surrender yourself."
Her other arm transformed into a gleaming blade, slicing straight for Kairi's throat!
"!"
He ducked just in time. The blade sheared through the window beside him instead.
Gritting his teeth, Kairi wrenched the wheel into a sharp turn.
Screeech!
The screeching tires threw Fiore slightly off balance, forcing her strike to miss again.
She glared in annoyance at the vehicle beneath her, then plunged her blade deep into the exposed engine!
Sparks burst forth—the motor sputtered as arcs of electricity shot across its frame.
"Damn…"
Kairi could feel the car losing power, stuttering as it finally rolled to a stop!
"Playtime's over, isn't it, Mr. Sisigou?"
Clack!
With a dark smile she could no longer suppress, Fiore swiped away the shotgun in his hands with her claw. Grabbing his collar, she yanked him bodily from the driver's seat and hurled him to the ground.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Kairi landed heavily, pain shooting through his back. His old spine protested violently.
Fiore leapt down from the wreck, walking toward him as he struggled to rise.
"Kairi Sisigou, withdraw from this Holy Grail War. I can let you leave alive—this is your final chance."
Her arm shifted back into its gun form, the barrel aimed directly at his head as she gave her last warning.
"Heh… I already told you… you know my answer!"
Despite the weapon at his brow, Kairi laughed, unafraid. Twisting his body slightly, he revealed the heart grenade in his hand—its pin long since pulled—now lying at Fiore's very feet.
"!"
Fiore's eyes widened.
"…Going down together isn't such a bad ending, is it, Miss Fiore?"
Kairi smiled in release.
"You…! Saturn: Lead arm of Roaring, trample!!"
Panic struck her heart as Fiore hastily reshaped her claw into a bowl-like form, clamping down over the grenade again.
But in the next instant, Kairi's lips curled into a triumphant grin.
This girl was still too green. Throughout their exchange, he had seen enough—Fiore was inexperienced, unseasoned. A recruit, perhaps. Or more bluntly put… far too softhearted. Always warning, always hesitating before the kill. Always missing the decisive moment.
That weakness—her fatal flaw—was exactly what he had gambled on to snatch victory!
Rolling swiftly out of her reach, he cried—
"By the power of the Red Command Seal—Saber, return to me!!"
He unleashed his first Command Seal!