Chapter 12: Scathach
Rin glanced back at the time, confirming that the wall clock had reached 2:00 AM. She retracted her gaze and focused entirely on the magic circle on the floor, pouring her magical energy into it.
"—Anfang (Set)!"
The magic circuits within Rin's body began to throb with a pain akin to a knife piercing her heart as they cycled, but Rin merely knit her brows slightly.
The magical energy flowing through her body was pure mana drawn from the atmosphere. She absorbed this energy, circulated it through her internal circuits, and finally converted it into magical energy she could use. A magus's body is merely a circuit; they circulate atmospheric mana through themselves, utilizing the energy that inherently exists in this world to create things. These phenomena, which seem miraculous to ordinary people, are called magecraft.
"Nngh... ah...!"
As the atmospheric mana surged in, Rin, who had been composed at first, gradually found herself clenching her teeth, letting out painful whimpers from her throat. Sweat had already soaked her clothes from the endurance, but even in this state, Rin had no intention of stopping. With a determined gaze, she continued to chant the incantation.
"I declare—"
Every cycle of atmospheric mana through her circuits brought Rin immense pain, which she endured with sheer willpower.
"—I declare. Thy body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be at thy sword. If thou wilt abide by the Holy Grail's accord, and if thou wilt yield to this will and this reason, then answer me!"
Reaching the final stage of the incantation, Rin closed her eyes. Her vision went dark, but she did not panic, firmly reciting the remaining lines.
"I hereby swear. I am the one who shall achieve all the good in the world; I am the one who shall lay out all the evil in the world. Seven days clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of deterrence, Guardian of the Scales—!!"
Having finally completed the last of the incantation, Rin, her face covered in beads of sweat, wore an expression of joy. The sensation just now had been fantastic—like waiting all day while sea fishing only to hook a whale.
"Perfect! With this, I will absolutely obtain the strongest Servant!"
A single white thread drifted through the air, and immediately following it, a purple silhouette manifested in front of Rin's eyes. She was checking her current attire with a somewhat troubled tone.
"Hmm... my appearance has changed. Is this the design...? All that effort I spent obscuring my features was for nothing..."
A head of long, dark purple hair, as smooth and lustrous as silk, swayed slightly in the subsiding magical currents before falling to rest against her exquisitely proportioned body. She was tall, curvaceous, and perfectly toned, wearing a purple full-body jumpsuit that made Rin blush just looking at it. Aside from key areas covered in leather, the rest consisted of semi-transparent mesh.
The outfit appeared bold, yet it covered everything, making it difficult to feel any sense of indecency. Instead, to Rin, the woman dressed this way looked like a beautiful flower blooming amidst battle and death, exuding a noble pride that created a sense of unattainable beauty. Her crimson eyes held a conceited pride, yet within that pride, they were as clear as ripples on autumn water. Just by standing there silently, her beautiful, chilly face radiated a noble, queen-like temperament at every moment.
After scanning the room, the woman's gaze finally landed on Rin, and their eyes met. Being watched by her, Rin felt an inexplicable sense of crisis, as if moving carelessly would result in being skewered by the crimson demonic spear in the woman's hand the very next second.
The solitary Queen in deep purple scrutinized Rin with proud, cold eyes for a moment before speaking in a gentle tone that didn't quite match her icy exterior.
"I have come from the Land of Shadows; my name is Scathach. Is it sufficient to address you as Master?"
Rin was still in a bit of a daze. She had absolutely no recollection of the name provided by this beautiful woman who could only be described by the color purple. Regarding Rin's current state, Scathach let out a soft sigh. She felt this Master was a bit of a scatterbrain.
"However... paired with such a lovely face, she is unexpectedly cute."
Rin frowned slightly at her Servant's curious scrutiny but proceeded to check her status parameters first.
Class: Lancer Master: Rin Tohsaka True Name: Scathach Height: 168cm / Weight: 55kg Strength: B / Endurance: A / Agility: A+ / Mana: A / Luck: D / Noble Phantasm: A+
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: A
Personal Skills:
Wisdom of the Haunted Ground: A+ Primordial Runes: C God-Slayer: B
Noble Phantasms:
Gáe Bolg Alternative (Soaring Spear of Piercing Death): B+ Gate of Skye (Gate to the Magical Realm Overwhelming with Death): A+
Rin had a fairly satisfied expression while looking at the first half of the attributes, but when she saw the end, she couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"God... God-Slayer!?"
Rin looked at Scathach in astonishment. "Is it actually possible to do something like that?"
The queenly Servant was currently looking around the room as if familiarizing herself with the environment. Upon hearing Rin's shocked voice, she looked back at her with a confident smile, her crimson demonic spear slicing slightly through the air, reflecting a cold glint under the lights.
"If the strike of a spear reaches its zenith, even slaying a god is but a flick of the wrist."
"Whoa, amazing! Then you must be able to do anything, right?" Rin's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Hmph~ naturally!" Scathach tilted her head slightly, clearly pleased by Rin's praise.
"In that case, you must know how to clean, too!" Rin said excitedly.
"Hah?" A hint of confusion surfaced in Scathach's ruby-like eyes. "Master, I would like to ask exactly what you think a Servant is?"
"A high-grade familiar, what else could it be?"
Rin's matter-of-fact answer made Scathach press a hand to her forehead. "To think you'd treat me as such a lowly thing... Master, you really are..."
If anyone else had said that, they surely would have been stabbed to death by that crimson spear.
"Rather than that, I am more interested in our future enemies and your wish, Master."
"My wish...?" Rin paused at the question, then rested her chin on her hand to think. "I don't have a wish for the Holy Grail. If I had a goal, it would be to win the Holy Grail War and then destroy the Grail. I suppose that's my objective!"
Scathach was momentarily stunned by Rin's bold lack of restraint, but finally, she began to laugh softly.
"Truly my Master; what an unexpected style. It is a fine idea—to win the Holy Grail War and then crush like trash the very thing the losers covet yet can only ever covet from afar..."
Muttering this, a joyful light flickered in Scathach's red eyes. "My Master may be a fool, but she is an interesting one nonetheless."
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