Megumin saw that instead of surrendering like Alice Nakiri, Kenneth dared to fight back, so she responded rudely with magic.
"Chain Lightning!"
After staying in Dimension City where technology and magic coexist for a long time, Megumin understood some scientific knowledge even without dedicated study. She knew that mercury conducts electricity. Although if the current is too high, the mercury will heat up to a certain point and lose some conductivity, given the non-lethal restrictions of the competition, the lightning magic she was using wasn't powerful enough to cause that instantly.
The electric snake took advantage of its speed. Just as the mercury whip struck, the current followed the fluid and surged toward Kenneth, who was protected by the Volumen Hydrargyrum.
"Hmph, you think you are smart."
When Kenneth saw this, he hummed without panic. He casually heated the Volumen Hydrargyrum near his feet to alter its conductivity and block the current. The electricity, having nowhere to go, dissipated. Megumin not only failed to achieve the attack's effect but effectively added a lightning enchantment to the mercury whip.
This was why Kenneth acknowledged Megumin's cleverness but countered it effortlessly. Contrary to the stereotype most people held, the magi of the Moonlit World actually possessed a significant amount of physical and chemical knowledge. For example, regarding lightning and electricity: through the study of Mystery, they mastered these forces much earlier than ordinary science. They knew what conducted electricity and what didn't. Even if a magus didn't study it specifically, the experience accumulated through long-term practice allowed them to understand the fundamentals.
Megumin had only recently understood these concepts, so she subconsciously thought Kenneth might not realize she planned to use lightning to restrain the liquid metal. Unexpectedly, Kenneth knew better than she did; her idea was merely wishful thinking.
Furthermore, the Volumen Hydrargyrum was Kenneth's supreme masterpiece. Was there any weakness he hadn't considered and prepared for? Using it in actual combat meant he was ready to deal with any elemental counter-play. He even added a wind magic barrier around himself to clear the air and avoid mercury poisoning. It could only be said that his understanding was so thorough he looked less like a traditional magus and more like a scientist.
Megumin was stunned when she saw that the lightning did not have the expected effect. In that moment of distraction, the mercury whip lashed out.
Bang!
Even though she had a magic shield to block it, the huge force made Megumin stagger back a few steps, bringing her to the edge of the platform where she almost fell off.
"Ah! Whoa!" Megumin waved her hands frantically to regain her balance.
At this time, the mercury whip attacked again. When Megumin moved the magic shield to resist, the front end of the whip suddenly moved like a snake, bypassing the shield with flexible maneuvers and slamming into her.
"Uh, uh, uh~!"
Megumin reaped the consequences instantly. She was electrocuted by the residual current she had cast on the Volumen Hydrargyrum, causing her whole body to freeze and twitch. At the same time, the kinetic force of the mercury pushed her straight off the platform.
"Ah, what a pity. Contestant Megumin failed in her revenge and has fallen into the water again."
Nero, explaining from above, couldn't help but feel sorry for Megumin. "It seems Contestant Megumin was careless this time. She misjudged the opponent, used the wrong attack, and suffered the consequences. However, this also highlights that Lord Kenneth has a wide range of knowledge, worthy of being a famous genius professor of the Clock Tower."
Hearing this, Kenneth immediately raised his head, feeling proud, and continued to break through the barriers.
"Damn it, just you wait for me!"
Megumin, who had swum to the edge of the track, looked angry, and the dangerous light in her eyes intensified. After shouting her threat, she hurriedly ran toward the starting point, preparing to fight back as soon as possible.
"Oh? At the starting point, the two players previously shot down by Megumin have met. What will happen?"
Following Nero's commentary, the audience's attention shifted away from Megumin toward the obstacle course. They saw that Kiritsugu Emiya had returned to the start. He hadn't gone far before encountering the person he had attacked earlier. After passing the second level, Kiritsugu reached the third level, where he found Waver Vill-V.
The difficulty of the third level had increased significantly. It was a disc that rotated in alternating directions, with moving pillars scattered across its surface. Those attempting to pass needed to resist the centrifugal force of the disc while dodging the pillars that could strike at any time.
For Waver, just trying to pass was a struggle; he had almost been knocked down several times. Moreover, Waver was breathing heavily. He didn't exercise often, and his physical stamina was depleting rapidly. More terrible for him was the consumption of magical energy. He had very little mana due to his poor circuits, and maintaining the reinforcement magic for so long had already consumed nearly half his reserves.
"Damn it, I will definitely be last if this continues."
Waver knew his situation and was extremely anxious. At the start, he had been somewhat confident. Like Kenneth and Kiritsugu, he had assumed Alice Nakiri and Asuna Yuuki would be weak. Especially Asuna—she didn't even know magic. In Waver's opinion, she should have been the weakest among the seven Masters.
As a result... the clown turned out to be him!
After the game started, the three magi had their understanding of Alice and Asuna completely refreshed. They realized they had underestimated the girls, and that Nero's evaluation during the introduction was objective. Alice's strength was second only to Flora, while Megumin and Kenneth were in the middle tier. Asuna was definitely not the weakest; even without magic, her physical strength far exceeded Waver's, and with magical items making up for her lack of mana, she had seized the opportunity to rush to first place.
This embarrassed Waver, who had originally thought he could at least secure second-to-last place to avoid total humiliation. If he continued at this pace, he would finish last. This was a result he absolutely did not want to see.
The immature Waver possessed the characteristics of a rebellious teenager. He wanted to prove himself and save face. Deep down, this stemmed from self-awareness of his inferiority and fragile self-esteem. This was why he reacted so strongly to Kenneth's lectures. To protect his ego, he developed an unreasonable arrogance. It was precisely because of this arrogance that he dared to participate in the Holy Grail War against Kenneth and others stronger than him.
Being last would prove he was a failure, and he refused to accept that! As the saying goes, evil breeds courage; once determined, people can become reckless. Just as Waver was getting frustrated, he heard movement behind him. When he turned around, he saw Kiritsugu running toward him.
"Just in time. I'll show you what I can do."
Waver moved to the center of the disc and began to brew magic, preparing to cooperate with the mechanism to fire a heavy shot at Kiritsugu. His idea was simple: act as a gatekeeper. If he could ensure at least one person was behind him, he wouldn't be last.
Kiritsugu naturally noticed this behavior. Having lost his submachine gun, he held a pistol and glanced at Waver, not caring as he continued to run forward calmly.
Then...
"Time Alter: Triple Accel!"
As he approached the third level, Kiritsugu suddenly used his signature magecraft. He accelerated instantly, bypassing Waver—who was rotating with the disc—and clearing the level in a flash.
Waver didn't even react. In the blink of an eye, Kiritsugu was already on the other side.
"Nani?"
Waver was startled. He didn't expect Kiritsugu to have such a technique. But even if the man had passed, he couldn't just watch him leave; otherwise, wouldn't the magic he brewed be wasted? So, regardless of the result, he had to fire!
"Gandr!"
Due to insufficient mana, Waver opened his palm and used the vitality in his own blood as a medium to cast the spell. A dozen dark red magic bullets condensed instantly. This was the result of Waver using an instant contract and skipping the chant. His attack was much more severe than when he tested Megumin earlier.
Gandr is a type of curse. Because the caster points a finger or hand at the target like a gun, it is nicknamed the "Gandr Shot." It is a common attack among magi that causes physical and mental discomfort. Although "discomfort" sounds mild, the effect is outstanding. It is a mixed attack on the body and spirit, causing internal injuries, bleeding, or triggering latent illnesses like heart attacks. Mentally, it can cause hallucinations, coma, or panic. It is a practical spell designed to KO a target or expose flaws, popular for its short casting time.
Under Waver's control, a dozen fist-sized dark red magic bullets shot toward Kiritsugu from different angles.
"Hm?!"
Kiritsugu heard the movement, looked back warily, and was shocked to see the barrage. He hadn't expected that Waver, whom he considered a weak novice, possessed such advanced spellcasting skills.
"Time Alter!"
Faced with this barrage and lacking defensive means, Kiritsugu had no choice but to activate his acceleration again to dodge. However, although Waver lacked combat experience, his academic background was solid. The angles of the Gandr bullets were tricky. Kiritsugu dodged most of them, but due to the continuous use of Time Alter, the burden on his body became heavy. His movements slowed, and he took a hit.
Unfortunately, because he was mid-dodge, his balance was compromised. After taking the Gandr shot, he was forced out of the accelerated state, lost his footing, and rolled all the way down the platform.
Plop!
"Success?"
Everything happened so fast that Waver couldn't process it immediately. It took a moment before he shouted ecstatically: "I succeeded!"
He had actually shot down the famous Magus Killer! Waver suddenly felt awesome. This was enough to brag about for a whole year back at the Clock Tower! He felt this proved his worth, and his confidence surged immediately. Simply put, his ego inflated.
"Hmph, so what about the Magus Killer? I still shot him down." Waver put his hands on his hips and spoke proudly.
He didn't know that Kiritsugu, who had swum ashore and was healing himself while returning to the start, glanced at him coldly. Obviously, Waver had been targeted. Kiritsugu was a professional killer. If not for the game rules, would a kid like Waver be able to do anything to him? Without the restrictions, Kiritsugu would have used live ammunition to wake Waver up permanently.
What? You say Kiritsugu is a Partner of Justice and wouldn't hurt the innocent? Then where do you think he got the name Magus Killer? In Kiritsugu's eyes, no magus participating in this war was innocent.
But even with the restrictions, Kiritsugu had a solution. After all... the drop zone wasn't far from the starting point, was it?
So... silly boy, run!
Waver, complacent on the spot, didn't realize everyone was mourning for him. Iskandar covered his face, unable to watch. He could imagine how embarrassed Waver would be soon.
As expected, Kiritsugu quickly returned to the fight. As for Waver? Not only did he not run, he stayed put. He found that being a gatekeeper was really fun! After one success, the inflated Waver fell in love with the feeling. He seemed to have opened a new world and couldn't wait to do it again. The fun of the game now outweighed the ranking. More importantly, proving himself this way was a huge temptation.
So, seeing Kiritsugu return, he wasn't afraid—he was excited.
"Come on, I'll shoot you down again!"
Waver confidently began to prepare another Gandr barrage. But he was undoubtedly thinking too much. How could Kiritsugu let him achieve his wish?
Kiritsugu stopped before reaching the third level, raised his hand, and pointed the pistol at Waver.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
"Ah! Oh! It hurts! Wait! Why don't you play by the rules?!"
Waver, standing in the middle of the rotating disc, was treated like a target practice dummy. The rubber bullets hit him repeatedly. He screamed in pain and jumped around, his spellcasting violently interrupted.
Kiritsugu said nothing. He quickly emptied the magazine, reloaded without any expression, and continued shooting.
"Stop! I was wrong, brother! Stop fighting! Spare me!"
Waver danced around the disc in a funny manner as he was beaten. He wanted to find cover, but there was none. He didn't want to jump into the water and start over, so he finally had to rush toward the front of the track. Otherwise, he would be forced out by the pain.
Driven by Kiritsugu's gunfire, Waver, who had been struggling to pass the level, suddenly became flexible and quickly rushed out of the third obstacle.
But Kiritsugu obviously wouldn't let him go just like that. He chased after him with the pistol. In order not to be beaten again, Waver forcefully passed the fourth level and continued to rush forward, his speed soaring.
"Hahahaha!"
This funny scene naturally made the audience burst into laughter.