Not long ago, Kaito had placed Maria, who was now unable to speak, on the bed.
"Mmm, Mr. Kaito..." Maria murmured, seemingly trying to reach out for him.
"I still have some things to take care of. Rest well," Kaito said, gently ruffling her hair. Maria responded with a dazed smile and a soft "Mhm."
After getting dressed, Kaito stepped backward, and a dark void appeared behind him, swallowing his figure whole.
Tokyo, Outskirts
A tall, stunning figure clad in armor stood alone under a streetlamp. The late-night highway was deserted, and the lamp cast a long, elongated shadow of her figure.
Suddenly, Brynhildr sensed something and turned to look behind her. The dark air was torn apart by an even deeper darkness, and Kaito emerged from it. He stretched his neck, which was sore from the earlier activities, and flashed a smile at Brynhildr, who looked at him with sorrowful eyes.
"Are you here to die?"
Brynhildr opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, Kaito was already upon her, dual swords in hand.
Their battlefield quickly shifted from the highway to the nearby forest.
But no matter how hard she tried, Brynhildr came to the same conclusion: she couldn't win.
She really didn't want to follow her Master's orders and drink the love potion. The potion's effect was simple: it would make her fall deeply in love with the first person she saw after drinking it.
For most mages, especially those who sought the Root above all else, such a potion was useless. It had taken Nigel, a high-ranking mage from the Clock Tower, years to gather the materials and create this love potion.
But for Brynhildr, it was different.
Her Noble Phantasm, her very ability, was tied to love. The deeper her love for her opponent, the heavier and longer her spear would become. If her love reached a certain depth, she could even kill a god.
In other words, this seemingly useless potion was a source of immense pain for her. To kill someone she deeply loved—there was no greater cruelty in the world.
So, Brynhildr wanted to try defeating Kaito without drinking the potion.
But...
"Lancer."
Nigel's cold voice echoed from a tree branch above. It was a crow speaking.
As soon as the voice faded, a wind blade sliced through the air, obliterating both the crow and the branch it had been perched on.
Brynhildr glanced at Kaito, who was growing more and more excited as the battle progressed. She realized she had no choice but to drink the potion.
She pulled the love potion from her chest and was about to drink it when Kaito closed the distance between them in an instant.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out repeatedly. Brynhildr staggered back, her hands trembling as she gripped her spear. Finally, Kaito's relentless assault paused as he raised his wind sword high and brought it down on her with immense force.
Clang!!!
The sword and spear collided with a deafening crash. A fierce gust of wind erupted, causing the surrounding trees to rustle violently. The sound of a distant streetlamp's glass shattering could be heard.
Brynhildr's feet sank into the ground. After a few seconds of struggle, she was forced back, a sweet taste filling her mouth as she spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ugh."
Brynhildr didn't have time to wipe the blood from her lips. She bent her knees slightly, gripping her uniquely shaped spear with both hands. The love potion she had been holding had already fallen to the ground and shattered during Kaito's attack.
"Drinking a potion right in front of me?" Kaito said, his dual swords gleaming under the moonlight. A fierce grin spread across his face. "Do you think I'm just going to stand here and watch?"
Brynhildr, however, smiled brightly. She bit down hard, breaking a capsule she had hidden in her teeth. The love potion spilled into her mouth, and she locked eyes with Kaito as she swallowed it.
"Not completely stupid after all," Kaito muttered, clicking his tongue.
He activated his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. The world before him transformed, and Brynhildr's body was now covered in lines and points of death. With a single glance, Kaito could sense the meaning behind each point—her Noble Phantasm, her abilities, her love, and even her connection to her Master.
In other words, if he could sever those points and lines, he could strip her of her love and even sever her connection to her Master without killing him.
"Not bad, huh?"
While Kaito was relaxed, Brynhildr felt a terror worse than death wash over her the moment he activated his Mystic Eyes. Combined with the love surging in her heart from the potion, she turned and fled into the darkness.
The love potion's effects would deepen over time, especially with additional doses. But the love she felt now was nowhere near enough to defeat Kaito.
"You think I'll let you escape that easily?" Kaito's voice echoed from far behind her.
But in the next second, Brynhildr saw space tear open beside her. A hand wielding a wind blade emerged from the void, forcing her to stop and raise her spear to block.
Clang!
The force of the blow sent Brynhildr stumbling back several steps. Her heart sank as she watched Kaito step out of the void.
"Even if you fall in love with me, it won't change anything," Kaito said, his tone casual, as if he were playing with her. "But if I let you go just like that, wouldn't I look bad?"
Brynhildr tightened her grip on her spear.
Clang!
Their figures clashed once more. The park's ground was torn apart by the wind blades generated from their battle. Streetlamps and trees were sliced clean through.
Although the love potion had strengthened her spear and increased its length, Brynhildr's emotions were in turmoil. Her love for Kaito made her reluctant to harm him, yet that same love drove her to kill him.
In this state of inner conflict, Brynhildr's combat effectiveness dropped even further. It wasn't long before Kaito's wind blade struck her armor, sending her flying like a broken kite. She crashed through a dozen trees before slamming into a particularly thick one, blood pouring from her mouth.
Kaito's figure flickered as he closed the distance once more. The Azakana Sword descended toward Brynhildr's shoulder.
But just as the blade was about to strike, Kaito sensed danger.
Boom!
A rocket trailing a long streak of fire struck the ground between Kaito and Brynhildr. The explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the area, uprooting trees and scattering debris. Thick smoke filled the air, obscuring everything.
Moments later, Brynhildr emerged from the smoke. She glanced in the direction the rocket had come from, where a group of heavily armed soldiers stood, then turned and fled into the darkness without looking back.
"Report, Lancer is retreating. Should we pursue?"
"No, our mission is to contain Saber."
"Understood."
The squad leader ended the communication and made a hand signal. The other soldiers quickly spread out, their high-tech rifles aimed at the center of the smoke. Through their infrared night vision, they could clearly see the heat signature of a figure standing in the midst of the destruction.
A gentle night breeze swept through, clearing the last of the smoke.
Kaito stood at the center of the crater, dual swords in hand, his clothes untouched. He looked around at the soldiers surrounding him with interest.
Their uniforms were unlike anything he had seen before, and their weapons were oddly shaped. Though their faces were hidden, their calm demeanor suggested they had dealt with beings like him before. The fact that the rocket had no effect on him didn't seem to faze them.
"Who are you...?" Kaito's gaze settled on the squad leader in the distance.
The man had been speaking English into his radio earlier. Kaito couldn't tell if it was British or American English, but given that the Clock Tower was based in Britain, it was unlikely they would allow a foreign special forces unit to operate on their turf.
So...
"Americans?"