His jaw unhinged, two incisors lengthening instantly to over ten centimeters, while dark, jagged fissures split the corners of his mouth.
Magecraft activation.
Magical foundations connected to a grand scale. Prana surged through Wayland's Magic Circuits, racing through his bloodstream and saturating every fiber of his being.
Wayland gripped his projected spear and lunged forward, sliding across the pavement. The spearhead ground against the stone, throwing up a spray of sparks. As the air itself began to scream under the pressure, prana concentrated at the tip, blooming into a massive, intricate ritual circle that resembled a brilliant firework.
BOOM!
A hulking, metallic silhouette tore through the explosion of light with animalistic ferocity.
The resulting shockwave sent Wayland skidding backward.
Prana surged into his feet, granting his body a sudden, ghostly lightness. He vaulted into the air as dust erupted around him, his spear sweeping in a wide, punishing arc. After-images of the weapon danced through the localized magical field. Without a moment's hesitation, he hurled the spear. The weapon detonated just as it neared Seiji Asagami, a muffled explosion that felt like a torpedo detonating deep beneath the ocean surface.
Fine ash billowed into the air, caught in a sudden updraft.
Wayland spread his palm, instantly manifesting layers of ritual circles.
In the blink of an eye, he synchronized the circles with the trajectory of the falling ash. The prana within reacted violently; black, lightning-like discharge rippled outward, forming a massive web that ensnared Seiji Asagami.
Claws collided with Gandr strikes in a cacophony of dull, heavy thuds--like damp firecrackers that suddenly gathered into a thunderous roar.
Wayland was sent flying backward.
He struggled to manifest another spear, plunging it deep into the ground to anchor himself. The impact shattered the brickwork, sending a new cloud of dust swirling into the sky.
'With this much noise, the Department of Policies should be here any second...'
Wayland tightened his grip on the spear, his face etched with grim determination rather than panic.
Seiji Asagami moved toward him with agonizing slowness. His massive frame caused the marble floor to groan and buckle, fissures spider-webbing out from every footfall.
Wayland funneled the remainder of his prana into his legs. The spear, still embedded in the ground, bowed under the tension before snapping back with incredible force, catapulting Wayland's body backward and putting significant distance between him and the monster.
"If you don't show up soon, you're going to be paying out my funeral benefits!"
"The Department of Policies never engages in a losing trade."
Hishiri Adashino stood there, arms crossed, her voice carrying a hint of mock regret. "It seems we might be saving five hundred pounds after all."
"Hey, that's harsh! Only five hundred? I've bled for Policies, I've put in the work! I demand to see the boss for a raise!"
"My, you still have plenty of energy left, little brother."
Adashino offered him a small compliment before stepping in front of him. She raised a hand, her expression turning cool. "But for now, we should focus on resolving this... complication."
The oppressive heat seemed to evaporate instantly as a sudden, localized rain began to fall from the sky.
A silken ribbon flew from her sleeve, the rainwater dancing around it. The once-transparent droplets turned a deep, ghostly blue as prana saturated them, lengthening into the forms of tiny serpents.
Like wriggling tadpoles, they swarmed forward, coalescing around the ribbon until they formed the shape of a massive, shimmering python.
It unhinged its maw and swallowed Seiji Asagami whole.
In that moment, a soft, subtle sound filled the air.
It was like the sound of silkworms devouring mulberry leaves in a silent night.
A wordless, effortless dissolution. In seconds, everything vanished as if it had never existed.
Seiji Asagami was gone--every trace of his existence erased. His life had come to a silent, final stop.
Wayland watched as Adashino retrieved a box made of yellow wood. She then pulled out a translucent, crimson card and nodded with satisfaction.
He suddenly remembered the dragon scale fragment in his pocket. Staying here any longer was a risk he couldn't afford.
"I'm exhausted. If there's nothing else, I'm heading back."
Adashino looked at his battered state and nodded. "You did well today. I'll make sure to note your contribution. Perhaps that raise isn't so far off after all."
[Side Quest 6 Generated: The Primordial Sorcery Crest.]
[Quest Description: By obtaining the Dragon Scale Fragment, the Master has met the preliminary conditions for generating a Sorcery Crest. Find a Tuner and an Apothecary to complete the creation of the crest.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Quest Reward: One random Dragon-Attribute Magecraft.]
Irigal's voice rang out the moment Wayland stepped back into his dormitory.
'A Sorcery Crest? What does that have to do with the dragon scale?'
["It has everything to do with it! Master, do you know how the first Sorcery Crests were created?"]
Wayland paused. It wasn't something he'd ever given much thought to.
He collapsed onto his bed, stretching his arms out as some of the exhaustion began to drain away. 'Let me guess... the first crests were made by embedding dragon scale fragments into magi?'
["Half-right! To be precise, primordial Sorcery Crests were created by imbedding fragments of Phantasmal Species or Mystic Codes directly into the body. Since dragons are the pinnacle of all Phantasmal Species, this scale--even if it's only from a sub-dragon with dragon blood--is still a high-grade material for crafting a crest."]
"I see."
Wayland stared up at the ceiling, feeling more tired than excited. 'A Tuner and an Apothecary... both are incredibly rare professions. This is going to be even more of a headache than I thought.'
["Embedding a foreign object into the body naturally causes immense rejection. It requires long-term medication and careful tuning to turn that scale into a proper Sorcery Crest. But once it's formed, Master will possess a massive, specialized spell that can turn the tide of any battle."]
Wayland nodded.
Kiritsugu Emiya's Time Alter: Innate Time Control was derived from the Emiya family's hereditary Sorcery Crest. It was a rare form of time magecraft that accelerated blood flow, hemoglobin combustion, and muscle movement, granting superhuman speed at the cost of immense physical strain.
The Tohsaka and Matou families likewise held unique and powerful crests.
If he could possess a Sorcery Crest--even a primordial one--his combat effectiveness would skyrocket.
The only problem was finding a Tuner and an Apothecary.
When he thought of Tuners, the first person that came to mind was Waver's close friend, Melvin Weins.
The sickly magus who frequently coughed up blood after just a few sentences. A member of a branch family of the Trambelio, one of the three Great Families, he was incredibly wealthy and happened to be Waver's primary creditor.
While his own magical ability was unremarkable, his talent as a Tuner was unparalleled--a legendary skill in its own right.
If Melvin could be persuaded to help, the success rate would be higher than with anyone else.
But getting him to help was a challenge in itself. The man had a rather... twisted sense of humor.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]