That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Chapter 31: How should I allocate skill points for the Magician? I need help urgently.

"There is unusual activity on the beach at the mouth of the Weiyuan River."

On the high-rise building by the sea, Assassin, clad in a black robe, stood at the edge of the building, overlooking the fierce battle reports on the beach. His eyes shared information with his Master, Kirei Kotomine.

In a secluded room of the Fuyuki City church, Kirei Kotomine stood with his eyes closed in front of an old phonograph, watching the beach battle through Assassin's eyes, and calmly reported, "The fighters seem to be Caster and Lancer."

A moment later, Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice came through the phonograph: "Kirei, can you read information about the enemy's Servant through Assassin's eyes?"

Kirei Kotomine nodded: "Yes."

"Is that Caster the eldest son of the Matou family?"

"There can be no mistake."

"What are the capabilities of both sides?"

Kirei Kotomine replied subtly, "Cater's stats are mostly C-rank, and his mana is A. Lancer's stats are almost all A-rank, so judging from his stats alone, he's definitely a rather troublesome Servant."

"So, did Lancer win?"

"Uncertain. Caster's ability is very peculiar. In the first battle, Lancer clearly had an overwhelming advantage in terms of stats and his affinity was also against Caster, but he did not gain the upper hand in actual combat. However, this is by no means due to Lancer's lack of strength. With Assassin's eyes, I can also see that Lancer's strength is superior to that of ordinary Servants. The problem is Caster. He is too abnormal."

The quiet chamber was completely silent until the phonograph finally picked up Tokitomi Tohsaka's serious voice: "Lancer's Master is the head of the Archibald family, a top-tier magician in the Clock Tower. If they still can't defeat that Caster under these circumstances, the Matou family is really going all out. Kirei, continue monitoring."

"Yes."

······

Even if the Queen of the Land of Shadows manifests in the form of a regular Servant's Spirit Origin, Shinji Matou's chances of winning are not high. The seemingly evenly matched situation is only because Lancer did not use his Noble Phantasm.

It would be very difficult for Shinji Matou to maintain a stalemate with her.

That's why Shinji Matou revealed that he knew who could kill her and become her opponent, in order to prevent her from using her Noble Phantasm to kill him too easily.

On the other hand, this statement also laid the groundwork for a plan that Shinji Matou would later undertake.

Shinji Matou is stalling for time, waiting for the Rider to appear and stop the conflict. Since the Rider has been summoned, he has acted recklessly. Shinji Matou has confirmed through his familiar that he is Iskandar, the Conqueror King from the original work.

The fact that he hasn't intervened in this battle yet suggests that Rider doesn't believe the fight has reached a point where he absolutely has to get involved; in other words, the battle hasn't reached a decisive moment.

There's no other way, so we'll have to use our trump card.

Shinji Matou fully understood what Lancer meant: "In other words, there is no reason for either side to stop until a winner is decided."

Lancer nodded proudly: "Of course, let me see your true strength, Caster. If you can't, then fight until the magic spear pierces your heart."

"As you wish, Queen of the Land of Shadows." Shinji Matou bowed, and the element of the sky appeared behind him. His transparent body could not be seen with the naked eye. The light marks on Shinji Matou's exposed skin were revealed, spreading to his face and connecting with the Mystic Eye on his profile. The magical power of the atmosphere was strongly drawn towards Shinji Matou, forming a magical vortex.

The origin flows, guiding the direction of magic.

How should you allocate skill points for a magician? Adding intelligence is outdated, hundreds of years old. Close combat is an essential skill for modern magicians; if you don't like it, don't play.

A teacher fights Saber bare-handed, while Rin Tohsaka launches a close-range sneak attack on Caster.

Shinji Matou further enhanced his body with magic based on the pseudo-Servant's body, which allowed him to raise his own stats to B-rank in a short period of time, making him capable of fighting defensively against ordinary Servants.

Caster may not be the most powerful Servant in the Holy Grail War, but it is definitely the best class for cheating. The Holy Grail War itself is a large-scale magical experiment, and for a skilled magician, it is not without its flaws.

The awakening of the origin will also affect Shinji Matou's body, and Shinji Matou has never stopped trying to modify his body with alchemy.

Shinji Matou clenched his fist, feeling the surging magical power within him, and smiled, "As expected, I still prefer hand-to-hand combat."

The immortal alchemist, Shul, has returned.

Lancer exclaimed in surprise, "A Caster actually wants to fight Lancer in close combat. If this isn't reckless, then it must be courageous enough to achieve something. Be proud, Caster. I acknowledge you as a warrior, an opponent worthy of my full strength. Show me your power!"

"The idea that Caster can't personally take the stage is just an outdated notion about magicians." Shinji Matou stretched his body, his Mystic Eyes glowing, and at the same time, a ball of silver flame ignited in the eyes of the Void Elemental Spirit behind him.

"Spiritual reconstruction".

“I have fought against Assassin’s clone before. This spirit was created by imitating Assassin’s clone and is a weapon to me.”

Simply put, it uses the elemental calculation function of the Mystic Eyes to put the Void Elemental Spirit into a fully automatic mode, which is one of the abilities of the Noble Phantasm, the Mystic Eyes.

Since their individual strength is inferior to Lancer's, they will definitely have an advantage in close combat when fighting two against one.

"Gun has the advantage of distance, sword has the possibility of change, and magic has the mystery of unpredictability. No matter which skill you master, you will be an excellent warrior. Here I come, Caster!" With that, the Queen of the Shadow Kingdom charged forward with her gun in hand. The curse that bound the magic gun was activated with her magic power, and a crimson phantom spread out, tearing through the sea breeze.

The Mystic Eyes watched Lancer charge straight at them, discerning the flow of his magical energy and measuring the power of the curse. Matou Shinji and the Void Elemental Spirit parted diagonally to the sides to avoid the attack. Matou Shinji had no confidence in facing the spiraling curse gathered at the tip of his spear.

As Lancer said, guns have the advantage of range, and thrusting attacks are often Lancer's strongest and most powerful strikes.

"A brilliant response." Lancer's eyes quickly scanned both sides, and as she softly praised, she lightly tapped her finger in the air to draw a rune, and a fierce wall of fire rose up around her.

The fierce heatwave distorted the air, and even more deadly was the intense light from the blazing fire that briefly blinded Shinji Matou during the night.

Retreat?

Without the slightest hesitation, Shinji Matou's body glowed even brighter as he unleashed his magic to protect himself and break through the wall of fire.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Victory and Defeat

The Queen of the Land of Shadows was not summoned as a Caster, and her C-rank magic power was insufficient to unleash the full power of her runes. Shinji Matou released his magic power to easily counteract the heatwave, and together with the Void Elemental Spirit, they passed through the wall of fire. Just as they were about to attack from both sides, they saw that Lancer had already disappeared inside.

"trap!"

With his rich combat experience, Matou Shinji reacted immediately, and the moment he looked up, he saw that slender and graceful figure leap into the air.

The purpose of the fire wall was not to block Shinji Matou's attack from both sides, but to seize Shinji Matou's vision and block the magical detection of the Mystic Eyes. When Shinji Matou broke into it, it turned into a trap.

At this point, the hunter would naturally be positioned at a high vantage point to hunt down the trapped beast.

Lancer leaped into the sky, raising his right hand. Behind him, the cursed magic spear split into dozens of spears, their tips aimed at the elemental spirits and Matou Shinji who had entered the circle of flames.

I don't think about it!

The instant Matou Shinji and the Void Elemental Spirit's bodies intersected, he changed his posture and stood on the Elemental Spirit's fist, and was thus thrown directly at Lancer in mid-air, giving her no chance to throw down the Demon Spear.

"Too late!" Lancer swung down his demonic spear, and cursed demonic spears rained down behind him like a storm, each one like an ominous comet, the torrent of curses about to engulf the approaching Matou Shinji.

"Yeah."

Shinji Matou smiled contentedly, neither dodging nor avoiding the red comet that covered the sky, having already completed the necessary ritual chant for spatial teleportation before breaking through the wall of fire.

Shinji Matou himself, soaring into the sky, served as bait to attract Lancer's attention.

Spatial transfer!

The moment Matou Shinji's body disappeared from mid-air, the figure of a Void Elemental Spirit appeared behind Lancer. Its fist, enveloped in purple light, gathered magical power and slammed towards Lancer's head.

For a mere spearman to venture into the sky was her biggest blunder.

Caser can fly freely in the sky using the power of magic, something that ordinary Servants cannot do in the air.

Even if Lancer is cursed with immortality, as long as she is severely injured, her mobility can be taken away. At that time, wouldn't Shinji Matou be able to do whatever he wants with her body (in a research sense)?

"Not only his combat skills, but also his combat awareness are among the best I have ever seen, and he is in no way inferior to Cú Chulainn."

Lancer sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from her and grew increasingly excited. The warriors she recognized not only needed to possess great strength, but also the wisdom to turn the tide in desperate situations.

Crimson magic erupted from the gun, forming a layer of magic that blocked the elemental spirit's fatal blow. Her entire body was then slammed down from the sky like a ball.

"Boom!"

Countless sandstorms swept through the air, only to be swept away by the storm unleashed by the runes. Scáthach, holding her magic spear, emerged from the circular pit on the beach, smiling to herself, "How many years has it been since I've felt such pain?"

Unleash the magic!

Shinji Matou's Mystic Eyes narrowed; the skill Scáthach had just used was clearly a skill that a Lancer-class class shouldn't have.

As the name suggests, "Magic Release" is the use of magic to enhance one's own abilities. It can instantly raise one's stats by one level, strengthen defensive capabilities, transform into armor, and have very special uses when necessary.

Saber's armor, woven with magic, enhances her attributes by releasing magic.

Shinji Matou's magic that strengthens his body is also a complex application of magic release.

Shinji Matou had anticipated this. Even without using his Master's authority, Shinji Matou knew all of Lancer's stats and his unique skills.

"【The Wisdom of the Magical Realm】: A+"

The wisdom of the abyss gained by transcending humanity, slaying gods, and placing oneself outside the world.

Aside from the hero's inherent skills, almost all skills can be mastered with a proficiency level of B to A.

Furthermore, she can pass on her skills to anyone she deems a hero.

Simply put, it's an all-powerful device, complete with a Doraemon mode.

Her immortality and the wisdom of the demon realm set her firmly in the position of a Servant.

That's really tricky, even tougher than Kim Bradley.

Shinji Matou couldn't help but grin, his fighting instincts surging. He hadn't experienced the feeling of being on the brink of life and death since his last time traveling through time.

The Void Elemental Spirit returned behind Shinji Matou, its Mystic Eyes continuing to activate, devouring the little remaining magic power within Shinji Matou's body.

This old woman with two guns deserves to use all her cards.

If one Command Seal is consumed, all of Shinji Matou's magical power can be restored. The excess magical power will flow into the Mystic Eyes, activating the Mystic Eyes as the true power of a Noble Phantasm.

It is a fusion of alchemy from two worlds, brought to this world by an immortal alchemist. It is a truth unknown to anyone, and it would not be inappropriate to call it magic.

"A beautiful counterattack." Lancer gracefully sheathed her cursed magic spear and praised Matou Shinji. Although Matou Shinji was clearly eager for battle, she seemed to have no intention of continuing to fight.

what happened?

Shinji Matou looked at the Queen of the Land of Shadows with a puzzled expression: "Why did you put away your gun?"

"The loser is out," Lancer sighed.

Shinji Matou said, bewildered, "Let the battle begin now."

Lancer apologized, "No, I lost this battle. I originally planned to seal a part of my abilities to participate in this Holy Grail War, but I got too excited during the battle with you and used the abilities that I was supposed to seal."

The Queen of the Land of Shadows is cursed with immortality and has long since graduated from this world. Even in times of global crisis, she will not easily intervene, as she considers it disrespectful to the people living in this world and deprives them of the opportunity to grow.

She generally doesn't participate in battles; instead, she acts as a mentor or sage, offering advice to people.

That being said, Scáthach possesses an innate, fervent fighting instinct, and her participation in this Holy Grail War is probably based on ideas such as having fun, meeting warriors, experiencing combat, and honing her skills.

If she were to use her full strength, she could win the Holy Grail War, but it would also turn into a one-sided massacre, which would be an insult to the Servants who were also vying for the Holy Grail and to the Masters who were taking this Holy Grail War seriously.

The moment Lancer used a skill outside of her class, she realized what she was doing and was silently reflecting on it while talking to Shinji Matou.

Shinji Matou frowned, his feelings complicated. He felt a sense of frustration at being looked down upon by Lancer, but he also understood that Lancer was fully entitled to say those words. Shinji Matou estimated that he would need to use at least three Command Seals to kill Lancer, at which point Shinji Matou himself, as a Servant, would also have to leave the field.