That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"what happened?"

Parker shook his head: "That's a battlefield ahead, not a place for you."

Emilia bit her lower lip, stamping her foot in confusion and anger: "Puck, what are you talking about? You know the importance of the badge, and besides, I'm an elven sorcerer, and I have your protection."

"Lady Emilia."

Reinhard stepped forward, placing his right hand on his chest in a respectful bow: "I agree with Mr. Parker's suggestion. A battle is taking place inside the house, and it is extremely fierce. The area inside must have become quite dangerous. Moreover, with knights nearby, how can we allow a lady to be put in danger? This is something I absolutely cannot allow to happen. Please forgive me."

Emilia looked conflicted, then hesitated before nodding: "Since even Mr. Reinhard says so, I was indeed too hasty. I'll leave the task of retrieving the badge to you."

"It is an honor."

Reinhard nodded solemnly and walked towards the tavern's main entrance. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up, and he raised his hand to block in front of him. A large amount of magic power gathered to form a pure white magic shield, and at the same time, he warned his companion, "Be careful."

Boom!

Suddenly, the entire tavern collapsed, and dust filled the air, with stones and broken planks flying everywhere, affecting nearby buildings.

"What! What happened?!"

"Watch out, everyone, come this way!"

Emilia and her group were standing far enough away that they were not affected by the explosion. Emilia used her elven magic to create an ice shield that blocked the smoke and debris.

After a long while, the smoke and dust cleared, and everyone could finally see what had happened to the tavern; the dilapidated building had become ruins.

Grandpa Rom slapped his forehead, and muttered in anguish, "How could this happen? The tavern I worked so hard to build is gone just like that. There are still so many bottles of wine in there that I couldn't bear to drink."

Ferut's face was equally grim, and upon hearing this, he lowered his head in shame: "I'm sorry, Mr. Rom, it's all because of me that your tavern has been implicated."

Grandpa Rom forced a smile and rubbed Felt's little head with his palm: "Hey, don't worry about it. A house can be rebuilt. It's a blessing in disguise that you're alright."

Ferut's expression was complicated; she hesitated, then finally responded softly, "Mm."

On the ruins of the building, Shinji Matou stood high above, looking down. His eyes were different colors, with his right eye being silver. The pupils shimmered with an unusual light, deep and beautiful.

"It really is him. What a strange person. What's wrong with his eyes?" the elf Puck muttered.

"Is the battle over?" Emilia asked anxiously.

"No."

The direction that Sword Saint Reinhardt was looking in was also the direction that Matou Shinji was looking in. In the ruins of that building, a thick stone wall was lifted up, and the Bowel Hunter Elsa struggled to her feet from the ruins. Her right hand had been crippled and broken into several pieces, and blood soaked her black dress.

Despite her injuries, Elsa the Bowel Hunter did not back down. She licked the blood and dust off her red lips, drew a recurve dagger from her waist with her left hand, and transformed into a cheetah, bursting forth with terrifying speed as she charged toward Shinji Matou.

"If you don't have fangs, use your hands; if you don't have hands, use your bones; if you don't have bones, fight to the death. How wonderful!"

The recurve dagger sliced ​​through the air; before she even arrived, Elsa's blade flashed, and she made several feints.

Shinji Matou paid no heed to her fancy attacks. He activated his Mystic Eyes and used alchemy to send rubble and debris floating into the air. Under the influence of the alchemy, the debris transformed into rhomboid bullets that shot towards Elsa.

Ding!Ding!Ding!

She either dodged or drew her knife to fight back; her injuries did not hinder her movements but instead aroused her bestial nature.

"That's really surprising."

Reinhard stopped in his tracks, marveling to himself. Behind him, Emilia and the others rushed over, watching the battle unfold on the ruins with bated breath.

"Mr. Reinhard, aren't you going to stop them?"

Reinhard said softly, "The black clothes, black hair, weapons unique to the North, terrifying speed, and astonishing killing intent—there's no mistake, that woman is the assassin, the Bowel Hunter. Even in the capital, she's a top-ranking dangerous figure. Lady Emilia, I regret to inform you that my strength is insufficient."

"Even you, a sword saint, say so..."

“Emilia, you have misunderstood Mr. Reinhard’s meaning. The assassin cannot defeat the sword saint. Mr. Reinhard’s meaning is that there is no guarantee that this battle can be resolved without harming either side. In that case, it is better to wait for the outcome of this battle.”

"I am truly ashamed," Reinhard said with a wry smile.

Pak watched Matou Shinji and Elsa fighting with his vertical pupils, and said slowly, "There's no need to rush. The situation doesn't seem to be that critical yet."

"Indeed, who exactly is that mage named Shinji Matou? He held his own against the infamous assassin, the Bowel Hunter—no, he was in a superior position. The magic he used was also quite strange. Lady Emilia, do you know him too?"

“We met once before,” Emilia nodded.

Parker stretched out his furry body: "He's a dangerous guy. If I could, I'd prefer the assassin to win so we'd have a reason to reclaim the badge."

"Parker, how can you talk like that!"

Parker yawned: "I'm about to rest. Luckily, Reinhard is here, so I don't have to worry about your safety. Otherwise, I really wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you here. Emilia, think it over carefully. Even if that mage wins, he won't easily hand over the badge because he has already paid the price. Although Reinhard's presence here can guarantee the badge's ownership, I'd rather pay a high price than offend a powerful mage."

Ferut, who had been listening to their analysis, relaxed somewhat. She made a face at them and said sarcastically, "Oh, I didn't expect you two to be so upright on the surface, but you're actually full of bad intentions behind the scenes."

Parker flew to Felt, stretched out his paws to hit Felt's little face, and shouted, "Take my cat punch! What right do you have to say that, you thief? This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you."

Ferut protested, feeling wronged: "How was I supposed to know this badge was so important! It's just a cat, what's there to be so smug about!"

"I'm not a cat! I'm an elf!"

Emilia noticed that the expression on Reinhard's face had become increasingly serious, and his gaze had not left Shinji Matou ever since he had been looking at him.

"Mr. Reinhard, what is it about their battle that interests you?"

Reinhard nodded solemnly: "All of them! But what surprised me the most was that mage. He almost drained the magic from the atmosphere. I misunderstood something."

"what?"

"This is not a battle."

······

Shinji Matou naturally noticed Emilia and her group fighting against Elsa the Bowel Hunter. He used his Mystic Eyes to analyze how she used her magic, calculate her movement data, and find her weaknesses.

Although the Mystic Eyes' abilities were weakened after being transported to this world, as a spiritual calculation machine, the Mystic Eyes can still calculate and deduce the fighting style of Scáthach, the queen of the Land of Shadows.

Elsa, whose strength is many times weaker, can naturally be dealt with easily. At first, she had a 20% chance of winning, but that was based on the premise that Matou Shinji lacked understanding of this unfamiliar world. Now, Matou Shinji can almost analyze how magic is used in this world.

While effortlessly dealing with the Gut Hunter, Shinji Matou's main focus was actually on the red-haired youth.

"Who is he?"

The demonic eye flashed, and the silver pupils glanced at the red-haired youth, but could not gather any information about him. He could vaguely sense a heavy sense of intimidation, as well as countless strange rules of power enveloping his body.

“Those rules of power are similar to the authority Scáthach wields in the Land of Shadows, blocking the Mystic Eyes’ analysis.”

Shinji Matou wondered to himself, "What's going on? Why would someone like this appear here? Judging from his powers, his strength is probably no weaker than Scáthach's original form. This kind of strength... must belong to the high-end combat force in this world."

As she pondered, the hounds lunged at her. Elsa lowered her body as if crawling on the ground, her movements alluring and eerie. In the instant their shadows intertwined, the recurve dagger and the reinforced rapier in Matou Shin's hands sparked intensely.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"You can still be distracted while fighting me? Is it arrogance or the composure that comes from strength?" Elsa the Bowel Hunter's voice remained gentle and calm. Her right hand was shattered, and her left foot was pierced by small stones and wood chips because she had lost her shoe. Every step she took left bloody footprints on the stones, but she didn't care about any of it. It was as if this body did not belong to her and she could not feel the pain.

"Fear? No."

"Excited? No."

"Not nervous at all."

"It's strange, I can't sense any emotion from you. Am I boring you? It's gotten to the point where I'm even more curious about what your gut tastes like."

"Noisy."

Shinji Matou snorted coldly, not retreating an inch, and casually swung the alloy rapier made of clay containing metallic elements, its design bearing a striking resemblance to the sword of President King Bradley.

Although the sword was thin, it was able to block Elsa's blade every time. Every inch longer brought danger, and he used the length advantage of the weapon to block her offensive space.

Chapter 105 Quickly press down on Newton's coffin lid!

The Gut Hunter, whose name reflects his character, possesses fighting skills no different from those of a beast.

As the sun sets, the full moon hangs in the dim night sky, illuminating the dark earth. There are no lights in the slums. The alluring body and black clothes blend into the shadows, and the shadows surround Matou Shinji as he speeds forward, waiting for his chance to strike.

Shinji Matou stood atop the ruins, his gaze fixed intently. His Mystic Eyes detected the magical energy reverberating in the atmosphere, using the movement of this energy to search for Elsa's whereabouts. The alchemically crafted rapier in his hand hung low, its blade reflecting moonlight and shrouded in a chilling gleam, exuding a menacing killing intent.

"Even after destroying the building and losing the obstacles to support her, her speed hasn't decreased much compared to before. It's just like magic, she's using magic to enhance her body," Shinji Matou thought to himself.

Elsa the Bowel Hunter's fighting style is different from ordinary people, especially in terms of speed. When she runs, she walks on all fours like a cheetah, and can walk on any surface, such as the ground, beams, pillars, and walls. Moreover, her speed and agility increase with continuous exertion.

Not only Newton, but even Galileo must be turning in his grave. Despite the incredible speed, changing direction was as if there was no inertia.

Since Matou Shinji's alchemy activation time couldn't keep up with her speed, he might as well use alchemy to destroy the house, reducing her leverage points and weakening her speed. Moreover, the open space would be more conducive to Matou Shinji's performance.

呲~

From behind Shinji Matou's blind spot, a sharp gust of wind swept in, and a terrifying killing intent pierced Shinji Matou's neck like steel needles. Without turning around, he raised his rapier back, blocking the shadowy figure's path of movement, sealing off her offensive space and forcing her to confront him head-on.

Clang!

The blades clashed, sparking intensely, and the force of the recurved heavy dagger bent the slender sword.

"Not only is it fast, but it's also very powerful."

Shinji Matou felt a tingling sensation in his right arm. Even though he had learned the technique of using magic to strengthen his body from Elsa the Bowel Hunter, he still couldn't completely block her attack.

Missing his first strike, the shadowy figure leaped away, changing angle to strike again with his dagger.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every second, Elsa would sweep past from different directions, attacking Shinji Matou from different angles, the sound of metal clanging incessantly.

Aside from wielding his rapier in defense, Shinji Matou did not move an inch from his spot, nor did he use any alchemy.

Alchemy can be used in this world, but Elsa's speed is showing signs of catching up with that of President King Bradley. The process of alchemy from creation to activation is too slow to keep up with her speed.

Just as Elsa the Bowel Hunter seeks opportunities through constant probing attacks, Shinji Matou does the same.

The strategy of responding to all changes with constancy is the most frequently used combat strategy by Shinji Matou when facing unknown enemies. Just like learning alchemy, one must first understand the principles and flow of matter before one can use it.

"You're strange, really strange. Isn't an opponent like me enough for you?"

In the darkness, shadowy figures moved rapidly as the woman crouched low, speaking calmly. Then, a flash of cold light appeared behind Shinji Matou.

As if he had anticipated this, Shinji Matou sheathed his sword and parried.

Clang!

The flying recurve dagger was deflected by the rapier.

trap!

Shinji Matou's eyes narrowed. The force transmitted through the sword was not as stable as before. Judging from the feedback of the force, it could be determined that no one was wielding this recurve dagger.

With a gleam in his silver eyes, time seemed to stand still in the world that Shinji Matou saw. Not far to Shinji Matou's left, a shadow writhed. Elsa the Bowel Hunter had thrown a recurve dagger and leaped to this position. The thrown recurve dagger was used to deceive others, while she herself launched a sneak attack from the blind spot with extremely high speed.