Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1047: The Depth of Barthomeloi’s Heritage

Shinji dropped to one knee.

To put it simply, Shinji knelt—he was forced to his knees by Lorelei Barthomeloi's punch.

Although Shinji managed to stop himself from fully collapsing by bracing his hands on the ground before his knees touched, it didn't change the fact that he had been overpowered, at least in terms of raw strength, by Lorelei.

Shinji, who had nearly performed a full kowtow, was stunned.

How did she get so strong?

Although the two hadn't fought seriously in recent years, they would occasionally spar in training sessions—whether it was magical duels or physical combat. Shinji considered himself to be quite familiar with Lorelei's physical strength.

Even if she had fully absorbed the essence of the Crimson Fruit, she shouldn't be able to surpass him in physical prowess—after all, their skeletal and muscular differences were evident, and the limits of their body functions were clear. Unless she was using magical augmentation, it was impossible for her to be stronger than him, let alone display such an overwhelming difference in strength.

However, Shinji was certain that Lorelei hadn't used even the slightest bit of magical energy. From start to finish, all she had used was pure physical strength, which completely exceeded his expectations.

How could she have changed so much in such a short time? This strength rivals even Medusa when she activates her Monstrous Strength.

"What's wrong? Did you skip dinner?"

Lorelei, after successfully landing her punch, didn't press the attack. She stood tall, looking down at Shinji from above. Her expression seemed to say, This is the proper position for you to face me.

Shinji didn't rush to stand up. He remained in his crouched, almost starting-line position, carefully observing the woman in front of him.

Compared to when they were at the Clock Tower, Lorelei's attire and style had changed. Although her aristocratic demeanor and leadership aura were still present, the unique presence of a powerful individual had grown even more pronounced—her magical power, her aura, and something else...

"How long do you plan to stay down there?"

Lorelei stamped her foot impatiently, causing the ground nearby to tremble.

At that moment, Shinji's gaze shifted downward, and he noticed something.

"I see, I understand now."

Shinji finally straightened up and stood tall.

"You've changed your mystic code."

Lorelei's expression remained unchanged as she calmly met Shinji's gaze.

"Since I'm participating in the Holy Grail War, of course, I would come prepared for battle. If you're judging me based on our encounter with Faker, then you've made a serious mistake."

"Yeah, I should have expected that."

Shinji flexed his sore arms, giving a self-mocking smile.

If Kayneth could pull out some impressive Mystic code, Barthomeloi, whose history nearly stretches back to the beginning of the AD calendar, would have even more at their disposal. This is a super-elite noble house, far older than the grave-keepers who safeguard the Holy Lance. It would be no surprise if they brought out some lost mysteries. And artifacts that enhance strength? Every culture and tradition has them, and Shinji certainly wasn't lacking in that regard either.

He placed his left hand on his chest, and half of his body turned a golden-red color.

The Vajra Arm, empowered by Sarira!

Buddhism values physical training more than any other sect, and Vajra is the pinnacle of that discipline. You think you're strong? Try this!

Lorelei remained unmoved, meeting Shinji's challenge head-on. Her response was clear: If you want to fight, then fight!

A strange sound echoed through the air, a mix of the dull thud of flesh colliding and the sharp clang of metal striking metal.

The flesh was easily understood—it was their bodies clashing.

The metal was equally clear: Shinji's arm, empowered by the Sarira, capable of withstanding ordinary swords, and Lorelei's fist, or more accurately, the ash-gray, metallic-looking gloves around her hands. The gloves, with their ancient design and the faint aura they emitted, were not modern.

On the back of Lorelei's gloves was a lightning-shaped insignia. The sight of this symbol stirred a memory in Shinji's mind.

There had once been a man who wore similar gloves, wielded a hammer wrapped in lightning, and fought to the death against a serpent large enough to devour the heavens and the earth.

"Iron Gloves... These are Thor's Iron Gloves! Then that strange strength of yours must come from the Belt of Strength from Norse mythology."

"You've figured it out? Good, now you're worthy of being my right-hand man."

Lorelei casually pulled back her fist, adjusting a small pouch that had been covering her abdomen, revealing an equally ancient-looking belt.

"I admit you possess a formidable Noble Phantasm, but the treasures of Barthomeloi are no less impressive. Are you ready, Shinji? This was just a greeting, hardly even a warm-up."

It was clear from her words that the silver coat she wore concealed even more treasures that she hadn't yet used. Faced with such a Lorelei, Shinji didn't feel fear—instead, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Hahaha! Now that's more like it! Don't be defeated too quickly, or it'll be boring. —Kazikli Bey!"

Shhh...!

Spikes began to emerge from the ground one after another.

Despite having seen it once before, Lorelei still felt a chill down her spine at the overwhelming number and density of the spikes.

Lorelei instinctively leaped into the air, but the spikes seemed to have anticipated her movement, continuing to surge upward, faster than her leap.

Lorelei reflexively grabbed one of the spikes with one hand, but this only invited more to attack her. Kazikli Bey is that kind of troublesome Noble Phantasm—once you make a wrong move, it's hard to avoid being impaled.

Lorelei couldn't avoid it either. However, she wasn't injured. The spikes struck her chest and abdomen but didn't pierce her body. Instead, they were all blocked by the silver coat she wore.

Seeing the gentle glow that deflected the black spikes, Shinji clicked his tongue in both frustration and resignation.

"Even though I expected it, it's really made of mithril. The only person more extravagant than you is probably Gilgamesh. Wearing a coat made from this stuff masks the presence of your Iron Gloves and Belt of Strength."

What is mithril?

Alongside adamantine, it's one of the two most precious metals in the world of magecraft. It's said to be as light as a feather and as tough as dragon scales, with an exceptionally high affinity for magic. It's the dream material for every magus, and many legendary weapons and tools are said to contain traces of mithril. Even a thumb-sized piece would be enough for noble houses to fight over.

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And using enough mithril to make an entire coat? Probably only the Barthomeloi could afford such a thing. Once again, they demonstrated that if you have money, you can do whatever you want.

"But if you think that just this mithril coat can block Kazikli Bey, then you're dead wrong."

Standing on the ground, Shinji slightly moved his fingers, while Lorelei, still in mid-air, subtly shifted her feet.