Saberfes!

Chapter 32

-a day before Atrum and Caster's arrival in Fuyuki

*scrrrch, skrch*

The mage scrawled out the magic circle out on the concrete floor, marking the correct symbols and inscribing various lines that cut through the circle and intersected with each other. All this was done by heart, the entire summoning ritual securely memorized in his head. All that was left was to place the catalyst into the circle after it was complete and say the words.

The warehouse he had chosen was by the docks, emptied for the time being of the crates that usually filled it. Few people frequented at this time of the day, and he had set up Bounded Fields to detect intruders and repel them. One couldn't be too careful in the Holy Grail War.

About a month ago, he had noticed red marks appearing on his skin, and after consulting with various Lords in the Clock Tower, he had learnt about their significance in the ritual held in his homeland. Convinced that this was his chance to make it big within the Clock Tower, he had traveled to this land in the Far East, hoping to use the Holy Grail to reach the Root, the ultimate goal of mages. Even if it wasn't able to do so, he was sure it would help further his research in some way.

*SSSSKRRREEEEEEEE*

The warning sounds of the outermost Bounded Field sounded as it screeched in the warehouse, alerting the owner to the presence of one intruder that had readily crossed the perimeter into the vicinity. Upon further analysis, he realized it was just a bird, the sparrow hopping on the ground as it looked for food.

"Hmph."

Thinking that he would be fooled with the sparrow was naive of the intruder. True, most other mages would be tricked into thinking the Bounded Field had simply been faulty in some manner, and proceed without any worry. However, he was a true master of Bounded Fields, having completed himself. Bounded Fields were that which separated the inside from the outside, and to completely master them, one must construct a complete world within their own body, the distinction of the inside and outside with one's own body as the boundary. After years of practice, trial and error and sheer determination, he had reached the pinnacle of his field.

"Rokudou Kyoukai" could be activated at any time to trap them, all that was needed was for them to enter into range of its effect. For now, all he had to do was play the fool and lure them in by pretending to start the ritual. Making the last marks on the floor, he stood up and proceeded to walk out of the circle, placing the faded piece of torn fabric in the circle before he did so.

The intruder was edging closer, almost at the doors of the warehouse now. With a grave countenance, he raised his arm and began the chant, his voice ringing loud and clear off the steel walls of the warehouse.

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

At this point, the intruder had circumvented the miniature Bounded Field he'd placed on the door earlier by surging mana onto the surrounding steel walls, causing the door to inwards as the steel corroded and aged. The door's fall was muffled with magecraft, the air stilled before it could pass on the vibrations of sound. Inwardly, the man who was still chanting raised an eyebrow. Clearly, the intruder was a mage with some innovative ideas, or at least was willing to think outside the box. Most magi would have tried to directly disarm the Bounded Field, or brute force broke it, but instead he focused on the surroundings to create a path that simply ignored the Bounded Field.