"If we're showing off magic anyway, how about I fight Old Tang instead?" Emiya offered.
Bai Ziyang's face was already dark as coal, but to back out now would be to admit defeat. Thankfully, Emiya changed the flow himself by bringing up Tang.
"Huh? Me again? Why do I always end up getting beat up?" Old Tang moaned, dragging a face like a stretched-out dough.
He'd figured Emiya out—his brother-in-arms was an absolute training maniac.
Just yesterday, he'd stayed up all night gaming and clubbing, barely recovered, only to be dragged out by Emiya for another sparring session at dawn. And all under the name of "daily refinement leads to future gains." Emiya's reasoning? One could only sharpen their simulated split-consciousness computation for predictive modeling through repetition and practice.
Old Tang had complained, "I'm not a fighter, I'm an alchemist—a brain guy. Shouldn't I be forecasting bull runs and loading up on leveraged stocks instead?"
To which Emiya replied, "Great point. Except I've never seen you with a single trading app on your phone. All I see is you playing StarCraft 24/7. Are you even trading, or just winging it while micro-managing Zerglings?"
Old Tang widened his eyes in protest. "How could you slander me like that out of nowhere…! StarCraft players have plans too, y'know!" Then he started ranting about "three-base tech" and "cheese builds," causing passing Zhou clan members to burst into laughter.
So here he was, yawning and unwilling, but still dragged along by Emiya out into the training yard. Whatever—this was just a flashy exhibition anyway.
The two walked straight out of the main hall.
Bai Ziyang, utterly confused, watched as more Zhou clan members—Nuwa-sama included—quietly followed the pair outside, as though some secret agreement had been reached.
A lean young man stopped in front of Bai Ziyang. "Guests of the Bai family, this way please."
"And you are?"
"Zhou Yuxuan. Just a regular aide to the Clan Head." He glanced out to where magic power was already flaring up between Emiya and Tang. "Their battle range is... a bit large. The hall isn't ideal."
"A bit large?" Bai Ziyang mumbled as he followed. "But the demo footage and materials you sent us—weren't they all filmed indoors?"
Zhou Yuxuan merely smiled. That was early footage—first-generation recordings. These two? Their progress is already beyond normal.
You're using mixed-blood standards to measure them? Don't make me laugh.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The two figures clashed like dancers in a blazing inferno, heatwaves rippling the air around them. Magic ripples exploded with every movement, splitting stone tiles and filling the air with dust and debris.
In the stunned eyes of the Bai clan disciples, Emiya and Tang moved with deadly precision. Emiya's sweeping leg strikes shattered stone; his every stomp cratered the ground.
Tang's palms glowed, hurling fireballs in brilliant arcs. The fiery spheres exploded with molten intensity, casting orange shadows across the courtyard as blistering heat distorted the surroundings.
The two cooperated in perfect sync. Both enhanced their bodies with magic. While Emiya toned down his strength when clashing with Tang, he went all-out when destroying the terrain. Tang's fireballs danced precisely around Emiya, missing him by hairsbreadths.
It was all part of the show—meant to impress and awe.
But the Bai disciples didn't see it that way.
To them, it was a clash of titans—at least high-tier mixed-bloods duking it out. Every move sent shockwaves. Their blood surged watching the spectacle.
BOOM—!
An explosion of flame echoed under the sunlight like a scream of fury.
Bai Ziyang kept his gaze locked on the fight. While the youngsters saw chaos, he paid attention to the details—how the magic circuit system enabled unique buffs, free-form spellcasting, and flexible combat. No chant, no strain, no reliance on dragon-tongue incantations. Just raw magic manipulation.
The battle escalated further.
Emiya pulled out a black bow.
Projection—
Arrows formed seemingly from nothing, streaking through the air as blinding streaks.
Before stunned onlookers could process it, the arrows collided with Tang's fireballs. Instead of piercing through or melting, they exploded upon contact—like grenades.
Though Emiya was using a bow, the scene looked more like he was firing infinite magic grenades from an RPG launcher.
The two began spacing out, increasing their rate of fire. Fireballs and arrows collided mid-air, bursting in showers of flame and thunderous blasts. The sheer scale was like watching two armies locked in battle, their projectiles lighting up the sky and tearing up the earth. Smoke and ash swirled, choking the breath of anyone too close.
The Bai clan spectators nearly choked on dust. Their jaws dropped. These two were literally reenacting modern warfare with nothing but bodies and magic.
What's next—shoulder-mounted missiles?!
As the chaos reached a peak, just as Emiya prepared to project a high-grade pseudo-Noble Phantasm, Nuwa-sama clapped her hands.
"That's enough!" she called cheerfully. "We can still pass this off as fireworks, but any more and someone might report a terrorist attack or chemical explosion."
After all, this was Tang City. No way they'd explain this away with "gas leak."
"Bai family," she smiled, "was this demonstration satisfactory?"
"Satisfactory? More than satisfactory!" Bai Ziyang declared. "The Bai clan fully believes in the authenticity of Zhou clan's materials!"
Show off like that and I'd be crazy to say otherwise, he thought. Even if Emiya and Tang were exceptional talents, it didn't matter—as long as the system had a high enough ceiling, the Bai family had a shot at producing geniuses of their own.
"Excellent," Nuwa-sama nodded. "Then I trust the other clans will be just as impressed when they see the footage… Also, congratulations to the Bai family! As the first to join forces with us, you'll receive the full set of Magic Circuit training manuals once our campaign succeeds—and you'll be first in line to enter the Thought Disc project!"
That carrot hit Bai Ziyang square in the pride.
Eyes sparkling, he bowed low with delight. "Wonderful! The Bai clan swears to assist with all our strength… For the Thought Disc research, may Zhou and Bai stand side by side in harmony, united in vision, and rise together to the heavens!"
Doubt the Zhou clan. Understand the Zhou clan. Become… their staunchest ally.
Watching from the side, Emiya quietly recalled how the Thought Disc was still nothing but theory—barely even a rough outline. He shook his head in silent pity.
You, my friend… are the very first sucker.
(End of Chapter)
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