Fate/Magus Path

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Combat Arts.

That's right... combat arts are an elective course for magus at the Clock Tower. You didn't hear wrong. Combat arts, also known as self-defense techniques, are a skill that relies on physical strength to deal with sudden situations. magus refers to it as an expression of one's life force.

Although many magus who consider themselves noble look down on such skills, those with true insight and talent understand their importance. When establishing a magical workshop and performing rituals, magus usually make elaborate preparations to connect to the local ley lines, using them as the source of magical power.

However, outside of the workshop, when magus cannot directly access the ley lines, they must rely on their own magic circuits to convert their life force into magical energy, serving as the driving force for magecraft. This is referred to as the lesser source.

At this point, the physical condition of a magus plays a significant role. Therefore, a skilled magus is not just defined by the quality and quantity of their magic circuits but also by their physical attributes.

Looking at the entire Clock Tower, it's rare to find a high-ranking magus who doesn't consistently train their body to enhance their life force.

As an excellent instructor, it was natural for Kayneth to make combat arts a required course for his students.

If in the past he had only passively maintained physical exercise, after the Holy Grail War, he came to deeply realize the importance of combat arts for a magus.

Even a third-rate magus like Emiya Kiritsugu could, through modern weapons and combat skills, make many top magus meet their end. Kayneth himself took a great risk when facing him.

In actual combat, both magecraft and combat skills must be given equal attention. After returning, Kayneth secluded himself for several months, developing a unique combat technique centered around his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum.

Not only for himself... he made combat arts a mandatory course for all students in the El-Melloi classroom. Even someone as weak as Waver was dragged into this training and, after enduring multiple rounds of meticulous beatings, transformed from someone who couldn't even kill a chicken to someone who could... his improvement was obvious.

Roy, however, was a different case. Unlike other magus, he was essentially a human Holy Grail. He didn't need to convert life force into magical energy through the lesser source... he was practically an infinite existence.

He chose to join the course simply because he found it interesting.

Kayneth had no objections. If he was already training one bird, why not train two? The more the merrier.

Moreover, he didn't believe that without the use of magecraft, Roy could defeat his meticulously developed combat technique, the El-Melloi Style Volumen Hydrargyrum Combat Arts, using only physical strength.

He also hoped to use this as an opportunity to establish his authority as a teacher.

But soon, he regretted it.

...

Ten minutes later.

*Bam!*

A heavy punch landed squarely in Kayneth's stomach. Accompanied by a dull thud, the immense force made Kayneth involuntarily spit out bile as he staggered backward. Even through his clothes, he could feel that the Volumen Hydrargyrum gathered at his chest had been dispersed by Roy's punch.

Yet, the combat lesson continued...

"Wait..."

That punch completely sobered Kayneth.