Lord El-Melloi II Case Files

[Nanaya]

It isn’t the same, but the church side are shown packing heat a few times. Kirei has his own collection of firearms, Ciel has a whole arsenal of elaborate murder devices, and Hansa is a cyborg with a holy grenade rocket arm. Black Keys were also mentioned to have fallen out of favor because guns and other stuff are just easier to use.

It at least adds to the rational that magi should watch out and that these things are a common threat now.

The Church is clearly the by whatever means necessary group.

[Hawkeye]

Now I kind of wonder how many Enforcers just plain shoot magi they're hunting? Like there's Bazett with her super unarmed combat killing moves and then the next guy's amazing Enforcer skill is just shooting them with an assault rifle.

Actually, I now wonder how mundane, or not, most Enforcer killing methods are?

Well let's see, while not all Enforcers, we have -

Bazett works to beat people with her bare hands and in the event that anything mystical actually threatens her she uses her ancient causality bitch slapper to put a stop to that.

Natalia decided it was less trouble to convince a boy to cap his own father than wander in and face him herself and it turned out she was right.

Kiritsugu goes out of his way to use thousands of dollars worth of explosives and firearms to take out people and if that doesn't work literally messes with time and uses his own powdered bones to permanently disable them.

So yeah, basically everyone employed to take out mages fight using methods ill suited to magus standards.

I don't think it's so surprising that the Clock Tower offers classes on fighting mages like this for several reasons.

1. Even though the Clock Tower employs Enforcers and mercenaries to take out mages, it's well known that other groups basically try to steal research or kill mages too, so teaching their valuable assets how to defend themselves from unconventional opponents is just good investment of energy. The Anti-Kiritsugu class also applies to some Church Executors and Mercenaries who might be employed by different organisations.

2. Despite their entire culture being very research focused, a lot of mages do care about individual people and might not want to see them die a horrible death.

3. This is the most important one I feel. All of the Lord El Melloi II stories are basically Waver's extended therapy from the Fourth Holy Grail War, so the idea that he would basically enforce a class that's essentially "How not to die a terrible death like my teacher" makes a lot of sense even if it seems counter intuitive to the wider Clock Tower ethos cause doing shit against the Clock Tower mantra is basically his thing.

[Kamera]

All of the Lord El Melloi II stories are basically Waver's extended therapy from the Fourth Holy Grail War

lol

[Reign]

I've personally never been a fan of Church characters' tendency to use firearms and stuff. Like I get it from the power of humanity/any means necessary angle, but it's just not an aesthetic I like. Would rather more Church fighters be melee fighting with sacrament enhancements, or just a full on ranged sacrament caster. Like Ciel's cooler when she's using Black Keys than when she's using Seven.

[AmADo VII]

but original Seven was pile bunker so it's a melee weapon.

[OnesFleetingGlory]

Well, at least firearms being effective to the supernaturals isn't unheard of, like silver bullet.

[Reign]

Well, at least firearms being effective to the supernaturals isn't unheard of, like silver bullet.

Yeah, like I said I get what it's going for, it just doesn't appeal to me.

[mami-kouga]

That said it's pretty funny how this one throwaway thing became a point of contention, it's very reminiscent of fanfic discussion where the whole thing is utter shit but commenters hyperfixate on one inaccurate/wanked Shirou factoid and beat the author to death with it. Imagine what would happen if people still gave a shit when Heartless' deal was revealed and it was a beyond-parody TM fanfic trope pastiche.



like cmon guys there's much worse, he could've rehashed that instead of the make alexander a god plot but with the son of alexander and multiple gods

I'd honestly say the Alexander thing is still overall particularly obnoxious because it becomes "Oh, we're doing this AGAIN????" like I understand that the 4th war is impossible to completely disconnect from Waver so long as Gray exists but please Sanda I'm begging you...

[Hermitfold]

So now, because of Some Dead Guy who figured out a weird trick to kill magi, everyone has to do martial arts and learn chokeholds just in case someone else in the magic world - where magi generally fight each other with magecraft for the sake of developing and exploring it - will try to kill them with Armalites and pipe bombs, or just specialised anti-magus means in general. Damn, who would do such a thing?

Pretty sure the martial arts and chokeholds thing is more just Rin and Luvia, but hey, you do you.

[Leftovers]

Pretty sure the martial arts and chokeholds thing is more just Rin and Luvia, but hey, you do you.

Splendid counterargument, because it's the kind of hand-to-hand style you fight the bullet with that makes the difference.

Though he may seem like an omnipotent cheat character, his hand-to-hand fighting ability is surprisingly zero. Or rather, negative. He fails out of every single self defense class. That is why even after Svin graduated, Flat was still unable to graduate from the El-Melloi Classroom. The scene of Svin coming back to the classroom and chastising Flat for still causing trouble for their professor has become a regular occurrence.

please strive to imagine kayneth alba and leiv in gym shorts trying to scrape through self-defence PE in order to graduate from magic university, the image is worth it

[Rafflesiac]

You'd think that if Flat can use magical energy to force himself to smile then he could use it for Reinforcement too.

[Kamera]

Being an anorexic twink mage isn't even allowed anymore. The Clock Tower has truly fallen.

[Comun]

please strive to imagine kayneth alba and leiv in gym shorts

I find it very important that we collectively agree that Kayneth wore the skimpiest.

[Formless Creature]

I blinded that sentence so it's very nice of Comun to deliberately draw my attention to it.

[Hermitfold]

Splendid counterargument, because it's the kind of hand-to-hand style you fight the bullet with that makes the difference.

Or maybe, just maybe, the hand to hand thing is just a part of the class and they mostly teach tactics? Just a thought.

You'd think that if Flat can use magical energy to force himself to smile then he could use it for Reinforcement too.

I always kinda imagined he failed deliberately or just didn't just try that hard so he wouldn't have to graduate.

I find it very important that we collectively agree that Kayneth wore the skimpiest.

You'll never convince me that Melvin didn't wear the skimpiest outfit.

[Comun]

I think he was serious about being defenseless against bullets. Ask Faldeus.

[mami-kouga]

I can't believe you've done this

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Or maybe, just maybe, the hand to hand thing is just a part of the class and they mostly teach tactics? Just a thought.



I always kinda imagined he failed deliberately or just didn't just try that hard so he wouldn't have to graduate.



You'll never convince me that Melvin didn't wear the skimpiest outfit.

Actually how do people on their eternal death bed like Melvin even pass lol, are they exempt?

[Rafflesiac]

I doubt it was mandatory during his time.

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Lord knows Waver isn't throwing hands any time soon.

[Reign]

Melvin was part of Waver's class so before it was required.

[Kamera]

I think he was serious about being defenseless against bullets. Ask Faldeus.

I don't think karate chops and kung fu can defend against 360 degree sniper rifle barrage.