[88] Ripple and Gun

Emiya Kiritsugu, wearing a gas mask, hid in a corner, looking at the tightly closed door above. He breathed a sigh of relief and eased the exhaustion from using his Innate Time Control.

Ripple users had a very obvious weakness.

They needed to breathe to generate Ripple, so all he had to do was block their breathing!

A poison gas bomb was the perfect solution...

Now, there was no way he could go downstairs!

For the next step, he only needed to—

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

The next moment, Emiya Kiritsugu's face changed. The entire room began to emit a golden light. It seemed to lock onto him, and fibrous ropes emerged from the walls. With the support of the Ripple, they became like steel whips, whipping towards him!

...

"Poison gas? Tsk, I can't remember where I put the gas masks... Was it in the basement warehouse?" Kazuya thought to himself. He had considered that someone might try to block his Ripple with poison gas, but it had been so long since anyone had come that he had already put away the gas masks. He didn't even remember where he had stored them.

"But even if I don't go downstairs, I can still attack. Don't underestimate my Ripple!"

By transmitting his Ripple to all the rooms on the first floor, he could detect Emiya Kiritsugu's presence as long as he remained in those rooms through the life energy waves. And then, the inconspicuous fibrous ropes on the walls would turn into steel chains under the influence of the Ripple. If they were whipped at him, even Emiya Kiritsugu would be severely injured!

Boom—

"Hmm? Did he run outside? A wise decision," Kazuya chuckled.

He had confirmed the world he was in now... next, he suddenly felt a strong urge to see the Ryougi residence.

He wanted to see it more and more.

End this battle quickly.

Although he didn't understand why it had taken over a year for Emiya Kiritsugu to show up, at least now he had finally come to understand this world.

After finishing things here, he would go to the Ryougi household!

Since this place could potentially be the Type-Moon, it's almost certain that Shiki Ryougi is the one he know! She was already quite adorable, but now— he can't contain himself anymore.

The reason he hadn't doubted before was because of the place names here. It was only after encountering a series of events that he had become certain that this wasn't the Type-Moon world. But now, it seemed that he was wrong!

Unexpectedly, in a place with cities like "Morioh Town" and "Mitakihara," it was very likely to be the Type-Moon world!

This was great. With this, he could confirm many things.

Nothing else mattered; just confirming this was enough! The rest... dreams, the future... nothing mattered! As long as he could stay by her side, he had everything he needed!

Emiya Kiritsugu, hiding in a corner, frowned as he looked at the house where Kazuya was. "This guy..."

The door in that room had been locked, and it was sealed with something like Ripple. The normal way of unlocking it couldn't work. He had to use a bomb to break the door and get out.

Although he could blow up the room where Kazuya was, allowing the poison gas to spread in, it would be bad if he escaped. That room was indeed Kazuya's stronghold, but it also restricted his escape. Otherwise, the poison gas bomb wouldn't have the same effect as it did in the previous confined space.

Thinking about it, Emiya Kiritsugu added a bullet to his modified gun and his magical equipment—a Origin Bullet.

It was a bullet made from grinding his ribs into powder. Although the person in front of him seemed to be a Ripple user rather than a magus, he didn't know if it would be effective. However, the penetration power of this bullet alone was deadly for ordinary people.

So...

"I've found you—"

"What—?" Emiya Kiritsugu's face changed, and he didn't know when Kazuya, who should have been in that room, had run out and appeared on the roof of the building opposite him.

"This is how it ends, Emiya Kiritsugu—Ripple Cutter!"

With the bullets fully loaded in his hand, he rapidly fired them, shattering numerous Ripple Cutter. However, those bullets couldn't advance further. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that the Ripple Cutter pierced through the bullets, causing them to explode.

"Maiya—" Emiya Kiritsugu's voice hurriedly said.

Since he had exposed himself, it was equivalent to confirming one thing—Maiya Hisau could now snipe him.

Not far away.

Maiya Hisau didn't say anything, but she had already understood the current situation. She also hadn't noticed when Kazuya had suddenly appeared on the opposite building. She had been staring at that window all along, but she still hadn't noticed!

It wasn't until Emiya Kiritsugu pulled the trigger once again that she realized something was wrong. She quickly aimed her gun, targeting Kazuya's shoulder, and pulled the trigger—

Bang—

The bullet left the barrel in an instant, heading towards Kazuya, but then—it veered off course.

No, to be precise, it was dodged.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA—!" Kazuya's body shifted slightly, evading the bullet and laughing loudly. "I've studied where the bullets will come from and where the best vantage point is for a long time! Maiya Hisau, you're the one sniping from afar, right? Haven't you ever wondered why only that place can see into my studio? It's all deliberate! I calculated it all over a year ago!"

"No—wait! The direction of this bullet, it's not from that building!?"

"That's right—although I don't know how many you've prepared, things won't go as you wish," Emiya Kiritsugu said, already pulling the trigger. The Origin Bullet, combined with numerous other bullets, was shot at Kazuya!

"What—?" The next moment, Emiya Kiritsugu's expression changed. Kazuya used his Ripple barrier to block the other bullets, but he slightly shifted his body and managed to avoid the Origin Bullet.

"Well... I don't know if this bullet will work on me as a Ripple user, but I'd rather play it safe and dodge. As for Maiya Hisau... I don't know where she's hiding now, but based on the trajectory of the bullets just now, I can make a rough estimate of her position. Then, this is where it ends! Emiya Kiritsugu!"

---

If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my patreon which already contains 20 chapters: 

https://www.patreon.com/XElenea