C46

Nighttime, at Shirou's house.

Shirou fixed his serious gaze on the towering giant, Spartacus, who sat before him on the couch. "Listen closely, Spartacus," he began. "You are my sword and shield. I, in turn, will act as your eyes and brain. Together, we will protect each other and become invincible."

In response to Shirou's words, Spartacus let out an excited, joyful cry of "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh—!!" and broke out into a broad, loving smile.

Shirou was at a loss as to how to react as Spartacus, summoned to the present world possessed no rationality whatsoever. The only thing that could be confirmed was that the giant would not attack Shirou and it was impossible for him to exert any control over him.

In fact, if Shirou were to harbor such a desire to control Spartacus, he would likely be classified as an "abuser" and would be attacked by the giant. Nonetheless, even with this limitation, Shirou discovered a way to guide the beast's actions.

"Spartacus, in order to defeat the greatest abuser in the world!" Shirou said with a determined look in his eyes. "We must be patient! You must listen to me, and together we will defeat the abuser and fight for the freedom of the weak!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh—!!"

Just as the brain controls the limbs, even though rationality was lost, the subconscious of a hero who cared for the weak still remained. This prompted the brain to easily accept Shirou's proposal.

"Dong dong dong—!!"

Spartacus, completely losing control of his rationality, excitedly stomped his feet. The towering, broad giant feet slammed into the ground like heavy hammers.

"Crack!"

The floor broke.

"My house's floor..." Shirou felt helpless as he surveyed the destruction around him - the broken walls, doors, water tank, kitchen sink, and wall that had been smashed to pieces when he had come home.

It's over!

Even if he were to win the Holy Grail War, Shirou knew that he would likely be beaten with a stick and belt by the Fujimaru couple, damn! The thought reminded him of when he was a kid and hadn't done his homework and the teacher had called his parents.

"Hmm-?"

Upon sensing that the magical detector in Ryuunosuke's possession had been activated, Shirou's expression grew serious as he turned towards the southeast direction.

It's finally here!

So, who discovered the sacrificial lamb?

Shirou shook his head, dismissing the question, The most important thing now was that he needed to play a role.

A role for him to slip into the shadows!

...

Kiritsugu was a practical thinker who prioritized strategy over brute force. By meticulously analyzing information, he was able to identify his enemy's weaknesses and strike at their core. He would meticulously peel away layers of information like an onion, pinpoint the location of his enemy's operations, and deliver a decisive blow.

He was a model assassin, possessing a rare combination of calmness, courage, and caution. He approached each mission with a clear mind, carefully analyzing the information at hand and considering the logical implications. He then formulated a plan and executed it with precision.

The news on TV labeled seven individuals as "international terrorists," but in reality, they were all Masters. This showed that Kiritsugu's dirty opponent, the Master of Caster, had also turned himself in as a victim. It was a ploy to divert attention and conceal his involvement in the matter.

However, Kiritsugu knew that other participants in the Holy Grail War, who possessed even a minimal amount of connection and capability, had likely also gathered relevant information and managed to see through the ploy.

Just like how Kiritsugu had been well-informed even before arriving in Fuyuki City with the aid of the Einzbern family. He had known that Tokiomi, the Matou family, and Kayneth would be participating as Masters in the Holy Grail War.

Kiritsugu had come to understand why his opponent would resort to such tactics. The fact that the Master of Caster drew attention to himself meant he was akin to a magus with no connections.

As Kiritsugu analyzed the situation, he pondered to himself, "Could my opponent be a rogue magus who was unexpectedly thrown into the mix? Or perhaps, not even a magus at all, but just an ordinary person selected by the Holy Grail? And could these 'suggestions' be coming from Caster himself?" These were the questions that raced through his mind as he tried to gain insight into his opponent's motivations and tactics.

Kiritsugu was not one to make hasty conclusions before having decisive evidence. Instead, he preferred to list out all possible scenarios, accounting for every possibility that could happen in reality. This method allowed him to avoid being caught off guard by sudden events and to be prepared for any outcome. He always planned for the worst-case scenario and took into consideration all possible outcomes, ensuring that he could act accordingly.

There was no denying that Shirou's conclusion was accurate. Kiritsugu's realistic approach to problem-solving made him, in some ways, the most formidable enemy in the Holy Grail War.

Maiya turned to Kiritsugu and said, "I've heard that the serial killer in Fuyuki City is one of the holders of the Command Seals. Do you think he could be the Master of Caster?"

"I'm not sure," Kiritsugu replied, shaking his head. "The news hasn't reported the killer's true appearance. If we have a sample of his hair, we can use magecraft to try and track him down."

"Previous reports mentioned that the killer's hair was found at the crime scene and is now stored at the police station," Maiya informed Kiritsugu.

"I've already been to the police station before," Kiritsugu added, "and this person seems very cautious. I fear that even if there was a sample of his hair before, it may have been destroyed."

Shaking his head, Kiritsugu found his opponent both troublesome and dirty. How could this person make such a glaring mistake and leave a clue behind?

Despite his reservations, Kiritsugu knew that it was not his style to refrain from taking action due to the possibility of a clue being insignificant. He would not give up until the final result was in front of him, as he never left a job unfinished.

Kiritsugu returned to the police station once again, not holding out much hope for finding any new evidence. To his surprise, he discovered that there were still hair and blood samples left!

Had Caster and his Master overlooked something? Was this a mistake? Kiritsugu knew that this new discovery could be the key to identifying the killer and bringing him one step closer to achieving his goal.

Maiya was also taken aback by Kiritsugu's unexpected discovery.

After a moment's pause, Kiritsugu turned to Maiya and asked, "What's your take on this?"

"It seems too good to be true, it's obviously a trap," Maiya said with certainty.

"Even if it's a trap, we have no other choice but to proceed. Allowing that person to continue wreaking havoc would cause a catastrophe far worse than any Holy Grail War," Kiritsugu declared.

Kiritsugu didn't venture out alone, instead, he used "Suggestion" to persuade the police force to mobilize and ready themselves for cleanup operations. Though he was uncertain of what Caster's Master had in mind, the adversary had imparted a valuable lesson to him. The utilization of the surface world's resources was something he had always overlooked.

He was a humble and diligent individual. If the opponent had taught him this tactic and he didn't return the favor, it would be considered very impolite.

Without obstruction from any obscuring magecraft, Kiritsugu swiftly located Ryuunosuke who had been discarded by Shirou. Without a word, Kiritsugu fired an "Origin Bullet" directly into Ryuunosuke's abdomen from fifty paces away.

The Origin Bullet was Kiritsugu's truest representation of his origins and name. To create it, he had to undergo a gruesome process. He removed both his first and second ribs on the left and right sides of his abdomen. After the ribs were removed, they were ground into powder, condensed as the bullet core, and sealed into sixty-six bullets, forming what became known as the Origin Bullet.

The Origin Bullets, which contained a part of Kiritsugu's soul, materialized his Origin of "Severing and Binding" upon contact with the target. These bullets had the ability to cripple living creatures upon impact, leaving no visible wounds or bleeding, but causing necrosis to the targeted area or body part. Although the surface of the wound might seem to have healed properly, the nerves and capillaries would never regenerate correctly, resulting in permanent loss of the original function.

Furthermore, the Origin Bullet, being a Conceptual Weapon, posed an even greater threat to magi who possessed Magic Circuits that mimicked nerves. Upon impact, the bullet could disrupt the functioning of those circuits, causing them to malfunction.

The "origin" in the Origin Bullet could have a severe impact on a magus's Magic Circuit, potentially causing it to short-circuit and resulting in them running wild and completely destroying the Circuit. This not only caused damage but also left the magus unable to use magecraft permanently.

The extent of the damage caused by the Origin Bullet depended on the timing of impact and the number of Magic Circuits activated by the target. This was because the damage was caused by the magus's own magic. As a result, this bullet could effectively destroy even powerful magi who activated many Magic Circuits, making it a highly effective weapon in Kiritsugu's arsenal.

Before arriving in Fuyuki City, Kiritsugu had already used 37 of his 66 Origin Bullets, and each one had been used effectively. Using bullets made from his own body, he had completely destroyed 37 magi, showcasing the devastating power of the Origin Bullet. It could be said that this bullet was the best embodiment of Kiritsugu as a magus killer, and it played a significant role in his success as a deadly assassin.

While the Origin Bullet had exceptional power in taking down magi, it was just a regular bullet with no added killing power when used on ordinary people.

However, it was impossible for the Origin Bullet to be ineffective in the Holy Grail War. This was because the source of a Servant's magical energy came from their Master, and from the moment of summoning, the Master's magical energy was continually transferred to the Servant, making them susceptible to the Origin Bullet. Therefore, when this bullet hit a Master, the Master inevitably suffered a backlash.

The Master of Caster possessed strong magical energy, almost to the point of leakage. This meant that the special attack of the Origin Bullet against him would be particularly severe, possibly causing his body to explode.

Kiritsugu had already witnessed this outcome in the past, but to his surprise, the Master of Caster, despite his strong magical energy, stood up again, showing no signs of any of his Magic Circuits being destroyed!

"What- what's going on?" Kiritsugu exclaimed in surprise.

...

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