To become a king and a magician

Eh?

Reaching down to touch his shoulder, and seeing his bright red palm and the blood-stained shoulder, Natsukawa Torama finally let out a belated scream: "Ugh... Ughh ...

It hurts, it really hurts, it feels like something has pierced my shoulder!

"Ughhhhhh... Ahhhhhh..."

Leaning against the wall, clutching his shoulder tightly, Xia Chuanhu gasped for breath as if he were suffocating, desperately trying to calm his chaotic mind.

This feels like sniping? But from where? The spot where the flash just appeared...

(The second-floor window of the house across the street! Only there! And the sniper—Emiya Kiritsugu!)

At that moment, Natsukawa Tora understood why Morgan had sent him here.

Master against Master, Servant against Servant, let Morgan and Lancelot deal with Arthur, while Natsukawa Torata will be dealt with by Emiya Kiritsugu himself. In terms of outcome, this is almost a sure-win situation!

Because Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't possibly lose to Torara Natsukawa, especially since Natsukawa's location had been exposed while Kiritsugu was lurking in the shadows. And once Natsukawa died, Arthur would naturally only have the option of returning to the Throne of Heroes. Morgan and Lancelot wouldn't even need to defeat Arthur; they could simply stall for time until Natsukawa was killed.

(They really have a clever plan...)

In a sense, this was an open strategy. If Xia Chuanhu had insisted on escaping, the plan wouldn't have worked. But this time, Xia Chuanhu didn't escape, or rather—

.......

(Just as Caster expected, he was a completely naive and impulsive young man.)

Inside a room, Kiritsugu Emiya thought to himself as he looked at Torata Natsukawa through the scope.

Being repeatedly provoked will cause them to lose their temper and initiate a war, and even a defense that was originally without flaws will develop weaknesses as a result—Morgan's grasp of human nature once again sent chills down Kiritsugu Emiya's spine.

Any teenager of normal age will feel angry after being repeatedly provoked, and will try to get revenge if they have a powerful backer. This common problem among young people remains unchanged in any era.

(His shoulder has been pierced by a bullet, it's a pity that a direct hit to the head wouldn't have been possible, otherwise it would be over. But it doesn't matter, it's just a matter of time.)

With his eyes fixed on Natsukawa Tora through the scope, Kiritsugu Emiya placed his finger on the trigger.

(Come on, Natsukawa Torato, your death will come when you leave there.)

————————————————————————————

(Kiritsugu Emiya is definitely watching me from somewhere!)

Natsukawa Tora thought, pressing himself tightly against the wall.

(Aside from the initial shot, there were no further attacks... It's impossible that there was a problem with Kiritsugu Emiya's side, which means that what prevented him from attacking wasn't himself, but my actions. My actions prevented him from ensuring a fatal blow to me.)

In other words, Natsukawa Torato's current position is one that Emiya Kiritsugu cannot kill him from. As long as he stays here, he is safe—provided that Emiya Kiritsugu does not move to a place where he can be shot.

(But at the very least, I absolutely cannot leave here now. I just need to wait until Arthur resolves his situation and comes to rescue me.)

Feeling the magic power constantly draining from his body, Natsukawa Torama knew that Arthur was currently engaged in an extremely fierce battle. Trusting Arthur, Natsukawa Torama did not believe that Arthur would lose.

While Lancelot and Morgan are undoubtedly strong, his Arthur is not that useless Saber-like king. Instead, he is a Star Sword Wielder whose normal attacks can rival the Noble Phantasms of the enemy. The possibility of Arthur losing is never within Natsukawa Torato's consideration.

"So, all that's next is to wait...?"

Clutching his shoulder and wincing in pain, Natsukawa Torama couldn't help but laugh at himself: "This really is the first time I've been injured so badly... But... that makes sense, perhaps this is just the norm in the Holy Grail War?"

Because Arthur was always by his side, protecting him in times of danger, Natsukawa Tora didn't have much of a real understanding of the Holy Grail War. In addition, he had always tried to stay away from the center of the war, so he only had one impression of its cruelty.

And now, he has used his body to transform the "impression" into an "experience".

"This is what I look like when Arthur isn't around..."

Natsukawa Tora raised his hand and looked at the Command Seals on the back of his hand. The Command Seals, which were like the Thousand-Year Eye, seemed to have come to life, giving him the feeling that he was being watched.

(Speaking of which, using a Command Spell should be enough to summon Arthur right away, right?)

This is feasible. Command Seals grant absolute authority over Servants, and can be used to achieve even magical feats like spatial teleportation.

Should we call Arthur over? That way we can definitely leave here immediately and get back to safety.

Yes, you can just use Command Seals.

"With a command spell—"

Is that all?

As if another version of himself was speaking in his mind, Xia Chuanhu couldn't help but ask himself this question as soon as he opened his mouth.

Is that all? Just call Arthur over to protect you and keep standing behind him, is that all?

Logically speaking, yes. Standing behind a Servant is what a Master should do. Are you suggesting that he run out from behind a Servant and fight other Servants head-on? Not everyone is Emiya Shirou. The most Natsukawa Torara can do is use his Mystic Eyes for support.

Therefore, if the Master is attacked, it is absolutely fine to summon a Servant immediately. No one will say he is shameful, and no one will criticize him. There is nothing wrong with what he did.

Aside from his own emotions.

"Since your previous Masters were all such outstanding individuals, I cannot be inferior to them. Even if I cannot support you in the Holy Grail War, I cannot hold you back." — This is what Natsukawa Torama said to Arthur last night. It was for this reason that he designed himself to become Kenneth's student and chose to become a magician.

In order not to be a burden, in order not to hold him back, in order to fight alongside him, in order to... live to the end with him.

"As expected... it won't work."

With his hands hanging down, Natsukawa Tora let out a heavy sigh.

We can no longer rely on Arthur.

Arthur has his own battles to fight, and he is currently fighting to the death for himself. As his Master, what Natsukawa Torato needs to do is not to disturb him, but to support him so that he can fight without any worries!

Therefore, he cannot escape from this battlefield of the Masters now! He should be not behind Arthur, but on the battlefield known as the "Master of the Holy Grail War"!

He could no longer, and would not, continue to run away!

37. Faster than death behind him

A minute passed in the blink of an eye.

Perched like a statue by the window, looking through the scope at the place where Natsukawa Tora was hidden, Emiya Kiritsugu's finger touched the trigger, then released it, repeating this countless times.

In the room where there was no one else but him, only his own breathing and heartbeat were clearly audible.

This is now a test of endurance. If he is shot in the shoulder and not treated in time, the blood loss alone could kill Natsukawa Tora. As an ordinary person, he is unlikely to be able to handle the emergency. Therefore, theoretically speaking, as long as Emiya Kiritsugu keeps an eye on him, it won't be long before Natsukawa Tora dies from excessive blood loss.

The only one who could potentially influence or even overturn the status quo is Saber, and Morgan and Lancelot are there to hold him back.

In reality, Natsukawa Torato was out of options. When he collapsed from behind the wall, unable to stand due to excessive blood loss, revealing his body, even if it wasn't his head, Emiya Kiritsugu would pull the trigger without hesitation.

Come on, let's see how long you can endure this, let's see how much longer you can hold on, Natsukawa Torato.

"—!"

Just then, a figure suddenly flashed into Kiritsugu Emiya's field of vision!

Without a moment's hesitation, his finger lashed out at the trigger, and the bullet burst from the barrel! It pierced the glass and shot straight toward the man!

However, something unbelievable happened to Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Snapped!"

The bullet hit the wall.

The figure dodged the bullets!

(How is that possible?)

Kiritsugu Emiya looked at the figure again. It was Natsukawa Tora, no doubt, but why?

(Want to reveal your location? Foolish!)

Aiming at Natsukawa Torato again, Kiritsugu Emiya calmed himself and pulled the trigger again, firing a bullet. But just as the bullet left the barrel, through the scope, Kiritsugu Emiya clearly saw an unbelievable scene!

Almost simultaneously with the moment he pulled the trigger, Natsukawa Tora clearly made a dodging motion! Although he looked quite disheveled and his center of gravity adjustment was completely off, he did indeed dodge the bullet the instant it was fired!

How is that possible? The distance is less than a hundred meters. How could a human possibly dodge a bullet? Unless he knew in advance where the bullet would be fired.

"Could it be—futurism?"

Morgan's intelligence did indeed contain information about Natsukawa Tora possessing a Mystic Eye, but due to the limited information, it was impossible to determine what type of Mystic Eye it was. However, judging from the current situation, it was clearly a future-seeing Mystic Eye that could foresee the future!

"Tch, this renders sniping ineffective."

With a slight smirk, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly put away his sniper rifle, disassembled it, and put it in a box before taking out two pistols from another box.

Long-range sniping is no longer an option, as Future Sight will save his life countless times. However, in close combat where there is an overwhelming difference in strength, even with Future Sight, Kiritsugu Emiya doesn't think he would lose to an ordinary student.

(Judging from the direction he ran, he should be coming this way, so—)

Having finalized his plan, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly grabbed his weapons and left the house.

————————————————————————

A corner of the street.

"Haa...haa...haa..."

Leaning against a telephone pole, panting heavily, Xia Chuanhu glanced at his bleeding shoulder and sighed heavily: "Phew... I really haven't been training much. I'm exhausted after just a few hundred meters... But it looks like the sniping has stopped?"

It seems he succeeded in gambling with his life.

Kiritsugu Emiya was completely wrong. Natsukawa Torato had no foresight and had no idea where the bullets would come from. The reason he was able to dodge the bullets was simply because he was gambling.

Natsukawa Torara didn't know where the bullets would come from, but he knew where they would land—no matter where he was, Emiya Kiritsugu's bullets would only be fired for one purpose: to kill their target. Therefore, in reality, the bullets' landing points were predetermined.

That was himself.

Therefore, he only needs to dodge when he feels he can, without trying to predict where the bullet will land or when it will be fired. He should place all his bets on his intuition and then run as fast as he can!

Fortunately, he made the right bet.

"Two sniper shots... Hahaha, I guess I used up all my luck in those few seconds."

Dodging two bullets in a row was no longer just a stroke of luck; it was a gamble with one's lifespan. If life could be represented numerically, Xia Chuanhu was certain that he had lost several decades of his life in an instant!

But no matter what, once you've dodged the sniper fire, the rest is easy.

Meet with Kiritsugu Emiya, then glare at him fiercely with those Mystic Eyes! Unlike Servants, if it were a human soul, Natsukawa Torara is confident that he can completely corrupt it within a second or two!

The moment I meet him will be the moment this battle between Masters is decided!

"Bang----!"

A gunshot rang out suddenly, and Xia Chuanhu's thigh was shot through without warning!

"Ughh ...