To become a king and a magician

Crying out in pain, Natsukawa Tora leaned against the wall with his unharmed left shoulder, looking at his right leg that had been shot through: "Now my right arm and right leg are basically useless... Speaking of which, a sniper shot? Where did it come from this time?"

Trouble.

With his right leg injured, Xia Chuanhu can no longer run even if he wanted to. The desperate running and instinctive dodging of bullets that he used before is no longer effective. He is now a cripple who cannot move.

Done!

But in the next moment, something even more despairing happened to Natsukawa Tora.

"Buzz buzz buzz buzz~~~~"

The sound of the swarm of insects reached his ears. In the alley diagonally opposite him, dragging his equally half-dead body, Matou Kariya emerged from the swarm of flying insects, his turbid eyes fixed on Natsukawa Torato.

at the same time.

"Crack!"

The sound of a pistol being cocked came from the other side. At the crossroads not far away, Kiritsugu Emiya raised his pistol and aimed it at Torato Natsukawa.

A pincer attack! No, if you include another sniper somewhere, it's actually a three-way pincer attack!

(ha......)

Xia Chuanhu couldn't even manage a laugh anymore, and at the same time, he couldn't help but regret his recklessness... He had agreed to survive until the end, but because of his competitive spirit and pride, he turned around and headed back.

Seriously, what has he done?

ended.

"clatter......"

Natsukawa Torato's vision suddenly darkened. He looked up slightly and saw Matou Kariya's face, which looked like that of a dead man. The next moment, Matou Kariya turned around and looked at Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Eat them up, you bugs."

As the short incantation was uttered, the countless flying insects surrounding him swarmed out instantly—towards Kiritsugu Emiya!

"Varied--?"

Not only Kiritsugu Emiya, but even Torara Natsukawa was stunned.

Looking at the figure receding into the distance, Natsukawa Torato couldn't help but ask, "Matou Kariya, you... what exactly are you...?"

“I said… I swore an oath…” Turning his head, Matou Kariya gave Natsukawa Torata a smile that was more like a grimace. “You are the savior of me and Sakura… In this Holy Grail War… I will not attack you… even though I was… manipulated by that witch… and did… something shameful….”

"You...you mean you—"

He actually managed to recover through sheer willpower while under Morgan's magical hypnosis?!

Just how strong is this guy's will?

Leaning against the wall on either side of Natsukawa Tora, Matou Kariya said to him, "Leave the rest to me, you can go now."

38. Whoever he glares at dies!

In terms of compatibility, Matou Kariya should be a perfect counter to Emiya Kiritsugu. The Matou family's insect magic is powerful and numerous, while Emiya Kiritsugu doesn't have many wide-range attack methods. If it were a head-on battle, Matou Kariya would likely have the upper hand.

But this is contingent on Matou Kariya's body being able to withstand it.

Looking at his deathly pale face and skin that resembled the bark of a dead tree, Natsukawa Tora frowned. "Your body... shouldn't be able to hold on any longer, right?"

To become a Master, Matou Kariya had already been tormented by Matou Zouken for a year. Even after being rescued by Natsukawa Toramaru and Arthur, he only had a few dozen days left to live. His previous forced attack on the Tohsaka family and his recent control by Morgan... after all these twists and turns, his life was already hanging by a thread, and he could collapse at any moment.

The fact that he can still stand and perform magic tricks now is probably his last struggle.

"Thank you for your concern... but don't worry..." Matou Kariya forced a smile, "Although I was being controlled, since I broke my own vow, I have to pay the price... Alright, let's go, leave the rest to me..."

After Matou Kariya finished speaking, he weakly pushed Natsukawa Tora, as if urging him to leave.

But how could Natsukawa Tora, a man on his last legs, possibly move him? With his feet firmly planted on the ground, Natsukawa Tora sighed helplessly, then bent down and lifted Matou Kariya's hand.

"If I remember correctly, I told you this before: I don't allow a man like you, covered in wounds, to go to the battlefield... Although it was just a side thing, Arthur and I decided to rescue you back then, not so that you could just go and die again like this."

"I don't want to see the people I indirectly saved die because of me. I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night. If you're going to die, please find a place where no one can find you and die alone."

"you......"

Looking at Natsukawa Torata carrying him on his back, Matou Kariya was momentarily confused about what the man was thinking.

Judging from his posture, it seems he intends to take it with him when he leaves this place? His right hand and right leg have already been shot through, and he doesn't even know if he can leave safely on his own, so why does he want to bring this burden along?

"boom--!"

Just then, the swarm of insects surrounding Kiritsugu Emiya in the distance was suddenly engulfed by raging flames. The sudden burst of fire burned away the entire swarm in an instant. Kiritsugu Emiya, covered in wounds and burns, rolled out of the thick smoke and flames! He then pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at the two of them!

Upon spotting the object, Natsukawa Tora's expression immediately changed: "Damn! A grenade? Is it really necessary?"

Although he knew that Kiritsugu Emiya was not human, Natsukawa Tora really hadn't thought that he would carry grenades with him. First a sniper rifle, then a submachine gun, a pistol, and a dagger, and now grenades—are you a working-class guy who came back from the Middle East?

"Bang------!"

The grenade exploded suddenly! A large amount of shrapnel immediately swept towards the two of them in the blast wave!

"Bug! Come here!"

Countless swarms of insects were instantly summoned by Matou Kariya, forming an impenetrable wall that kept all the fragments out. Because he was being carried, Natsukawa Torato could clearly feel that his body convulsed violently several times while he was using magic!

In order to squeeze out usable magic power, the Crest Worm is constantly draining his life force!

"Matō Kariya..."

Natsukawa Torato wanted to tell him to stop, but he also knew that if Matou Kariya hadn't done so, the two of them would have already been covered in blood from the shrapnel.

Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in his shoulders and legs, Natsukawa Tora shook his head vigorously to shake off the Mystic Eyes, then said in a deep voice, "Matou Kariya, disperse your swarm of insects, I'll take care of Emiya Kiritsugu."

"......"

Seemingly too weak to even speak, Matou Kariya simply nodded, and the swarm of insects behind them dispersed like a receding tide. In that instant, upon seeing the two, Emiya Kiritsugu unhesitatingly raised his pistol and pulled the trigger!

"Boom!"

Two bullets burst from the barrel! One was aimed at Natsukawa Torata, and the other at Matou Kariya!

However, at the same time, Natsukawa Tora also turned around suddenly. After losing the suppression of the Mystic Eye Kill, his clear Mystic Eyes, as clear as the sky, instantly fell on Emiya Kiritsugu!

Spiritual invasion!

The moment he saw those demonic eyes, Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if something had bitten him hard, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of exhaustion from the inside out!

"Snapped!"

"Ugh...!"

"..."

Natsukawa Torato's right arm and Matou Kariya's abdomen were also hit by bullets immediately, and blood gushed out from the wounds, staining their clothes red.

Having been shot three times in a short period of time, Natsukawa Tora was already numb with pain. Now, even if he were shot two or three more times, he probably wouldn't feel anything. In fact, after being shot several times, he had gotten used to it—Sajyou Aika's torture was much more intense than this!

Seeing Kiritsugu Emiya clutching his chest like a drunkard not far away, Natsukawa Torara picked up the Mystic Eyes with his bloodied hands and put them back on: "Three seconds... about sixty percent of your soul has been corrupted?"

If he had just two more seconds, Kiritsugu Emiya would have been completely corrupted, transforming into a mindless, demon-controlled zombie. Frankly, that would have been far more troublesome.

Unlike humans, evil spirits adhere to basic human reason. While Kiritsugu Emiya is undoubtedly a cold-blooded machine of justice, it's undeniable that he retains some rationality. However, if he were to completely transform into an evil spirit, a monster similar to Black Archer, willing to stop at nothing to achieve justice, would likely emerge.

No, Kiritsugu Emiya would probably be even more extreme and ruthless than Black Archer. He's definitely not an enemy the two of them, who are already severely injured, want to face.

So Natsukawa Torato brought the Demon Eye Killer back with him.

"If it's like this... it'll die if left unattended."

As Natsukawa Tiger thought, with most of his soul corrupted, there was probably no way to save him even in the Age of Gods, let alone in modern society. At least in Natsukawa Tiger's mind, the only solution he could think of was magic.

"Whoo~~~~"

With a heavy sigh, Natsukawa Torara leaned slightly against the wall: "Now the battle between Masters is over. All that's left is to meet up with Saber... um..."

Just as he was about to continue forward, Xia Chuanhu felt all the strength in his body drain away like a flood after taking only one step, and his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Ugh...it hurts...damn it...I can't move..."

Having been shot three times, he ran at full speed for several hundred meters without taking any measures to stop the bleeding from his wounds. In addition, Arthur was constantly draining his magic power... From any perspective, Xia Chuanhu was now completely exhausted. He should have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. The reason he was still able to stand just now was purely because a surge of excitement was supporting him.

Now that he saw that Kiritsugu Emiya was temporarily no longer a threat, Natsukawa Torara's tense mind immediately relaxed, and the accumulated fatigue and pain rushed over and overwhelmed his consciousness in an instant!

"Pfft!"

With his arms too weak to support his body against the wall, Xia Chuanhu collapsed heavily to the ground.

39. Exchanging harsh words

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a slightly rotating electric fan.

Sitting up from the sofa, Natsukawa Tora looked at the blanket covering him and then glanced around at his surroundings.

"here it is......"

"Hotel room".

Misaya Reiko's voice rang out, and Natsukawa Tora turned his head to look. He saw her sitting in a chair near the window, flipping through a book in her hands.

Closing the book, Reirōkan Misaya asked, "What's wrong? You look so dazed. It's not like you were shot in the head, you shouldn't become demented, right?"

I got shot?

Natsukawa Tora carefully recalled his last memories.

(I remember fighting Kiritsugu Emiya, glancing at him with my Mystic Eyes, and then...)

"And then, and then..."

"Ha, it seems you really don't remember anything." Misaya Reirōkan sighed. "Would you like me to tell you the whole story from the beginning?"

"Hmm... This is troublesome."

Pulling a chair over to him, Misaya Reirōkan thought for a moment and then said, "You were attacked by Caster and her Master in this Holy Grail War. You fought against that guy named Kiritsugu Emiya and were shot several times before you finally had a chance to use your Mystic Eyes to turn the tide—that's the gist of it."

"Because I was drawn to the commotion you made while fighting, I immediately returned instead of going to find Rider. When I arrived, I only saw you and another person lying on the ground unconscious. Shortly after I arrived, Saber also arrived, and together we brought you two here."

"By the way, this happened two days ago."

What happened two days ago?

"I see... then I really did sleep for a long time..." With a slight sigh, Natsukawa Torara Reiryukan Misaya nodded. "Anyway, thank you, Reiryukan Misaya, thank you for saving me."