Type-Moon: Shinji Matou Also Wants to Be the Protagonist

Besides the battles between Servants, the Master is also a key factor in determining the outcome of the Holy Grail War.

As long as the opponent's Master is killed.

Servants who lose their mana supply will naturally leave the field unless they possess abilities such as manifesting independently.

Lancer's Master is already half dead. As long as we find and kill him, Lancer's threat will naturally disappear. Moreover, with Lancer's death, the curse left by his Noble Phantasm will naturally be lifted.

It can both eliminate the enemy seeking revenge and restore the combat power of one's own Servants, killing two birds with one stone.

In fact, the reason why Kiritsugu Emiya did not participate in the church's gatherings was because he was doing this.

Rather than acting as bait to lure Lancer, Kiritsugu Emiya prefers to take the initiative.

However, Kiritsugu Emiya did not consult with Saber before taking action.

After hearing from Irisviel what had happened at the King's Banquet, Kiritsugu Emiya understood.

The Saber they summoned was currently in a state of self-doubt and instability.

Therefore, compared to her time as the "Right King" who always made the right decisions, this is a stark contrast to her previous life.

At this point, her logic of action had taken a very dangerous turn.

She began to prioritize her personal moral dilemmas over strategic goals, placing chivalry above the cruelty of war.

Such a Knight King would never provide any assistance when he was sniping Lancer's Master.

Worse still, she might try to stop it, not out of tactical considerations, but out of an obsession with "legitimacy".

Cutting off the heir does not require such a variable.

If the king summoned were from the current reign, their relationship might improve considerably.

That means that as long as the final result is correct and advantageous, the king does not mind using some cruel or despicable means.

Sacrificing a small number to save the majority—this kind of operation has been repeated countless times in the life of the Knight King.

Kiritsugu Emiya walked through the alleys of Fuyuki City, thinking with a sense of regret.

Behind him, Hisayu Maiya followed silently, leading a large box.

He was hiding a modified Contender under his trench coat, and was now approaching his target.

Kenneth Elmero Archibald's location is not difficult to determine.

After all, he was a seriously injured person who had lost the ability to use magic, so hiding his whereabouts would not be so easy.

The destination was an abandoned, unfinished building.

Kenneth is hiding in the basement of this building—if he dares to live on the top floor after being taught a lesson by Kiritsugu Emiya, Kiritsugu will suspect that Kenneth's reputation as a genius was bought.

If the target is underground, Kiritsugu Emiya cannot solve the problem with bombs.

There is too much uncertainty.

The last time they bombed the hotel, they didn't kill Kenneth, which led to a series of retaliations from Kenneth.

This time, Kiritsugu Emiya must be absolutely certain that Kenneth is truly dead before he can feel at ease.

He raised his hand to signal Wu Mi to stop, while he moved slowly along the wall, each step taking place in the shadows.

Under the moonlight, the concrete frame of the unfinished building resembled the ribs of a giant beast, and the empty windows exuded a damp, musty smell.

Kiritsugu pulled a miniature detector from inside his trench coat and confirmed that there were no familiars or warning barriers set up underground—Kenneth's magic circuits were no longer able to maintain those sophisticated defenses after being destroyed by the Origin Bullet.

“Go down the stairs on the east side.”

He lowered his voice.

"If Solau is inside, take her out first."

Mai didn't answer, but gently put the box down and took out two submachine guns from it.

Kiritsugu noticed that her finger paused on the trigger guard for half a second—that was the only moment she showed emotion.

She was worried about Kiritsugu Emiya's condition.

Kiritsugu Emiya did not respond, but made a gesture to begin the operation before stepping into the shadows of the building.

The entrance to the basement was half-hidden by construction debris. Kiritsugu crouched down and peered through the gaps to observe what was happening inside.

Because construction was not yet complete, the building's basement was terribly dark even during the day.

Although it wasn't pitch black, you could only see about four or five meters with the naked eye.

Following the wall downwards, after turning a corner, a different scene finally appeared in the dim environment.

The dim emergency lights illuminated the cramped space, where Solau, whom they were preparing to take hostage, lay on a hospital bed.

Kenneth Elmero Archibald, meanwhile, sat quietly in a wheelchair by the bedside.

His left leg was in a cast that extended from his ankle to his knee, and his body was wrapped in bandages all over.

That was a full-body injury caused by the destruction of the magic circuits by the Origin Bomb.

Kiritsugu already held the Contender in his hand, a single-shot .30-06 Springfield bullet. Combined with his inherent twice-speed control, it was enough to complete the shot within 0.3 seconds of Kenneth's reaction time.

But Kiritsugu did not act immediately—he was waiting, waiting to confirm whether Kenneth had any other tricks up his sleeve.

“You’ve arrived a little later than expected, Kiritsugu Emiya.”

Kenneth's voice came from the darkness, carrying the composure characteristic of nobility, though it was hoarse from blood loss.

Kiritsugu's pupils contracted slightly, but the muzzle of his gun did not move an inch.

Kenneth struggled to turn his wheelchair around, the emergency light above illuminating his pale face and his still sharp eyes.

"I've imagined countless ways to die."

Kenneth chuckled softly, coughing as it aggravated his wound.

"I was pierced through the heart by Lancer's enemies, blasted to pieces by Tokiomi Tohsaka's jewel magic, and even executed as a heretic by the Church's pack of hyenas—but I never imagined that what would end me would be a wild dog that wasn't even a magician."

Kiritsugu's finger was on the trigger, but he didn't pull it.

Kenneth's composure made him uneasy, an unease that often meant a trap on the battlefield.

"Da da da..."

The crisp sound of gunfire echoed through the underground space as Kiritsugu Emiya fired without hesitation.

Blood blossomed from Kenneth's body, and Sorawus, lying in his hospital bed, was even more unlucky, having his head blown off by a single shot.

"Maimi, retreat."

As he fired, Kiritsugu Emiya gave the order to Maiya Hisayu on the other end of the earpiece.

"Too late!"

Hisayu Maiya, on the other side, remained silent for a moment before answering.

Before Kiritsugu Emiya could even understand what it meant, a deafening explosion and intense flames rushed towards them.

Chapter 62: The Mad Lancer

Not far from the abandoned building, Shinji stopped and looked up at the flames shooting into the sky.

Lancer's whereabouts are not easy to find.

After all, he had fled with his lord's fiancée before his death, so he was experienced in hiding his whereabouts.

Fortunately, this time Diarmuid's escape was not a simple one, but a targeted assassination.

Therefore, in addition to using their own methods, the Masters also specially sent familiars to secretly follow Saber and Irisviel.

However, none of the parties gained anything.

Shinji, however, was different; he knew where Diarmuid's Master was.

Although I don't know if Kenneth has moved, it won't take much effort to make the trip.

I never expected to see such a shocking scene before I even arrived at the destination.

"What's this? It's just a second round of beating someone in the same way."

Shinji smacked his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Kiritsugu Emiya has a criminal record, and his use of modern weapons is also a stereotype.

Even Shinji's first thought was to pin the blame on him.

But for some reason, Shinji felt that Kenneth was the one who did it.

Shinji did not approach rashly, but instead found a high vantage point with a wide view to observe the development of the situation from above.

The firelight illuminated half the sky, and thick smoke billowed upwards, making the already gloomy night even more oppressive.

The ruins of the abandoned building continue to collapse, with the sounds of steel bars and concrete breaking echoing everywhere.

"Master, shall we go take a look?"

Lancelot's voice echoed in his mind, with his usual calm.

"No rush."

Shinji squinted.

"Let the bullets fly a little longer."

Regardless of whether Kiritsugu Emiya or Kenneth did what happened next.

With both sides possessing Command Seals, summoning Heroic Spirits for self-preservation is a basic maneuver, and the events beneath the ruins are likely far from over.

If I were to approach them at this moment, I might be mistaken for an accomplice or become their next target.

Shinji's conjecture was correct; at the moment of the explosion, Kiritsugu Emiya almost instinctively used [Time Control].

This is a magic trick developed by his father.

By deploying a kind of innate barrier within its body, it gained the ability to interfere with its own time.

Kiritsugu Emiya accelerated his time, gaining a chance to react.

He was incredibly grateful that, before setting off, Irisviel, concerned for his safety, had entrusted him with the scabbard [Avalon].

At that moment, Kiritsugu immediately summoned Saber and activated the scabbard's power with her magic.

The next moment, the shockwave of the explosion engulfed him and Saber, who had just arrived.

Kiritsugu Emiya's mortal body was instantly torn apart, but he was saved by the power of Avalon.

Saber benefits from her status as a Servant, as Servants are composed of a 'Spirit Core' and a 'Magic Entity'.

Modern weapons can destroy a Servant's physical body, but cannot directly harm their spirit core.

Therefore, Servants generally have extremely strong resistance to modern weapons.

Even after the Servants become spirits, conventional modern weapons are completely ineffective against them.

Although Saber cannot become a spirit due to special circumstances, she has a pretty good stat distribution.

So despite being slightly injured, he managed to withstand the first wave of bombing.

Then, Kiritsugu Emiya commanded Saber to lead him without hesitation as they sprinted up to the upper level of the parking lot.

They cannot stop, because if they do, and the building above them collapses, they will be buried alive underneath.

Even though the shockwave from the explosion shattered his internal organs, caused him to bleed from all seven orifices, and left him with wounds from being hit by broken cement blocks or steel bars from time to time.

But Kiritsugu Emiya endured the pain and tried his best to maintain his balance.

His time was still accelerating, and everything around him flowed slowly as if immersed in viscous amber.

He could clearly see the trajectory of every grain of dust and hear the groans of twisted and breaking steel bars in the distance.

"Hang in there."

He silently recited the instructions in his mind, while continuously transmitting the route he sensed to Artoria.

Depending on the rate at which the surrounding buildings collapsed, they might still have a chance to escape.

Kenneth had no professional training in demolition, and the bombs he planted failed to damage the building's structure immediately.

Although the building did not collapse immediately, Kenneth left other means.

As they rounded a corner, a scarlet spear silently emerged from the shadows.

In an instant, he pierced right through Kiritsugu Emiya.