Chapter 26: Kiritsugu Emiya Attempts a Home Invasion
It was the same afternoon, and the warm winter sun hung high in the sky. A warm atmosphere flowed through the streets and alleys.
In the residential area east of the Mion River in Shintō.
On this warm afternoon, the streets were particularly crowded.
Kiritsugu Emiya appeared inconspicuous among such a crowd, submerged in the human flow like a transparent entity.
His T-shirt and jacket looked a bit worn, and he carried no luggage.
He walked unhurriedly and arrived at a business hotel.
Taking the elevator to the seventh floor, he opened the door to Room 703 and stepped inside, beginning to systematically formulate his next battle plan.
He first plastered the walls of the room with maps of the entire Fuyuki City, then meticulously marked information on various locations on the map.
Through his familiars and constant scouting with Maiya, all the details of the incidents that occurred in Fuyuki at night recently had fallen into Kiritsugu's hands.
Kiritsugu Emiya silently continued making marks on the map with his right hand while mechanically shoving a hamburger, which served as his lunch, into his mouth with his left.
The taste was completely ignored; it was merely a necessary energy supplement.
After completing all the markings, Kiritsugu Emiya picked up an A4 sheet of paper nearby and began to reorganize the information about this Holy Grail War.
"Archer, who appeared that night, mentioned the name Tohsaka Tokiomi when he left. It can basically be confirmed that this flashy golden Servant belongs to the Tohsaka Tokiomi faction."
After writing down the relevant information for Archer and Tohsaka Tokiomi on the white paper, Kiritsugu Emiya wrote the name Berserker below it.
"Berserker, dressed in black armor, covered in a black magical aura, making his true identity difficult to ascertain. However, upon seeing Saber, he fell into a state bordering on madness. Despite the presence of other Servants, he only attacked Saber. Either his Master commanded it, or Berserker holds a grudge against Saber. Needs attention."
Analyzing this, Kiritsugu Emiya put an exclamation mark next to Berserker's name.
"Next is Assassin. The footage Maiya brought that night showed Assassin invading the Tohsaka residence and being killed. Although the identity of his Master is still unknown, focusing on other enemies is more practical for someone who has already lost a Servant."
Kiritsugu Emiya put an 'X' over Assassin's name.
"Next is Rider. Based on current information, Rider's Master is a third-rate Magus, but this Servant, who calls himself the 'King of Conquerors,' though speaking quite casually and boldly, has only revealed one flying Noble Phantasm. It's impossible to confirm whether he has more powerful Noble Phantasms."
Although Waver Velvet was only a third-rate Magus, and posed no threat to Kiritsugu Emiya, the 'Magus Killer' who had killed countless self-proclaimed first-rate Magi, Kiritsugu Emiya still cautiously speculated on Rider's every move, given the fame of the 'King of Conquerors.'
"Also, according to the information provided by Maiya, Kayneth, who came to Fuyuki from the 'Clock Tower,' is still staying at the Hyatt Hotel. Could he also be one of the Masters?"
A Lord from the 'Clock Tower' making a special trip to Fuyuki City surely wasn't for sightseeing.
"Have Maiya dispatch familiars to continue investigating... I'll check tonight."
He already knew the floor Kayneth was staying on. Kiritsugu Emiya had already devised a countermeasure for this enemy who stayed put in one location.
After confirming this, Kiritsugu Emiya immediately wrote down the last name that concerned him on the A4 paper.
"Finally, there is Lancer, who overwhelmingly defeated Saber in the previous battle. He possesses a golden spear-type Noble Phantasm, his martial skill is extremely refined, and his True Name is still unknown. He poses a very great threat...
Also, that Lancer's Master appears to be just a six or seven-year-old child, perhaps still an elementary school student. Why is he so calm about the Holy Grail War?"
Whenever he recalled everything that happened that night, Kiritsugu Emiya felt an inexplicable heart palpitation, and his grip on his pen involuntarily tightened.
"Is he a child of some hidden Magus family? If so, it might be possible... But at this age, his body cannot withstand the pain delivered by the Magic Crest, so his magecraft level shouldn't be high. How can he provide the prana for such a powerful Servant like Lancer? Won't he be drained dry?"
He couldn't understand it.
Even if he were indeed from some secretive Magus family, they shouldn't send such a young child to participate in the Holy Grail War.
If the opponent were truly so arrogant, Kiritsugu Emiya would let them know the consequences of underestimating the Holy Grail War.
"That's enough. Even though only one battle has passed, the strength and personality of the Servants that have appeared are basically known."
The next target was already clear.
Kiritsugu Emiya circled the name "Orihara Shirou " with a red pen.
"I'll start with you!"
He needed to deal with his biggest question first; otherwise, Kiritsugu Emiya felt he would constantly dwell on this matter.
After leaving the business hotel, Kiritsugu Emiya walked against the warm afternoon sun to the location he had investigated beforehand.
That seemingly ordinary residence was the publicly known family address of the child named Orihara Shirou.
Such information was easily traceable for Kiritsugu Emiya.
But the easier it was, the more wrong Kiritsugu Emiya felt.
As a Master, the opponent shouldn't leave his Servant behind, or wouldn't he be in danger if he encountered other Servants?
Yet, if he took Lancer with him, his family could be easily found like this, making kidnapping or killing them effortless.
It was precisely because of this that even though Kiritsugu Emiya had found the school Shirou attended, he chose not to target Yatsushirodai Elementary School directly, but rather to attack Shirou's home.
In Kiritsugu Emiya's view, this would be easier to succeed.
"Orihara Shirou... Are you a child of a hidden Magus family, or did you genuinely enter this Holy Grail War purely by luck? I'll find out soon."
Kiritsugu Emiya walked toward the house, which looked virtually indistinguishable from its surroundings.
As he was approaching, a streak of fierce flame, like a long spear, suddenly struck.
Boom—!
"Time alter—double accel!"
Kiritsugu Emiya's pupils contracted sharply. His body accelerated within that brief moment, narrowly dodging the attack.
The wall some distance behind him, upon being struck by that jet of flame, erupted in a powerful explosion, the force of which was comparable to being hit by an RPG rocket launcher.
Kiritsugu Emiya was utterly terrified. If he hadn't used 'Time Alter' at the crucial moment, he would have perished under that blow.
'Time Alter' was a specialized magecraft possessed by Kiritsugu Emiya, the culmination of the Emiya family's generations of research into time manipulation, all stored within Kiritsugu's Magic Crest.
'Time Alter' belongs to the high-level category of magecraft. Although classified as Greater Magecraft, it is definitely not in the realm of non-reproducible 'Sorcery' (True Magic).
This magecraft is much weaker than the 'Time Manipulation' that reverses causality and alters the past, only being a 'Time Adjustment' magecraft that suspends past time and accelerates future time.
To use it in combat, Kiritsugu Emiya modified the magecraft to apply it to himself, allowing his body to exhibit speeds impossible for a human.
The downside of this is that after the magecraft is deactivated, the world corrects the time difference, imposing an immense burden on the body.
After that single moment, Kiritsugu Emiya's body was already under strain, and after confirming that Lancer had not left the house, he naturally dared not linger any longer.
"He didn't take Lancer to school..." Kiritsugu Emiya murmured in disbelief as he fled frantically.
Kiritsugu Emiya refused to believe that the opponent had anticipated he would do this.
That was a judgment that could only be made after understanding the enemy to a certain extent.
But how could that child possibly understand him, the Magus Killer who had only recently arrived in Fuyuki City?
It should have been impossible.
"Who... exactly are you?"
The more Kiritsugu Emiya pondered the questions about that child, the further he felt from the answer he sought, and he only became more agitated as a result.
There was no need to continue formulating battle plans. If he remained idle, Kiritsugu Emiya felt he would definitely be consumed by fear of the unknown.
"I'll go to the Hyatt Hotel first..."
Since this attempt failed, he would target Kayneth instead.
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