Madman, Exit, and Encounter

On Fuyuki Bridge, the crowd was bustling and lively, but Shiki's mind was nowhere near the commotion. Frowning, his gaze sharp, he walked back and forth across the bridge, growing more certain: that murderer, Ryunosuke Uryu, was not here.

With his eyesight far surpassing that of ordinary people, it was impossible for him to miss a madman he had once seen.

"If he's not here, then where could he be?"

The bridge was several hundred meters away from the battlefield where the Sea Monster was located. In this dark night, it was truly difficult for ordinary people to see what was happening over there.

Thinking this, Shiki couldn't help but curse himself inwardly. Why did he always forget? He couldn't measure ordinary people by ninja standards.

Having lived in the Ninja World for too long, he was already accustomed to the superior physical abilities of ninjas—their cells numbered more than double that of ordinary humans, and with supernatural power like chakra, ninjas and ordinary people were completely different concepts.

It seemed he had to constantly remind himself that this world was entirely different, and his past experiences and knowledge needed to be updated.

"On which side of the river is that murderer?"

Shiki's gaze swept across both banks of the Miyou River. The onlookers were densely packed. Which side was more likely to be hiding that madman?

"With Uryu's madness, normal people would avoid him like the plague. He probably doesn't have many civilians around him..."

Following this line of thought, Shiki quickly noticed a spot on the eastern embankment that was particularly conspicuous and out of place with its surroundings.

A young man was gesticulating wildly, acting like a lunatic. Within a radius of ten meters around him, there was no one, a stark contrast to other areas where, even if sparsely populated, people were not far apart.

The corners of Shiki's mouth curved slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile. "Found you, murderer."

That's right, that insane fellow was Ryunosuke Uryu.

At this moment, Uryu was completely submerged in a mire of madness. The excitement, thrill, and pleasure in his heart surged like a tidal wave, completely drowning out his reason.

He shouted to himself, oblivious to anyone else, "Look! This is the real world! The real world! Hahaha!"

"To hell with ordinary life! The boring world is over! Foolish humans!"

"A bizarre new world awaits me!"

His ravings spread like a virus, causing the surrounding crowd to quickly distance themselves, afraid of being infected by his madness.

But Uryu didn't notice at all. His entire attention was captivated by the terrifying Sea Monster in the middle of the river.

In his eyes, this was the great being summoned by his Old Master Qingxu. The thought of this great being rampaging on land and slaughtering people brought him a pleasure that surpassed even the most extreme earthly delights. Uryu trembled with excitement, almost losing control.

"Wonderful, Old Master Qingxu! This suffocating world—no need to bother killing people anymore. Even if I do nothing, thousands will be crushed into meat paste, blown to pieces! Ah! I really want to see what black people's intestines look like, and what color white people's livers are, hmm!"

"Finish them, Old Master Qingxu!"

Just as Uryu was lost in his own frenzied fantasies, Shiki quietly arrived.

Looking at the frenzied figure before him, he sighed helplessly. "This guy has been completely mentally corrupted by Caster. Maybe they're birds of a feather, influencing each other."

At this moment, the faint roar of airplanes could be heard in the distance. Shiki knew that the abnormal situation here had attracted too much attention, even drawing the Self-Defense Forces' fighter jets.

"Why are these people coming to join the fun?"

Shiki couldn't be bothered. He walked straight through the crowd, his Magic Eye flashing with green light. The power of the Human Path was quietly released, like invisible tentacles gently invading the mental worlds of those around him.

"Everything is fine here now. Everyone saw nothing, and nothing happened. The excitement is over, everyone go home."

Under the hypnotic power of the Magic Eye, the eyes of the crowd gradually lost focus, gleaming with a faint luster, and they turned away.

With the widespread mental influence, the surroundings gradually quieted down.

This sudden quiet finally made the overexcited Uryu notice something was wrong.

"What's going on?" He suddenly turned his head, meeting Shiki's gaze.

The moment he saw Shiki, a hint of madness flashed in Uryu's eyes. He remembered this boy who had embarrassed him.

"You, too, have come to join this grand carnival?"

Uryu spread his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs, his excitement not yet fully subsided.

"Come on! Let's cheer, the new world is about to descend! Let's show our true selves without any reservations, do whatever we want! Haha, whether it's killing or being killed, we can do as we please. This is the real world, the true form! Look, the god behind us has descended, that is truth!"

"Sigh, he's truly beyond saving."

Shiki was filled with helplessness. This madman before him could resist the hypnosis of the Human Path. His madness had reached an extreme.

Since that was the case, Shiki stopped wasting words. "Fine, let's finish this quickly."

He walked towards Uryu step by step.

Seeing Shiki approach, Uryu became even more excited. Another like-minded person was about to join his "carnival."

"Come on, let's plunge into this real world together!"

When Shiki reached Uryu, Uryu suddenly pulled out a dagger and fiercely stabbed at him.

However, in Shiki's eyes, this attack was like a child's game. He easily dodged to the side, grabbed Uryu's arms, and with a slight exertion, a "crack" sound was heard as Uryu's arms were cleanly dislocated.

Shiki leaned close to Uryu's ear and whispered, "I do look forward to a real world, but not the kind you imagine. In the true world, there is no place for lunatics like you, and murderers like you will not be tolerated."

His arms throbbed with pain, and the dagger fell to the ground. Uryu broke out in a cold sweat from the agony, but the crazed smile on his face did not diminish in the slightest. "You're going to kill me? In front of so many people? Then what's the difference between you and me?"

"That's right, the act of killing itself is no different."

Shiki's expression was calm, but his tone carried a chill. "But there is an essential difference between us. You enjoy killing, you enjoy trampling on rules with impunity, and you defy common sense with your twisted will, pursuing so-called novelty and excitement."

These words struck Uryu's vital point like a sharp blade. He struggled frantically, but under Shiki's powerful suppression, all resistance was futile.

Shiki's eyes flashed with demonic light, firmly controlling Ryunosuke's mind.

Finally, Shiki slowly extended his hand and placed it over Ryunosuke's heart. As an invisible wave spread, under the effect of the force field, Ryunosuke's heart shattered into countless pieces like a watermelon hit by a heavy hammer.

The heart is the most vital organ in the human body. The blood supply system instantly lost power, and Ryunosuke's body, like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed to the ground.

The madness on his face was still frozen there, his eyes gradually losing their luster, yet his lips were still trembling slightly.

Shiki understood his lip movements: "You've become a murderer too, boy."

He stared at his right hand, stained with blood, lost in thought for a moment.

These hands had once again been stained with human blood.

Although he had killed that old monster Zouken Matou before, the other party could no longer be considered human, but a yokai, something inhuman.

And Ryunosuke Uryu was the first human he had personally killed in this world.

"I admit killing is wrong, but some people are worth making mistakes for. You are not the end; on this unknown path of life, I will still eliminate more people for certain purposes."

Shiki had long held this resolve in his heart; he had possessed it since the Ninja World and had never wavered.

Just then, Shiki keenly sensed a dangerous aura and sharply turned his head. A sharp stream of air whistled past his ear, ruffling his short hair.

Shiki turned his head and looked towards the river, a smile reappearing on his face as he greeted in a certain direction, "Hallo, Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya."