Fuyuki Bridge was bustling with crowds, but Shiki's mind was nowhere near the commotion. With a slight furrow in his brow and a sharp gaze, he walked back and forth across the bridge, becoming increasingly certain: the serial killer, Ryunosuke Uryu, was not here.
With eyesight far beyond that of ordinary people, there was no way he could have missed a madman he had seen before.
"If he's not here, where could he be?"
The bridge was several hundred meters away from the battlefield where the Sea Monster stood. On such a dark night, it was truly difficult for ordinary people to see what was happening over there.
Thinking of this, Shiki could not help cursing himself inwardly. Why do I keep forgetting? I can't judge ordinary people by ninja standards.
Having lived in the Ninja World for so long, he had long grown accustomed to ninja physical abilities that vastly surpassed those of ordinary humans—more than twice as many cells as ordinary humans, coupled with the supernatural power known as chakra. Ninjas and ordinary people were entirely different concepts.
It seemed he had to constantly remind himself that this world was completely different. His past experience and understanding needed to be updated.
"Which side of the river is that serial killer on?"
Shiki's gaze swept across both banks of the Mion River. The spectators were packed densely together, so which side was more likely to be hiding that madman?
"With Ryunosuke's level of insanity, normal people would avoid him at all costs. There probably aren't many civilians around him..."
Following that line of thought, Shiki quickly spotted an exceptionally conspicuous area along the eastern embankment, completely out of place with its surroundings.
A young man was waving his arms and dancing wildly, looking utterly crazed. Within a radius of over ten meters around him, there was not a single person. It formed a stark contrast to everywhere else, where even sparse crowds still stood close together.
The corners of Shiki's lips lifted slightly into an almost imperceptible smile. "Found you, serial killer."
That was right. The crazed man was Ryunosuke Uryu.
At that moment, Ryunosuke had completely sunk into a mire of madness. The excitement, exhilaration, and pleasure in his heart surged like raging tides, utterly drowning out his reason.
He shouted wildly without a care for anyone around him. "Look! This is the real world! The real world! Hahaha!"
"To hell with ordinary lives! The boring world is over! Ignorant humanity!"
"A bizarre new world is waiting for me!"
His mad ravings spread like a virus, causing the surrounding crowd to quickly move away, afraid of being infected by his madness.
Yet Ryunosuke did not notice at all. All his attention was fixed on the terrifying Sea Monster in the middle of the river.
In his eyes, it was the great being summoned by Old Master Qingxu. At the thought of this great being rampaging across land and slaughtering people without restraint, the pleasure it brought surpassed even the most extreme delight in the world. Ryunosuke trembled all over with excitement, nearly losing control.
"This is wonderful, Old Master Qingxu! In this suffocating world, there's no longer any need to rack our brains to kill people. Even without lifting a finger, tens of thousands will be crushed into meat paste and blasted into pieces! Ah! I really want to see what a Black man's intestines look like, and what color a White man's liver is, hmm!"
"Kill them, Old Master Qingxu!"
Just as Ryunosuke immersed himself in his mad fantasies, Shiki quietly arrived.
Looking at the crazed man before him, Shiki sighed helplessly. "This guy has been completely mentally corrupted by Caster. Maybe the two of them are birds of a feather, influencing each other."
At that moment, the faint roar of aircraft came from afar. Shiki knew that this anomaly had drawn too much attention. Even Self-Defense Force fighter jets had been attracted here.
"What are these people joining the fun for?"
Shiki could not be bothered with them. He walked straight through the crowd, green light flickering in his Mystic Eyes as the power of the Human Path quietly spread forth. Like invisible tentacles, it gently invaded the spiritual worlds of those around him.
"There's nothing here anymore. You didn't see anything, and nothing happened. The spectacle is over. Everyone, go home."
Under the hypnotic power of the Mystic Eyes, the crowd's eyes gradually lost focus and took on a faint glow as they turned and walked away.
As the large-scale mental influence spread, the surroundings gradually fell silent.
That sudden silence finally made Ryunosuke, who had been carried away by excitement, notice that something was wrong.
"What's going on?" He abruptly turned around and met Shiki's gaze.
The instant he saw Shiki, a trace of madness flashed through Ryunosuke's eyes. He still vividly remembered this boy who had humiliated him.
"You've come to join this grand carnival too?"
Ryunosuke spread his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs, his excitement not yet fully spent.
"Come! Let us cheer, for the new world is about to descend! Let us show our true selves without restraint and do whatever we want! Haha, whether killing or being killed, we can do as we please. This is the real world, our true form! Look, the god behind us has descended. That is the truth!"
"Ah, he's truly beyond saving."
Shiki was filled with helplessness. This madman could actually resist the Human Path's hypnosis. His madness had reached an extreme.
Since that was the case, Shiki did not waste any more words. "Fine. Let's end this quickly."
He walked toward Ryunosuke step by step.
Seeing Shiki approach, Ryunosuke grew even more excited. Another like-minded person was about to join his "carnival."
"Come, throw yourself into this real world with me!"
When Shiki reached Ryunosuke, Ryunosuke suddenly pulled out a dagger and viciously thrust it at him. However, in Shiki's eyes, the attack was like a child's trick. He easily sidestepped it, grabbed both of Ryunosuke's arms in passing, and applied a little force. With two sharp cracks, Ryunosuke's arms were cleanly dislocated.
Shiki leaned close to Ryunosuke's ear and whispered, "I do look forward to the real world, but not the kind you imagine. In the true world, there is no place for madmen like you, nor can serial killers like you be tolerated."
His arms were in agonizing pain, and the dagger fell to the ground. Cold sweat poured down Ryunosuke's face, yet the mad smile on it did not diminish in the slightest. "You want 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 voice carried a chill. "But there is an essential difference between you and me. You enjoy killing. You enjoy wantonly trampling rules. With your twisted will, you defy common sense in pursuit of so-called novelty and excitement."
Those words struck Ryunosuke's weak point like a sharp blade. He struggled madly, but under Shiki's overwhelming strength, all resistance was futile.
Mystic light flickered in Shiki's eyes as he firmly controlled Ryunosuke's mind.
At last, Shiki slowly extended his hand and placed it over Ryunosuke's heart. As an invisible ripple spread outward, Ryunosuke's heart, under the force field's effect, was like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer, instantly shattering into countless pieces.
The heart was the most important organ in the human body. The blood supply system instantly lost its driving force, and Ryunosuke's body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The madness on his face remained frozen there, and the light gradually faded from his eyes, but the corners of his mouth still trembled faintly.
Shiki understood the shape of his lips. "You're a murderer too, boy."
Looking at his right hand covered in blood, Shiki fell into a brief daze.
These hands had once again been stained with human blood.
Although he had previously killed that old monster Zouken Matou, the other man could no longer be considered human. He was a monster, something inhuman.
Ryunosuke Uryu, however, was the first human being Shiki had personally killed in this world.
"I admit that killing is wrong, but some people are worth making that mistake for. You are not the end. On this life road filled with the unknown, I will erase more people for certain purposes."
Shiki had long possessed this resolve. He had already had it in the Ninja World, and it had never wavered.
Just then, Shiki keenly sensed a trace of danger. He sharply tilted his head, and a fierce gust of air howled past his ear, ruffling his short hair.
Shiki turned toward the river, a smile appearing on his face again as he greeted someone in a certain direction. "Hallo, Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya."
Before you continue