New Capital, Hall, and Engagement

The Civic Hall in Shinto was located northeast of Fuyuki Bridge, just a few hundred meters' walk away.

Shiki walked towards his destination at a leisurely pace. By the time he finally arrived, over an hour had quietly passed.

Those two must be getting impatient by now.

It was past eleven at night, and the area around the hall was deathly silent, not a soul in sight.

This wasn't the usual state of Shinto; it was normally bustling with activity. Even at three or four in the morning, there were always a few idle thugs hanging around the streets and alleys.

"Dispelling Idle People Sorcery!"

Shiki immediately realized that magic was present.

Although he couldn't recall the specific name of the sorcery, its function was more or less the same: using magical interference to make ordinary people who got too close subconsciously feel that the place was uninteresting or suddenly remember other trivial matters, thus causing them to actively avoid it.

"This is good, at least no innocents will be harmed."

Shiki thought to himself as he boldly walked in through the main entrance of the hall.

At this moment, Kiritsugu and Kirei, in the lower level of the hall, instantly sensed the activation of the sorcery. They knew the person they were waiting for had arrived.

"Heh heh, Kiritsugu Emiya, if you manage to survive this, how about we go for a drink afterward?"

Kirei suggested, sitting to the side.

Kiritsugu spat out the cigarette he was holding in his mouth. He hadn't smoked in days; the stress during this period had been so great that he'd even forgotten about smoking.

Hearing Kirei's words, Kiritsugu replied without looking up, "Don't get your hopes up yet. Let's talk about it after we actually survive."

As he spoke, he opened the box at his feet. Inside was a modified and reinforced "Competitor" large-caliber single-shot pistol. The weapon, originally used for hunting, had now become his sharp tool for killing Magus.

Previously, thirty-six Magus had met their end by this gun, thanks to it and the crucial "Origin Bullet."

"Origin Bullet, Kiritsugu Emiya, you'd better aim carefully. Otherwise, you might just end up helping that kid."

Kirei reminded him.

Kiritsugu responded briefly, "I know."

To deal with Shiki, the two had to share intelligence and meticulously discuss their combat plan, coordination methods, and various precautions. Yet, even so, they felt they only had a slim chance of victory.

The agility and reaction speed Shiki had displayed left them feeling uncertain. Neither dared to guarantee that their established tactics would be effective.

Footsteps approached, and Kiritsugu and Kirei stood up, staring intently at the door to the lower level. The enemy was about to appear.

"BOOM!!!!"

With a loud explosion, the door to the lower level was instantly blown open, and smoke and dust filled the air.

From within the dust, Shiki's voice could be heard, "Wow, what a grand welcome ceremony. You two are so enthusiastic, I'm almost flattered."

Shiki emerged from the explosion unharmed, stepping over the crater that had been blown open. He stood before Kiritsugu and Kirei with a smile. "I've come as promised, Kiritsugu Emiya, and Kirei Kotomine."

The response was a barrage of gunfire.

Six or seven submachine guns fired simultaneously from the sides, instantly unleashing over three hundred rounds of bullets towards Shiki, riddling the area where he stood with holes, and causing ricochets to fly everywhere.

However, none of these bullets even grazed the hem of Shiki's clothes.

The moment the firearms opened fire, Shiki had already agilely moved from his original position, causing the carefully laid trap to miss its mark.

Kiritsugu and Kirei were not surprised by this. They merely exchanged glances, seeing the difficulty Shiki presented in each other's eyes.

This young man's reaction speed was even faster than they had anticipated.

Kirei Kotomine took off his coat, revealing the church vestments underneath. Beneath the vestments were over twenty Black Keys. As an Einsatz, he was already fully armed.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, let's begin."

Kirei said, throwing six Black Keys like lightning. However, these were merely harassing tactics; the real killing blow was yet to come.

The Black Keys spun towards Shiki, and Kirei Kotomine followed closely behind.

Whether to block the Black Keys or face Kirei's attack directly was the dilemma Shiki faced.

Shiki, however, smiled and chose to do both.

His body flickered, and luminous patterns appeared on him. The Asura Path ability instantly covered his entire body, turning him into a veritable humanoid weapon.

With a wave of his hand, he knocked away all the Black Keys, then directly engaged the charging Kirei Kotomine, their fists colliding.

"CLANG!!"

A dull thud, like metal striking metal, sent them both staggering back a step.

Shiki was surprised. "The Priest upgraded his equipment today. He's got gloves."

"BANG!!"

Just as Shiki's previous strength faded and new strength had yet to emerge, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet instantly appeared before him.

A sense of danger flashed through Shiki's mind like lightning.

"Huh?"

He had no time to think further. His right eye, which had turned black, instantly changed, and an invisible force field enveloped his entire body, which he then reversed and released.

"BOOM!!!!"

A powerful current of air blasted outwards like an explosion. Kirei Kotomine on the ground and the Black Keys spinning in mid-air were both slammed away as if hit by a truck traveling at high speed.

For a moment, clanging sounds filled the air as the entire lower space was swept by turbulent winds.

Kiritsugu Emiya, firing his weapon from a distance, disregarded his own safety and leaped forward, catching the Priest who had been flung away.

The two tumbled several times before finally crashing to a halt against a support pillar.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The Priest coughed violently, spitting out a few streaks of blood. He spoke, pinning Kiritsugu down, "I hate to admit it, but I have to thank you, Kiritsugu. I didn't expect this kid to really have other formidable abilities."

Kiritsugu and Kirei struggled to their feet and looked toward the center where Shiki was located. A crater larger than the one from the previous bomb explosion had formed. Through the opening, they could see that the floor of the underground parking lot had been penetrated.

"Execute Plan B," Kiritsugu ordered decisively.

"Understood."

Kirei responded. As an experienced hunter, he naturally wouldn't have just one combat plan. They had already considered various scenarios, including Shiki potentially hiding his strength.

In their view, it would be strange if Shiki didn't have hidden abilities.

Just like the Magic Eye they had just witnessed, it was something they hadn't known about before.

"Deal with it carefully, and don't look directly at the opponent's Magic Eye!"

The two quickly drew their pistols and submachine guns, spraying bullets wildly towards the entrance. Simultaneously, they threw grenades, turning the entire lower level of the venue into a modern battlefield of gunfire and shrapnel.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!"

The explosions from the grenades were deafening.

While Shiki could still easily handle the gunfire, the threat of the grenades was clearly greater.

Bullets traveling in a straight line were relatively easy to dodge, but the shrapnel scattering from the grenade explosions was impossible to guard against.

Although the Asura Path ability had enhanced Shiki's body, his body was not made of metal; even a paper cutter could draw blood from him.

"Sigh, I can only say I still need time to grow."

Shiki sighed helplessly, then waved his hand. Under his control of the field, the subsequent incoming grenades were reflected back.

Seeing this, Kiritsugu and Kirei transformed into frantically retreating gunmen.

"What goes around comes around! I'll give it back to you!"

"Boom, boom!!!"

Several grenades exploded near Kiritsugu and Kirei, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. Although Kiritsugu reacted quickly, he couldn't completely dodge, and he was injured.

"Hmph!!"

Hearing this, Kirei quickly called out, "Hey, Kiritsugu Emiya, are you alright?"

Kiritsugu tossed aside the empty drum magazine, replaced it with a new one, and replied, "I'm fine, just a scratch on my face."

He wiped his face. In reality, besides the cut on his face, several fragments had hit his bulletproof vest, causing bruised ribs, but he didn't mention it, not wanting to distract Kirei.

Kiritsugu's voice was steady and strong, which somewhat put Kirei at ease.

Taking advantage of Kiritsugu's firing interval, Kirei also quickly reloaded his magazine.

Einsatz, as members of the Church's violent organization that dealt with enemies by any means necessary, were all too familiar with modern firearms.

As the last grenade exploded, Plan B entered its second phase.