The Reality Marble—Unlimited Blade Works was the only thing Emiya possessed, and it was also proof of his existence as a Heroic Spirit.
The version of him in his memories had also comprehended this technique, successfully using it with Rin's support to defeat Gilgamesh.
Whether it was Archer or Shirou Emiya, their Projection Magic both stemmed from Unlimited Blade Works, utilizing the process of shaping > reproducing > recording into Unlimited Blade Works.
Afterward, whenever he needed to use them, he simply pulled the records straight out of Unlimited Blade Works and reproduced them; correspondingly, projecting higher-tier Noble Phantasms required chanting parts of Unlimited Blade Works to utilize them.
Looking at the already fully recorded data before his eyes, Emiya gained a further understanding of his own magecraft.
Though I can't practice it at all right now, I'll just commit it to memory for the time being.
Flexing his right hand slightly, Emiya could still feel a stinging sensation.
He tidied up the paper and placed it into the drawer.
Is it past noon already... Should I go out for a bit of activity and grab lunch along the way?
Emiya stood up. Whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt that moving his body now didn't hurt as much as it had this morning, and he felt an urge to be active.
As long as I don't get caught, a little bit of physical activity should be fine... I'll go wander around the Dagu Shopping District.
With this thought in mind, Emiya changed his clothes, grabbed his wallet and phone, and headed out.
His bag had been burned in the recent fire, so this time Emiya planned to buy a crossbody bag—one that would just be big enough to hold his wallet and phone.
The sun is quite bright today... It's almost February already.
Emiya shielded his eyes slightly from the sun; the current weather was brisk and cool.
Slowing his pace, Emiya walked leisurely down the street.
He had grown quite accustomed to the pace of life in Lungmen: the transportation, the electronic products, and the local customs and practices.
It was just that this seemed to be his first time seeing so many police officers—or rather, members of the Knights of the Round Table—out on the streets.
Some were driving, others were riding motorcycles; in short, it was a group of people wearing Knights of the Round Table uniforms all heading in a certain direction.
None of that concerned him, however. He was just an ordinary civilian.
Walking into Dagu Mall and finding the shop where Exusiai and Texas had brought him last time, Emiya picked out a crossbody bag that better suited his needs.
His previous one had been a bit too small, so this time he bought a slightly larger one that could hold some tissues and other small items.
He also chose a black color scheme; the white bag he bought previously had been a bit too conspicuous.
Just need to adjust the length.
After paying for it, Emiya put the backpack straight on, tossed his belongings inside, and began adjusting the strap length.
Checking the time on his phone, he saw he still had plenty of time, so Emiya planned to browse the cookware section for a bit to see if there were any novel cooking utensils he could use here.
Like the press toaster from this morning—that had been pretty nice.
After browsing around, Emiya didn't find anything particularly good, though he did see quite a few trendier kitchen gadgets.
The kitchenware in the Penguin Logistics dorms was already vastly superior to what he originally used, and here he saw even newer and more practical ones.
The prices were exorbitant, however.
Besides, Emiya had no intention of buying anything since the dorm kitchen already had all the necessary functions.
Just as Emiya was preparing to leave the mall, a commotion near the main entrance caught his attention from the second floor.
Is that an argument?
Emiya frowned slightly. He had a hunch it wasn't as simple as a mere quarrel.
Although his vision was quite sharp now, with his line of sight blocked he couldn't make out the situation and had to judge solely by the sounds.
"—Get lost!"
Emiya heard an angry roar from the other party.
Amidst the shouting, the crowd began to scatter in all directions.
"It's an Infected rioter! Run!"
"Run!"
"Aaaah!!!"
Emiya quickly grasped the situation. Combining this with the Knights of the Round Table vehicles he had seen parked outside the entrance after changing his vantage point, it seemed Knights of the Round Table personnel had been chasing a criminal and ended up here.
Emiya's gaze quickly locked onto the Infected individual. In truth, the person wasn't hard to recognize; after all, their clothes were tattered and stained with blood, and crystals could be faintly seen protruding through the shredded parts of their garments. Yet the person looked somewhat familiar—Emiya felt like he had seen them somewhere before.
"Surrender immediately!"
Outside the door, a Knights of the Round Table officer operating a drone loudly shouted at the criminal.
The volume was so loud that Emiya felt a mild discomfort in his ears.
Naturally, the criminal had no intention of surrendering obediently; otherwise, they wouldn't have fled all the way here. The culprit glanced around frantically, seemingly locked onto a target, and altered their path to sprint toward a mother and child.
Taking hostages?
Seeing the individual charging in the direction of the slowly fleeing mother and child, Emiya instantly understood the culprit's intent.
Without a second thought, Emiya vaulted straight over the second-floor railing.
Swire
Longmen curses! That bastard changed direction and is charging right at the fleeing civilians. Where is the Sniper Team?!
A blonde Knights of the Round Table officer stood outside Dagu Mall, shouting at a nearby subordinate.
"The Sniper Team isn't in position yet. Shooting from here might cause harm to innocent citizens. Should we fire, Sir Swire?"
The nearby Knights of the Round Table officer pressed a hand against the earpiece while asking Swire for instructions.
"Tch, stand by for now. Also, tell the Sniper Team to get into position quickly. Prioritize civilian safety. And have Officer Chen stop searching and get over here right now."
Swire's face darkened slightly. They were merely tracking down an arsonist, yet the culprit had to run into her family's property and attempt a hostage situation!
This Longmen curses bastard was dead. She said so!
"Understood."
Receiving the order, the Knights of the Round Table officer immediately pressed the earpiece and relayed the message.
Swire tossed her megaphone into the vehicle. This was no longer the time to further provoke the criminal and risk driving them to desperation.
The suspect possessed a fire-related Originium Art and had randomly detonated a restaurant's gas line yesterday, causing a fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and it was only after an investigation that traces of Originium Arts were discovered, leading them to this suspect via surveillance cameras.
Moreover, the restaurant owner didn't know the suspect at all, and the suspect had spent a long time lingering in the slums, making contact with others unlikely.
Was this a random crime or... something orchestrated?
These were all deductions Swire made by piecing together various clues; she still had to wait for further evidence or leads before making her next move.
None of that mattered right now, however. What mattered was that this person intended to take hostages.
She now had to figure out a way to arrest the individual while ensuring the safety of the citizens.
"Sir, it looks like someone is charging straight at the suspect."
The nearby Knights of the Round Table member noticed the anomaly inside and hastily reported it to Swire.
"What did you say?!"
Swire let out a roar that made the surrounding Knights of the Round Table personnel wince in pain.
Hh... That was impulsive.
Emiya leaped down from the second floor, landing on both feet in a rather clumsy posture while a massive wave of stinging pain instantly surged up from the soles of his feet.
It quickly dissipated, however, replaced by a surging, overwhelming strength filling his entire body.
Though Emiya had no idea what was happening, it was a welcome development for the current situation.
With a push of his legs, Emiya's body rapidly sprinted forward, smoothly dodging the panicking evacuating crowd by leaping off his left and right feet.
"Don't interfere!"
The criminal roared angrily upon seeing Emiya charging right at them, lashing out with a stream of fire.
Watching the incoming flames hurtle toward him, Emiya rapidly analyzed the current situation—
Dodge? The flames would keep flying and injure someone else or ignite the mall.
Take it head-on? He would likely lose another shirt and sustain widespread burns.
Project? Too late; his magic circuits were still overloaded and couldn't support him projecting anything capable of blocking it.
—Emiya chose to take the brunt of the fire with his body.
Despite knowing he would get hurt, Emiya still chose this method.
For some unknown reason, Emiya subconsciously chose his aching right arm to block rather than his slightly more agile left hand.
Boom—
The flames struck his right arm. Aside from feeling something impact against him, Emiya felt no pain whatsoever.
Bluffing?
Emiya felt a brief moment of confusion.
The criminal in the distance didn't see it that way, however. From his perspective, some self-righteous wannabe hero had charged right at him and casually batted away his Originium Art with a wave of his hand.
That was an attack capable of piercing through iron plate!
That guy just casually swatted it away?
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The suspect came to a halt, abandoning the pursuit of the hostages since he was more likely to be drop-kicked flying by Emiya before catching them.
Stopping didn't mean he was surrendering, though. He extended both hands toward Emiya, gathering an even larger ball of flame.
The sheer momentum of the flames was immense, and the size was vastly greater—this was no longer something Emiya could block with his bare arm.
Emiya didn't panic, however, because within his field of vision, he could already see a crossbow bolt flying straight toward the criminal's hand.
"Gah... Ahhh!"
The criminal's hand was pierced, and the intense pain caused him to lose control of his spell, which directly detonated right in front of him.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! It's all because of you—you did this!"
Flames were still burning on the criminal's hair and clothing, but his attention was now entirely focused on Emiya.
A massive surge of fire erupted from his body as he lunged straight at Emiya.
Facing the suspect's suicidal attack, Emiya leaped into the air and delivered a kick straight to the culprit's head.
It was the only spot not engulfed in flames.
At the same time, it was the most vulnerable part of the human body.
Whether it was Terrans or ordinary humans as he knew them, their weak points were largely similar.
That was assuming they were ordinary Terrans, of course; Emiya didn't have a deep understanding of beings like the Ancients.
Thud!
The culprit's head smashed heavily into the ground, even shattering the flooring.
Emiya landed steadily, keeping a close eye on whether the person before him intended to continue the attack.
Ah... Are they still alive?
Seeing the cracks in the floor, Emiya hadn't expected a single kick of his to deliver such force.
—When your body is able to move, you should look a bit more like a magus than before.
Emiya recalled what Archer had said.
So that's what that meant?
Emiya gently clenched his right hand. It seemed that as his magic circuits unfolded, his physical capabilities were further enhanced. He had previously assumed his physical reinforcement relied entirely on projection.
"You in front, you're under arrest! Do not resist!"
A woman's voice rang out. Emiya raised his head and saw the source of the voice—Swire, alongside several individuals wearing Knights of the Round Table uniforms.
Before you continue