Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 20

Unlimited Blade Works, an Absolute Territory, is the only thing Heroic Spirit EMIYA possesses, and it is the proof of his existence as a Heroic Spirit.

In his memories, he had also mastered this technique and, with Rin's support, successfully used it to defeat Gilgamesh.

Whether it was Archer or Shirou Emiya, their Projection Magic extended from Unlimited Blade Works; they shaped, reproduced, and recorded it into Unlimited Blade Works.

When they wanted to use it later, they could directly retrieve the records from Unlimited Blade Works and reproduce them. For relatively high-class Noble Phantasms, one had to chant parts of Unlimited Blade Works to project them.

Looking at the wealth of recorded data before him, Shirou gained a deeper understanding of his own magic.

"But I can't practice it at all right now, so I'll just remember it for now."

Shirou moved his right hand slightly, still feeling a stinging sensation.

He put the papers away and placed them in the drawer.

"Is it past noon already... Should I go out for some activity and lunch?"

Shirou stood up. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt that moving his body didn't hurt as much as it did in the morning, and he particularly wanted to move.

"As long as I'm not discovered, moving around a bit should be fine... I'll just wander around the Dagu Shopping District."

With that thought, Shirou changed his clothes, grabbed his wallet and phone, and headed out.

His bag had burned down in the last fire. This time, Shirou planned to buy a shoulder bag, one that could hold his wallet and phone.

"The sun is quite bright today... It's almost February now."

Shirou shielded his eyes slightly from the sun. The weather was cool and pleasant.

He slowed his pace, walking leisurely down the street.

He had become quite accustomed to the pace of life in Lungmen – the transportation, the electronic products, and some of the local customs and traditions.

However, it seemed like this was the first time he had seen so many police officers on the street, or rather, members of the Knights of the Round Table.

Some were driving, some were on bikes, but in any case, it was a group of people in Knights of the Round Table uniforms heading in a certain direction.

But none of that concerned him; he was just an ordinary citizen.

Shirou entered the Dagu Shopping Mall and found the shop where Exusiai and Texas had brought him last time. He picked out a shoulder bag that better suited his needs.

The previous one was a bit small; this time he bought a slightly larger one that could hold things like tissues.

He also chose a black color; the white bag he bought before was a bit conspicuous.

"I just need to adjust the length."

After paying, Shirou put the backpack on, placed his belongings inside, and began adjusting the length of the strap.

He checked his phone; he still had plenty of time. Shirou decided to browse the kitchenware section and see if there was anything new and interesting to use.

The panini press from this morning, for example, was quite good.

After browsing, Shirou didn't find anything particularly great, but he did see a lot of more modern kitchenware.

The kitchenware in the Penguin Logistics dorm was already much better than what he used to have, and here he saw even more, newer, and more practical items.

However, the prices were also very expensive.

Shirou had no intention of buying anything, as the dorm kitchen already had all the necessary functions.

As Shirou was preparing to leave the mall, he noticed some commotion at the main entrance from the second floor.

"Is it a fight?"

Shirou frowned slightly. He had a feeling it wasn't just a simple argument.

Although he could see far now, he couldn't see the situation clearly when he was blocked, so he could only judge by the sounds.

"Get lost!"

Shirou heard the other person's angry roar.

Following the roar, the crowd began to disperse.

"It's an Infected rioter! Run!"

"Run!"

"Ahhh!!!"

Shirou quickly understood the situation. Combined with the Knights of the Round Table vehicles parked at the entrance after he moved to a different spot, it seemed like the Knights of the Round Table were chasing a criminal and ended up here.

Shirou's gaze quickly locked onto the Infected person. It wasn't hard to recognize, as their clothes were tattered and stained with blood, and through the torn parts of their clothing, he could vaguely see crystals distributed. However, the person looked somewhat familiar, and Shirou felt like he had seen them somewhere before.

"Please surrender immediately!"

The Knights of the Round Table outside the door used a drone to loudly address the criminal.

The sound was so loud that Shirou felt his ears were a bit uncomfortable.

The criminal naturally wouldn't surrender obediently; otherwise, they wouldn't have fled here. He looked around, then seemed to have chosen a target and changed his path toward a mother and child.

"Taking hostages?"

Shirou saw the person seemingly charging towards a mother and child who were running a bit slower and instantly understood their intention.

Without a second thought, Shirou leaped down from the second floor.

"Damn it," the blonde Knights of the Round Table personnel stood outside the Dagu Shopping District, asking the personnel beside him.

"The sniper team isn't in position yet. If we shoot from here, it might harm innocent civilians. Do you want to shoot? Sir Swire?"

The Knights of the Round Table personnel beside him asked Swire while preparing to press his earphone.

"Tch, stand by for now. Also, tell the sniper team to get into position quickly. Prioritize the safety of the civilians. And tell Officer Chen to stop looking and come over quickly."

Swire's expression darkened slightly. He was just looking for an arsonist, but the guy had run into her family's property and was planning to take hostages!

This guy was dead, she declared!

"Understood."

Upon receiving the instructions, the Knights of the Round Table personnel immediately pressed his earphone to send the message.

Swire tossed the megaphone in her hand onto the car. It wasn't appropriate to provoke the criminal any further now, lest they do something rash.

The suspect possessed Originium Arts related to fire. Yesterday, they randomly ignited the natural gas pipe of a restaurant, causing a fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties. It was only after the investigation that traces of Originium Arts were discovered, and this suspicious person was found through surveillance cameras.

Furthermore, the owner of that shop didn't know the suspect at all. The suspect had also been staying in the slums for a long time, making it unlikely they had contact with others.

Was it a random act of violence, or… was there a conspiracy?

The above were all conclusions drawn by Swire based on some clues. Actual judgment would have to wait until other evidence or clues were obtained.

But none of that mattered now. What mattered now was that this person intended to take hostages.

Now she had to find a way to arrest the suspect while ensuring the safety of the public.

"Sir, it seems someone is rushing towards the suspect."

The Knights of the Round Table member beside her discovered the abnormality inside and hurriedly reported it to Swire.

"What did you say!?"

Swire let out a roar, causing the ears of the Knights of the Round Table personnel present to ring.

"Hiss… Impulsive."

Shirou leaped down from the second floor, landing on his feet in a rather awkward position. At the same time, a large amount of stinging pain surged from the soles of his feet.

But it quickly dissipated, replaced by a surge of power throughout his body.

Although Shirou didn't know why, it was a good thing for the current situation.

Pushing off with his legs, Shirou quickly charged forward, smoothly using his left heel and right foot to dodge the fleeing crowd.

"Don't interfere!"

The criminal roared angrily upon seeing Shirou charging towards him, simultaneously unleashing a stream of flame.

Shirou looked at the flames rushing towards him and quickly analyzed the current situation—

Dodge? The flames would continue to fly, injuring others, or setting the shopping mall ablaze.

Tank it? He would likely lose another shirt and suffer extensive burns.

Project? Not enough time. His magic circuits were still overloaded and insufficient to project anything that could block it.

—Shirou chose to endure the damage from the flames with his body.

Despite the potential injury, Shirou still chose this method.

For some unknown reason, Shirou subconsciously chose to block with his right hand, which was in pain, instead of his left hand, which was more flexible.

Boom—

The flames struck his right arm. Other than feeling something impact him, Shirou felt no pain.

"Bluffing?"

Shirou was puzzled.

But the criminal in the distance didn't think so. In his eyes, Shirou was just an arrogant person trying to be a hero, charging at him, and then casually swatting away his Originium Arts.

Those flames could pierce steel plates!

And Shirou just swatted them away casually?

"Don't joke around!"

The criminal stopped in his tracks, no longer pursuing the hostage, as he was more likely to be kicked away by Shirou before he could catch up.

But stopping didn't mean he was surrendering. He extended both hands towards Shirou, gathering a larger flame.

The flames were immense, and their appearance had grown significantly, no longer something Shirou could block with his hands.

But Shirou didn't panic, because in his sight, a crossbow bolt was already flying towards the criminal's hand.

"Gah… Ahhhh!"

The criminal's hand was pierced, and the intense pain caused him to lose control of his Arts, which then exploded in front of him.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, it's all your fault... it's all your fault!"

The criminal's hair and clothes were burning, but he focused his attention on Shirou.

A large amount of flames erupted from his body, lunging towards Shirou.

Facing the suicidal attack, Shirou leaped up and kicked the criminal directly in the head.

That was the only part not burning, and also the most vulnerable part of the human body.

Whether it was a Terra native or an ordinary person as he understood them, their weaknesses were similar.

That is, assuming they were ordinary Terra natives. Shirou didn't have much understanding of beings like the Ancients.

Bang!

The criminal's head smashed hard into the ground, shattering the floor.

Shirou landed steadily, watching to see if the person before him intended to continue attacking.

"Ah... still alive?"

Seeing the cracks on the floor, Shirou hadn't expected his kick to unleash such power.

—When your body can move, you'll look more like a magus than before.

Shirou recalled Archer's words.

"So that's what he meant?"

Shirou gently clenched his right hand. It seemed that as his magic circuits expanded, his physical abilities would also be further enhanced. He had thought his body was only reinforced through projection.

"Hey, you there, you're under arrest! Please don't resist!"

A woman's voice called out. Shirou looked up and saw the owner of the voice—Swire, and beside her, someone in a Knights of the Round Table uniform.