Multiverse, Making Delta of Fate at the Start

"Phew—"

Archer panted as he materialized once more.

All the Dragon Tooth Soldiers materialized as well, but all kinds of projected Noble Phantasms were embedded in their bones.

They vanished into motes of light along with the Noble Phantasms lodged in them.

Archer looked at Cú Chulainn standing before him, his pupils shrinking slightly.

"You again?!"

"How did you... escape from his hands?"

Hearing Archer's voice,

the blue, statue-like figure slowly seemed to react, only to ultimately fall still again.

"You..."

Archer looked at him, flooding his eyes with mana and seeing through the darkness and rain curtain to make out his appearance.

The blue figure was riddled with wounds, covered head to toe in blood, with several fatal injuries.

There was even a huge hole in his chest.

The lingering mana on those wounds... could only have been left by genuine high-grade Noble Phantasms.

Only dimly burning blood-red remained in his half-closed eyes, filled with the will to die.

"So... you're already dead."

Archer relaxed slightly. Of course. He had lured Cú Chulainn right in front of that guy.

"Hmph. Never thought... you'd last this long."

Archer continued draining his Master's mana and slowly stood up. Using his barely functional left leg, he limped toward the area behind Cú Chulainn.

Kazuma Satou guessed what he was about to do and immediately fired.

"Sniper!"

Archer turned his head and raised a hand, summoning a black blade that knocked aside the incoming arrow. Then he reached out toward Kurisu Makise.

His target was the staff she held tightly in her hand.

If he wasn't mistaken, that staff was Medea's Hecate's Staff. It possessed powerful mana-supplying abilities and could restore mana.

Whether wielded by a Master or a Servant, it could be immensely effective.

As a Servant, if he got his hands on it, he could use it to restore himself.

Kurisu Makise tried to dodge, but it was useless.

"Hmph."

Archer moved quickly. Just as he was about to grasp the staff's handle, his hand passed right through it.

He grabbed nothing but air.

"Hm?"

What... was going on?

Archer tried again, but his hand still passed directly through the staff.

Kischur Zelretch: "What... kind of magecraft is this?"

Rin Tohsaka: "Imaginary Numbers? A taboo? I can't make heads or tails of it."

Mery: "What is this?"

Dr. Roman: "I don't get it."

Aizen: "Kyoka Suigetsu? No, its essence... even I have no way to understand it?"

Tadakuni: "Wait, holy shit!"

Sora: "Holy shit, I get it too. Holy shit!"

Umari Tsuchima: "No way?"

Luvia: "So what kind of magecraft or magic is it?"

Tet: "Neither."

Tet: "This isn't magecraft, nor is it magic. It is—the Game Rule."

Rin Tohsaka: "Hm? What does that mean?"

Waver: "Holy shit, this isn't magecraft? This is... the rule that NPCs can't steal player items?!"

Tet: "Exactly. How could an NPC casually take loot belonging to a player?"

Tet: "Hahaha, brilliant. This design is simply unparalleled. I never expected such a surprise here."

A-Xiu: "Haha, so that's how it is. Pretty nice!"

Sora: "Hahahahaha, this is too interesting! This really was... a total 'Sora' loss!"

Aizen: "A Game Rule, huh? Then perhaps... there is another way around it."

Tet: "If the design is realistic enough, then—if the player dies and the item hasn't been put into their inventory, it will drop directly. An NPC might be able to pick it up and use it."

Umari Tsuchima: "Then Kurisu Makise is still in danger!"

Gokou Ruri: "Archer... Red P! You big jerk!"

Sylphy: "He really is... bad."

Misaka Mikoto: "He's not a good person."

Archer: "Can only they beat up 'me'?" (Speechless)

Ichigo Kurosaki: "Yes."

Archer: "...Hmph. Say whatever you want. I've already won this round. Whatever you can think of, 'I' can definitely think of too."

Gabriel: "CS!"

Kanna: "CS!"

Jia Xin Jiang: "CS!"

"Why can't I take it?"

Archer looked at the red-haired girl in front of him, who was still breathing, and thought of one possibility. He efficiently raised the sword in his hand at her.

"Sniper!"

Kazuma Satou fired another arrow.

Archer knocked it away with a backhand strike. The arrow split into two; one half, with the arrowhead, struck his face and left a bloody cut.

The other half,

fell at Cú Chulainn's feet. Its tail lightly brushed his toe before vanishing.

The blue figure moved almost imperceptibly.

"Tch, poisoned too?"

Archer clicked his tongue, closing his left eye as a numb sensation spread across his forehead.

After fighting this long,

the most disgusting thing had been that green thing upstairs constantly firing arrows. The damage wasn't high, but it was infuriating—every critical moment, it got in his way.

Without that guy, he would have won already.

He threw his blade at Kazuma Satou, then projected several more swords and fired them out as if venting his anger, blowing the window where Kazuma Satou stood to pieces.

"Kazuma!"

"Brother!!"

"You bastard!!!"

Hachiman Hikigaya watched his brother get blown away until he was nowhere to be seen and instantly cried out in grief.

Then he thought about letting that goddamn gambling-bridge dog Red P win and wanted nothing more than to jump into the sea and kill himself!

The few who had no fighting strength left could only glare helplessly as Archer moved to kill Kurisu Makise!

The instant the blade fell,

"Bang—!"

A punch exploded with a thunderous sound!

Archer was completely unguarded and was sent flying.

He barely steadied himself in midair, slid several meters after landing, crouched on the ground, and looked up at the blue figure.

"Why aren't you dead yet?!"

The red in Cú Chulainn's eyes had been dim and lifeless, but at those words, it suddenly lit up. He straightened his ruined chest, grinned through the dried blood at the corner of his mouth, and smiled.

"I... made a promise to that kid over there. I said I'd definitely punish you."

"And I made a promise to this woman too. No matter what, I'd protect her from you today!"

"If I just died like this,

—how the hell could I call myself a hero?!"

Balor: "Good, good, good, good, good!"

Kamijou Touma: "Cool!"

Gintoki Sakata: "Cool!"

Kagura: "Cool!"

Natsu: "Cool!"

Luffy: "Cool!!!"

Rin Tohsaka: "Ah... why isn't my Servant Cú Chulainn? I'd take Lancer instead of Saber too. Why did I get this unlucky Archer?"

Archer: "...Master, could you please not say something so cold and heartless?"

Cú Chulainn: "Hehe."

Archer: "Don't laugh. Didn't I toy with you? Is being cool useful? Can you even still move?"

Cú Chulainn: "..."

Cú Chulainn: "Tch. No hehe."

"Hmph!"

Archer snorted and hopped backward on one foot, widening the distance between himself and Cú Chulainn.

His opponent was not even at the end of his strength. He was merely a corpse.

As long as Archer kept his distance,

there was no need to snipe him.

He only had to wait for him to die naturally.

Victory would ultimately be his.

The Final Ripple (4K, Bonus Chapter)

"Damn it!"

"Is that bastard really going to get away with this?!"

"I'm going down."

Mahiro Oyama and Shido Itsuka exchanged looks. Hesitation flickered in their eyes before they finally hardened their resolve.

Now, only she remained.