If you compare a magus's Magic Circuit to a high-voltage current circuit, Kiritsugu's bullet is a drop of water. What happens if a conductive liquid adheres to a dense electrical circuit? Because a short circuit in the loop causes the current to destroy the circuit itself, it causes a complete failure.
Just like that, making the Magic Circuit short-circuit is the terrifying effect of Kiritsugu's Mystic Code. If you want to avoid damage from Kiritsugu's magic bullets, you need to use only physical means to defend against them without relying on any magecraft. From the very beginning, there was simply no magical armor that could completely protect against the bullets of this hunting pistol. It is a bullet known for its penetrating power, and unless you are riding in an armored vehicle, you will definitely not be able to avoid being injured.
No more time to waste. Emiya Kiritsugu raised his gun, intending to give Tohsaka Tokiomi the final blow to end his life. Suddenly, Emiya Kiritsugu looked at the spot where Tohsaka Tokiomi, who couldn't move just moments ago, had been—he had disappeared.
"How could it be!? Is there still a trump card...?"
Emiya Kiritsugu was immediately annoyed. It was at this time that he heard a voice coming from the hallway near the staircase. A red-haired boy, driven by a large mass of mercury, seemed to levitate toward Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Are there any enemies...!"
Almost subconsciously, Emiya Kiritsugu raised his machine gun toward the newcomer and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Da-da-da!
From the tongues of fire that erupted from the machine gun, bullets shot out at a rapid pace. However, although there were more than fifty rounds of 9mm bullets, the moment they hit the young man's side, the place where he was standing was wrapped in a silver semicircle.
The block of mercury that had been entrenched at the boy's feet transformed into a semicircle in an instant. The thickness of the film was less than 1 mm, which seemed fragile, but under the power of magecraft, the surface tension of the mercury film reached the strength of a steel plate.
This is the Auto-Defense mode of the Volumen Hydrargyrum. This pre-programmed magecraft is able to automatically react when Shirou is threatened, instantly opening a powerful defensive film. That kind of reaction speed can defend against even bullets.
"You guy... Who are you?"
Emiya Kiritsugu endured the side effects of using Time Alter before, gritting his teeth as he whispered. He didn't remember this person being in this Holy Grail War!
Wait...
Emiya Kiritsugu's pupils shrank, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Are you the... Eighth Master!?"
Before, at the Mion River, the eighth person who shot at Caster while he was manipulating the Sea Demon! That's right, this person is most likely the eighth participant in the Holy Grail War! So, where is his Servant? Emiya Kiritsugu guessed suspiciously.
At this time, the young man with auburn hair and wearing a red sweatshirt replied.
"I'm just a... just a magus passing by."
The young man's answer made Emiya Kiritsugu's heart heavy. The mere effort of defeating Tohsaka Tokiomi had already exhausted him, and now he had to face another magus... who seemed to be just as powerful.
Emiya Kiritsugu took a deep breath, then turned around without hesitation and fled. Of course, he knew that he couldn't just escape, so it was merely a delaying tactic. With his back against the corner, Kiritsugu endured the pain caused by the side effects while calmly reloading the single-shot pistol with an Origin Bullet.
The opponent's magecraft appeared to use mercury as a means of attack and defense, and since this was the case, it should subconsciously use that method to resist the bullet. In this way, the Origin Bullet would come in handy. But if he shot recklessly, the other party would definitely perceive his intent.
Therefore, after reloading the Origin Bullet, Emiya Kiritsugu reloaded another normal bullet into the Contender first. In this way, after the first ordinary bullet is easily resisted, the opponent will let down their vigilance, and then they will take the second bullet lightly, perhaps even thinking that it is Emiya Kiritsugu's dying throes.
"It's almost..."
Emiya Kiritsugu took a deep breath, made up his mind, and recited the incantation.
"Time Alter—Double Accel!"
Even if the side effects worsened, if he didn't use it now, he might not have the opportunity to use it in the future, because he would die here. Without further thought, Emiya Kiritsugu rushed out. His body had become much faster in Shirou's eyes, but for Shirou, whose physical ability is far beyond ordinary people, it was still within the range of what he could handle.
"Trace... on!"
Two rugged long swords, one black and one white, appeared in Shirou's hands; it was Kanshou and Bakuya: Overedge!
At the same time that Shirou finished projecting, Emiya Kiritsugu had already raised his gun and pulled the trigger.
Bang————!
A bullet flew out of the single-shot pistol, aiming at Shirou's heart.
Clang————!
Bright sparks flashed, and Emiya Kiritsugu's expression became slightly sluggish. What did he just see? That magus used Projection magecraft?
Emiya Kiritsugu knows about Projection; it is a magecraft that uses magical energy to materialize mirrors and imitations of objects that exist in reality. Because it is formed by magic, it cannot be sustained for a long time, so it can usually only be projected for a few minutes with a hollow appearance. In addition, if there is a flaw in the visualization, it will be misty. It is generally regarded as an extremely inefficient behavior.
How can such a fragile replica withstand a bullet? It should be broken the moment it is touched; it should be...
But the two swords projected by the young man in front of him subverted these absurdities. The tenacity of those two swords was enough to resist bullets. In Emiya Kiritsugu's view, this is almost impossible, but the facts were presented in front of him, and the other party had done it.
Although there was a lot of speculation in his mind, the activation of Time Alter was pushing Emiya Kiritsugu's body to the limit, and he had to take action at this moment. Emiya Kiritsugu threw away the doubts in his heart, stopped thinking, and pulled the trigger again toward Shirou.
This time, it was the Origin Bullet. At the same time, Emiya Kiritsugu, who understood that the other party could withstand bullets, raised the machine gun in his other hand.
Da-da-da!
Dozens of bullets were fired at a rapid pace. In such a situation, Emiya Kiritsugu did not think that a boy with only two swords would be able to fend off these bullets one by one. However, the development of events was far beyond Emiya Kiritsugu's expectations.