In terms of compatibility, Kariya should have been the one to hold off Kiritsugu. The insect magecraft of the Matou family was powerful and numerous, while Kiritsugu lacked many large-scale attack methods. If this were a direct confrontation, the battle between Kariya and Kiritsugu should have been won by Kariya.
However, the prerequisite was that Kariya's body could still hold out.
Seeing his pale face and skin that looked like dead bark, Naoki couldn't help but frown: "Your body... it can't hold out much longer, can it?"
To become a Master, Kariya had been tortured by Zouken for a year. Even after being saved by Naoki and Arthur, he only had a few dozen days left to live. And after the earlier fierce attack on the Tohsaka family, and the fact that he had just been controlled by Morgan... after all these twists and turns, his life had become like a dying candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
The reason he could still stand and use magecraft now might be his final struggle.
"Thank you for your concern... But don't worry..." Kariya forced a smile, "Even though I was controlled, since I broke my own oath, I have to pay the price... Alright, leave the rest to me..."
After saying this, Kariya weakly pushed Naoki, as if urging him to leave.
But how could someone as exhausted as him push Naoki away? Standing firmly on the ground with both feet planted, Naoki sighed helplessly, then bent down and grabbed Kariya's hand.
"If I remember correctly, I once told you that I wouldn't let someone as injured as you go to the battlefield... Even if it was just a coincidence, Arthur and I decided to save you back then, not letting you die like this again."
"I don't want to see people I indirectly saved die for me. I wouldn't be able to sleep well at night if that happened. If you want to die, find a place where no one can find you and die alone."
"You..."
Seeing Naoki carrying him, Kariya was momentarily confused about what this man was thinking.
From his posture, it seemed like he intended to carry him away from here? His right hand and right leg were shot, and he wasn't even sure if he could get out safely on his own, so why was he taking him as a burden?
*BANG!*
At this moment, the swarm of insects surrounding Kiritsugu in the distance was suddenly engulfed in flames. The fire instantly burned all the insects to ashes. Covered in scars and burns, Kiritsugu rolled out of the thick smoke and flames! Then he pulled something from his hand and threw it toward the two of them!
When Naoki saw the object, his expression immediately changed: "Damn it! A grenade? Seriously?"
Although he knew Kiritsugu wasn't a good person, Naoki never expected him to carry a grenade. First, it was a sniper rifle, then a light machine gun, a pistol, a dagger, and now a grenade—was Kiritsugu a worker who had just returned from the Middle East?
*BOOM!*
The grenade exploded suddenly! A large amount of debris swept over the two of them due to the explosion!
"Insects! Come forth!"
An uncountable swarm of insects was summoned by Kariya in an instant, forming an airtight wall to block all the shrapnel. And because Naoki was carrying him, he could clearly feel Kariya's body twitching violently several times as he used his magecraft!
To produce usable Mana, the Crest Worms were constantly draining his life force!
"Kariya..."
Naoki actually wanted him to stop, but he also knew that if Kariya didn't do this, both of them would be riddled with bullet fragments.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in his shoulder and leg, Naoki shook his head vigorously to free himself from the Mystic Eyes, then said in a deep voice: "Kariya, disperse the insect swarm, I'll take care of Kiritsugu."
"..."
As if he no longer had the strength to speak, Kariya simply nodded, and the swarm of insects behind them immediately dispersed like a receding tide. And as the swarm dispersed, when Kiritsugu saw the two of them, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
*BANG!* *BANG!*
Two bullets exploded from the chamber! One shot at Naoki, and the other at Kariya!
However, at the same time, Naoki also suddenly turned around. After losing control over the effects of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, those sky-blue Mystic Eyes immediately fell upon Kiritsugu!
Soul Erosion!
When Kiritsugu saw those Mystic Eyes, he suddenly felt as if his body had been bitten hard by something, and he was instantly overwhelmed by an intense sense of exhaustion!
*BANG!*
"Hmm…!"
"..."
Naoki's right arm and Kariya's lower abdomen were also hit by bullets shortly after. Blood immediately gushed out from where they were shot, staining their clothes red.
After being shot three times in a short period, Naoki was already numb to the pain. Now, even if he were shot two or three more times, he wouldn't feel anything. In fact, after being shot several times, he had somewhat gotten used to it—Sajyou Manaka's torture was far more painful than this!
Seeing Kiritsugu clutching his chest like a drunk not far away, Naoki took the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception with his blood-stained hand and put them back on: "In three seconds... about 60% of his soul has been eroded?"
If he had been given two more seconds, Kiritsugu would have been completely destroyed and turned into a mindless walking corpse controlled by evil spirits. Honestly, it would have been much more difficult if the situation had turned out like that.
Evil spirits are different from humans. Humans obey the most basic rationality as humans. Although Kiritsugu was a cold-blooded justice machine, it was undeniable that he still had some rationality. And if he were to completely turn into an evil spirit, a monster that would do anything to enforce justice would emerge.
No, if it were Kiritsugu, he might be even more radical and amoral. That was clearly not an enemy the two severely injured men wanted to face.
So Naoki activated the Mystic Eyes again.
"If left like this... He will die."
Naoki thought so. Kiritsugu's soul had mostly been eroded. There should be no way to save him even in the Age of Gods, let alone modern society. At least in Naoki's mind, the only solution he could think of was magic.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Naoki leaned slightly against the wall: "Now the battle between the Masters has ended, and all that's left is to meet Saber..."
He was about to step forward, but after just one step, Naoki felt all the energy in his body drain away like a flood, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Ouch... it hurts so much... damn it... I can't move..."
He had run at full speed for several hundred meters after being shot three times, and he hadn't taken any measures to stop the bleeding. On top of that, Arthur had been constantly draining his Mana... No matter which aspect you looked at, Naoki now had no strength left. He should have passed out from exhaustion long ago. The reason he was still standing earlier was purely due to the adrenaline.
And now, seeing that Kiritsugu had temporarily lost his threat, Naoki's tense spirit suddenly relaxed, and the accumulated fatigue and pain immediately overwhelmed his consciousness!
*THUD!*
His arm could no longer hold onto the wall to support his body, and Naoki fell hard to the ground.