BAMN: Chapter 93/94

Chapter 93: Rin: Am I Caster?

"Bang bang bang!"

"Boom!!"

Their movements were swift, each move displaying the depth of their swordsmanship and spearmanship.

Rin's figure appeared high above, his gaze sweeping left and right, quickly identifying everyone's positions.

Waver and Iskandar on the distant bridge, Assassin lurking above, Irisviel watching the battle nervously, and Kayneth hiding somewhere.

Of course, Rin didn't miss Maiya and Emiya Kiritsugu, both armed with sniper rifles, waiting for an opportunity to eliminate a Master.

"How does it feel?"

"Purely in terms of martial arts, they've reached the pinnacle of human capability."

Snow Empress noticed the ones hiding in the shadows. "Should we get rid of these rats~?"

"Forget it. We're just here to watch the battle tonight."

Rin dangled his feet and sat on the edge of a container.

His targets weren't those two, but the King of Conquerors and Gilgamesh, who had yet to enter the fray.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Kiritsugu, observing from the shadows, felt a tremor in his chest. He quickly moved his scope. "Is that...?!"

"A new Master?"

Through the sniper scope, Kiritsugu saw Rin.

"What?"

"White hair, heterochromatic eyes, around sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing modern casual clothes, and inhumanly handsome."

Not only Kiritsugu, but Kirei also saw Rin through Assassin's vision and quickly reported his appearance to Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"???"

Tokiomi was genuinely confused now.

Kirei had just given a similar report earlier regarding Irisviel.

At the time, Tokiomi had concluded that she was an Einzbern homunculus.

But Rin?

Another homunculus?

"A Heroic Spirit?"

"Or another Master?"

But there was no need to keep guessing.

As if sensing their probing gazes, Rin slowly raised his right hand, revealing a blood-red Command Spell on the back of it.

"Command Spell?!"

"A Master!!"

That was everyone's immediate reaction, but what shocked them even more was Rin's boldness.

As a Master, he didn't hide. He directly revealed himself.

You had Kayneth lurking in the shadows, Irisviel as Kiritsugu's decoy, and even Kirei and Tokiomi were observing from afar.

But only Rin stood out in plain sight without hesitation.

"Is he just reckless, or does he have something to rely on?"

"How dare he expose himself so openly?"

"Should we eliminate him?"

Maiya had already aimed her rifle at Rin's head, prepared to shoot. "At this distance..."

"Ah, at this distance..."

"!!!"

Suddenly, Maiya's hand froze.

And in front of her throat, a cold blade shimmered, ready to slash her neck at any moment.

'When?!'

A bead of cold sweat slid down her cheek. She could feel the killing intent behind her.

Never before had death felt so tangible.

"Maiya?!"

Having fought alongside Maiya for years, Kiritsugu immediately noticed something was wrong from the change in her voice.

Maiya was in danger!

Which meant, so was he.

"Should I kill her?"

The deep, weathered male voice in his earpiece sent a chill down Kiritsugu's spine.

He had also been exposed.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

"Behind me? When?!"

Startled by the approaching footsteps, Kiritsugu was just about to react.

But a hand landed on his shoulder first.

"!!"

In that instant, Kiritsugu was completely immobilized, as if locked down by an invisible force.

A seemingly effortless hand held him in place. He couldn't move.

"Do you think I should kill her?"

Rin had vanished from everyone's sight. He lightly patted Kiritsugu on the shoulder and asked, "Saber's true Master, Emiya Kiritsugu?"

After saying that, Rin casually sat down beside him, continuing to watch the battle below.

As for Kiritsugu, completely restrained, he couldn't even raise his Command Spell to summon Saber, let alone fight back.

'This guy!'

'He's definitely not a Magus!'

No Magus could possess such techniques.

And it wasn't just Kiritsugu.

Kirei and Tokiomi were also frantically searching for Rin's figure.

"He's gone?"

"Yes."

Kirei said, "It was like an illusion. Assassin lost sight of him in an instant."

"How is that possible?"

Losing track of someone like Rin would normally be understandable.

But this was Assassin.

Assassin, who specialized in stealth and assassination.

Someone who could evade even his perception... not even most Heroic Spirits could pull that off.

But Rin was gone.

"Invisibility magic, or some kind of illusion?"

Actually, there was another possibility—spatial magic.

But that thought was terrifying.

If a Magus of that level really entered the Holy Grail War, Tokiomi could only imagine the pressure they'd face.

"Perhaps we were wrong."

Tokiomi's expression was grim. "That white-haired young man..."

"Isn't a Master at all!"

Only three Servant classes had yet to be revealed: Rider, Caster, and Berserker.

Judging from his calm demeanor, he clearly wasn't a Berserker.

"Caster?"

Kiritsugu reached a similar conclusion.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "So, what does Caster-sama want with me?"

"Oh?"

Rin was a little surprised that Kiritsugu could still speak so calmly.

So, he released his hold on him.

"What are you talking about? Weren't you the ones planning something against me?"

"Hiding in the shadows, using those dangerous weapons to try and ambush me."

"How underhanded, Mr. Kiritsugu."

Rin plainly pointed out the contradiction between them. "You owe me an explanation, or that woman will pay for it."

Even though Maiya hadn't actually pulled the trigger.

Just aiming a sniper rifle—Rin might tolerate that, but his subordinates wouldn't.

If he hadn't stopped her, Snow Empress would've already triggered an ice explosion spell.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 94: Innate Time Control

"What kind of explanation do you want?"

Although Kiritsugu's tone remained calm, tension gripped his heart.

"Your magecraft."

Rin stated his demand bluntly. "Innate Time Control."

"This..."

The shock in Kiritsugu's heart was beyond words.

He hadn't expected the person in front of him to see through his secrets so thoroughly.

'Did someone betray me?'

'Who was it?'

'Maiya? Irisviel? The Einzbern family?'

In an instant, Kiritsugu considered countless possibilities.

"Didn't you call me Caster?"

Rin said, "As a Magus from the Age of Gods, is it so hard to believe I can see through modern magic at a glance?"

Of course, it was hard to believe!

He hadn't even used that magic.

Is this the value of a Caster, being able to expose his trump card instantly?

But no matter how turbulent Kiritsugu's thoughts were, right now, he was like a fish on the chopping block, with no room to struggle.

"Yes, but the core of this magic relies on the Magic Crest..."

Although Innate Time Control was the culmination of generations of the Emiya family's research, Kiritsugu himself didn't hold it in high regard.

As long as world peace could be achieved, something like magecraft was just a tool.

However, the magecraft wasn't simple.

At its core, it was a Bounded Field

It manipulated time, separating the internal flow of time within a designated space from that of the outside world, allowing the user to freely control it.

This type of magecraft consumed a vast amount of magical energy, and required complex rituals and lengthy preparation.

"No need for all that."

Rin interrupted Kiritsugu's explanation. "As long as you don't resist, I can analyze a mere magecraft in no time."

He had no concern about Kiritsugu seeing through his abilities.

Rin's real trump cards were Snow Empress and Ogerpon.

As long as those two remained unknown, no one could target him properly.

"Alright."

Kiritsugu had no choice.

Not only was Maiya being held hostage by Rin's subordinate, but he himself was also under Rin's control.

He had no confidence in escaping from a Heroic Spirit like Rin.

'Caster?'

'Just what are you?'

Following Rin's instruction, Kiritsugu relaxed his body, but his mind kept spinning rapidly. 'White hair. Heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one silver.'

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Kiritsugu searched his memory, he couldn't associate Rin with any known Heroic Spirit.

'Wait!'

Suddenly, Kiritsugu realized something.

If Rin was the Heroic Spirit summoned as Caster, then who was the one holding Maiya hostage?

Recalling the deep, rough male voice over the earpiece, it was clearly different from Rin's voice.

'His Master?'

But that was way too weird.

What kind of Master would obey a Heroic Spirit's command and take hostages?

Was the servant-master relationship reversed?

And Rin had Command Spells on his hand, undeniably real ones.

Kiritsugu felt a chill run through him.

'Just what kind of rule-breaking Heroic Spirit is this guy?'

[Detected rule fragments, beginning analysis]

[Analyzing...]

The skill Duplicator wasn't as easy to use in the Type-Moon World as it was in the Konosuba World.

In Konosuba, combined with Appraisal, Rin could instantly turn adventurers' class skills into his own.

But here, copying another's ability required sufficient analysis time.

And the target needed to either use the skill or remain within close proximity.

Even if he didn't activate the spell, Violet could still analyze Innate Time Control, this Bounded Field, without being detected by the Type-Moon World's rule system.

"Alright."

Rin had Souei release Maiya. "Before the magic analysis is complete, let's just enjoy the knightly duel."

Even though he said that, looking at the battlefield, it was obvious that Saber was at a disadvantage.

Diarmuid had already activated his Noble Phantasms. First, he used Crimson Rose of Exorcism to force Artoria to remove her armor, then followed with Yellow Rose of Mortality to successfully sever one of the tendons in her hand.

"Irisviel, use healing on me too!"

Seeing Diarmuid's wounds rapidly heal under Kayneth's magical energy, Artoria called out for support.

"I already used it!"

Irisviel said anxiously. "I clearly cast it… how could this be…"

"The healing should've worked, Saber. You should already be recovering."

But Artoria's wrist was still bleeding.

Clearly, this wasn't Irisviel's fault. Diarmuid had done something to block the healing.

"You were smart to recognize your armor was useless against Crimson Rose of Exorcism."

Diarmuid said, "But you removed it too quickly. If you'd kept it on a bit longer, it might have blocked Yellow Rose of Mortality."

"I see."

"A cursed spear that prevents wounds from healing once inflicted."

Artoria had already pieced together his identity. "The red spear that negates magic, the yellow cursed spear that causes unhealable wounds, and the tear mole under your right eye that charms women. You must be Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, the strongest warrior of the Fianna."

Likewise, Diarmuid had also identified Artoria as the legendary King Arthur from her sword alone.

"Saber lost."

A figure appeared behind Rin, causing Kiritsugu to turn around sharply, only to see a girl with icy blue hair and a cold expression.

"Hmph!"

Ice Empress observed Kiritsugu and snorted. "This guy's the enemy Master, right? Should I just kill him?"

The moment she spoke, Kiritsugu felt overwhelming killing intent bear down on him.

As expected from one of Rin's dependents, an ancient beast who had lived for 400,000 years. Kill first, talk later.

"He's already paid the price."

Rin was someone who honored the rules.

Since Kiritsugu had offered payment, Rin would let this one slide.

"But there won't be a next time, Emiya Kiritsugu."

Every word Rin spoke struck like a hammer on Kiritsugu's chest, making him break out in a cold sweat.

'Monster.'

That was Kiritsugu's first impression of Rin.

A terrifying monster, beyond reason or logic.

'Absolutely...'

'This guy cannot be made an enemy!'

Although his rational mind knew this was the correct judgment…

But as someone who fought for justice, Rin also understood: Kiritsugu would never stop challenging him.

(To be continued.)