Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

Lancer—Cu Chulainn—was in a tough spot.

The woman chasing him was troublesome.

Assassin, her true name unknown. Even if he knew her true name, Cu Chulainn wouldn't recognize her. She wasn't a legendary hero from ancient times but a Servant born in the modern era.

Perhaps even from the future.

He had never heard of the NFF Service. It made sense. Even though Servants were imbued with general knowledge of the modern world, that didn't mean they knew every modern company.

If they were to be given all that information, the data load would be overwhelming.

Bullets left marks on the trees and the ground. The sound of gunfire was particularly loud here. If this place weren't so remote, someone might have noticed.

It was daytime. Under normal circumstances, battles wouldn't break out at this hour. Even if Servants crossed paths, they would tacitly avoid conflict.

"Concealment" was a principle among magi. That's why most conflicts in the Holy Grail War occurred at night.

But unwritten rules often didn't last forever.

Signed agreements could be torn up, and mutual understandings... weren't they meant to be broken?

Like now.

"Assassin, aren't you and your Master worried about being discovered?"

"No worries. It's just gunfire. We can always say it's a gang shootout."

Koyanskaya's voice came from all directions, making it impossible for Cu Chulainn to pinpoint her location. But he could always sense the bullets coming and defend against them.

This situation had been going on for a while. In the dense forest, all Cu Chulainn could see were the afterimages Assassin left behind and the relentless barrage of bullets.

"Something's off. She's trying to herd me somewhere. Let me think..."

A map of Fuyuki City formed in Cu Chulainn's mind. In the days since he arrived, he had already explored the entire city, from Shinto to Miyama Town.

The chase was taking place in the old town, while the Holy Church's chapel was on a hill southeast of Shinto. Between Miyama Town (the old town) and the chapel was the Mion River.

In reality, he was still far from the Mion River, being driven further away from the city.

Cu Chulainn realized why Assassin's Master had chosen such a remote spot to fish. He wasn't fishing for fish—he was fishing for him!

"Tch, I should've completed the scouting mission the other day. Master's too cautious. Well, I guess I'll just have to throw caution to the wind."

The principle of "concealment" had initially kept Cu Chulainn from entering the city to avoid bystanders. Like the kid he encountered at the school the other day, a single witness was manageable, and he could act decisively. But what if the number of witnesses grew from one to dozens, or even hundreds?

Killing them all would turn into a massacre. Cu Chulainn wasn't willing to do that.

But... knowing that his hesitation was being exploited and that he was walking into a trap, should he just let himself be led to his death?

Cu Chulainn changed direction, a move that seemed to catch his pursuer off guard. But her professionalism kept her on his tail, and soon she was back, applying pressure from the side.

Trying to push me back to the original path? There must be something waiting for me there. Do they really think I'm an idiot?

Assassin's bullets weren't ordinary. They carried "mystery," though Cu Chulainn couldn't identify what kind. He only knew it was there. If he chose to go into spirit form, those bullets would pierce his spiritual core and send him back to the Throne of Heroes.

Although he wasn't thrilled about serving his current Master, Cu Chulainn wouldn't betray him.

Braving the hail of bullets, Cu Chulainn pressed on. Though he wasn't heading in the exact opposite direction, he was deviating from the intended path.

The distance between them grew, and Assassin's attacks weakened. The density of bullets decreased, as if she wasn't chasing him but herding him.

"Got it."

Cu Chulainn felt he had chosen the right path. The closer he got to the city, the more restrained Assassin became. It was daytime, and magi had to adhere to the principle of "concealment."

But...

Was it really that simple?

A warrior's intuition made Cu Chulainn uneasy.

Deep in the forest of the mountainous region, the warrior from Northern Ireland assessed his location. He was west of Miyama Town. If there was any notable structure nearby, it would be Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou.

He had entered the vicinity of Mount Enzou.

"Can't take the main road."

In the dense forest, Cu Chulainn realized Assassin was trying to push him toward Mount Enzou. From Kirei Kotomine, he knew there was an unused leyline there.

Magi used leylines to establish workshops. A sufficiently sophisticated workshop could temporarily hold off a Servant. Of course, someone like Assassin, with her large-scale Noble Phantasm, could dismantle such a workshop.

Cu Chulainn didn't have that kind of ability. He excelled in one-on-one combat. His skills and Noble Phantasm made dispatching single targets easy.

He wasn't without area-of-effect attacks, but they weren't his forte, and using them risked mistakes. They weren't his trump cards.

Of course, as a Caster, it would be a different story.

Since he had identified where the trap was set, he just needed to avoid it. No matter how clever the trap, it wouldn't matter if he didn't step into it.

"Who's there?"

Suddenly, Cu Chulainn heard a voice. By now, Assassin's attacks had nearly ceased, and he could see rooftops in the distance. The forest was quiet, with fallen leaves carpeting the ground.

In such an environment, any movement would make noise.

"Koyanskaya-san, really? Even if I'm here, you should at least catch up."

"Assassin's Master?" Cu Chulainn recognized the man—the one who had been fishing earlier.

Assassin's Master. Cu Chulainn had a strong impression of him. On the night the Matou family was destroyed, he had seen the man keeping pace with a Servant.

And now, the man was holding a sword.

A Japanese katana.

"Are you going to stop me?"

"Yes. They should be here soon. So, Cu Chulainn, could you stay here with me for a while?"

Holding the *Amenoma Kageuchi*, Li Mo channeled mana into his body. His three physical attributes surpassed human limits, approaching the realm of the extraordinary.

There was only one reason Koyanskaya hadn't continued the chase: Medea had emerged.

Now, all he needed to do was buy a little time.

Li Mo felt his heartbeat, his breathing technique slightly rusty as he prepared for the fight.