Kirei swung out four Black Keys and threw them continuously in four directions in an instant. Unsurprisingly, there was no sensation of hitting anything. While Kirei clicked his tongue in agitation at the fruitless unfolding, he was hit directly in the back by a bullet.
The third shot was fired without even a breath of pause; it should be said that the first two shots were a feint to confuse Kirei. Originally, since it was possible to manipulate an illusion trap that emitted a murderous aura, it was theoretically possible to mask real killing intent. Before he could scream, the tall man in the priest's robe collapsed onto his back with his feet tangled.
There were neither spasms nor painful moans. Did you accurately penetrate the spinal cord and kill him instantly? Maiya, who judged the situation as such, rose from her sniper spot. She aimed her gun at the prone Kirei and cautiously approached.
"—Miss Maiya, no!"
Irisviel, who had noticed the trap earlier, sent out a warning, but it was too late. Kirei remained on his back and didn't get up, yet with a single wave of his arm, he threw a hidden Black Key. The blade, flying from a low trajectory, tore through the calf of Maiya's right leg, robbing her of the opportunity to make her next move.
Maiya pulled the trigger without fear, but Kirei only covered his head with his hands and didn't dodge at all. The priest's robes are made of thick Kevlar fiber all the way down to the sleeves, reinforced with protective charms specially made by the Holy Church Executors. A 9mm pistol bullet cannot penetrate them even at very close range.
In close combat, compared to the Black Keys—which lack balance due to their extremely short handles—Maiya's large dagger held an overwhelming advantage in agility.
"It works!" Maiya rushed over in a self-sacrificing posture.
But just when Maiya felt she was about to win, Kirei let go of his weapons and launched a move from Bajiquan.
"Six Opening Elbows!"
After the hand holding the dagger was caught, the subsequent movements were done in an instant. Maiya couldn't even defend herself and fell heavily to the ground. Because of the immense impact, Maiya fell into the illusion that her limbs were detached; her whole body was paralyzed and unable to move. She felt severe pain in her chest from the elbow strike; at least two or three ribs must be broken.
"I'm here to help you, Maiya!"
Irisviel approached without hesitation. Maiya, seeing this, suddenly turned pale. "No, Madam!"
Maiya cast aside all previous awkwardness. For her, Irisviel's crisis was more serious than her own danger. At this stage, only Irisviel can cooperate with and command Saber; if she dies, the defeat of the Einzbern camp is certain.
"Don't worry, Maiya, I won't go near him," Irisviel responded.
Irisviel pulled out the Mystic Code hidden in her coat sleeve. At first glance, it didn't look like a weapon at all. Scattered between her fingers were soft, slender silver threads.
"Madam, this man is an Executor—a master of hunting magi!"
Hearing Maiya's warning, Irisviel smiled quietly at her friend, who was crouching on the ground in pain. In front of the speechless Maiya and the amazed Kirei, Irisviel infused her magical energy into the tinsel. The very slender wires unraveled and began to flow between Irisviel's fingers like living creatures.
"Shape ist Leben" (Wreckage, give you life).
Through the chanting of two bars, the magecraft was woven in one breath. The manipulation of metal is Irisviel's true skill. This secret technique is unmatched. Silver filaments crisscrossed to form complex outlines. Intertwined and combined, a complex three-dimensional object appeared like rattan craft, featuring fierce wings, a beak, and sharp claws. It was a delicate silver filigree handicraft in the shape of a giant eagle.
No, it's not just a model—the metal eagle hissed loudly and then rushed toward Kotomine Kirei like a bullet. The speed of the wire was so fast that Kirei looked serious and lowered his body to dodge the blow. If it had hit, the sharpness of the metal blade would have been enough to kill him.
Immediately after the first blow missed, the silver eagle hovered over Kirei's head. This time it pounced with its talons, aiming for his face. However, this was not a one-sided defensive war for the Executor. Unafraid of the sharpness of the claws, he struck at the eagle with a powerful fist. The rapidly descending eagle could no longer change its trajectory, and the fist hit it directly in the abdomen.
"This————!?"
However, it was Kirei who made a sound of surprise. The eagle reverted to amorphous silver filaments as it was hit, wrapping around his right fist like a creeper. Although he immediately pulled at it with his left hand, the silver wire wrapped around that hand as well. The silver thread that had flown as an eagle was now firmly bound to Kirei's hands like handcuffs.
"... Hmph."
However, Kirei is an expert who has fought countless magi to the death. He just snorted lightly and rushed toward Irisviel. Even with his hands sealed, he only needed to get close and unleash a kick to decide the winner.
"How naive," Irisviel snapped, injecting more magic into the silver thread.
A bundle of silver threads stretched out from the bindings on Kirei's hands, running like snakes through the void to wrap around the trunks of nearby trees. At this point, even Kirei couldn't resist.
However, Irisviel suddenly realized that while Kirei's hands should have been crushed by the pressure, his muscles—strong as steel—were beyond imagination. Her silver filaments were nearly at their breaking point. In order to strengthen the metal and keep it from snapping, Irisviel had to constantly exhaust her magical power.
"... Maiya-san... Hurry!"
With a moment's respite, the injured Maiya regained sensation in her limbs. She groaned in pain from her broken ribs as she moved slowly toward the discarded Calico submachine gun. Victory and defeat were a battle of perseverance measured in seconds. Although she gritted her teeth against the pain in her magic circuits, Irisviel encouraged herself. If she could maintain the silver wire until Maiya could shoot, they would win.
It can be said that at this time, the two women still misjudged the horror of a Holy Church Executor.
Boom————!
The deafening sound left Irisviel speechless. The trunk of the tree that bound Kirei vibrated violently, as if hit by a punch with full force. With the back of his hand pressed against the bark, he was striking the trunk with all his might.
Boom... Boom... Boom!
The deafening sound left Irisviel and the others stunned. Kotomine Kirei, whose arms were tied with silver wires against the thick tree trunk, was hitting the wood using the back of his hand. The power of the fist was not generated just by the wrist, but by the combined force of feet stepping on the earth, the rotation of the waist, and the twisting of the shoulders.
Three consecutive blows with all his strength actually made the tree trunk emit an overwhelmed sound and break! Kirei used his hands to tear off the silver wires. Irisviel felt a strong sense of backlash from the broken magecraft and collapsed on the spot.
"You guy..." Maiya, who had several broken ribs, spoke with hatred, but Kirei kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to faint instantly.
Kirei turned his cold, emotionless eyes to Irisviel, whose eyes were full of fear. "Next, it's you."
At this moment, from the forest, a sharp sword flew out and instantly pierced Kirei's chest! The irresistible force of inertia drove him back until he was pinned to a tree trunk.
...
While Irisviel and the others were in crisis, Saber and Diarmuid were confronting Archer, who sat high in the sky.
"Just a mongrel, daring to disturb the King's leisure!" Gilgamesh's red eyes were fixed on Diarmuid. "Death for this King!"
With Gilgamesh's words, dozens of golden ripples appeared behind him like the surface of water, and the treasures poking through were razor-sharp.
Whoosh————!!!
Several treasures poured down like a torrential rain toward Diarmuid, Saber, and Irisviel below!
"Don't even think about it!" Seeing this, Diarmuid rushed forward, utilizing his A-rank speed to deflect all the treasures falling from the sky!
Clang, Clang, Clang————!!!
Archer, seeing this scene, looked truly angry for the first time. It was a rare feeling for him; he felt a ridiculous sense of rage because of this mongrel. Clearly, the man was an ant on the ground, yet so unruly. It was a provocation to the King!
"I really don't know if you want to live or die... You bastard!!"
Behind Gilgamesh, sitting high atop Vimana, golden ripples appeared one after another. In just a few seconds, nearly a hundred ripples appeared, creating a golden "giant wall" behind him. All sorts of strangely shaped treasures emerged, causing Saber and Diarmuid to gasp.
"With so many treasures, how can we defeat him!?"
If she could release Excalibur, she would have the confidence to fight. Thinking this, Saber looked at her left hand, which couldn't even hold a sword, and felt a sense of despair.