If she continued to restrain Kirei, Irisviel's mana would be depleted first, leaving her unable to fight.
If she released the reinforced tal wires, the man in the robe would break free and rcilessly kill her.
At this mont, Irisviel seed to be trapped in a deadlock.
But aside from her and Kirei, who were locked in a stalemate, one other person was present.
"...Maiya... hurry up!"
The person who now held the key to victory was Maiya, who was still lying on the ground. Only she could kill Kirei, who was immobilized. She didn't need to get close enough to be within his kicking range; all she had to do was fire a bullet into his defenceless head. Kirei couldn't protect his head with his bulletproof sleeves like he had done earlier.
Although not much ti had passed, Maiya was gradually recovering, regaining sensation in her hands and feet. Despite the broken ribs that made her groan in pain, she slowly crawled on the ground, inching closer to the Calico submachine gun that had been thrown aside.
The key to victory lay in this endurance contest that would last only a few seconds. Irisviel clenched her teeth, enduring the pain in her magic circuits, and used this thought to encourage herself.
However, they had still underestimated how terrifying an executor of the Holy Church could be.
If Irisviel had acted directly, releasing alchemical magic to entangle Kirei before he realized the illusion, and then focused on a war of attrition to restrain the executor, perhaps they wouldn't have found themselves in such an awkward situation.
But her desire to protect Kiritsugu, combined with Maiya's wish to kill Kirei, led Irisviel to make the wrong judgnt—especially since she knew nothing about the horrors of Chinese martial arts.
Did they really think that tying a martial artist's hands to a tree would render him helpless?
Bang!
A thunderous sound answered that question.
As her mana was rapidly depleted, Irisviel was shocked to find that the tree trunk restraining Kirei was shaking violently, as if soone had struck it with all their might.
Bang!
The second loud noise echoed, and this ti, through the tactile feedback from the magical wires, Irisviel finally understood what was happening.
Kirei, with his hands pressed against the tree bark, was using his palms to strike the trunk with full force.
Chinese martial arts don't rely solely on the strength of the arms. Instead, they harness the power of the feet rooted to the ground, the rotation of the waist, the twist of the shoulders, and the joints of the arms and wrists, channelling all that force into the fist to deliver a blow beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
When necessary, the force can be generated from parts of the body other than the arms—this is the so-called "inch force."
If this continued, the tree supporting the silver wires would eventually collapse, and Kirei would break free. Once his hands were liberated, he would undoubtedly kill his enemies without rcy.
But both Irisviel and Maiya had already lost the ability to act, powerless to stop the executor's assault.
"I really should have listened to Sakatsuki and Saber..."
Irisviel clenched her teeth, forcing a bitter smile of defeat.
And then, a leisurely voice, belonging to soone outside the three of them, rang out.
"Well, even though I'm still young, you'll regret not listening to , ma'am."
That voice!
Kirei's pupils contracted sharply. The sound of him pounding the tree trunk ceased abruptly, only to be replaced by an even more frenzied assault. As the tree let out a mournful creak, the freed executor swiftly snapped the silver wires, drew his Black Keys, and hurled them toward the exhausted Irisviel.
"Madam!"
Maiya let out a desperate cry, one she hadn't even made when she was severely injured.
"My, my, that was close."
The sa lazy tone, but two arcs of light—one black, one white—cut through the night, striking the Black Keys hurtling toward Irisviel and knocking them aside.
Looking closely, the one who had saved Irisviel at the last mont was a pair of familiar twin swords—at least, they were unforgettable to Kirei Kotomine.
The executor's cold, expressionless eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion. His gaze swept the surroundings before finally settling on the branch of a certain tree.
White hair, golden eyes.
Under the bright moonlight, the young man's well-fitted kimono and his half-smiling expression were clearly outlined.
The aluminium can in his hand reflected a cold light. The drink inside had already been finished, and he casually tossed it into the void.
"...Sakatsuki."
The na was uttered with so difficulty. The executor, who had been fighting two opponents alone, subtly took a step back, preparing to retreat.
But suddenly, a sea of fluorescent light swept through the area. The glow of the ley lines rose from below, forming an impenetrable magical barrier that turned the Einzbern forest into an arena where only one side would erge alive.
There was no escape now.
"Leaving so soon? Why not stay a little longer?"
The young man gracefully descended from mid-air like a wandering swordsman. Ignoring the tense executor, he helped the mana-depleted Irisviel to her feet, smiling mischievously.
"What did I tell you, ma'am?"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong."
Irisviel admitted with a blush, then quickly added.
"Go help Maiya. I'll be fine."
"Sure, sure."
After a quick healing spell, Irisviel helped Maiya move to the side. Sakatsuki, who had descended from the sky, finally stood before his target: Kirei Kotomine.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kirei Kotomine."
"You... why are you here?"
More than the unwillingness to face death, Kirei Kotomine was filled with deep confusion.
Why had his actions been seen through yet again.
Did this guy plant a GPS tracker on him?
"Huh? You didn't know?"
Sakatsuki feigned surprise then flicked his hair with a flourish.
"The protagonist always appears last."
"Pfft!"
Irisviel couldn't help but chuckle.
Kirei, however, did not laugh. The overwhelming pressure emanating from Sakatsuki was a stark reminder of the young man's unwavering intent to kill.
The protagonist appearing last doesn't an they arrive late—it ans that once they appear, the crisis is resolved, and the disaster cos to an end.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you... for now."
As he spoke, Sakatsuki slowly assud a fighting stance.
"This is..."
Kirei, who had trained in martial arts since childhood, showed a flicker of emotion.
"I won't use any other magic. Co on!"
With that, Sakatsuki took steady steps toward Kirei.
"Let's settle this with Bajiquan!"
***
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