บท 45: Chapter 45: The Oriole and the Slingshot

This man, Shinji knew him. He was the target of Shinji's current mission, Kirei Kotomine.

Due to his background and experiences, Kirei Kotomine had an unusual obsession with the magus killer, Kiritsugu Emiya. In the original timeline, Kirei Kotomine detected Kiritsugu's presence by installing cameras on his familiar and has been keeping a close eye on him ever since. After Kiritsugu's death, he transferred this attachment to Kiritsugu's adopted son, Shirou Emiya.

Now, in a similar vein, Kirei personally infiltrated the Warehouse District and sensed the presence of a "kindred spirit." The outcome of the battle in the Warehouse District gave him the perfect opportunity.

The curse effect of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's Yellow Rose was evident. While the other six Servants remained unharmed, Saber had her hand sealed early in the war, which was extremely disadvantageous. For the current Einzbern camp, the top priority was to eliminate Lancer, who was the source of the curse.

That's why Kirei lurked in Kenneth's stronghold, quietly awaiting the arrival of the attacker.

The mantis targets the cicada, but the oriole targets the mantis, and that oriole is Kirei Kotomine.

Although the person he was waiting for here wasn't Kiritsugu Emiya but someone else, Kirei Kotomine could ascertain that this woman was acting under Kiritsugu's instructions and was the key to finding Kiritsugu Emiya.

Maya quickly scanned Kirei Kotomine, who seemed completely defenseless and firmly engraved his features in her mind.

"A member of the Church... Why would he appear here?"

"No, this reaction is not right!"

Maya's response brought a strong sense of dissonance to Shinji. Just as Kirei was obsessed with Kiritsugu, Kiritsugu held a considerable caution towards Kirei, and even his two women were hostile towards Kirei.

"Maya Hisau couldn't possibly not know Kirei Kotomine, but she doesn't seem to be affected herself. What is going on?"

Even in the face of Maya's gun, Kirei showed no signs of unease and calmly said, "Miss, the person I'm looking for is not you. I just want you to answer me one question—where is the person who should have come here in your place?"

Before he could finish speaking, Maya's gun rang out, firing three shots in succession.

Although the 9mm military pistol was not weak in terms of power, it wasn't particularly strong either. Therefore, to effectively harm an opponent, a three-shot burst to the abdomen was crucial. Compared to the tiny lethal point that could cause instantaneous death, targeting a more easily hit area for debilitating injuries was considered more effective in the art of killing, and it was a shooting principle.

However, the bullets didn't hit the internal organs beneath Kirei's cassock but the hard concrete ground.

Kirei Kotomine's evasive action, despite its incredible speed, wouldn't be faster than the supersonic speed of the bullets. The reason why this situation occurred was that he had pre-emptively anticipated Maya's thoughts before she pulled the trigger and acted in advance. More than his agility, it was Kirei Kotomine's tactical judgment that was truly astonishing.

Anticipating the moment when Maya would shoot, calmly evading the gunfire, it was an ability that surpassed ordinary people, whether in the mundane or mystical world.

Not only that—in that instant when the person flipped and dodged, it wasn't Kirei but Maya.

Her right hand was stained with blood, and the handgun that should have been held in that hand dropped to the ground with a metallic sound.

Her astonished gaze fixed on the pillar she had been leaning against just moments ago, where a blade gleamed with a chilling light, firmly embedded in the pillar.

The thin blade, over a meter long, evoked thoughts of the weapon used in fencing. As a sword, its hilt was very short.

"Black Key!"

Shinji, hiding in an elevator corridor, narrowed his pupils. This was Kirei Kotomine's signature weapon, exclusively used by the Executors of the Church. In a certain money-grubbing mobile game, the "Black Key" was shamelessly turned into three different craft essences, flooding the gacha pool, and was mocked by countless players as the "Lonely Nine Keys," a symbol of bad luck.

The weapon that scratched Maya's right hand and knocked her handgun away was this very Black Key, thrown by Kirei while evading the bullets.

At this moment, Shinji was immensely grateful for the hellish training he had received from Scáthach. Without that training, he would probably be unable to even follow Kirei's movements. After all, Kirei Kotomine was one of the most skilled Executors in the Church, and there were very few humans who could surpass him in martial arts.

Although it was a weapon thrown by hand, it had the power to pierce reinforced concrete pillars. Nevertheless, it only knocked down Maya's handgun without any intent to take her life. Using such force deliberately was likely aimed at both disarming the opponent and breaking their spirit, preferably to capture them alive—after all, Maya had not yet answered Kirei's previous question.

"Not bad skills. Quite agile, I must say."

After completely seizing the initiative following the reversal of offense and defense, Kirei leisurely walked over and spoke.

Once again, he had another Black Key in his hands. The blade of the Black Key was entirely composed of semi-solidified magical energy, and when carried, one only needed to hold the small sword hilt. No one knew just how many Black Keys Kirei carried beneath his voluminous cassock.

As one of the basic weapons used by Executors of the Church against heretics, the Black Key naturally possessed considerable power. However, its usage was relatively challenging, requiring a practitioner with highly skilled techniques to proficiently wield its power. Kirei Kotomine was impeccable in this regard. Even as the Church's ultimate combat force, surpassing the monsters gathered in the "Burial Agency," he excelled in the usage of the Black Key.

Maya Hisau was neither a mage nor a warrior. She was merely a soldier who had lost her handgun, and she didn't have enough time to assemble her sniper rifle. In front of Kirei Kotomine, she had no means of resistance. It would probably only take a few dozen seconds for Kirei Kotomine to capture her alive. She had no chance of escape or even the opportunity to commit suicide. The vast disparity in combat abilities was despair-inducing.

Maya's ears twitched slightly as if she had received some form of communication through her earpiece, but she didn't respond.

Shinji knew that it wasn't that Maya couldn't respond; rather, she chose not to. It was a message from Kiritsugu Emiya, and she didn't want this dangerous man to approach Kiritsugu.

At the same time, Kirei Kotomine slowly approached Maya. The outcome had already been decided.

——Not so fast!

"It's about time," Shinji said.

Shinji held his breath and reached into his cloak, retrieving a toy.

Yes, to most people, it appeared to be just a toy. The main body had a matte finish, with a shape resembling the letter "Y," and elastic rubber tubing was attached to the split ends—indeed, it was a slingshot that many boys loved to play with during their childhood.

The praying mantis catches the cicada, but the yellow Oriole is behind. Little did they know, the slingshot was waiting below.

Whether or not the yellow Oriole could achieve its goal depended on whether Shinji's "slingshot" strike complied.