Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

Earlier, it was mentioned that the intermediary for the Einzbern family's land purchase was none other than the Tohsaka family, the magus overseers of Fuyuki City.@@novelbin@@

Even though Tokiomi Tohsaka had acted like a gentleman and refrained from doing anything underhanded before, it didn't mean that he wouldn't take precautions during the Holy Grail War. Especially after losing Assassin in such a bad situation.

While the vast forest made it difficult for the familiars to scout thoroughly, Tokiomi's familiar arrived shortly after the beginning of the magical clash, providing the magus with a clear view.

That view revealed the clash between Berserker, Lancer, and Saber.

Although Lancer was in a rush to help Saber out of a tough spot, it didn't mean they had an alliance. It was merely mutual respect between fellow knights.

Saber's goal was to stop any intruders, which not only included Berserker but also Lancer, who had entered this forest alongside his master.

Lancer, on the other hand, wanted to prevent anyone from interfering in the battle of vengeance for his master, Kayneth, and thus could not allow Berserker to attack Saber nor allow Saber to have any free time.

As for Berserker… he would attack anyone on sight, regardless of alliance or hostility.

This odd standoff between the three Servants had yet to resolve, lingering without a victor.

However, in Tokiomi's eyes, the appearance of these three Servants was far more significant than their current battle.

"Is that Lord of the Clock Tower seeking vengeance for last night's battle by attacking the Einzbern family? With Kayneth on the verge of becoming a Grand Servant, the Einzbern's homunculus are at a disadvantage... But why is Berserker attacking today? Who exactly is the master of the Matou family?"

Thinking of the Matou family inevitably led Tokiomi to recall his former daughter, Sakura.

Over the past year, Tokiomi had kept his distance from Sakura, who had cut ties with him. But his wife and daughter had persuaded him to visit, and so he had gone to the Matou house to see Sakura once again.

At that time, Sakura's hair and eyes had already turned purple, and standing behind her was not Zouken Matou, the old head of the family, but the water magus Kariya Matou.

Not to mention the Matou family's abnormality (the house had been blown up and rebuilt), Kariya's inexplicable hostility left Tokiomi puzzled.

Even if Kariya participated in the Holy Grail War… shouldn't he be an enemy of the Tohsaka family? Why had he chosen to oppose the Einzbern family instead?

Lost in thought, Tokiomi didn't realize the subtle fluctuation in the Tohsaka family's barrier, but it soon faded away.

A shadow resembling an Assassin appeared at the entrance to the Tohsaka residence, looking up at the silent house.

This was no act.

I repeat.

This was not an act.

***

Clad in black robes, a tall figure with an imposing presence and a stern expression, a short-haired man walked through the opposite side of the forest.

Kirei had no intention of interfering in the battle. The east side of the forest had a high chance of becoming the battlefield, and enemies from Fuyuki would likely approach from that direction.

Thus, Kirei stood on the west side of the forest, waiting for the battle to break out. When it did, as expected, on the east side, he planned to take a chance and attack the castle from behind.

He was fully aware of the existence of the warning barrier. In fact, that was precisely why he was walking boldly toward it.

The reason was simple. Kirei was waiting for someone from the Einzbern faction to appear.

Kiritsugu Emiya.

Kirei desperately sought answers from this man.

However, he was unaware that several people closely related to Kiritsugu were standing in his way.

For instance, two women who had originally intended to flee but had returned to the battlefield to protect the same man.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of gunfire echoed loudly.

Before that, the calm-faced priest had already crouched down and located the enemy's position based on the sound of the shots, launching two Black Keys.

The sound of sword blades piercing tree trunks followed.

"...Hm?"

Kirei was surprised that he hadn't hit his target.

In the brief moment of surprise, gunfire came from his left. Kirei barely dodged, but this time the danger was even greater than the previous shot. His assumption that there was only one enemy caused him to react a little slower.

This was strange. The locations of the shots were completely different, and the enemy's speed was astonishingly fast. If there had been two snipers from the beginning, they would have coordinated their shots, using crossfire to kill him.

Still puzzled, Kirei felt four distinct presences. Instinctively, he grabbed two more Black Keys in each hand, a total of four.

After reacting instinctively, Kirei, experienced as he was, quickly realized what was happening.

"This should be... an illusion?"

It wasn't impossible. He had ventured deep into the forest's barrier. If there was illusion magecraft within the barrier, and someone nearby could manipulate the illusions, they could disrupt his sensory abilities.

Was there really only one sniper? If there were, was the illusion caster the same person? Or was there someone else providing support?

No matter the case, he had no choice but to follow the enemy's rhythm until he found a way to break the spell.

The priest, in his robes, raised all four Black Keys and threw them in all directions—none of them hit the target.

And then, bullets from high-speed guns shot into his back.

These bullets, undetectable by normal senses, came at him from the Einzbern forest's barrier, which not only masked the intent to kill but also concealed true murderous intent.

This third shot was the real death trap.

The one behind the battle plan, Maiya Hisau, slowly lowered her rifle.

The .300 Winchester Magnum bullets, masked by Irisviel's illusions, travelled over a hundred meters almost silently before piercing Kirei's spine.

With the killing power of the WA2000, Maiya confirmed that his spinal cord had been severed.

Kirei's response, as expected, was to collapse without a scream, hitting the ground without even a twitch, showing no signs of spasms or agony.

He must have died instantly when the spine was shattered... Maiya thought, standing up from her sniper position, holding her Calico submachine gun, approaching the fallen Kirei cautiously.

"Maiya, no!"

Irisviel called out, immediately sensing the trap, but it was too late.

Kirei, still lying down, lifted his arm and threw a concealed Black Key. The low-speed projectile sliced through Maiya's right calf, preventing her from taking further action.

In the next instant, Kirei's tall frame sprang upward like a spring, charging at Maiya.

Maiya was undeterred, raising her gun to fire. But Kirei didn't even attempt to dodge. He simply used his hands to shield his head and face.

His coat's collar and sleeves were made of Kevlar fibre, and underneath, there were protective spells designed by the church agents. Even at close range, 9mm bullets would not be able to penetrate.

Even so, the barrage of bullets, with a velocity of 250 feet per second and ten shots in a row, hit Kirei like a metal bat, yet his muscles, honed to the extreme, protected his bones and internal organs from the shock.

Realizing Kirei was fully armoured, Maiya immediately dropped her Calico submachine gun and pulled a Rambo knife from her thigh.

Unlike Kevlar fibre's resistance to bullets, the blade could easily cut through the material. With the gun ineffective, she had no choice but to engage in close combat.

As the gunfire ceased, Kirei drew another pair of Black Keys and threw them in a cross-shaped slash at Maiya. Despite her injured right leg, Maiya deftly parried the black keys with her heavy knife.

Although the Black Keys were much longer than tactical knives, they were still designed as throwing knives, and their short handles made them less balanced in close combat. Maiya's tactical knife was much more agile and gained the upper hand.

'There's a chance!'

Maiya thought, knowing she had the advantage, and rushed forward with a half-daring motion, confident that the close-range attack would land.

However, just as Maiya thought victory was near, Kirei did something completely unexpected that left her stunned.

Their right hands crossed like a punch in boxing—but Kirei's hand, which had been holding a Black Key, was empty. Midway through the thrust, he released the weapon.

This meant Kirei hadn't planned to use the black key to kill Maiya from the start.

His powerful fingers wrapped around Maiya's right wrist. Kirei's long, black-robed figure coiled around Maiya's right arm, pushing it behind her back in a familiar way, like guiding a wounded person's arm over his shoulder.

Amid helpless despair, Maiya realized she had been deceived by Kirei's initial use of the Black Keys. The technique was from Chinese martial arts—Bajiquan!

Amid fatal despair, Kirei's side pressed tightly against Maiya's waist, and his left elbow struck her chest, while his left foot swept her supporting leg.

It was the most iconic move of Bajiquan—Li Men Ding Zhou!

Maiya couldn't even brace for the fall, crashing hard into the ground. The violent impact left her with a sense of limbs falling off, paralyzed and unable to move. In her mind, she only felt the intense pain in her chest, knowing that at least two ribs had been broken.

Although just one strike had rendered Maiya incapacitated, Kirei didn't stop.

Kirei's target was Kiritsugu. He had no personal vendetta against Maiya. So he clenched his fist, ready to deliver a final blow to his enemy.

Just then, a clear and melodious voice called out.

"Shape ist leben!"

***

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