Chapter 47: Shinji vs. Kirei

Chinese martial arts, vast and profound, have various styles and techniques constantly emerging. But when it comes to which style is most revered by foreigners, especially the Japanese, there is no suspense—the "Bajiquan."

Whether it's in the 2D world or the 3D world, the Japanese have a great fondness for Bajiquan, and Kirei is no exception. After six years of cultivation in Bajiquan, he has reached the realm of "seeking the Dao."

Kirei learned from his father and has profound expertise in Bajiquan. After undergoing training as an Executor, Kirei has surpassed his father in the aspect of using Bajiquan to kill.

In the realm of Chinese martial arts, there is a saying, "With Tai Chi, there is peace in the world; with Bajiquan Fist, the universe is determined." This demonstrates the fierceness and dominance of Bajiquan.

Shinji was certain that if struck by Kirei's fist, even with prepared protective magic, it would be difficult to escape death.

He must not let Kirei get close!

As Shinji continued to charge forward, he infused magic into the slingshot in his hand.

Justeaze incorporated a design similar to the Church's black keys when modifying the slingshot, allowing it to generate semi-solid entities composed of magic. Combined with the Y-shaped frame, it looked like a peculiarly shaped short knife.

Legend has it that Perseus' sickle, used to slay the Gorgon, also had a curved and straight blade. When constructing the technique, Justeaze deliberately incorporated the appearance of ancient Greek short knives.

"Enhance - Arms!"

With Shinji's low chant, the solidified magical blade collided with the magically generated sword edge.

The force from the sword's edge was incredibly strong. If Shinji hadn't secured the "handle" with a fixed band around his arm, the "short knife" would have immediately slipped out of his hand.

Although he managed to hold onto the "short knife," Shinji still paid a heavy price with a dislocated wrist.

Ignoring the pain, Shinji stumbled forward, taking advantage of the opening he had finally created.

How could Kirei let his prey slip away when they were within arm's reach? He changed his breathing pattern and took a step that covered a distance equivalent to five or six steps for an ordinary person.

This was a footwork technique that allowed him to silently glide across the ground and close in on his enemy. It was called "active steps" and was one of the dangerous secret techniques of Bajiquan.

Kirei, who had already adjusted his body to its optimal state, slid like a grim reaper, rapidly shortening the distance between them. In a few more seconds, he would catch up.

At that moment, Shinji's right thumb flexed and flicked, launching a silver bullet backward.

Before Kirei could react, the silver bullet exploded in mid-air. The dazzling white light, brighter than the midday sun, passed over Kirei's raised hand, filling the entire thirty-eighth floor.

Kirei, who was at the forefront, had his vision stolen by the intense white light. He grunted, halted his steps, and transitioned from an aggressive attacking stance to a defensive one.

At the level of mastery he had reached, even if temporarily deprived of sight, Kirei could rely on his hearing and sense of breath to continue fighting.

Shinji inwardly sighed with regret. If Kirei continued to pursue, Shinji could have used the effects of his cloak and scythe to gain a significant advantage. However, Kirei, with his vast combat experience, remained calm and left no room for Shinji to exploit.

"Truly a formidable boss of the Fate/stay night worldline. As expected, he's impressive."

Finally, Shinji took one last look at Kirei, who had assumed a balanced stance, one hand on the black keys and the other clenched into a fist for offense and defense. Then, he turned around and jumped down from the elevator entrance.

Maya, who had been injured by Kirei, had long taken advantage of the opportunity presented by Shinji and Kirei's battle to leave this dangerous place. With her understanding of Emiya Kiritsugu, she knew that the reinforcement was not him—his marksmanship did not require the use of close-range night combat equipment like the laser sight Shinji revealed.

By the time Kirei regained his vision, he was the only one left in the entire Fuyuki City Center building. This powerful Executor didn't rush to leave. Instead, he carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his cassock and then walked to the spot where Shinji had first appeared, observing and contemplating.

Before long, it seemed he had discovered something. He swiftly sidestepped to a nearby pillar, perfectly mimicking Shinji's movements and footsteps when evading the black keys.

Sidestepping was just the beginning. Kirei then proceeded to imitate Shinji's rolls, counterattacks, deflecting the black keys, and throwing flash grenades, almost perfectly replicating each action.

Except for the use of a slingshot to launch silver bullets, which Kirei mistakenly interpreted as firing a handgun, everything else was imitated with remarkable accuracy.

Finally, Kirei stood at the elevator entrance where Shinji disappeared, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

"Every move has been replicated, but something feels off... Emiya Kiritsugu..."

Kirei wasn't the only one troubled by Shinji's deceptive tactics; Emiya Kiritsugu, who had just converged with Maya, was also vexed.

Upon hearing the unusual situation through his phone, Emiya Kiritsugu hurried to the vicinity of the central building, intending to provide support to Maya with smoke bombs and magic. However, he discovered that Maya had already escaped.

Kiritsugu's expression mirrored that of Kirei when he learned about the incident from Maya.

"Why would the Executor of the Church target me? And why did that mysterious person save you?"

"Insufficient information to judge." Maya knew that Kiritsugu was addressing himself, but she still provided an answer because she was a part of Kiritsugu.

"Investigate. Activate all intelligence networks for investigation. Especially that Executor. I have a feeling that he will be the greatest threat in this Holy Grail War."

Even without knowing Kirei's identity, Emiya Kiritsugu still regarded him with utmost concern. They were like two opposite poles of a magnet, mutually hostile yet mutually attracted.

In a separate room, Shinji listened to the fading voices of the two, once again confirming that Emiya Kiritsugu was unaware of Kirei's existence. He deduced his conclusions based on the information revealed by Kiritsugu and Maya.

Kiritsugu was a thorough pragmatist, and his goal was to win the Holy Grail War. Everything he did revolved around that core objective.

Due to the interference of the Butterfly of Time, Kirei, despite being a potential Master, was overlooked by Kiritsugu and kept hidden.

On the other hand, Kirei, as the son of Risei and a secret assistant to Tohsaka Tokiomi, had long known of Emiya Kiritsugu's existence and had developed an interest in him, leading to tonight's grand performance.

Shinji didn't know that if he hadn't intervened, would Kiritsugu still be able to save Maya at the critical moment, just like in the original timeline. Would the situation have become uncontrollable? Fortunately, there are no "ifs."

The cause caused by the butterfly was offset by the butterfly itself, and the world line returned.

The next encounter will see both sides fully prepared.

With these thoughts in mind, Shinji couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile, only to be interrupted by the pain in his wrist, resulting in a peculiar expression.

"The mantis catches the cicada, but the oriole is behind. The slingshot is underneath. In the end, the cicada isn't dead, the mantis remains, and the oriole is unharmed. My slingshot has also passed the test. Is this a happy ending?"

Shinji gritted his teeth and used magic to heal his injured wrist.

"Ugh, not happy at all. It hurts like hell."

Check out my new Work in Patreon: Fate: Dream Journey