Magician in Type-Moon

Page 51

Chapter 68 Cat and Mouse

"What? Why don't you just honestly seek reinforcements? Kiritsugu Emiya should be nearby, right?"

Kirei had already stated the name bluntly, and he was equally certain that if Kiritsugu, recruited by Einzbern, was also involved in this Holy Grail War, he would definitely take action today.

But seeing the woman in front of her act so decisively, trampling her only chance of survival underfoot and abandoning her own hope of living, she realized that she had lost all hope.

Her partner was nearby, and she could have easily asked for help, but this woman chose to fight alone.

I can't understand, or rather, I find it hard to understand, that someone would sacrifice their life to protect that man. What is the reason for this?

Kirei Kotomine's eyes grew colder. The woman in front of him was not just an ordinary assistant; she possessed a determination and perseverance unlike that of ordinary people.

There was no fear in her eyes, only calmness and decisiveness.

Kirei Kotomine made a cold-blooded decision in his mind: she could not be killed, she had to be captured alive. However, as long as she could still speak, that was enough; there was no need to leave her hands and feet intact.

Kirei approached the woman hiding behind the steel pillar step by step.

He knew his opponent was probably unarmed; the disassembled automatic rifle couldn't be reassembled immediately, and she didn't have time to retrieve the pistol that had been shot down. The outcome was already decided.

Maiya did not respond to Kirei's question. Her attention was highly focused, her pupils slightly contracted, as she calculated every inch her opponent was getting closer.

She knew the chances of waiting for her opponent to reveal a weakness were slim, but she still refused to give up.

But then a completely unexpected obstacle occurred, hindering Kirei's actions.

A white curtain suddenly rushed between him and his prey, completely obscuring his vision, and the pungent smell of chemical reaction assaulted his nostrils.

"The smoke grenade, was it hidden behind the pillar just now?"

The smoke from the military-style portable smoke canister spread rapidly, enveloping the surroundings. Taking advantage of the moment when Kirei stopped because his vision was obscured, the sound of his swift footsteps echoed and faded away on the concrete ground.

Kirei fired a black key at the fleeing woman based on the sound of footsteps, but only heard the sound of it piercing through steel and concrete.

"Didn't you hit me? But how could you possibly escape from a place like this?"

Kirei held the black key in both hands, carefully probing the surrounding atmosphere, waiting for the smoke to dissipate. Because the interior of the building was exposed, a strong wind blew through, and the dense smoke was blown away in just a few seconds.

The weapons on the ground had disappeared; it seemed they had been picked up in the chaos.

In such a desperate situation, why would someone think of resisting? No, they should be thinking of killing me. Why do they have such a strong desire to kill me?

Was it because that man noticed me too?

Kirei thought to himself, but he didn't stop what he was doing; he was about to begin the hunt. His life as an agent had been filled with such situations, and the familiarity of the task made Kirei feel somewhat dazed.

"What a tenacious woman," he muttered coldly to himself, perhaps unaware of the glint of excitement in his eyes.

But at that moment, the voice from the gem communicator interrupted his rhythm.

"Kiri, how's the situation on your end? Have you caught any key figures?"

"No, they had already fled before I arrived."

Kirei subconsciously denied the fact that the woman was still there. This was the first time he had lied to his teacher; he didn't want Tokiomi Tohsaka to get involved in this matter.

"They escaped? What a pity. Kirei, you can stay there and wait for orders. Remember to use Command Spells to support Assassin whenever needed."

"Okay, but please be careful, teacher. It seems that the person lurking here also has a group waiting for an opportunity elsewhere."

Although she didn't want Tokiomi to get involved, she still reminded him to be careful of other hidden agents.

What a contradiction.

Kirei slowly closed his eyes, puzzled as to why he had done this.

But now there's something important to do—hunt down the woman who wants to kill him.

The exposed building is now completely silent, as if it has returned to the time when the soundproof barrier still existed.

The footsteps that were just there have now been silenced, interrupted by the sudden question.

"Hidden? Looks like you still want to kill me."

Kirei opened his eyes again, his gaze icy cold. He knew that woman was still there, hiding in some corner, waiting for her chance.

He began to move slowly, his footsteps light and silent, like a predator hunting its prey. His eyes scanned every corner and every shadow, trying to find where she was hiding.

A faint smell of blood filled the air—her blood. Kirei knew this could be his guide.

His breathing became slow and steady, and his heartbeat gradually calmed down, as he fully entered a hunting state.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes flickering slightly. There seemed to be a faint movement in the shadows ahead—the sound of a heartbeat. He immediately became alert, leaning forward slightly, ready to strike at any moment.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Qi Li's lips. He had found her. He slowly approached, each step filled with a sense of oppression, as if death was drawing ever closer.

But his legs seemed to be stuck by something—a transparent thread.

"Click~"

A strange sound rang out; it was the sound of a grenade pull ring coming off.

Kirei's expression instantly turned cold. He realized that he had fallen into an ambush. This woman had not disappointed him as always, setting up a trap.

In the nick of time, he leaped with all his might, trying to escape the blast radius. However, the explosion followed closely behind, and the flames and shockwaves instantly engulfed him.

Hisayu Maiya coldly watched the explosion before her, expressionless, and turned to continue her escape.

She knew that such an attack could not easily kill Kirei, otherwise Kiritsugu would not have considered him the most troublesome character in this Holy Grail War.

Sure enough, after the smoke from the explosion dissipated, Kirei was still standing there. Although he had several burns and abrasions on his body, his cold eyes gleamed with excitement.

Three black keys pierced through the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion, going straight into Hisayu Maiya's arm and calf.

Kirei reversed the tide of battle and gained the upper hand completely. He walked over unhurriedly, drawing a black key from each hand.

The long blade is a semi-solid constructed using magic. When carrying it, one only needs to keep the short hilt close to the body. Maiya could not see that there were several black keys hidden under Kirei's long monk's robe.

"Humph~"

With a cry of pain, Hisayu Maiya knew she couldn't escape anymore. She raised her AUG and fired at the approaching enemy.

Clang, clang!

The bullets were all intercepted by the black key's blade, unable to break through Kirei Kotomine's defenses at all.

Chapter 69 Kuuyu Maiya

Kirei smiled slightly, his steps unwavering as he continued to approach Maimi. The black keys spun in his hands, like dancing blades of death, each swing leaving a trail of afterimages.

Wu Mi's heart pounded wildly; she knew she was on the verge of death.

She limped backward, trying to create distance, but Kirei's speed was too fast, like a ghost.

"You can't escape, woman." Kirei's voice was cold and ruthless, like the whisper of death.

Wu Mi gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes.

She knew she had no way out and could only fight to the death. She quickly pulled a grenade from her waist and threw it towards Kirei without hesitation, while simultaneously leaping to the side with all her might to avoid the shockwave of the explosion.

Kirei simply smiled lightly, his figure seemingly without substance, nimbly dodging the grenade's blast radius and instantly appearing beside Maiya.

“It’s over,” he said in a low voice, the black blade pointing directly at Mai’s body.

A flicker of despair crossed Maimi's eyes, but she did not give up. With her last ounce of strength, she raised the AUG in her hand, attempting a final counterattack.

"Too slow," Kirei said coldly, as the black key shot out like lightning, piercing through Maiya's shoulder and pinning her to the wall.

"Now you can answer my question, woman?"

As I approached Hisayu Maiya, I noticed something unusual; the woman's mouth seemed to be stuffed full of something.

What is it?

Kirei's nose twitched; she smelled the sweet scent of candy.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kirei Kotomine caught sight of a pile of scattered candy wrappers in the corner and smiled in surprise.

Suddenly, Hisayu Maiya pulled a Lambo sword from her thigh with her only mobile hand and lunged forward with a half-sacrifice momentum. Her shoulder, which was pinned to the wall by the black key, was torn apart by the force of her final counterattack.

At this distance, the black keys should be difficult to defend against. Facing the sharp knife in Maiya's right hand, Kirei also used the black keys on his right side to deal with it.

For Maimi, this was something she had already anticipated, and dodging it would be a piece of cake. She only needed to tilt her head slightly to dodge the tip of the black key's sword, and she could rush straight into the enemy's arms.

But just as Maiya was about to confirm her victory, Kirei made an unexpected move that shocked her.

Their right hands crossed like a boxer's cross-punch—but Kirei's right hand, which should have been holding the black key "short handle," was empty. He released his weapon halfway through the thrust.

In other words, Kirei's right hand was never intended to use the black keys to assassinate Maiya from the beginning—his strong, muscular fingers wrapped around Maiya's right wrist.

The tall, slender figure in the black robe, standing proudly upright, twisted and bent like a snake, passing under Wu Mi's right arm.

The next second, Kirei used a gesture similar to that of someone putting their arm around an injured person's shoulder to pin Maiya's right hand behind her shoulder.

In a state of utter despair, with no hope of recovery, Maiya realizes that she has been deceived by the preconceived notion that the other party is an agent who uses the black keys.

This movement is from the Chinese martial art of Bajiquan.

Just as Kirei's body pressed against Maiya's waist, he struck Maiya's tail with his left elbow and forcefully swept away Maiya's supporting leg with his left foot.

This move, "Six Great Openings - Elbow Strike," was executed cleanly and swiftly. From the moment Kirei grabbed Maiya's wrist holding the sword, all the movements were completed in one smooth motion.

This is the highest level of Bajiquan, a routine that integrates offense and defense.

Maimi was slammed to the ground, unable to adopt a defensive posture. The overwhelming force of the impact made her feel as if all her limbs had been ripped off from the root, leaving her paralyzed and unable to move. Only the excruciating pain from the elbow strike to her chest shot straight to her head.

Two or three of his ribs must have been broken.

The intense pain made Mami gasp for breath, and the half-melted candy in her mouth fell out and rolled onto the ground.

"Woman, you might find this surprising, but I'm not here to kill you," Kirei's voice came coldly.

"I only have one question: why would you rather die than not protect Kiritsugu Emiya?"

Maimi did not respond, or rather, her response was a series of beeping sounds.

A timed micro-explosive device was activated in Hisayu Maiya's mouth.

"boom!"

The explosion wasn't particularly powerful, but it was enough to shatter her head.

At the moment of her death, Maiya thought of her first encounter with Kiritsugu, the man who rescued her from the battlefield and kept saying some awkward words of comfort to her.

He had no idea how to comfort people, and Maimi didn't respond; only her stomach made a 'gurgling' sound.