My Fates Codex of Type Moon Chapter 47

But the Church's Executor wasn't just defending. Unfazed by the sharp claws, he unleashed an Eight Extremes Quan technique, swinging with all his might to knock down the eagle.

The eagle, diving at full speed, couldn't change its trajectory. The iron fist struck the flying eagle's abdomen directly.

"Ngh!?" But it was Kirei who gasped in surprise. The moment the fist connected, the flying eagle's body twisted, reverting to its amorphous state of silver threads. Like creeping vines, they wrapped around his right fist.

Kirei Kotomine immediately tried to pull them off with his left hand, but the silver threads coiled around, drawing his left hand in as well. The silver threads, which had been soaring through the air in the form of a flying eagle, now bound Kirei's hands tightly like handcuffs.

"...Hmph."

As a warrior who had faced life-and-death battles with countless magi, Kirei Kotomine merely snorted and suddenly charged towards Irisviel.

His hands were merely bound; there was nothing to fear. As long as he could get close to that woman and land a kick, the fight would be over.

"You underestimate me!" Irisviel shouted, pouring more magic into the silver threads. A strand of silver thread detached from the mass and shot through the air like a viper, wrapping around the trunk of a nearby tree.

Even a powerful Executor had to adhere to basic principles of mechanics. As Kirei Kotomine lost his balance and stumbled, the silver threads wound tighter and tighter around the tree, dragging him towards it. Finally, his hands were bound tightly to the trunk.

It was a tree with a trunk over thirty centimeters thick. For an ordinary person, it would be as unmovable as a concrete pillar. Yet, even so, Irisviel almost succumbed to Kirei Kotomine's wrist strength. She had intended to use the pressure of the silver threads to crush Kirei's hands, but his muscles, trained to be as strong as steel, were unimaginably resilient. Her metallic threads stretched to their limit, on the verge of snapping at any moment.

To prevent the threads from breaking, Irisviel had to continuously channel all her magic to reinforce the metal and maintain the tension. But this meant she not only couldn't escape but also lost the strength to move.

The situation fell into a stalemate.

If Irisviel continued to restrain Kirei Kotomine, her magic would be depleted first, rendering her unable to fight.

If she released the reinforced metallic threads, the man in the mage's robe would break free and kill her without mercy.

At this moment, Irisviel seemed to be trapped in a deadlock.

But besides her and Kirei Kotomine, locked in their struggle, there was one other person present.

"...Maiya... hurry!"

The one who now held the key to victory was Maiya, still lying on the ground. Only she could kill the immobilized Kirei. She didn't need to get within range of his kicks; all she had to do was shoot a bullet into his unguarded head. Kirei couldn't use his bulletproof vest's sleeves to protect his head like before.

Although not much time had passed, Maiya was gradually recovering, feeling sensation in her limbs again. Despite the pain from her broken ribs causing her to groan involuntarily, she slowly crawled on the ground, inching closer to the Calico submachine gun lying on the ground.

The deciding factor was the test of endurance in these few seconds. Irisviel gritted her teeth, enduring the pain in her magic circuits, and encouraged herself.

However, they had still underestimated the terror of the Holy Church's Executor.

If Irisviel had acted directly, binding Kirei Kotomine with alchemy before he even realized it was an illusion, and then focused on a war of attrition to contain the Executor, she might not have found herself in such an awkward predicament.

But in order to protect Kiritsugu Emiya, coupled with Maiya Hisau's desire to kill Kirei Kotomine, Irisviel made a misjudgment. Moreover, she was completely unaware of the terrifying power of Chinese martial arts.

Could binding just his hands to a tree paralyze a martial artist?

"Bang!" A thunderous roar provided the answer.

With the violent consumption of magic, Irisviel was shocked to find the tree trunk binding Kirei shaking violently, as if struck by a full-power punch.

"Bang!" A second deafening sound echoed. This time, through the tactile feedback of the magic threads, Irisviel finally understood what was happening.

With his hands pressed against the bark, Kirei was striking the tree trunk with all his might using his palms.

Chinese martial arts don't rely solely on arm strength. They harness the power from the feet planted on the ground, the rotation of the waist, the twist of the shoulders, and the coordinated movement of the arms and wrists, concentrating all that power into a single punch – delivering a blow unimaginable to ordinary people. And when necessary, it's not impossible to generate force from parts other than the arms. This is what is known as "Cun Jin" or "Inch Punch."

If this continued, the tree supporting the silver threads would eventually collapse, and Kirei Kotomine would break free. Those liberated hands would undoubtedly crush his enemies without mercy.

But both Irisviel and Maiya Hisau had lost the ability to move and could not stop the Executor's assault.

"As expected, I should have listened to Sakutsuki and Saber..." Irisviel gritted her teeth, a bitter smile of a defeated warrior appearing on her face.

And at that very moment, a leisurely voice, belonging to someone other than the three, rang out:

"You know, even though I'm young, it's not good to ignore my advice, ma'am."

That voice!

Kirei Kotomine's pupils contracted. The sound of him pounding the tree trunk ceased abruptly, only to resume with even greater ferocity. Accompanied by the groaning of the tree trunk, the freed Executor tore the silver threads apart with incredible speed, drew a Black Key, and shot it towards the weakened Irisviel.

"Madam!" Maiya Hisau cried out in despair, a cry of anguish she hadn't uttered even when severely injured.

"Oh dear, that was close."

Still with that languid tone, two arcs of light, one black and one white, sliced through the night sky, sharply intercepting the Black Key aimed at Irisviel and knocking it aside.

Upon closer inspection, the two familiar twin blades that saved Irisviel at the last moment were indeed – at least for Kirei Kotomine, such weapons were etched into his memory.

The cold, expressionless gaze finally showed a crack. The Executor's eyes swept around, then lifted, fixing firmly on the branch of a certain tree.

White hair, golden eyes.

The bright moonlight outlined the young man's elegant kimono and his half-smiling expression.

The pull-tab can in his hand reflected the cold light. The drink inside had been finished and was casually tossed into Imaginary Space.

"...Sakutsuki." He uttered the name with some difficulty. The Executor, who had been fighting two opponents alone moments before, took a step back calmly, preparing to retreat.

But suddenly, fluorescent light swirled around them. The light of the ley lines surged from below, forming an unshakeable magical barrier, demarcating an arena of no return within the Einzbern forest.

He had nowhere left to run.

"Leaving already? Not staying for a bit longer?"

The young man, like a wandering ronin, landed nimbly from mid-air. Disregarding the tense Executor, he helped up the magic-depleted Irisviel, a mischievous grin on his face:

"What did I tell you, ma'am?"

"Alright, alright, it's my fault," Irisviel admitted with a blush, then quickly added, "Go save Maiya, I'll be fine."

"Yes, yes."

After a quick treatment with healing magic, Irisviel helped Maiya Hisau to the side. Meanwhile, Sakutsuki, who had descended from the sky, finally stood before his target, Kirei Kotomine.

"I've kept you waiting, Kirei Kotomine."

"You... why are you here?" More than the unwillingness of facing death, Kirei Kotomine was filled with deep confusion.

Why were his actions seen through yet again (former Servant Hundred Faces: OMO)!

Did this guy put a GPS tracker on him?

"Oh, you didn't know?" Sakutsuki feigned surprise, then stylishly flicked his hair.

"The protagonist always appears at the very end."

"Pfft." Irisviel let out a suppressed giggle.

However, Kirei Kotomine didn't laugh. The undisguised pressure emanating from Sakutsuki was a stark reminder of the man's resolute killing intent.

The saying that the protagonist appears at the end doesn't mean they are late; it means their arrival signifies the resolution of a crisis, the conclusion of a disaster.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet," Sakutsuki said, slowly assuming a starting stance.

"This is..." Kirei Kotomine's expression shifted slightly, having trained in martial arts since childhood.

"I won't use any other magic, come on!" the young man with golden eyes declared, walking towards Kirei Kotomine with steady steps.

"Let's settle this with Bajiquan!"

To witness the famous scene of the "Mapo Tofu Fu*ks Tree," the original plot is necessary. I've also tried my best to modify and supplement the original work, hoping to provide you all with a fresh reading experience.

Anger corroded Kayneth's heart like sulfuric acid.

He was a first-rate magus, and by all rights, he should never lose his composure due to emotions, especially when facing a formal competition.

In fact, if this battle were a duel where first-rate magi exerted their full capabilities, Kayneth wouldn't be this angry. He would admire and revere his opponent's skill, calmly assess their true strength, and wholeheartedly employ suitable magic in return—much like his contest with Sakutsuki at the Hyatt Hotel.

Such noble and dignified gentlemanly contests were the "battles" Kayneth was familiar with. He had come all the way to this remote country in the Far East, wagering his right to obtain the Holy Grail, to compete against Tokiomi Tohsaka, Zouken Matou, and four other rivals.

But—the wound piercing his right shoulder stimulated his pain nerves. It ached incessantly, as if mocking and humiliating Kayneth.

It was the result of Kiritsugu Emiya pulling the trigger and firing a shot from his beloved gun, Contender.

Irrespective of magic or Noble Phantasms, a mere ridiculous toy assembled from mechanical parts had pierced the barrier between mystery and reality, penetrated the defense of Volumen Hydrargyrum, and inflicted a wound upon a Lord of the Clock Tower.

This wound was not sustained in battle. Such an act—could not be called "battle."

It was like stepping on rotten floorboards; like knocking over a pot of something cooking; like mud splashing onto one's most beautiful clothes. The opponent was a timid ant, not even worthy of being called an enemy. Just seeing him felt like a stain on Kayneth's eyes; he was merely a pile of unpleasant trash.

By the honor of Lord El-Melloi, he would absolutely not consider such a thing as an object of "anger."

These were merely trivial matters; he could simply dismiss them as bad luck and laugh them off.

Even as Kayneth told himself this—the wound on his shoulder continued to cry out. The burning, stabbing pain tormented and gnawed at his self-esteem.

Kayneth's pale face was as expressionless as a Noh mask; it was certainly not the face of someone "who is angry." This was because Kayneth harbored no resentment towards anyone. His anger was entirely directed at himself; he was simply furious at this abnormal situation.

"Impossible—"

The unvented rage transformed into destructive impulses, transmitting to Volumen Hydrargyrum. The mercury blades and whips slashed wildly against the walls of the surrounding corridors.

"For that lowly scum to make me bleed... Impossible! How could such a thing happen!"

Kayneth, with the gait of a sleepwalker, pursued the fleeing Kiritsugu Emiya.

The doors blocking his path were not pushed open but were smashed to pieces by the sheer weight of the mercury.

Vases, paintings, exquisite furniture, and all other visible decorations were severed and utterly destroyed. Along the way, there were numerous traps.

Every time Kayneth's unguarded toes snagged on a tripwire or stepped on a detonator hidden beneath a carpet, the pre-set grenades would explode, and landmines would scatter shrapnel. The mercury defense membrane that instantly expanded repeatedly blocked all attacks with ease.

The traps set by the opponent were like toys to trick children, so comical that even Kayneth couldn't help but chuckle. But as he mocked the opponent, he was also mocking himself for being so easily wounded by such childish tricks.

Self-deprecation cut at his pride like a razor, and the humiliation further ignited the anger in Kayneth's heart.

His proudest Noble Phantasm was not meant to deal with such despicable methods. His mercury should have intercepted curse bullets, deflected spirit-infused blades, broken through the flames, ice, and lightning of magic, and been a secret art that led magicians who hated him to death amidst their gasps of awe and reverence.

Then, what was his current pathetic state?

Fortunately, this humiliating chase was finally nearing its end.

No matter how vast a castle was, the escape routes became limited when fleeing upwards. The rat had been cornered at the end of the third-floor corridor. Volumen Hydrargyrum had precisely located him this time. The target seemed to have given up and was standing still, likely preparing for a final confrontation there.

"A duel? No, this is not a duel, it's an execution, a massacre!" Kayneth's entire being vibrated with cruel killing intent. He rounded the final corner, reaching the end of the corridor, and faced his prey, who held twin pistols.

"You don't think those tricks from before will work again, do you? Scum. You managed to injure me not because you seized the timing, nor because your sneak attack succeeded, but merely due to an unreasonable coincidence."

The arrogant magus spoke sinisterly, slowly walking step by step towards Kiritsugu. The Volumen Hydrargyrum spinning beside him stretched and retracted its countless whips menacingly, its sharp tips quivering.

"I won't kill you easily. I will repeatedly heal your lungs and heart, then slice you to pieces from head to toe with my blade. You will die in pain, regret, and despair, and at the moment of your death, you will curse! Curse the Einzbern who dared to insult the Holy Grail War!"

Faced with Kayneth's declaration of execution, Kiritsugu Emiya not only felt no panic. Instead, he chuckled inwardly.

Good, very good—

By suppressing his bodily functions with Time Alter, he had managed to deceive the mercury's senses regarding ambient temperature and heartbeat, thus bypassing Volumen Hydrargyrum's detection capabilities.

The bullets from the Calico submachine gun suppressed the Volumen Hydrargyrum's transformations, while the Springfield rounds, seven times more powerful than 9mm bullets, penetrated the mercury and Kiritsugu's shoulder, shattering its defensive capabilities.

As for the Volumen Hydrargyrum's offensive power, when the mercury transformed into a whip, only the base moved at extreme speeds, with no force at the tip. The tip's power and speed were purely derived from centrifugal force. Such high-speed attacks also meant predictable movements, which was why no matter how Kayneth attacked, he never managed to hit Kiritsugu Emiya.

With that, Kiritsugu Emiya had skillfully countered all three of the Volumen Hydrargyrum's abilities. Anyone else who realized their trump cards were useless would have retreated without hesitation.

However, Kayneth did not. His rage consumed his reason, making his actions as reckless as a maddened bull.

This pride of a magus, this stubbornness that remained indifferent to the changing times, was the perfect weapon to kill himself.

And now, all he needed was to add a little more fuel to the fire, as the magus killer that he was.

The Calico submachine gun spat fire, unleashing a continuous barrage of bullets.

"Fervor, sanguis meus!" (Boil, my blood!)

After being shot in the shoulder, Kayneth was not foolish enough to defend with the same method. He reconfigured the mercury's defenses, abandoning the membrane form for a columnar one.

Countless inverted spikes, like a dense bamboo forest, rose from the floor to the ceiling, covering Kayneth's body and completely obscuring him from the incoming bullets.

The bullets were blocked by the silver sword mountain, ringing with deafening metallic sounds as they ricocheted between the gaps in the spikes, losing their force and falling to the ground. Not a single bullet touched Kayneth's body.

But Kiritsugu Emiya showed no intention of changing his strategy. The moment the M950 magazine was emptied, his right hand's Contender roared. The destructive power of this single shot far surpassed that of a 9mm bullet, having pierced the Volumen Hydrargyrum's barrier and injured Kayneth earlier.

"You don't seriously think that trick will work again, you bastard." Kayneth's mocking voice came from within the protection of the Volumen Hydrargyrum.

Unlike last time, the sword mountain-like mercury offered far greater freedom of movement than the membrane form. The instant the potentially fatal blow touched the silver spikes, all the other spikes closed in like a Venus flytrap, engulfing the bullet together. The tightly packed, sharp spikes instantly transformed into a thick column, nullifying the .30-06 Springfield round.