Kotomine Kirei, who flew out upside down, smashed the dining table placed in the center of the living room. He showed a painful expression as he fell to the ground.
However, he was not injured.
Shirou, sensing this, frowned. Shirou clearly saw just now that the moment Kotomine Kirei was hit, the Command Spell on the back of his hand flickered. He had used his immense magical energy to strengthen his body, making it as hard as steel.
"I'd like to see how many Command Spells you can burn!"
Shirou flashed forward without hesitation, and the white sword, Bakuya, in his left hand slashed out toward Kotomine Kirei!
It was impossible to dodge this blow; the only chance was to use a Command Spell. Kotomine Kirei gritted his teeth and used the second spell without hesitation.
In an instant, his body's reaction speed was greatly improved. He unbelievably launched himself from the ground, flipped backward, and dodged Shirou's sword! For Kotomine Kirei, as long as he could save his life, using these Command Spells was not a waste. After all, if his life is gone, what is the use of keeping more spells?
"There is one left..." Shirou whispered faintly.
Kotomine Kirei's expression froze. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and a chill rose for no reason. Without hesitation, he raised the Black Key in his hand and swung it violently to his right!
Clang————!
The blade he swung successfully blocked a swift sword. However, where did this sword fly from, considering the enemy was right in front of him?
Just as this question arose in Kotomine Kirei's mind, he saw the corners of Shirou's mouth rise slightly. Then, Shirou spat out words like a curse.
"Broken Phantasm!"
Even Kotomine Kirei didn't have time to use his last spell. The sword that had just been parried by his Black Key and fallen to the wooden floor erupted with a terrifying magical aura.
"What————!?"
Kirei's surprised voice was drowned out by the gale of magical power. His entire body was sent flying by the shockwave.
Boom————!
Kotomine Kirei crashed through the wall, and scattered dust suddenly spread. In the darkness, a scarlet light lit up again. After using the last Command Spell to recover from his injuries, Kotomine Kirei—whose priest's vestments had been shattered—stood up in embarrassment.
"Why have you come to attack the Tohsaka family?"
"Are you kidding?" Hearing that Kotomine Kirei, who was already on the verge of death, actually asked such a clueless question, Shirou felt it was ridiculous. "You are Archer's Master now. As a magus targeting the Holy Grail, do I need any other reason to kill you?"
Shirou shrugged his shoulders.
"Is there a difference in position...?"
Kotomine Kirei's eyes were blank, and his expression did not fluctuate. Or rather, he would only show a distorted smile when he felt pleasure. But now that he was being beaten, how could he feel pleasure? If he could feel it now, it would be a miracle.
"Speaking of which, with your strength, you should have had a place in the clock tower a long time ago. But I found no record of your existence. Does this mean you don't want to be noticed by the magic world?" Kirei sensed this.
"Heh, do you want to report it to the Holy Church?" Shirou's eyes revealed a cold killing intent. "You'd better think about how you're going to get out of here alive!"
Shirou swung Kanshou without hesitation. The black sword drew a thick, ink-like trace through the night, slashing at Kotomine Kirei.
Kirei knew that Shirou's strength was immense, so he didn't plan to resist directly. He used a Black Key to deflect the blow and then took a step forward, taking the initiative to shorten the distance. At this time, he used a kind of footwork that glides on the ground to approach the enemy—the "Live Step," one of the dangerous secret techniques of Bajiquan.
Using the Black Keys between his fingers, Kirei lightly parried Shirou's slashed blade. This trick was the "Parry and Redirect" technique. Many people have misconceptions about this, thinking it is a move only a Tai Chi master can do, but it is not. In Chinese martial arts, many schools emphasize using soft strength to overcome hard force, even Bajiquan, which is famous for its fierceness.
However, Kotomine Kirei never expected that Shirou had no intention of using this blow to decide the victory. When Kirei parried Kanshou with the Black Key, Shirou let go of his right hand and let the other party take the weapon.
Kirei, having snatched the black long sword, was puzzled for a second before he suddenly remembered the sword that had exploded earlier. He originally thought it was a specific magic trick, but Shirou's current action was abnormal. Kirei noticed this immediately.
However, it was already too late!
"Goodbye~"
Shirou waved his hand toward Kotomine Kirei. Then, in the next moment, he shouted without hesitation:
"Broken Phantasm!"
Boom————!
At the moment when the B-rank Noble Phantasm exploded, the power was far greater than the previous C-rank one. The entire Tohsaka Mansion was reduced to ashes in the blast.
[You have obtained the soul of Kotomine Kirei. Extract?]
Hearing the prompt, Shirou thought for a moment about the value of Kotomine Kirei. His magecraft was not very powerful, and Shirou didn't need more martial arts, but Kirei held secrets of the Holy Church that Shirou didn't know.
"Extract his knowledge."
Shirou finally made up his mind. If there are too many repetitive abilities, they don't mean much. There is no need to acquire weak powers. The next moment, Shirou felt his mind clear, as if standing in mountain clouds. The knowledge Kotomine Kirei possessed poured into his mind like spring water.
"Not bad."
Shirou smiled with satisfaction. He didn't look back at the ruins of the Tohsaka Mansion. After sensing Saber's location, he hurried over.
...
Gilgamesh, dressed in golden armor, was standing on a high wall. Since he had lost his flying Noble Phantasm, Vimana, he could only occupy the high ground this way. As soon as he thought of this, Gilgamesh grew quite angry. He was called the "Hero King," yet he had fought two mongrels for so long without a clear winner.