Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

It was during the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel that Maiya Hisau sensed the anomaly.

It wasn't a sound or scent—nothing so tangible. It was something more abstract, a shift in presence that only warriors honed by life-and-death battles could truly perceive.

And a skilled assassin never ignored such warnings.

Sharpening her focus like a blade, Maiya drew her 9mm Glock pistol from its holster while scanning her surroundings.

Someone had found her.

"You have sharp senses, woman."

A deep, emotionless male voice echoed from behind her, reverberating among the steel pillars. The echoes distorted the origin of the sound, making it impossible to pinpoint.

Something arced through the air from the shadows of the steel framework, landing at Maiya's feet.

She immediately aimed her gun at the object, but upon realizing it wasn't a threat, she shifted her aim toward the thrower's location.

However, her peripheral vision remained locked onto the item at her feet—because she recognized it.

It was the corpse of a bat, its abdomen tied to a small CCD camera. It was the familiar she had deployed near the Fuyuki Church, which had gone silent after being stationed there.

The fact that someone could return it to her meant their identity was self-evident.

And the person didn't bother hiding any longer.

A tall man stepped out from his concealment, calmly facing Maiya and the barrel of her gun.

His expression was grim, and he exuded an oppressive presence that was difficult to describe. His black priestly robe seemed like a three-dimensional shadow as if darkness itself had taken form and wrapped around everything in his vicinity.

Maiya was not unfamiliar with this man.

"Kirei… Kotomine…"

The Master, Kiritsugu was most wary of—the most dangerous one.

As for Sakatsuki, Maiya had automatically categorized him as a Servant.

"Oh? This should be our first meeting. What reason do you have to know me?"

The man responded.

Maiya mentally clicked her tongue, realizing she had muttered his name aloud.

Kirei showed no fear toward her gun, standing there indifferently as he continued.

"If that's the case, then I can guess your identity as well."

Maiya remained silent, trying to deduce why Kotomine Kirei—who had stayed hidden until now—would suddenly appear here, so brazenly.

Meanwhile, Kirei slightly turned his head toward the city skyline, looking at the location where the Hyatt Hotel had been. The only thing left now was a rising cloud of dust. He let out a sigh of mild surprise.

"I didn't expect you to destroy the entire building. Such ruthless methods are unlike those of a typical magus… or should I say, he is someone who specializes in targeting a magus's weaknesses?"

Maiya's expression stiffened.

This man knew so much about Kiritsugu Emiya—just as Kiritsugu knew about Kirei Kotomine.

"Don't make me do all the talking, woman. You only need to answer one question—where is the man who was supposed to be here in your place?"

With that question, Maiya stopped trying to analyze Kirei.

There was only one course of action—eliminate him.

She disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger.

The rapid gunfire rang out—three consecutive shots.

The 9mm rounds, though classified as military-grade, weren't fully lethal on their own. Hence, professionals always aim at the abdomen, firing multiple times to ensure severe injury. It was a fundamental rule of assassination—instead of risking a miss on a smaller, fatal target, it was more effective to aim for a larger area to incapacitate the opponent.

But her bullets didn't pierce flesh.

Instead, they struck solid concrete.

Kirei moved with unbelievable speed, but human reflexes couldn't possibly outrun a supersonic bullet. What he did was far more terrifying. He predicted her actions faster than she could think.

By reading her aim from her gaze and gauging the moment she would fire based on the tension in her limbs bracing for recoil, he dodged the bullets before they even left the barrel.

In both the mundane world and the realm of mysteries, this was an ability beyond human limits.

And not only that—

In that instant, it was not Kirei who dodged but Maiya.

Her right hand, now soaked in warm, sticky blood, was empty. The Glock had fallen to the ground with a hollow clang.

Her shocked gaze locked onto the cold gleam of a blade embedded in the steel column behind where she had stood.

It was that razor-sharp projectile that had silently wounded her hand and disarmed her.

A blade over a meter long, thin and reminiscent of a Western sword. But by standard sword design, its hilt was far too short.

This was a unique throwing weapon used by Executors of the Holy Church—a Black Key.

The man in priestly robes had thrown it the very moment he dodged her bullets, seamlessly counterattacking in the same motion.

Black Keys, a signature weapon of the Church's Executors, were powerful but notoriously difficult to wield. Only true masters could bring out their full potential.

Kirei Kotomine, who had undergone self-inflicted hellish training since childhood, was unmatched in this aspect. Even among the elite Burial Agency, the Church's most fearsome enforcers, few could surpass him in wielding Black Keys.

He was an Executor of the Holy Church.

This brief but intense exchange fully revealed Kirei's terrifying nature.

Maiya, a seasoned battlefield veteran with impeccable technique and a ruthless killer's mindset—perfect in almost every way—had been incapacitated in mere moments.

She had been wounded, disarmed, and rendered incapable of further combat.

Against Kirei, she had no resistance.

If he had intended to kill her rather than capture her alive, she would already be a corpse on the ground.

"What's wrong, Maiya? What happened?"

Kiritsugu's voice came through her earpiece, urgent with concern.

Her ear twitched slightly—but she didn't respond.

Not because she couldn't, but because she refused to.

She wouldn't let this dangerous man get anywhere near Kiritsugu.

Kirei's true target wasn't her—it was Kiritsugu.

And just as Kirei had suspected, she was indeed Kiritsugu's subordinate, acting under his orders.

She could not, under any circumstances, allow Kirei to obtain proof of that.

"Oh? You're not calling for help?"

Kirei's voice turned almost amused.

"Kiritsugu Emiya must be nearby, isn't he?"

He did not need to conceal his words anymore. He was certain—if the Einzberns had recruited Kiritsugu, then he would undoubtedly be in action tonight.

Yet, this woman refused to speak.

As an Executor operating on his own authority, Kirei was beginning to lose patience.

He wouldn't kill her—he needed her alive. But she only needed to be able to talk. He didn't need to leave her arms or legs intact.

With that decision made, Kirei advanced step by step toward the wounded woman, concealed behind a steel column.

She had no weapons left.

Her dismantled rifle couldn't be reassembled in time.

She had no chance to retrieve her fallen handgun.

The battle was over.

But at that moment—

A sudden burst of white smoke erupted between them, completely obscuring his vision.

A sharp chemical stench flooded his nostrils.

"A smoke grenade?!"

***

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