The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 394 Reinforcements or Enemy Forces?

Kirei Kotomine believes that if hell truly exists, then the person who tries to harm him must be one of the best in hell.

This was so evil that even Kirei's soul felt angry.

Just as he was about to escape, his "father" stopped him again.

The bloody scratch on his face is now the evidence.

He shouldn't have tried to carry Kotomine Risei's "body".

Black Sakura shamelessly chose to launch a sneak attack.

As Kirei leaped backward, clutching the corpse, to a spot in the church aisle where it was difficult to turn around, she directly manipulated Kotomine Risatsu to pull out the dagger from his chest and stab Kirei.

If Kirei hadn't immediately pushed his father away and nimbly rolled backward, he might have ended up like the Assassin.

But this has put Kirei in a dilemma.

It's not just that he was forced back to the edge of the flowerbed.

Who could bring themselves to kill a father who has just died?

Even the soul that takes "pleasure" as its standard, while feeling pleasure, also felt anger at this moment.

This is undoubtedly blasphemy against God and the doctrine.

Besides feeling grief because his father had now turned against him, he was also deeply saddened.

Kirei was even taken aback by the fact that her "father" was now being manipulated.

He had assumed that his father, who was being manipulated, would suffer a significant decline in both tactics and abilities, but the opposite was true.

When the dagger in Kirei's hand that had slit Assassin's throat clashed with the dagger in Kotomine Risuke's hand.

Kirei had to use his backward body to cushion the immense force he felt.

Kirei, acting as the proxy, was surprisingly at a disadvantage in his fight with his elderly father!
This is only natural.

In situations where "failure" equals "complete elimination," every "strong person" knows how to learn from their mistakes.

Typically, failure only happens to them once.

Aside from a very small number of "strong individuals" who still adhere to some rather rigid principles.

The more you know, the more advantages you can leverage.

Just like the trap that Black Sakura casually laid—

The black mud that is now beating in Kotomine Risei's heart was originally intended by Kuroi Sakura to "repay" Kirei, who would later complete his mission.

Black Sakura would never use Zaid's body to fight against Kirei.

After all, she knew that in the "Editorial Notes," Kirei had the experience of easily defeating Assassin.

……

"Although it's a bit of a pity, it's still quite appropriate to use it here."

At this moment, a kind and gentle smile appeared on Kotomine Risei's face.

"Kiri," he said, as if he were truly advising his son.

"Let me see how much your boxing skills have improved over the years."

Seeing that the sneak attack had failed, the enemy seemed to have truly transformed from "Kotomine Risei" into "Kotomine Risei".

All that could be heard was the sound of the dagger tip piercing the soil, and Kotomine Ryou was assuming a Bajiquan stance.

A calm and composed aura spread through the air with the old man's posture.

Kirei, who was already in poor condition, looked even worse.

The bleeding wounds mingled with beads of sweat seeping from the still relatively intact skin.

The salt in it caused a burning sensation in the wound.

From the brief exchange just now, Kirei could tell that the "father" in front of him, apart from the mind that was controlling him, was really no different from before in his actions.

Ignoring his "father's" suggestion to practice, Kirei gripped the dagger in his hand even tighter.

If this feeling is good...

Qi Li's expression darkened.

So now, the only thing I can rely on is killing techniques other than Bajiquan.

Because he knew very well that although his Bajiquan had reached a state of perfection—

He can shatter a person's internal organs with a single blow, and can even break a large tree with a single strike.

But what kind of priest is Kotomine Ritsu?

As a monk who gains enlightenment solely through asceticism.

[Kotomine Risei] once gave himself the mission of "retrieving holy relics scattered in various countries" as a trial for his pilgrimage.

This old priest thus had a past of traveling around the world, during which he also learned some Chinese martial arts.

For example, the Bajiquan style of [Kotomine Risei].

In fact, Kirei's Bajiquan was taught by Kotomine Risei.

As a teacher, Father Lizheng was even more skilled in boxing than Kirei.

Now, relying on physical strength to win is no longer an option.

Kirei was well aware that even without mentioning the energy he had expended in his recent battle with the [soul] and the injuries he had sustained,

It would be a grave mistake to believe that a father's health has deteriorated due to old age.

His massive, mountain-like physique could only be described as monstrous.

Whether in terms of mental state or physical condition, Kirei is at a complete disadvantage at this moment.

And now, despite clearly holding the advantage.

Sakura Matou cleverly and despicably made Ryo Kotomine show a hint of struggle as she attacked Kirei—as if Ryo Kotomine still had a chance to be saved.

After Kirei pushed his father away, the two were about three steps apart.

For "Kotomine Risei", this was just a fleeting moment.

He wore a black priest's robe, and now his faith was not in God but in Death.

The stone slabs beneath their feet were almost crushed by Kotomine Risuke's footsteps.

A punch as strong as steel was thrown out with sleeves taut like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

If such a blow were to hit, the entire lung and heart would likely rupture.

Sensing the approach of death, Kirei immediately made a decision in his heart.

He apologized to his father in his heart, then used the dagger in his hand as a short knife.

In that fleeting moment of struggle on his face, Kirei tried to use that unnatural slowness to attempt to sever his father's left leg.

Once the balance is broken, I'll have a chance to take my father...

But the next second, the "father's" actions made Kirei's pupils shrink.

He immediately hurled the short knife from bottom to top, forcefully aiming it at the head.

Kirei used the throwing motion to forcefully lean his body backward.

The gaze, which had been fixed on the father, watched as the flying kick sent the dagger flying through the air flying far away.

The sound of wind cutting through the air almost brushed past the tip of his nose.

……

Now, things are getting complicated.

The flaw that "Father" just showed was deliberately given to him by the enemy.

If Kirei hadn't leaned back to dodge, the kick would have struck his head with the same kinetic energy as the dagger.

Yes, for Black Sakura, the concept of a "deadly hand" is completely irrelevant.

This isn't her body.

Even if he loses a leg, it would be a very worthwhile deal if he could exchange it for Kirei losing his balance as well.

"Because in this way..."

Seeing Kirei Kotomine's gaze shift from himself to the corpse lying in the flowerbed.

Father Risei habitually tilted his head slightly and smiled at Kirei.

"What a pity, it had already been discovered?"

It seems there's more than one person on the other side.

……

In fact, what Ling Qili did not expect was—

Even now, trying to influence one's own "soul" can bring some benefits.

If Kirei, who has regained his normal human emotions, were to face this situation...

In the previous few exchanges, he had already been killed due to his panic.

As that "pleasure" surged, it also meant that his "spirit" only needed to cope with this one emotion.

Similarly, his intuition from his soul told him directly that he could not exchange injuries with his "father".

If Kotomine Risei's mobility could truly be taken away, he would accept losing an arm. However, if the "enemy's" mobility was not taken away, the situation would immediately become extremely dangerous.

Even so, Kirei wanted to make one last attempt before retreating—

No matter how the enemy tried to get Assassin back on his feet, the wound in his throat remained real.

—The power of the detective is still at work.

Kirei saw it clearly, even though the surging black mud kept trying to "fill" the wound.

But it's as if they've encountered an abyss; only a fraction of them are still effective, leaving only a few extremely tiny buds trying to start growing again.

In this way, if he could completely sever Assassin's spine, theoretically he would never be able to stand up again.

Qi Li pretended to stumble, but secretly took a step back and stomped.

As he straightened up, the seemingly soft chopping palm, using his stable stance on the ground, blocked Kotomine Riko's hook punch that followed his spin.

Although I don't know why the enemy used the same method as my father.

But this is almost equivalent to actually fighting against one's father, which can actually bring some slight advantages.

However, the slightly eased situation does not provide any decisive help.

"...We have no choice but to retreat."

Kirei knew very well that no matter how long it would take for Assassin to recover.

With the dagger knocked away, as long as "Father" is still alive, there is no way he can find an opportunity to kill him completely.

Another dagger… His gaze swept over a severed plant not far away.

As if Feng Lizheng could read his mind, he immediately retreated after failing to strike twice.

Then, with a "whoosh," the kicked dagger flew through the porch and landed inside the church hall, echoing in the empty space.

So, if the other side has reinforcements, how long will it take for our own reinforcements to arrive?

To avoid revealing any flaws to his opponents, Kirei did not look at the position of the sun in the sky.

He relied on his memory to judge how long it would take before he was taken to the hospital as usual.

"About thirty minutes..."

Yes, Kirei did not intend to run away before his final attempt failed.

Since the other side's plan to win them over has failed, then in reality—

Although it looks somewhat tragic, the Alliance's strategy has been successful.

Every second of delay now will be a strategic weakness for the enemy.

If only he had that gun with him—Keeley knew there was a pistol in the car outside the church.

That was provided to him at the request of the Alliance to prevent him from being attacked in the city.

Even though he and his "father" could dodge bullets by recognizing each other's movements, the corpse lying on the ground could not.

Find an opportunity to retreat to the car outside the church and try to seize the pistol.

—Kirei made a decision in his heart.

……

In reality, if Kirei really did that, then in the end, it would definitely be Black Sakura who achieved her goal.

It can only be said that the gap in information is far more terrifying than the gap in intelligence.

Just like that classic joke—

A person who had never been exposed to a math textbook in the countryside spent several years figuring out calculus on his own.

No one can deny his intelligence, but if he were to take a stroll through the town's library, he would find that the patterns he had summarized were already commonplace.

For Kuro Sakura, if it weren't for her desire to prepare more for the evening's banquet and her interest in investigating Kirei's somewhat strange behavior, she would have been completely different.

Having already obtained Tokiomi Tohsaka, she could have simply used her Limit Break power to kill Kirei.

Kuro Sakura had a vague feeling that something was off about Kirei Kotomine in front of her.

Fortunately, she didn't immediately realize that this unease stemmed from Kirei's rejection of his own soul.

She casually observed the mouse's movements while recalling the universe she had experienced.

"Strange, have I encountered Kirei Kotomine like this before?"

Black Sakura felt that the situation was getting stranger and stranger—

If the appearance of another version of myself is a design by that "Sherlock Holmes," then that's perfectly normal.

The Black Grail is also the Holy Grail.

Try using [Limit Breaking Power] to modify [Editing Items].

There is some merit to the idea that by influencing himself and Kariya Matou, he could create a "less dark" version of the Black Grail.

But what's the deal with this Kirei Kotomine?
Although she knew that sometimes using the [Limit Breaking Power] on a single person could have additional effects.

But if it were the exact opposite, it would still be very strange.

"Is it a rejection of 'nature,' or a vigilance stemming from the desire to eliminate the enemy first...?"

Even her decision not to dodge Kirei's attack just now had this probing meaning.

If Kirei chose to stay out of a desire to protect Kotomine Risei's remains, then he wouldn't have killed him.

That also means that he and his [matter] are completely at odds.

Black Sakura will immediately use more effects to take him down and try to figure out the reason.

But Kirei Kotomine did not.

This, in turn, puzzled Black Sakura, leading her to decide to hold back for the time being.

What she didn't know was that information asymmetry can sometimes turn into a "stereotype".

In Kuroyaku's mind, there is now only the extreme bias that [Kirei Kotomine] has become a good person or a bad person.

She never even considered the option of "a normal person".

After all, if one wants to change the [matter], or change the [soul], many "strong individuals" have already figured out one thing:

By relying on one's own "extreme emotions," one can cooperate with the [Power of Breaking Limits] to do this.

It can only be said that, under the influence of a long period of time, even the most foolish person can summarize some patterns related to "personal design" and "historical inertia".

Even seemingly plausible rules.

Perhaps at some crucial points, they will all fall into misconceptions due to the misleading influence of "Chaldea" or others.

But this is like misleading them by getting the G value wrong when calculating gravitational acceleration.

Even if the rocket that is eventually built will always crash because of this, the phenomenon of "the falling apple" will never be wrong.

Therefore, relying on her common sense, although Kuroi Sakura could sense some of the oddities about this [Kirei Kotomine], she did not immediately realize his value.

……

Given this misjudgment by both sides, the final winner is naturally—

A golden streak flashed across the sky like lightning.

A majestic voice, accompanied by his usual hearty laughter, echoed through the sky.

"Hahaha! Tokiomi! Thank me, Your Majesty!"

Under Merlin's repeated urging, Gilgamesh directly used the best method of modifying Professor Agasa's motorcycle.

Golden wings that unfold from both sides of the motorcycle like an airplane, beneath which is a jet engine transformed from a compressed air turret.

The Matou Residence was originally located in the westernmost part of Beika Town. To reach the Beika Church in the easternmost part, one had to traverse the width of an entire city.

But in the face of science, all distances are merely "fleeting moments".

The watch that Merlin had taken from her wrist has been returned.

Conan, sitting in the principal's office at the Detective Academy, has already temporarily given Gilgamesh the identity of a trainee detective.

Of course, it was opened under the name of an investor in the "Detective Academy" who likes detective stories.

At that moment, the flying motorcycle fell like a missile.

In this process, the engine, instead of acting as a buffer, was aimed downwards—

Dr. Agasa ingeniously combined the design of buffers and non-lethal weaponry.

And this feature, which the detectives have been complaining about, has finally come in handy.

Black Cherry looked up and heard a familiar voice mocking her mercilessly:

"Ha, you filthy insects, run away from my favorite vehicle!"

……

Ugh……

All I can say is that Jin Shanshan's biggest mistake was his sharp tongue.

He was exceptionally successful, hitting five sore spots of a "strongman" with just one sentence.

now--

The number of people who ran away has increased to two.

(End of this chapter)