Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

This would explain the source of your incredible power...

Just as I imagined, the Servant you summoned must be a demon or an anti-hero.

Just like the Avengers of the previous Holy Grail War, no... their nature is even worse.

To possess the body of an innocent child—what a despicable monster!

Shirou: "..."

Ms. Avalon: "Who are you calling an evil spirit?!"

Shirou: Maybe he was right.

Lady Avalon: "No, no! Master, whose side are you on anyway?"

Kotomine Ryougi continued to declare righteously, "Although I am very concerned about what kind of Heroic Spirit you are, it doesn't matter. As long as I remove the Command Seals from the back of your hand, I can slowly interrogate you."

"Just wondering, you don't plan to hand over your Command Seals and Servants, do you?"

Ms. Avalon: "...(swallows)"

"Although she's a terrible person, she's still my servant, and no one can decide my fate with her."

"I am the arbiter of this Holy Grail War, and I will decide your fate (sin)."

Shirou shrugged helplessly and sighed, "Yesterday there was this flashy guy who said he would make the judgment for me. Did you all plan this in advance?"

"I can tolerate the arrogant ancient king, but the priest should just obediently hand out candy and bread on the weekend and not do anything unnecessary."

On the other side, Kotomine Risei had already assumed a fighting stance.

As for Shirou, he had no stance to strike—because his right arm had not yet recovered.

This is also the source of Kotomine Risei's confidence.

Even if the opponent is an evil spirit that has gained a physical body, it is definitely no match for me if it loses an arm.

The old priest launched the first attack, his muscles tense, and threw a punch at Shirou's face.

Unlike his son Kirei, Kotomine Risei has no experience as an agent.

He had never killed a vampire, and his experience in fighting humans was extremely limited.

The only one that could be considered a real battle was the one 60 years ago when a young priest in his early twenties served as the overseer of the Third Holy Grail War.

Compared to Kirei Kotomine, who was skilled in murder and exorcism, this elderly priest was simply powerful.

He cultivated his self-cultivation martial arts to a level that even the most elite practitioners could not reach.

Those iron fists wrapped in the shroud of the dead had reached the limits of human capability.

"...!?"

However, Shirou deftly dodged the fist that was about to hit his face, and not only dodged, he projected a sword with his left hand and slashed upwards at Kotomine Ryougi's chest.

"Well……!"

Kotomine Riko jumped backward to avoid the upward slash.

After distancing himself from the red-haired boy, his expression contorted as cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Oh……"

Shirou didn't continue the pursuit. Instead, he shook his left wrist to check his current condition.

For Shirou, who is proficient in dual-wielding, losing his right hand would not affect his strength too much.

"You're quite perceptive indeed, no wonder you're a master of martial arts... Is the one you're using called Chinese martial arts?"

Wow, that's amazing! No wonder Lizzie lost to you.

But I always feel a bit slow; is it because I'm getting older?

"You brat...!"

“Bullying the elderly isn’t my hobby. How about your son takes over? He’s probably the stronger one right now, isn’t he?”

Provoked by Shirou, Kotomine Ryougi was so angry that he gritted his teeth. His eyes changed visibly, and his body exuded a strong killing intent.

"Alright. Then I'll show you my true abilities and... the reason I was appointed as the overseer of the Holy Grail War!"

Kotomine Risuke pushed off the ground with both feet and charged straight at him from the front.

Shirou, with a calm expression, responded by holding his sword in his left hand.

It was an incredibly insane sight to anyone: an 80-year-old man and an 8-year-old child were fighting each other.

His fists, honed through decades of training, were like cannonballs. Combined with the effects of the Holy Shroud, Kotomine Risei's every punch produced a deafening roar, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

Shirou, on the other hand, parried the attack with nonchalant ease.

The old priest's fist struck the projected sword, sparking intensely.

To conserve mana, Shirou projected the most ordinary weapon this time, which, in the Servant system, would be equivalent to an E-rank Noble Phantasm.

Although it was only an E-rank Noble Phantasm, it was still a Noble Phantasm, yet it shattered into dust after only blocking a few punches.

Shirou focused his gaze on Kotomine Risei's wrists.

The truth lies within that red cloth strip; could his arm conceal Command Seals recovered during the previous three Holy Grail Wars...?

It was only with the help of that strange strip of cloth and a dozen or so Command Seals that Kotomine Risei was able to unleash his Servant-level combat power.

Is there a way to bypass the Shroud of Relics and directly attack Kotomine Risei...? Shirou fell into deep thought.

"drink--!"

Kotomine Risei didn't miss the opportunity and threw another punch.

However, Shirou immediately projected a new sword blade and parried the punch.

"What's wrong! Is all you can do is defend yourself?"

Kotomine Risuke shouted as he forcefully threw punches.

"I heard it from the JASDF pilots! You must have another form! Not a child, but an adult!"

A monster capable of slaying sea monsters, now cornered by a dying old man?

"Master, use the 'Royal Command Spell'."

Ms. Avalon urged.

No, there's no need for that.

Shirou shook his head.

"That's not what I was showing you..."

He said calmly, "There's no need to use 'that' against an opponent of your caliber."

"I see. Then you shall remain in the form of a child and be destroyed, evil spirit!"

Kotomine Risei suddenly kicked out, but Shirou reacted quickly and blocked it with his sword.

Although the side kick shattered the boy's projected weapon, it bounced off with a metallic clang.

"……Well!"

Shirou felt a spasmodic pain in his left wrist.

Although the number of swords that can be repeatedly projected can be determined by the amount of magic power, there is only one arm that can wield the sword.

"An 8-year-old's body is still too fragile," Shirou thought. "If this continues, the situation will probably become very bad."

Fortunately, because Shirou was too light, he was blown several meters away by the impact, which gave him a chance to catch his breath.

But—it was at this moment that Shirou realized he had underestimated the profound and unfathomable martial art of Bajiquan.

The two were nearly ten meters apart, but the old priest, who was as strong as a bear, only took one step forward to close the distance.

This footwork, which appears to glide across the ground without moving the feet at all, is a unique skill known as "living footwork" in Bajiquan.

With his hands bound by the Shroud of Death, Kotomine Rin, like a grim reaper, silently charged towards the unarmed Shirou.

At this distance, fist techniques undoubtedly take precedence over sword techniques, and Bajiquan is a style of fist techniques known for its extremely close-range combat.

Kotomine Risuke's two iron fists, reaching the pinnacle of mortal skill, slammed towards the boy's chest with the might of the Eight Extremes—

"...Shirou!!"

Sera's screams could not stop Kotomine Risei.

The moment Shirou swung his fists, which were wrapped in the shroud of the dead, he was sent flying.

The Vajra Eight Forms, the Thrusting Punch.

If a Servant who is not good at fighting... such as Caster, taking this punch might shatter their soul core on the spot.

Although Shirou had been training diligently throughout the year, his physical body was ultimately no match for the most vulnerable Servant; taking this attack head-on would only result in death.

It should be so.

"How can it be……"

The old priest who had sent the boy flying stood there, a strange, incredulous expression on his face.

He didn't feel any impact from his fist.

Even a novice wouldn't miss a punch delivered at point-blank range.

No matter how you look at it, it seems impossible, but the fact is that Kotomine Risei did not get the feel of destroying the chest cavity and crushing the internal organs.

On the other side, the red-haired boy, who should have died on the spot, shakily got up, confirming the priest's guess.

Shirou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth while revealing a stubborn smile: "Looks like I might have a talent for martial arts too."

"..."

Kotomine Risa looked terrified and murmured, "Um...you just...imitated my technique?"

Just as he was about to be blasted to pieces, Shirou—

This boy, who knew nothing about boxing, actually used the Bajiquan technique that he had just witnessed a second ago.

It appeared that its legs were not moving at all, but it glided backward several meters as if by magic.

In doing so, he successfully deflected most of the power from Kotomine Risei's fist.

"Slide step".

That was a profound skill that the martial arts master Kotomine Ryougi had finally mastered after more than ten years of training and honing his skills like an ascetic, at the very end of his quest for enlightenment.

This skill, which he was once so proud of, was grasped by Shirou after just one glance, and he perfectly imitated it in the first practical application.

It's normal for Kotomine Risei to be surprised.

After all, there has never been a story of an evil spirit or vampire being a genius in martial arts; this is not the ability of a Servant.

Regardless of whether Shirou merged with a Servant or was possessed, what is truly terrifying is the eyes of this 8-year-old child—a fact already imprinted in Kotomine Risei's heart.

The old priest's broad shoulders trembled slightly: "You only saw it once, and you've already mastered it?"

Upon hearing his question, Shirou tilted his head in great confusion.

"It wasn't just once, it should have been twice..."

Didn't you already do that once before when you attacked my girl?

Having witnessed the demonstration twice, even the most clueless person should have mastered it.

"how could it be possible!"

Kotomine Risuke shouted, disregarding his priestly image.

Shirou blinked: "Huh... Is that impossible?"

He thought it was perfectly normal.

After all, among the people Shirou knows, there is a witch who can decipher the principles of magic spells and use them for her own purposes just by glancing at the spell formula.

So it's not strange that her knight could master the enemy's martial arts after watching it only twice, right?

"In short, if you hadn't gone to the trouble of attacking Sera back then, I would probably be dead by now with one punch from you."

As Shirou projected the new weapon, he concluded, "Your defeat this month is due to your first release."

Will I lose?