Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain (Technique) was originally just one of the eight major moves of Bajiquan, not a unique or ultimate technique. However, when Li Shuwen, Uncle Li, fought others, he would often start with this move, aiming for a Unmatched Strike one-hit kill. Thus, in the eyes of the world, Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain (Technique) became an invincible, ultimate killing technique.
Therefore, what was originally an ordinary move was elevated to Li Shuwen's noble phantasm under the world's mistaken praise. It was a continuous, fluid attack, with each strike being an output of energy from the earth, channeled through "Li Shuwen" himself. Not to mention humans, even walls, doors, and even the sturdy gates of a dojo could be easily shattered.
Because the output was not from the person himself but the power of the earth, theoretically, as long as the person performing it could withstand it, the power of this strike was "infinitely great"!
Its momentum was like a mountain collapsing, its aura like a tsunami! A single strike was like a Tyrannosaurus rex emerging from its lair; forget people, it could tear down city walls for you to see!
Although it was merely a boxing technique, it exuded immense power. The Black-Haired Youth stood rooted to the spot, as if facing a monstrous tsunami alone, with no escape, only to be crushed into dust in despair.
No matter how grand your momentum, how sharp your moves, the person performing the moves is human and thus has weaknesses. If you can't find one, create one!
The lone wolf knows not despair; as long as a breath remains, he will fight back fiercely. Facing Rin's unstoppable attack, the Black-Haired Youth raised his remaining left arm and met it with a punch!
On one side was a Heroic Spirit's technique like a collapsing mountain and a raging tsunami.
On the other side was a dying counterattack from a wounded, ailing body.
The clash between the two seemed to have its outcome decided from the start.
But facts often do not follow expected outcomes; otherwise, the term "face-slapping" would not have been born!
The Black-Haired Youth's fist avoided a direct collision with Rin's attack. Relying on the advantage of his arm length, his fist moved from bottom to top, landing first on Rin's upper body armor.
If he had a choice, the youth would never foolishly aim his fist at Rin's armor plates. Previous attempts had already proven that his punching power could not break through the hardness of Rin's armor. However, due to the height difference, the youth's fist could only reach Rin's chest plate at its lowest, completely unable to reach the unprotected abdomen!
His fist, which was originally powerless against armor, this time... with absolutely calm analysis, meticulous calculation, perfectly precise timing, and finally... all the good luck he had today! With this one punch, he would create a weakness in the perfect defense! And with that point, he would defeat her!
The fist, which should have been helpless, shattered Rin's battle suit armor plate! The fist struck Rin's body through the fractured opening.
"Crack…"
A faint, inaudible cracking sound emanated from Rin's entire body. Invisible, intangible cracks instantly spread throughout her body from the point of impact! Under this punch, Rin completely stiffened, unable to move, and the immensely powerful Heroic Spirit's technique also dissipated into nothingness.
"Ha!"
The youth took another step, exerting force a second time, and the power of the vibrating punch acted again on the breached point! Rin instantly flew backward like a cannonball. Her entire body's Mana Burst, battle suit, and gauntlets, all condensed with magic, along with the magical fluctuations of Mana Burst, were shattered by this single blow. Completely defenseless, she crashed into the giant rock behind her.
"Boom!"
The dull thud of a body hitting a giant rock. Rin's body slid down the rock face.
Also shattered at the same time was Projection Magic.
It hurts so much... The projected memory was cleared again, and Rin's consciousness awoke from her martial will, followed by a dull thud in her chest, and excruciating pain as if her internal organs were twisted into a knot, a mouthful of fresh blood surging up.
"Pfft, cough cough…"
Did I lose… My body, I can't exert any strength. My magic, it's been scattered… Is that why I woke up? Then… Rin, leaning against the giant rock, looked up. The Black-Haired Youth, with one arm crippled, charged like a wounded, furious lone wolf, reaching her in the blink of an eye. The fatal blow aimed at her crown, Rin was already powerless to defend or dodge. The accompanying fist wind made her experience the taste of approaching death for the first time, and perhaps the last.
The moment of death is an eternal instant; time at this moment seemed infinitely stretched, as if that final fatal blow would not fall until a century later.
To think that after all this effort, I am still weak. Time and age are not excuses; the loser has no right to plead. Perhaps the desire to save all tragedies is itself an arrogant delusion. To change someone's life requires bearing it with one's own life. Without that resolve, I am no different from those chuunibyous who fantasize every day.
The timeline, stretched by the approach of death, seemed to deliberately favor Rin, giving her enough time to reflect on her life.
Aoi, Sakura, Tokiomi, Kariya, and even Matou Shinji. The faces she had seen one by one since her rebirth flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a perfect, pretty face—Tohsaka Rin from the Fifth Holy Grail War, or rather, "God."
"As the end that is the origin, you are the most special existence in this world. The end accepts everything, thus granting you an unobstructed path to the supreme with infinite possibilities. But fate is an excuse for the weak; there is no such thing as predetermined fate. Therefore, there is no favor of fate. Giving you the path to the supreme does not mean you will inevitably reach the pinnacle. You are the end, but the end is not you. You are no different from any person, beast, plant, or tree in this world. Any thought of being the protagonist is self-destructive. When you are in a desperate situation, unable to turn the tide, do not blame heaven or others, for it is only due to your powerlessness. Weakness is a sin; heaven and earth owe you nothing."
This was a mental record "God" transmitted to Rin during their last meeting, just as "God" sent Rin's consciousness back to the material plane. There was nothing new in it, only a repeated emphasis on one sentence: fate does not exist; weakness is only due to one's own powerlessness.
It seems I am merely one of the cannon fodder used by the Space-Time God and the Transmigration God to intimidate protagonists before their transmigration. But at least I've saved Sakura, at least I've saved Sakura…