Magician in Type-Moon

Page 191

The interior of the firm was almost completely destroyed; the desks had long since turned to ashes, and traces of burning remained on the floor.

Although the magic called the Sea of ​​Flames had collapsed, the building's internal structure was still slowly burning, with the wood and wall debris crackling like a belated lament.

Orange sat in the crumbling ruins, surrounded by silence, with only the occasional spark falling from the ceiling.

Her figure seemed untouched by the flames; all the chaos and destruction around her appeared insignificant.

Looking around the office, Orange's expression remained unchanged, as if she had long been accustomed to the scene of destruction.

Aozaki Touko flicked her finger, and the cigarette embers at her fingertips traced an orange arc in the air before transforming into a projection of runes that floated in mid-air.

The words outlined by the sparks gradually extended and lengthened, instantly overlapping with the entire burning building.

An ancient and mysterious power resonated in the air, like the runes—ancient markings from the far north, simple yet solid, composed only of straight lines, yet drawing upon the fundamental power of nature.

Orange watched intently as the runes spun, and the air seemed to vibrate slightly because of these ancient symbols.

The letter "I" shone with a cold light, drawing in the chilling air.

A cold current gathered from all directions, as if responding to the call of the runes, and frost quickly spread, covering the still-burning ruins.

The blazing flames were quickly extinguished by the frost, and the fire lost its vitality in an instant, suppressed and extinguished by the merciless cold.

Frost began to condense in the air, covering the walls and floors, gradually freezing the entire office. Even the embers in the air froze and shattered the moment they came into contact with the frost.

In a short while, the once-raging inferno had been transformed into a frozen world, with a chilling atmosphere permeating every corner, and even the charred wood began to be covered with a layer of glistening frost.

"This agency is completely ruined... Do we have to find a new place again?" Aozaki Touko complained.

"That's true. Anyway, the incident in Guanbuzi City has caused such a big stir, the people in the association should have noticed it by now."

Orange, who had been watching the situation unfold like a bystander, also reacted immediately to the sound.

Behind the dolls left behind by Aruba stood a man.

The man's face was filled with unbearable distress and he looked serious, wearing a black coat.

It was as if he had been there from the very beginning; there was no trace of him appearing.

The previous calm had gradually disappeared, and the firm itself couldn't help but feel tense, as if they had seen something terrifying.

"—It's been a long time, Aozaki."

"Ah, same to you, but neither of us wants to see the other."

"It seems Aruba went too far. He originally planned to just steal that thing... but there was no way around it. This guy had an indescribable obsession with you, and in the end, he died here."

The newcomer was Araya Sōren. He surveyed his surroundings, then leaped down through the large hole in the ceiling, landing steadily in front of Aozaki Tōko.

"Your presence in this town may be accidental, but perhaps there's an element of inevitability to it?"

"Although we don't know who brought us together, that's how it is! The word 'chance' is a mysterious code, created to hide unknowable laws."

As she answered, Orange moved toward the wall.

This opponent is completely different from Aruba in terms of level. They may be similar in terms of magic power, but their structure and measurement are worlds apart.

Araya Sōren watched Touko's actions but did not make a move. Instead, he reached for the cage next to him, which contained Minato Keita's head.

Pick up the cage from the table.

A photograph came into view.

It appears to have been filmed abroad. The photo shows a stone-paved road, a clock tower that looks like something out of a movie, and three people standing side by side under a gloomy sky where snow could fall at any moment.

Two men and a girl.

"Aozaki, you still have this photo..." Araya murmured to himself after seeing it.

"Hmm, Araya, you're not the kind of person who gets sentimental when you see old things, are you?" Orange stopped at a spot and said casually.

Araya Sōren shook his head and replied:

"It's just that I have a rare opportunity to say a few more words, since you've already killed the other person in this photo."

"Is that so?" Aozaki Touko nodded, squinting as she looked at the man in front of her, her gaze complex and unfathomable, a mixture of hatred and pity.

She had already discerned the metaphor in Araya Sōren's words, '...wanting to say more'...had he already decided to bury himself here?

As expected of the monks of the Tendai school, even when they were about to kill someone, they were unwilling to present the facts to the person they were going to kill.

The contradiction is like the karmic fire of hell.

What an awkward personality.

Why did I ever like such a clumsy guy? I had such bad taste.

"—So getting that thing back is your goal? Could it be that your pursuit has evolved into becoming one of those immortal monsters?"

Hearing Orange's obviously inappropriate question, Araya Sōren shook his head seriously.

"The creation of this thing initially stemmed from a coincidence. But as you said, coincidence is a mysterious metaphor, so it must be something that happened."

"Is it a coincidence?" Orange understood. This guy was still as wicked as ever, committing a massacre that killed hundreds of people, all just to...

"So you teamed up with the evil god to create a mess, divert our attention, and then continued to manipulate your great undertaking of opening the source?"

In response to Aozaki Touko's question, Araya Souren nodded and said:

"Of course. But there's a truth you can't know. Although it was just a coincidence, I still made a deal with that evil god. Some of the goals He wanted to achieve overlapped with part of my plan."

"The final manifestation of the twenty-seventh Ancestor-level Dead Apostle also proves that some things have already changed. You should understand that, Aozaki."

Chapter 246 Partial Truth

"Shouldn't I understand?"

Aozaki Touko remained silent for a few seconds, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Her first reaction was:

The man named Araya Sōren has a tragic wish: to unlock the source.

So, in this matter, what kind of help did the appearance of the twenty-seventh ancestor-level dead disciples provide?

Combat ability?

wrong.

If it were only for this reason, Araya Sōren would have no reason to hinder Hakujun Risō's progress towards becoming the 27th Ancestor of the Dead Disciples.

Based on her understanding of this man, she knew he didn't refrain from acting simply because she couldn't control him.

This man is a resolute monk.

He is undoubtedly a man of action.

She had also heard about the collection of deaths over the past two hundred years.

He pursued the number of deaths, believing that after experiencing tens of thousands of different ways of dying among different humans, there would be souls spreading out from among them that led to the source.

That cannot reach the great source of all things.

The only thing that can be reached by that method is the "origin" of humankind.

It is impossible to reach the origin of primates as a whole.

This is also why the guy in front of us is called the "Origin" magician and was designated to be sealed away.

However, this method is not truly incapable of reaching the root cause, or rather, any method can be used to reach the root cause; it's just that the research is not thorough enough and the path taken is not far enough!

Investigate all kinds of deaths, study each life with dedication, and store them as your own.

Thus, the reality of death is imprinted on one's own body.

If this man is still following the old path, why did he instigate the appearance of the twenty-seventh ancestor-level dead disciples?

Aozaki Touko's thoughts kept drifting, eventually settling on the concept of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles.

This is valuable knowledge obtained from the Magic Association.

This is information that every magician who pursues the origins to a certain extent will memorize.

But Orange couldn't quite remember that; it had been too long since she had walked that path.

That's a memory from a very long time ago—

Her teacher, Inolei Baljereta Atolohom, the monarch of the Creation Department, once told her—

The greatest obstacle to reaching the root is the force of inhibition.

Many magicians have transformed themselves into Dead Apostles in order to resist the Counter Force and thus gain longevity.

They believe that if they can reach the level of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, they can gain the ability to fight against the suppressive force.

Because the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles are both enemies of primates and mediators of nature, and the Alaya, as the "collective unconscious," is the inhibitory force of non-Gaia theory, which maintains a negative yet tolerant attitude towards it.

This information came from the second mage named Gemstone Elder.

The answer is very close.

Orange's thoughts continued to wander, and Araya Sōren did not rush to make a move.

This moment was somewhat like when they were students, with the girl lost in thought while the man prepared for his own business.

So he's willing to wait.

Orange recalled some of the things that Matou Ike had discussed with her.

Matouike once shared some insights about the dead criminals who appeared in Kanbuko City.

The strength of these Dead Apostles is somewhat strange.

Although it is unknown where he obtained the information.

He seemed to believe that in a world where Heroic Spirits existed, Dead Apostles would be greatly weakened.

Matou Ike's explanation for this is that Heroic Spirits are powerful assistants to the Counter Force Alaya, and any Heroic Spirit that can successfully descend into the real world...

This means that Alaya has a strong ability to intervene in this world line.

As for the opposing Dead Apostles, they would be severely weakened by the concept of "human history," since the two are relative.

However, the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki has already clearly demonstrated the existence of Heroic Spirits, so even if Dead Apostles are created in Kanbuko City, they will...

The answer is already obvious.