Magician in Type-Moon

Page 183

He said slowly and deliberately, "This offer sounds quite tempting."

"However, how can I trust you?" Matou Ike paused slightly, as if waiting for a response, her tone tinged with sarcasm.

Shirai Rio's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining that confident and fearless demeanor, as if she had already anticipated Matou Ike's reaction.

“Indeed,” he said slowly, his tone calm and indifferent. “After all, we were enemies just now, with the intention of killing each other, but now we are sitting at the negotiating table to discuss cooperation. No wonder you are suspicious of me.”

His voice carried a hint of mockery, yet it sounded perfectly natural.

"You know there's no possibility of cooperation between us."

Ryougi Shiki slightly raised the long sword in her hand, her eyes fixed on Shiro Jun Rio's every move like a hawk's, and killing intent permeated the air like a chilling breeze.

Shirai Junri shrugged, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, but her calm and composed expression remained unchanged.

“Since the possibility of cooperation has been ruled out,” he said softly, his tone still steady, “then we could actually talk about a ceasefire first, couldn’t we?”

"armistice?"

Shirai Junri nodded slightly, a shrewd glint in her eyes, as if she had been prepared for this suggestion all along.

"You all understand now, don't you? With the abilities of these blood beasts, you can't kill me at all. And if I want to escape, there's nothing you can do to stop me, right?"

She gave a soft hum and continued:

"After all, if you could kill me, given your personalities, you wouldn't be wasting time chatting with me here. You would have already grabbed that knife and started slashing at me, wouldn't you?"

"Moreover, the root of our conflict actually lies with Ryougi." Her tone carried a complex emotion, a mixture of regret and provocation. "I originally wanted to turn her into something like me, but now it seems that plan is no longer feasible."

"Why do you call me the Holy Son?" Matou Ike suddenly changed the subject, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Shirai Junri was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised by the question, but her expression quickly became thoughtful as she gently scratched her hair. "Hmm, that is indeed a problem."

"Because the power within me was prepared specifically for you. Your soul bears the same mark as ours. According to the Holy God's will, as long as you can eliminate all creatures carrying that mark, you will be able to obtain the so-called Blood Ring of Principle."

"We are like sacrifices and trials prepared for you by the Holy Spirit. However, Your Holiness, you probably don't really want this kind of thing, do you? After all, who would want to become a monster that only knows how to eat?"

Although Shirai Rio's words were somewhat cryptic, Matou Ike seemed to understand her meaning. Combining them with Minato Keita's words, he gradually pieced together the whole picture.

Beelzebub prepared a "gift" for Matouike, but the condition for accepting it was to eliminate all the cannibals. This is why the cannibals feared him, knowing they would ultimately die at Matouike's hands—a divine decree.

However, this seemingly "free" power actually harbors hidden dangers—the power to become the Ancestor of Death in an instant comes at the cost of becoming a terrifying being like a cannibal. Such temptation and risk are indeed maddening.

But is it really that simple? Matou Ike, for one, doesn't believe it.

"Alright, we've talked for so long, it's time you gave me an answer. Since you can't kill me anyway, how about we call a truce?"

Shirai Junri's gaze was sharp, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and eagerness. His demeanor remained relaxed, but his words carried a hint of urgency.

Ryougi Shiki and Matou Ike exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.

"Let's begin! Let's capture her alive if possible."

Chapter 236 Deathly Counterattack

How can we solve this problem with Shirai Rio?

Given the countless lives she has taken, it would indeed be difficult to stop her from escaping if she wanted to.

But there are solutions.

It was even presented to Matou Ike from the very beginning.

That was the barrier that Araya Sōren specially created to trap Shirajun Rio.

This is a Death Apostle Barrier that Araya Sōren once specially created to counter Shirajun Rio's abilities.

Theoretically speaking, as long as it is not deliberately sabotaged, or if Shirai Riyu is truly promoted to the ranks of the Ancestor of Death.

If it weren't for Matouchi and Ryougi Shiki's breakthroughs, this cage could have trapped her for a lifetime.

Although the barrier has been lifted, giving Shirai Rio a chance to escape, the remaining rituals have not been abolished.

This is thanks to the fact that Ryougi Shiki and Matou Ike did not choose to directly "kill" the barrier from the beginning.

Instead, it "killed" the magical channel between the ley lines and the barrier.

The reason why Matouike did not explain the principle of the barrier itself to Ryougi Shiki, but instead mentioned the principle of maintaining the barrier.

On the one hand, this is easier, and Ryougi Shiki can be grasped more quickly, making it easier to break through the barriers blocking their way.

On the other hand, Matou Ike was unaware of Shirasumi Rio's combat abilities and characteristics before arriving here.

By not actively destroying the barrier, one leaves the possibility of reactivating it.

Whether it was to keep Shirai Riyo trapped here after they could escape if they were no match for her.

This was also to seal the mystery within the barrier and prevent a repeat of the battle that occurred at the Witch Tower.

Considering both of these issues, Matouike believed that there was a reason for the barrier to remain.

For these two reasons, the barrier established by Araya Sōren was left behind.

And the moment the barrier broke due to the loss of magical power, Matou Ike used the Deconstruction Mystic Eyes to record the various nodes within it.

These eyes are the biggest bug in the mystical side.

If the Magic Association learns of the abilities of these eyes and spreads the word...

He may have already been on the list of those designated for sealing.

After all, no magician can accept that the results they have achieved over the years can be known by just one pair of eyes.

The word "magic" is derived from the word "mystery".

Once magic is given the name "magic," it becomes mysterious from the surface to the core.

Magic is something that absolutely cannot be made public, nor can it be understood or used by the vast majority of people.

To use an analogy, magic is like a cake; if only one person eats it, it will make that person very full.

If another person comes, the cake needs to be divided in half, or the other person can be killed, which would allow one person to have the whole cake again.

If only a small group of people know about it, perhaps each person will only get a small piece of the cake. Or, what if the vast majority of people know about it? When magic becomes known to the majority of people...

It then loses the concept and nature of mystery.

It will gradually disappear.

A group of people were crammed together, and perhaps in the struggle, the cake was trampled underfoot or melted by the heat.

Therefore, Matou Ike, who possesses these eyes, is practically the public enemy of the magic world.

Using the unique properties of these eyes, Matou Ike, despite the pressure of having her brain burned out, learned how to create the barrier set up by Araya Souren and was able to utilize it.

Almost no one could have imagined something like this.

This is something that transcends all conventional understanding.

The reason why Shirai Rio was able to realize that Matou Ike and Ryougi Shiki were stalling for time was because she remained calm.

It's because she never imagined that Matouike could restart Araya Souren's barrier.

This could only be accomplished if Araya Sōren and Matouike had already established a deep cooperative relationship.

Araya Sōren and Matouchi joined forces?

This is simply a joke.

So she could still patiently chat with Matou Ike.

In her understanding, even if Matouike could deploy a super-large barrier of the same scale as Araya Souren.

That would require several days of preparation, including materials and other things.

This is not something that can be resolved in just ten minutes.

But what happened next completely stunned Shirai Rio.

After Matouike nodded to Ryougi Shiki.

A massive surge of magical energy erupted from the center of the ritual left behind by Araya Sōren.

It spread rapidly like a mighty torrent.

A strong magical aura permeated the air, and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, as if a cold force was gradually consuming the surrounding heat.

The outline of the barrier gradually began to appear.

The structure of the entire space also underwent drastic changes.

The powerful winds generated by the flow of magic tore through the dust and mist, revealing a different scene.

The moonlight was also blocked out at this moment.

Shirai Junri desperately suppressed a groan, half her face already submerged in the writhing, bloody liquid. The blood gushed and surged on the ground, churning like a living thing.

"That's enough! If you want to kill me, then try! Anyone who stands in my way—kill!"

Her roar was filled with despair and rage, and blood-red liquid suddenly rose from the ground, transforming into countless snake shadows that attacked Ryougi Shiki.

Each snake shadow was filled with murderous intent, as if it were her primal instincts making a final counterattack.

This is her last trump card, which she has always kept in reserve.

Taking advantage of the gap in the barrier maintained by Matou Pond, she decisively delivered everything that belonged to her to Ryougi Shiki.

Ryougi Shiki's expression turned solemn as she sensed the deadly aura emanating from Shiro Jun Rio.

With the enhancements given to her by Matouchi, she quickly entered battle mode, dancing gracefully among the snakes like a ruthless dancer.

The blade flashed, its cold light chilling, aimed directly at the approaching crimson snake shadow.

But just as she was fully focused on dealing with the snake shadows, those snake shadows suddenly melted into countless streams of bloody turbidity.

The flow of blood became unusually rapid, blurring her vision, and the lines of death seen through her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception became indistinct.

"Get out of the way!"

Matouike's warning was too late; the crimson liquid, as if alive, quickly wrapped around Ryougi Shiki's body.

Her movements began to slow down, tightly bound by the sea of ​​blood, unable to move freely.

"—Let us become one of us, Ryougi! Although I would prefer another method, it seems I'm not quite ready to do it this way either!"

Shirai Rio's voice echoed from the sea of ​​blood, like multiple layers of reverberation.