Magician in Type-Moon

Page 263

It's not raining today, but there's no sun either.

The towering spires appeared particularly somber against the dark sky.

Although the stained glass was not illuminated by sunlight, it still shone with a dark hue, casting shadows on the empty bench.

A faint scent of wood and incense filled the air, as if time had stood still.

Xuanwu Gaoyue stood at the main entrance, her gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged benches, and then landing at the very front—where stood a monk dressed in brand-new robes.

He stood motionless beside the altar like a stone sculpture, his monk's robes neat and without a single wrinkle.

His hands were clasped together, as if in prayer.

But it is a very strange thing for monks to pray to God.

Araya Sōren.

His figure was solid and resilient, with slightly curly short hair clinging to his scalp, like wild grass stubbornly taking root on a cliff, unshaken by wind and rain.

His eyes and brows held no superfluous emotion, like an ancient statue carved on a shrine, unmoved by the vicissitudes of time.

Those eyes seemed to sink into an endless abyss, seemingly empty yet concealing turbulent vortexes, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Xuanwu Gaoyue's footsteps echoed in the empty auditorium, one after another, as rhythmic as some kind of ritual.

He didn't rush to speak, but quietly approached.

Araya Sōren's gaze finally wavered, as if she were waking from a deep dream, and she slowly turned to him.

Are you going to start now?

Araya Sōren lowered his head slightly, as if he were smiling, but also as if he were sighing.

"Yes, the past means nothing to me, and the future is already set, so there's no point in me staying here any longer."

Genmu Satsuki smiled after speaking softly.

"That's true, but in terms of combat strength, I'd prefer you to wait a while. Why?"

Araya Souren asked the question with a troubled expression.

That was a question that had been repeated countless times in his mind. Although the black-clad magician Araya Sōren knew the answer, he still asked it.

"Because I've already lost. Although I was lucky enough to survive the battle with the two forces that day, a loss is a loss. 'The winner takes all, the loser loses everything' is the rule of the gambling table."

Genki Satsuki narrowed her eyes regretfully at Araya Sōren's distress. Her lonely expression was enough to sadden anyone who saw it.

“I see, I understand now.” Araya Sōren nodded, then asked, “Do you think I will fail, Genmū?”

"No, you will succeed."

Xuanwu Gaoyue quietly shook her head.

"You've made so many plans, not just with people, but also with gods and the restraint. You've used all of these things, betting everything on this moment. If you still fail even with all that, then the world is being too harsh on those who work hard."

"Those who work hard will receive the rewards they deserve."

Genmu Satsuki nodded gently, keeping her eyes fixed on Araya Sōren.

Like a painter encountering his ideal model, observing every detail of the other person.

"Is this your law?"

Araya Sōren suddenly asked.

"No, it's just a blessing."

Genmu Satsuki said this with a gentle smile.

at last......

"If you're really not sure, then use my corpse as a puppet."

......

The morning breeze carried a slight chill, blowing from the path outside Liyuan all the way to the bus stop.

Matou Ike and Ryougi Shiki stood side by side under the still-powered streetlights, each holding a cup of steaming coffee.

The warmth of the paper cup's outer wall was transmitted through my fingertips, making the morning chill seem less unbearable.

Ryougi Shiki lowered her head and took a bite of the rice ball. The delicate rice spread softly between her lips and teeth, and the slightly salty seaweed and the sour plum filling mixed together, stimulating her taste buds.

Matouchi moved slowly, as if he was chewing on some complex thoughts.

He slightly opened the rice ball in his hand, but hesitated to put it in his mouth, staring thoughtfully ahead.

"You're quite considerate to bring breakfast, but won't eating so much before you start cooking affect your brain's thinking?"

Ryougi Shiki tore open another food item from the steaming hot convenience bag and put it into her mouth without any hesitation.

"You need to be well-fed to have the energy to fight, right?" Matou Ike replied lazily, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

However, Matou Ike only prepared so much food in advance in preparation for facing Beelzebub's gluttonous domain.

That strange hunger born of rules and concepts can only be barely resolved with this one foolish method.

Ryougi Shiki raised an eyebrow slightly, ignoring his teasing, and opened another box of boiled eggs. She calmly peeled one open and put it in her mouth.

She continued speaking indistinctly as she chewed:

"What's the next move? Should we just charge in, or should we say something?"

Hearing this, Makiri Ike rolled her eyes at her, took a sip of her coffee, and said:

"I think you're the one who's so full that your brain can't function anymore. Just charging in would be suicide."

"Tch, even if you magicians come up with some fancy and bizarre things, in the end it all comes down to who has the steadyer knife."

Ryougi Shiki answered without hesitation, then casually pulled out a sausage and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eating speed was as swift and decisive as ever, just like the decisiveness of her knife strikes.

Matouike sighed:

"Forget it, there's no point in talking to someone as dense as you. Even if you had something as powerful as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, you'd only ever be a henchman."

Ryougi Shiki did not respond immediately, but simply finished the last bite of the food in her hand and casually stuffed the wrapper into her pocket.

She took a sip of coffee, looked up at the road in the distance, and saw the lights gradually fading at the end of her vision, as if no matter how she walked, she could never see the end.

"It's really a downer to say things like that," she finally said, her tone casual.

Matouchi shrugged, offering no rebuttal.

"When we arrive at Liyuan, follow Orange's spider puppet to find her, and then give her these things. I have already recorded what you need to do into this puppet. Just follow Orange's instructions."

Matou Ike took out the recording doll left by Touko from his pocket and handed it to Ryougi Shiki.

Then she tossed the enormous backpack she had been carrying on her back to Ryougi Shiki.

Ryougi Shiki caught the heavy backpack, frowned slightly, and weighed it in one hand.

"Wow, this is heavy. What's inside?"

"These are just some magic materials we'll need. You'd better keep them safe, as they're worth quite a bit of money."

Matou Ike answered slowly, throwing the empty paper cup into the public trash can next to him.

"The car is here."

"Well, let's go then."

Chapter 321 The Garden of Sinners (Part Two)

Matouchi and Ryougi Shiki have arrived inside the Reien Garden, but they did not enter through the main gate.

Their top priority now is to get Ryougi Shiki into the bewitching forest inside the Reien Garden to find Orange.

If they entered through the main gate, they would immediately be exposed to Araya Sōren's surveillance system.

The way to avoid Araya Souren's surveillance and find Aozaki Touko as quickly as possible is to have the doll spider left behind by Aozaki Touko lead the way.

The two quietly made their way around and entered an abandoned drainage pipe.

The walls were covered with moss and withered vines, and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell.

At the end of the pipe is an exit covered by soil, which leads directly to the outer edge of the demonic forest deep within the Liyuan Garden.

The surrounding area is a lifeless cemetery.

“We need to get in before the surveillance cameras readjust their patrol intervals,” Matou Ike whispered, pressing a specially made patch onto the wall.

As the incantation illuminated the faint light, a brief burst of disruptive magic spread out.

Ryougi Shiki glanced at him, casually slung her backpack over her shoulder, and lightly patted the spider doll's head: "Understood."

Matouchi nodded behind him, saying nothing more.

......

The air in the cemetery was bitterly cold.

The moss-covered stone tablet appeared and disappeared in the pale mist, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the faint sound of two people stepping on the withered leaves could be heard.

It was by no means a solemn cemetery; there were only tombstones with each person's name and a brief account of their life, stuck in the ground.

The group of stone tablets standing under the overcast sky felt less ominous and more hollow.

This place has been in the past for so long that even the dead that had been collected over the years have completely vanished into thin air...

However, shrouded in fog, the mass grave resembled a maze.

From the moment Matouchi and Ryougi Shiki infiltrated the Reien Garden, everything went incredibly smoothly.

Although Matou Ike had precisely dismantled many hidden miniature barriers and alarm devices along the way using magic and the Mystic Eyes of Deconstruction, these defensive measures seemed to be nothing more than randomly placed obstacles—

It wasn't really meant to stop intruders; it seemed more like it existed just for show.

The magical construction of each barrier appeared loose and unguarded, as if the owner who set them up was not worried at all about anyone breaking into the Garden of Religion.

Or rather, even if they knew they would come, they didn't care at all.

This place is extremely quiet.

It was so quiet that if you listened carefully, you could almost hear the sounds of a distant era.

The spider puppet leading the way had six glassy compound eyes that gleamed blue in the dim light, as if choosing the quickest direction to break into the Fuhai Forest.