Volume 8 Chapter 36 Mysterious Wave
It was a place unknown to anyone, a sacred workspace permitted only for the creator.
There, Sakaki Tsuzuri lay collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.
Blood flowed from her eyes and nose.
Her magic power wasn't circulating properly throughout the body. There was barely any strength in her fingertips, making it seem impossible to stand up for a while.
Yet, she was alive.
It was a situation that should have been impossible. Sakaki had unleashed the monsters of Greek mythology, summoning Typhon as an entity to end the very domain, prepared to sacrifice her life.
Even though she couldn't completely kill Yuusuke and the others, almost all the people within the domain were supposed to be in a state of pseudo-death.
However, Sakaki was struck down.
There were several factors that contributed to the situation, including the unexpected arrival of Eris Philin Centraris, who is an irregular presence.
However, even if she had been present, she knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat Typhon.
But then, she remembers the words of Kushina Mikoto.
'Strength of will. Even when facing an army of thousands or standing before Shikin, he never wavered. He made the decision to win and followed through with it.'
And now, she finally understood the meaning of those words.
An unyielding will is like a sword wielded by a magician.
She can understand why Kushina forcefully abducted Hinata and prepared a trump card against Yuusuke.
She must find a way to defeat him.
It was unexpected that Typhon would be defeated, but thanks to that, Sakaki herself managed to survive.
With the data she has obtained this time, she will create a monster that can finally defeat Yamamoto Yuusuke.
She believes she is capable of doing it.
Fortunately, this space is designed to withstand anything she may encounter without collapsing.
It will take some time, but it should recover by the next plan. With that in mind, as Sakaki closed her eyes to sleep, something strange caught her eye.
"..."
It was a white light. A faint light, like the roots of plants, invaded the space and spread across the ceiling.
Impossible. This space is a place that no one can find because it is a region isolated from the world.
But thinking that far, she remembered.
Eris Philin Centraris's magic.
The roots she creates absorb the enemy's magic power and convert it into her own power. And the roots greedily trace and continue to grow endlessly, following the magic power.
Could it be that from that region, relentlessly extending its roots, it found Sakaki?
To prevent that, Sakaki connected numerous regions and prepared countless destinations.
Eris probably extended her roots to all of them.
What an astute magician.
In a short amount of time, she assessed the situation, suppressed the flames, and annihilated the monsters. Furthermore, she even dealt with her.
It was a complete defeat.
Now, Sakaki can only call out that person's name in a hoarse voice.
"Mas... ter..."
The roots took control of the space, and the next moment they released thorns at the enemy.
Then, beautiful and ephemeral bright red flowers bloomed.
* * *
The time goes back a little before Typhon appears.
In the midst of the raging flames, a man looked down at a fallen woman.
The one who had fallen was Isumi Tsukiko.
Though her HP bar was still barely intact, her body showed no signs of movement, indicating that she had completely lost consciousness.
The man with slicked-back blond hair confirmed that Tsukiko was completely immobile, then turned around and knelt down without hesitation.
Fire had already surrounded the area, making it impossible for anyone to survive properly.
Without showing any concern for such matters, the man remained on his knees, bowing his head.
"It's been a while, my lord."
In a polite and courteous voice that was the complete opposite of the attitude Tsukiko had seen before, he said so.
There were only a man and Tsukiko here.
That was supposed to be the case.
Except for the person who, from the beginning, wasn't counted among those present.
From the shadows of the fire, he slowly rose. With a physique that even the kimono couldn't conceal, a face carved deep with the wrinkles of seasoned experience, like a rock.
Isumi Tengai looked down on the man.
"Oh, sorry for calling you out for something like this."
Although Tengai's body was covered in blood, upon closer inspection, it was apparent that not a single wound marked him.
Indeed, he was unscathed.
With the usual nonchalant expression, he spoke.
Keeping his face lowered, the man replied,
"No, being called upon in this manner is an honor surpassing anything else. Please forgive my impudence in touching upon my lord."
"That's something I asked for. There's no need for you to seek forgiveness."
"...I am deeply grateful for this blessing."
"Trying out these kinds of performances can be quite interesting."
Tengai said, casting his gaze on the fallen Tsukiko.
Just a moment ago, they had just talked here, a presence akin to his granddaughter.
The man who noticed that asked,
"Is it alright like this? Death here is not real death. If needed, please let me know."
"It's alright. This child also has the right and duty to see it through to the end."
"Ah, I apologize. My words may have been presumptuous."
"No problem."
Saying that, Tengai averted his gaze from Tsukiko.
"Come on, let's go. How long do you plan to keep sleeping?"
There was a reaction to those words.
In the pool of blood, a lump of kimono sank. It wriggled, and a small body slowly rose.
An old woman with only white hair, bones, and skin. Isumi Kanra, who would turn 297.
The one who had fallen should have been her.
However, what appeared from there was a completely opposite girl.
Her short hair was as glossy as if it had been combed with gold, and her eyes were redder than the flames burning around her.
Her slender body was as pure white as if it had never been touched by light, and contrary to when she was an old woman, it was filled with vitality and youthfulness.
There was a girl of about ten years old.
Upon seeing her figure, Tengai sighed.
"Grandma Kanra, at least put on some clothes."
"...Don't call me grandma like that. Fine, fine, clothes."
The girl, called Grandma Kanra, was completely naked. She showed no signs of being embarrassed. As if it couldn't be helped, the girl picked up a kimono that had been lying on the ground and put it on.
"..."
Tengai thought about scolding her for being so careless, but he stopped when he saw the annoyed expression on the girl's face.
"Really..."
"It's not 'really', you know. If you were turned into a statue as an old lady for decades, anyone would end up like this."
"Fine, fine. Don't get so angry."
The girl tried to walk under Tengai, but noticed Tsukiko collapsing at her feet.
"..."
In less than a second, the girl looked at Tsukiko and continued walking.
"Now, let's go. We have no more business here, right?"
"Yeah. With this, Isumi Tengai and Kanra are considered dead. We won't leave any traces behind, we'll just take off. Is that right?"
When asked this, the man nodded.
"Yes. We have everything prepared on our end."
"Then let's go. Time waits for no one, especially when it's necessary."
Tengai said this and stepped on the raging flames as he went outside.
At that moment, they felt a rapidly approaching magic power from this direction. It was likely one of Asteris' guardians.
They must have come to rescue Tsukiko.
"She has been blessed with good companions."
Tengai muttered only that, and walked with the man and the girl.
When the flames flickered, their figures had already disappeared.
* * *
November 27th. A real spiritual disaster occurred just before Halloween, later becoming known among the youth as the "Tokyo Crisis."
The inundation of the virtual world, casually exploited by modern people.
An estimated near fifty thousand individuals were involved, with numerous victims suffering injuries and mental disturbances.
Approximately 1.700 people, referred to as having completely lost their health points (HP), fell into a state of temporary death. The incident resulted in thirty-four severely injured victims.
On the other hand, there was almost no damage to buildings or inanimate objects. Strangely, the world continued unchanged, as if the events had never occurred.
The only confirmed fire was at the Isumi main house. From the extinguished home, the bodies of two individuals believed to be Isumi Kanra and Isumi Tengai were discovered.
From this day onward, the perspective of people in Japan and around the world toward supernatural phenomena, previously deemed impossible under the absolute justice of science, began to change.
The organization originally tasked with suppressing such situations, the Anti-Demon Special Forces, suffered heavy losses due to the large number of temporary deaths and had mostly ceased their activities.
Mysterious waves began to engulf the world.
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