"Matou..."
At this mont, Ayako also noticed Shinji's presence. She opened her mouth awkwardly and managed to greet him.
"Sorry, Ayako, for dragging you into this—does it feel like sothing you can't accept?"
Shinji sighed, holding Mana's small hand as he walked over to the girl's side.
"Yeah."
Ayako lightly nodded.
"I'd rather believe I'm experiencing a hallucination."
Though she ca from a martial family and was considered unusual by ordinary people, her level of unusualness in the world of true mysteries was rely entry-level. Compared to the beings standing at the pinnacle in the distance, it was like the gap between a grade-schooler and the Pri Minister of Japan—utterly unreachable.
"Then just treat it as a dream."
Shinji lowered his head apologetically, his fingers tracing in the air.
"Matou?"
Ayako called out in confusion.
"Close your eyes and have a good sleep. When you wake up, you'll be the sa as before—the dignified archery club captain, a good student whom everyone trusts."
Shinji's voice grew softer and softer, carrying a hypnotic power, like a lullaby, making Ayako's eyelids grow heavier and heavier.
Just as the girl was about to close her eyes, on the verge of losing consciousness, she suddenly bit the tip of her tongue hard and let out a low groan, breaking free from Shinji's hypnosis.
The rune collapsed under the resistance of the spell's target, and the dissipating magic sent a shockwave that bounced Shinji's fingers back.
"Why go to such lengths?"
Hearing him sigh, Ayako shook her head and resolutely said, "I don't know exactly what you were trying to do to , but I don't want this."
"Don't you want to return to a normal life?"
"I do, but that's a decision I have to make with my own will, not sothing you decide for ."
As expected of Shiki's little counterpart—although their personalities were different, their inner strength was the sa.
"Well said, Miss Mitsuzuri."
Ryougi Shiki uncharacteristically praised her, showing support for her who resembled her more than her blood relations.
"Shinji, leave Mitsuzuri to . You don't need to worry about her... Besides, you probably don't have ti to worry."
"If there's anything you need, just let know. If you don't want to ask , you can ask Sakura."
Shinji waved his hand, no longer wasting his magic. Shiki was right—Ayako's situation was ultimately a trivial matter. The real issue was the battle happening in the distance.
Sneaking closer to get a clear look at both sides of the battlefield, Shinji's expression beca even more exaggerated than Ayako's.
Ayako was simply overwheld by the spectacle, but Shinji could identify the participants and everything they represented.
The combatants were split into two factions.
One was a group of familiar faces. Driving the thunderous chariot was none other than the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, with his Master Waver also aboard. Controlling the wind and lightning in the sky was Iskandar's shadow warrior, and the cloaked figure was, of course, her Master, Gray.
The other side, however, was far beyond Shinji's expectations—the reason for his twisted expression.
This faction was also composed of familiar figures, but they were more like familiar strangers. If he could, Shinji wanted to shout:
"That guy manipulating the bounded field must be Araya, right? It's no surprise he's targeting Shiki. But when did this guy co back to life? Didn't Touko say it wouldn't be until the next century? Oh, right, it's already the 21st century."
"Fine, I'll accept that. But what the hell is Fabro Nrvnqsr Chaos doing here? That decaying stench is unmistakably that of a Dead Apostle. The only Dead Apostle who could control a beast army of this scale and go toe-to-toe with two Iskandars is him. How did he end up working with Araya? Is it because they're both from the Church?"
That last part was a joke, but the fact that the troubleso Fabro had tead up with the even more problematic Araya made the situation anything but simple.
Was it all just for Ryougi Shiki? Shinji didn't believe it.
If these two were working together, Shiki wouldn't stand a chance of escaping. It wasn't that Shinji looked down on Ryougi Shiki—far from it—but the combination of Araya and Fabro was just too formidable.
Araya was a thodical man who wouldn't make a move unless he was fully prepared. He knew the effects of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and with him involved, Fabro wouldn't make the sa mistake he did in Tsukihi, leaving Shiki any openings. Besides, Shiki, who couldn't perceive death points, might not be able to kill him in one strike like Shiki Tohno did.
Furthermore, the raw power of those two far surpassed Shiki's. Shinji had observed that the resurrected Araya had grown even stronger—so strong that even Gray, wielding Add, was being suppressed. And Fabro was holding his own against both Iskandars without losing ground.
Although Gray hadn't unleashed the full power of her holy spear and Iskandar hadn't used his trump card [Ionioi Hetairoi], considering the imnse stamina of those two, it was still impossible to predict the outco.
While Shinji was observing, the thunderous chariot finally cut through the beasts and reached Fabro. The King of Conquerors declared loudly:
"You're the commander of the enemy army? I'll take your head for my own!"
With that, the divine bulls roared, and his sword swung, slicing off the head of the man in the trench coat.
Perhaps because the victory seed too easy, Iskandar grumbled with so disappointnt, "Is that all you've got? I thought soone controlling an army of this size would be much stronger."
"Idiot, don't let your guard down!"
Waver, riding in the chariot with the king, quickly warned him.
In the next mont, the severed head reattached itself to the body. The hem of the trench coat flipped open, and a black hound shot out, lunging at Iskandar on the chariot.
Thanks to Waver's warning, Iskandar had been prepared. He slashed the hound while comnting:
"Whoa, that was close! So, you've got a few more tricks up your sleeve."
"Physical damage ans nothing to ."
Fabro twisted his neck after reattaching his head and turned to face the King of Conquerors.
"I see, so that's why Waver called you an extraordinary monster. This ability is practically cheating. But that just makes you all the more worthy of being hunted by ."
"Hunted? You attacked because you think of as prey?"
"Hahaha! Isn't it only natural for humans to hunt monsters?"
Iskandar's straightforward answer filled Fabro's with anger.
"Natural... You so-called Heroic Spirits are all the sa. That old man was, the King of Persia was, and now you..."
"The King of Persia?"
Iskandar frowned slightly.
"I think his na was Darius III. He struggled foolishly until the very end."
"I see... So you're still the sa. No wonder you've been such a worthy opponent, blocking my path ti and ti again."
Iskandar's smile faded. His eyelids drooped, and for the first ti, his voice—usually brimming with enthusiasm—carried a chilling iciness.
"Now I have one more reason to hunt you down."
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