Shiki sped through the maze-like old house, unable to stop himself from recalling the scene where he had exchanged information with Kariya half an hour ago.
"Mr. Kariya, the map of the Matou Old House is way too simple. Are there no other hidden rooms or mechanisms? You can't possibly know so little about your own home, can you?"
"Shiki, I left the Matou Old House a long time ago. I truly don't know what changes have been made here. When I came back a year ago, I only wanted to see how the people I cared about were doing. Participating in the Holy Grail War was also something I had no choice but to do. As for the old house's mechanisms and traps, I don't know much about them. Sorry."
"Sigh, it's fine. Since we don't know much about the Matou Old House's mechanisms and secrets, I'll handle things when the time comes. Mr. Kariya, just keep the Servant occupied."
"...Sorry, Shiki. I couldn't be of more help. If only I had paid more attention to those things."
"It's nothing. They're just traps."
The corners of Shiki's mouth lifted into a confident smile.
Now, on the passage leading to the underground Insect Nest, Shiki easily discovered countless magecraft traps, modern mechanical mechanisms, and innumerable insects with his Magic Eye. Some flew through the air, some crawled across the ground—there was every kind imaginable.
"Just traps... Hiss."
Shiki sucked in a sharp breath, feeling that he had boasted too soon.
An ordinary Magus would likely have died on the spot in the face of these traps. Not only were they numerous and densely packed, they were also exceptionally vicious.
"But luckily, I'm no ordinary person!"
Full from food and drink, his strength abundant, he could now accomplish things ordinary people could hardly imagine—for instance, climbing walls.
This most basic ninja skill from the Naruto World displayed astonishing usefulness in Shiki's hands.
The traps on the floor instantly became mere decorations. Using the walls and ceiling, Shiki moved like a black bolt of lightning, effortlessly breaking through layer after layer of obstacles and successfully charging into the underground Insect Nest.
However, the sight before him made his scalp go numb.
Hundreds of thousands of insects writhed together like an enormous carpet made of flesh and blood, rising and falling in waves. The rustling of their bodies rubbing together intertwined with the clacking of their mouthparts, making one's skin crawl.
"It's not as if I've never seen an Aburame Clan Insect Nest, but compared to this, theirs is practically gentle."
His voice echoed through the Insect Nest, instantly drawing the attention of the sea of insects. The moment they noticed the boy, the swarm went berserk and surged toward him like a raging tide.
"Heh, useless!"
Shiki snorted coldly as his pitch-black right eye quietly changed. His originally dark brown iris turned emerald green, while red annual-ring-like patterns rapidly spread across the whites of his eye. A Reincarnation Eye, renowned throughout the Naruto World, appeared once more.
"Oh, right. Here, it counts as a type of Magic Eye. What should I call it?"
He furrowed his brow, briefly falling into thought. But the pressing danger gave him no time to ponder it further. The sea of insects had already engulfed him from all directions.
Yet the moment those insects approached Shiki, they were blocked by the force field around him and could not come any closer.
"Forget it. I'll think about the name later. Right now, I can't let Kariya drain too much of his life force. I need to deal with that old monster quickly."
He calculated the time. If he delayed any longer, Kariya, struggling to hold on aboveground in the old house, might not survive.
For an honest, trustworthy, upright, and kind Shiki, there was no way he could stand by and watch his companion fall into danger.
With that thought, Shiki spread both hands, and the Magic Eye in his right eye blossomed with multicolored light. A powerful force gathered in his palms before erupting with a thunderous burst.
"Let me see where my current limit lies—Almighty Push!"
In an instant, the force field around Shiki transformed into a powerful repulsive force. Under his precise control, it did not spread through three-dimensional space. Instead, it surged horizontally forward, backward, left, and right, forcibly blasting the sea of insects away.
BOOM!!!
The tremendous roar was like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, stirring up wave after wave. The sea of insects was flattened all the way through, countless insects crushed into pulp, eventually forming heaps of blackish-red "garbage" that were repelled into the corners.
Only a tiny handful of insects survived by hiding behind their companions' "cover." But with their numbers drastically reduced, they no longer posed any threat to Shiki.
However, just as Shiki thought the crisis was over, a cloud of green smoke suddenly spread from a corner. The boy's expression instantly froze at the sight, and he silently cursed himself. That comeback came fast.
After that brief stiffness, however, Shiki quickly recovered. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a mocking smile.
Unhurriedly, he pulled out a gas mask from behind his back and firmly put it on.
"Although I considered that there might be poison, luckily I'm cautious and prepared in advance. Besides, I've dealt with companions who raise insects before. I know just how vicious the minds of you insect-raising types can be. Poison is everyday fare to you. Am I right, Matou Zouken?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Matou Zouken slowly emerged from the depths of the Insect Nest.
Behind him followed a dense swarm of flying insects, like a black cloud.
Zōken, who had originally sat high above it all and watched the show as a spectator, was now forced to enter the field himself. In just five minutes, he had gone from a chess player to a piece on the board.
His opponent was a boy who had not only ignored the traps he had painstakingly arranged, but had also effortlessly broken through the sea of insects he was so proud of. This left Zōken shocked and bewildered, and naturally in no good mood.
Zōken's face darkened as he stared fixedly at Shiki and asked in a low voice, "Young man, I don't recall having an enemy like you."
Of course, he had seen Shiki's Magic Eye. The sight of Shiki wiping out the sea of insects earlier had truly startled him. It was the first time he had ever seen such a powerful offensive Magic Eye.
Most ordinary Magic Eyes only possessed mental abilities such as charm, hypnosis, and suggestion. Their effects were limited, and they could only deal with ordinary people.
High-grade Magic Eyes came in many varieties and had different functions, but they were exceedingly rare throughout the world of mystery. Often, one might go years without seeing even a single pair.
Yet now, the highest-grade Rainbow Magic Eye had appeared before him. Greed inevitably rose in Zōken's heart, and he longed to claim this Magic Eye for himself.
With this Magic Eye, even if he could not fully wield its power, it would still become a formidable trump card for winning the Holy Grail War in the future.
With that thought, Zōken quietly reduced the number of insects behind him considerably.
The Matou Old House was his lair. Beyond the visible passages, there were also secret routes, contingencies he had prepared just in case.
In a direct battle, with this aged host body of his not yet fully adapted, competing physically against Shiki in his prime as a boy would undoubtedly be seeking death.
A Magus was not the type to fight head-on. For now, he only needed to stall for time. How could his poison possibly be that simple? The gas mask's effectiveness was limited.
In the Naruto World, the Reincarnation Eye could see chakra. Then could this Magic Eye Shiki had awakened see something special as well—such as magical energy?
Shiki slightly turned his Magic Eye. Reflected in his pupil, the world before him became one of deep blue.
Those tiny blue specks were insects, while the aged Zōken before him was likewise a humanoid model formed from points of light. It was entirely different from the blue veins of energy running through Kariya and the Servant.
Shiki laughed inwardly. This was merely an Insect duplicate.
Even outside the Naruto World, he could see through such a familiar disguise. That old monster wanted to deal with him using this? It was simply showing off before an expert.
The answer was obvious. Since he could see the insects' duplicate, that naturally meant Shiki could see the radiance of magical energy.
Earlier, he had also discovered Kariya and his Servant through his ability to see magical energy.
Before you continue