Chapter 45

Troublesome. A headache.

That was probably Aozaki Touko's mood at this moment.

If it were just Fujimaru Kyoya alone, it wouldn't matter, but the key point was that this was her duel with her own sister. She couldn't be sure Fujimaru Kyoya was Aozaki Aoko's ally, but the possibility was far from small.

Aozaki Aoko had visited the local Ley Line manager; perhaps she had obtained some promise back then. Now, with her puppet tied up by this brat, once Aozaki Aoko returned, wouldn't she lose?

Although Fujimaru Kyoya had caused her no small trouble, Aozaki Touko's target had always been her sister. Fujimaru Kyoya was never even on her radar.

"It has to be this way."

A faint blue light flickered in Touko's eyes—her Accumulated Magic Eye. Its ability was quite ordinary, merely simple charm.

Of course, using the word "charm" wasn't quite accurate. "Control" might be easier to understand.

Though this was a very common Magic Eye, not even high-ranking among Magic Eyes, and it required the target to be within her line of sight, she was Aozaki Touko after all.

Constructing "lenses" within her Magic Eye, continuously reflecting and stacking to strengthen it, at this moment over twenty lenses had been layered in Aozaki Touko's eyes.

Magic Eye, activated.

Almost at the same moment, Fujimaru Kyoya's movements faltered, as if suppressed by something, instantly revealing a massive opening.

An opportunity had finally come.

Aozaki Touko was confident in her Magic Eye. Even if its original rank was low, with so many amplifications, the power it unleashed was far beyond what an ordinary person could resist.

In a battle like this, exposing such a huge opening meant death for Fujimaru Kyoya.

Or so she thought.

After his first simulation ended, Fujimaru Kyoya had drawn the "Divine Ancestral Regression" talent. Not only did it grant him Magic Circuits of extremely high quality and quantity, it also gave him high Magic Resistance.

Normally, Fujimaru Kyoya would never have been restrained by such a Magic Eye. But since that was the case, he might as well play along.

He couldn't find the Moon Blade Edge's weakness in a short time, and his own mana and stamina were limited. He couldn't fight a war of attrition against Aozaki Touko, who commanded the underground Ley Line, let alone with a Magus lurking nearby.

Dragging things out meant certain death. So, he might as well take a risk.

Fujimaru Kyoya not only went "completely stiff," but his mana flow also seemed hindered. Those "drone units" fell to the ground one after another, like junk without power.

This was undoubtedly an opportunity.

Even though it was an opening Fujimaru Kyoya deliberately gave, this move also placed him under immense risk. If even one action went wrong in what followed, he would step into a dead end.

This was Fujimaru Kyoya's slim chance of survival in a hopeless situation, and Aozaki Touko's chance to end the fight quickly. But... Fujimaru Kyoya was smiling.

The thrill of life and death awakened a dormant soul. In that razor-thin margin between life and death, with less than a one percent chance of reversal, at the instant when the Moon Blade Edge's attack was strongest and its defense weakest—without the "True Eye of the Mind," could he grasp it?

One percent?

For Fujimaru Kyoya, so-called probability was nothing but a matter of "impurity." In a true man's eyes, probability was either 100% or 0%.

Here it comes.

Because the Moon Blade Edge had been disrupted by Fujimaru Kyoya earlier, it hadn't built up any momentum of flowing water. Now it could only go all out to kill him before he broke free.

This brat had given Aozaki Touko too many surprises.

Even with her Magic Eye controlling his movements, she couldn't be sure of victory. She had to kill him with her strongest strike.

Layers of watery mist began to gather on the Holy Sword, but at the same time, Fujimaru Kyoya intended to turn himself into "water."

He relaxed his muscles, emptied his mind, and turned himself into water, unaffected by any "force," all to dodge and strike in the instant of the enemy's attack.

This kind of maneuver might have been worth a try in a simulation, but in reality, it was more or less asking for death. Yet he had no choice.

The sword fell.

This strike came at Fujimaru Kyoya like clear stream water. In that instant, he opened his eyes.

Every movement he made next was precise—not a hair's breadth too much, not a hair's breadth too little.

He brushed past the blade's edge, his skin nearly torn by the sword aura, yet he showed no reaction. He simply formed his hand into a blade and locked onto what he had been sensing all along.

Found you.

"Bang~"

Fujimaru Kyoya pierced straight through the Moon Blade Edge, gripping its core tightly in his hand, the force almost crushing it.

Chapter 80: Red of Crafter 11/28

Emptying himself, turning into "water," then instantly unleashing all his muscles—this process would erupt with immense power and speed.

Even in this Underground Great Cavern, where Aozaki Touko and the Moon Blade Edge could teleport, as long as Fujimaru Kyoya's speed surpassed her reaction, that puppet was nothing but a wooden post.

The moment Fujimaru Kyoya crushed that puppet, it signaled Aozaki Touko's defeat.

This wasn't to say Fujimaru Kyoya had beaten her, but that Aozaki Touko had "lost" in this sisterly brawl.

How could a Grand Puppeteer have only this one trick? Even setting aside that shameless "revival" method, she still had plenty of ways to save herself.

Even if she continued fighting, she could still try to kill Fujimaru Kyoya, but it was meaningless.

Aozaki Touko's purpose in coming here was only to defeat her sister. This Moon Blade Edge had been tuned entirely based on Aozaki Aoko's data; she never imagined a Magus could unleash such power in close combat. That miscalculation led to the Moon Blade Edge's destruction and her defeat.

"Boom~"

The wall was shattered, and Fujimaru Kyoya's battle with Moon Blade Edge finally drew that Magician over. Even as she watched him defeat the puppet, she showed no reaction.

Such an act only proved he wasn't Orange's ally—but he wasn't her ally either. Belonging to neither side, he had still stumbled into the sisters' conflict.

Was he coveting the Aozaki Family's Magecraft?

Aozaki Aoko admitted it was unkind to judge someone unfamiliar with such thoughts, but Fujimaru Kyoya might genuinely have just passed by and gotten caught up in it.

Still...

"I gave a warning, and you're a Magus. You can't blame anyone for this."

The Destruction Magic Bullet gave Fujimaru Kyoya almost no time to catch his breath. Mana poured out as if it cost nothing, and Aozaki Aoko intended to eliminate this Magus.

Yes, a Magus.

If Fujimaru Kyoya had been an ordinary person, Aozaki Aoko might have shown mercy and let him go. But since he was a Magus, the rules of Magi applied.

"Orange, how long are you going to hide?"

Aozaki Aoko could sense her elder sister nearby, and that sharp, clashing fighting spirit had vanished.

"There really is no need to hide anymore."

Aozaki Touko's figure appeared. She slowly lit a cigarette, as if none of this had anything to do with her.

She'd been played again.

Yes, again.

Aozaki Touko's feelings were naturally complicated. After confirming that Fujimaru Kyoya truly wasn't her sister's ally, she felt no joy—only the sense that fate had mocked her once more.

Back then, everyone had called her the "Magus Egg," and it became a joke.

Now, the puppet she had crafted to defeat her sister was destroyed by some insignificant brat.

At this moment, Aozaki Touko still had other means. Even if she were killed here, she wouldn't truly die—but what was the point anymore?

This time, she had lost. Lost for no reason at all.

"This isn't like you."

Aozaki Aoko could sense her sister's dejection. This dispirited Aozaki Touko—she loathed it, found it nauseating, disgusting...

This wasn't her sister.

"Orange, if you don't pull yourself together, then just die."

Aozaki Aoko couldn't stand it anymore, and anger burned in her heart. They had finally set aside their grudges to settle things with a proper fight, but now, instead of resolving anything, her sister had lost all spirit.

Rather than let her sister be like this, it was better to make her resent her again, to reignite her fighting spirit.

Even if they kept fighting for another decade or more, there would still be a day of reconciliation. Their lifespans could afford the wait.

A lethal magic bullet shot forth, aimed straight at Aozaki Touko's head. If nothing went wrong, Orange would soon become Orange Jam.

"Boom~"

An explosion rang out, but Aozaki Aoko didn't feel the impact of a hit. Instead, a figure had pulled Aozaki Touko out of danger.

Who else could it be but Fujimaru Kyoya?

"Now that it's proven I'm not on her side, can we join forces?"

He had just been fighting Aozaki Touko to the death, and now he wanted to ally with her? This wasn't because Fujimaru Kyoya was magnanimous enough to overlook past grievances—it was a last resort.

Though he had destroyed Aozaki Touko's puppet, that didn't mean he had beaten her, let alone that he could face Aozaki Aoko, a Magician.

If Orange died, then Aoko would no longer have to honor her vow of "not using magic."

At that point, Fujimaru Kyoya would have no path left but death.

"Join forces? With someone who might steal the Aozaki Family's Magecraft?"

Aozaki Touko's heart was colder and darker than her sister's. How could she not suspect that Fujimaru Kyoya might be a villain?

She, Aozaki Touko, would rather be killed by her sister and die in this Underground Great Cavern than ally with some unknown brat.

"So you're giving up?"

Fujimaru Kyoya could see it clearly—this was the look of someone who had lost all will to fight.

"Giving up?"

Aozaki Touko murmured to herself. She wasn't someone who feared failure, but after being toyed with by fate twice, she had begun to feel lost.

Not only was Magecraft not meant for her, but even a single chance to prove herself—would heaven not grant it?

"Boom~"

Magic bullets flew past them, slamming into the walls with deafening roars.

Aozaki Touko—was she going to give up?

"What else can I do? I still have some tricks left, but everything was meant to work with that puppet. Without it..."

"Without that puppet, you can't win?"

Only then did Aozaki Touko notice that Fujimaru Kyoya seemed to be holding something in his hand—a blue Holy Sword.

Sword of Perpetual Purity.

"To be honest, I know a thing or two about that Flowing Water Sword myself."

Coordinating with a Grand Puppeteer was clearly no easy task—with Fujimaru Kyoya's level of Magecraft, it was basically impossible.

But when it came to the Flowing Water Sword, that was a different story entirely.

"..."

Aozaki Touko still said nothing. She was clearly hesitating, still unable to make up her mind. That was when Fujimaru Kyoya recalled a "taboo" that Tohsaka Rin had once mentioned.

"Shivering in fear just from facing your own Magus little sister? So that's all the Red of Crafter really amounts to, huh."

"What did you say?"

That was a voice from hell—resentment, fury, venom... every negative word imaginable could describe such a voice.

It came from Aozaki Touko's mouth. That was a taboo she could never touch.

Chapter 81: Imitating Myself 12/28

Red of Crafter—the title sounded imposing, but it was a past Aozaki Touko never wanted to mention.

Not the inherited "Blue" of her family, nor the pure "Red," but the mixed-color "Orange"—it was nothing but a mockery of her.

Aozaki Touko had been stuck in an awkward position back then. Above her was her sister, who had attained magic—someone no one wanted to provoke in a real fight.

Below her were Magi like Aruba, mere so-called geniuses in the eyes of ordinary people.

Aozaki Touko couldn't obtain magic, yet she refused to be lumped together with the likes of Aruba. Stuck between, unable to rise or fall.

"Did your teacher never tell you what that name means?"

Aozaki Touko's hand pressed against Fujimaru Kyoya's throat. The Mana about to spill from her nails spoke volumes of the fury this woman was in.