Imaginary Prison

It's definitely not easy to "scare to death" a Phantasmal Species on the level of Ruge Beowulf.

Aoko admitted that there was a bit of morbid humor in her setting up those doll remains, but she had indeed cast silent phantom spells on some of them to make them look even more eerie.

In addition to these, she also used a slightly modified Cloud Mist Technique (coloring the mist black) to make the surroundings appear darker, the Wall of Darkness to prevent the giant infant golden wolf from escaping, and finally, the four-ring spell Phantom Killer, which delivered the "fatal blow."

Of course, all the spells other than Phantom Killer were actually meant to increase the success rate of that final strike. Every subtle setup she made to instill fear was intended to lower the enemy's resistance.

While this series of actions did involve an element of chance, it undoubtedly saved the cost of using Fifth Magic.

Aoko herself wouldn't bear the cost of Fifth Magic (harm to the world), but when she used magic, she was very likely to attract the Red Shadow, which could turn a simple situation into a very complex one. Therefore, she decided to try using spells from the school of Illusion to see if she could scare to death the guy who was scared away by Soujuurou Shizuki's method for dealing with beasts in the original timeline.

The results now seemed excellent.

Phantom Killer was not a mystery of this world, so it bypassed the golden wolf's divine age regression. Its spell effect targeted its inherently timid weakness, ultimately delivering a damage effect far greater than the sum of its parts.

If she had used Monster Immobilization Spell or spells from the school of Enchantment today, she would have likely been resisted by the creature's physique or willpower. So, while Aoko observed Alice and Ruge Beowulf fighting, she decided to use spells from the school of Illusion to deal with it.

So, rather than being scared to death, it died from an extraterrestrial entity with mysterious rules completely different from this planet's.

If any other Magus skilled in creating illusions and frightening others had faced Ruge Beowulf, they would never have achieved the results Aoko did.

Therefore, Aoko was quite satisfied with the outcome of her battle. Touko always used to say she was just a destructive brute. Even though she had shown Touko so many of her Magic Net Spells, why did that woman still think she was a magic barbarian?

Perhaps it was because the various spells and Magecraft Aoko displayed were all combat-oriented. At least her talent for creating Magecraft equipment and dolls was currently inferior to Touko's.

The flash of magical light passed, and Aoko, Alice, and Ruge Beowulf's "corpse" appeared in a pitch-black location.

A spatial transfer Magecraft... Alice gained a new understanding of Aoko's strength. Magecraft of this caliber had already surpassed Magecraft itself and was not far from the level of Magic.

Aoko snapped her fingers, and the diffused magical energy immediately lit up the surroundings, allowing Alice Kuonji to see the environment clearly.

This must be some kind of basement, Alice thought. The room was filled with books and Magecraft devices, clearly resembling a workshop or laboratory.

"This is my Grandfather's workshop basement," Aoko said as she used her magic to enhance her physical abilities. "The reason I brought this guy's corpse here is because there's an Imaginary Prison my Grandfather made."

After speaking, Aoko pointed to a magical formation in the center of the room.

"This thing was probably used by the old man to store certain dangerous items back then," Aoko explained. "But when I inspected it, I found that the internal space was empty. The old man must have moved the contents somewhere else. Now it's perfect for storing Touko's dog."

With that, she rolled up her sleeves and, with effort, grabbed Beowulf's "corpse" and dragged it across the floor. The friction between the golden wolf's tough fur and the ground even produced a creaking sound.

After dragging it to the center of the Imaginary Prison's magical formation, Aoko carefully checked the condition of the prison's surroundings, then walked to the magical formation, inputting magic and activating the formation's position, squatting down to place her hands on the ground.

Aoko's magical circuits instantly activated, and mysterious patterns glowing with a blue light appeared on the skin of her exposed arms and cheeks.

As crackles of electricity flashed across the magical formation, Ruge Beowulf's "corpse" sank into the ground, disappearing from the real world.

"Can't Touko come in here?" Alice suddenly asked, as if she had thought of something.

"She can enter this basement, but she can't activate this Imaginary Prison," Aoko said, clapping her hands and standing up from the ground to explain. "Activating this requires the use of the Aozaki family's Magic Crest. Only I can use it now."

Alice nodded at Aoko and then remained silent.

Considering her motorcycle wasn't around and her Grandfather's workshop was still sealed by Aoko, she had to use her remaining five-ring Spell Slots for the day.

She skillfully took Alice's hand, chanted a spell, and activated the Teleportation. The magical light on both of them flashed and disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at a parking lot near the abandoned amusement park.

She put on her motorcycle helmet first. Aoko had previously asked Alice if she wanted to wear one, but Alice had said her hat was actually a piece of Magecraft equipment with much better protective capabilities than a motorcycle helmet, so she didn't need one at all.

Aoko rode the motorcycle first, then pointed to the seat behind her with her thumb, signaling Alice to sit on it.

Alice adjusted her skirt, sat sideways on the back of the motorcycle as before, and silently wrapped her arms around Aoko's waist.

"Hold on tight?" Aoko said. "Let's go home."

By the time they returned home, it was already around two in the morning.

Even Magus who could use magical energy to alleviate fatigue would feel tired working until this hour.

Although both Aoko and Alice could work through the night and maintain sufficient energy, they both enjoyed the refreshing feeling of resting after expending their physical strength. Therefore, most of the time, they would choose to sleep at the appropriate time.

However, like tonight, being forced to return at this hour due to some unforeseen event was quite rare.

"Shall we take a bath together before bed, Alice?" Aoko said, as if she had planned it for a long time, making the invitation very naturally.

Alice's movements paused, and with her back to Aoko, she seemed to be thinking about something.

"...Okay."