I, Matou Sakura, Third of the Flame-Chasers!

Wouldn't that be more useful than hitting her now?

What was the point of leaving two palm prints on her face now?

They'd fade in a moment, okay?

I think you just want to hit her a couple times now, then hit her a couple more times in front of Aoko!

Kuzuki Alice watched her with an expression that said she had already seen right through her.

Aozaki Touko merely smiled. Fine, that was exactly what she had been thinking.

She would warm up by giving her two slaps here, then give her another two in front of Aoko later.

She had wanted to do something like this for a long time!

The feel of slapping someone was fucking amazing!

Should she take the opportunity to give that idiot Aoko two slaps later?

Her stress was simply too great. With that person around, she had to properly relieve some pressure, or she would get sick!

And now, she had discovered that slapping people was fucking satisfying!

"Hey! I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless!"

The increasingly strange look in Aozaki Touko's eyes made Kuzuki Alice involuntarily afraid.

She could now say with certainty that Aozaki Touko was doing this on purpose. This woman looked like she was getting addicted to slapping people!

"Alright, let's go."

Beowulf spoke up to stop Aozaki Touko's twisted amusement.

She did not want to stay here for too long.

"Fine, I get it."

She directly scooped Kuzuki Alice up by the waist.

This girl was very light; she could carry her by herself.

"Let's go."

"Mm."

Meanwhile, at the church.

Sister Matou Sakura withdrew her gaze, then picked up the tea Zhou Laiwei Jia had brewed beside her and drained it in one gulp.

Because she had said that coffee tasted bad this morning, this believer who had been drawn in by her radiance had replaced her coffee with tea.

She did not really know whether the tea was good or bad, but at least it tasted much better than the coffee from this morning.

Jeanne was here too. That idiot had ultimately not gone back, and Gaia and Alaya, who had the power to forcibly send Jeanne back to the Hall of Heroes, had not done so either.

Perhaps they still held the faint hope that Jeanne could change.

Watching that idiot stuff herself with cake until cream covered her mouth, she could not help thinking of Griseo, who could get paint all over herself.

The two were somewhat alike, but they were completely different people.

They could never be the same person.

Still, she really did miss Griseo a little.

She wanted to hear Griseo call her Brother Muyu again...

No, she was Sister Matou Sakura now.

Although she did not dislike who she was now, being unable to be an older brother still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Among the Flame-Chasers, older sisters were everywhere, while older brothers were a rare species!

It was not just Griseo. Eden would have to call her little sister later too, and Sakura... she would probably just call her Matou.

And Kalpas, with whom she had once shared the bond of calling each other brothers, would probably make a very interesting expression when he saw her, right?

Just thinking about it made her somewhat look forward to it.

As for everyone else...

Mobius would definitely still call her Test Subject. Of course, she might call her Big Test Subject instead.

Kevin could be ignored. That guy was just a sealed jar.

Su was the same. If he truly had no use for his eyes, he could donate them to someone who needed them.

As for Hua... she was a blockhead.

Then there was Aponia, whose relationship with her was somewhat complicated...

She would definitely be happy to see her. After all, in a sense, she had given birth and raised a child...

Her thoughts gradually drifted away, sinking into the sea of memories, only to surface again afterward.

She rose from her chair and habitually rubbed Zhou Laiwei Jia's head.

It was a habit she had developed after getting addicted to petting cats. It was just a pity that the feel was all wrong.

But it would do.

Zhou Laiwei Jia's pretty face flushed, but Matou Sakura paid it no mind at all.

"I'm leaving. Tomorrow, I want fried dough sticks and soy milk for breakfast."

"Yes, Lady Matou Sakura."

As soon as she finished speaking, a burst of air rang out, and the girl shot into the clouds.

Meanwhile, Saint Joan of Arc was still eating cake, utterly dumbfounded. Why didn't she take me with her?!

She immediately stuffed the long piece of bread into her mouth, puffing out her soft cheeks.

"Mmph mmph mmph..."

Incomprehensible sounds continuously emerged from her stuffed cheeks.

Ordinary people might not have understood, but Zhou Laiwei Jia did.

She smiled gently, the blush still lingering on her face.

"Please rest assured, Miss Joan. I'll store these cakes properly in the refrigerator."

"Mmph!"

It seemed like she was saying thank you, but then Joan started running in the direction Matou Sakura had left.

The silly Saint decided to use her own two feet to chase after the flying girl.

Well, she truly was Saint Joan of Arc, doing what others could not!

Elsewhere, after luring out her silly little sister with a small scheme, Aozaki Touko looked at Kuzuki Alice in her hand.

Her previously rosy cheeks had turned pale again.

Damn it, the pressure was getting to her. She had to let it out soon!

Kuzuki Alice instantly understood Touko's thoughts from her eyes.

This bastard really wanted to slap her!

This was personal revenge disguised as official business!

Fuck you, Aozaki Touko!

The Perfect Fifth Magic

"By the way, who's this guy?"

Aozaki Touko stared at the man beside Aozaki Akiko, somewhat bewildered.

Where had this guy come from?

She subconsciously looked at Kuzuki Alice in her hand, thinking she might know something.

"He saw me stabilize the Ley Lines again."

Kuzuki Alice gave a brief introduction.

"That's all."

"His name seemed to be Shizuki Koshirou."

Kuzuki Alice was actually rather puzzled herself. Why was this guy here?

Before Touko had kidnapped her, she had clearly told Akiko to get rid of him.

Not revealing mysteries to ordinary people was an ironclad rule of the hidden world.

Either erase their memories, or kill them.

Usually, the latter was chosen.

Erasing memories was troublesome. The human brain was delicate, and the erasure might not be thorough enough—or one might use too much force and turn the person into an idiot. Killing them directly came with no such concerns. It was easy and simple.

She had handled quite a few people that way herself.

She was used to it.

Of course, there was no way her count could compare to someone like Touko.

"Akiko, why didn't you deal with him?"

Held in Touko's hand like a hostage, Kuzuki Alice asked Aozaki Akiko this question.

Akiko was dumbfounded.

Was this really a kidnapping?

Beowulf, standing behind them, was speechless. Did they really think that person couldn't see through their little schemes?

"Enough! Touko, hurry up and do it!"

Beowulf could not help but remind her, "Don't forget our mission!"

She knew Touko was stalling for time, but it was useless!

She knew that person was about to arrive!

She could sense that lady's aura approaching at a terrifying speed.

"If there's no result before that lady arrives, Touko, you should know what will happen!"

Beowulf's words made Aozaki Touko's expression turn grim. Aozaki Akiko was no fool either; after a moment's thought, she realized something and hurriedly shouted, "Can't we sit down and talk this out properly?"

"Naive human."

Beowulf snorted coldly. Her body erupted with tremendous power, and she vanished from the spot in an instant, reappearing behind Aozaki Touko and Shizuki Koshirou.

Aozaki Touko and Kuzuki Alice's expressions changed, thinking Beowulf was about to strike directly at Aozaki Akiko.

Even Aozaki Akiko, who had sensed her, thought the same and instinctively took a defensive stance.

But Beowulf's target was not Aozaki Akiko! It was Shizuki Koshirou beside her!

This human was a target that lady had specifically ordered her to deal with! Although Beowulf did not know why that lady knew of this human's existence, nor why this human had appeared beside Aozaki Akiko just as that lady had said, killing this human was that lady's command. All she had to do was complete the task she had been given!

Her swinging claws tore through the air and struck Shizuki Koshirou squarely in the chest!

There was, after all, an insurmountable gap between humans and Phantasmal Beasts.

In the original fate line, Shizuki Koshirou had indeed killed Beowulf, a Phantasmal Beast, with a single punch, but that was only because Beowulf had not regarded him as a threat at all.

Shizuki Koshirou was indeed powerful, but he had ultimately never surpassed the limits of humanity!

Blood sprayed everywhere as Shizuki Koshirou was sent flying, crashing heavily into a large tree nearby.

He coughed up another mouthful of blood, then his body slowly slumped down like a lump of mud. In the blink of an eye, he fell silent.

Shizuki Koshirou was dead!

Aozaki Akiko stood there blankly, unable to react at all. Beowulf had been far too fast! By the time she came to her senses, all she saw was Shizuki Koshirou's corpse, already devoid of any life.

That guy was dead?