Becoming Aozaki Touko

Chapter 22: Spreading News

Next door, in a high-rise building.

Inside a finely decorated room.

A man and a woman leaned on the sofa, both smoking cigarettes, their expressions somewhat grave. They drew hard on their smokes, one after another, quickly filling the entire room with the smell of tobacco.

In the corner, a young man in only his underwear lay unconscious on the floor. From his still-damp hair, it seemed he had just finished showering not long ago.

"This man should be waking up soon. We need to withdraw and report the relevant intelligence back."

The woman stubbed out her cigarette, then cast her gaze toward the man in the corner. Her eyes were utterly cold, as if she were looking at a lifeless object.

"Let him sleep a little longer."

The man took a fierce drag, exhaling a large cloud of smoke. The hand holding the cigarette trembled faintly, as if he were standing naked in the dead of winter.

"...Fine."

The woman sighed at this, then pressed her middle and index fingers together. Her lips moved slightly as she murmured an incantation, firing off a Magic Bullet imbued with a curse.

The moment it struck.

The man collapsed in the corner convulsed violently, then went still. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, one might have suspected that blow had killed the homeowner.

"...Sorry, I need to steady my nerves."

The man glanced sideways at the unconscious homeowner. After a moment of silence, he stubbed out his cigarette, then picked up the man and carried him into the bedroom.

Soon, the creaking of a bed shaking came from the bedroom.

"...Was that killing intent?"

In the living room, the woman tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

She paid no attention to the unfortunate homeowner. At worst, he'd have a sore backside tomorrow—not killing him was already generous enough.

Right now, her thoughts were all on the icy glare Aozaki Touko had shot at them.

The emotion of fear had detonated in an instant, erupting violently from the deepest part of her heart. It was like countless ants crawling out from her core, spreading the feeling of terror throughout her entire body.

How to describe that sensation?

To put it in rough terms, it was like an ordinary person facing a lion alone, frozen with fear, unable to move. Facing Aozaki Touko was like confronting an existence higher up the food chain.

Something beyond human... an entity of a higher order.

"Is this... an imitation of a higher existence's pressure suppression?"

After a moment of thought, the woman leaning on the sofa suddenly smiled wryly. "Aozaki Touko, the heir to the Magician, huh. What a formidable woman she is."

Just a single glare could intimidate them. Even if she was borrowing the imitation of a higher lifeform to spread that pressure, it still proved that this Egg of the Magus was far more than just a genius with a famous reputation.

Perhaps this gifted young girl.

Even if she were to fight one of the three oldest True Ancestors, Van Fem, she wouldn't be without a chance of victory. She might even produce results that would leave people stunned.

Japan.

Misaki City, Kuzuki Western Mansion.

Kuonji Alice sipped her black tea, her cool, delicate face carrying displeasure. She glared angrily at the letter laid out on the table. That letter was, of course, a long-overdue correspondence from Aozaki Touko.

Clearly, what it contained was not good news.

A duel against the highest-ranked of the Dead Apostles, the True Ancestor—and one of the three oldest, that ancient relic Van Fem.

Regardless of the gap in wisdom and experience brought by age, there was also an immense disparity in quality between humans and Dead Apostles. The most obvious was their incomparable regenerative ability.

Right now, the time Aozaki Touko had to grow was far too short.

This was a battle... that was not equal.

"...Idiot."

Alice seemed to give up with a faint sigh.

By now, it was too late for her to stop it. She had no time to rush to Berlin, Germany, to provide support. More importantly, Touko hadn't specified the location of the battle.

In other words, no matter how dissatisfied she was.

It meant nothing to reality.

Upon realizing this, her mood grew even more unpleasant.

Whether it was anger at her own powerlessness, or anger at Aozaki Touko's willfulness.

Or perhaps both emotions were mixed together.

France.

Inside a certain café.

A noble young girl in a black dress, her demeanor elegant, listened intently to the report from her subordinate. Her crimson eyes revealed a glimmer of interest, and her vermilion lips gradually curved into a joyful arc.

"At such a young age... and daring to fight that fellow Van Fem—if she's not an arrogant fool, then she's an extraordinary genius, absolutely possessing remarkable talent, isn't she?!"

"Judging from the intelligence... this young girl should possess considerable strength."

White Knight Blood spoke with a serious tone. "However, that girl is the heir of a Magic User. Trying to recruit her and turn her into a Dead Apostle is almost certainly impossible."

"Is that so... What a pity."

Altrouge showed a disappointed expression.

If she could turn such a genius into her subordinate, her own faction's strength would surely grow. Then, perhaps she could crush that Crimson Lord.

In any case... it was quite delicate.

News of Aozaki Touko's impending battle with Van Fem spread.

If not for the fact that the battle's location was unknown, there would surely be a large crowd of onlookers.

Chapter 23: Battle of the Puppets

Mystery.

A power capable of causing strange phenomena. Through meticulous rituals, one could achieve inconceivable effects—such as humans without wings soaring through the sky, flames flickering at fingertips to light a cigarette, or walking atop water.

However, this power was in steady decline.

As the power called science expanded, mystery correspondingly diminished.

No matter how much the magi who wielded mystery tried to interfere with this process, they could not reverse it. They could only rely on something called a 'Magic Crest' to resist the erosion of mystery as time passed.

But now, in this age where mystery was nearly exhausted.

A young girl who had yet to inherit a Magic Crest was about to face one of the most ancient True Ancestor Dead Apostles, fighting with the fruits of her own research into the magical path.

This was an undeniably unequal battle.

At this moment, deep in a forest far from the city.

The two parties who had agreed to the duel stood facing each other.

"You chose to face me alone. Shall I praise your courage, or mock your naivety, to be so careless?"

Van Fem leaned on his cane, his eyes reflecting the young girl.

She wore casual trousers and a shirt, her eyes shimmering with a pure will, shining like the sun—yet not blinding, appearing very pure and clean.

"That judgment can only be made after the results are out!"

Aozaki Touko smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding scenery.

This was a forest far from the city. The trees stood over ten meters tall, thick snow covering almost everything, a world of silver as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, the setting sun cast its light upon the earth, bringing a sense of melancholic beauty.

"A pity... If you had inherited the Fifth Magic, I likely wouldn't have been able to defeat you. But now, this timing is just right."

Van Fem spoke with gentlemanly courtesy. "You need to experience failure before you can continue moving forward. A life that is too smooth will wear away your will."

His tone was like that of a mentor, patiently instructing a junior.

This was a condescending attitude, easily irritating an opponent.

Especially for someone young.

"Experience failure? Do you know how many failures I've endured to get here?"

Aozaki Touko's tone was very calm. "Every step of my progress has been built on failure. There have even been times when experimental failures left me on the verge of death."

"Giving up on lazy thoughts... I've had that idea countless times."

This was no empty boast; it was her heartfelt truth.

Research into the magical path was not filled with novelty; on the contrary, it was filled with monotony and boredom. Without a clear progress bar, to be honest, it really wore down one's will.

But she had long since grown accustomed to it.

From a novice who once nearly died from experimental failure, step by step growing into a qualified researcher of the magical path—this was not something that could be summed up by the word 'genius' alone.

"The nature of it is quite different!"

Van Fem shook his head with a light laugh, tapping the snowy ground with his cane.

In an instant, a pitch-black chaotic hue stained the earth, as if ink had been spilled across the ground. A strange sense of otherness invaded the space of reality.

Then, bubbles rose from the chaotic black earth.

Two hands, massive as mountain peaks, emerged from the black ground, followed by a giant humanoid puppet the size of a castle crawling out.

Its colossal body brought a breathtaking aura of intimidation.

There was no doubt—with its terrifying mass alone, it could destroy almost anything. A single blow could topple a skyscraper, and even mountains could be leveled.

This is the terrifying power that comes from sheer volume.

"...It's really ridiculously huge!"

Aozaki Touko tilted her head back and let out a sigh of admiration.

Then, she lightly snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, a void opened in the space behind her, and a stunning silver-haired girl flew out from within. She gently flapped her pitch-black wings, and tangible magical energy rippled out from her body.

"It seems our choices aren't so different after all!"

Van Fem stared at Suigintou, a joyful smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "Both of us have turned our dolls into otherworldly entities, making them autonomous Reality Marbles that stay by our side."

"...If a Doll Master can't keep their dolls close, facing unexpected situations becomes extremely dangerous."

Aozaki Touko let out a light laugh, then took a step back.

In the next moment, Suigintou's pitch-black wings suddenly spread wide. The extended darkness transformed into two evil dragons, lunging down to bite at the giant humanoid Magic Doll.

On the other side, the humanoid Magic Doll, carrying its immense mass, swung its fist forward in a head-on collision.

"Boom!"

The atmosphere was instantly churned into chaos, turning into a raging gale that swept outward.

Snow clinging to the branches was shaken loose, and the thick layer of snow on the ground was scraped away, revealing the long-buried soil beneath.

Their first exchange ended in a stalemate.

"The power brought by such excessive mass really can't be underestimated, can it?"

Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes slightly as she continued commanding her doll to attack. The evil dragons formed from pitch-black wings kept entangling and striking at the giant Magic Doll.

"I'm not very good at delicate, intricate things, so I pursue the power that comes from sheer size. You could say it's a choice forced by my own limitations."