A Token of Love (Not Really)

"Tsk... This can't go on any longer."

Wang Xiaoming thought to himself, although the previous attacks had been blocked by the emblem Medea had inscribed for him, constantly dodging like this wasn't a sustainable solution.

It's time to get serious!

Thinking this, Wang Xiaoming loosely clenched his right hand, and an ancient-style longsword appeared in his hand.

--"Durandal," a javelin once used by Hector in legend, but as the original text of the Noble Phantasm wielded by the Sword Roland, it can naturally be used as a longsword.

The moment "Durandal" appeared, Wang Xiaoming's body suddenly burst forth with unimaginable speed. Accompanied by an unstoppable momentum, in the blink of an eye, the distance between the two was less than three meters.

Souren Araya, who was confronting him in the narrow corridor, was amazed by the speed of this unknown opponent, but what concerned him even more was the weapon that had suddenly appeared in his right hand.

For some reason, in the intuition honed over his two hundred years of life, that longsword gave him a feeling that he would be killed.

Even so, Araya made no move to dodge, but he had no chance. Wang Xiaoming had already arrived close enough that a sigh of relief would be enough to plunge the weapon into the man's chest.

But before that, Araya reached out a hand into the air and spoke:

"I am not afraid!"

Amidst Araya's shout, Wang Xiaoming suddenly felt the air around him stagnate. His lunging body inexplicably slowed down. It was as if all flow had gradually ceased. All the phenomena of atmospheric movement had become sealed off.

"King Kong!"

"Viper!"

Araya's shouts echoed through the narrow corridor, and at the same time, three circular patterns extended from beneath his feet. The three slender rings overlapped each other, resembling a pattern depicting the orbits of planets, appearing between the ground and the air.

--My body feels so heavy...?

As soon as he stepped onto the outermost line of the circle, Wang Xiaoming felt the resistance around his body increase exponentially.

"Oh, it can still move?"

Looking at Wang Xiaoming, who was still moving forward within his barrier despite his slightly slower pace, a hint of amazement flashed in Araya's eyes. This was the first time Araya had ever seen someone in the world who could move freely within his barrier without being suppressed.

But--

"That's enough!"

Araya suddenly raised his other hand, which was hidden under his black coat, clenched it into a fist, and then slammed it towards Wang Xiaoming's face, which was inches away.

Although Souren Araya had studied at the Clock Tower, he lacked the aptitude for Magecraft. His only notable combat magic was his barrier Magecraft, which essentially separates the inside from the outside, serving as a means of protection and isolation. Offensive methods were extremely limited; it might be suitable as a fortress, but not as a weapon. Souren Araya's true strength lay in his honed physical skills honed over two hundred years!

Clang--

Just as Araya's fist was about to touch his face, Wang Xiaoming instinctively used "Durandal" to block the fist, and the collision between the blade and the fist produced a metallic clang.

Taking advantage of this brief opportunity, Wang Xiaoming turned his body to the side, dodging Araya's attack while simultaneously slashing at Araya's outstretched wrist with "Durandal".

"Damn it!" Souren Araya cried out once more.

The wrist that the sword had sliced through didn't fall to the ground. Even though the blade had cut through it as easily as slicing tofu, his hand wasn't even slightly injured.

"Top of the head!" The right hand moved.

Souren Araya seemed to have anticipated Wang Xiaoming's movement after he escaped from his left hand, and released his right hand. In his view, Wang Xiaoming, who did not have time to retract his weapon, would definitely not be able to dodge his attack.

However, reality exceeded Souren Araya's expectations. He discovered that the man opposite him not only showed no sign of panic, but instead, "overestimating his own abilities," extended his fist—

A surprising power emanated from Araya Wang Xiaoming's not-so-strong body.

The two enormous forces collided head-on, causing both to be pushed back simultaneously. It was precisely by using this recoil that Wang Xiaoming managed to escape from Araya's barrier.

Tick-tock, tick-tock--

The sound of blood dripping onto the floor broke the silence between the two. The wound was caused by Araya's fist colliding head-on with "Durandal's" blade.

Although "Durandal" is not particularly prestigious among the Noble Phantasm in the "Nasuverse, it is still a legendary sword. It only suffered such minor damage after going head-to-head with " Durandal ".

It must be said that Souren Araya's two hundred years of life have not been wasted.

"If you promise not to appear before Fujou again, then you may leave now."

During this brief exchange, Araya clearly sensed that unless he used his trump card, defeating this unknown Magecraft in a short time was wishful thinking. Any expenditure of resources before he could begin his plan would be unwise.

However, in response, Wang Xiaoming politely raised his middle finger.

"Convex(`△?+)"

"Then wait until you're in hell, and then you can regret the decision you made today."

Araya's already troubled expression grew even heavier, and after he finished speaking, he opened his barrier to its maximum extent.

Araya, a barrier master, usually carries a triple-layered mobile barrier, but now he has finally decided to reveal his full six-layered barrier, named --

The Six Paths Boundary!

"Invincible, Vajra, Serpent, Heaven-Defying, Top Sutra, Royal Manifestation."

At Souren Araya's shout, the six barriers were activated simultaneously, their light reflecting off each other in the narrow corridor.

Under the somewhat frightening light effects, Wang Xiaoming did something that Araya never expected: he reached out and took off his glasses.

What is this doing?

Even Araya had long since reached a state of perfect tranquility, couldn't help but feel puzzled. But the moment Wang Xiaoming looked up and Araya met his eyes, he understood.

What kind of eyes were those? Right in the center were two vertical pupils, like those of a snake, with a magnificent light shimmering around them. From a distance, they looked like two mysterious gems, both beautiful and enigmatic.

Mystery is often accompanied by unexpected dangers, but by the time Araya realized this, it was too late.

In the hospital corridor that had returned to normal, moonlight streamed through the window onto Araya, who had turned to stone. Although he was no longer able to think, he still maintained that bitter expression.

"This stuff... works pretty well."

Beside the stone statue, Wang Xiaoming, who had put his glasses back on, couldn't help but marvel at the result he had caused.

I will notify you in the group beforehand when I'm going to touch it.

For example, dating or something.

(Run)

Chapter 165. Tokens of Love (Part 1)

"It's truly an ability that's impossible to be envious of..."

After listening to Wang Xiaoming's story, Touko Aozaki, who had just extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray, sighed with a tone that was hard to tell whether it was envy or melancholy.

The Clock Tower divides the Mystic Eyes into five levels.

The lowest grade is the artificially created Mystic Eyes; all the higher grades are natural Mystic Eyes.

First is "noble color," which is generally represented by "binding," "coercion," "contract," "burning," "illusion," and "misfortune," and is a privileged behavior that can intervene in the fate of others. Many Magecraft believe that only by reaching this level can one be called a true Mystic Eyes.

Even more advanced and powerful than the usual Noble Color is "Gold," a level of Mystic Eyes that often contains powerful Magecraft that have been lost to modern times.

Above that, there are Mystic Eyes of the "Gem" rank. Mystic Eyes of this rank may even contain secrets beyond the Great Magecraft —mysteries that no Magecraft, past or present, can replicate. Therefore, many people doubt the existence of this level. Even if it does exist, it is estimated that it is secretly held by a Lord who leads a faction.

Finally, there is the "Rainbow," which exists only in legends. The name alone is enough to instill fear in many modern Magecraft, and the "Mystic Eyes" is considered impossible to reproduce with Magecraft.

The Mystic Eyes of Petrification "cybele" that Wang Xiaoming "plundered" from Medusa is Mystic Eyes of this rank.

Moreover, under Touko Aozaki's tutelage, Fujino Asagami, who has successfully awakened the "Twisting Mystic Eyes," also belongs to this level.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

When it comes to matters related to the Mystic Eyes, aside from her research, Touko Aozaki never mentions them to Wang Xiaoming and Fujino Asagami. It's not that she's avoiding anything; she simply doesn't want to be compared to those two.

Even though they both Mystic Eyes, why do hers seem so Mystic Eyes compared to these two? Fujino Asagami is alright, but this man in front of her is different. Every time she sees his smug look, Touko Aozaki gets angry, but she doesn't know what to do. She can't exactly gouge out his eyes for her to study, that's not her style.

"What's wrong?"

Upon seeing Touko Aozaki staring at him, Wang Xiaoming, the person involved, asked with a bewildered expression.

"It's nothing, my old classmates are all dead, can't I even mourn them a little?" Touko Aozaki replied irritably.

Is Souren Araya dead?

Upon hearing Touko Aozaki's words, Wang Xiaoming revealed a somewhat enigmatic expression.

"Was there any unexpected event?"

Touko Aozaki keenly noticed the hesitation in Wang Xiaoming's expression.

"Do you really think a Magecraft who has lived for over two hundred years would die so easily?"

After all, an old man who can live for more than two hundred years must have more experience in preserving his life than others.

Seeing Touko Aozaki's stunned expression, Wang Xiaoming sighed softly. Clearly, Touko Aozaki hadn't expected this.

That's how it is in the "original work." Touko Aozaki was able to be "successfully counter-killed" by Souren Araya because of her carelessness after the sneak attack. Although Touko Aozaki was ultimately unharmed, it's best to avoid such "accidents" in the first place.

Wang Xiaoming brought this up to prevent Touko Aozaki from being careless, and now that he saw Touko Aozaki deep in thought because of his words, he felt he had achieved his goal.

"I was just mentioning it casually, don't overthink it. Just take a look at this for me first."

Seeing that Touko Aozaki seemed somewhat displeased that his words had interrupted her thoughts, Wang Xiaoming took something out of his pocket and threw it onto Touko Aozaki's desk.

"What is this? A stone?" Looking at the grayish object that resembled a small stone spinning around on her desk, Touko Aozaki picked it up with some disdain. However, after holding it, she realized that this thing in her hand might not be so simple.

Holding it up to the sunlight streaming through the window, Touko Aozaki was surprised to find that a faint golden light was emanating from inside this unassuming object.

"This is... a relic?!"

The knowledgeable Touko Aozaki immediately recognized the true nature of the "stone" in her hand, and it seemed to be the product of a highly accomplished holy monk after his passing.

Touko Aozaki immediately turned around and asked Wang Xiaoming in surprise:

"Where did you get this?"

"You guess."

Looking at Wang Xiaoming's lazy appearance, Touko Aozaki's lips twitched:

"You didn't get it from Araya, did you...?"

Legend has it that relics are the product of the Nirvana of holy monks. As a monk who has lived for more than two hundred years, it is not impossible that Souren Araya was able to obtain such a relic.

"Bingo, you got it right."

Wang Xiaoming spread his hands and made an exaggerated congratulatory gesture, which was taken as an admission of the stone's origin.

After Souren Araya was petrified by the "cybele," Wang Xiaoming was prepared to leave the place. As for the statue, he thought it was none of his business and whoever wanted to deal with it could do as they pleased. However, a part of the original story suddenly stirred up Wang Xiaoming's memory, so he turned around, smashed Araya's left hand with the "Durandal" in his hand, and then got his hands on the statue.

"As a return gift, I threw his statue, along with the pieces I smashed, into Tokyo Bay."

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's "rascal" appearance, Touko Aozaki couldn't help but laugh and turn her gaze back to the relic in her hand:

"Even if Araya isn't dead, he'd probably be furious after hearing what you said."

Indeed, the "treasure" he had painstakingly acquired over half his life was so easily snatched away. And the return gift was to sink himself into Tokyo Bay?

Souren Araya: EXM, meow meow meow?

"Oh, by the way, you can have this."

As he spoke, Wang Xiaoming stood up from the sofa and stretched.

"You're being so kind, do you have some ulterior motive? Let me make this clear first, if it's unreasonable, I won't agree to it."

"Could you please stop saying things like that while you're putting your things away in the closet? It's so distracting."

"This thing is already mine. What's wrong with me putting my things away in the cabinet? As for your request later, it's a favor to grant it, and it's your right not to."

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Seeing Touko Aozaki's matter-of-fact expression, Wang Xiaoming was speechless. He felt that what he was seeing was quite different from the "original work." Chengzi was supposed to be aloof in the book, so how did she become so eccentric now?

"What were you trying to say earlier?" After the joke was over, Touko Aozaki asked Wang Xiaoming the question she had just asked.

"Ah, I really just wanted to give this to you." Wang Xiaoming tried his best to look "innocent."

"Oh--"

"Alright then, I just hope you can take care of my two children for me during this time. I might be..."

Wang Xiaoming was interrupted by hurried footsteps coming from outside the door before he could finish speaking.

"Miss Touko Aozaki, Shiki... Shiki's awake!"