[Trace on--!]

(Vanish! Phantom, I will become formless; forget! Darkness, the formless will be untouchable; without doubt, the answer is obvious; in my left hand I hold light, in my right I hold truth!)

Having regained his composure, Alba raised his wand and began chanting a spell. Although it was a lengthy incantation, it only took Alba two seconds to finish.

Touko Aozaki let out a sigh of admiration, but the mocking smile on her lips remained unmistakable.

"I am the truth of all things; before me, you will surely perish!"

Alba stretched out one hand. The moment the black cat reached the first step of the stairs, the air trembled slightly.

Like a mirage rising from the ground, the blue sea of fire devoured the staircase while robbing the hall of oxygen.

Naturally, the black cat that charged towards Alba was also engulfed by the sea of fire.

The magical flames exceeding a thousand degrees Celsius can transform any animal from a solid into a gas, much like butter. The process of turning it into a liquid takes less than a thousandth of a second.

However--

"Impossible!!!"

Alba's emerald green eyes were fixed on the stairs where the flames had just been extinguished. On the still smoldering stairs, the strange black cat from before was still staring at him with those terrifying eyes.

Unharmed?

No, if we include the black body that's already starting to turn from light to dark, then Alba's Magecraft just now did indeed harm the black cat.

Unfortunately, the black cat didn't slow down at all as it pounced on Alba again. It seemed that Alba's prized Magecraft didn't even cause the black cat a scratch.

Alba had no time to observe the black cat any further; the overwhelming sense of danger made him scream and raise his wand once more.

"Repeat--!"

"Repeat" means "to repeat". The use of this word to repeat the Magecraft used previously is the pinnacle of Alba's chanting technique, which is how he became a top Magecraft.

The stairs caught fire again, but this time the black cat didn't stop. Perhaps it had gotten used to the flames, for it charged straight at the Magecraft.

"Repeat!" The sea of fire surged up again, and the black cat had successfully reached the second floor.

"Repeat!" The fourth flame, too, came to an end without result.

He wanted to chant again, but seeing the black cat pounce on him, he realized that his cane had slipped from his hand and fallen to the ground.

After pouncing on Alba, the black cat didn't rush to take any further action. Instead, it stopped and opened its mouth.

The cat's body, the size of a human, opens wide from its feet. If a hinge were added to its head, it would resemble an open treasure chest. Lacking any thickness, the black cat's body, which should exist on a flat surface, appears as if it's covered in the mud-like residue of an alien creature it just swallowed.

At this moment, Alba finally realized that the so-called "black cat" in front of him was actually just a cat-like creature; it was actually a monster with only a mouth.

"Help... help me!!!"

In the end, the Magecraft's composure was overwhelmed by the desire to survive, and Alba, who had fallen to the ground, crawled backward while letting out a pitiful cry for help.

Perhaps his cries for help had an effect, for just as the "Black Cat's" jaws, wide open like a crocodile's, were about to swallow the Magecraft whole, a voice filled with anguish suddenly rang out in the hall:

"--Wang Royal Manifestation."

Please understand

(So this chapter counts as an extra chapter.)

Next chapter preview: Various characters make their appearances.

Hmm... Could you please give me another round of recommendation votes?

Thank you everyone.

Chapter 303. [Trace on--!]

"--Wang Royal Manifestation."

It was just a brief verse, yet it plunged the entire hall into a frozen atmosphere. The "monster" that was about to devour Alba seemed to have been frozen in place, as if a pause button had been pressed.

"Are they here?"

Touko Aozaki, who had previously been an observer, also adopted a serious expression and looked up in the direction from which the sound came.

Behind Alba stood a man. His face was filled with unbearable distress and he wore a black coat. It was as if he had been standing there from the very beginning, completely concealing his presence.

The man in black simply lifted Alba with one hand, easily pulled the trembling boy out of the black cat's mouth, and casually tossed him onto the floor.

The black cat, however, was unable to move because it touched the outermost layer of the triple barrier around the man.

Ignoring the struggling black cat, the man in black turned his gaze to Touko Aozaki on the first floor.

"Long time no see, Aozaki."

A heavy, somber voice echoed through the hall, and as it sounded, the atmosphere seemed to become solemn, and the airflow within the hall subtly slowed down.

However, Touko Aozaki, the person involved, shrugged indifferently.

"Yes, although I can't remember exactly how much time has passed, neither of us wants to see the other."

Souren Araya."

At this moment, the first and second floors of the hall seemed to be divided into two spaces, where Touko Aozaki and the man named Souren Araya faced each other.

"It seems Alba has gone too far. This was supposed to end without your knowledge, but his obsession with you seems impossible to shake off..."

Souren Araya's gaze swept over Alba, who was still in a state of shock, before returning to Touko Aozaki.

"Your presence here means that you are her—"

Touko Aozaki got straight to the point, stating her purpose, and the other party's response left her feeling helpless:

"That's right, she's now in my hands."

"So, are you going to use this apartment building to uncover the Root?"

"I used this apartment building to repeatedly simulate human life and death day after day, but in the end, I gained nothing."

"So you've set your sights on Shiki?"

"That's right--"

When this issue was brought up, Araya's calm tone showed a noticeable fluctuation for the first time:

"Those are humans who are connected to the Root from birth... Although primates are too complex and diverse, and are very far removed from the Root, there are still occasional people born directly from the Root."

From Araya's words, Touko Aozaki can now confirm that the so-called "human connected to the Root" is undoubtedly Shiki Ryougi.

Even so--

"So how do you get to the Root?"

Now that they had obtained [humans connected to the Root], opening the Root naturally required a corresponding ritual. Therefore, Touko Aozaki couldn't help but be curious about her old classmate's "new ideas."

However, the other party's answer struck her as absurd.

"There's no need to open it at all, because a direct path to the Root has already appeared."

"Ha?"

"As for Shiki, she doesn't need that body connected to the Root, so I will take over her body."

Araya pronouncement left Touko Aozaki speechless with surprise, for she understood what Araya meant.

"--You wouldn't be thinking of transplanting your brain into Shiki's body, would you?"

This time, Araya didn't answer Touko Aozaki's question, but from his silent expression, Touko Aozaki confirmed her guess.

"That's unbelievable, but since you're here now, it seems Shiki is alright for the time being. Just to be on the safe side, let me ask you—do you plan to return Shiki?"

"Come and take it if you want it."

"Tsk, so it means there's only one chance, right? Seriously, I'm clearly not good at fighting, getting involved with that kind of thing is such a hassle."

"Then, just to be on the safe side, let me ask you something. Aozaki, would you be willing to assist me?"

Hearing Araya's unchanging tone, Touko Aozaki returned his question with her clear yet resolute gaze—

[No way]

"... Is that so? That's still a pity. Speaking of which, I have a very positive opinion of you, and I've even thought about competing with you to reach the Root. If I had to say, I would even say that I like you a lot."

"I'm sorry, but occasionally during this time, I've thought back to our school days, and I've come to a conclusion—"

As Araya slowly walked down, Touko Aozaki's lips curled into a smile that was probably tinged with sarcasm:

"There are so many good men out there, why was I so stupid to fall for someone like you?"

The moment she finished speaking, Touko Aozaki kicked the box beneath her feet, and the black cat, which had just been sealed in mid-air by Araya's barrier, suddenly moved.

It turns out that the stiffness earlier was just acting; he started moving again.

The black cat pounced on Araya's unsuspecting back.

"What?"

Araya showed a hint of surprise and quickly turned around. Then, without pausing, he opened his outstretched palm and clenched it tightly again. Immediately afterward, a "buzzing" vibration suddenly appeared around him.

Touko Aozaki saw signs that the space in front of Araya was collapsing further, but having already learned its lesson, the black cat jumped up before touching the barrier in front of Araya.

Faced with the black cat eyeing him menacingly, Araya, after a brief moment of surprise, stopped paying attention and turned his attention to Touko Aozaki, bringing up something that seemed completely unrelated to the present:

"[The puppeteer had already lost when the puppet was defeated.]"

Aozaki, these are the words you said back in your student days.

"That's right, even now, my argument remains unchanged."

Touko Aozaki nodded. The fact that she could say such a thing meant she had absolute confidence in her doll.

"So..."

Araya shifted her gaze to the black cat perched on the ceiling, staring at her. Her other hand, hidden beneath her black coat, clenched tightly. The black cat, along with the ceiling beneath its feet, was crushed.

"Now that your chess pieces have disappeared, what can you do?"

"Able to manipulate space at will..."

Looking at the corner of the ceiling that had disappeared, Touko Aozaki's expression turned troubled. "What? So this apartment has become your 'body'?"

[The Sixty-Four-Layer Offering Hall] is a massive barrier created by Souren Araya using an entire apartment building. He uses the residents, who have been turned into dolls, to reenact the cycle of death at night and rebirth in the morning day after day to deduce the opening of the gate to the Root.

It can be said that this barrier is a reflection of his mood and landscape, and it would not be an exaggeration to call it an artificially created [Reality Marble].

"With such thorough preparations, how could you have almost been cornered by them?"

Touko Aozaki moved toward the wall, making sarcastic remarks.

This opponent is completely different in level from Alba. Perhaps their abilities are similar, but within this building, Araya has the advantage over everyone else.

"Capturing her alive won't be easy; if I'm not careful, I might crush her in my hand. But things are different now. For an opponent who deserves to die, I will deal with them with all my might."

Araya, who noticed Touko Aozaki's actions, didn't seem to care. Rather than saying he didn't care, it would be more accurate to say he had absolute confidence in his barrier.

"You really go to great lengths for Shiki's health."

Touko Aozaki, leaning against the wall, wanted to take out a cigarette from her pocket, but remembering the empty cigarette pack from earlier, Touko Aozaki gave a rather displeased look. "Although I told Alba, you don't understand what terror is. Do you know that there are three conditions for someone to feel fear?"

Touko Aozaki, looking annoyed, held up three fingers to Araya and continued:

"First, the monster must not speak."

Second, the monster's origins must be unknown.

Third, if the monster isn't immortal, then there's no point in talking about it.

"?!"

As if sensing something from Touko Aozaki's words, Araya quickly turned around.

Then he saw--

On the ceiling that should have been destroyed, the black cat stood there as if nothing had happened.

"--Shu!" He clenched his fist against the ceiling, and the space was instantly compressed.

The black cat swayed due to the twisting motion, but this did not affect its speed. It leaped down towards the Magecraft, opened its terrifyingly large maw, and bit down directly on Araya, who couldn't dodge in time!

Before he could even utter a final, mournful cry, Touko Aozaki, looking at the Magecraft was now only his lower body, shakily propped herself up against the wall Touko Aozaki finally breathed a sigh of relief.