Aftermath / Wang Xiaoming's Strength (Kara no Kyoukai Arc Complete)

Shortly after the Reien Academy Incident --

Having already settled everything in Fuyuki, Wang Xiaoming arrived at Touko Aozaki's office.

After opening the door to the agency, Wang Xiaoming found it empty. Neither Touko Aozaki, nor Fujino Asagami, nor Inui were there.

Wang Xiaoming didn't say anything, but went straight to the sofa and sat down, waiting patiently.

Not long after, footsteps came from the room next to the living room, and then the door to the innermost room of the office suddenly opened, and a figure walked in—

With her hair disheveled from sleeping and completely unconcerned about her appearance, Touko Aozaki walked into the office yawning.

"Oh, it's you."

After catching a glimpse of the person sitting on the sofa out of the corner of her eye, the wariness in Touko Aozaki's eyes quietly faded.

Touko Aozaki thought to herself, "I was just too nervous."

After all, apart from his own employees, this family was the only one who could freely enter the firm without disturbing him.

Why are you here so early?

Touko Aozaki spoke to Wang Xiaoming, who was sitting on the sofa, in a dissatisfied tone.

Is it early?

Upon hearing Touko Aozaki's question, Wang Xiaoming subconsciously glanced at the time. Seeing the hour hand about to reach 10, Wang Xiaoming was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to change the subject.

"Speaking of which, what about Fujino Asagami and Mikiya Kokutou?"

"Winter break is over, so Fujino Asagami went back to school first; as for Kokutou, he was called away by Shiki yesterday, and I don't know what he did there."

Touko Aozaki, back at her desk, unconsciously stretched, exuding a lazy, just-woke-up vibe.

"What, you rushed over here to interrogate me? Or to put your little lover in danger or something...?"

Touko Aozaki, propping her chin up with her hand and forcing herself to look up at Wang Xiaoming, curled her lips into an ambiguous smile.

What are you thinking?

After hearing Touko Aozaki's words, Wang Xiaoming gave a helpless look. "I heard about what happened before from Lily, and she seems to be doing fine..."

The battle between Lily and Satsuki doesn't need much further explanation.

The [unified language] that Genmu Satsuki relies on is actually something akin to "truth" that humanity possessed before its division, a language several levels higher than true words. It was the only language the world shared before it was disrupted by the gods, that is—[divine language].

However, his opponent this time was Medea, who, even when the comparison is broadened to the entire [Age of Gods], was a top-tier Magecraft in terms of Magecraft skill.

Even when Lily was still very young, the difference between her and Genmu Satsuki was probably like that between a babbling infant and a linguistics expert.

Therefore, the [Pseudo-God's Book], which other Magecraft feared, was practically no different from a helpless child in front of Lily.

And so it turned out. With Lily's help, Azaka roughly knocked Genmu Satsuki unconscious and then informed Touko Aozaki of the incident over the phone.

Touko Aozaki rushed over after receiving the call and saw the unconscious Genmu Satsuki. Although she was surprised, she didn't say anything. After "retrieving" the [Pseudo-God's Book], Touko Aozaki declared the [Reien Academy Fairy Incident] a complete success.

As for Genmu Satsuki's final fate...

Although Touko Aozaki didn't say it aloud, Lily secretly told Wang Xiaoming that Touko Aozaki had asked her afterwards if it was possible to erase Genmu Satsuki's abilities and then alter his memories.

It's possible that he's now living somewhere unknown, having changed his identity and appearance.

"You had Lily erase her memories of that [Pseudo-God's Book], actually to avoid attracting those people from the [Clock Tower], right?"

Touko Aozaki paused slightly, then pouted and said:

"Tsk, she already told you."

"That's not the main point..."

Seeing Touko Aozaki's dissatisfied expression, Wang Xiaoming gave a wry smile and shook his head.

Wang Xiaoming already knew from Kiritsugu that Genmu Satsuki was actually Magecraft [Sealing Designation] by the Mage's Association.

The so-called "Sealing Designation" refers to the Mage's Association's determination that Magecraft possesses abilities that are unprecedented and rare, and in order to preserve that miracle forever, the Association itself seals them away.

Sealing Designation as Magecraft is both the highest honor and a troublesome matter. Once sealed, one can no longer conduct research, and as Magecraft, being unable to challenge the next stage means losing the meaning of being Magecraft. The association merely uses them as templates for Magecraft. Unable to tolerate this humiliating treatment, Magecraft Sealing Designation mages all hide away from the association's sight.

Not only Genmu Satsuki, but even Kiritsugu's father was on the [Sealing Designation] list because of his research on [Forbidden] techniques. As for the other people on the list, the only one Wang Xiaoming recognized was the woman in front of him Aozaki Touko.

"Ah, that's right. If we don't completely eliminate any trace of that guy's existence, then those 'flies' will soon be able to find me by following the clues."

The flies Touko Aozaki mentioned refer to the group of [Sealing Designation Executors] within the Mage's Association.

Although Touko Aozaki had previously clashed with those [Executors] and even inflicted considerable losses on them, the current situation clearly did not warrant provoking them.

If the information about the [Pseudo-God's Book] is exposed, then Touko Aozaki will have no choice but to either fight the [Executor] who comes knocking on her door or flee.

If they were to fight the [Executor], it would inevitably affect Fujino Asagami, Mikiya Kokutou, and the others, which was clearly not what Touko Aozaki wanted.

As for leaving, rather than choosing an option that doesn't suit my style, it's better to just make a clean break once and for all...

Therefore, Touko Aozaki asked Lily if it was possible to completely eliminate the existence of [Genmu Satsuki]. The affirmative answer she received from Lily made Touko Aozaki breathe a sigh of relief.

"That's the gist of the matter, sir. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Hearing Touko Aozaki's pointed remark, Wang Xiaoming quickly raised his hands to beg for forgiveness:

"I admit I was wrong, okay? I just came to see if there was anything I could do to help you."

"Help me?"

After listening to Wang Xiaoming's speech, Touko Aozaki blinked, suddenly recalling the battlefield that resembled a bombardment after his battle with Araya...

After taking a deep breath, this was the first time Touko Aozaki spoke to Wang Xiaoming with a serious expression:

Tell me the truth, just how strong are you right now?

PS2: Because of a certain unnamed celebrity and their wife, I owe two more chapters...

5+2

I now owe seven chapters (die).

I'll try to catch up on updates tomorrow.

Chapter 317. Wang Xiaoming's Strength (The Void Realm Chapter - End)

Just how strong are you right now?

Seeing Touko Aozaki's expression, which was half serious and half teasing, Wang Xiaoming fell into a brief silence.

To be honest, it wasn't that Wang Xiaoming was unwilling to tell Touko Aozaki the answer to this question, but rather that he was --

"I'm not really sure either..."

Wang Xiaoming spoke, a helpless expression appeared on his face.

"It's because they can't find any opponents."

Touko Aozaki nodded, indicating her understanding of what Wang Xiaoming had said:

"According to what you said before, having already fused with [Hector's ] Spirit Origin, your strength, while not yet reaching the level of [Hector's ] peak in life, should now be enough to not be afraid of some second-rate Heroic Spirit."

In the previous Great Holy Grail War, although Wang Xiaoming did not actually participate in the war, he observed from the edge of the battlefield and constantly compared himself with the Servant in the battle.

Defeating top-tier Heroic Spirit like Achilles, Karna, or Siegfried is pure fantasy for him right now. But simply exchanging a few serious blows with them is more than enough.

Moreover, Wang Xiaoming's power is no longer limited to his role as [Hector]'s Spirit Origin.

The [Mystic Eyes of Petrification (Cybele)] possesses the terrifying ability to unconditionally petrify anything within its field of vision. This was a [trophy] that Wang Xiaoming obtained after successfully defeating Medusa during his first "trial".

Furthermore, the added mystique from mythology undeniably elevates these eyes to the [Rainbow] level.

It was precisely because of these eyes that Wang Xiaoming inflicted a significant loss on the Red Faction's heroes during the previous Great Holy Grail War, catching them completely off guard.

Not only that--

"Plus your weird and wonderful abilities... that move you used to defeat Araya before, that must have been a result of that Great Holy Grail War, right?"

"That's right."

Wang Xiaoming nodded in agreement.

[Dromeus Cometes] is Noble Phantasm that manifests from the legendary speed of the Greece hero Achilles. It was a "gift" from his arch-rival after the [Great Holy Grail War].

Along with it was Penthesilea's...

"So, Araya's loss wasn't unjust at all..."

Hearing Wang Xiaoming's explanation, Touko Aozaki had a look that was both funny and exasperating:

"Compared to us [Magecraft], you're more like a [monster]."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

Wang Xiaoming wasn't bothered by Touko Aozaki's words, but what Touko Aozaki said next surprised him.

"Come to think of it, we should have kept Araya back then."

"Why?"

"Because he pursues the [archetype of the soul], his research on the level of the soul is far more profound than that of ordinary Magecraft."

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's still puzzled expression, Touko Aozaki sighed and continued to explain to him:

"Perhaps I'm being malicious, but the pursuit of power always comes at a price. While it seems to me that you, having inherited [Hector's ] power and adapted to those strange abilities, haven't experienced any physical problems, I can't guarantee that your soul..."

Although Touko Aozaki didn't finish her sentence, the meaning behind it was already self-evident.

Having once pursued the "archetype of the flesh," she possessed an extraordinary understanding of the "flesh," which enabled her to create dolls that violated "taboos."

Touko Aozaki, who had unique insights into this matter, found nothing wrong with Wang Xiaoming during her examination, except for his incomprehensibly strong physique.

As for the spiritual realm, Touko Aozaki is helpless in this area where it's not her specialty.

That's probably why she expressed regret for not leaving Araya behind.

"However, now that we've already dealt with him, there's no point in being sentimental anymore."

Touko Aozaki nodded subconsciously at Wang Xiaoming's answer. After all, Magecraft like Araya would be a menace even if kept around, and besides—

"After all, you still have 'that person' at home, so just consider what I said earlier as me worrying unnecessarily."

"There's no need to say that..."

After listening to Touko Aozaki's words, Wang Xiaoming shook his head and gave a wry smile:

"In short, what I mean is this: if you encounter any trouble outside, remember to let me know. You know my capabilities, so there's no need to be polite."

"Yes, then I hope you won't find me annoying."

"If this can guarantee your safety, then I'd be more than happy to accept it."

"..."

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's serious expression, Touko Aozaki, unsure of what to say for a moment, could only nod awkwardly after a long pause, then whispered a reply:

"Um".

"Oh, Mr. Ming?"

After finishing the tasks assigned to him by Shiki, Mikiya Kokutou soon as he opened the door, he keenly sensed that something was "off" inside the office.

"... What happened?"

Blinking, still not quite understanding the situation Mikiya Kokutou honestly asked.

"Ah, it's nothing. But there's something else..."

Upon seeing Mikiya Kokutou's arrival, the tense atmosphere in the room immediately dissipated. Relieved, Wang Xiaoming said to Mikiya Kokutou, "Mikiya Kokutou, bring Ryougi to my house in a couple of days. I'm planning a banquet there."

"Um?"

"Because I'm moving, I wanted to get together with you guys before I leave."