Mystic Eyes of Death Perception Concept, Araya Souren

I had originally planned to give up on having Shiki awaken the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but then it occurred to me that Root Shiki should already exist. Shiki simply had yet to become aware of her existence.

If I let Shiki keep digging into it through killing, could she perhaps comprehend the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?

My Exceptional Luck talent and Necromancer gave me a ninety-percent chance of surviving, and if I activated it voluntarily, it could guarantee my survival one hundred percent. I had long wanted to practice maintaining my consciousness and combat readiness after being injured.

That way, I could test whether she could awaken the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, guide her murderous impulses, and train my own survival instincts after injury. Bleeding and shedding tears for my wife was nothing.

After a while, Shiki noticed that my wound had stopped bleeding and was even beginning to heal. Only then did she say in surprise, "You really can't be killed."

I replied, "Who knows? I've been like this ever since I took part in the Holy Grail War. Back then, I was hit by an enemy Servant's Noble Phantasm. It should have been a fatal wound, yet I stood back up completely unharmed."

Maybe I was immortal now, or maybe I wasn't. Who knew?

Then I pulled Shiki into my arms and said, "I'll be in Mifune City for the next few days. If you feel that urge, just come find me. But if you're going to stab me, remember to stab my chest. I make my living with this face." Shiki retorted, "Narcissist."

But it was already so late. "Why don't you stay here tonight? You can sleep in the bed, and I'll take the sofa."

After saying that, I went to take a shower on my own. After all, I was covered in blood. Shiki sat alone on the bed.

After I finished showering, I asked whether Shiki wanted one too, but she refused. Maybe too much had happened that day. Before long, she fell asleep. Watching her sleeping face, I gradually drifted off as well.

You think something happened? Please, Shiki was not even fourteen yet. I couldn't bring myself to do anything.

The next day, after sending Shiki home, I began thinking about the plot of The Garden of Sinners. Fujino from Remaining Sense of Pain would no longer appear, so that storyline could be ruled out.

In fact, if I lured Shiki to Tokyo, then unless Araya Souren followed us there and found someone else to replace her, none of the plots would hold up. It was even uncertain whether Araya Souren had discovered Shiki at all.

What I needed to consider was merely whether to trigger those plots. The Counter Force's corrections were far too overpowered, so it was best not to deny the plot entirely.

Then the best approach would be to cooperate with Araya Souren and guide the course of the story.

You might say Araya Souren was a bad man who killed many innocent people, but did fewer people die in the Holy Grail War? Did that make the Holy Grail War an evil ritual? When pursuing the Root, they were all necessary sacrifices.

Looking over The Garden of Sinners, only Paradox Spiral involved Araya Souren massacring an entire building. In the other incidents, he merely guided things from behind the scenes.

Most importantly, I had a huge advantage against Araya Souren. He was a renowned barrier mage. Let him have a taste of the Mystic Eyes that broke barriers—I could teach him a lesson in minutes. If Shiki could do it, then surely I could too.

As the days passed, whenever I went to pick up Shiki, the Ryougi Family welcomed me with smiles and shouted, "Young master, you're here to pick up our young lady!" It practically felt like a honeymoon.

Shiki, on the other hand, had completely let herself go. Even without any particularly powerful impulse, she would want to slash me twice, claiming it was just to test the feel.

It was not until the same spots I had been cut started hurting more and healing more slowly that I realized Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception seemed to be awakening. At least I hadn't taken all those cuts for nothing.

I asked Shiki whether she could see anything extra in her vision. She said that whenever she wanted to strike, she would occasionally see a faint line appear and disappear. When she attacked along that line, it felt especially effortless.

Sure enough, this was a sign that the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception were awakening. It seemed I could not let her cut me anymore. If the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, said to be capable of slaying gods, backfired on me, I would be completely finished.

Fortunately, Aozaki Touko contacted me. She said Araya Souren had arrived and invited the three of us to meet. I had been planning to bring Shiki along to probe Araya Souren's capabilities anyway. To me, this was an open hand—how could I lose?

The location was a coffee shop. The two of them were already seated there. I walked over, greeted them naturally, and watched their expressions.

Aozaki Touko showed no particular reaction upon seeing Shiki, but Araya Souren looked uncertain and alarmed. It seemed that Araya Souren had already taken notice of Shiki.

No one was born evil. Araya Souren had been Aozaki Touko's classmate during her time in London, a mage who had lived for over two hundred years.

According to Touko, he had originally been a monk. As a mage, he was quite ordinary, but when it came to creating barriers, he possessed skill that ranked among the finest in the world.

A barrier was something that separated the inside from the outside; in order to create a world complete unto itself, one first had to complete oneself.

Araya, who possessed no special talent, completed himself through accumulated years and conviction, becoming a first-rate barrier mage.

He constantly carried six stationary barriers: Fearlessness, Vajra, Scorpion, Daiten, Dingjing, and Wangxian. They unfolded in planar and three-dimensional forms, and the moment a living creature touched the circular lines that formed them, all momentum would be instantly stripped away.

According to the results of the fourth popularity poll, the name of his barriers was Six Realms Boundary.

Araya had not been born into a mage family, but into a family devoted to the Tendai Sect during Japan's era of war. From an early age, he had memorized all kinds of Tendai Sect scriptures and was hailed as a child prodigy, while also displaying talent in barriers.

After becoming a monk, Araya went to study at the Tendai Sect's main temple, where he began to hold the powerful ideal of "saving all living beings."

Thus, he began traveling from place to place to help the people, journeying across the country to save lives.

But after continually witnessing the slaughter and destruction caused by war, he came to understand that he could never save everyone. The many evils he saw also made him question whether humanity was worth saving at all.

After feeling his own insignificance and helplessness, he began to doubt the convictions he had once held so firmly.

After the despairing thought, No one can be saved by me, arose within him, he believed that if he could not save people, then he should at least clearly record their deaths.

Shiki and I sat down together. After exchanging pleasantries, I said, "Mr. Araya Souren, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. I believe Miss Aozaki Touko has already told you about my request. If you can help my friend, the price is negotiable."

Araya Souren said, "I do indeed have a way. But how much are you offering?"

It seemed Mr. Araya Souren did not know certain things. Aozaki Touko had refused to explain them.

"Oh, my mistake. When I contacted you, news of that earth-shaking stunt of yours had not spread yet, had it?"

Araya Souren asked curiously, "What news? Can you tell me?"

Aozaki Touko said, "I assume this is Miss Shiki Ryougi. The Genji Clan collectively proposed marriage to the Ryougi Family. The bride price alone was as high as two billion US dollars."

Araya Souren was stunned.