The Magic of Fire

Venice is known for its rich artistic atmosphere, so it's not surprising to see performers putting on shows on the streets.

While Polnareff's current "half-human" form is bizarre, it's hard to call it terrifying.

After all, it's a bright and sunny morning, with a clear blue sky and a clear blue sea, and the atmosphere is so warm that it's hard to be scared—anyone who's seen a horror movie knows that ghosts don't go to work at this hour.

The right half of Polnareff's body that "disappeared" simply became transparent. There was no shocking blood or any disgusting organs on the cross-section of the human body that had been cut open by the power of space.

Upon closer inspection, it's not scary at all; in fact, it seems quite amazing.

So when Polnareff casually claimed to be Magic Master, the young tourist immediately believed him without a doubt.

He also seems to be a passionate magic enthusiast.

Upon hearing Polnareff say, "I'll show you something even more amazing," he immediately rushed forward without hesitation.

As the young tourist hurried closer, he kept staring at Polnareff's remaining half of his body, scrutinizing it from head to toe.

"That's incredible!"

"Street close-up magic can actually achieve this level of skill?"

"There's absolutely no flaw to be found, and no trace of magic props can be detected."

He strode forward, circling Polnareff and marveling at him:

"That's amazing! If you hadn't told me, I would have suspected you were some kind of magician with superpowers. Master, how did you do that?"

Young tourists observed Polnareff's half-body up close, their eyes filled with fervor.

If it weren't for the most basic respect for magicians, he might even have been tempted to reach out and touch the "master's" invisible half of his body.

Even without that intention, he couldn't help but want to get as close to Polnareff as possible.

"Don't go any further!"

Polnareff stopped him in time.

His right side in the real world is Silver Chariot holding a sword.

If this young tourist were to foolishly charge forward again, he could very well be stabbed to death by the "transparent sword" held by the Silver Chariot.

"Oh oh."

The young tourists immediately stopped in their tracks.

He had no idea that he had almost run headfirst into the Silver Chariot's tightly gripped right-hand sword, assuming it was just a safe distance required for the master to perform magic.

And so, he stopped in his tracks with perfect manners, and then asked impatiently:

"Master."

"Is there anything else you want to perform? How can I cooperate with you?"

The young tourist asked the question very savvyly.

"Cough cough cough"

With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Polnareff answered with difficulty:

"There are a few pieces of ice scattered next to the car over there. Pick them up quickly."

The ice packs were simply put into plastic bags by the store staff, and the packaging was not very secure.

When the ice pack fell to the ground earlier, a few pieces of ice did indeed fall to the ground.

"Get the ice shards and head over there quickly."

"Just stand there, next to the iron railing by the bridge."

My body is difficult to move, but moving my wrists and fingers is not particularly difficult.

Polnareff stretched out his finger to point in the direction:

"Go quickly, just stand there."

"Good!"

The young tourist nodded seriously.

He hurriedly went to the car to pick up the few pieces of ice, then turned back and asked, utterly puzzled:

"Master, why is there blood coming from the corner of your mouth?"

"He still has injuries on his body, and he doesn't look well."

He doesn't look well.

It would be strange if her complexion looked good!

Polnareff inwardly grumbled helplessly:

His other half is still being beaten solidly in the mirror space.

The Riot Games of the Mirror Man were quite powerful against flesh and blood. After being punched dozens of times in a row, half of his chest was dented from the blows.

His ribs were shattered inch by inch, and the broken bones were deeply embedded in his flesh.

This is already a potentially fatal injury.

But the powerful Riot Games in the Mirror Man never stopped, like hammering nails into a wooden board, hammering the shattered sternum deeper and more fatally.

Polnareff naturally understood these things deeply.

The agony of bones and flesh turning into a lump of mud under the heavy blows now flooded his brain like a torrent.

But he knew even more clearly that he absolutely could not cry out in pain, and absolutely could not show any weakness:

"N-nothing."

"This is just for the effect of makeup on the show."

Polnareff forced a nonchalant smile:

"This is the 'persona' I'm portraying."

"I am now playing the role of a 'defeated knight who has been magically split in two by the enemy and bound here'."

"I see."

"Not only did he showcase magic skills, but he also incorporated character development and plot into his performance. He truly is a master!"

The young tourist immediately looked like he had just realized something.

He had no more doubts:

"Okay, I'll head over there and get into position right now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young tourist immediately followed Polnareff's instructions and quickly walked to the bridge in the direction he indicated.

He quickly steadied himself beside the iron fence, then turned back and asked:

"Master, what should I do now?"

"Knock on the iron fence next to you, but don't make a loud noise."

"Just use that kind of force that you would accidentally bump into while walking."

Polnareff made a very strange request.

"Good."

Without hesitation, the young tourist gently tapped on the iron fence.

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, but it could be clearly heard and carried far.

"Then what?"

He asked with great anticipation about the next steps.

"Turn around and walk close to the iron railing towards the train station."

Polnareff then gave another incomprehensible instruction.

The young tourists instinctively obeyed the instructions and turned to begin their work.

But before turning away, he couldn't help but ask:

"Master, aren't there a few too many steps?"

"What kind of magic trick is this supposed to be?"

"What magic trick?"

Polnareff managed a strained smile:

"Just watch closely—"

"This is the magic of fire."

Inside the mirror space.

The rules of mirror space are very special:

Everything in the real world has a mirror image here, except for living beings like humans.

People in the Mirror World can only observe human activities in the outside world through mirrors.

However, if they want to hear the voices of humans from the outside world, Illuso must open a spatial passage in the Mirror World to connect the two worlds precisely.

But he closed the passage just after sending Polnareff halfway through.

Therefore, Illuso could not hear the conversation between Polnareff and the young tourists outside.

Of course, he has no interest in paying attention to what's happening outside right now.

In his eyes Polnareff was just a dying man who could not resist. With his body almost unable to move Polnareff had no ability to play any tricks.

He only needs to use all his strength and speed to complete the execution.

But

Just as Illuso was about to beat Polnareff to death, an unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, he heard a humming sound from the vibrating iron bars—

Human voices cannot reach the Mirror World, but the influence humans exert on real objects will be perfectly reflected in the Mirror World.

So, he heard the sound.

This sounds like someone accidentally bumping into the iron fence while passing by.

"What's going on?"

Illuso suddenly turned his head and looked toward the iron fence, following the sound:

"Did someone in the real world pass through there?"

The source of the sound was not far from him.

If a passerby were to walk by in the real world, that passerby would definitely be able to see Polnareff with half of his body being sent out.

Thinking about this made Illuso's mind unsettled.

With a bad feeling, he immediately turned the car's rearview mirror and began to observe the outside world through it:

Sure enough, a young tourist was standing next to the iron railing.

The young tourist was nodding to the half-destroyed Polnareff and excitedly saying something.

Then, before Illuso could even be shocked, the young tourist seemed to have received some kind of mission from Polnareff.

He suddenly turned around, stood close to the iron railing, and hurriedly walked towards the train station.

And the most crucial thing is

In the young tourist's hand, there were still a few conspicuous pieces of ice.

"Ice cubes. What's going on?"

"That broom-headed guy actually got another passerby to help him?!"

Illuso's face instantly turned ugly:

He truly hadn't expected that Polnareff, with only half a body remaining, could still "bewitch people" in the outside world.

How come this appearance didn't scare people away?

Not to mention, that guy was being beaten up the whole time!

While enduring such heavy blows with his mangled and rotting body, he still had to calmly persuade passersby to help him.

"What a monster!"

Illuso cursed through gritted teeth.

He wanted nothing more than to kill Polnareff right now, but he knew very well what his primary task was.

He had to stop the passerby.

Even though the ice in the passerby's hand was pitifully small, its size so small that one might doubt whether it could remain unmelted before reaching the station.

The effectiveness of transporting just a few negligible pieces of ice is questionable.

Even so, Illuso would never allow these ice fragments to have a chance to be sent to the train station.

This is his mission.

He would absolutely not put Prosciutto, who was fighting hard in the train station, at any risk.

"Damn it."

"I won't let you succeed!"

Illuso gritted his teeth in resentment, turned around, and, with his stand-in, chased after the young tourist.

The severely injured Polnareff was once again left behind by him.

This time, however, he was more at ease with the situation.

Polnareff was almost completely immobilized, as was the Silver Chariot.

With his Stand ability limited to "fencing," what can he do now that he can't even swing a sword?

It's just being stuck in place, helplessly waiting to die.

So Illuso completely forgot about Polnareff and rushed to the iron fence in the mirror space.

Feeling that the position was about right, he immediately raised the car's rearview mirror and used the mirror to open a spatial passage between the two worlds.

"W-what?!"

In the real world, the young tourist was horrified.

Before he could even see the magic trick Polnareff was performing, a mirror suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of him, and in the mirror stood a man with a murderous look on his face.

Is this something magic can do?

The young tourists were utterly astonished.

However, Illuso reached out from the mirrored tunnel and grabbed the young tourist's arm:

"You come in too!"

"Polnareff— "

As he reached out to drag the young tourist, Illuso coldly shouted:

"You've 'killed' another person!"

His voice was filled with cruelty, and his words were a threat and torture to Polnareff.

But unexpectedly, Polnareff's response was unusually calm.

Because the spatial passage had been opened, his calm and confident voice could reach Illuso's ears in the Mirror Space exactly as it was:

"It was indeed wrong of me to drag innocent people into the battle."

"But they won't die."

"Because... you'll be the one who dies!"

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

Illuso sensed the sharp edge in Polnareff's words.

But he simply couldn't imagine why Polnareff, who could barely move his body and whose Stand was in trouble, still had such arrogant confidence.

By what right? By what right do you have the right to kill me?

Is it your blank Stand that's already broken, or your laughable "fencing" Stand ability?

Illuso had absolutely no idea how to understand it.

But Polnareff's calm yet powerful voice rang out like a nightmare:

"I'm just having difficulty moving around physically right now."

"However, if it's just using a Stand ability, there doesn't seem to be any problem."

"And you, you are a guy who will never forget your mission—so as long as I set a little bait, you will immediately be like a hunting dog that has seen a bone, going wherever I want you to go!"

"What? A Stand ability?"

Illuso's expression changed:

"Could it be that your Stand wasn't actually a blank slate, and you've been hiding your abilities all along?!"

"That's right!"

Polnareff said with great pride:

"I told you, my Silver Chariot is not a blank slate."

"It definitely has the ability to use a Stand!"

The Silver Chariot is certainly not a blank slate.

Strictly speaking, it has two true "skills":

First, instantly remove armor, increasing movement speed and attack speed.

Second, launch the blade away from the hilt to deal ranged damage.

The first skill is useless now, since the Silver Chariot is almost unable to move, so there's no point in increasing movement speed or attack speed.

However, this second skill, "Hundred Steps Flying Sword," has always been Polnareff's trump card and ultimate move.

Especially now, what Polnareff needs is a long-range killing method.

"Silver Chariot!"

Polnareff shouted loudly.

In the real world, the Silver Chariot, now only having its right half remaining, moved its wrist with difficulty and precision, adjusting the direction in which its right-hand sword blade was pointing.

The blade wasn't pointed at Illuso himself, because Polnareff knew that the enemy could close the mirror portal at any time to avoid the flying sword.

Therefore, the blade was actually pointing at the iron fence next to Illuso.

Illuso, however, misjudged the situation and assumed that Polnareff had some kind of hidden trump card that could attack him from a distance.

He immediately stopped dragging the young tourist, then instantly closed the mirrored passageway, doing everything in his power to protect himself.

But none of this matters.

Even if separated by a world, Polnareff was confident he could complete the attack:

"Emission!"

At his command, the sword in the right hand of the Silver Chariot instantly disintegrated.

The disintegrated blade that had detached from the hilt did not fall to the ground; instead, it instantly transformed into a silver streak of light and flew forward at an extremely terrifying speed.

Almost instantly, the streak of light pierced the sky with a piercing shriek and crashed straight into the iron fence of the real world.

The slender, sharp blade immediately pierced through the rusty black iron.

As the blade pierced through the black iron, the friction generated by the high-speed movement instantly sparked a dazzling array of sparks on the sheet metal.

Mars appears in the real world.

Then it will naturally be reflected in the Mirror World.

At the same time, in the Mirror World.

Even though there was no flying sword from the Silver Chariot, sparks still flew from the iron railing beside Illuso.

"Fire!"

An unprecedented fear surged through Illuso's heart.

But the sparks eventually splashed onto his gasoline-covered body, touching the flammable fumes that had already evaporated from his skin.

The next second, a raging fire broke out in the mirror space.

The Silver Chariot's sword pierced through space, turning Illuso into a torch.

"Aaaaaahh..."

The flames were frantically devouring his flesh and blood.

Intense pain was emanating from every inch of my skin.

Illuso struggled to climb over the railing, and with his last bit of strength, he jumped into the sea below.

But the viscous gasoline remained firmly attached to his body, and the flames wouldn't be easily extinguished even if he jumped into the water.

When charred skin comes into contact with cold, salty seawater, the intense stimulation causes even more unbearable pain.

At this moment, Illuso's spirit finally became extremely weak.

He could no longer control his Stand ability.

The Mirror Man vanished instantly, the power dissipated, and everything that had been dragged into the Mirror World returned to reality at that moment.

The old man who had been implicated earlier returned to reality, and Polnareff and the Silver Chariot also resumed their actions, appearing fully on the bridge in reality.

Meanwhile, Illuso, engulfed in flames, appeared in the seawater below.

He was almost completely burned and struggled frantically in the water, but the flames never completely went out, and his struggles became weaker and weaker.

If this continues, he will either be burned alive or drown.

"Call"

Polnareff breathed a long sigh of relief.

He knew that this difficult battle was finally over.

He persevered to the end with his battered body, fulfilling his promise, "The magic of fire."

"Illuso"

Polnareff took one last look at the enemy struggling below.

The guy was engulfed in flames and covered in wounds, yet he still struggled to stare at them with angry and resentful eyes.

"Sigh." Polnareff sighed softly.

Then, he reached out and gripped the iron fence tightly, tearing a piece of iron, like a short sword, from the rusty railing.

"Being burned to death must be incredibly painful."

Polnareff casually tossed the piece of iron away.

The piece of metal was thrown with incredible precision into Illuso's hand:

"If you can't take it, use this 'short sword'."

"End my own life."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

A tall figure was left on the bridge.

One update today.