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"That's not exactly comforting!" Aoko raised an eyebrow and said with an irritated expression.
Her own grandfather was confident he'd outlive her. Wasn't that basically cursing her to die young? How the hell was she supposed to be happy about that?
"Old man, what's your deal right now?" Aoko asked, sitting cross-legged in the snow in a completely unladylike pose, her face a picture of annoyance.
Soujuurou's weird behavior earlier, and his subsequent possession by the old geezer... even an idiot would realize that her grandfather had just claimed another life.
While she wasn't particularly fond of the troublesome Soujuurou, having him killed by her own grandfather—a twinge of sadness crept into her heart.
"Ah, to face a formidable enemy, I had to specifically possess this body. Fortunately, the original owner had a weak will, so I easily obtained a suitable vessel," the old True Magic User said with a grin, as if he'd accomplished something praiseworthy.
However, the implications of his words sent chills down the spines of the three who hadn't yet abandoned their humanity. Nobody wanted to be around an ancient monster who treated possession like a hobby. Who knew—maybe one day he'd decide he wanted to experience being a woman and possess them?
You know, there were way too many male mages who didn't mind becoming women. Take the worm master, Matou Zouken, for example. Or the Serpent of Akasha, Roa.
The saying "perverts are timeless, and the Nasuverse is especially full of them" wasn't a joke.
"A formidable enemy!!!" ×3
Hearing the term 'formidable enemy,' both Aoko and Alice's expressions shifted. Even Touko's face became serious.
In this city, the only person they could think of who the old True Magic User would describe as a formidable enemy was Haru, the Fifth True Magic User.
A battle between two True Magic Users was no laughing matter. In the age of myths, they could run wild and even compete with gods. If they fought, mortals like them would just be collateral damage.
"A complete True Magic User... it's giving me quite the headache. With Aoko's current limitations, our chances of winning aren't great," the old True Magic User sighed softly, a trace of helplessness crossing his face.
Though he didn't understand why he was being targeted by some unknown True Magic User, he had his suspicions. The only thing that could capture a True Magic User's attention—
Was the all-encompassing Root. And his Aozaki family just happened to have a pathway to the Root. This massive prize was enough to tempt any True Magic User.
In the end, it came down to leaked information. And the source of that leak...
The old True Magic User turned his calm gaze toward Touko, who had been sweating bullets since his appearance, and sighed softly. "Touko, you leaked the pathway, didn't you?"
No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't arrive at the truth that Haru was a visitor from another dimension. He could only make deductions based on the current situation.
In his mind, the only person who had both the opportunity and motive to leak the secret was Touko, who'd been kicked out of the family and had gone to study in Europe.
"I clearly taught you to be a proper magus, but I never imagined you'd be willing to leak that pathway. This really is beyond my expectations," the old True Magic User said, shaking his head like a parent blaming himself for failed child-rearing.
"Ha, on one hand you call me a proper magus, and on the other you strip away my inheritance. And now you're putting on this hypocritical act. As always, you disgust me, my 'dear grandfather,'" Touko said, looking at the old True Magic User with mockery.
Even though she hadn't actually leaked the pathway, as long as she could piss off the old True Magic User, she'd gladly take credit for it. For this old bastard who had given her hope of becoming a True Magic User only to personally destroy it, her hatred ran bone-deep.
"While I'd rather not interfere in you sisters' conflict, my hands are tied now," the old True Magic User said with a compassionate expression.
Though his face was filled with pity and affection, everyone present felt their blood run cold.
The next second, the old True Magic User looked at Touko with an emotionless expression and said in a flat tone, "Traitors must face consequences."
Without any warning, a whirlwind appeared out of nowhere, surrounding Touko. A second later, the whirlwind disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.
Throughout this entire process, the snow and mud on the ground hadn't changed in the slightest, as if the whirlwind had never existed.
However, nobody present thought they'd been hallucinating.
"Tch," Touko clicked her tongue with an annoyed expression. With the movement of her lips, the muscles in her face triggered a chain reaction, and her head began to crack.
Splat—!
A mixture of bone fragments and flesh stained the pristine white snow.
Aoko's pupils contracted. She stared blankly at the 'indescribable' mess, rendered speechless.
Despite having just killed his own granddaughter—whom he'd raised himself—there wasn't the slightest ripple on the old True Magic User's face. It remained as calm as ever.
"Well then, Aoko. It's time to accelerate your awakening," the old True Magic User said, his face expressionless as he addressed her.
BOOM—!
A black magic bullet, infused with the concept of [Destruction], slammed into the old True Magic User's face.
A flicker of surprise flashed in his dark eyes. The old True Magic User opened his mouth slightly and gently exhaled.
The cold winter air turned his breath into faint white mist, which drifted and collided with the black magic bullet.
Pop—!
With a soft sound, like a cork being pulled from a bottle, both the white mist and the magic bullet vanished into thin air.
"Why?" The old True Magic User looked at Aoko with mild surprise. While he was surprised she could use divine power—a high-level mystery—he was even more surprised by her current actions.
The old True Magic User could tell that the attack just now had been Aoko going all out. She had attacked him with genuine killing intent.
"I don't know. Even though I know my sister became a traitor to the family, and even though I know that guy with countless body doubles probably isn't really dead, when I saw you kill her, I just wanted to punch you."
Though her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she clearly understood what her actions meant, Aoko had instinctively attacked the old True Magic User.
"Getting worked up about attacking an ancient monster like this, and not feeling an ounce of regret... I must be losing my mind." Aoko's muscles tensed as she laughed bitterly at herself.
"Ah, in that regard, I feel exactly the same way, Aoko," a voice tinged with faint amusement slowly spoke.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The sound of footsteps in snow slowly echoed through the silent night.
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