Chapter 173: Episode 4: The Hollow Shrine (Part 3)
As the story progressed bit by bit, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived—Ryougi Shiki, who had been lying motionless in her hospital bed, slowly opened her eyes.
Two long years had passed. The once short-haired girl now bore flowing black locks. Her jet-black eyes were clouded with confusion, her expression dazed. After such a long sleep, even the simple act of lifting her arm was a struggle.
When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a bouquet of flowers resting nearby—the same flowers Kokutou had been placing during his visits. Beside them was a stack of sticky notes with little messages he'd left, recording his thoughts and feelings.
But the moment Shiki caught sight of the familiar-yet-strange handwriting, an unexplainable chill ran down her spine.
Then, with a shift in perspective, the film cut to Shiki's own point of view.
Every object in sight—every corner of the room—was etched with thin, glowing lines, crisscrossing and curling like cracks on a shattered surface. Death lines. The mark of fragility. The harbingers of an end.
"What… is this…?"
Her voice trembled as she reached out and touched one of the lines on a flower petal.
In the blink of an eye, the petal withered.
No—it died. As if its very existence had been fast-forwarded to its final breath. Every petal followed suit, collapsing into dust in a heartbeat. It was as though she had witnessed life itself unravel.
And then—
Too much information flooded her mind. The flood of incomprehensible knowledge overwhelmed her.
She collapsed, unconscious.
...
When Shiki awoke again, a doctor was there, speaking to her gently.
But something felt wrong.
The words sounded human, yet alien—like an echo from another world. Even the nurses felt like strangers in distant masks.
And worse—the world around her was unraveling.
Bodies no longer looked human, reduced to twitching piles of flesh. The ground was splitting apart. The sky outside had turned blood-red. It was as if death itself had taken root in every crevice of the earth.
Faced with this world twisted by madness, Shiki remained silent for a long while.
Then, without warning, she raised both hands—and in a moment too quick for the doctors and nurses to react, she jammed her thumbs into her own eyes.
CRACK
The world returned to black.
...
Gasps echoed across the tavern.
This was the first time The Garden of Sinners had explored the true price of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
The audience now fully understood that for all their fearsome power, the Mystic Eyes were a double-edged sword. To perceive death was to be haunted by it. The overwhelming pressure of seeing the world's inevitable end in everything—it was enough to drive someone mad.
"So it does have a drawback… That kind of power isn't something a normal person could ever hope to control."
"She tried to gouge her own eyes out. That's… brutal."
"Wouldn't that, like, destroy her eyes completely?"
"Eyes are tougher than you'd think. And she just woke up from a coma, right? Her body's probably too weak to really do any damage."
"Still… I can't imagine seeing the death of everything all the time. People turning into slabs of meat… That's got to mess you up."
The murmurs continued. Everyone watching was shaken.
Even Emperor Hubbard couldn't hide his astonishment. But, having missed the first three parts of the series, he was clearly a little behind and turned to Wilhelm with a puzzled look.
"This girl… her eyes… did something happen to them? It's like she's seeing things no one else can."
"Yes," Wilhelm nodded. "Ryougi Shiki—the protagonist—has awakened what's known as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. They let her see the 'lines of death' in all things. And if she traces them with a blade or weapon…"
"She can kill anything?"
"Anything," Wilhelm confirmed solemnly. "Living or not."
"Yes," Wilhelm continued. "Be it a human, a spirit, or even an inanimate object—as long as the death lines are visible and their 'death' can be conceptualized, they can be killed. It's an incredibly clean and efficient power."
"I see… That's quite an outrageous ability," murmured Emperor Hubbard, nodding in thought.
Now that his confusion was cleared up, his curiosity only grew. What else would unfold in this strange and deadly tale?
Meanwhile, the Beastkin Oracle remained utterly silent, eyes fixed on the screen. Although The Garden of Sinners had yet to display anything that deeply shook him, he refused to lower his guard.
He was convinced—beneath these seemingly "entertainment" films lay secrets of the Human Empire. As a Oracle of his people, he would not let a single clue slip past his watchful eyes.
. . . . . .
Back at the Imperial Mage Academy, the students had similar reactions to those in the tavern. Shock. Awe. But more than that—the mages could empathize with Shiki's pain in a way that few others could.
"I've felt that before too… When I first awakened my magical talent, it was like the world flipped colors. What used to look normal suddenly turned red and violet. For days, I didn't even dare open my eyes."
"Same here. If the elderly mage from our village hadn't rushed over to help me stabilize, I might've ended up wishing I was dead."
"Power always comes at a price. People look at us mages like we're noble or mighty, but every breakthrough brings a massive shift in perception. If you can't adapt, you'll either break mentally, fall into despair—or worse, spiral into the dark arts."
"Which is exactly why the existence of the Mage Tower is so crucial. If not for the systems built by the Empire's Mage Academy and the Tower, we wouldn't have this safety net—this sense of solidarity. Back in the Age of Magical Enlightenment, the chance of surviving your magical enlightenment was less than 50%."
"Right? Nowadays, the fatality rate during awakening in the Empire is less than 1%! Every time someone shows signs of magical talent, a seasoned mage from a local academy branch is dispatched immediately to give them both psychological and physical support. Unless you're born in some remote wilderness, the Mage Academy is there from day one."
"Truly, this is the golden age for us mages!"
The room buzzed with chatter and shared memories.
And that was only natural—a powerful system brings far-reaching change.
The Mage Tower, and the Imperial Mage Academy built upon it, formed one of the most advanced institutional structures not only in the Empire, but in the entire world. Mages could feel its impact in every aspect of their lives.
Of course, they still joked from time to time about the more annoying or rigid rules. But when it came to the big picture, every Imperial mage held deep respect and gratitude for the Tower, and for the pioneers who had carved this future with brilliance—and blood.
Still, reminiscing could wait.
What mattered now was what came next in The Garden of Sinners.
Everyone leaned forward again, eager to learn about how Shiki would survive this nightmare of a world she now saw.
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/134996315?collection=162522
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/134996315?collection=162522
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed