Following my sudden outburst, I slammed the phone down. The others simply stared at me, dumbfounded by the abrupt turn of events.
Godword Mayday began to snicker as I set the receiver back in its cradle, his amusement quickly spiraling into boisterous laughter.
"Haha! I didn't expect you to drop a declaration of war like that. Do you actually have a plan?"
"Not particularly. If I had to name one, the plan is to invade the Clock Tower immediately."
"What...?"
The Mage's Association is, fundamentally, a self-defense organization formed by magi to protect themselves from the threat of the Holy Church. Among its branches, the Clock Tower is the most secular and powerful. Though split into countless internal factions, their essence remains that of a self-preservation group... and a collective dedicated to preventing the leakage of Mystery into the public eye.
For instance, suppose a magus somewhere in Central or South America used their abilities to distribute narcotics imbued with magecraft.
As soon as the Clock Tower obtained that information, they would deploy Enforcers. They wouldn't just eliminate the magus who created the drugs; they would wipe out the civilians who consumed them, the associated cartels, and the local warlords, thoroughly erasing every trace of the Mystery involved.
Or suppose someone evaded the Clock Tower's surveillance to employ dangerous Phantasmal Species for biological experiments on civilians.
In that case, the Clock Tower would likewise send agents to ensure their identity remained hidden, slaughtering even the test subjects without exception.
So... what is the common thread in these examples, in the routine 'hunting of heretical magi' performed by Enforcers of the Sealing Designation?
"They're all the 'bad guys' doing bad things," Soujuurou observed.
"Exactly right, Soujuurou-bro. Now, what is the most noteworthy aspect of these 'bad things'?"
"The fact that they were hunted down?"
"It's probably not the Sealing Designation itself," Aoko-nee mused, followed by guesses from Kurogiri-sensei.
Finally, Touko-san hit the nail on the head.
"They were all things done while trying to hide from the Clock Tower's eyes."
"Bingo! If you conduct magical experiments of that scale within Europe, you can't escape the eyes of the Clock Tower, to which ninety percent of Western magi belong."
"...So, what are you trying to say?"
What I was trying to say was...
"If chimeras suddenly emerge from the earth and meteors fall from the sky, they won't find it so easy to respond, will they?"
It was sheer lunacy.
"Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you'll expose Mystery to the world? Absolutely not. That would cause a global upheaval... and what about the Holy Church?! They'd mark you for execution immediately! Even the Atlas Institute would intervene!"
"Of course not... Do you think I'm crazy enough to reveal Mystery to the public? This will end as nothing more than a 'mishap.' A small incident—a minor skirmish between the Aristocratic Faction and a certain magus from the Far East."
Mystery is, ultimately, like a pie of limited size.
If more people know about it, monopolizing the level of Mystery becomes impossible. If the masses learn of it, magecraft eventually loses its power. Thus, magi strain every nerve to guard the secrets of their craft.
However, those gathered here were exceptions.
Kiritsugu Emiya? The man is fundamentally a hitman or a mercenary.
The Einzberns? They don't care if Mystery is revealed. Their essence is that of homunculi, and they are researching the Third Magic—a miracle that remains impossible even if people know of it.
Aoko-nee? She's the same as the Einzberns. Who would believe in Maxwell's Demon, an entity that directly challenges modern thermodynamics?
As for Touko Aozaki and Alice Kuonji, using them as examples is almost meaningless. One possesses a bizarre psyche that would make even other magi recoil, and the other is a witch with Mystic Codes of relic-class quality that cannot be replicated by modern technology.
Furthermore, Godword Mayday, Shiki Ryougi, and Fujino Asagami are beings closer to possessing 'superpowers' rather than magecraft; they live their lives largely unconcerned with the leakage of Mystery.
"But the Clock Tower is different."
They are orthodox magi.
They preserve the traditions of magecraft, utilize fundamental magical theories, and are powerful because of it.
Cornelius Alba was crushed by my Preta Path—the Seal Absorption—because he relied on elemental magecraft specialized in fire. However, if a magus of Kayneth El-Melloi's caliber or higher were to hole up in his Workshop and force a defensive battle, I would have to stop playing around with a few puppets and mobilize the Deva or Asura Paths. Against someone like a Barthomeloi, I'd have to bring out all Six Paths of Pain for a true deathmatch.
Orthodoxy is never to be underestimated.
Their history is their power, and the level of Mystery they have guarded reflects the sheer force and authority they wield.
But that is exactly why they are weak.
History serves as a mirror reflecting their flaws, and the secrets and Mysteries they have guarded... paradoxically contain the potential to be excavated and dismantled.
"I don't particularly care if Mystery is exposed. But the Clock Tower certainly does, don't they?"
They are Aristocrats who champion conservatism.
I was truly curious to see if they could remain composed when monsters and spirits began appearing in the middle of London.
* * * * *
The team was split in two.
To deal with the Executors likely to descend upon Misaki City, Alice began transforming the entire town into her Workshop. Under Touko Aozaki's direction, Lugh Beowulf took up a position at the church in the center of the city.
Godword Mayday and Fujino Asagami stayed to assist Alice, and I summoned Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kariya Matou, who were nominally in the same boat as us.
"Please look after my parents, Alice-san."
"I will. I'm thinking of taking a vacation with Soujuurou once this is over. I might need your parents' help then."
Three of us set out for London.
Aoko-nee and I—along with Shiki Ryougi, whom I had desperately convinced to accompany us.
"Honestly... why do I have to come along for this? Cutting through things like 'magecraft' feels disgusting."
"Haha..."
In truth, I was aiming for 'Void' Shiki, but I hadn't mentioned that aspect to her yet.
Aoko-nee knew to some extent... but her abilities were simply too much of a cheat. If one possesses the power to manipulate the very phylogenetic tree of living beings, even a Barthomeloi who hunts Dead Apostles is nothing before her.
"Three people connected to the Root arriving in London at once... if I weren't a Magician myself, I'd call this pure madness."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
We didn't do anything as foolish as taking a plane to London.
Instead, we set out on a giant bird of prey created through some incantation—I wasn't sure what specific magecraft was used—and arrived at the Port of London in less than half a day.
It was dawn; aside from a few homeless people, there was no sign of human life. Yet, 'something' was definitely watching us.
"It seems the Clock Tower has noticed our arrival."
"In that case, we should send them a welcoming gift."
There is a Dead Apostle who commands beasts.
Specifically, Nrvnqsr Chaos, who forcefully stuffed 666 beast souls into his body to replicate the Primordial Sea of the Beast Class II, Tiamat, manifesting them as random species—literally embodying 'Chaos.'
So... what if, instead of such an inefficient familiar system, one could summon 'infinite' Phantasmal Species?
"Fifth Magic, open. Listen, O Lord of All Creation. I declare it, in the name of 'Blue' which represents Order. All providence is distorted, and I shall rectify that distortion."
It was as if dozens of Aoko Aozakis began to overlap into one, and the resulting singular Aoko Aozaki 'multiple' reached her hand toward me.
"SET."
"I'm ready."
Immediately, a Magic Bullet of immense mass and Prana flew toward me. Instead of dodging, I reached out and caught it.
"Preta Path—Seal Absorption."
An enormous surge of Prana ignited my Magic Circuits, heating them to the limit. Just as my circuits were about to go into overload from the sheer volume, I began to vent the energy absorbed by my left hand out through my right.
"Animal Path: Summoning Jutsu!"
Shiki Ryougi stared in horror at the 'things' I had summoned. They were true Phantasmal Species, far beyond anything she had faced before, erupting from the palm of my hand.
Starting with a Cerberus dozens of meters long with heads the size of houses, followed by a Thunderbird the size of a commercial airliner, a giant squid capable of dragging down ships in the harbor, and even a cobra that looked like it could coil around an entire skyscraper.
The Prana condensed by Aozaki Aoko's Magic was literally summoning the beasts of the Age of Gods into this era.
"This should be enough."
When thinking of Phantasmal Species of the Age of Gods, the beasts of Uruk came to mind first.
Just two or three of them together are a struggle even for a Heroic Spirit. In exceptional cases, they are powerful enough to gore a top-tier Lancer like Diarmuid Ua Duibhne to death.
"Only seven beasts... I'd like to say that, but those don't look like they can be cut down easily."
"Cutting them with a knife would be impossible. Regardless, this is only the beginning, so please wait just a little longer."
"...This is only the beginning?"
Shiki Ryougi seemed stunned, but I ignored her and clasped my hands together.
These Phantasmal Species were likely familiar to the Clock Tower magi anyway.
The Spirit Tomb Albion is the Clock Tower's specialty jurisdiction; the Lords must have seen beasts of this level at least once. Even if they hadn't, they would likely bluff to protect their pride. Or perhaps... they really were capable of slaying them all.
"Aoko-nee, can you give me a little more Prana?"
"It's not hard... but what on earth are you planning to do?"
Despite her question, she obediently handed over the Prana. I carefully diverted it into puppets to prevent my circuits from overloading and began walking toward the Clock Tower with the two women.
The beasts that had emerged on land followed us in their own ways: the chameleon masked itself with its invisibility, the squid—I'm not sure how—sucked itself into the sewer system to hide, and the giant dog split into over a thousand stray curs that began running through every alleyway.
We reached the entrance of the Clock Tower soon after. As I reached for the door, someone grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me back.
"It's a Bounded Field."
"I guess they aren't exactly welcoming visitors."
Unfortunately for them, a Bounded Field of this level was nothing more than a snack for me.
"Preta Path—Seal Absorption."
The Prana maintaining the field was instantly sucked in and absorbed. I then extended my palm, generating a small repulsive force.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"That ability is a total cheat every time I see it," Aoko remarked.
With a thunderous crash, the main gate of the Clock Tower was blasted open. Dozens of spells immediately flew toward us in response.
* * * * *
The power of the Six Paths is energy connected to the Root.
Therefore, the heavy weaponry generated by the Asura Path functioned as bombs imbued with Mystery. The Human Path, which simply extracts souls and reads memories, acted as a sort of imitation of the Third Magic.
But the most devastating abilities for magi were likely the Preta and Animal Paths.
"B-Black dogs! And a Cerberus?! How can someone possess such high-level Mystery?!"
"Don't underestimate them! Reports say those two are already connected to the Root!"
The beasts that poured through the shattered entrance ran rampant, throwing the magi into disarray. I admired the chaos they created, occasionally absorbing any magecraft that was launched my way.
Seeing that they lacked combat personnel, several men armed with halberds and what looked like Mystic Codes charged at us, only to be blown away by a single Shinra Tensei.
"Barthomeloi, Chimera, Eurypheous, Asthea. These four families are our targets. 5th Magician, do you know where they are?"
"Who knows? If we keep smashing things, won't we run into one of them eventually? 3rd Magician!"
Using the pseudonym we'd agreed upon, she generated a Magic Bullet of incredible density in her hand and hurled it at a corner of the wall.
Just before the bullet hit, the smell of something being crisped followed a final scream. Debris showered in all directions as the bellows of beasts and the screams of magi echoed through the halls.
"Damn, should I have left at least one alive to serve as a guide? I accidentally killed them all."
"Don't forget, 5th Magician, the Department of Policies is mine."
"...Um, you're making sure to leave my share too, right?"
Shiki Ryougi spoke with a flat, robotic tone as if reading from a script, clearly uncomfortable with the acting. Aoko Aozaki patted her head as if finding her adorable.
"Of course."
Suddenly, a gurgling sound echoed from somewhere, and a silver stream—reminiscent of a water jet—shot toward me.
However, just like before, the stream could not penetrate the circular barrier surrounding my body. Shiki Ryougi stepped in and sliced the silver mass into pieces.
"Lord El-Melloi. Do you really think you can stand against a Magician?"
"...If you were a proper Magician, perhaps. But we know your Third Magic is incomplete."
Standing beside Lord El-Melloi, who was controlling Volumen Hydrargyrum, were several others in combat stances.
On the far left stood an elderly gentleman with all-white hair in a suit, leaning on a cane adorned with flashy jewels, next to a handsome young man with red hair resembling Sola-Ui. Beside them, an individual of ambiguous gender wearing a mask and holding a long whip crouched slightly.
"The one on the far left is Lord Eurypheous; next to him is likely the heir. The center is Kayneth El-Melloi, and the last one, judging by the whip, is the head of the Department of Chimera."
"How dare you cause such an uproar in the Clock Tower. Do you have a death wish, Miss Blue?"
"You still have that habit of calling people by their colors. Well... you should be grateful my personality is better than my sister's."
In that instant, I realized I had slightly underestimated the power of Magic.
Through a gap I hadn't even perceived—an interval in time itself—a Magic Bullet flew out and completely obliterated one of the legs of the person holding the whip.
They must have had their own defenses, but I realized in an instant why those defenses were futile.
'Just as she overlapped her past and future selves, she overlapped dozens of Magic Bullets to fire them 'simultaneously.' A saturation of event intervention... Using something like the Mumyo Sandan-zuki as a standard attack.'
It was literal ideational saturation. This woman was using a pinnacle of technique—the kind a genius might spend a lifetime mastering—as casually as breathing. She dusted off her hands with a look of disgust and continued.
"But really... I didn't think there were idiots who would treat a Magician like that. Or have you completely lost your mind because you've become a favorite of the Barthomeloia?"
"5th Magician! Do you truly intend to rebel against the Clock Tower?!"
"You started it, Lords. You touched my territory, you targeted my friend, and you even disturbed the peace of the 3rd Magician. If the 3rd Magician had simply accepted the rank bestowed by Lord Brishisan and stayed quiet, we wouldn't have had to come all the way here to pull this shit."
"...There is no reasoning with you...!"
Admittedly, the Lords were impressive.
Despite having one leg pulverized, the head of the Department of Chimera, Gaiuslink, managed to rise and summoned beasts from the shadows. Lord Eurypheous tapped his cane a few times, calling forth skeletons from beneath the ground to advance.
"You dare use Necromancy in front of me? In front of the 3rd Magician who controls souls!"
"What... Lord El-Melloi! This isn't what was agreed upon!"
"I told you clearly, Lord Eurypheous! His abilities are explicitly connected to the Root; it is better not to fight him recklessly!"
"Guh... damn it!"
These skeletons and beasts were the kind of foes I'd have to fight ad nauseam in the Singularities anyway. I ground them all to dust as if doing some advance study, when a strange surge of Prana caught my Rinnegan's attention.
Glancing toward the source, I felt a movement as if they were trying to sever the space between us and them.
"Hmm, a Bounded Field? Well... it's a valid tactic against a 5th Magician who can only destroy things and a 3rd Magician who handles souls."
The Clock Tower effectively monopolizes the Prana of all Britain, and the Spirit Tomb Albion lies beneath it.
It means they never have to worry about running out of energy.
The Bounded Field that was constructed surrounded us like a complete alien world. Aoko-nee and I watched the spectacle with genuine interest.
"Impressive."
"Can't you do that too, Aoko-nee?"
"No~ I can't. This kind of Bounded Field magecraft requires immense magical sense, regardless of your raw specs. It's better to call it a Labyrinth of the Age of Gods."
A Labyrinth of the Age of Gods... perhaps a Bounded Field imitating the Chaos Labyrinth where Asterios was imprisoned.
Even if it were smashed, it was powered by an endless supply of Prana, so escaping even with the Fifth Magic would be difficult. Even if destroyed in a single blow, it would simply regenerate to trap us again. It's not that Aoko-nee *couldn't* destroy it, but it would give them the satisfaction of landing a blow.
"However, nothing in this world is eternal."
To borrow a phrase I'd seen somewhere... yes, there is no such thing as eternity. There might be Bounded Fields that last thousands of years, but no Bounded Field lasts forever.
And the end of such a thing is typically expressed as 'death.' Fortuitously, we had someone beside us with the ability to see that death.
"Death."
"Ah, it's my turn, isn't it?"
She drew the katana from her waist and, as if playing a game, lightly slashed at the air.
And the solid Bounded Field before my eyes collapsed like ice cream melting on a hot summer day.
As I absorbed the residual Prana of the field with Seal Absorption, I could see the magi struggling against the rampaging Kraken.
Lord Eurypheous was so shocked by the breaking of the field that he stood frozen until a tentacle sent him flying. The magi who had rushed in to support were instantly overwhelmed by the swarming black dogs.
"How did you break that Bounded Field...!"
"It's shocking that you felt safe just because you trapped us in a field of that level."
Extending my hand, I used Bansho Ten'in. The next head of the Eurypheous family was pulled toward my hand, and I grabbed him by the neck, slamming him into the ground.
"Gwaakh!!"
"Stay... quiet!"
I produced Prana Receivers from my hands and forcibly pinned him to the ground by his hands and feet. Then, I slowly began to drain the Prana from him.
As the Prana was siphoned away, his body began to wither like a mummy. His red hair lost its color, turning bone-white like Marie Antoinette.
"G-guh... aaaargh... uh, e-eeek..."
"What in the world is that...?"
"Why the shock? You use it too, don't you? Primitive Alchemy... simply put, it's a technique that consumes the inherent Prana within a human. Now, then... who's next?"
Right then, a powerful wind-like pressure brushed past the right side of my head.
Because I had Shinra Tensei active, it didn't hit me directly, but I could estimate the overwhelming amount of Prana contained in that wind through the Rinnegan.
Short ponytail, a riding crop shaped like a blade, a holy mantle and gloves made of faintly glowing mithril.
"The Queen has finally arrived."
"Silence, you wretched intruder."
Lorelei Barthomeloi stood before us.
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