"A mere mongrel who happened upon True Magic through pure luck... it seems you've forgotten your place," the woman sneered.
Dozens of gusts, sharpened like invisible blades, coalesced into a storm intended to shred my existence.
I spread both hands, repelling the gale with a focused burst of repulsive force. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance, her riding crop whistling toward my neck like a terminal sentence.
"Not a chance."
"Ugh...!"
Blasted back by my Shinra Tensei, she regained her footing mid-air and lashed out again, sending another wave of wind. This time, I invoked Seal Absorption. The once-lethal pressure was drained of its Mystery, reduced to nothing more than a faint breeze stirred by a human hand.
In that sudden lull, she kicked off the ground and vanished from my sight.
A momentary distortion behind me suggested she had attempted to take my back, but my perception was not limited to mere sight.
"You're taking me too lightly. Do you really think I haven't prepared countermeasures for every direction?"
Just as she began to reposition for another strike, the earth beneath her feet erupted. A giant mole emerged, swinging claws the size of stone pillars in a lethal arc.
She evaded the strike with superhuman reflexes, shattering the creature's claws with her Mithril-reinforced gloves. Immediately, the air filled with the baying of wild hounds—summoned beasts that split into dozens of duplicates, encircling her. From another angle, a gargantuan Kraken, reminiscent of the nightmares summoned by Gilles de Rais, extended its massive tentacles to crush her into paste.
"Phantasmal Beasts of the Age of Gods... is this the foundation of your confidence?!"
"What? You think this mere nuisance is my trump card?"
"...!"
"Don't misunderstand, Lorelei. These are nothing more than my humble 'Magecraft.' I haven't even begun to show you the weight of True Magic."
An invisible gravity slammed into her once more. Seizing the moment while she was occupied by the multiplying hounds, I snatched the riding crop from her hand. Hundreds of dogs lunged simultaneously, while a serpent and a bird—so massive they threatened to fill the entire subterranean cavern of the Clock Tower—unleashed torrents of lightning.
"Did you... honestly think... you could catch me with such parlor tricks!"
"Oh, as expected of the House of Barthomeloi. Quite the formidable skill."
Her reputation as a specialist in hunting the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors was no exaggeration. She navigated the onslaught of beasts with practiced grace, breaking through their formation.
Unlike the Department of Archaeology's head or the Chimera specialists who had fallen helplessly before, she was systematically dismantling my summons, even while fighting alone.
Watching from the sidelines, Shiki Ryougi (female) spoke in a low voice, barely audible to anyone else.
"...Are you just going to let her continue? That one looks tough even for me. Shouldn't we take the opportunity to flank her?"
"As a user of the Mystic Eyes, you should know, Shiki—the Animal Path is not my true power. It's merely a side dish. There's a saying that revenge is a dish best served cold."
"Isn't that specifically for revenge?"
"It's about the application. Oh, there goes the third one!"
The gargantuan serpent, which could have wrapped its coils around a skyscraper, finally let out a death rattle and was forcibly unsummoned. The infinitely splitting hounds had taken enough cumulative damage to halt their replication and finally faded into ether.
The Kraken, which had been spewing ink and lashing tentacles from the sewers, was now little more than shredded calamari. The remaining buffalo and panda were also on the verge of falling to her relentless assault.
Furthermore, several 'distinguished individuals' had appeared from the shadows, assisting in the clearing of the Phantasmal Beasts. Judging by their coordinated prowess and unwavering loyalty to the Barthomeloi head, these were likely the members of the Khthonion Corps.
"Know anything about the Khthonion Corps?" I asked.
"Not much. Oh, wait, I recall something. They're capable of going head-to-head with the Twenty-Seven Ancestors. There's a story that they once fought a total war just to raid a storehouse of the Rail Zeppelin," Aoko Aozaki (female) replied.
"Hmm. Then they should have no trouble dealing with a few magical beasts."
At that moment, a small concentration of magical energy moved right before my eyes, detonating with explosive force.
"...Did that fail too...?" a voice whispered from the smoke.
"That actually surprised me. Realizing that any direct attack would be intercepted, you chose to detonate the air immediately in front of me instead... You really are a woman who lives by 'Simple is Best,' aren't you?"
I transformed my fingertips into conduits for the Asura Path, firing off a volley of missiles. She countered with a localized tornado to intercept them. Meanwhile, the Khthonion Corps surrounding us began to harmonize their Magic Circuits, preparing to manifest a Grand Magecraft.
I reached out to utilize the Preta Path's Seal Absorption, but the atmospheric turbulence surrounding us prevented direct contact with the energy source. Shiki swung her blade to cut through the cyclone, but the gale, momentarily severed, instantly reformed its cage.
"Fifth Magician, what kind of Magecraft is this?"
"It's just ordinary wind magecraft," Aoko replied. "However, the wind itself is natural—a localized manipulation of air currents. There's no magical energy dwelling within the gusts themselves."
Indeed, even through the Rinnegan, I saw no prana within the wind. The caster was manipulating the building's indoor atmosphere to create 'natural' winds capable of flaying skin—a grand mystery cast from a safe zone outside my immediate reach.
"They've used their heads. I can't 'kill' this wind since it's continuously generated as long as the caster has prana," Shiki noted.
"Should I just smash it? I think I could blow it away if I put a bit of back into it~!" Aoko interjected nonchalantly, swatting away a stray magical beam with her palm.
I shook my head. "No. I started this, so I should be the one to finish it."
These naturally arrogant elitists would never respect us, even if we forced them to their knees through conventional means.
If the world of Magi could be settled by simple power scales, these people wouldn't be such moral wrecks.
Since this incident had exposed my family, I couldn't protect them every hour of every day. If I sent them to Chaldea, there was no telling what Lev Lainur (male) might do, and they would still be exposed to the scrutiny of the Association. My task was simple.
First: Show them overwhelming, absolute military might.
Second: Offer a 'carrot' that benefits them enough to keep them in line.
Strength alone invites betrayal; kindness alone invites exploitation. I had to do this properly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"...! He's summoning more beasts! Prepare yourselves!"
However, what answered my call were not beasts, but six puppets, each possessing hair similar to mine and the same Rinnegan eyes.
"...Karma?"
"Fifth... no, forget the titles. Aoko-nee, just hold them off for thirty seconds."
"Don't try anything foolish!" Lorelei screamed.
"...Okay! Thirty seconds, right?"
The moment I spoke, Aoko Aozaki began to radiate a terrifying level of magical energy.
If Touko Aozaki's Magic Circuits were comparable to a Scud missile, Aoko's prana output was like a series of Bunker Busters detonating one after another.
Though she was often critiqued as being incapable of any magecraft other than 'destruction,' her innate talent for that singular purpose was peerless.
The Khthonion Corps, said to rival the Dead Apostle Ancestors, were forced into a desperate defense against her bombardment. Any Magi who attempted a suicidal charge found their lives cut short—literally—by a single, surgical stroke from Shiki's blade.
"Calling me out in such a violent manner again. Is this the Clock Tower?" one of the puppets spoke.
"...Don't talk to me, I'm concentrating!"
"Hm...? Your prana levels..."
I brought my hands together, centralizing the focus of the six puppets. I began a slow, rhythmic incantation.
This was a Grand Magecraft that required far more magical energy than the previous Chibaku Tensei. Even with the massive reserve I had received from Aoko, controlling it was an entirely different ordeal.
The prana filling my circuits began to drain like a receding tide. Even the energy being absorbed by the Preta Path was vanishing into the spell almost as soon as it was replenished.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, even Lorelei Barthomeloi halted her attack and stepped back. At that moment, Lord El-Melloi (male) shouted from a corner.
"Karma Kirigaya! Surely you aren't using *that* technique again?!"
That technique... ah. Kayneth had indeed witnessed Chibaku Tensei once before.
But unfortunately for him... this wasn't Chibaku Tensei.
"[The Six Realms: Hell, Asura, Preta, Animal, Human, and Deva. Cycle through each and find completion.]"
The amplified magical energy shot toward the ceiling. Though the dawn had not yet broken over London, the sheer density of the Mystery caused the very space above to warp and distort.
"[What I summon now is a point of restoration. Let the True Ancestor's Millennium Castle be brought to the earth once more, that the fledgling may set the Great Emperor's cornerstone!]"
Soon, within the massive rift torn into the sky, something resembling a star—small as a fist at first—appeared. It began to descend, growing larger by the second.
"Third Magician! Do you intend to slaughter everyone in London?!"
"Don't worry, Lord El-Melloi! I'll make sure you survive by my own discretion!"
"That is hardly the point!"
"The Clock Tower was the one to provoke me first! I'm sorry, but I'm not the type to reverse a decision once it's made... If you want to persuade a Magician, bring another Magician to the table!"
It was colossal.
An entity far beyond human reach, making the magecraft of even the Great Houses look like fireflies beside a full moon. The massive object approached with agonizing slowness.
"Ninpo: Tengai Shinsei!"
No one even thought of running.
Before such overwhelming force and absolute violence, all were made equal. Even Lorelei stood slack-jawed, staring at the heavens. Other Magi simply accepted their fate or ran frantically, seeking refuge in their respective workshops.
Kayneth El-Melloi squeezed his eyes shut and lashed out with his Volumen Hydrargyrum toward me. When Aoko casually patted the mercury aside, shattering it instantly, he seemed to lose the last of his will and kept his eyes closed. *Wait, I'm not actually going to kill you, so open your eyes. If a meteor actually hits London, I'm screwed too...*
The wails and screams that had filled the air were replaced by a tomb-like silence as the observers were paralyzed by the spectacle. The distorted sky began to vibrate with the atmospheric friction of the descending meteor.
That which had once wiped out ancient Mysteries and heralded the Age of Man was now descending upon us. Even with my Shinra Tensei, I wouldn't be unscathed if I took a direct hit. Unless I was a Reanimation like Uchiha Madara, only monsters like the Twenty-Seven Ancestors could survive a head-on collision with Tengai Shinsei.
As the meteor drew closer, the anxiety I held in my heart began to accelerate. Noticing my internal state, the expressions of Aoko and 'Void' Shiki (female) began to shift slightly.
*Seriously, are you really not coming? This is a timeline you've observed as 'Proper History.' If you aren't here, it's game over. If I call this loudly, you should hurry up and—*
Just as I was struggling to maintain my composure,
"Ho ho, well now. This is quite the mess."
The familiar voice of an old man echoed through the cavern.
"If it comes to this, it looks like I'll be breaking my promise, Brishisan. I am essentially a graduate who has already finished his time on Earth."
"Shut up and use your Magic, Zelretch. Your withered old strength won't be enough to stop that thing on its own," another voice grumbled.
"Ho ho! It certainly bears a resemblance to the power that Crimson Moon used in the past. In that case, shall I show off for the first time in a while?"
In that instant, jewels of radiant brilliance began to float into the sky.
A staggering amount of magical energy began to converge in Zelretch's arms. The massive gemstones dancing in the air formed constellations, spinning until they coalesced into the shimmering shape of a blade.
*Zweihänder (Connect)*
*Werkzeug (Strike)*
*Es lässt frei (Release)*
*Weltende (World's End)*
A solid pillar. That was the image of the Jeweled Sword I beheld.
Unlike the version Rin Tohsaka would one day manifest, this was on an entirely different dimension—resembling a massive battering ram in the shape of a sword.
"The image of parallel worlds... I see. Jewel Magecraft was merely a catalyst to gather energy from parallel dimensions," I murmured.
"Indeed. A spectacular sight," 'Void' Shiki added.
I switched to being a spectator, watching the transcendent magecraft performed by Zelretch and his companion. Seeing the crowd of onlookers, Zelretch seemed to find his rhythm, passionately chanting as he concentrated his prana.
"Firing! Assist me!"
"...Understood!"
At that moment, with a deafening roar that threatened to burst eardrums, a cannonade of attribute-less magical energy erupted from the tip of the Jeweled Sword. The gargantuan meteor, now large enough to be seen from anywhere in London, seemed to halt before being pushed back inch by inch.
"Dammit, I'm supposed to be retired! If you drop another piece of crap like this on London, I'll turn you into a permanent graduate student, Third Magician!"
"Wow! The Second Magician completely owned the stage! Go for it, Second! You can do it!" I cheered.
"That damn brat!!!"
"...Stop talking... and focus on the spell...!" the other man strained.
Unable to watch any longer, Aoko sighed and fired several mana bursts toward the meteor. Finally, the beam of light emanating from the Jeweled Sword pierced through the massive celestial body, shattering it into fragments.
The thousands of pieces raining down were all intercepted by Aoko and the man who appeared with Zelretch. Zelretch, sitting to one side and breathing heavily, glared at me.
"...You're just like Merlin."
"Look who's talking, you Lolicon Geezer."