Magician in Type-Moon

Page 673

"...Could it be..."

Atram's voice was dry, almost as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

As part of the knowledge base, Atram had also heard of her existence.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and the gasp he uttered trembled slightly:

"Shion...!?"

Chapter 699 Mind's Eye and High-Speed ​​Thinking (4k)

"I should apologize, since I'm now considered... one of the Church's people."

Shion trudged across the rain-soaked, muddy ground, her steps as light as if she were strolling in a garden. Ignoring the wary Shirou and his companions, she headed straight for a specific spot—

It was right next to Atram.

That place that once represented the pinnacle of Atlas Academy—

She stopped in that spot, slowly turned around, and faced the boys—Shirou, Seigen, and Kallen—with an enigmatic smile that was a mixture of apology and fearlessness.

"Because I accepted a small 'commission,' I have decided to temporarily become your enemy."

The moment the words left her lips, Ziyuan's ankle moved almost imperceptibly by an inch.

The first to notice something amiss was Kallen, whose senses were sharp. She clearly "saw" something invisible and intangible, yet containing immense magical power, silently burrowing into the soil below Shion's heel.

"Shirou!"

Karen's warning was short and sharp.

No more words needed.

The moment the warning sounded, Shirou Kotomine's arm, which was behind his back, swung rapidly, and a cold glint flashed between his fingers.

The three black keys were drawn from their sheaths with a snap, their blades not aimed at Shion, but rather plunged fiercely into the ground beneath their feet—

"Qiang!"

Amidst the sharp crack of metal tearing through the soil, several severed silver threads burst forth from the cracks, still writhing violently like living snakes.

But before Shirou could even catch his breath, the mutation occurred again.

The severed silver threads twisted eerily in the air, as if they had already foreseen their fate.

They did not fall helplessly, but rather began to compress themselves with astonishing precision, condensing into a taut spiral spring shape within a thousandth of a second.

Even more shockingly, at the center of that compressed "spring," poised to launch as a projectile, was another section of ether fiber that had just been severed by the black key and had lost its connection with Violet!

Severed limbs transformed into sharp arrows—

This process is so fast that it exceeds the limits of biological vision.

From the moment the thread is severed to the completion of deformation, loading, aiming, and firing, the entire deadly counterattack process is completed in a mere 0.1 seconds.

"It's practically... like having futuristic vision!"

The same shock swept through the hearts of everyone who could barely keep up with this ultra-fast offense and defense.

That wasn't a prediction; it was a foresight of a future that had been severed, and the outcome itself was incorporated into the attack.

"call out--!"

The sharp, piercing sound arrived late because the "bullet" itself had already broken the sound barrier.

The extremely simple catapult structure, under precise energy control, unleashed a terrifying initial velocity.

The ether fragment, accelerated to supersonic speed, trailed a vacuum-like trajectory through the rain, its deadly glint in the air.

No time to react!

It will definitely be hit!

This realization struck like a cold hammer, relentlessly deep into everyone's consciousness.

The omen of death had already gripped Shirou's heart.

There's no need to unravel the mystery of the Golden Princess, nor to marvel at the perfection of the Silver Princess—magicians are accustomed to using "beauty" to measure the completeness of spells, and to examining the weaving of each incantation with an artistic eye.

But what came at this moment was a highly efficient killing spree stripped of all embellishment, with the sole purpose of ending the enemy.

"Zheng—!!"

What rang out was not the dull thud of a blade piercing flesh, but a more piercing shriek, the sound of metal violently rubbing against ultra-high-density magic.

It was blocked?!

This is absolutely impossible!

The invading magicians and Atram all gasped in unison, their expressions as if they had witnessed the laws of physics collapsing before their eyes.

Even the usually composed Karen couldn't help but take a half-step forward, and Qingxuan held his breath—they knew better than anyone that the attack had exceeded the limits of human reaction.

This is an elaborately designed, deadly trap.

The moment Shirou swung the black key to sever the ether fiber, he had already triggered this mechanism.

Just like anticipating all of the opponent's possibilities ten moves in advance when playing chess, Shion had already incorporated the outcome of being "cut off" into the attack chain from the very beginning of her attack.

This is not a simple counterattack, but a sophisticated design that transforms the opponent's defensive actions into a deadly trap.

"Clang—!!"

The piercing sound of the impact still reverberated in the air.

That wasn't the sound of a blade piercing flesh, but rather a more chilling metallic wail. The blocked ether fragment burst forth with a blinding blue light at the last moment, illuminating the faces of everyone around in a deathly pale light.

Ziyuan tilted her head slightly, her silver hair tracing elegant arcs in the rain.

For the first time, genuine curiosity appeared in her eyes, the focused gaze of a researcher encountering an inexplicable phenomenon.

“Interesting.” Her voice remained calm, yet carried an unprecedented air of inquiry.

"Agent of the Holy Church, can you tell me how you foresaw this? I didn't sense any magical fluctuations characteristic of futurism in you, nor did I find any trace of the Church's technological creations..."

She gently raised her right hand, her fingertips gracefully tracing a semicircle in the air.

"Could it be based on pure intuition? Or... have you reached such a level in some field unknown to us?"

Raindrops dripped from her fingertips, each drop transforming into tiny silver threads upon contact with the ground, seemingly alive as they moved across the earth.

The entire space seemed to have become her chessboard, and everyone else was just a piece on the chessboard for her to manipulate.

You can think of it as 'shrewdness'.

Shirou casually shrugged, twirling the black key in his hand, seemingly unconcerned about revealing this trump card to his opponent.

"To explain it in a more accessible way—like the ability called 'spider-sense' in Spider-Man movies. But rather than that almost instinctive warning, 'mind's eye' is more like combat wisdom gained through countless trials and tribulations."

"Shrewdness?"

Ziyuan softly repeated the seemingly simple yet profound word, her silver eyelashes drooping slightly.

Deep within her memories of her brief connection with the Great Library of Alexandria, countless ancient battle records and cultivation texts flashed by like streaks of light.

As an alchemist at the Atlas Institute, she was used to predicting battles through precise calculations and data analysis, but the concept of "mind's eye" felt both strange and familiar to her.

This is indeed a special insight that can only be cultivated through extreme spiritual practice and the trials of life and death.

Unlike magicians who rely on spells or magical eyes, this is a combat wisdom that allows one to remain absolutely calm even in dire straits, accurately grasp one's own situation and the enemy's abilities, and find a way out in a seemingly foolproof killing situation.

It doesn't predict the future, but rather relies on a keen perception of every detail of the battlefield—

The enemy's breathing rhythm, the subtle tremors of muscles, the delicate fluctuations of magic—make the most accurate judgment in a fraction of a second.

“Interesting.” A hint of understanding flashed in Ziyuan’s eyes, followed by the focused expression characteristic of a researcher.

"It's not about relying on external forces or innate abilities, but rather honing one's own perception and intuition to the extreme, sensing danger through countless subtle signs before an attack even begins. This is indeed more effective than simple data prediction..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the admiration and wariness in her eyes deepened simultaneously.

As an alchemist accustomed to controlling the course of battle through calculation, she clearly recognized that this ability to rely on intuition and experience could be more difficult to deal with in certain situations than precise calculation.

As long as the probability of survival has not reached zero, even if there is only a one percent chance, a person with "insight" can turn it into a real opportunity for combat.

This is not a fluke, but a combat art that turns the impossible into the possible, acquired after countless brushes with death.

At the same time, in the encrypted communication channel of the Demon Hunter team, Qingxuan's suppressed growl exploded in everyone's consciousness:

"This is outrageous! What on earth is that woman? That series of predictions she made just now is simply beyond human capability!"

"keep Calm."

Karen's cool voice rang out in the mental link, like a bucket of cold water poured on restless emotions. She maintained her objective and analytical stance throughout:

"According to the church's confidential archives, she is a once-in-a-century genius alchemist from the Atlas Institute. Her ability to predict our every move with such precision suggests she simultaneously utilizes the abilities of 'high-speed thinking' and 'segmented thinking.'"

She paused briefly, allowing the information to settle in everyone's minds, before continuing to explain in her characteristically calm tone:

"High-speed thinking, as the name suggests, is the ability to significantly accelerate the thought process. Even more challenging is 'fragmented thinking'—"

She can divide her complete consciousness into multiple parallel thought circuits. Although each thought thread operates independently, they always share the same ultimate goal and form perfect tactical coordination through real-time intelligence exchange.

Shirou Kotomine's pupils contracted slightly.

As Karen explained, he had already intuitively grasped what this meant through their recent exchange—

This is equivalent to fighting against several tactical masters who share a vision and work seamlessly together.

Every possible solution will be dissected and analyzed in an instant, and any slight flaw will be magnified infinitely.

"I see..."

Shirou muttered to himself, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He finally understood why that fatal counterattack had been so precise—

That's not prediction, but the optimal solution derived through the simultaneous deduction of countless thought processes.

In a flash, Shirou had reached a cold conclusion. His voice rang out over the communication channel, carrying an undeniable resolve:

"Confirmed: The disparity in combat strength between us and the enemy is too great. The enemy's abilities completely counter our fighting style. Disengage immediately!"

At the very moment Shirou gave the order, Shion in the distance tilted her head slightly, her silver hair tracing an elegant arc in the rain.

A faint smile played at the corners of her lips, as if she could glimpse their secret conversation through layers of rain.

"Alright, what do you plan to do next?" Ziyuan's voice carried a hint of amusement as she stood gracefully in place, as if the tense confrontation before her was nothing more than an impromptu performance.