Pendragon's Infinity Gauntlet

Page 196

"Are they gathering intelligence on the 'Apostle Cross'!?"

At this moment, Jing Shen noticed a crowd gathering in front of him.

"That's right. But... things aren't going very well because there's too little information. All we've found so far is that the management of the 'Apostles' Cross' requires a special vault. The windows are blocked, there are two doors, and light is completely blocked from entering... that's about all we know."

Tyr exhaled smoke from his cigarette.

Is that all?

The Cleansing Spirit ran towards the crowd. Tyr answered from the side:

"Don't get angry at me. Later... you idiot."

Tyr suddenly started coughing. It wasn't a cough caused by running, but rather by his usual smoking.

"Explaining it is too troublesome. Just tell me your email address, and I'll send you the email containing Osora's report directly. Take a look at it when you have time."

Tyr and Orsola actually use email… I secretly admired them when the Cleansing God told Tyr his email address. Come to think of it, it's rather strange that they wouldn't use Index: Forbidden Books at all, isn't it?

As Jing Shen ran, he glanced at the article the other party had sent him.

“ViriportoqualeinformazionichehatrovatonellaBibliotecaBritannica…”

"Who...who can understand this?!"

Fangcun curiously leaned his head closer.

What language is this?

Seeing the words arranged on the screen, it seemed to be in a language other than English, but I couldn't understand them. I'll ask Tsuchimikado for help later. Jōjin turned off the screen. Tyr, running nearby, said irritably:

"Tsk, don't worry about the grammar in the textbook, just grasp the general spoken tone... If you don't understand it, don't bother reading it. It's not that important anyway."

"...It's alright, it just means the current situation is quite difficult. Damn it."

“That’s right, that’s why we need to capture Oriana Townsend; that’s how we find a way out. That’s it—wait, right?”

Tyr ran while frowning, looking at the crowd ahead.

A group of people, centered around the students, blocked Jing Shen and her companions' path. Their gazes were not directed at Jing Shen and her group, but rather focused on the entrance to the dark alleyway leading away from the main road.

“That seems to be the alley we’re looking for… I have a bad feeling.”

"What?"

Faced with the astonished God of Purity, Tyr flicked the cigarette from his lips.

"It's a smell, a bad smell. When a group gets excited, emotions spread like a scent. And this is the smell of seeing fresh red blood."

Hearing such terrifying words made Jing Shen's hair stand on end.

In this back-and-forth movement, Jing Shen and her companions reached the end of the crowd. There they noticed that the people there seemed to be paying attention to something, their backs straightened, and some were even gently hopping.

(What……?)

Jing Shen frowned; she didn't have time to confirm. She half-forcefully pushed through the wall of people, trying to get into the dark alley.

At that moment, an unexpected sound suddenly came from the opposite side of the human wall.

"Please...please make way! Everyone, please make way! Himekami? Are you alright, Himekami?!"

"Get out of the way!!"

Suddenly, Jing Shen rushed into the crowd and stood at the front. The crowd swayed violently and parted to the left and right. Although she received reproachful glances from those around her, Jing Shen ignored them and jumped to the very front.

Jing Shen did not slow down and ran into the dark alley.

What I see before my eyes

is blood.

It was a narrow, dark alley.

Because of the combination of tall buildings and narrow streets, even in broad daylight, sunlight couldn't penetrate at all. The damp roads looked dark and gloomy, and there was a stagnant smell in the air.

Such a dark alley,

It was stained with another layer of dark red.

"Purify...purify your spirit!!"

That familiar voice—it was Teacher Xiaomeng.

But those tiny hands, those soft cheeks, that cheerleader uniform, were all stained with red and black blood. Tears mixed with blood streamed from her big eyes down her chin.

But that wasn't his blood.

A boy lay sprawled at Teacher Xiaomeng's feet. His black hair was soaked in the blood-stained ground; it was Himegami Akiha. Compared to the bright red blood, his face, hands, and feet were all a pale green.

The upper part of the sports uniform was tattered.

It was wrapped in bandages. From near the collarbone to above the navel... almost the entire area was covered. To a layman, it seemed well-wrapped, but the seeping fluid still stained the bandages bright red. The boy's originally smooth body lines somehow appeared somewhat uneven.

"……!!"

Chapter 351 Calm Down

Chapter 351

Jing Shen wanted to know the reason, but she immediately regretted it.

In the pool of blood, bits of flesh stained with skin were scattered like a poorly peeled hard-boiled egg.

Himegami remained completely still.

Perhaps she was overthinking it, because all she could hear was the sound of shallow breathing.

"Still alive!"

Fang Cun could feel the other person's pulse, but in this situation, it was better to call an ambulance; she didn't have the ability to treat it.

Jing Shen felt a tremendous impact on his head.

"Why, how could this be... Himegami? Teacher, what happened! Who did this!?"

"No...don't know."

The trembling little teacher looked in this direction.

"T-Teacher, I bumped into a man here...and I apologized to him, and he smiled and forgave me. But suddenly his face turned terrifying, and in an instant...Himekami...!"

"Is it Oriana?"

Tyr took off his still-long cigarette and stubbed it out on the wall in frustration.

"At this critical juncture, the one who will take action is most likely that guy... That guy really did something so contemptible."

"Why?" the Pure Goddess asked, puzzled. "Why would he attack? He has no reason to attack Himegami! Himegami has nothing to do with this incident!!"

"That one."

Tyr pointed to the ground with his cigarette butt.

In the pool of blood lay a blood-stained cross. It was a small protective barrier worn by the British as an ornament to suppress the power of the "vampire killer."

"That 'Action Church' spirit dress is a special item that I, Tsuchimikado, and Kanzaki also possess. It's not surprising that Oriana, upon seeing this, would consider him an important mage of the Index level. In a science-oriented academy city, it's strange in itself to have a Puritan-style spirit dress. Oriana probably thought that a powerful pursuer was waiting for him on his escape route, so he wanted to strike first."

Jing Shen understood the meaning behind those words, and his expression turned terrifying.

"A mistake...?"

Her throat moved strangely.

"Just because...that? To go to such lengths, to turn Himegami into this state, all because...a mistake?...That...bastard. Are you kidding me?!!"

Jing Shen couldn't help but pound her fist on the wall beside her. The constantly weeping teacher, Xiao Meng, couldn't help but tremble.

Tyr sighed listlessly and took out a card with runes from her nun's robes. After she removed it, the card stuck to the wall and the floor like a magnet.

"Make this my hiding place."

As soon as he said this, the crowd that had been blocking the entrance to the alleyway returned to the main road as if a bolt had been pulled.

This must be Tyr's "Expel Idlers," Fang Cun thought, looking at this incredibly effective spell, it seemed very convenient.

"Since you were able to take such urgent emergency measures, you must have called an ambulance. In that case, it's better to wait at the entrance of the alley. If you stay inside, the paramedics won't be able to see you. But it's better than letting those onlookers see you."

In order to continue chasing Oriana, Tyr ventured deeper into the dark alley.

If Oriana is heading towards the bus stop, she should continue forward.

Therefore, Tyr moved forward without hesitation. She stepped over Himegami Akisa, who lay in a pool of blood.

"Stop right there!!"

"What? What are you hoping for? Are you going to stay here and keep screaming, or are you going to catch Oriana Townsend quickly and end all this?"

"It's all because of us that he got dragged into this! How can we just leave Himegami like this?!"

"Purify the spirit?" Teacher Xiaomeng looked up and said in a low voice.

As someone who was also involved, but hadn't been informed of anything, Teacher Xiaomeng naturally couldn't understand these words at all.

"So, what can you do?"

Tyr stared directly at the face of the goddess of purity, across the motionless goddess Himegami, and spoke.

Then, she held out her hand, which was covered in rings.

"—Stop getting all smug, you amateur!"

She suddenly grabbed Jing Shen's hair and pulled it down forcefully. Before her lay a boy lying in a pool of blood, only able to breathe faintly.

"What can you do here in front of this injured boy? Even I, an expert, am helpless; there's nothing I can do! Will being with him heal his wounds? Will holding his hand make the pain disappear? If you really believe that, then show me right now. During this period, the harsh reality will only gradually erode his strength! The only thing we can do now is catch up with Oriana! If you want to do that, then step over this boy! If not, then stay here and continue to give up on yourself!!"

Tyr roughly released the hair of the God of Purification.

Jing Shen took a step or two back.

"...Do you think you're the only one who's angry, Shinigami-slaying demon? Just looking at this scene, anyone would feel something. Even Tyr Magnus would. The boy I risked my life to save from Misawa Academy has been injured like this. Do you think I can remain calm?"

Tyr pointed down with his index finger, which was gleaming with the ring.

"Step over him, cleanse the spirit and vanquish the demon. Step over him and chase after Oriana! This is our world, cruel, isn't it? We can't heal this boy, and that won't change. If you want to protect others, clench your fists. What we can do is limited from the start. Your right hand only has the power to destroy illusions, where is the power to protect them?"

"……hateful."

Jing Shen lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her vision. Her clenched teeth seemed to be grinding them to powder.

Is the regret hidden within directed at Oriana, or at the inescapable self?

"That... bastard...!!"

The goddess let out a trembling scream, almost on the verge of tears. Then, she raised one foot. That trembling foot was about to take the first step. Rather than stay and care for the injured goddess, she chose to pursue the fleeing Orianna.

Fang Cun just watched without daring to speak. As an observer, she felt sorry for the young man, but Tyr was right. They were helpless and could only wait for the frog that looked like a doctor to come and save him.

"—"

The magician Tyr Magnus squinted at the ritual unfolding before him. Just as the goddess's foot was about to step over the body of the goddess Himegami Akisa,

The priest saw it.

Tsukuyomi Komoe is a little distance away from Himegami Akisa, who is covered in blood.

His hands, face, and clothes were all stained bright red with blood as he sat on the ground. Completely oblivious to his pants and the ground, he sat directly on the ground.

However, that's not the point.

He slowly collected the small stones and empty cans that had fallen around him. Then, like building blocks, he arranged them one by one.

Chapter 352 Parting Ways Again

Chapter 352

However, that's not the point.

He slowly collected the small stones and empty cans that had fallen around him. Then, like building blocks, he arranged them one by one. But he didn't place them haphazardly; it looked like he was clumsily simulating a building in a dark alley, and Himegami Akisa lying on the ground.

"Wait a moment."

Tyr couldn't help but speak up.

Just as the goddess was about to take a step, she lost her balance and stumbled backward. Tyr completely ignored her, staring intently at Tsukuyomi Komoe's face.