Pendragon's Infinity Gauntlet

Page 194

Before Tsuchimikado's wish was conveyed.

A destructive tsunami of steel surges forward through the road to the very bottom.

The entire road was completely destroyed.

From where Oriana stood, all the pillars at the end of the path had been broken. It seemed those pillars were merely decorative, not actually supporting the ceiling, at least preventing it from collapsing. All the decorations on the walls, ceiling, and floor had been peeled away like gift wrappings, and even the exposed building materials were destroyed like tilled soil. There wasn't a single smooth spot. The ground was a mass of cracks, and from the torn ceiling, the fire sprinkler pipes appeared broken, gushing water like a fully turned-on faucet.

"..."

Oriana looked at the horrific scene he had created.

(Did they break the surveillance camera? Security might be tighter now.)

The opposing mage seemed to have instantly ducked into the pillar's shadow, lowering himself to minimize damage. However, such a shrewd maneuver was, of course, insufficient to prevent further harm. Four metal shards were now embedded in Tsuchimikado's back, lying prone on the ground. These fragments, each a few centimeters long, were as sharp as knives. Several more pieces of the collapsed pillar had struck his body; the reinforced concrete blocks were the size of cantaloupes.

"It's over, isn't it?"

Oriana usually tries to minimize sacrifices, but this is a different story when it comes to mages who give their spell names. In Oriana's mind, a spell name is the purpose of a mage's existence, and ignoring it is the greatest insult to the user of magic. This applies to both the recipient and the giver.

Therefore, Oriana did not like this.

Even though he knew he should eliminate the danger as quickly as possible and leave the scene, despite her disregard for efficiency and all-out attack, the fact that the outcome was decided so easily left him feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

(Next, we should dispel the barrier set up around here and leave the scene quickly, although I like to leave a little lingering impression.)

Having cut through his anxious thoughts and reached a conclusion, Oriana looked around. To dispel the barrier, he needed to use magic to create a signal, thereby causing the unstable "Original Text" to collapse on its own.

but,

"...?"

Oriana showed a surprised expression. Although it was only a slight twitch of his eyebrows, this change alone was enough to fully express his inner feelings.

The barrier has been broken.

Oriana Townsend clearly did not give any orders.

"What's going on? Although it's inherently unstable, it's still a kind of 'original text.' Without magical interference, it's impossible for it to be destroyed. Or, have her companions already arrived...?"

Oriana circled around to check the front and back entrances. But there was nothing there. Destroying the barrier was tantamount to notifying its owner that it had been breached. Since a surprise attack was impossible from the start, the common tactic when a barrier was destroyed was to launch a blitzkrieg…

Orian's expression of doubt deepened.

He suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Could it be...could it be..."

He suddenly stopped moving and then turned around.

His gaze fell on the mage lying on the ground, four iron plates embedded in her back; she looked exactly the same as before. Suddenly, Oriana saw something.

Beside the fallen Tsuchimikado lay a bird folded from blood-stained colored paper.

(Just now, she seemed to be forming some kind of spell at a crucial moment... Could it be to break the barrier? But why? Faced with that fierce attack just now, why didn't she defend herself, but instead did that...?)

Destroying the barrier won't immediately lead to Oriana's failure; it's just one of the insurance measures.

So, her purpose is...

"It seems... that it's a spell that I... can also break."

Oriana was startled by her voice; the "enemy" who should indeed be buried under the name of magic was still alive.

"You don't look it from the outside... You're quite capable of handling intense exercise!"

Upon hearing Orian's defiant words, the opposing mage fell to the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It was as if she wanted to show her ease and confidence with a smile.

Haruka Tsuchimikado, her lips stained with blood, said cheerfully:

“Oriana Townsend, didn’t you say that ‘the situation inside the barrier will not be transmitted to the outside’? This is going to give me a headache.”

"What……"

Oriana suddenly discovered something.

If one person cannot defeat the enemy, what would be the first thing to consider? Of course, it would be to call for allies.

Knowing what the enemy was thinking, the strength in his shoulder suddenly vanished.

It's rather pathetic to place our hopes on this.

"Idiot. Your partner isn't one of those three who were tracking me, is he? Those three aren't a decisive threat. Even if those two team up, I won't even break a sweat."

Chapter 347 Bluffing

Chapter 347

Oriana said, bluffing.

"I wasn't referring to them."

“What?” Oriana couldn’t help but ask.

Currently, he only has four direct opponents.

"You're such an idiot. We're the British Religious Confederation, representing a nation's religious order. Do you think we only have a handful of members? If so, your head is way too peaceful. Why don't you just retire from the magic world and go sell flowers? Think about how many members the 'Church of Necessary Evil' has. We're supposed to be hiding our identities anyway, how could we possibly be discovered by the security agencies of this country that's so peaceful it's almost stupid?"

This is fake, Oriana judged.

Oriana wasn't there for sightseeing, so he hadn't investigated the detailed schedule of the Daihasei Festival. However, he and Lidovia had done some research beforehand and knew about the delicate balance of power between the scientific and magical forces centered around Academy City.

During the Daihasei Festival, Academy City cannot possibly attract a majority of mages belonging to a single organization. Doing so would worsen relations between the scientific and magical factions.

The plan was to target the cracks in the balance between the two, using the "Apostle's Cross" wherever possible. Therefore, he couldn't believe Tsuchimikado's claim of an exception, especially from the Anglican Church, which protected the security of magical forces.

Therefore, Oriana was able to respond with confidence.

However, he completely failed to notice that paying attention to everything Tsuchimikado said was a sign of his slight unease.

“If it were true, I would be very troubled, but it’s impossible. The British Puritan Church and Academy City would never allow such a foolish approach.”

Why is a license required?

"..."

"You've forgotten my magic name? I should have told you to remember it. Whose back did I first stab with this 'knife in the back'? The situation of the Anglican Church? The situation in Academy City? What are those? Do you think I'm so stupid as to get bogged down in such trivial matters and let victory slip away?"

Oriana sensed the unpleasant silence that permeated the surroundings.

He took a slow, deep breath.

“I’ll do anything to win. I’ll do anything to hide in a blind spot. I’ll do anything to sneak up on the enemy and get behind them, no matter what. Watch out, Oriana Townsend. If I’m determined, I can defend against any number of these metal plates. But that’s not a sure way to win, so I’m using my more powerful trump card, that’s all.”

"...Do you think I'd believe such nonsense? If you had many companions, why would you act alone? When using the exploration magic just now, you should have needed other guards and lookouts, right? Even if not, you would at least act in pairs, wouldn't you?"

"If you enjoy chatting, then I'll keep you company. This will buy me some time. I sent out the signal as soon as the barrier broke. It shouldn't take them too long to get here. Because that guy is serious; he'll reveal his magic name to prevent anyone from dying."

Tsuchimikado stretched out his blood-stained hand, which he had just thrown to the ground.

She had a very simple piece of paper in her hand.

It was a shikishi (colored paper) that, when held up, looked very much like the amulets sold at shrines. Its central line was written with many Japanese characters in vertical strokes. It appeared more like the characters had been printed rather than written with ink.

"'Fu Wen Yu Zhang'—at first glance it looks like a Shinto talisman, but in the realm of Yin-Yang Dao, it's actually a curse tool. It's a spiritual artifact that causes the target to see illusions from a distance, thereby creating internal strife... If its power is weakened, it can be used in a more peaceful way. That is..."

"Could it be a communication technique?"

"You guessed it. This thing is shaped like a bag, and inside is a wooden slip with someone's name written on it. Pretty classic, right?" Tsuchimikado grinned. "Speaking of which, in this situation, who am I most likely to communicate with?"

She spoke slowly.

Although covered in blood, he looked like he was extorting his prey.

"If only you had insisted on bringing the 'Thrusting Hang Sword' instead. Now that we know it's not that, we can deploy that person without any worries. In fact, since we no longer have the 'Thrusting Hang Sword,' there's no reason to keep that person on standby. Anyway, that person's biggest weakness has disappeared."

Oriana's mouth became dry without her realizing it.

He had heard of it before.

Within the Anglican Church's "Necessary Evil Church," there exists a saint, one of fewer than twenty in the world. Possessing immense power, he is a sorcerer who will wield his sword to prevent anyone from dying. Oriana Townsend, originally a British citizen whose main area of ​​activity is England, knows of this saint. Anyone who encounters him will immediately lose; legend says that only a true god or angel could defeat this monster.

"That's right, it's Kanzaki Mizuki."

Oriana Townsend's eyes sharpened. He licked his dry lips.

"Now that we know you possess the Apostle's Cross instead of the 'Thrusting Sword,' considering the scale of this incident, there's nothing surprising, is there? Kanzaki was a central figure in the conflict between the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and Amakusa-style conflict, ten days ago. Is it impossible for him to still be in Japan? Moreover, Kanzaki has personal acquaintances in Academy City. He can certainly be considered a specially invited guest, and even if the news leaks out, it won't be a problem."

Tsuchimikado added:

"You probably don't know this, but I did Kanzaki Mizuori a favor. When she came to England, who do you think would take care of her? Of course, someone who is also Japanese would be the most suitable. It's just a small matter for me. But that girl takes this kind of thing very seriously. If she knew about this situation, she would definitely come over immediately."

(Tsk...)

Oriana began to perform various calculations.

Seeing Orianna like this, Tsuchimikado said as if he were an idiot:

"Oh dear. You're not planning to destroy the 'Fu Wenyu Seal' now, are you? Let me tell you, that's impossible. This thing is like an alarm bell; once it's activated and sends out a signal, there's no way to stop it."

As he spoke, Tsuchimikado, lying upside down, seemed to be proving that what he said was true, and squeezed the communication amulet he had made with one hand.

"..."

Oriana adjusted her breathing slightly.

It's still impossible to determine whether "Kanzaki Mizuki" will actually come here. Even if that saint does come, Oriana doesn't believe he's guaranteed to lose. With effective tactics and the willingness to sacrifice his own limbs, he could kill one or two saints in the heat of battle. However, this approach isn't suitable. Compared to the outcome of a simple personal battle, Oriana Townsend must achieve a greater goal and cannot afford to be injured unnecessarily.

Chapter 348 Caution

Chapter 348

(In that case...)

The best course of action is to immediately kill Tsuchimikado, who is using exploration magic, and then leave the scene as soon as possible.

"call!!"

With his last strength, Tsuchimikado, lying on the ground, pulled the steel bar from the rubble and threw it onto the ravaged ground. Gray dust instantly rose up like a curtain.

The view in front of me has become zero.

"!"

Oriana suddenly stomped down on Tsuchimikado's fallen ankle as if to crush it.

However, all that came back was the feeling of the hard floor.

(He's planning to buy himself some time!? Why go to such lengths...?)

At this point, the "anything goes" option is no longer available. The opponent is still fighting, and finding a chance to revive in the dust would be quite troublesome. As things stand, it will take Oriana considerable amount of time to truly kill Tsuchimikado. In other words, only two paths remain.

As if Kanzaki Mizuki "didn't come," he gradually and indeed defeated Tsuchimikado.

Taking it as Kanzaki Mizuki's "coming," he abandoned Tsuchimikado and quickly left the place.

The dust in front of us can be easily blown away with a single word card. But if this is taken as a signal to start a battle, then we'll have to fight to the bitter end until we kill Tsuchimikado.

Oriana wasn't choosing which option to use.

Rather, it's because they felt regretful that they could have chosen either option.

(In short, my card has already ruined the exploration spell for my purpose. It would be too much of a waste to keep accompanying this troublesome little sister and risk getting hurt...)

After clicking his tongue in amazement, Oriana Townsend ran toward the entrance to the underground passage.

If what she said was true, the Anglican saint "God-Splitter Waterweaver" would join the war. Oriana thought to himself that if he had known this, he should have made better use of the rumors about "Thrusting Hang Sword." If he had prepared a good battle plan, he might have been able to defeat him, but he was not someone who could be defeated unscathed by chance.

Of course, Oriana didn't want to admit defeat either.

"That bastard..."

"A person was left behind in the damaged underground passage," Tsuchimikado blurted out. Before Oriana left, she confirmed that he hadn't left behind any word cards or spells.

The smoke from the dust dissipated.

Tsuchimikado collapsed about a person's width away from where Oriana had just unleashed his flying kick. Severely injured, even with all her might, she could only move that distance. In other words, she obscured the enemy's vision, thereby inducing Oriana's anxiety and preventing him from "calmly confirming" his position, which allowed her to barely escape danger.

"When you encounter trouble, you can use the communication technique 'Fu Wen Yu Zhang' to summon Kanzaki Mizuori, right?"

Tsuchimikado stared blankly at the ceiling.

She gave a self-deprecating smile and said: