Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 215: [] The Root, Shiki Ryougi

[Fate Compendium Updated.]

[020: 「」]

[Character Information: None]

[Hidden Information: None]

[Record Conditions: None]

Like moonlight flowing gently, like white mist drifting faintly.

Dressed in an elegant kimono, with black hair and black eyes, wearing wooden sandals, her appearance seemed less like someone ready for a fight and more like a chance encounter during a nighttime stroll.

Men would see her as a woman, women would mistake her for a man—such was the charm of this Japanese-style beauty. How could Sakatsuki not recognize who she was?

"Shiki Ryougi... But at the end of 1994, [Shirazumi] has already sacrificed himself, and [Shiki] is still in a coma. So, the one controlling this body and appearing before me can only be one person." Staring at the beauty before him, Sakatsuki slowly uttered her—or rather, Its—name.

"The Root Shiki, a being connected to the Root, existing here as a physical personality."

"Indeed, you know me." Shiki Ryougi, or rather, the Root Shiki, smiled gently. "Then, can you understand why I am here?"

Sakatsuki did not answer but instead shifted his gaze.

Beside them, a man was staring unblinkingly at Shiki Ryougi, his face filled with the fervor of a seeker of truth.

"So, you are... the Root I have been pursuing!"

Sakatsuki looked away, speaking as if nothing had happened: "The moonlight is beautiful, miss. May I play a song for you?"

The Japanese-style beauty nodded slightly. "Please, Sakatsuki-kun."

And so, the imaginary pocket opened, revealing the dragon-blood-stained grand piano, standing quietly, waiting for its master.

Fingers lightly touching the keys, Sakatsuki ignored Souren Araya, who had activated the Six Realms Boundary and was now running toward them. His hands moved across the keys.

"Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 in E-flat major, Andante. Dedicated to you, beautiful lady."

As the keys were pressed, the music became the only sound in the silent night.

'Don't underestimate me—!'

Souren Araya opened his mouth to roar, but not a single sound came out. The vibrations from his vocal cords were suppressed before they could spread. At the same time, a numbness spread through his abdomen.

Looking down, he saw his own intestines, as if a shadowy beast had taken a bite out of him, tearing away a bloody chunk of flesh.

This gruesome scene was known only to Souren Araya—before his retina could reflect the light, the reflection of his existence was erased. Even Souren Araya himself disappeared from the sight of Shiki Ryougi and Sakatsuki.

"A realm reached by combining numerous mysteries? It seems you've worked hard, Sakatsuki-kun." Even though her vision was empty, Shiki Ryougi still smiled.

"Thank you. I never considered myself talented in magecraft. Praise for my efforts is the best compliment for me."

Sakatsuki continued to play the piece, the melodious adagio seemingly telling a story, softly narrating under the night sky.

In the obscured vision, the black-robed man had lost his abdomen, thighs, and arms. Only his left hand still faintly glowed with golden light. His mouth was wide open, as if he was roaring something with all his might, but no sound came out. He desperately tried to expand his bounded field, but it dissipated easily before the flames that could burn through ten thousand seas.

When Sakatsuki abandoned the idea of training and instead faced this two-hundred-year-old magus with the attitude of cleaning up trash, his weakness, his fragility, became all too apparent.

Indeed, Souren Araya was a two-hundred-year-old monster, the strongest bounded field master with saintly relics embedded in his body.

But standing before him was Sakatsuki, who possessed three great magecrafts, a dragon's core, countless Noble Phantasms, a Reality Marble, and the Third Magic!

Your hand is JQK, mine is the Joker and the Ace—this kind of battle couldn't even make Sakatsuki feel pressure!

In the end, amidst the gentle piano music, the stoic man gave up thinking, allowing his mind to be consumed by the spreading flames. The relics embedded in his left arm fell out, and with a flick of his foot, Sakatsuki stored them in his imaginary pocket.

The man who had haunted 'Kara no Kyoukai' and brought countless troubles to the future Shiki Ryougi had met his end in such a casual manner.

As the nocturne reached its conclusion, the piano music gradually faded. The boy stood up, and the piano behind him was stored away by the opening imaginary pocket.

"Now that the nuisance has been dealt with, let's get to the main topic, Root Shiki—" Sakatsuki stood facing Shiki Ryougi, who had her hands clasped together. "I assume you didn't appear just to help me fulfill a wish, did you?"

Unlike the other two personalities, the Root Shiki is connected to the "Swirl of the Root" and can be seen as the Root itself. Claiming to know and be capable of everything, she usually observes the world indifferently and does not actively interfere.

This was why Sakatsuki was puzzled by her sudden appearance.

"I was requested to come and exorcise a calamity." Shiki Ryougi waved the short sword in her hand, her tone devoid of killing intent, as casual as a neighbor coming over to borrow some seasoning. "You should know what kind of existence is sealed within your shadow, right?"

"Yes, I have some guesses." Sakatsuki did not look down, for he had realized the issue when he killed Souren Araya. The existence hidden in his shadow was probably so agitated that it wouldn't even listen to its "master" anymore.

"So, what will you do?"

"Of course, with this short sword." The Japanese-style beauty playfully waved the weapon in her hand, then blinked.

In her eyes, a kaleidoscope of colors appeared. The rainbow-colored irises, primarily blue, had a unique charm, as if enticing people to touch the cold blade.

"And these eyes."

"The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception." Sakatsuki understood.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, as the name suggests, are eyes that can directly perceive "death." They are among the highest-grade, rarest mystic eyes, said to originate from Balor, the king of the Fomorians in Celtic mythology. In 'Kara no Kyoukai,' Shiki Ryougi, who possesses no supernatural abilities, is able to fight numerous superpowered individuals thanks to these eyes.

All things must eventually come to an end, and this end is determined the moment they are born—this is the so-called time of death. Where there is a beginning, there must be an end; thus, it can be reduced to nothingness.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception allow the user to see the "death" of things, receiving the concept of "death," which has no physical form, as visual information. Specifically, they appear as dark, crack-like lines on the surface of objects. Cutting along these lines inflicts irreversible, unhealable damage, which is why these lines are often called "lines of death."

It's worth noting that because the "lines of death" are the manifestation of the concept of "death," they have no distinction between hardness and softness. No matter how hard an object is, it can be effortlessly cut along the lines of death.

The awakening of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception is very special. One must have experienced death and established a connection between the brain and the "Root" for the eyes to awaken.

To the holder of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the world is filled with fragile cracks everywhere. If one has never seen the normal world, it might be bearable. Otherwise, the transition from a complete world to a shattered one is enough to drive anyone mad—after [Shiki] awakened, she couldn't bear the overly insane world and wanted to gouge out her own eyes to escape.

For Shiki Ryougi, who excels at killing "concepts," even if the existence sealed by Nameless lurks in the shadows, she could easily pull it out and grant it death.

But—

"I must decline, beautiful lady." Sakatsuki bowed slightly, placing a hand over his chest. "I apologize, but this is a responsibility entrusted to me by 'myself.' No matter what, I do not wish to rely on others to handle it. Please rest assured, I will take responsibility until the very end."

Behind the boy, his shadow trembled slightly but quickly fell silent. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Is that so?" Shiki Ryougi sighed in frustration. "Although I'd like to let it go, those two children have been pleading with me. Even if it's just for a peaceful sleep, please forgive me."

In the next moment, the kimono-clad beauty appeared behind Sakatsuki, her left hand on the ground, her right hand holding the short sword in a reverse grip, stabbing downward.

Thud!

It was not the sound of the shadow being destroyed, but the sound of flesh being pierced.

Blood dripped as the boy, who had somehow turned around, used his left palm to block the strike, his eyes now vertical slits.

"Misbehaving ladies aren't very likable. Then, I'll just have to beat you until you can't move anymore!"

Pulling out his bloodied right hand, intense pain erupted, but the boy remained unfazed. Amidst the flying droplets of blood, the crimson demonic spear transformed into lightning, thrusting forward with unstoppable force!

***

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