Just as she was firmly bound by countless chains, the Elixir of Life seemed to return from a void-like dimension, gaining a physical form in the material world.
Sharply angular, the elixir took the common shape of a tapered awl, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.
On a microscopic level, these two bizarre entities capable of granting immortality faintly emitted a soft, hazy glow, as if part of some magical ritual.
From the very beginning, these two elixirs hadn't been all that different from many ritualistic magics.
Most things in this world related to magic stemmed from the foundational theory of idol worship.
But this wasn't an absolute rule.
The natural elements controlled by the three magical girls, or Stiyl's runes, for example, didn't originate from this theory. They were more like alternative ways of interpreting the world.
Of course, there were also magicians who utilized astrology or ley lines, but those based on idol worship firmly dominated the mainstream.
And these so-called curses of the elixir? They were still a form of idol worship ritual.
The object of worship, however, was likely some unimaginable life form. It fell within the realm of magic and possessed magical properties.
Once ingested, the elixir used the body's internal cycles to fulfill the ritual's conditions, resulting in an endless, self-sustaining vitality that could no longer be taken away by external means.
In Natsume-san's perception, the moment the two elixirs left Ladylee's body, the magical chains permeating every cell finally began to change.
Vibrating at a high frequency, the chains caused the previously separated human cells to gradually draw closer together, restoring the normal spacing between them.
Thanks to the elixir's influence, which prevented any loss of vitality before its removal, Ladylee's body returned to its original state.
Now, these chains, having detached from the cells, began to wrap around the two elixirs, layer upon layer, like multiple seals tightly binding them within.
The originally dark red elixirs now became densely covered with countless tiny patterns and symbols on their surfaces.
Their color even shifted towards pure white under the influence of the chains.
The magical arrow Natsume-san had shot traveled through Ladylee's body.
It then drew out the elixirs, ultimately transforming into a seal-like existence.
The exact purpose of this seal was unclear; probably only the original shrine maiden herself knew the reason.
After this, the two conical objects separated from Ladylee's body and fell at the feet of Natsume Sonoko.
It all happened very quickly, smoothly and effortlessly, like water flowing in its natural course.
Taking it all in, Natsume-san felt rather superfluous.
Aside from drawing the wooden bow and being guided into that miraculous microscopic world, she hadn't done much.
As if nothing had happened, the dazzling light receded like a tide, leaving behind a stage after the spotlights had dimmed.
Now, the most prevalent color in the broadcast room became the black iron sand brought up by Misaka-senpai.
The scene seemed to quiet down. A certain bun-haired girl swayed slightly as she steadied herself. The vivid crimson in her pupils faded away, and a flood of cognitive ability returned to her.
As the two white stones clattered to the floor, the once ubiquitous arrow light vanished completely.
Natsume Sonoko also felt as if she'd been kicked out of that microscopic perception state, returning to the familiar world of her five senses and thermal perception.
At the same time, with a soft thud, the previously standing Ladylee slumped weakly to her knees on the metal floor. Her gaze held a trace of bewilderment, as if all her spirit and energy had been drained away.
The deeper one's perceptual abilities reach into the world's essence, the more ways one has to understand it.
For someone like Natsume-san, who heavily relied on her environment, this naturally made her stronger.
Losing that deep microscopic perception left Natsume-san with a faint sense of loss.
She hadn't even had the chance to test whether her ability could function within that microscopic world.
Of course, the prerequisite would be establishing a universal formula operating at the atomic level.
But Natsume-san clearly hadn't had time to even create a folder for that in Reiko's database yet.
Formulas were essentially guides, not fundamentally different from pressing buttons on a game controller.
Simpler formulas were like using a super move with a single button press, rather than mashing a whole sequence like ABAB up-down-up.
But the formulas were secondary. If Natsume-san wanted to harness forces from the microscopic world, computational power was the real key.
And she had no idea how to re-enter that perceptual state.
Crouching down, a now more clear-headed Natsume-san picked up the two strange objects with curiosity.
During her earlier microscopic perception, she had seen clearly that these things were extracted from inside Ladylee's body.
'Are these... gallstones?'
Natsume-san hesitated slightly, because they really did look a bit like stones.
But she quickly understood some things. These were likely the objects she had sensed earlier, the ones that seemed connected to the magical arrow.
"These two might be the finished products of an immortality experiment," Natsume-san murmured softly, frowning.
Gallstones seemed too far-fetched. Fortunately, Natsume-san was always clever and immediately recalled a certain urban legend. The timeline didn't quite match up, though, as Ladylee was a figure from those old photographs.
Well, whatever these two things actually were, they had now undeniably become the spoils of war for a certain bun-haired girl.
She rather brazenly slipped the two small objects into her pocket, a satisfied smile finally appearing on Natsume-san's face.
Having finished this series of small actions, Natsume-san looked up to find everyone's eyes seemingly fixed on her.
"The wooden bow did all that by itself," said the bun-headed girl with a slightly innocent look, truthfully stating that aside from drawing the bowstring, she hadn't done anything else.
It was best if no one asked her anything, because if they did, she wouldn't know the answers anyway.
The loli president, still kneeling on the floor, finally regained some of her spirit.
Just as Natsume Sonoko had suspected, the wooden bow wasn't meant to kill this person.
Its purpose was to extract the foreign objects from her body without harming Ladylee, in passing affecting the bow-wielding bun-head in the process.
But the loli president seemed to have undergone another change now. Her previous hysterical, unhinged demeanor had vanished, replaced by a deep, introspective self-examination.
"I... I can generate magical power now," Ladylee's arm trembled slightly, as if suppressing inner excitement. Soon after, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Due to the elixir's presence, her life force couldn't be converted into magical power before. But now it could.
"But why aren't I dead?"
At this thought, Ladylee's laughter cut off abruptly.
As if by instinct, she reached down and drew the decorative dagger from her waist.
But the dagger merely remained in her hand. It was only then she realized that the lingering sorrow and pain which had haunted her heart were gone, replaced by a profound calm.
Her past memories remained intact; only the negative emotions in her heart had been stripped away.
In this state, no matter how hard she tried, Ladylee found she couldn't muster any desire to commit suicide.
'So that shrine maiden lied to me after all,' Ladylee suddenly thought.
She had clearly said that both Ladylee and the elixir would be turned to dust, separating them, with the shrine maiden taking the elixir as her reward.
Yet in reality, she had secretly done so many unnecessary things.
Even though the reward remained the same.
"Thank you," Ladylee struggled to her feet, took a few steps forward, and stared somewhat dazedly at the equally dazed bun-headed girl.
It was as if, through this Tokiwadai student before her, she was seeing a much more distant past.
"You're welcome," Natsume-san tilted her head slightly, a strange expression flickering across her face.
The space station's atmosphere began to heat up. Accompanied by a surge of hot air, Ladylee clutched her throat and collapsed to the floor without warning.
'Honestly, the culprit shouldn't suddenly get so close.'
When it came to enemies, Natsume-san was anything but polite.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.