"This was unexpected... The puppets I crafted weren't endowed with much artificial intelligence; this must be the handiwork of Alaya, the Counter Force."
"Haruka Kasugano, how is the situation on your end?"
Haruka Kasugano pulled out a flask he carried with him, took a swig, and replied unhurriedly, "As you said, if I discover these two experiments cannot reach the Root, I will immediately guide them to trigger Shiki Ryougi's killing impulse."
"However, for some reason, Shiki hasn't struck them down."
Haruka Kasugano spoke perfunctorily, glossing over the details. He wasn't telling Souren Araya the truth; he was playing dumb. Since Araya hadn't come to observe personally, it was impossible for him to know the reality. Besides, now that he had already secured Fujino Asagami, Azaka Kokutou, Kirie Fujou, and Shiki Ryougi, he didn't care if Araya took offense and turned against him!
"I see!" Araya suddenly exclaimed.
Hmm? What do you see?
"It must be that Mikiya Kokutou. He has been binding Shiki, preventing her from killing. That is why she held back; I knew about this situation three years ago," Araya explained.
Oh... so that's how you rationalized it. Haruka Kasugano smiled slightly but said nothing.
"In that case, let us focus on the present," Araya continued. "My plan is to lure Shiki Ryougi to the Ogawa Apartment. Then, I will use the Reality Marble I've set up there to forcibly awaken her Root."
"What do you two think?"
"Fine by me! I have only one goal: to slay Touko Aozaki! As long as this situation lures her out to interfere, I don't care what goal you achieve!" Alba laughed like a flamboyant young girl.
Haruka Kasugano smiled and said, "Fair enough, but have you prepared a way out if you fail?"
Araya shook his head. "I am confident. Failure is impossible this time. Shiki Ryougi's Origin is directly connected to the Root; I refuse to believe I cannot awaken it!"
"Besides, don't I have you? If I still fail in the end, we'll have to use your method. By the way, is your method ready?"
"Ready. As long as you give the word, I can test my method at any time!" Haruka Kasugano took another swig of wine and laughed.
"Good. Then it's settled," Araya nodded. "The puppet escaped tonight. I didn't stop him; I even implanted the subconscious thought for him to seek out Shiki Ryougi. Soon, he will guide her to the Ogawa Apartment."
That puppet? Oh... he means Tomoe Enjou, the one who lived with Shiki for a month in the original story...
Hehehe, wanting to live with my woman? Whether you're a puppet or a piece of trash, you've already earned your death sentence!
Haruka Kasugano smiled silently, already planning to kill Tomoe Enjou as soon as he returned.
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After leaving the Ogawa Apartment, Haruka Kasugano rushed back to the hotel where he was staying with Azaka. Upon returning, he looked forward to catching her scent again, but he found the bed empty. Only scattered blankets and clothes remained.
Huh? Where did Azaka go? Running away early makes you a bad girl.
Just then, he caught sight of a white figure at the door. Haruka Kasugano bolted after it like an arrow, but the figure had already reached the end of the hallway.
Oho! Playing hide-and-seek with me, are we?
Haruka Kasugano gave chase, and the two engaged in a thrilling race through the late-night streets. "Azaka! Don't run outside, people will see you!" he called out anxiously.
But the white figure ahead didn't respond. Though it felt strange, he was driven by a stubborn urge to confirm if it was truly Azaka. He continued the pursuit without hesitation. Soon, the figure ducked into an old building.
Wait... isn't this the building where Garan no Dou is located?
Haruka Kasugano followed the figure right into the office. But once inside, the white figure vanished without a trace. What's going on? Was that not Azaka just now?
In an instant, a tide of bounded fields surged around him. Haruka Kasugano was trapped; he couldn't even transmit a message to Circe. "Who is it? Come out!" he roared into the void.
Suddenly, Touko Aozaki emerged, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her movements graceful. Holding the cigarette between her slender fingers, she laughed coldly. "Boss, how could you be so careless? Has your brain been squeezed dry by women?"
"Uh... what do you want?" Haruka Kasugano quickly pulled out his rune gloves, putting them on and standing ready.
"Nothing much... I just don't like your behavior! Who told you to bully my nominal disciple? I wasn't going to interfere in your twisted games with Azaka, but you chose to cooperate with Souren Araya and Alba! Araya pursues the Root, you pursue carnal pleasure, but Alba's goal is to kill me! I can't just sit here and wait for death, can I?"
She took off her glasses, revealing a fierce expression. This was her artificial dual personality; without the glasses, she became cold and ruthless.
"So you found out..." Haruka Kasugano stopped pretending and flashed a sinister grin. "To be honest, as your employer, I had no reason to violate you, and chasing you seemed like a hassle. But now, I'm just punishing a traitor. You won't blame me, right?"
"Hahaha! I didn't think I was attractive enough to be on your radar, Boss... but maybe in the next life!" Touko flicked her hand.
The surrounding bounded fields unleashed a barrage of magic bullets at Haruka Kasugano. Combined with her Runes, these attacks were instantaneous, requiring no incantation or startup. Haruka Kasugano was instantly swallowed by thousands of magic bullets.
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Though Touko Aozaki was "only" a Grand-ranked Puppet Master, her mastery over magecraft formulas was transcendent. If one set aside mana reserves and mystery ranks to purely compare technical skill, she was arguably the best in the world.
However, she was currently facing a cheater beyond even Servants—Haruka Kasugano!
Haruka Kasugano was engulfed by the light of the magic bullets. But the next second...
BOOM!
A brilliant golden light erupted from his body, and a whirlwind of mana blew the incoming bullets away. His right hand glowed as he activated his Noble Phantasm, [Airgetlám: The Silver Arm]. Using the mana to punch back, he obliterated the entire barrage.
Seeing her attack wiped out, Touko's face was filled with shock. "How... No, that's a Noble Phantasm!"
Noble Phantasms weren't exclusive to Servants; they were essentially ultra-tier Mystic Codes. Touko never expected Haruka Kasugano to possess one—and one this powerful.
"Touko, if you don't use your real skills, you're going to lose!" Haruka Kasugano raised the glowing Silver Arm and laughed.
"Heh..." Touko didn't waste words. She stomped her high heel onto the floor. Thump! A box popped out from the floorboards. She kicked it open, revealing a projector.
ROAR—!
The projector cast a [Shadow Familiar]. It was a two-dimensional black cat made of shadows, larger than Touko herself, consisting mostly of a giant mouth.
As the shadow monster lunged, Haruka Kasugano remained calm and released the True Name of his Noble Phantasm.
[Airgetlám—One Flash!]
Haruka Kasugano swung with full force. Touko frantically constructed over a dozen defensive spells, but they were all crushed by the mana beam. She was thrown backward, her clothes torn, revealing her fair skin. The shadow familiar vanished as the projector was sliced apart. Half of the entire workshop was demolished by the blast.