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Ryoji quickly changed direction, dodging the massive pincers and shaking off the giant lobster before continuing his sprint.
"Where exactly are you trying to run to?"
Aozaki Aoko, having been jolted around for several minutes, felt her stomach churning violently and couldn't help but scream.
"Find a safe spot first!"
"Then to the edge of the barrier!"
"Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
They ran for a full ten minutes.
Along the way, they avoided several colossal monsters. As they raced onward, the number of enemies gradually decreased, and finally, the edge of the barrier appeared before Ryoji.
It was an open area paved with stone bricks.
There were no shops or facilities nearby, so no fairytale monsters appeared. It was quiet, and the surrounding bushes offered some cover, making it relatively safe.
Ryoji finally breathed a sigh of relief and set Aozaki Aoko down.
He then pointed at the scene before them and asked:
"What is this?"
Aozaki Aoko tried to calm the turmoil in her stomach. Hearing his question, she pursed her lips.
She wanted to run away, but after experiencing the high-speed chaos earlier, she decided against it. Instead, she answered his question while glaring at him with indignation.
"Isn't this just the edge of the barrier?"
"I know it's the edge, but this is just too…"
Ryoji frowned as he surveyed the "ocean" before him.
Before them lay a vast expanse.
A sea, but one made entirely of steel fences.
It was called a "sea" because it consisted of dozens of layers of fencing, swaying back and forth like waves. At the far end of this metallic ocean was the pitch-black night sky.
Ryoji stepped forward and yanked at the fences. Only the first layer shuddered slightly; he couldn't even bend it.
Given his current strength, enough to crush steel with his bare hands, this made no sense.
"If you could escape it easily, it wouldn't have gained such a notorious reputation."
Aozaki Aoko pressed a hand to her stomach and another to her sore butt, rolling her eyes wildly.
Clearly, if they could just get past these fences, they could escape, but the fences wouldn't break when it mattered most. Frustrating, indeed.
Now, Aoko was taking perverse pleasure in his frustration, even wanting to find a firecracker to celebrate.
Seeing Ryoji trapped like this made her very happy.
But she couldn't say that out loud, the sting in her butt still warned her not to cross this man.
"Aozaki, do you think I could tame that Familiar?"
Ryoji rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
For now, he didn't focus on escaping. Instead, he considered an unusual angle.
His words left Aozaki Aoko stunned.
"…Huh?"
"Think about it. That Familiar is so strong, and its style points are so high. Wouldn't it suit me perfectly?"
In truth, Ryoji was very tempted.
Looking around, he could sense the air was thick with Magic Power, dense, almost tangible.
As a Familiar tied to the First Magic, the Oil of the Moon could generate infinite Magic Power. If he could tame it, he could open its fairytale barrier during battles and let it supply him with Magic Power. That would be heaven.
But… could the Oil of the Moon actually work for him?
He had never had the chance to compare his Magic Power with that of the TYPE-MOON world, so he didn't know if they were compatible.
It was another complication.
"What are you thinking?!"
Aozaki Aoko looked at him as if he were a fool.
"You know Familiar Magecraft? Do you even have a Magecraft Crest? More importantly, you can't just beat it to tame it! And you haven't even defeated it yet!"
To control a Familiar, one must first master Familiar Magecraft, imprint the Magecraft into their body, and then sign a contract with the Familiar, binding it to serve them.
Moreover, the Oil of the Moon was no ordinary Familiar.
It wasn't created by Alice herself, but inherited from her mother. It was said to have a malicious temperament and extreme freedom, sometimes even ignoring Alice's commands.
And with a Master already in place, it was impossible to forcibly take the Familiar. After all, a contract existed between the Familiar and Alice.
Unless he killed Alice.
Then he'd have to make the Oil of the Moon willingly submit.
And finally, he'd have to learn Familiar Magecraft himself.
The last part was simple, but the first two were nothing short of a fantasy.
In short, Aoko thought Ryoji was daydreaming.
She even wanted to knock on his head to see what was inside that brain of his, wondering how he could even consider such a death-defying plan in such a tense situation.
Ryoji chose to remain silent.
Killing Alice and taming the Oil of the Moon might not be too hard for him… but the last requirement truly stumped him. He might genuinely never be able to learn Familiar Magecraft.
He said "might" because, as always, Ryoji still harbored some unrealistic hope.
Forget it.
For now, he had to think about how to get out of here first.
"Does this Familiar have any weaknesses?"
Seeing Ryoji finally focus on a serious question, Aozaki Aoko's gaze at him finally felt normal again.
"If there's a single weakness, it would be its true form."
Aozaki Aoko pressed a hand to her still-sore butt and gritted her teeth as she answered.
After all, this was common knowledge in the Magecraft world, Alice wouldn't blame her.
Yes. Absolutely. It had to be that way.
"As long as you find its true form and defeat it, the barrier will disappear."
"What? That simple?" Ryoji was surprised.
"That simple? Are you kidding me?!" Aozaki Aoko flared up again, pointing at the chaos-filled amusement park in the distance.
"Its true form is hidden somewhere in this huge barrier. It's not something you can just find easily, okay?!"
The barrier had now basically taken shape, expanding the amusement park's space to the size of Kinoko Town.
And the Oil of the Moon's true form could freely change size, even shrinking to the size of a palm. Who could possibly find it so easily?
"And once you find it…? Does it have any special abilities? Defensive moves?"
"I don't know… but first, you'll need to break through the monsters surrounding it."
Aozaki Aoko shook her head and subtly raised her chin toward the distance.
The amusement park had now completely become a demon's domain.
Thousands of bread men filled every corner, and all sorts of dolls had come alive, baring claws and radiating malice.
They were all discarded and abandoned creations, turned into fairytale monsters controlled by resentment through the Oil of the Moon. Filled with hatred for humans, they attacked on sight.
And even these were just small fry.
Look at the sky in the distance, A pirate ship covered in spikes swung back and forth.
A giant pumpkin head floated ominously.
An 18-meter-long lobster wielded its massive pincers.
An 80-meter-tall Ferris wheel spun like a unicycle through the park, crushing buildings in its path.
Even more, a nearly 100-meter-long Chinese dragon soared through the sky, its sinuous body exuding an oppressive aura that dwarfed every other monster below.
It was ridiculous beyond reason!
(End of Chapter)