Chapter 1178: Played Like a Fiddle
A series of hurried footsteps echoed.
"Witch of the Void! Where is the Fourth True Ancestor?"
A brown ponytail whipped wildly through the air.
Kousaka Sayaka panted heavily, her chest heaving rapidly as she landed beside Nanami Yuki.
"A Maihime from the Lion King Organization?"
Nanami Yuki shot her an annoyed sidelong glance.
"Even if it's only temporary, you're still my student. Call me 'Teacher' properly!"
"Is this really the time for that?"
Sayaka looked utterly flustered, taken aback by her unexpected reaction.
Seeing Nanami Yuki's unyielding expression, she had no choice but to raise her hands in surrender.
"Understood, Teacher Nanami. May I ask where the Fourth True Ancestor went?"
"Much better."
Nanami Yuki gave her an approving look.
Then, raising her folding fan, she pointed toward the massive crater over twenty meters in diameter about two kilometers away.
"He already went down."
"Seriously?!"
Sayaka's face was full of regret.
She had rushed from the southern island through the central island all the way to the northern island. Even with her physical abilities enhanced by curses, it had taken too long—she hadn't made it in time to see the Fourth True Ancestor appear!
"If you want to investigate the Fourth True Ancestor, you can still catch up by going in now."
Nanami Yuki watched her with amusement.
As if she were treating her as entertainment.
"No, I'll pass on that..."
Sayaka recalled last night's encounter, a chill running down her spine as she shook her head repeatedly.
Last night, the Fourth True Ancestor had likely not wanted to be exposed, so he left before the security team arrived.
But today, he had changed his mind—or something had happened—causing him to appear so conspicuously before the world.
At that time, if Eiji hadn't blocked him and he hadn't been intent on leaving, there would have been an extremely dangerous battle, and she might have been finished on the spot!
She had no desire to provoke the Fourth True Ancestor up close, especially when he might still be furious.
She pulled a few sheets of paper from her pocket, infused them with pure spiritual energy, and turned them into white birds the size of sparrows. They shot into the massive pit with the speed of falcons.
For now, it was better to observe from a distance!
"Shikigami? A smart approach."
Nanami Yuki praised Sayaka's caution.
"Too bad they're not even in the same league. Otherwise, you wouldn't be played like a fiddle."
"What?"
Sayaka looked at her, utterly confused.
"Never mind, don't worry about it. Focus on observing through your shikigami's vision."
Nanami Yuki brushed off the comment vaguely, clearly not wanting her to pursue the matter.
Eager to observe the Fourth True Ancestor, Sayaka withdrew her puzzled gaze and concentrated on controlling her shikigami, using their shared vision to search for any trace of him.
"Found him!"
Immediately after, her expression shifted dramatically.
"Let me see what he's up to, making such a grand appearance. His destination is... Mage's Craft Co., Ltd.?"
Thanks to the heaven-shaking thunderous strike of the Lion's Gold.
The entire artificial northern island had lost all power, and every electrical device had shut down without exception.
Whether it was the guard robots or the 360-degree surveillance cameras, all had their circuits fried by a massive electric current, sparking with electricity as they lay motionless.
Second basement level.
In a corridor littered with melted asphalt, rubble, and cables, the Fourth True Ancestor clad in imperial armor landed here.
He lifted his foot and strode purposefully toward a specific direction.
With all technological means rendered useless, the surrounding research institutes hadn't even restored their surveillance systems. They remained unaware as he boldly walked past their main entrances, let alone dared to confront him.
However, being a city where technology and magic held equal sway, some research institutes equipped with magical detection devices managed to recover first while technology remained disabled.
Yet they merely lay dormant, pretending to be oblivious to the armored figure passing by their doorsteps.
As if their functions were still paralyzed.
Too scared to move.jpg
Under such circumstances, the armored figure reached his destination.
A metal door embossed with the gilded characters "Magi Craft Meister" marked the research institute where he came to a halt.
"Boom!"
Then he delivered a powerful kick!
The metal door split apart with a resounding crack, flying backward like a bent shrimp.
"W-What?!"
A disheveled-looking beastman appeared as if serving as a guard, dressed in a gray leather jacket resembling a mercenary's outfit.
He stared in shock at the armored intruder who had forced his way into the institute.
He attempted to summon guard robots, only to find all of them disabled—not a single one remained operational.
Since the Northern District of Itogami Island required underground development, pressure-resistant construction materials were essential. Consequently, most buildings and underground passages in the Northern District were forged from metal.
This left them virtually defenseless against powerful electrical attacks.
But the beastman reacted swiftly, immediately retrieving machine guns from the disabled robots, wielding one in each hand.
"Uwooooh!"
The beastman roared as bullets rained down like torrential hail.
On Itogami Island, aside from the officially sanctioned Special Security Team, all research institutes used specially crafted anesthetic bullets for self-defense, with rubber bullets being the more dangerous alternative.
Yet even rubber bullets fired from machine guns could shatter bones and rupture internal organs upon impact!
"Urgh!"
The beastman suddenly grunted in pain.
The rubber bullets he had sprayed everywhere instantly reversed trajectory, pelting him like hailstones. Despite his beastman constitution, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.
Simultaneously.
The warning red lights finally activated as scheduled, and piercing alarms echoed throughout the research institute.
They were under invasion!
This information had already been transmitted across the entire facility.
The armored figure remained unfazed. His gemstone shield faded away as he advanced step by step—slow yet swift—toward the depths of the institute.
His path remained completely unobstructed.
Researchers had long hidden themselves, mechanical guards were already disabled, and without human security personnel deployed, he moved as if traversing unoccupied territory.
However, this situation changed when he reached the innermost part of the research institute.
"That's far enough, intruder!"
Following an angry, high-pitched shout, a slender figure appeared before him.
The burgundy office lady suit and distinctly European fair complexion immediately revealed her identity.
Beatrice!
It was the demon secretary who had taken Kanon from the monastery during the day!
"Absolutely infuriating! With the market downturn lately, the institute's funding is already tight, and now this massive loss lands on my lap!"
Beatrice, shedding the elegance she had displayed earlier, irritably loosened her golden long hair.
Her once beautiful features twisted together, exuding a vicious aura.
She raised the remote control in her hand and slammed the button.
"Go, XDA-1! Tear him apart! Strip off that armor—we'll sell it for cash!"
That impressive-looking armor ought to fetch a high price!
"Boom!"
In the blink of an eye.
A beam of light tore through the ceiling from deep within the institute, roaring as it hurtled toward the armored figure!