This World of Ours (Part 5)

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"No!"

A scream of pure horror reverberated through the air as the bullet left the gun's muzzle. Without any mercy, the smiling man has pulled the trigger of his Luger and sealed the fate of the pitiful young girl.

As if time itself was frozen, Canary watched the metal projectile moving slowly and slowly to its target. Then, the full metal jacket announced the death of its prey by penetrating through the victim's cranium and exiting from the back of her head.

Splatter.

Blood splashed on the halved concrete wall, dripping down the lifeless corpse and soaking the crying girl in a shade of red. The tears rolling down her face were quickly dyed crimson as if they were praying for the salvation of god.

For killing a Holy Church's Executor +15,000 EXP

"For all it's worth, I didn't actually want to do that." The smile was wiped off the shooter's face and a cold expression was formed. His steely eyes gazed at the blonde woman and his hand traveled to Irina's face in an attempt to close her deep blue eyes.

Smack!

However, a wistful smile appeared on his face when his hand was smacked away by the weeping girl. He glanced at the dead woman's melancholic yet yearning expression and lowered the smoking pistol in respect.

You must have really wanted to live. It's not like I don't understand you. As the Third Magician and the master of Heaven's Feel, I can read and feel the deepest pain of every soul I ever came into contact with.

The unequaled happiness you experienced during your childhood. The utter despair that was carved into your deep blue eyes during that bloody night. The unwavering resolve your swore when you promised to not let anyone else go through the same thing as you did.

I understand them all.

I have always asked myself the same question again and again... Why was I chosen for this power? Why was I chosen to wield Heaven's Feel? Why wasn't I given the other Sorcery when I reach the Root? Was it truly my wish that helped me attain it? Why did the last Third Magician perish when he has achieve true immorality?

It's because he's weak.

His heart... was too fragile for it. The pain of the soul. The deepest, darkest, unholiest emotions you have to see. The saddest, miserable, tragic, traumatic, heartbreaking memories you are forced to watch.

They are not things an ordinary human, no, not even a god can last after witnessing the devastating recollection. Every time you see their memories, you wish you could be there and offer them your sincerest help.

Salvation for the soul... isn't something that can be rewarded to everyone.

That's why I have not invaded the territory of the afterlife. They have had enough. They have went through enough. So how could I, the one who understood their pain the best, dare to disturb their long-deserved peaceful rest?

I think I have finally started to understand your sympathy, Circe. I think I have finally started to realize your disappointment, Arash. I think I have finally started to genuinely value your existence... Charlotte.

I probably won't be standing here, ridiculing my own achievements if I haven't chose that perk. I may be a villain, but I do have a minimum standard of morality. Haha... A deplorable wrongdoer like me will one day be judged... and I do hope that you are the one to do it.

Because there is a price for everything.

"I am sorry."

"...What can a sorry do?" Canary tear-filled eyes stared right into my soul. "I ask you... just what can an apology do?! A life was taken, and all you can say is a simple sorry?! Every life is invaluable, so how can someone like you, who murders people like nothing, understand the true pain and price of a life?!"

"...She had to die. Even if she were to forget everything about me, she may still discover my identity afterwards since my skill is not perfect... I had no other choice, the option of her death is the optimum one and I-"

"Shut up!" The grief-stricken young girl cried out. "Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut your mouth! Don't speak anymore... it sickens me every time I hear you talking about death with such a calm voice..."

"Canary, I-"

"Don't call my name..." Canary clenched her fists and glared at me. "...you monster." As her words ended, the bird cage hanging on her skirt opened and a cube flew out to her hand and transformed into a scythe. "I have believed you to be a kindhearted person for rescuing me... but you are just a-"

Liar.

Two months ago, her Mystic Code Add has informed her that he received a strange response from another place. The warmth he felt was tender and nostalgic, as if he, no, it, has experienced in the long past.

She followed the trail of the signal, and finally arrived at the Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia when it was lost. Without any other option, she chose to stay in the city and work as a waitress at an inn in order to wait for the gentle aura to reappear.

However, it now craves for a fight. The sentiment overflowed through her and she saw... that everdistant utopia it misses so much...

"Engrave... in me..." As the whisper came out of the young girl's mouth, a monster created by her hometown appeared in her place. She was no longer herself. Canary Pendragon was no more. "... a grave... for you..."

Oh ancient Mystery, die away.

Oh sweet enigma, return to nothing.

"Pseudo-intelligence disabled. Minimum magical energy levels and collection rate reached. Releasing second stage limiter." Add's voice, sounding unbelievably mechanical, echoed in the darkness. Like a door flying open as its magical seal came undone, the Mystery in Canary's hand opened.

The scythe that devoured spirits and magical energy alike, conferring inhuman strength on its wielder, was not Add's true form. No, the fake intelligence that was Add only existed as a temporary seal to stop the degradation of the weapon's Mystery in the first place.

The Restraints of the Round Table were released one by one.

The enemy must be more powerful than oneself, check.

The battle must be one-on-one, check.

The enemy must not be an elemental, check.

The battle must be one against evil, check.

The battle must not involve personal gain, check.

The battle must not be inhumane, check.

The battle must be for truth, check.

The battle must be to live, check.

The battle must save the world, che- denied.

One's comrades-in-arms should be courageous, denied.

The battle must be an honorable one, denied...

-All at once, over half the restraints were released.

The Grim Reaper's Scythe had fully deployed. In a way that didn't seem to be physically possible, the scythe had twisted and changed shape, taking its true form as a spear.

No, that wasn't quite right. The heroic, noble magical energy pouring off of it made it clear that this was not just a spear. It was on a completely different scale. It was like a tower standing at the end of the world, a crystallized Mystery proving that countless legends, countless myths, were true.

It was the end of the story.

The accursed yet divine spear, decorating the end of the legend of King Arthur.

Softly, the true name of that weapon left the young girl's lips.

"Let light be released from the Ends of the World. It shall split the heavens, and connect the land-"

The time had come.

The divine spear warped and shuddered.

Unable to resist the vortex of swirling magical energy, the entire city shook in fear. Though it was built only to respond to waves of sound, the sheer amount of magical energy was forcibly drawing a reaction out of it.

The manifestation that drew in all Mana from the surrounding environment was like disaster incarnate. That level of magical energy, concentrated to the absolute limit, could be felt like an extreme heat.

"Anchor of the Storm! Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World!"

Even though it was night, it was as if the Sun had suddenly risen, as if a piece of the Sun had fallen down amongst them, a brilliant crimson spiral. The magical energy, and even the water vapor that hung in the air were burned and boiled away, the flash of light from the Age of Gods riding forth like a mounted tyrant.

"Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia!"

At the the same time the spiraling light descended on Fenric, a golden scabbard appeared in his hands and the world was drowned by the radiance of the Holy Lance that fastens reality and illusion together.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!

The entire city was consumed by a dazzling brilliance. The houses were destroyed, the historical Smederevo Fortress was obliterated instantly, and the roads were turned into blocks before burning away to nothingness.

"Haah, haah, haah." After a few seconds, a heavily panting Canary moved down the ruined region and searched for the man who she tried to kill. "Where is he...?" She scanned the wreckage and found nothing buried below them.

"Is he... dead?" She stared at the devastated city and then at her own hands. "Just... just what have I done...? I-"

"Lie down, idiot." A knifehand strike came from behind her and immediately knocked the young girl out. The assailant caught the falling figure and picked her off the ground. "That was dangerous... I might have temporarily died if I didn't have Avalon." Fenric glanced at the unconscious Canary and then at the razed Smederevo.

"...However, that's enough bloodshed for tonight." He sighed and whispered a couple of indecipherable words into the young girl's ear. "Forget everything about me, forget what you've seen today, forget all the horrible experiences you've went through for the past two months, and return to your hometown, Canary Pendragon."

The next moment, an ash-white wyvern was summoned. It crouched down behind his master and roared in delight as it ignored the awful scenery around them. "Please drop her off at a remote coast of England, Zeru." Fenric stated and fed his familiar a large piece of meat.

The wyvern roared and nodded. It then grabbed the young girl with its leg's claws and flew up to the sky towards the northwest direction. Seeing that his familiar was following his order, Fenric sighed once more and checked the bird cage he took from the fainted girl.

The Mystic Code within the bird cage was silent. Without warning, it gave out a radiant light and a pure white lance was revealed. Fenric clasped the Holy Lance in his hand gazed at it with admiration.

The next moment, a golden scabbard came out of his body and a dark purple sword materialized in his other hand. They all glowed and resonate with each other for a while before finally settling down.

For being accepted by an artifact, you have gained the Noble Phantasm: [Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World A++]

[Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World]

Rank: A++

Type: Anti-Fortress

Classification: Noble Phantasm

Effect: Worlds fastening, Divine Spirit ascension, Thirteen Restraints liberation

Prerequisite: Fenric von Leiqritus, Artoria Pendragon

Description: The Holy Lance of King Arthur. Also known as Ron, it is regarded in the same light as the Holy Lance Longinus that pierced the Messiah around the 1st Century AD. An anchor of storm that fastens the planet together. A Divine Construct armament. Rhongomyniad is regarded as the "spear of the end", the light of destruction coming down from the heavens. Originally, this Holy Lance is a "pillar of light" that fastens together the two sides of the World itself: the outer layer of the World (reality) and the Reverse Side of the World (illusion). It has been said that, in the unlikely event that this is undone, reality will be torn off from the surface of the World to reveal the Reverse Side of the World, re-enacting the Age of Gods. The Restraints of the Round Table has been permanently released with the assistance of Avalon and Arondight.

"So it really did react to Avalon and Arondight, and responded by guiding Canary to me."

You have gained the Skill: [Blessings from the Ends of the World EX]

[Blessings from the Ends of the World]

Rank: EX

The skill automatically given to the wielders of Rhongomyniad since the one who possesses the Holy Lance that exists as an anchor to the planet, is receiving divine protection from the Farthest Ends itself.

At this rank, other than Mana and Luck, all parameters temporarily rank up during battle.

The Skill gave 10 additional points to Strength, Endurance, and Agility during combat. Unfortunately, he could not dual wield it with Arondight because of the weapon's larger size. On the bright side, Rhongomyniad wasn't needed to be equipped since the Skill is passive.

"Um? This feeling... What is this..."

You have gained the Reality Marble: [?: ?]

'Oh... Aha. Ahaha. Ahahaha... I am really drifting further away from reality, aren't I?' The Third Magician smiled wryly and looked at the ruined city for one last time before leaving. "...I can't really report this to the Association, can I?"

Reality Marble Manifestation: 0.5%

-x-X-x-

"Please submit the full report within forty eight hours."

"Understood." I nodded and left the office room. Walking to the corridor of the Clock Tower, I observed the new batch of freshmen hanging out around the core garden. They sure are carefree, well, they won't be smiling as genuinely as now when they discover the darkness of this place.

A week has passed, and the events of Smederevo sent waves throughout the Mage's Association as they scrambled around to find the culprit behind an entire city's destruction. Technically, the whole city wasn't destroyed, but the center and the more important facilities were all annihilated.

Without the means and resources to operate, the city cannot function normally. The surviving residents living there all have their memories wiped and coerced to become human sacrifices in the Magi's revolting experiments.

The damage control was performed by both the Association and the Holy Church. For once, the two organizations decided to cooperate with each other and search for any evidence the perpetrator may have missed.

Of course, me, the Enforcer who was on an assignment 'near' the region was called to office and forced to make an account of what I've seen. It wasn't a problem at all, I merely gave them a description filled with 70% truth and 30% lies.

After all, it's always effective when you hide the truth in lies.

"I saw a massive spiral of light descending on the city while I was on the way to it since the intelligence I have received proved that Richard Wunderwether was heading towards the city of Smederevo with a group of accomplices."

I was let go after half an hour of questioning. What did they expect? A newbie Enforcer who clearly got his position and rank through family connections managed to unleash an attack that ruined an entire city? Ha, no one would believe that.

Though thanks to that, I must return to Yugoslavia again after I submit the complete report because they wanted someone who has seen the 'spiraling light that should only exist in legends' to be on site.

I am also known to be quite adept at Formalcraft, so they probably just needed someone who can collect the ambient Mana seeing that the magical energy level around Smeredevo was at an all time low. Well, it's reasonable since you can't perform Magecraft properly without enough Prana.

I'll be very busy starting in three days and Charlotte won't be able to see me for at least two weeks. Ah, poor Charlotte, having such an unreasonable brother must be really tiring. Don't worry, I'll always be 'watching'.

Rhongomyniad has been quiet and it obeyed every command I gave. I was surprised when I discovered that the Restraints of the Round Table have all been nullified with the assistance of my other two Noble Phantasms from the Arthurian legend.

Nevertheless, the Holy Lance is going to make me a Divine Spirit if I don't set up a countermeasure. It's not that I don't appreciate becoming one of them, but it's too early for me right now... It should stop if I order it to, right?

As for the Reality Marble that popped out of nowhere... I think I know what it is seeing that its manifestation has been increasing at a rapid rate. The 'world' itself is expanding and transforming steadily, and should reach its peak in two decades.

That world... it's the dream that we once chased after.

That Paradise, that Garden of Eden everyone sees in their dreams. A world where utopia exists and a world where the natural causes take itself to its highest heights. The land, the sea, the sky, they are similarly blessed with eternal favors of Mother Earth as they sing the hymns of happiness.

I really wish to see that dream in person.

In any case, it's finally time to start creating a spare body that I can switch to when mine dies. I'll make it has the appearance of a human, with the inner structures of Phantasmal Species, and the charisma of a god. It'll basically be a homunculus with the status of both human and the inhumans.

Hmm, I do have the DNA of Canary. Yes, she'll do. It'll also be easier to disguise as someone relating to the King of Knights if I were to look like her. Additionally, I should start developing Mystic Eyes as well since they'll help and act as a deterrence. So...

...will you accept my apology for messing with your lineage, Artoria?