154 Subjugation

At the heart of the area engulfed by the Child of Einnashe, the twisted forest continued to close in from all directions, its relentless assault unending.

"This is never-ending. This forest is determined to devour us," Aoko Aozaki muttered, her voice heavy as she observed the waves of attacks crashing toward them for what felt like the hundredth time.

"If we keep dragging this out, it won't end well."

"Aoko... you should take Shiki and leave. Don't worry about me."

Aoko had the strength to escape if she truly wanted to. The forest wouldn't be able to stop her. Alice Kuonji knew this. She knew Aoko was staying, fighting this hopeless battle, solely because of her.

They could leave, but the mansion behind them—her mother's most precious gift—could not. Alice couldn't bring herself to abandon it, even if it meant dying alongside it. But Aoko and Shiki had no reason to risk their lives for her sake. She was the one holding them back...

"Alice, what nonsense are you spouting?" Aoko shot her a glare, her tone laced with irritation as she continued to fend off the encroaching forest.

"We're best friends. If I abandoned you over something like this, what kind of friend would I be?"

"It's just a stupid forest! I'll wipe it out in one go! Being a Magician isn't just for show, you know!"

With that, Aoko raised her hand, forming a finger-gun gesture, and unleashed a devastating magical blast that tore through a large swath of the forest. Her crimson hair fluttered in the wind stirred by the explosion, her eyes filled with determination. As long as she stood there, not a single branch would reach her friends.

"...Idiot. Stop talking nonsense."

Meanwhile, Shiki, who had retreated to the second line of defense, glanced at Alice, who was visibly drained from the constant magical exertion. She helped her into the mansion to rest.

"Instead of worrying about that, focus on recovering. We don't know how long we'll have to hold out before he arrives."

Though Shiki wasn't close to Alice—they had only met a few times—she wasn't the type to abandon a comrade. Thanks to Avalon, her injuries had mostly healed, and she was ready to continue fighting. However, the forest was a poor match for her abilities. While the vines she cut would wither and die, the sheer scale of the forest made her efforts feel insignificant. Venturing deeper would only invite ambushes from all sides, so she heeded Aoko's advice and stayed back, not wanting to burden the team.

If she had wanted to escape, she would have done so the moment she crawled out of the river. Instead, she had followed the flames and vines all the way here.

"...Thank you," Alice murmured softly as she watched Shiki's retreating figure.

Shiki tightened her grip on her dagger and continued to guard the perimeter of the mansion.

Despite her bravado, Aoko was growing increasingly frustrated. The forest's attacks were becoming more frequent, and though her magical blasts kept them at bay, the relentless assault was wearing her down.

While the Child of Einnashe didn't completely sever the connection to the greater source of magical energy like the true Forest of Einnashe, it still made drawing upon it incredibly difficult. This inferior version of a Reality Marble severely limited Alice's abilities as a traditional witch. She couldn't risk sending her hounds into the forest, knowing they would be devoured.

Using magical blasts to fend off such a monster was inefficient at best.

"Damn it, if only I had a Reality Marble of my own."

The more she fought, the more she thought of Roy's Reality Marble. The best way to counter a Reality Marble was with another—a clash of worlds that would neutralize the forest's oppressive effects. She had once been proud of her mastery of magical blasts and the Fifth Magic, believing few in the world could rival her. But Roy, Arcueid, and the Dead Apostle Ancestors had shown her just how naive that belief was.

Now, she was arguably the weakest among the current Magicians. Losing to Zelretch was one thing—he was a veteran far beyond her in experience. But Roy, a fellow inheritor of a Magic, had surpassed her by leaps and bounds. The Fifth Magic of the Aozaki family was no weaker than the Third, but she was the one who had fallen behind.

Aoko resolved to stop slacking off after this ordeal. She would dedicate herself to improving her magical prowess alongside Alice.

But first, they had to survive.

Whoosh—!!

As Aoko pondered her next move, a sudden sense of danger jolted her. The forest, sensing the absence of two fighters, launched a coordinated attack from all sides—beneath her feet, around her, and even from above.

"Damn it, you're really underestimating me!"

Aoko reacted instantly, raising her hand to unleash another magical blast.

"Need some help, Miss Aoko?"

A familiar voice, tinged with a hint of playfulness, reached her ears. She turned to see Roy standing behind her.

"You—"

Before she could question him, Roy smiled and reminded her, "Don't lose focus in battle, Miss Aoko. The attack's coming."

"Huh?"

The surging forest closed in, but before Aoko could fire her magical blast, Roy acted first. Mimicking her gesture, he formed a finger-gun and unleashed a devastating blast of his own.

"Full power - Magic Bullet!"

The attack was simple, almost effortless, but its power was on par with Aoko's own. The incoming vines were obliterated in an instant, their remnants scattering to the ground.

"How's that? My magic bullet isn't too shabby compared to the Magician of the Fifth Magic's, right?"

"Barely passable. But who asked for your help? I could've handled this myself."

"Magic Bullet!"

Not to be outdone, Aoko fired several cyan magical bullets, clearing the rest of the forest in the vicinity.

"The Child of Einnashe within a 500-meter radius has been cleared."

Roy activated his Mystic Eyes to gauge the distance, then turned and waved to Shiki near the mansion.

"I'm here, Shiki."

Aoko, Shiki, and Alice's magical signatures were all present, but Touko's was nowhere to be found.

Had she died? Or was she lost somewhere in the forest? It didn't matter. As long as the three of them were safe, Touko could always revive by transferring to a new body.

"You're late..."

Seeing Roy, the weight pressing on Shiki's heart finally lifted. Just his presence brought her a sense of calm, a feeling that everything would be alright.

Roy then turned to Aoko. "Can you still fight?"

"Who do you think I am? Don't underestimate me!"

"Good. Since you've still got some fight left, let's end this quickly. We'll wipe out this forest in one go."

"Wipe it out in one go?"

Aoko understood his plan immediately. "You're planning to destroy the entire Child of Einnashe?"

"Exactly. For a monster rooted in the leyline, this is the simplest and most effective solution."

"Though to clarify, this isn't the true Forest of Einnashe. It's just a monster grown from its fruit, feeding on the leyline to reach this size."

"But how? I've already tried large-scale bombardment to clear a path, but the forest just regenerates."

"Since it's rooted in the leyline, it's tough to deal with, but I have a solution."

Roy explained his plan. "Now that I've located you, I can unleash a large-scale destructive attack. We don't need to completely destroy it—just trigger a violent reaction."

"A violent reaction?"

"Yes. Once the Child of Einnashe goes berserk, I'll use my Reality Marble to drag the entire forest inside. In that world, there's no leyline to sustain it."

"Merem told me that while the Child of Einnashe shares similarities with the true Forest of Einnashe, it consumes all its stored magical energy at once and disappears after a single use. If we cut off its connection to the leyline, it'll die quickly."

"Use a Reality Marble to envelop and sever the entire forest's magical supply? Are you serious?"

Aoko was skeptical. The forest spanned roughly seven kilometers. If she launched a large-scale attack, it would provoke a fierce counterattack from the forest. Could Roy really cover such a vast area with his Reality Marble?

It sounded impossible...

"Well..."

"Using a Reality Marble on this scale is a first for me. While it's theoretically possible, there might be some issues in practice."

"If something goes wrong, I'll leave it to you to handle, Miss Aoko. Take care of Shiki and Alice for me."

"I'll handle the rest."

"Alright, I'll trust you on this."

Though she still resented Roy for surpassing her, she knew he was ridiculously strong. For now, she had no choice but to rely on him.

"Since the plan's set, let's get started."

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