155 The Misaki Incident
High-Speed Divine Words!
Mana Reinforcement!
And then, the incantation began...
"Rise, Green Star, Silver Desert, under the Black Sun."
"Mercury, Gold, Philosopher's Stone, Pillar of Heaven. Unite the four points, and the miracle that descends will be your domain."
Roy's body floated in mid-air, his surging magical energy drawing the attention of the Forest of Einnashe. Despite the writhing forest closing in from all directions, his expression remained unflinching.
With a swift motion, he formed a series of hand seals, channeling his magical energy. The principles of the soul manifested at the intersection of his palms.
In the blink of an eye, as the forest surged toward him, Roy unleashed his most powerful spell.
"Heaven Hymn!"
There were no restrictions this time. Roy pushed his limits, expanding his Reality Marble to its fullest extent—encompassing the entire forest.
The expanding domain enveloped the Child of Einnashe, which had been enraged by the Magician of the Fifth Magic's assault, in an instant. The white and distorted spatial light left even Altrouge and her knights, observing from a distance, momentarily dazzled.
The white magical light painted a surreal image across the sky, visible to everyone within several kilometers.
This scene was nothing short of divine.
...
...
"Fall back!!"
Seeing the sudden expansion of the white domain, Altrouge immediately shouted to her two knights.
Reacting swiftly to their princess's command, the Black and White Knights channeled their magical energy and retreated at high speed, narrowly escaping the domain's pull.
"That was... too close!"
"He actually enveloped the entire forest in a Reality Marble?"
The White Knight, who had been closest to the domain, felt a lingering fear. If not for Altrouge's warning, he would have been dragged into the Reality Marble along with the Child of Einnashe. The sheer scale of what had just happened left him utterly stunned.
"What do you think?" Altrouge, the Black Princess of the Dead Apostles, asked her knights.
"Terrifying. It's beyond words. It doesn't feel like something a magus could achieve. It's more like..."
"Something only a god could do!"
They watched as the massive forest, spanning several kilometers in diameter, was engulfed by the blinding white light and vanished from sight, leaving only the scarred earth as evidence of its rampage.
In an instant, the entire forest had been uprooted.
"While the Child of Einnashe isn't on the same level as the true Forest of Einnashe's Reality Marble, it still functions as a degraded version of one. What he just did was essentially envelop one Reality Marble with another."
"And his Reality Marble has a capture range spanning several kilometers!!"
The Black Knight pondered for a moment before offering his analysis.
"When two Reality Marbles collide, the outcome depends on which one has the overwhelming advantage. His Reality Marble completely overpowered the Child of Einnashe's internal world."
"We couldn't do something like this. While we have countless ways to kill the Child of Einnashe, directly overwhelming it with a Reality Marble is beyond us."
The White Knight, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"This man's power is terrifying. With strength like this, he could overturn the world's order. Just who is he?"
"Indeed. It seems my foolish sister has stumbled upon quite the treasure this time."
"Princess, should we go down and meet him...?"
"No need. My visit was merely out of curiosity about Arcueid's schemes. Now that Roa's matter is resolved, she won't linger in the outside world for long. I have no desire to see her yet."
"Besides..."
Altrouge's gaze shifted warily to the spot where the white light had vanished. Though it had only been a fleeting moment, and even her knights hadn't noticed, she had sensed it—his hostility toward her.
He had detected their presence but was preoccupied with the Child of Einnashe. The sudden expansion of the white light wasn't accidental; he had genuinely intended to drag her and her knights into his Reality Marble.
Fortunately, her reflexes were sharp. The moment she sensed his hostility, she immediately retreated with her knights beyond the domain's reach.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Though she couldn't fathom what lay within that white light, she had no desire to risk her life to find out. Once trapped inside, escape would no longer be in her hands.
Having narrowly avoided disaster, Altrouge lost all interest in spectating further. She ordered her knights to prepare for their departure.
"Let's return. It's time to have a word with Ortenrosse about his little schemes."
"Yes..."
The Black and White Knights bowed their heads and followed Altrouge as she left.
The investigation had yielded clear results.
Her foolish sister had left the Millennium Castle after detecting the presence of Roa's latest reincarnation, leading her to this remote region in Japan.
As for Nrvnqsr and Vlov, they had been dispatched by Ortenrosse, to eliminate Arcueid and solidify his own position.
But now, Roa's latest reincarnation had been destroyed, and the other two Dead Apostle Ancestors had been confirmed dead.
The perpetrator?
Arcueid's protector in Japan
As for whether he would be granted the title of one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors...
—That remained to be decided.
...
...
Touko Aozaki felt she had been a bit unlucky lately.
She had come to Misaki City to assist her employer in hunting Dead Apostles, only to die twice without accomplishing anything.
The first death was due to her carelessness, falling victim to her foolish sister's sneak attack. Though she didn't mind much, given the pleasant memories she had gained from this trip, the second death was downright embarrassing.
She, a Grand Puppeteer and one of the most renowned magi in the world, had been killed by a landmine. Who would believe such a story?
Enough was enough. She had been careless, but now she was ready to return and settle the score.
However, upon her return, she realized her sense of time was slightly off.
Since she had used the nearest body for her first resurrection, her second revival point was farther than expected.
But this was no obstacle for her. After spending a considerable sum to secure passage, she boarded a high-speed train to Misaki City. She had died last night and arrived this morning—a mere dozen hours later.
Yet, in those short hours, Misaki City had undergone unimaginable chaos.
First, a massive fire and explosion had erupted in the eastern district, with cultists (Dead Apostles transformed by a curse) rampaging through the streets. Then, a rain of steel swords fell from the sky in the west, damaging buildings and turning the city's landmark into a pincushion.
But that wasn't all. Survivors from the eastern district claimed to have seen a superhero defeating monsters, leaving the police baffled. They attributed these accounts to hallucinations caused by toxic fumes from the fire, and the survivors were taken to the church for psychological counseling.
And then, the dense forest on the outskirts of Misaki City had vanished overnight, leaving only a scarred wasteland. Witnesses claimed to have seen the forest come alive, writhing like a giant serpent, before a white light engulfed it, causing it to disappear.
The police were at a loss.
The series of events had pushed the city's mayor, who was on the verge of retirement, to suffer a heart attack and collapse.
Those who had witnessed the truth were dismissed as having had vivid dreams and were sent to the church for counseling.
Though the severity of the incident had reached the highest echelons of power, causing outrage among the influential figures in the magical world, Merem and Ciel of the Burial Agency, along with other Executors, worked tirelessly through the night.
They rounded up the remaining Dead Apostles and most of the witnesses, handling the aftermath.
The cost of damages far exceeded the budget, leaving the Holy Church headquarters wondering if Merem and his team had dismantled an entire city.
However, upon learning that the incident involved multiple Dead Apostle Ancestors and the Child of Einnashe, and that Merem and Ciel had confirmed the deaths of Nrvnqsr Chaos (10th Seat) and Vlov Arkhangel (19th Seat) in Misaki City, the opposition within the Church fell silent.
Roa, being an EX-Seat with a history of multiple resurrections, was reported as having his current reincarnation confirmed dead, though no guarantees were made about his permanent elimination.
While the compensation costs were painful, the deaths of two Dead Apostle Ancestors were a significant victory. The Church was astounded by the events in Japan.
What on earth had happened in that city?
...
...
Due to the high death toll and the incident's massive impact, the Church explained to the public that a series of gas pipeline explosions, caused by poor maintenance, had led to the tragedy in Misaki City.
However, the detailed records were classified as top-secret within the Holy Church, accessible only to the Pope, members of the Burial Agency, and the Inquisition.
The higher-ups named this catastrophic event—
The Misaki Incident.
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