Aozaki Aoko Case File [196]

Credits: Mürsel Kenan

Ciel struggled to her feet, transforming the Seventh Holy Scripture in her hand into the shape of a strangely designed greatsword. Gasping heavily, she faced Roa.

"Did you know that this guy has been preparing for you for a long time?" Roa patted his chest with an amused expression. "He's been equipped with plenty of tools designed specifically to counter your immortality. This puppet is just one of them. The Holy Church has been quietly preparing for you for years, you know!"

Ciel didn't respond. To her, Roa's attempt to sow discord was meaningless. She had long been aware of the Church's preparations against her, as she had never been trusted.

But Ciel didn't care. Until she completed her revenge, her entire purpose in life was to utterly destroy Roa. She had no other desires or goals.

It could be said that Ciel, as a human, had no weaknesses other than her target of revenge—Roa. She wouldn't be emotionally swayed by anything else.

"You're such a boring woman," Roa clicked his tongue in disappointment. "But don't worry, I've prepared some other entertainment for you..."

With that, Roa clapped his hands, and a figure dressed in a nun's habit stepped forward.

"Se-senpai, save me!" cried Noel, tears streaming down her face, her expression filled with panic. However, her body was completely beyond her control—Roa was using Mario's Mystic Code, the Piano Machine, to manipulate her.

"Noel!" Ciel's eyes widened. Seeing her kouhai in such a state, she began to blame herself. She had naively thought that, since Noel wasn't in the chapel, she might have escaped harm.

"What a touching reunion," Roa said mockingly, spreading his hands. "But unfortunately, I'd much rather see the two of you slaughter each other. Blood makes such beautiful art, don't you think? Hahahahahaha!"

Ciel gritted her teeth. Due to the long-term torture she had suffered at the hands of the Church, her pain tolerance was extraordinarily high. A fatal wound, like having her heart pierced, was practically nothing to her.

However, her heart hadn't fully regenerated yet, leaving her in a state of severe blood loss. This caused Ciel to feel dizzy and faint. Even though she had enhanced her physical abilities with magecraft, her combat strength was significantly diminished.

Roa, ever the opportunist, took full advantage of Ciel's weakened state. He didn't even bother to confront her directly. Instead, he manipulated the sobbing Noel to wield a bizarrely designed halberd and fight Ciel.

Noel's greatest asset as an Executor apprentice was this halberd. Made from a special metal, it weighed a full ton, but thanks to enchantments, the wielder felt only a fraction of that weight. With training and reinforcement, Noel could barely manage to use the weapon.

However, as Ciel clashed blades with Noel, she felt an unprecedented heaviness. This was the combined result of the halberd's inherent weight and her current injuries.

Ciel clenched her teeth and fought cautiously. At this point, her immediate goal was no longer to kill Roa. To turn the tide, save Noel, and finish off Roa, she needed to find an opportunity to escape and contact the Aozaki sisters—that was her only chance at victory.

But if she left now, Noel would undoubtedly meet a horrible fate. Knowing Roa's twisted sense of nature, Ciel feared that Noel might even be turned into a Dead Apostle.

Resolving herself, Ciel tensed her muscles and forcibly endured a strike from Noel's halberd. Using the momentum of the attack, she burst through the chapel's glass window, pulling Noel out with her using magecraft.

Roa frowned and moved to pursue them, intent on finishing Ciel off. However, Ciel quickly switched the Seventh Holy Scripture into rifle mode and shot Noel's limbs, breaking her arms and legs. The resulting explosion created a massive cloud of dust.

When Roa emerged from the chapel, he waved his hand to disperse the smoke, only to find that both Ciel and Noel had vanished.

His expression darkened as he turned back, sealing the chapel doors and repairing the shattered window. He then used magecraft to lock down the entire building.

...

"Ciel-senpai, it hurts..." Noel's tears and blood soaked through Ciel's back as she carried her.

The halberd had been discarded in an inconspicuous location. Noel whimpered weakly, "Why... why did this have to happen...?"

"Hang in there," Ciel said, sweating profusely. She had already sent a message to Aoko Aozaki through magecraft. If Aoko received it, she should arrive at one of their prearranged rendezvous points soon. "Miss Touko's healing magic will save you. Even if you die, she can get you a new body. You can even adjust your figure if you want!"

"Re-really?" Noel asked faintly, a glimmer of hope in her voice. She seemed to muster some strength at the thought. "Maybe... make my chest a bit bigger... not too much, just a little..."

Her voice grew weaker and weaker. Without any regenerative abilities, her consciousness was rapidly fading due to severe blood loss.

Ciel knew the location of the new hotel where the Aozaki sisters were staying. She was heading there now, but the hotel was quite far from the Church, and they hadn't had time to grab a car during their escape.

...

"Huh?" Aoko stood up from the sofa as soon as she received Ciel's message. "Touko, Arcueid, we've got a new job."

"Hm?" Touko, who had just taken off her coat, looked puzzled. "Didn't we just finish dealing with three Ancestors? What now?"

"We might have found Roa," Aoko replied bluntly. "Ciel sent a distress signal. Roa's latest reincarnation is someone within the Church. He ambushed her, and she's seriously injured."

Arcueid, who had been sipping soda nearby, immediately stood up, her face cold and filled with rage.

Without needing further explanation, the True Ancestor Princess was ready to set out and kill the Serpent of Akasha.

Aoko didn't waste time. She called Touko and Arcueid to her side and immediately cast a teleportation spell, using the tracking spell she had placed on Ciel to transport them to her location.