Aozaki Aoko Case File [254]

This place felt as if it were deep under the ocean, where some force had forcibly pushed the seawater aside to create an empty space.

Beneath Aoko's feet was a bottomless expanse of seawater, yet she could stand upon it as if walking on solid ground.

As Aoko looked around, Touko reverted to her adult form. While tidying her robe, she observed the surroundings alongside Aoko.

Below them lay the sea, and several hundred meters above, an inverted sea surface glowed with an eerie luminescence. Judging by the shifting light patterns, waves continued to flow upon that surface.

"What do you think those pipes are?" Touko asked, gazing at the massive pipes that protruded from the sea above. "Are they the remnants of some creature, or channels meant for transporting something?"

"Regardless of what they're used for, I have a feeling the owner of this place isn't happy to see us," Aoko replied, leveling her gaze toward the distant reaches of the space. "Looks like we'll have to fight."

Touko did not respond to Aoko's words. The situation had already become obvious: in the distance, beyond a forest formed by countless petrified fingers, a strange being began to awaken in response to the intruders.

What kind of existence was this?

Its gray skin was slightly rough, and along its sides grew eight pairs of elongated fingers, which served as its means of movement. Its tail consisted of two interwoven, spiraling fingers, as though holding something invisible at their tips.

And its head... was also a finger. The surface of the head-finger bore intricate, bizarre fingerprints, and at the very center of its finger pad was a tiny wart-like eye, staring intently at the uninvited guests—the Aozaki sisters.

The fingers could not produce sound, yet they conveyed meaning effortlessly. The fingers wriggled stubbornly, transmitting countless thoughts.

Aoko could not hear any audible voice from what was likely the "Mother of Fingers," yet both she and Touko could easily understand its emotions—fury. But the anger was not directed at them.

Were they merely collateral targets of its rage? As Aoko contemplated the situation, she swiftly cast multiple buffs upon herself. Meanwhile, Touko had once again transformed into a golden giant wolf, her shimmering golden fur inscribed with glowing Runes.

"It's coming!"

At Aoko's low warning, the Mother of Fingers' eye on its head-finger emitted a pale pinkish-red beam. The beam shot straight toward Aoko, but instead of blocking it, she immediately entered Redshift mode to evade the attack.

At the same time Aoko was targeted, Touko transformed into a golden whirlwind and charged forward. The chubby cat, Cheshire, melted into a large shadow, launching an attack from another direction.

Aoko had not attempted to defend against the attack because she didn't have enough time to cast a spell strong enough to withstand the beam.

With a light leap, she soared through the air using Swift Flight, maintaining concentration while simultaneously casting her second spell—Mordekainen's Sword.

A translucent longsword materialized in midair. It emitted a faint glow, circling Aoko and trembling slightly, poised to strike.

Aoko then used her Mark of Law, autonomously summoning a multitude of spherical magic projectiles that hovered in midair.

After dodging another beam from the Mother of Fingers, Aoko extended her right hand forward. A barrage of blue magic bullets streaked across the sky, leaving countless azure trails as they hurtled toward the massive creature.

Meanwhile, Mordekainen's Sword maneuvered into a cunning angle, preparing to strike from the shadows and deliver a ruthless blow to this monster's fingers.

As Aoko launched her attack, Touko was already engaged in combat.

Perhaps the golden wolf form optimized her offensive capabilities—Touko now resembled a golden tempest, dashing through the battlefield. Countless Glintstone swords and Rune-infused wind blades tore into the Mother of Fingers, leaving wound after wound. Yet the creature's attacks failed to match Touko's speed.

Just as Touko prepared to unleash another strike, she suddenly sensed a chilling drop in temperature. Without hesitation, she dragged the ravenous Cheshire back, retreating from the battlefield.

Aoko's magic bombardment resembled a fleet of bombers dropping multiple heavy explosives. A series of shockwaves rippled outward from the Mother of Fingers' body, forcing Touko to shut her eyes against the blinding light. The chubby cat, Cheshire, swiftly transformed into a liquid-like shadow, hiding within Touko's golden fur.

The destructive power of these spherical magic bullets came from Aoko's adaptation of her frequently used high-speed magical compression. By modifying its principles, she applied it to these magic bullets, turning them into bombs capable of "stabilizing and compressing massive amounts of magical energy through internal rotation." This was one of the results of her research into numerical magic.

Each of these magic bullets, upon impact and detonation, could unleash enough power to severely wound a standard Servant.

Yet Aoko remained vigilant, pouring even more focus into controlling Mordekainen's Sword, aiming to capitalize on the chaos and sever the Mother of Fingers' head-finger to end the battle swiftly.

However, the Mother of Fingers would not be defeated so easily.

An intense fluctuation of space-time erupted from the center of the explosion. All the smoke and Glintstone magic residue swirled into a vortex, sucked into a void.

The Mother of Fingers' figure reappeared before the Aozaki sisters.

Though it looked somewhat battered, its body showed no significant damage—meaning Aoko's devastating attack had failed to deliver a decisive blow.

Aoko's normally unstoppable force-field magic, Mordekainen's Sword, now hovered just beyond the Mother of Fingers' back, unable to advance further. The only things capable of causing such an effect were another force-field magic, divine power, or a space-time barrier.

At that moment, the Mother of Fingers floated in midair, stretching out all its fingers. Its arms spread wide as if welcoming something. Between the two spiraling fingers of its tail, a spherical object began to manifest.

Aoko and Touko instantly recognized what it was.

It bore an uncanny resemblance to the illusory microcosm summoned by Ymir's magic.

But the difference was clear—Ymir's spell merely simulated a miniature universe using Glintstone magic, while the sphere in the Mother of Fingers' grasp might very well be the actual object of that simulation—a genuine microcosm.

This also explained why Mordekainen's Sword still felt as if it were flying rapidly toward the Mother of Fingers in Aoko's perception, yet visually appeared motionless—the space-time around it had been distorted and stretched.

As long as that barrier remained intact, Mordekainen's Sword would never strike its target.

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