Magician in Type-Moon

Page 207

"Stop, let me speak." Orange pinched Matou Ike's wrist hard and continued, "So you connected it to that guy Araya Souren? Are you now wondering what kind of shady plan that guy and Araya have behind it all?"

Matouike simply nodded this time without replying.

Orange's dance moves were so energetic that they were about to shake his brain fluid out.

He never expected that Orange would have such achievements in dancing.

"But so what?" Orange suddenly asked.

Aozaki Touko really dislikes Matou Ike's appearance; she looks just too much like she did back then.

At that time, she was like a hungry cheetah. Whenever she caught the slightest clue about her target, she would throw herself into it wholeheartedly. Neither danger nor temptation could shake her determination.

How similar is she to Matou Ike now, having once pursued the power of magic?

However, such pursuit will only slowly erase the personality that belongs to Matou Ike, falling into a spiral of contradictions and repetitions, and in the end, only an empty shell called a magician will remain.

How unfortunate it is to be ultimately controlled by one's own origins and obsessions!

Orange couldn't stand seeing this happen, so she wanted to correct the person named Matou Ike.

"Matou, the future is not something that can be determined. You, who have the ability to see the future, should know this better than I do, right?"

“That’s true.” Matou Ike nodded slowly.

"So what's there to worry about now that you're most concerned about—that Araya Sōren has gained the help of someone with future vision, ensuring that his plans always stay ahead of yours?"

Orange stared into Matou Ike's eyes and asked, as if she would throw Matou Ike out the window immediately if he didn't give her a satisfactory answer.

“I see, I understand.” Matou Ike smiled and looked at Aozaki Touko.

He understood what Aozaki Touko meant; she just didn't want him to be so impatient.

This has already been indicated by previous events.

After sending Ryougi Shiki home, Matou Ike received a message from Aozaki Touko that was not asking for help.

I simply gave him some information.

Especially after learning that Matou Ike's magic power had been depleted, Aozaki Touko directly forbade Matou Ike from going to provide support.

As a magician, Aozaki Touko certainly understands how arduous a mysterious battle that can exhaust a magician's magic power is.

It's not just a physical drain, but also a devastating blow to the mind and brain.

There are just so many things to think about.

And indeed, that has proven to be true.

Matou Ike has indeed been very tired these past few days, but time doesn't allow him to rest like this; he's like a machine that can't stop.

Even machines have a limited lifespan. A computer that has been running programs at an overclocked frequency for a long time needs to be shut down and given a break, let alone a person.

Moreover, Matou Ike doesn't only fall into this situation when there are clues.

Although he always said he wanted to be lazy, he was never idle at all.

The fact that they could use the great magic that Medea used in the final battle is the best proof of this.

Although they had acquired all of Medea's knowledge about magic, it was magic from the age of gods. To use it in modern times, they had to constantly deconstruct, reassemble, and simulate it.

It took step by step to replicate it, and during those two months, Kiriike's Deconstruction Mystic Eyes almost never stopped.

Even Orange got annoyed during that time, because Matou Ike was the only person she could discuss magic with.

In response, Orange even resorted to feigning illness.

As for tonight's banquet, when Orange brought Matou Ike here, she just wanted this guy in front of her to forget about those things and get some rest.

As the music gradually reached its climax, Orange suddenly pulled and tugged, and Matou Ike's figure began to move like a puppet in her hand.

"You'd better finish this dance with me, or you'll regret it," Orange said fiercely to Matou Ike.

As the music's rhythm quickened, Matou Ike and Touko's dance steps became more coordinated.

At that moment, their dance steps seemed to become the only order in this chaotic banquet.

As the music gradually drew to a close, the rhythm of the dance music became softer and slower.

Matou Ike and Aozaki Touko's dance steps also slowed down, as if they were turning the final waltz into an elegant painting.

As the last note faded, the music abruptly stopped.

At the very end, Orange spun gently and gracefully stopped her dance.

"How does it feel to forget your troubles?" Orange wiped the sweat from her forehead with one hand and patted Matou Ike on the shoulder.

"That's really good. Thanks to you, I've just figured out this guy's plan. I was overthinking things and confused myself."

Matou Ike answered with a smile, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he continued to communicate with the insects wriggling beneath the floor.

"Matou Ike! You bastard, you haven't been listening to me at all from the very beginning!!!"

Chapter 267 Piling Up Reality

"I can't see it! I can't see it! I just can't see it no matter what!"

Kuramitsu Ryuka hid in her cramped rented room, her eyes tightly closed, her hands trembling as she pressed them against her head.

The air was damp and oppressive. The room was dimly lit, with the only light coming from the faint streetlights outside the window, which shone through the newspaper-covered window and cast faint patches of light on the ground.

Although only a video was being played in the banquet hall, Kurami Ryuka remained focused on every real-world change there.

This is his inescapable fate, determined by his abilities—he must "build up" reality.

Reality is like a mathematical equation whose value is yet to be determined; the answer remains unresolved until the variables are filled in.

People can't even know exactly what they're trying to solve. However—once that value is determined, the answer will never change.

This is precisely the "future" that Kurami Ryukatsu, the bomb demon, sees.

To achieve the "successful future" he envisions, he must accurately fill in the numerical value called "reality" into the formula.

This was not of his free will. He had no way to incorporate personal interests, emotions, or optimistic predictions—all of which were meaningless to him.

That's right, once he sees the "correct answer," he won't take any wrong actions.

He was like an enslaved machine, a slave to a predetermined future, constantly shuttling between the present and the future, just to ensure that future came true.

Whether directly or indirectly, Kurami Ryuka must be "present" in person.

As a bomb-wielding maniac, he determines the future by measuring every element in reality, and even after seeing the outcome, he still wants to "witness" the moment it happens.

This is an absolute condition for the future to be established.

Araya Sōren's sponsorship gave him an even greater advantage—a familiar that allowed him to place his "eyes" on the scene.

Through this familiar, he was able to remotely monitor every move at the banquet, ensuring that the future he saw would unfold as planned.

And this makes his "presence on the scene" a conceptual assumption.

Now, his left eye's "action" sees that Matou Ike will realize in two minutes that something is wrong with the "dancers" around the venue.

At the same time, his right eye saw this result in the "future".

— Matou Ike did not die at this so-called banquet.

Because there isn't enough "reality" to back it up.

This means that no matter what he does now, he can't defeat that man named Matou Ike, that guy who stands under the night sky with countless shooting stars falling behind him, like a god.

Kurami Ryuka was somewhat agitated; he thought again of the sponsor's rejection of him.

"With your current abilities, you simply cannot deal with Matou Ike. Everything you see is based on your understanding of common sense."

"As for Matou Ike as a magician, he is an outsider to you, an abyss that you can never see clearly."

"I can give you all the information I know about him so you can try some things."

"Although I don't think you'll succeed, it would be good if you could buy me some time."

While the future we see now may indeed be like that, it's still incredibly frustrating.

Everything came true.

Who is he?

He is none other than Kurami Ryūka.

How could those eyes that can see the future possibly fail!

He is the true Camille of this world!

Kurami Ryūka activated the explosive device.

In less than a second, the magic bomb provided by Araya Sōren oxidized, creating a strong gust of hot air.

The enormous sound shook the surroundings, and the shockwave from the explosion prevented the thick smoke from spreading rapidly to the ground.

Matou Ike and Aozaki Touko were engulfed by the shockwave.

So far, everything has unfolded in accordance with the future that the bomb-wielding demon foresaw.

His ability to see the future never fails.

......

"What have you figured out now?" Aozaki Touko looked at Matou Ike's face with displeasure, and felt like punching him.

"Future vision isn't invincible, Miss Orange. Have you ever played any RPG games?" Matou Ike asked Orange in his mind.

"I've played it." Aozaki Touko nodded dejectedly.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Matou Ike continued:

"Then you should know that most RPG games on the market today have main storylines that are basically about 'heroes' and 'demon kings'."

“In the background setting of every game like this, there is basically a prophecy that goes like this: ‘The hero will defeat the demon king and bring peace back to the continent of xx.’”

Matou Ike paused, sensing the gathering of insects under her feet, and after confirming the situation, continued:

"But a 'hero' can't defeat a 'demon king' with his bare hands; he needs companions, levels, equipment, or even some special items."

"Only when all the conditions are met can the 'hero' accomplish what was prophesied, namely, 'defeat the Demon King'."

"This is what is called a prerequisite."