Magician in Type-Moon

Page 6

In an instant, the six scythe-like forelimbs slashed down toward his head.

With a ripping sound, Matou Ike didn't have time to react before his head and two arms were swiftly severed, and his body was cut into four pieces from top to bottom, as smoothly as scissors cutting through paper.

Strangely, not a single drop of blood splattered from Matou Ike's corpse. Instead, it gradually disintegrated, transforming into clumps of demonic worms. It turned out that this was merely a false clone; the true Matou Ike's whereabouts remained unknown.

Seeing this, Zouken Matou narrowed his eyes, certain that the Matou pond that had arrived here at the beginning was the real one.

So, when did this corpse begin to be replaced by clones? Although he was certain that Matou Ike wouldn't die easily at the hands of this scythe demon, he didn't expect to avoid the attack in this way.

Zouken Matou didn't seem overly concerned about the current situation; instead, he urgently summoned the insects scattered throughout the insect house.

He knew that when the insects formed a circle around him, the battle would be decided.

At this moment, Matou Ike was intently observing the "Scythe Demon" who had just killed "him".

This is a chimera composed of genes from multiple insect species; Matouchi had never seen this new species in the insect house before. It seems that it's a new variant that the old insect breeders have been cultivating recently.

Matou Ike observed the entire process of the scythe demon attacking the demon worm's clone without missing a single detail.

It possesses at least three solidified characteristics: [aura concealment], [body concealment], and [sharpness].

Observing the old bug's direction again, judging from the traces of magic flow, there were at least two more scythe demons beside him.

"This is indeed a bit tricky," Matou Ike muttered to himself, while simultaneously mobilizing his fire ants for a new offensive, hoping to force out the scythe demons beside Matou Zouken.

Although Zouken Matou had erected three or more layers of protection around himself, the berserk Winged Blade Insects were still able to tear open a brief opening. This was enough time for the Fireball Ants to fly in.

After seven or eight fire ants broke through, they did not explode immediately. Instead, they continued to break through towards Matou Zouken's position from various directions. These fire ants were given a magic spell that allowed them to share a sense of perception.

Suddenly, the Fireball Ants seemed to encounter some kind of obstacle in their advance. Without hesitation, Matou Ike ordered the Fireball Ants to self-destruct, even though the magic of shared perception had not yet been interrupted.

After the fire ants self-destruct, a dazzling burst of flame erupted, instantly incinerating the surrounding swarm of insects into ashes.

Within the flames, three enormous scythe demons appeared, emanating a powerful surge of magical energy.

Despite being affected by the fire ants' self-destruction, Matouchi calmly observed the scene before him, knowing that these scythe demons were the culprits hindering the fire ants' progress.

Despite the flames having burned away the surrounding swarm of insects, the Scythe Demon, despite being partially scorched by the flames and corroded by the formic acid from the fireballs, still steadfastly guarded Zouken Matou's side.

This was a golden opportunity; with the defenses further weakened, Matouike did not hesitate.

【Strahlender Kanone!】

He decided to take a more radical approach. Matou Ike unleashed powerful magic, and a magic circle appeared in front of him. Dozens of magic bullets poured out from it like a torrential rain, each strike containing magic with the power to kill.

This falls into the category of grand magic, representing the most powerful offensive magic that Matou Ike can unleash. To activate this magic, a simple magic circle and a Tencount are required, which means a magic incantation containing more than ten words is needed.

Because grand magic tricks possess immense power, they require incantation time.

Even magicians who have been granted the highest honors by the Clock Tower need a full minute to prepare this magic trick.

However, Matou Ike, who possesses the Mystic Eyes of Deconstruction, has become so proficient in this magic that he can prepare in advance and release it when needed.

The scythe demon sensed the threat immediately and retaliated, attempting to cleave the incoming magic bullets with its scythe.

Unfortunately, its physical strength was insufficient to support it in performing such a feat.

As the Scythe Demon tried to block the magic bullet, Zouken Matou realized the seriousness of the threat and began to mobilize the surrounding swarm of insects, attempting to build a more robust defense.

Matou Ike stared intently at the trajectory of the magic bullets. As one magic bullet after another rained down on the scythe demon that was blocking Matou Zouken's path, clouds of blood mist rose and flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

However, according to the perception of magic, Zouken Matou's aura remained in a good state.

So what Matou Ike needed to do at this moment was to increase the output power of magic. As the incantation continued, the light of the magic circle became more and more dazzling, and the magic bullets drew flashing trajectories in the air, like a starry night sky.

Suddenly, a thick shadow fell on Matou Ike's face again. It was the scythe demon that had appeared first; after its failed ambush of Matou Ike, it had once again slipped into the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity. For it, this was the perfect moment.

But how could Matou Ike, who had witnessed the scythe demon assassinate his "clone," be unprepared? He immediately sensed the danger in the shadows and swiftly dodged the scythe demon's attack.

Then, Matou Ike drew his "Little Helper," selected the [Spirit Suppression Bullet], and fired three shots into the head of the Scythe Demon.

The magical organs of insect familiars are generally located in the brain, which is also where the familiar and the insect familiar establish a connection. The characteristics of the [Spirit Suppression Bullet] can interfere with the connection of magical power.

As the scythe demon fell, Matou Ike felt a sharp pain in his head.

His magic power was nearly exhausted. Although he had been constantly draining the magic power from the demon worm, due to last night's spirit summoning ritual and today's series of battles, his magic power had been fluctuating between depletion and recovery.

Now all that's left is to deal with Zouken Matou. The defensive line of scythe demons protecting Zouken Matou has been destroyed by the powerful magic attack, leaving only shards scattered on the ground.

His swarm is still gathering and cannot form new defenses in an instant.

All I have left are one [Phosphorus Fire Bomb], one [Spirit Suppression Bomb], and the enhanced magic runes on my legs.

If I were to extract my own life force and convert it into magic power, it would only be enough for one enhanced spell in a short time, and there's still the magic worms that just dispersed...

But the opportunity to win has already appeared at this moment; this is my only chance.

Gathering his strength, he tensed his leg muscles and leaped. There were no more insects between Matou Pond and Matou Zouken; only the remaining fragments of arthropods remained.

If I could just get to him, even a fist wrapped only in magic would be enough to utterly destroy the old bug.

In this struggle, both sides may have forgotten that this was just a test; perhaps some still remember, but no one cares anymore.

They would never hold back as long as they had a chance to truly defeat their opponent. As for whether they might accidentally kill their opponent, both of them were top-tier insect users, and they were well aware of each other's survival abilities.

Just as Matou Ike was about to deliver the decisive punch to Matou Zouken, he suddenly froze. It was a spider web! A spider web that even Winged Blade Insects could easily break through, yet it had Matou Ike bound in place.

"Ike, you didn't expect that, did you? This spider silk has two forms." Matou Zouken said sarcastically, then scattered into a pile of insects to escape from the spot.

【Fesselnde Barriere!】

A binding barrier rose inside the insect chamber. This binding barrier was made up of demonic worms. Matou Ike had ordered the demonic worms to build it inside the insect chamber long ago, and it was only now that it was used to keep Matou Zouken in place.

【Starkung】

The power from the enhanced magic allowed Matou Ike to break free from the wire-like spiderweb. He raised his little helper, selected the [Phosphorus Fireball], and fired it at Matou Zouken.

Chapter 5 "A Chance Encounter" (Please add to your favorites! Please continue reading!)

Matou Ike stretched out in the bath, recalling his battle with Matou Zouken in the insect room.

Although the entire battle lasted no more than seven minutes, it gave Matou Ike a new understanding of battles between magicians—battles between magicians are actually an information war.

Especially in the final moments, recalling those scenes:

"When the phosphorescent bomb flew toward Zouken Matou, it was like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. In an instant, the insect hive was filled with raging flames and ear-piercing explosions."

"However, as the flames gradually subsided, Zouken Matou's figure was not completely destroyed. He stood there, his clothes charred black, but his eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light."

"The army that Matou Zouken had been roaming around the Mushi Room finally arrived at the battlefield and blocked the phosphorescent fireball that could decide the outcome for Matou Zouken."

"Matou Ike immediately tried to fire a second shot, this time choosing the [Spirit Suppression Bullet], which was the real fatal blow. Since the old insect's body had already transformed into a magical creature teeming with Crest Insects, the [Spirit Suppression Bullet]'s obstruction of magical energy flow was the most lethal thing for the old insect."

Suddenly, Matou Ike lost control of his limbs and fell to the ground.

"Zoken Matou once again used the hidden door he set up on Matou Ike. This is the eternal 'strong claim' of the major sect to the minor sect in the world of magic."

"Bang, the shot was finally fired. Matou Ike's body was not under his own control at this moment, but was controlled by the demonic worm inside his body."

"Zouken Matou's body, struck by the Spirit Suppression Bullet, disintegrated into countless insects. The insects tried to reassemble, and in the process, every time a clump of insects merged into the main body, another clump of insects fell off, emitting strange murmurs similar to insect chirps before slowly dying..."

......

Matou Ike shook his head, water droplets splashing from his hair, as if trying to shake off the pain in his mind.

Although each use of magic would cause a slight headache, the excruciating pain from the depletion of magic was something he could never get used to. It felt like a worm was writhing and crawling inside him. Perhaps the secret door that Zouken Matou left on Ike Matou was in his mind.

He stood up heavily from the bath, feeling dizzy. He had been soaking in the temperature-controlled water for a while, trying to relax and relieve the stress and fatigue from the previous battle, but it seemed he had been there for too long.

Matou Ike staggered to the mirror, looked at her slightly pale face, patted her cheeks, and tried to pull herself out of her "abnormal" state.

He casually picked up a dry towel, carefully wiped the water droplets off his body, then got dressed and walked to the bathroom door.

Although Matou Ike could use magic to more easily dry the water droplets on his body, he didn't like doing so. Another reason was that using magic caused him a slight headache.

Although he had become accustomed to this level of pain, being able to endure suffering is not something to be celebrated.

The bathroom's brass doorknob was slightly rusty, making a soft scraping sound. Matou Ike gently opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, feeling the wooden floor beneath his feet.

Sunlight streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, bathing everything in soft light and shadow. For Matou Ike, this quiet moment was his favorite, free from any disturbance, only tranquility and peace.

He walked to the window at the end of the corridor, stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The fatigue seemed to gradually dissipate, replaced by a sense of peace and refreshment.

"Phew~ I'm a little hungry." Matou Ike felt the movement in his stomach. The series of battles just now had depleted his stamina, and now he urgently needed to replenish it.

"Then let's go eat that." Matou Ike quickly made the decision, turned around, and walked up the stairs towards the outside.

Stepping out of the villa, one is greeted by a lush and verdant courtyard, with the fragrance of flowers and grass carried on the breeze. Who would have thought that beneath this beautiful scenery lies a filthy insect house?

Without much thought, Matouike headed straight for her destination, which was the border between Shinto and Fukayama-cho, near the Mien River.

A Chinese restaurant recently opened in that area, specializing in the famous Sichuan dish "Mapo Tofu".

This restaurant was discovered by Matou Ike when he was setting up his familiars for surveillance. He was hungry at the time and walked into the restaurant in a daze. He listened to the restaurant owner's recommendation and ordered a "spicy" version of Mapo Tofu.

What was served to him was "bright red like the echo of passion, spicy like the rhythm of life."

The tofu and fermented black beans were coated in a strange chili oil, steaming hot. Although it emitted a mouthwatering aroma, the chili oil, which seemed to have been stolen from a cauldron of purgatory, made people hesitate.

For a fleeting moment, Matou Ike even considered using magic to sneak away.

But in the end, he was swayed by the shopkeeper's eager gaze, closed his eyes, scooped out a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

This spoonful was like the first shot fired in Lexington, violently awakening a tongue that should have been dead, and the surge of delicious electrical signals short-circuited the ancient circuits.

Even though most of humanity in this world has long lost its faith, food still exists. Lord, is this the answer?

Matou Ike thought to himself.

This is a dish that coexists with the soul, but it deviates from the human body—on that day, the pale, melancholic, literary young man with blue curly hair became a quirky character with sausage lips.

Finally arriving at this breathtaking place, I pushed open the door, and a crisp doorbell rang out, followed by a warm "Welcome!" from inside.

"Is it Mr. Chi? Is it the same old three dishes again?"

The shopkeeper recognized him as soon as he entered Matou Pond, after all, he was one of the rarest repeat customers.

"Yes, extra-large 'spicy' Mapo Tofu, extra-large rice, and super-sized sundae."

"Ike-bye Matou answered, glancing around the shop. There was only one table with customers, and business was still so sluggish. After all, not everyone can appreciate this level of deliciousness."

The usually solitary Matou Ike surprisingly did not choose to sit in a secluded spot, but instead sat opposite the only customer in the shop.

Even in the middle of summer, this guest was still wearing a long black robe that covered his entire body, with a cross-shaped necklace hanging on his chest. In the secular world, this kind of attire is generally referred to as "priest".

"Hello, Matou Ike."