dmims Page 356
Page 356
Aozaki Aoko pouted and reluctantly began tidying up the counterfeit money on the coffee table.
When she touched the last one, her finger suddenly felt a sharp pain.
The edge of the banknote had somehow scratched her skin, and a drop of blood seeped out, spreading a small patch of dark red on the fluorescent intaglio printing.
"Damn it..."
Aozaki Aoko shook her hand and stuffed all the counterfeit money into her schoolbag.
She had just reached the entrance hall when Kuonji Yuju's voice drifted down from the second floor again.
"Don't do what you did last time, instinctively releasing your magic and turning it into an attack ball, like the one used by Tsukasa Shigo."
Aozaki Aoko made a face.
"I know, I know!"
She slammed the door shut, unaware that the counterfeit money in her bag was emitting a faint red glow.
On a tree-lined path on the outskirts of Misaki City, Shiraishikawa leaned against an oak tree, toying with an ancient bronze coin between his fingers.
The night dew soaked his suit jacket, but he didn't care.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on his face.
"No familiar is following us..."
He muttered to himself, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Is he too confident, or does he simply not take me seriously?"
The copper coin flipped between his fingers, making a crisp metallic sound.
Shiraishikawa closed his eyes, feeling the unique magical flow of Misaki City.
The barrier here is like a thin film, protecting the interior while isolating it from the outside world.
What he had to do was tear a hole in this thin film.
"The ceremony location has been determined; only the final key is needed..."
Shiraishikawa opened his eyes, and the copper coin suddenly stopped on his thumb.
"Those two girls are probably the key."
He was particularly interested in the fairy tale magic of Kuonji Arisa.
It's a kind of magic that exists outside the clock tower system, using fairy tales as a medium to summon an existence that exists between reality and fantasy.
This power is both beautiful and dangerous, just like a fairy tale itself.
"I wonder if Your Highness will recognize my soldiers..."
Shiraishikawa chuckled and took out an exquisite doll from his pocket.
The doll is only the size of a palm, dressed in a Victorian-era dress, with an exaggerated smile painted on its face.
He whispered a few words into the doll's ear, then let go.
The doll did not land, but hovered in the air, bowed to him, and then disappeared into the night.
"Aozaki Touko's plan should have already begun."
Shiraishikawa straightened his tie.
"Today, the first specially made puppet will go to say hello. Let's see... how long can the princess in the fairy tale last?"
Chapter 443 The Forest of No Return
The lights of Misaki City flickered in the distance, but they couldn't reach this forgotten forest.
Kuonji Yuzu stood in front of the mansion, her long black hair gently swaying in the night breeze. She looked in the direction where Aozaki Aoko had left, her eyes filled with displeasure.
"They changed the plan again without authorization..."
She murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the silver pocket watch on her chest.
The patterns on the watch cover gleamed coldly in the moonlight, as if reminding her of the passage of time.
The mansion's doors closed slowly behind her, making a heavy, muffled sound.
Kuonji Yuju turned her attention to tonight's task, "587".
Recently, the barrier fluctuations in Misaki City have been abnormal, especially the five fulcrums connecting the spiritual veins, where abnormal magical disturbances have been detected for three consecutive days.
"It's not a coincidence."
She spoke softly, her right hand tracing an elegant arc in the air.
Ripples spread through the void, and a mirror inlaid with intricate patterns slowly emerged, reflecting a map of Misaki City with five points of light distributed around the mansion.
Kuonji Yuju's gaze was fixed on the northernmost point—the Forest of No Return.
The spots of light there were emitting an unstable red glow.
"It was there after all."
She put away the mirror, her long black dress tracing a graceful arc as she turned.
As the de facto manager of the Misaki City Barrier, she cannot tolerate anyone disrupting the balance of this land.
As the night wind grew stronger, Yuju from Kuonji Temple walked along the path leading to the forest.
"That Aozaki Aoko, she actually did it for sushi..."
Thinking of this, Kuonji Yuju frowned slightly.
She shook her head, banishing the irrelevant thoughts.
Now is not the time to dwell on these things.
The trees at the edge of the forest began to grow denser, blocking the moonlight and plunging the surroundings into deeper darkness.
Kuonji Yuju stopped and took out an exquisite glass bottle from her bosom, which contained a powder that emitted a faint glow.
"The Curtain of Night".
She murmured softly, scattering powder all around.
The powder diffused in the air, forming a hazy mist that enveloped an area of about 100 meters in radius.
This is her domain, the stage for fairy tales and magic.
As Kuonji Yuzu continued onward, the temperature in the forest dropped noticeably, and the white breath she exhaled was particularly noticeable in the night.
Her senses were fully activated, capturing even the slightest magical fluctuations around her.
Suddenly, an unnatural rustling sound came from the right.
Kuonji Yuzu didn't stop walking, but her right hand had already quietly grasped another prop hidden in her sleeve—a pitch-black glass cat.
"Come out, there's no point in hiding."
Her voice was calm.
Two figures emerged from the bushes. They wore tattered black robes, their faces wrapped in bandages, revealing only an exaggerated gash.
"The tomb keeper?"
Kuonji Yuju raised an eyebrow.
"Who hired you?"
The slit-mouthed men did not answer; instead, they let out hoarse growls, leaned forward, and assumed an attack stance.
Kuonji Yuju sighed softly.
"It seems we won't get any information out of them."
Just as the first slit-mouthed man lunged forward, Kuonji Aratsu released the glass cat from her grasp.
The black cat landed silently, but the instant it touched the ground, the darkness of the entire forest seemed to come alive and begin to stir.
"The Curtain of Night in the Realm of Fairy Tales".
Darkness condensed into a veil, enveloping the entire battlefield.
The slit-mouthed man's movements suddenly slowed down, as if he were moving in water.
Kuonji Yuju stood still, only slightly raising her hand.
"Half a pound."
A small black and white pig leaps out of the darkness; though small in size, it exudes an astonishing aura.
It charged toward the first man with the slit mouth, its seemingly clumsy body nimbly flipping in the air, its front hooves slamming heavily into the man's chest.
"boom!"
The slit-mouthed man was sent flying several meters, crashing into an ancient tree. His bandages came loose, revealing his distorted face underneath.
Upon seeing this, the second slit-mouthed man turned and fled, but countless thin, thread-like shadows suddenly emerged from the darkness and bound him tightly.
"Who sent you?"
"Kyuuji Yuju asked again, her voice icy."
The slit-mouthed man struggled, emitting meaningless roars.
Kuonji Yuju's eyes glowed red, and then she shook her head.
"A puppet stripped of its reason."
She raised her hand, and the thin threads of shadow suddenly tightened, shredding the two slit-mouthed men into black ashes that scattered in the wind.
The forest returned to silence, but the crisis was not over.
Kuonji Yuju could sense that an even greater threat was approaching.
"A wonderful performance, Miss Kuonji."
Chapter 444 The Feast
An unfamiliar male voice came from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint its exact location.
"As expected of a pure-blooded fairy tale witch."
Kuonji Yuju's gaze swept around.