As Fang Li leaped out of the Tohno family's western-style mansion and landed in the courtyard, the scene had drastically changed.
The corpses that had gathered were now pierced by nail-like throwing swords. Some lay scattered on the ground, while others were pinned between the walls and trees, with blood splattered everywhere.
Amidst this sea of corpses and blood, a girl dressed in a ceremonial robe and holding several black keys that resembled sharp claws turned to face Fang Li.
"So you have a connection with the Tohno family," Ciel said without hesitation. "When I saw you secretly watching Tohno-Kun, I suspected that you must be connected to this outsider family."
"The same goes for you," Fang Li countered with a grin. "As an Executor of the Burial Agency, you used suggestive methods to hide in Shiki's school. Weren't you also secretly investigating whether the outsider Tohno family was connected to Roa?"
Ciel didn't answer and she just stared at Fang Li and said, "After that, I did some research on you. I found out that your surname is Nanaya."
In other words, Ciel already understood Fang Li's background.
"One of the four great demon-hunting families, the Clan of Demon Slayers," Ciel said unemotionally. "So you're the last surviving bloodline of this demon-hunting family?"
Fang Li didn't answer either, but simply said, "Does that matter now?"
Ciel thought for a moment and then changed the subject.
"Where is Arcueid Brunestud?"
Hearing this, Fang Li replied straightforwardly, "Given the current situation, where else could that Princess be?"
Ciel, being an Executor from the Church's Burial Agency, was certainly aware of the deep enmity between Arcueid and Roa.
So Ciel had already guessed.
Arcueid would undoubtedly be the first to go to where Roa was.
"That brainless True Ancestor..." For the first time in front of Fang Li, Ciel displayed a human emotion—anger. "In her current state, how could she stand a chance against the 'Serpent'?"
This was a very reasonable judgement.
Having died once before, Arcueid was now in a severely weakened state. She was so powerless that she couldn't even fight back against Ciel's attacks earlier, with only a fraction of her original strength left in her.
Meanwhile, Roa had transformed the entire Misaki Town into an Otherworld, turning the city into a den that continuously provided him with power and servants. His strength was probably far beyond what it had been before.
One was a severely weakened True Ancestor.
The other was a Dead Apostle who had been continuously strengthening himself.
The question of who held the advantage was obvious.
"She's already been robbed of her power by the 'Serpent', and she still hasn't learned her lesson." Ciel bit her lip. "If that foolish woman falls into the hands of the 'Serpent' again, she will be completely devoured. At that point, there will be almost no one left in the world who can stop the 'Serpent'."
Obviously, Ciel had realized Roa's plan right away.
That was why Roa had dared to unleash his plan so ruthlessly, unafraid of the threats posed by the Church and the Mage Association.
As long as he could successfully obtain Arcueid and steal the power of the strongest True Ancestor princess, even the Church and the Mage's Association would be powerless against this trickster.
But just as Ciel was thinking this, Fang Li suddenly laughed and said.
"Do you really think it will go that way?"
Hearing Fang Li's words, Ciel was stunned for a moment.
Seeing her reaction, Fang Li sneered and said sarcastically, "That pathetic trickster, no matter how much he plans, he still miscalculates in the end."
"Does he want to get Arcueid?"
"How could it be that easy?"
...
The astonishing pressure continued to spread across the roof of the skyscraper.
It was as if the air itself had gained weight.
It was as if the gravity had doubled in intensity.
In such a situation, Arcueid could only walk step by step in Roa's direction, her golden eyes, like those of a demonic beast, fiercely fixed on him.
"--"
At that moment, Roa felt as if his entire body was being crushed by the overwhelming pressure around him, and he got immobilized in place, unable to move at all.
It was as if those golden eyes that stared at him like a demonic beast had cast invisible chains that bound his entire body.
"Heh... Haha..."
Despite feeling this pressure, Roa still laughed out loud.
"Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, huh? They are as powerful as ever!"
Binding, Brainwashing, and Memory Manipulation.
The so-called Enchantment Mystic Eyes possessed these abilities.
As the strongest of the True Ancestors, Arcueid was born with these Mystic Eyes.
Although not as miraculous as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which were considered a miracle of the Age of Gods, these Mystic Eyes were still incredibly powerful, even at the highest ranks.
For an ordinary Dead Apostle, once caught in the gaze of these Mystic Eyes, they would be completely immobilized, with death awaiting them the next moment, leaving no room for resistance.
"But they're useless against me!"
A massive surge of magic power erupted from Roa's entire body.
"Boom--!"
It felt as if the air itself had exploded as Roa's body shook, easily breaking free from the binding of the Mystic Eyes of Enchantment.
"Against a high-ranking Dead Apostle, those Mystic Eyes aren't enough, Princess."
Roa continued to laugh, his gaze fixed on Arcueid, filled with arrogance.
"In the end, they're just an added bonus. Your true strength doesn't lie in those Mystic Eyes, does it?"
Roa's laughter echoed clearly in Arcueid's ears.
But Arcueid remained silent, just staring at Roa as she walked towards him, step by step.
Seeing Arcueid approaching him without saying a word, Roa's laughter stopped abruptly.
A pair of snake-like, narrow eyes revealed uncontrollable emotions.
"What's the matter? Aren't you going to say a few words to your long-hated opponent?" Roa clicked his tongue and said, "From what I've heard, you've been talking ever since you arrived in this city. You're not like before, when you acted like a cold weapon, repeating only the act of annihilation, believing that words were unnecessary."
"Or is it that, to you, I'm not even worth the effort of making you speak?"
At this point, Roa's voice became increasingly sharp.
"I get it now; you must not even have the strength to speak, right?"
"After all, with your current state, it's impossible for you to be my match."
As soon as he finished speaking, the pressure around them suddenly shifted.
Arcueid abruptly stopped walking.
She raised her head, stared at Roa, and spoke softly.
"Die..."
With that, Arcueid raised a hand.
"BOOM--!"
With a deafening roar, a terrifying explosion erupted at the top of the skyscraper, sending berserk shockwaves in all directions.
...
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