Akari got out of the taxi. For some reason, she thanked it before it drove away. She instantly regretted it.
"I forgot that they were automated. Just another thing that Britain has that Japan doesn't."
Leaving everything up to robots and AI does have its advantages, but not without its disadvantages. One was the fact that jobs were taken, leaving many unemployed. That was true, especially in the United Kingdom, who are also known for its black cabs.
Akari seemed to like cab drivers better. They could speak and entertain small talk, unlike AI.
The Japanese Councilwoman stood on the edge of London Bridge. She looked down.
"There's nothing down there..."
She couldn't see anything, not that she would even with the clear waters of the Thames.
"Let's see... How do I do this again?"
Akari put her hand over her eye and placed her other one in front of her.
"Bloodcraft: Crimson Raven."
Blood flowed from her pocket and solidified into a raven on her hand. The raven possessed a human eye. It was Akari's.
Akari's Magic Seal is Bloodcraft, one-half of Akane's Blood Manipulation. Unlike Akane, Akari can get anemic and die from blood loss which is why she carries blood in small, condensed tubes. They can hold around 100ml of blood, making it look small.
She can reuse the blood she has. The stuff she makes from Bloodcraft is better than Akane's. One of the advantages that she has over Blood Manipulation is the fact that she can control any blood. Akane can only control her blood.
Akari's husband has a Magic Seal which regenerates blood at a slow rate. Their Magic Seals combined creating Akane with Blood Manipulation. It is something that happens rarely.
Akari's Bloodcraft can also work on nerves. She didn't exactly give the raven her eye but she created a replica out of blood. If the raven is destroyed, the eye will return to her but with the price of searing pain.
"Go."
She ordered it. The raven flew into the Thames. She shared its sense of sight. It dove. Further and further into the river. Before long, she found something out of place.
The raven couldn't approach closer due to the barrier around it. It seemed to be a building in the river. It went deeper than the river was.
"Found you."
The raven flew back up within half a minute and it turned into a blade.
"Oh, right."
She forgot that she was sharing her sight still. Akari released the sense sharing and her eye returned without any pain.
Behind her, a police officer grabbed her hand. Akari turned around.
"Hey, you! Get down from there! You're too young to die."
Akari scoffed while snatching her hand from the old man. She crouched, facing the officer.
"I'm young?"
"Y-yes? Are you not?"
The woman laughed heartily. She grinned while standing up. Akari's foot left the railing.
"I'm not going to die."
She fell into the river, waving at the officer while sticking out her tongue. Akari had coated her body with a thin layer of hardened blood before diving in. It didn't protect her from drowning, but it protected her clothes from getting wet and allowed her to swim through the water freely like a fish.
She swam deeper into the river. It took her a minute or so but she reached it. The exterior of the barrier was visible.
There were a few conditions to barriers. One was the ability to make it invisible. This one was visible.
Akari attacked it with her sword. It didn't budge.
Another was the decision to make the exterior harder than the interior or vice versa. Both could be durable but it would waste more mana and be less effective.
Barriers can be customised with conditions depending on the mana used. The conditions would make barriers durable and useful even with a sufficient amount of mana.
The woman grimaced. She was annoyed that the barrier's exterior was hard. She couldn't breathe underwater forever. She had around two minutes or so left.
The Councilwoman glanced at her sword. It was the only thing she was able to use. If she uses Bloodcraft in the water, the red blood cells will tear. The blood will dissolve, in other words.
That's why Akari's thin layer of blood and blade hadn't dissolved since they are hardened.
She only has a blade to break through the barrier. Akari sighed in bubbles. The blade extended slightly. There wasn't enough blood for it to elongate properly.
She dove toward the barrier. Turning her body, she sliced the barrier horizontally.
It split, creating a fissure in the barrier. Akari quickly slipped into the barrier.
"Oh shit!"
The barrier closed up quickly, letting a small amount of water in. It wasn't enough to ensure a safe landing. The blade transformed into a small pad underneath her bent legs. More blood came out of her pocket, adding to it.
It cushioned her as she smashed into the building. As she landed safely, the large blood pad transformed into two blades. The remaining blood went back into the vile in her pocket.
"I made it inside."
The corridors were wide and empty. It was like a large laboratory. Akari looked around. She started running through the corridors since navigating in a place like this was next to impossible.
The woman slashed an arrow that flew toward her as she turned the corner.
"Looks like I have company."
The corridor in front of her was filled with autonomous puppets, each holding different weapons.
'Seems like they're gathered up here. They must've automatically been summoned as soon as I broke the barrier.'
The Councilwoman pointed her blades at them. She rushed toward them, slicing each puppet with a swift hack.
·———·
"...!"
Morgan felt a sudden spike in her head. The witch narrowed her eyes and looked over at the Queen, who noticed her peculiar behaviour.
"Morgan?"
"Sorry, it seems that a problem has arisen. I'll have to leave your side, my Queen."
Alice nodded.
"Okay, but what is it?"
"Intruders."
Morgan answered strangely before going off. Usually, Alice would call all of the elite guards if there were intruders but she trusted the problem to Morgan. Anyhow, she misunderstood the situation.
The intruder wasn't invading the palace. It was elsewhere.
'They must be pretty skilled to mow down the puppets that are summoned in response to an unregistered mana signature entering. I shouldn't take them lightly.'
"Greater Transport."
The witch disappeared.