Chapter 146: "As long as it's alive, I'll kill it for you—even if it's a god!"
In the Movie Scene:
A violent typhoon howls through the ruins of a building, where a fierce battle rages between Shiki Ryougi and Fujino Asagami.
Shiki, caught off guard, has her left arm twisted and broken by Fujino's Mystic Eyes of Distortion.
"I'm stronger."
For the first time, Fujino feels a genuine sense of joy. Despite the pain in her abdomen, she chases after the fleeing Shiki.
However, due to the complex terrain, Fujino struggles to track Shiki's movements. Even when she knows Shiki's hiding spot, Shiki's astonishing physical abilities prevent Fujino from delivering a killing blow.
"If I can't see you, I'll just destroy everything blocking my view."
As these words leave her lips, Fujino's eyes begin to glow, and everything around her starts to crumble.
"You're really reckless, aren't you?"
Shiki's voice echoes from the darkness.
She emerges from her previous hiding spot, slashing at Fujino with incredible speed before disappearing back into the shadows.
"—How...?"
"I clearly destroyed your arm, so why—?"
While Fujino is shaken, Shiki retreats into the shadows once more. Her right hand, now completely numb, will likely never regain full function for the rest of her life.
"Impressive, Fujino, you're truly remarkable..."
Shiki murmurs to herself, focusing her mind.
Fujino Asagami is perhaps the strongest foe she'll ever face. One small mistake, and she'll be killed instantly.
This sense of danger fills her with a deep exhilaration, reminding her that she is truly alive.
"I know this is futile..."
Killing Fujino won't change anything.
But that's life.
By accumulating countless futile attempts, maybe one day something can be achieved.
"Let's finish this. I've figured out your technique."
With that, Shiki suddenly steps out of the shadows.
Seeing Shiki approaching her, Fujino can't help but doubt her own eyes.
"You're truly insane."
Without hesitation, Fujino activates her power. Her vision distorts, setting a pivot point at Shiki's head and feet, twisting them in opposite directions—Shiki's body should crumple like a rag.
It should have.
No, it should have been completely annihilated.
But instead...
"Snap!"
Shiki's knife falls gently to the ground, and the distortion Fujino created vanishes into thin air.
Shiki simply waved her knife, dispelling Fujino's distortion.
"Invisible things are hard to see with the naked eye, but you've overused it. Thanks to that, I can finally see. Your power is a spiral of green and red. Truly—beautiful."
"You..."
Unable to comprehend what's happening, Fujino's face shows fear.
Shiki, continuing to use her knife to nullify the distortions Fujino releases, slowly begins to speak:
"When it comes to everything, there are flaws—be it humans, the atmosphere, even willpower or time."
"Where there is a beginning, there is naturally an end."
"My eyes see the death of all things, just like yours are specialized. So—"
"As long as it's alive, I'll kill it for you—even if it's a god!"
...
As Shiki's words echoed, the entire audience watching the film erupted with excitement!
From the beginning of Garden of Sinners, they had been speculating about Shiki's abilities. No one had expected that her true power was the Mystic Eyes capable of seeing the death of all things!
"Shiki's eyes see the death of all things, meaning the lines appearing in her vision represent the lines of death? When Shiki uses her knife to sever these lines of death, it directly ends the opponent's life!"
"I see now. It's because she can cut through the lines of death that Shiki is able to kill the ghosts she encounters."
"This power is beyond absurd. Can such an ability really exist in this world?"
"When did she even acquire this ability? It seems there were no clues about it in the prelude to the killing examination."
...
At the same time, the mages at the Imperial Mage Academy engaged in even more fervent discussion.
"An eye that sees through death—how absurd does that sound!?"
"Legend says that the highest level of undeads can see a person's life force and cut it from the source, while necromancy spells can instantly deplete a person's life force, achieving a similar effect."
"Although seeing through death is difficult, this ability seems a bit redundant. Most mages might not see death, but creating death is quite simple; third-tier spells can kill most opponents."
"Yes, and Shiki's Mystic Eyes require close proximity to sever the lines, so its versatility isn't very strong. It might even be less effective than an ordinary knight, as piercing the heart or cutting the lines of death will yield the same result."
"But the potential of this ability seems extremely high. It could be particularly effective against enemies who cannot concentrate their attacks, and it might even be able to kill gods."
"That's not certain. After all, what kind of existence is a god? No one knows. Perhaps gods might not have life from the start. Without life, there is no death; Shiki might not be able to kill entities that lack the concept of death."
"Exactly. I even think Shiki's Mystic Eyes might not be able to kill undeads, as undeads themselves have no concept of death..."
The mages' discussion was intensely passionate. Even ordinary students could offer their own insights on matters of magic.
Though Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception might seem inscrutable at first glance, to the mages, the ability appears rather underwhelming. They view it as overly restrictive and less satisfying compared to a powerful explosion spell.
However, practicality aside, there's also the matter of style.
When Shiki effortlessly severed Fujino Asagami's distortions with her Mystic Eyes and took her down in a single blow, everyone felt that the scene was incredibly stylish!
"That was so cool! I'm practically in love with Shiki now!"
"Yeah, no matter how effective it is, it's stylish enough."
"The Mystic Eyes are awesome. I wish I had a pair!"
"Why can't we mages fight like that?"
"Hey, don't actually try to modify your bodies. You'll get expelled if they find out!"
The students of the Imperial Mage Academy buzzed with excitement, and even many lecturers and professors were captivated by the unique, stylish battle on screen.
After all, as mages, they also harbor a desire for thrilling combat on the battlefield, engaging in dramatic duels with enemies.
Traditionally, this kind of imagery was embodied by knights, but seeing the intense battle between Shiki and Fujino reignited that passion among the mages!
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