I really didn't want to burn it.

That was the battlefield between Ryougi Shiki and Araya Sōren.

Snapped!

With her eyes wide open in anger, Ryougi Shiki slid forward and thrust forward.

Araya Sōren's outstretched wrist began to exert force.

"Kill Ryougi Shiki! We must kill Ryougi Shiki!"

It wasn't out of fighting spirit or competitiveness, but rather Araya Sōren's pure and direct intuition that told him he had to kill the kimono-clad girl in front of him.

"—Silence!"

Along with the roar came Araya Sōren's demonic hand, which instantly destroyed space.

The space surrounding Ryougi Shiki, along with the view of the apartment, was destroyed without any delay.

This is Araya Sōren's trump card in his home-field battle: the annihilation of the space within the apartment.

It's like a dealer at a gambling table who only uses his ultimate move—flipping the table—when he's about to lose money.

Logically speaking, the moment Ryougi Shiki let out a roar and clenched her fists, her defeat should have been inevitable.

However, Araya Sōren still saw it.

The girl who acted much later than him created a bizarre scene that happened much earlier than he did.

Ryougi Shiki raised her hands, holding the sword, into an upper stance, and then slashed down.

brush!

With a single strike, the sword severed the space that should have crushed Ryougi Shiki.

This outcome was completely negated by Ryougi Shiki herself.

"Magic Eye..."

The barrier master, his face contorted with greed, channeled his power into his hands once more.

However, these moves that had already been used were child's play for Ryougi Shiki. She even predicted the spatial distortion before Araya Sōren made his move!

"The same moves won't work on a Saint Seiya!"

Over the past two years, under the influence of Li Ang, a perennial otaku, Ryougi Shiki has long since learned all sorts of otaku-style slang.

"------"

Araya couldn't utter a retort, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't even have time to think before he was stabbed.

His technique was countered by Ryougi Shiki before it could even be used.

He maintained the posture of slicing through distorted space with a single strike, then approached the barrier master and launched an attack.

Before taking a step, she swung the knife horizontally—

The barrier that the barrier master relied on simply vanished.

If only the outermost barrier was destroyed, Araya Sōren didn't think it would matter.

As a cunning old fox who has lived for over 200 years, Araya Sōren already had several plans.

The first layer of barrier on his body was bait that he deliberately placed for Ryougi Shiki; the outcome of their battle would be decided when Shiki struck the second layer of barrier.

Then, Ryougi Shiki went straight for a string of two.

With a single strike, he destroyed both of Araya Sōren's barriers simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, Ryougi Shiki took another step.

That was the martial art taught to her by Ryougi Shiki, who possessed Shiki's body—the legendary high-speed close-range movement used by samurai—the Shrinking Ground technique.

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With a single step, Ryougi Shiki reduced the 5-meter distance between the two people to zero.

The strike was so fast that Ryougi Shiki, who was using it for the first time, felt as if time had reversed.

The barrier master, sensing the power of the slash, jumped backward.

Ryougi Shiki remained in the position of having just swung her sword, looking at Araya Sōren with a cold expression full of disdain.

And what about Araya Sōren, who jumped backward?

His right hand was cut off.

No, it wasn't just the hand; it started from the shoulder, and the entire right chest, along with the hand, fell off.

"Hmph, a barrier master, nothing special."

Ryougi Shiki said this.

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P.S.: I feel much better after a day of rest. I'll be updating with two chapters today as usual.

Chapter 158 Grandpa: Hmph, interesting

Araya Sōren looked at the wounds on her body, and her bitter face worsened by at least 10 percent.

The barrier master, who possessed the ability to dodge bullets, only jumped back after taking a solid blow from this little girl's knife.

Throughout this entire process, Araya Sōren himself was completely unaware of anything.

"—Who exactly are you? Are you a samurai from Japanese legend?"

The barrier master didn't examine his wounds closely; he simply stared at the kimono-clad girl standing before him.

The slash could have been fatal, but luckily, Araya Sōren, that old turtle, was cunning enough to cast several layers of barriers around himself.

Even so, if the barrier that Ryougi Shiki slashed through with her sword had been three layers instead of two, Araya Souren's body could now be used to cosplay Lancelot, who was split in two in the first Kingsman movie.

Araya Sōren could not understand this result.

In his plan, his first layer of barrier should be able to slow down Ryougi Shiki's attack pace slightly, thus giving him time to dodge.

No, that's not what surprised Araya Sōren.

Ryougi Shiki felt completely different from before, different from the battle at the dock last night, and even more different from earlier tonight. It was as if she were a completely different person.

"Is it the Servant who possessed Ryougi Shiki?"

Araya Sōren did know that Ryougi Shiki had become a pseudo-Servant because of Servant possession, but he did not know that it was "Ryougi Shiki" who possessed him in this timeline.

Up until now, Araya Sōren has always believed that Ryougi Shiki's previous battles—including the use of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—were all Ryougi Shiki's own actions.

That attack, which was beyond the understanding of the barrier master, was actually the performance of the possessed servant.

"It seems I underestimated you."

The barrier master stared at the girl in the white kimono.

Ryougi Shiki did not answer. She readjusted her posture and resumed holding the knife in one hand instead of both.

"It seems you have been possessed by a powerful Servant."

Ryougi Shiki shook her head slightly: "No, I was just showing my sister's martial arts in my own way."

"How is that possible! How did you do that?"

"...Why? Is it because of differences in weapons?"

Araya Sōren was stunned.

He believed that the reason Ryougi Shiki became another person was because the Servant who possessed her had awakened.

Ryougi Shiki said to herself, "My sister's fighting style is indeed very powerful. Even if I try my best to imitate it, I can only achieve this level."

"No, you're using self-suggestion, that's the fighting style of the Ryougi family. You're suggesting that you've become the Servant within you."

Upon hearing the barrier master's words, the girl gave a short "hmm" in response.

Araya Sōren felt a little scared. He hadn't expected that there would be a modern exorcism family that had passed down this method to this day.

To make matters worse, Ryougi Shiki, who had learned this method of self-suggestion, was possessed by a Servant.

Of course, what Araya Souren didn't know was that if Ryougi Shiki hadn't been possessed by "Ryougi Shiki"—another version of herself in some sense—she definitely wouldn't have learned the moves so easily.

Araya Sōren truly did not know; he believed that Ryougi Shiki had learned everything from that legendary Japanese swordsman.

"...You've been tricked. It seems your fight with Cú Chulainn wasn't serious. That move just now was a teleportation technique... Was the one possessed Okita Souji?"

Upon hearing the barrier master's words, Ryougi Shiki shook her head in denial.

"wrong."

Her indifferent gaze seemed to suggest that her techniques were unrelated to the possessed Servant, but rather belonged to a deeper, more profound entity.

Upon seeing that look, the barrier master suddenly realized something.

Is it...

"So... I've finally met him..."

The barrier master excitedly pressed his severed half of his body back onto his own.

How could I possibly miss this crucial moment!

The woman in the white kimono—Ryougi Shiki—smiled—a smile that would captivate any man.

"me……"

Ryougi Shiki slowly walked towards Araya Sōren.

“I’ve been really enjoying Ang’s care… that’s something I’ve wanted him to do for a long time.”

As Ryougi Shiki spoke, she raised her sword.

Araya Sōren was on high alert; for him, defeat was absolutely not an option.

Even if he doesn't want the apartment, he absolutely has to get his hands on Ryougi Shiki.

Because this is exactly what I've been pursuing—

Having staked his chance of victory and survival, the magician moved forward.

"Lin—!"

The magician's voice rang out.

He used his only remaining functional left hand to block Ryougi Shiki's sword.

Although the relic was no longer there to protect him, the scars on his hands allowed Araya Sōren to clearly identify the location of the death line on this part of his body.

Use the part without the wire to withstand Ryougi Shiki's slash, and then use your severed right hand to choke Ryougi Shiki's neck.

As long as his body is not completely severed, the remaining connection will allow him to continue controlling this half of his body!

Click.

Her right hand gripped Ryougi Shiki's throat like a pair of pliers.

In that instant, the magician used his left hand to compress space.

This completely suicidal fighting style is no longer about trading injuries for injuries; it's about pushing yourself to the brink of death as long as you don't die.

There is only one goal: to seize Ryougi Shiki's body!

Forces from all angles, powerful enough to crush every bone in Ryougi Shiki's body, came toward her.

"Sorry... it's over."

Despite having difficulty speaking due to her throat being choked, Ryougi Shiki simply said this in a calm tone.

The next second, the white-clad girl named Ryougi Shiki disappeared without a trace.

"??"

To Araya Sōren's incomprehensible eyes, Ryougi Shiki stabbed him with her sword at an unbelievable angle.

Nothing else matters; she simply wants to kill Araya Sōren.

puff--!

The knife pierced the barrier master's chest.