One-way traffic

"...You're even smarter than I thought."

"Oh my, such a sudden compliment is quite surprising, but thank you for your kind words anyway."

The same enigmatic smile, so unfathomable it seemed, still clung to her face.

"After all, I am, after all, the 'Sage of Yokai.'"

Based solely on the scattered information available so far, along with observations from the naked eye and speculations from the mind, it is astonishing that such an unprecedented amount of information could be summarized in one go.

To this day, probably no one has realized that Accelerator is not actually a person from this world, and no one from any world has been able to realize this.

Apart from the demon of the realm standing before them.

With just these simple details, she so easily arrived at an answer that no one else could have known.

This is the true sage.

Now, Accelerator felt that there was absolutely no problem with calling the other party the Sage of Youkai; it was a title that Yakumo Yukari was truly worthy of.

Such a terrifying and bizarre mind and wisdom are simply beyond the reach of anyone else.

…No.

Perhaps only that repulsive chairman bastard from Academy City is qualified to stand against him.

Both sides share a unique commonality: they exploit, plan, and monitor each other without others noticing.

This prompted Accelerator to start devising his own ideas.

If a bastard like Aleister Crowley were to face Yukari Yakumo, and it were merely a battle of wits, who would ultimately prevail?

"That being said, while I can send humans, youkai, and even gods out of Gensokyo, I still can't easily send out someone like you who is full of strange energy."

"Tsk... another problem with the aura?"

"It shouldn't be a hard-to-guess reason, right? You've probably heard the same thing before, haven't you?"

The shrine maiden at the Hakurei Shrine also mentioned this, explaining that Accelerator was unable to easily leave the Great Barrier of Gensokyo precisely because of the aura involved.

Ultimately, Yukari Yakumo raised the same question.

"What a hassle. In the end, aren't you all equally useless?"

"Oh dear, saying something like 'useless' is a bit of an overstatement... Besides, even if we can't solve your problem, do you think you can solve it yourself?"

"Ah... unfortunately, there is still a method I can think of."

Accelerator's calm speech was as if he were reciting lines he had already memorized.

"...I was just saying it casually. So you really do have other methods? If that's the case, why did you go through all that trouble to come find me and that priestess?"

"It's just a safety measure; I don't even know if it will succeed."

Accelerator then clicked his tongue in a tone of utter displeasure.

"It's the same old trick, just a different name. I'm still relying on studying the baseline of that great barrier to implement it. However, this time I'm relying on my own abilities and brain to do the calculations."

"Calculation...? You mean, using methods like mathematics?"

"A monster like you can actually understand math? That's quite a surprise."

Yakumo Yukari blinked slightly in front of her.

"Pfft... Ahahaha!! Wow, that's really an amazing skill, incredible... To actually think of calculating the Hakurei Great Barrier? Amazing, truly incredible."

The sage of the monsters thus began to praise himself.

"You are truly an extraordinary human being."

Then--

Beside him, a purple orb of light instantly appeared.

Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

After gathering all the demonic power together, Yakumo Yukari, the sage among the demons.

Without hesitation, he slammed that power directly at Accelerator.

Its power is absolutely merciless.

Chapter 422 Confrontation with the Supreme Being of Gensokyo

An overwhelming force swept directly towards them.

Directly in front of Accelerator, a purple sphere, which didn't seem very large but whose actual power far surpassed that of an ordinary monster, attacked.

The power itself had reached a terrifying level.

Not to mention a sudden attack like this.

Ordinary monsters or humans simply cannot react to such a fast-paced attack. Everything happens in a fleeting moment, even shorter than an instant. No one could have imagined that the person who was laughing and talking with you just a second ago would launch such a surprise attack on you the next second.

Shining with the brilliance of immense demonic power, this purple sphere attacked with incredible speed, surpassing everything else.

but.

In that fleeting instant, the number one in Academy City made his move.

boom--! !

A sound like bouncing a table tennis ball rang out.

Accelerator, who was in first place, raised his hand, and with the immense power he gained, he easily caught the rapidly approaching ball of light head-on.

No.

He used an overwhelming force to forcefully knock it away.

The ball of light slid past him diagonally behind, followed by a loud crash from the ground in the distance.

It seemed as if it felt the earth tremble for a fleeting moment.

However, neither of them showed the slightest surprise at the situation.

Even Accelerator, who was the one being attacked, was no exception.

"Judging from your expression, you don't seem surprised at all."

"Is there any need for me to be surprised?"

"That's quite a lot... I'd say I haven't shown any malice or murderous intent so far, right?"

"...What an idiot."

Accelerator mocked mercilessly.

"Your behavior from the very beginning has already shown what you're destined to do next. Do you think I can't see through your true motives?"

"Ouch."

If the other party comes to see me without any hostility or murderous intent whatsoever.

So why did they launch such a surprise attack on Accelerator in the first place?

This is the problem. Initially, this sage demon had already launched an attack, although it seemed that the attack was not intended to harm the first one at all, but the fact that she attacked herself was still genuine.

Therefore, Accelerator had seen through the demon of the realm before him from the very beginning.

Even though the other party said so many flowery words during the process, Accelerator still remembered her initial performance.

Now it seems that this is indeed the case.

"Let me hear your reasons first. But don't tell me any ridiculous things like 'just because humans have gained great power we can't sit idly by.' Even humans need to be original, let alone monsters."

"Having power is not a bad thing, and whether it can be controlled is not a problem to consider. After all, this is Gensokyo, and you are not the only human with great power like yourself."

Therefore, Yukari Yakumo's motive could not possibly be based on her own power.

So, only the last bit remains.

“I can allow a powerful human like you to exist in Gensokyo, but… unfortunately, I cannot allow you to personally touch the Great Barrier that maintains the existence of Gensokyo itself.”

The two great barriers attached to Gensokyo are one layer constructed by Yukari Yakumo herself, and the other layer constructed by countless youkai after praying to the supreme god of Gensokyo.

Hakurei Great Barrier.

The things that separate the outside world from the interior of Gensokyo, which are based on common sense and non-common sense, are, in essence, even more important than the barrier between illusion and reality.

If that kind of primordial barrier were touched, it might cause an immense upheaval to the entire Gensokyo.

"So this is your reason for attacking me? Ha! What a laughable idiot! Do you think I willingly ended up in a place like this?"

In fact, coming to this Gensokyo was not Accelerator's own intention.

Yukari Yakumo simply shook her head at this.

"That's not something I care about. For me, the only things that really matter are matters concerning the safety of Gensokyo."

"Tsk."

"I will not allow anyone to do anything that could potentially affect or even destroy this Gensokyo... even if such a thing is only a possibility with a probability of being true."

Even if there is only a possibility, a mere one percent, or even a one-thousandth chance, that it might affect or threaten Gensokyo, this youkai sage will still not let it go.

In a sense, she might be the one who loves this secluded paradise the most.

and so.

Accelerator himself was well aware that there was no possibility of them reaching an agreement.

—Before we knew it, the atmosphere began to turn cold.

The surrounding temperature remained cold, with snow falling continuously, which was not typical of May, further lowering the temperature to a level that was difficult for most people to bear.

However, on top of that, the atmosphere around them was further chilled by the two people in front of them.

"I had somewhat anticipated this scenario, but it actually unfolded much faster than I expected."

"Really? Then it seems we're quite similar in this respect."

Accelerator and Yukari Yakumo.

One is that he is the strongest mind in Academy City.

One is a sage who is a youkai in this fantasy land.

Both were beings who stood at the pinnacle of wisdom and power, and they were now in complete confrontation, each from a different standpoint.

Although they were simply stuck in place, the environment around them became even colder, and the blizzard intensified.

Before we knew it, the sky had turned completely dark gray.

"That suits me perfectly; for me, this is the most familiar solution."

"Just as I thought. It seems you've had quite a few confrontations like this before, haven't you?"

"Hmph...who cares?"

And so it is.

The atmosphere completely broke down at that moment.

pat.

The signal was the girl, exuding an aura of extreme beauty, opening the parasol in her hand.

Countless purple bullets roared down towards the bottom in an instant.

The barrage of attacks instantly covered the snow-covered ground, causing inexplicable explosions in the surrounding area.

But can that really be the end of it?

The wind and snow swirled, and shadows, even whiter than the surrounding snow, tore everything apart.

The number one in Academy City.

At this moment, ignoring the barrage of bullets surrounding him, he stretched out his hands like sharp claws.

His figure instantly transcended the limits of human comprehension.

In that brief instant, the monster could completely lead everything to death with its hands thrusting forward.

The storm tore everything apart.

This signaled the start of a full-blown battle between two beings at the pinnacle of power.

Chapter 423 The Game of Spell Card Rules