One-way traffic

He will take action.

Therefore, the youkai sage was not afraid at all whether Accelerator would do something to harm Gensokyo.

"Haha! I must say, he truly is a sage. His considerations are so thorough that they're almost unbelievable. Even I didn't expect him to have this move!"

The other party is exploiting part of my own objectives, as well as my own pathetic, well-intentioned nature.

Regardless of Accelerator's considerations, he will ultimately resolve this incident, and he will never deviate from the path planned by Yukari Yakumo.

This is the wisdom of the sage among monsters.

Despite it being their first meeting, the number one in Academy City had already been forcibly incorporated into the opponent's pawn by this inhuman and cunning scheme.

"…Your Mightiness."

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard."

The monster spoke in a low voice with an unprecedented chill.

It's not directed at anyone in particular; it's just me talking to thin air.

"Since you enjoy taking advantage of others so much, then I'll show you who you're really after."

Even Yakumo Ran, who was standing nearby, could vaguely sense a certain factor.

The white figure standing in front of me is dangerous.

He exuded an aura of danger that was impossible to ignore.

'...As expected, Lady Zi was right to tell me to pay close attention to this human. He's just a human, yet he exudes such a dangerous aura...?'

"Looks like some extra guys have arrived."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Accelerator's words, Yakumo Ran immediately turned her head to the side.

Two figures appeared like flashes of light from afar.

It was a shadow, one red and one black.

"I don't even need to look to know where they're from."

"The shrine maiden of Hakurei Shrine, and the black and white magicians who have been by her side recently...?"

If an anomaly were to occur, the shrine maiden at the Hakurei Shrine would certainly not stand idly by, and conversely, the black and white magicians who have always been by her side would also inevitably take action together.

One-way turned around directly.

"You said you're that guy Yakumo Yukari's shikigami, right? In that case, why don't you lend me a hand for now?"

"You...do you want me to help you stop them?"

Realizing this, the golden-haired fox spirit blinked in confusion.

"It's not that it's impossible. My master originally intended for me to intercept them for the time being. But what are your motives and reasons? If the goal is to resolve the incident, shouldn't the more people involved, the better?"

Although Accelerator is very powerful, the expert in resolving the incident should still be the Hakurei Shrine Maiden in this Gensokyo.

If we want to resolve the anomaly as soon as possible and find out the source of the truth, shouldn't we have these two people accompany us to the terminal behind the scenes?

My reasons have nothing to do with you.

Even if the other party is a shikigami, it still belongs to that sage yokai.

Accelerator did not provide Yakumo Ran with detailed information.

"You just need to answer me whether you will help or not."

"...I see. He really is a very decisive and efficient human being."

The nine-tailed fox chuckled with an elegant smile.

then.

Whoosh—!! In that instant, nine golden tails unfurled.

They were instantly filled with golden light.

"Then, that's my answer."

"Humph."

Both sides confirmed each other's positions.

Accelerator didn't turn around. After letting out a soft hum, he controlled the hurricane and flew away into the distance. He didn't want Reimu Hakurei and the others to see him, because if they did, the trust they had worked so hard to build would be broken again for that reason.

He still has his own things to do.

In any case, everything behind the scenes is no longer his concern.

Only the golden shikigami remained to block his way.

————————————————————————————————————————

Soon after, a series of bombings came from behind him.

It must be that Yakumo Ran and those two guys got into a fight.

While thinking this in a rather tedious way, Accelerator arrived above a forest.

This is an area that ordinary people absolutely cannot approach.

However, this was nothing to him, who possessed the ability to manipulate the direction of energy at will.

Looking around at the dense forest below, which was as vast as a town, Accelerator couldn't help but feel a slight sense of awe.

This must be at least the third time I've been to the so-called Magic Forest.

I'll likely be coming here more often in the future, not just because many places pass through here, but also because Accelerator's current residence is indeed in such a place.

My thoughts, which were just beginning to wander, were suddenly interrupted.

Directly in front of them in mid-air.

A human-shaped shadow suddenly blocked his way.

"…It is you."

Accelerator hovered in mid-air, taking the opportunity to see the true face of the shadow in front of him.

She is a Western-style girl wearing a blue and white long dress.

The girl had a very good figure, and even in the cold of May, her golden hair still brought a Western-style warmth.

Those azure eyes gazed calmly at him.

Alice Margotroved is a puppeteer and magician.

"You came back so quickly."

The blonde girl looked at herself quietly, and then said this.

"I thought it would take you at least half a day to get here."

"To be honest, we've encountered quite a few obstacles. We've dealt with countless small fry along the way."

"Really? Judging from your expression, you seem to have gotten used to this kind of development."

"After all, it's in this damn place where all sorts of rules are different."

Expressing his thoughts in a bored tone, Accelerator shook his head in response.

No, he's not here just to chat.

"You seem to be in a hurry... Are you planning to take care of something?"

"This should be an obvious conclusion, right? I don't think you're the kind of person who can't see something this simple."

"Yes, that's true..."

Alice said softly.

"So, you really are planning to resolve this anomaly, right?"

"Even if I have no motivation to do it, I have no choice but to do this childish, trivial thing now."

With a cursing tone, Accelerator immediately began to move.

"Whatever it may be, let's leave it for later."

"That's definitely the better way."

then.

Accelerator's body had only taken about one step.

call--! !

A silver streak, like a shooting star, flashed across his forehead in an instant.

Even though the light didn't touch him, Accelerator remained stationary.

"…ah?"

The silver light swirled once before returning to its owner's hand.

It returned to the hands of one of the dolls.

"Yes, just as I thought. You plan to resolve this incident and restore Gensokyo to its original state."

The blonde girl spoke calmly.

Even though she was surrounded by dozens of dolls, her tone remained completely indifferent.

"you…"

"In that case, I'll have a reason."

The doll made the girl smile.

"There's a reason to take you down right here."

Chapter 432 Battle with the Puppet Mage

then.

At the very top of this magical forest, an invisible shockwave rippled through the air.

Click, click, click, click.

It's like sounds and physical gestures that humans cannot understand.

In an instant, the two, who had just clashed, were separated in mid-air, their bodies remaining in their original airspace.

The flowers, plants, and trees below were blown away by the violent shockwave.

An invisible shock originated from here and covered the entire world.

"...Are you out of your mind?"

Accelerator was looking at the blonde girl in front of him with an expression he couldn't bear to look at.

"I'm not the mastermind behind any anomaly, or is it that Hell can't recognize who's standing in front of you?"

"It certainly seems so."

Alice, the doll maker, spoke casually in a tone of sudden realization as she fiddled with the tiny dolls floating around her.

"Since you can say such things, you probably still haven't quite figured out what the common sense of Gensokyo is like."

Under Accelerator's astonished gaze, the girl in front of him continued to explain, word by word.

"In this fantasy land, there are no enemies or friends. Everyone can be a target of attack, whether human or youkai. No one will maintain an absolute stance purely for their own interests or feelings. In this fantasy land, nothing is surprising."

Although her words were illogical, they allowed Accelerator to guess some of the meaning behind them.

In this fantasy world, one cannot use common sense from the outside world to understand things.

In other words.

"It would be absolutely impossible to define Gensokyo based solely on common sense from the outside world. What you consider uncommon knowledge may be perfectly common sense in Gensokyo. If you don't understand this, you won't be able to appreciate the interesting aspects of Gensokyo."

Simply put, it means abandoning existing values.

The common-sense value of working together to solve immediate problems doesn't work in this Gensokyo.

Even when faced with a crisis that threatens their very existence, or even their lives, the people of Gensokyo probably wouldn't instinctively join forces, but would instead take a more unconventional approach.