NABC Page 333
Page 333
"This is my body! This is my soul!"
Shiraishikawa ignored his protests and reached out to grab the disk.
At the moment of contact, a string of rapidly flashing runes appeared on the disk surface and then quickly disappeared.
"I see."
Shiraishikawa muttered to himself, then turned to the shadows in the corner of the factory.
"Asagami, we should go."
A slender figure emerged from the darkness; it was Asagami Fujino.
She glanced coldly at Aruba, who was frozen in place, and asked softly.
"Aren't you going to get rid of it?"
"No need."
Shiraishikawa put away the disk.
"It's already a letter that's been opened."
The two turned and left, their footsteps echoing in the empty factory.
Aruba finally felt the forces binding him disappear, but as soon as he took a step, he was horrified to find that his right foot had turned to stone.
"No...no!"
He frantically slapped his petrified calf, but the petrification was rapidly spreading upwards.
"How is this going?!"
Fragments of memory suddenly flashed through my mind—the man who always wore a black monk's robe, Araya Sōren.
The meaningful smile they gave each other during their last meeting
"Could it be... that it started from that time..."
Aruba's voice trembled with despair. Petrification had spread to his waist, and he felt his breathing becoming increasingly difficult.
Just then, a steady footstep came from the entrance.
Aruba turned his head with difficulty and saw a tall man in a black priest's robe walking slowly towards him.
The man had a sharply defined face, but his eyes were terrifyingly empty.
"Kotomine... Kirei..."
Aruba recognized the person who came, his voice hoarse.
"It was you...you designed all of this?"
Kirei Kotomine did not answer, but simply watched Aruba gradually turn to stone, a barely perceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Help...help me..."
Aruba pleaded, "The petrification has spread to my chest."
"I can... pledge my loyalty to you..."
Kirei Kotomine finally spoke, his voice low and calm.
“Your value does not lie in loyalty, Aruba Flores Albion.”
He reached out and retrieved two more identical disks from Aruba's partially petrified forehead.
Chapter 409 Necessary Sacrifice
Aruba felt a sharp pain, but what terrified him even more was Kirei Kotomine's next move.
"what are you up to?"
Aruba's voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.
Kirei Kotomine put one of the disks back into Aruba's brain.
"Become the cornerstone."
he said softly.
"This is the path to true happiness."
With the disk inserted, Aruba's remaining body stopped petrifying, but an even more terrifying change began.
His throat vibrated uncontrollably, emitting a clear, inhuman tone.
"Ah... Ah... Hallelujah..."
Aruba's mouth opened automatically, and he sang the melody of a hymn, his voice so pure it seemed inhuman.
Kirei Kotomine closed his eyes, listening intently.
"What a beautiful and touching 21-minute moment."
He muttered to himself.
"This is a necessary sacrifice for Lord Shiraishikawa's awakening."
Aruba's consciousness gradually faded, and in his last moments of lucidity, he realized with despair that he had been drawn into a conspiracy far beyond his wildest imagination from the very beginning.
He remembered what Shiraishiwa had said—
"You're nothing but a messenger."
The singing grew louder and louder, and Aruba's body began to emit a soft glow.
Kirei Kotomine nodded in satisfaction, turned and left, leaving behind only a gradually crystallizing body singing an eternal hymn in the abandoned factory.
In the last moment before his consciousness completely disappeared, Aruba finally realized his foolishness.
He shouldn't have been jealous of Aozaki Touko, shouldn't have challenged Shiraishikawa, and even less should he have gotten involved with these monsters.
The streets of Guanbuzi City were shrouded in a thin mist late at night.
Ryougi Shiki stood under the lamp, her moon-white kimono swaying gently in the breeze, like a breathing ancient painting.
Her slender fingers traced the surface of the long, narrow cloth bag in her arms, the cold, hard texture of metal faintly visible beneath the fabric.
"What a troublesome outfit..."
She murmured to herself, her fingertips brushing against the wide sleeves of her kimono. Her family insisted that she maintain this classical image, as if she were some precious collectible that needed to be displayed.
Ryougi Shiki frowned slightly; this feeling of constraint reminded her of a wild beast locked in a cage.
Her gaze was suddenly drawn to a stone by the roadside, which appeared to be kneeling. A low wooden fence surrounded the stone, resembling some kind of makeshift altar.
Ryougi tilted her head, her obsidian-like eyes filled with doubt.
"This wasn't here yesterday."
She took a few steps closer, and in the moonlight, she could see the rough texture of the stone's surface and several indentations that looked like they had been deliberately carved. If it were a municipal project, it seemed too haphazard; if it were a work of art, it appeared too crude.
Just as she was pondering, she heard familiar footsteps behind her.
Without turning around, the unique rhythm already told her who was coming.
"Good evening, style."
Shiraishikawa's voice carried its usual lightness, as if they had just met by chance in the park during the day.
He waved casually as he passed the rock.
"Aruba, how was your day?"
Ryougi Shiki turned around, the moonlight outlining the delicate contours of her profile.
"It really was you who did this."
Her voice was colder than the night wind.
What is this stone?
Shiraishi shrugged, his black trench coat swaying slightly with the movement.
"It's just finding an old friend for Guanbuzi City."
He approached the stone and patted its surface as if petting a pet.
"With my minor modifications, it should be able to live for five hundred years without any external damage."
Ryougi Shiki gave a soft hum, shifting her gaze from the stone back to Shiraishikawa.
The other person was measuring her new outfit with great interest, a smile playing on their lips.
"suitable for you."
Shiraishikawa commented.
"More radiant and mature than usual."
"Shut up."
Ryougi Shiki subconsciously tugged at the collar of her kimono, then realized that the action revealed her discomfort and immediately stopped.
She then focused her attention on the cloth bag in her arms.
"This is an old knife that was left in my family."
She skillfully removed the cloth bag, and in the moonlight, a long knife gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
The blade is engraved with intricate Chinese characters, and the inscription of the nine characters "Ken-ding" is clearly visible on the guard.
Shiraishikawa whistled.
"Good stuff. Weapons with history always carry special power, enough to counter the mystery of magic."
Ryougi Shiki's lips curled up slightly; this was the first genuine expression she showed that evening.
With a slight twist of her wrist, the blade traced a graceful arc through the air.
Chapter 410 Let's Play a Game
Although it's not as good as the old one.
she said softly.
"But it's enough to cut down magicians."