Director Edward

Chapter 218: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (16)

After leaving the Ogawa Apartments, Aozaki Touko brought Mikiya Kokutou back to the office. However, they were suddenly interrupted by a phone call.

After answering, she immediately grabbed the still-confused Mikiya Kokutou and left the room.

"Let's go."

"Where to?"

"Don't ask questions. When we get there, hold this, stand against the wall, and ignore everything completely. Don't speak or react. That way, they won't notice you."

With that said, Aozaki Touko took Mikiya Kokutou to where Alba was waiting and met the man in the red coat.

"Aozaki, Taiji is in my hands now."

The moment they met, Alba opened smugly, catching the usually calm and collected Aozaki Touko slightly off guard. She couldn't help but mutter:

"Inserting Taiji into Taiji? While I can understand the desire to approach the Root, doing something like this will trigger the Counter Force. From past experiences, no magus has ever been able to control it. Are you planning to destroy yourself?"

"Counter Force? Ah, that pesky thing won't intervene this time. After all, this isn't about paving a new road on our own—it's merely walking a path that already exists. But even so, caution is necessary. The specimen known as Ryougi will be handled with great care."

Hearing that name, Mikiya Kokutou couldn't hold back and shouted:

"What have you done to Shiki!?"

Alba looked slightly surprised at Mikiya's outburst, though his smile remained firmly in place.

Meanwhile, Aozaki Touko responded coldly:

"Is that all you have to say? I appreciate you going out of your way to inform me, but haven't you considered that I might report this to the Association?"

"Hmph, you wouldn't dare do something like that. Even if you notify them, it will take those guys six days to get here. By then, wouldn't it be enough for a god from some book to create a whole new world?"

With those words, Alba turned and left, adding:

"Well then, farewell. You'll need some time to prepare too, won't you? Still, I'm looking forward to meeting again as soon as possible."

After Alba departed, Mikiya Kokutou couldn't hold back his questions any longer and turned to Aozaki Touko.

Aozaki Touko finally explained, in terms he could understand, the reality that Ryougi Shiki had been taken.

Seeing Mikiya's worry, Aozaki Touko, uncharacteristically, let a faint emotion slip through and said:

"Shiki isn't in danger for now. That guy said she's in his hands, which implicitly means she's still alive."

"So we need to rescue her as soon as possible."

"Hold on. Why can't you keep yourself in check whenever it involves Shiki? This is extremely dangerous, Mikiya. You should just stay put. There's no role for you to play this time – because a magus's opponent can only be another magus."

With that, Aozaki Touko gathered her things and left, leaving Mikiya behind with no choice but to wait at the office, as she instructed.

Time ticked by slowly, and eventually, Mikiya Kokutou couldn't stand waiting any longer. Resolving to act on his own, he left the office.

...

After a long stretch of slow-paced storytelling, Kara no Kyokai finally returned to a tense and gripping chapter.

At this moment, all the viewers, having relaxed earlier, once again sat on the edge of their seats, eagerly watching the events unfold on screen.

Even in the Duke's mansion, the nobles, who had previously voiced complaints about the film, were now utterly silent. Their eyes were glued to the screen, so enraptured by the unfolding story that they had even forgotten to breathe.

Similarly, the people around Durin watched the film with rapt attention, not daring to miss a single detail.

Meanwhile, Arcueid, having listened to the exchange between Aozaki Touko and Alba, frowned slightly at one specific term.

"Counter Force? What kind of concept is that?"

Hearing the True Ancestor vampire's surprise, Durin replied calmly:

"Simply put, the Counter Force is divided into two categories: the Planetary Counter Force and the Human Counter Force. Uh, I'm not sure if you can grasp the planetary concept."

"Hah, how could I not understand something you mage already know?"

Arcueid's response was confident, clearly indicating her awareness that the world humans reside in is, in essence, nothing more than a massive sphere.

In this era, due to the transformative advancements brought about by magic, humanity had long since understood that they were living on a planet.

Of course, since such knowledge wasn't particularly practical, and no one had succeeded in leaving the planet to this day, its spread remained very limited.

Only a small number of mage in the Mage Tower who specialized in researching such concepts were privy to it.

Durin, as a transmigrator, had initially believed himself to possess knowledge far beyond everyone else.

Unfortunately, that assumption was quickly dispelled.

He soon realized that he was nothing more than a backwater bumpkin compared to the mage of this world.

The technological progress driven by magic had long allowed the most cutting-edge mage to attain knowledge so profound that even he, with his modern background, found it incomprehensible.

Thus, when faced with Arcueid's calm demeanor, Durin quickly composed himself and began to explain:

"Simply put, the Counter Force is divided into two types: the Planetary Counter Force and the Human Counter Force."

"Two types?"

"Yes. The Planetary Counter Force is easy to explain. Since the planet itself doesn't want to die, it instinctively works to prevent humanity from destroying it, thus giving rise to the Planetary Counter Force."

"The Human Counter Force, on the other hand, originates from humanity's collective will — the desire to continue existing. If someone takes an action that could lead to humanity's destruction, the Counter Force will find a way to eliminate the one responsible."

"Mages, being the most likely to create world-ending calamities, are naturally the Counter Force's primary enemies."

"Should a mages produce an event capable of destroying the world, the two Counter Forces will each dispatch their agents to kill the mage responsible for influencing the world so catastrophically!"

Hearing Durin's explanation, the people around him displayed visible shock, clearly not expecting such a staggering concept behind the Counter Force.

In this era, where even the concept of humanity's collective unconscious had yet to be introduced, the idea of the Counter Force — something born from the unified will of humanity — was far too "sci-fi."

Just hearing about it was enough to send chills down their spines.

In contrast, Arcueid nodded in understanding and replied:

"I see. So, you're saying that the Counter Force in this world consists of those beings?"

"Those beings?"

"Nothing. By the way, what kind of agents does this Counter Force dispatch to eliminate those who intend to destroy the world?"

"The Planetary Counter Force would probably send its monsters or True Ancestors... uh, I mean the story's True Ancestors. They likely have no real connection to you..."

"Is that so?"

Arcueid didn't comment further, but the glimmer in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

------------------

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy