Director Edward

Chapter 227: The End of the Paradox Spiral Screening! (1)

The movie's scene transitioned after completing Araya Souren's storyline, and the audience's perspective shifted to a quiet cafe.

The cafe's interior was sharply defined by contrasting light and shadow, with white sunlight and black shade creating a distinct boundary, setting a strange and mysterious tone.

Ryougi Shiki sat silently at one of the seats.

Meanwhile, Enjou Tomoe entered from the other end of the cafe and sat at a spot behind the girl.

The two seemed unaware of each other, quietly waiting in the stillness.

After a long while, Ryougi Shiki suddenly stood up, noticing a man outside the window waving his hand vigorously while catching his breath.

At the same time, in the direction Enjou Tomoe was watching, a woman in a white dress waved toward him as well.

Both stood up slowly, each heading toward a different exit of the café.

Just as they were about to step outside, Ryougi Shiki and Enjou Tomoe turned to glance at each other, exchanging looks like old friends bidding farewell.

"Ding-dong."

The next moment, the sound of a doorbell echoed.

Ryougi Shiki opened her eyes and slowly climbed out of bed, realizing that she had been dreaming all along.

At the same time, though the doorbell kept ringing, an irritated Ryougi Shiki had no intention of answering it.

What she didn't expect, however, was the sound of a key turning in the lock, followed by the door opening from the outside with a soft click.

"Sorry for barging in… Shiki, you're awake already?"

The familiar black-haired man, Kokutou Mikiya, walked in with a smile, only to be met by Ryougi Shiki's cold stare.

Seeing this, Kokutou Mikiya couldn't help but ask in confusion:

"What's wrong? Are you scheming something? I haven't had breakfast yet, and you're definitely not getting any of it!"

"You trespasser! Who wants to steal something like that from you?"

"That's a relief then. Finally, I can enjoy a peaceful breakfast today. Have you kicked that habit of always trying to take other people's things?"

"Shiki…"

"What?"

"Well, about that apartment building… I heard from Aozaki that it's going to be demolished."

"—Is that so? But wouldn't there be a lot of issues, like the residents?"

"No need to worry. There's a rule that matters involving mage are to be handled by mage. The Association sent someone to take care of everything.

The fictional tenants moved out as fictional tenants, the underground was burned down, and everything was made to look as if it never existed."

"How efficient."

"But with this, everything involving you is settled. From now on, you'll have to seriously attend school, right? If you don't properly advance and graduate, Mr. Akitaka will be heartbroken."

"That's a completely separate matter! Besides, isn't it because of people like you and Aozaki that I got tangled up in all this trouble? And anyway, as a dropout, do you even have the right to lecture me about school?"

"Don't say I have no right—it's too mean."

As Kokutou Mikiya frowned in distress, Ryougi Shiki suddenly muttered in a low voice, almost like a grumble:

"—Hey, Kokutou."

"Hm?"

"The key."

"The key?"

"I don't have the key to your place. That's unfair, don't you think?"

Blushing furiously, Ryougi Shiki lowered her head like a shy child and stretched out her hand.

In the next instant, as the ending theme began to play, the fifth installment of The Garden of Sinners (Paradox Spiral) finally concluded its screening!

...

As the beautiful ending theme played softly, audiences in countless TV pubs across the southern regions sat mesmerized, their gazes fixed on the now-darkened screens.

After a long pause, they couldn't resist breaking into discussion about the movie they'd just seen.

"I can't believe how long this fifth installment of The Garden of Sinners was. If I'd known, I wouldn't have drunk so much—I had to run to the bathroom twice during the screening."

"What's your problem? I held it in until the very end!"

"You're just..."

"Anyway, this chapter of The Garden of Sinners was truly phenomenal. Honestly, I think it's the best one so far. Whether it's the overall quality, the fight scenes, or even the finer details, everything was just perfect!"

"Yeah, yeah, I never thought The Garden of Sinners could deliver such spectacular action. I used to think it was just a small-scale supernatural film, but Durin really proved his directorial prowess here."

"Exactly. And it's not just the visuals—the depth of Paradox Spiral far surpasses the previous chapters. The number of characters portrayed alone exceeds any prior installment. I'd say only Fate/Zero could match it."

"Totally. Plus, the battles between the mage in this one were even more thrilling than in Fate/Zero. Aozaki Touko, Araya Souren, and even Ryougi Shiki herself—if you put them in Fate/Zero, they wouldn't be pushovers. They might even go toe-to-toe with Heroic Spirits."

"Oh, now you're talking battle power! This is where I wake up!"

"Stop. Let's save the power-level debates for later. Right now, I just want to know one thing: did Araya Souren actually die at the end? It looked like he was completely dead, but based on Aozaki Touko's words, it seems like he might come back to life after a long time."

"I noticed that too. Honestly, Araya Souren's abilities as a mages are insanely powerful. If it weren't for someone as monstrous as Aozaki Touko, he'd be an absolute terror. If he truly didn't perish after taking the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception's fatal blow, that's just absurd."

"And another thing—did anyone find it strange when Araya Souren said, 'I've finally met you, Ryougi'? What did he mean by that? Hasn't he already encountered Ryougi Shiki multiple times? Why would he say something like that?"

"Why are you guys hung up on that? Shouldn't the real focus be on Ryougi Shiki? That last scene was way too sweet! Honestly, seeing someone like Shiki show such a shy side—it's absolutely devastating. Her charm is just on another level compared to ordinary girls. I'm so jealous of Kokutou Mikiya right now!"

"Ahem, I have something to say on this matter. Everyone, listen up—Shiki is my wife!"

"Get lost, you idiot!"

"Nope, Shiki is my wife!"

"..."

After a chaotic exchange, the patrons of the TV pub finally began to disperse.

Since The Garden of Sinners was shown in the evening, most people had to rush home after sitting through the two-hour-long film.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Mage Academy, the ripple effects of the screening were just beginning to unfold...

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