Pendragon's Infinity Gauntlet

Page 197

"What are you doing?"

"At that time..."

The man, who was only 135 centimeters tall, looked at the magician with red eyes.

“…It seemed to work for Mr. Shuo back then? So, this time too…this time I…should…work…it. Before…when Mr. Shuo…was slashed in the back, he bled a lot, but…after I did…what he said……”

"No way……"

Tyr Magnus remembered.

When Index: A Certain Scientific Railgun first arrived in Academy City, Kanzaki Mizuori accidentally slashed Index: A Certain Scientific Railgun in the back. Jōjin Tōma carried the injured man on his back and fled to Tsukuyomi Komoe's apartment.

but.

The Index of Forbidden Books and the Purifying God Exorcism Technique cannot use magic. That's not a matter of knowledge, but a matter of physical constitution. So, who was the person who cast the healing spell on the Index of Forbidden Books on the spot—

"Could it be... you...?"

Tyr said in a low voice, full of surprise and respect.

The petite teacher, Xiaomeng, was completely unaware of her change.

"...Before, everything was fine after doing that. Teacher, I... I remember it very clearly, right? I clearly... did... what Mr. Shuu-san said...! Why? Why couldn't Himegami be healed...!? Himegami... just mentioned the parade, he wanted to go with Jōjin, and he checked the guidebook a few days ago, why... is this happening...!?"

Such shouting was not directed at anyone in particular.

Tyr and the God of Purity could only listen silently to his lament.

Tsukuyomi Komoe's technique involves connecting a miniature garden (a small box or pot simulating a landscape or scenery) created by a magician to a specific space, requiring extremely delicate adjustments. Using this method, even minor repairs to a damaged doll can heal the connected human body.

However, without defining a specific area and fully connecting it to the "miniature garden," it cannot produce any effect. It's not just about the physical aspects; the configuration of magical runes and the flow of angelic power must also be considered.

This is not a level of simplicity that every magician possesses.

Even Tyr, who can skillfully manipulate both runes and the Cross style, can only heal fire wounds.

Although it's called healing magic, it varies depending on the sect, law, and technique; simply chanting incantations won't heal a wound. Just like cold medicine can't heal a broken bone, if the appropriate technique isn't used to address the current condition, it will have no effect on the injured person.

Moreover, to heal lacerations, beatings, fractures, and injuries reaching arteries and internal organs with a single breath requires a specialized specialist. With the assistance of someone knowledgeable in the Catalogue of Forbidden Books, perhaps even a novice could accomplish it. However, such a premise is far too exceptional.

As she expected, Tsukuyomi Komoe's technique was not complete.

The magic activated according to the instructions in the Index of Forbidden Books is, of course, a different story. But a "miniature garden" created on the spot, based on something learned on the spot, is far too haphazard, completely lacking any magical symbols. This is understandable, as Moe, living in a scientific world, has no way of understanding the theories that drive the spell.

However, he had already called an ambulance.

Moreover, as many emergency measures as possible were taken.

Tsukuyomi Komoe tried every method she could think of, but to no avail. In the end, she had no choice but to resort to "magic," which had no understanding of theory or rules whatsoever.

He may have no idea how outrageous his actions are.

I have no idea how simple and crude the method I'm using to gamble.

Even so, he only did it for…

He wanted to save a boy who had collapsed in front of him.

"hateful……"

Tyr Magnus couldn't help but want to look away.

This man named Tsukuyomi Komoe looks very similar to a certain boy.

She is petite, innocent, and easily angered and cried for others. Despite possessing magical knowledge, she is unable to use magic herself and is stained with the blood of others, hence the endless tears.

Tyr felt displeased and couldn't help but squint.

She took a breath and tossed the cigarette butt behind her.

"—No, that's not it."

Huh? Tsukuyomi Komoe looked up.

Tyr took out several rune cards with intricate markings from his black monastic robes.

"Just like trying to fill a bucket with seawater, you first need to define the boundaries of the 'miniature garden.' And the imagination about angels is too limited. You can decide where an angel coming from a certain direction should sit just by imagining it. It's not about actually summoning winged angels, but about concentrating some kind of power."

She immediately bent down.

Facing Himekami, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages and who could only emit faint breaths.

She was facing the girl who had just stepped over her.

“Purify the spirit and exorcise demons, you and…she went in to chase after Oriana earlier.”

Tyr spent a long time trying to remember her name, but couldn't recall it, so he simply used it as a substitute.

"What?"

"I'll give you Tsuchimikado's new cell phone number. It would be too much trouble if you couldn't contact her even when I'm not around."

"Wait a minute. So you...you wouldn't..."

"Don't get your hopes up too high; I'm a complete novice in this area too."

The magician Tyr Magnus said unhappily:

"I can only heal burns. Healing blood loss and fractures are completely different procedures. Moreover, this is an area I've never ventured into before. To completely heal such a severe injury... even a specialist in healing might not be able to do it..."

But she continued speaking:

"...This person seems to have a portion of the knowledge of the Catalogue of Forbidden Books within him. I will borrow some from him to strengthen my theory. I can't even remember Tsuchimikado's 'Four Formations of the Reason School' and 'Circle Formation of Divination,' so to be honest, I'm a little worried... But we can buy some time before sending him to the hospital. After that, we can only hope that there will be a skilled doctor at the hospital."

"Huh...?"

Tsukuyomi Komoe rubbed her eyes vigorously.

When Tyr saw him like that, he couldn't help but turn his gaze away.

"After I finish giving you instructions here, go to the alley entrance and lure the emergency medical team over. As for the Cleansing Spirit and Demon Extermination, you two go and deal with Orianna first. If you stay behind too, it'll be terrible if your right hand completely ruins the half-baked healing spell. I'll catch up as soon as this is over... I'll say it again, if you want to solve all the problems, get over there and move on."

Chapter 353 Reflection

Chapter 353

"……understood."

Jingshen looked at Himegami Akiha's face, lying in a pool of blood.

Then, channel power into the five fingers of your right hand.

"I will, if that will make everything go smoothly. So Tyr, I'm entrusting the goddess to you."

"I think I said not to have too high expectations."

Tyr let out a heavy sigh and said.

She said in an extremely annoyed voice:

"I'm not used to it either. I also wish I could use magic in this world for purposes other than attacking others."

"Okay, let's go after him."

There was no point in staying here, so he didn't insist and followed Jing Shen's footsteps.

"hateful……!!"

Jing Shen couldn't help but utter a sound of exasperation at the sight before her.

There wasn't a single person at the bus stop.

It's 3:30 PM, a slightly cooler afternoon in the sweltering heat. Facing the main road's sidewalk, a simple parking spot, constructed of iron pillars and a galvanized sheet roof, sits forlornly. The benches are empty, and there's no queue. As if treating a lost child left behind, people pass by without even glancing at the parking spot.

"what."

Faced with the current situation, she couldn't help but let out a helpless smile.

Jing Shen stood there, stunned.

There was no sign of the automated bus ahead or behind, and no clue whatsoever. It was unclear which bus Oriana had taken, or even whether he had actually used the stop at all.

If Oriana couldn't be apprehended within three minutes, he would have escaped.

A lot of time was wasted at the scene of Himegami's attack. A careful calculation of distance and time would reveal that it's impossible to catch Orianna.

From a common-sense perspective, this is perfectly reasonable.

"Where is that bastard Oriana...?!"

Faced with this reality, Jing Shen felt dizzy. No matter how many vows she made, no matter what thoughts she had, the unfulfilled wish remained unfulfilled. Although things in this world can never go as planned, this simple fact shattered Jing Shen's hopes.

They can no longer catch up with Oriana.

As for Lidovia, there is absolutely no clue whatsoever.

Even under these circumstances, it is impossible to stop them from using the "Apostolic Cross".

"what to do?"

Fang Cun saw Jing Shen take out her phone and dial Tsuchimikado Haruka's number. Jing Shen pressed the call button and waited a few seconds. Tsuchimikado seemed to have been waiting for a call and couldn't wait to answer. Jing Shen said directly:

"Sorry, Tsuchimikado, we lost Oriana at the bus stop. Himegami was attacked by his magic nearby, so he should still be around here. Is there any way to investigate?"

“No… well, that’s a bit difficult, meow.” Tsuchimikado said in a weak voice, “The ‘Reasoning Four Formations’ can only reach three kilometers in each direction. From my side… it can’t be effective, and Tyr alone can’t prepare the ‘Reasoning Four Formations’… even if I go to Tyr’s side now, if Oriana takes the bus… he might completely escape the effect zone during this period.”

What should we do then? Jing Shen looked around.

There are still no clues.

"...Oriana, which route might they use...? Do you know, meow...?"

"know."

Jing Shen looked at the guidebook for the Daihasei Festival.

"...The bus route from this stop seems to circle around the perimeter of District 7, but I don't know which stop Oriana gets off at. Judging from the time just now, there are about four stops along the way, so he might still be able to take the bus now."

“Oriana… will probably try his best to escape as far away as possible… so, he's most likely still on the bus right now…”

"However, there is a subway station near the second stop, and the fourth stop is the terminus of other bus routes. He might change buses there."

"..."

Haruka Tsuchimikado fell silent.

Around Fang Cun and the others were students eating ice cream while walking during their free time, spectators rushing to the next arena, parents being pestered by their children for juice, and all sorts of other people. Despite the surrounding noise and footsteps, Jing Shen felt a silence that almost made her ears ring.

The current situation is one of utter helplessness.

Oriana's moves were unpredictable.

Did he actually take the automatic bus?

Basically, which direction is he aiming to take?

"...Wait a minute, Tsuchimikado."

Jing Shen raised his head and said in a low voice.

Hearing what Shiogami said, Tsuchimikado, despite his numerous injuries, replied:

"How... do I purify my mind?"

"Excuse me, why is Oriana walking around on the street?"

"Huh? That's... because we were chasing them, so we were hiding—"

"No, it's the problem before that."

Jing Shen interjected:

"The reason this chase started was because this morning, when my squad leader and I were walking down the road, we bumped into Oriana. So, what was Oriana's purpose in walking over there at the time?"

Jing Shen slowly gathered his thoughts. "If Oriana and the others didn't intend to trade the 'Apostolic Cross' with anyone, they wouldn't be walking the streets just to meet someone. So why was he walking around on the streets? What was his goal? Wasn't it possible to risk getting involved in a conflict like this?"

“…I see, meow.” Tsuchimikado’s voice regained some strength. “At least this morning, Oriana didn’t… possess the ‘Apostle’s Cross.’ Even so, he still made a move…which means he needs a reason to act alone.”

"What reason...?"

When Jōjin asked this question, Tsuchimikado seemed unable to bear the physical pain and let out a whimper, saying:

"I don't know, meow... I don't know about that. But... 'Apostle Cross' hasn't been activated yet. The reason for that... might be related to this. Maybe that guy Oriana is looking for... the conditions to use 'Apostle Cross', meow..."

“Conditions,” Tsuchimikado said.