Chapter 31

I gathered magic and cast, “Phantom…”

“I won’t allow it,” a woman’s voice interrupted me. It was Ryuko. She suddenly appeared right next to me. “Array Mechanicus!”

Magic circled all around me, then it settled back down. The ground I was standing on felt different. I wasn’t in the room anymore. I was in a world fragment.

Arrays blanketed the sky and land. Some of them were spinning or glowing, while the others looked dead or incomplete. The world fragment was huge. I couldn’t see the end of it. The magic in the air was also extremely dense. A lot denser than that of Rose or Zack.

Two people stood in front of me. Sanzo and Ryuko. Ryuko then took a few steps forward and said, “I’m sorry for appearing so suddenly, but I just can’t allow you to leave so soon.”

"What do you want?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I should consider Ryuko an enemy yet.

"Hey. I saved your life. So shouldn't you do a little something to repay me?" She said with a smug on her face.

"What do you want?" I repeated my words.

"Hahhhh." Ryuko let out her breath. She walked closer. I tried backing up, but then arrays below me activated and locked me in place. She stood within arm's length from me. "I want information."

"Hah?"

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"No need to pretend. I'm sure Sanzo already told you that he knows you are special." She looked at Sanzo. The old man giggled. "You aren't from around here, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm not from Ebros. I'm from…."

"Shhh. Don't try to lie to me. When I said 'around here', I didn't mean Ebros. I meant…."

"Yahhhhh!" I gathered my strength and cast a spell. "Breeeeeeaaaaaak!"

The arrays holding me in place shattered. Ryuko and Sanzo stared in shock. I took my chance. With my daggers infused with a special type of magic, I dashed towards Ryuko.

She snapped herself back. She quickly defended against my incoming attack. "Blockade!"

Stacks of arrays took form between me and Ryuko. I wanted to show her what I got, so I continued my attack with full power. "Slash!"

“Clang,” my right dagger hit the arrays. Ryuko looked confident. I gave a smug in response to it. After noticing my smugness, her expression turned a little suspicious.

The spot on the array around my dagger started to turn colours. Its glow started to fade. A dark smog filled with magic gathered around it. She became confused. I made one final push with my right arm onto the array. “Yahhhhh!”

The first array shattered. It dissipated into more dark smog. Then, I focused my strength on my left arm. I pierced the next array. It shattered immediately. As my dagger got closer to the next ones, they broke instantly as well. It was like a chain effect. One broke after another.

Ryuko looked worried. She didn't understand what was happening. Then, she tried another spell. “Shackles!”

Small arrays appeared below me. It caught me mid-air, just like what happened to the cultist. I tried gathering my last bit of magic to break the spell again. But, I noticed Ryuko started a chant right after she cast the spell.

“By the wrath of the goddess of arrays,” A huge array formed below me. The sky became dark. It was the same spell she used earlier when she saved me. “Descend! The seven layers of retribution!"

This time, I felt a much more powerful wave of magic. It was probably because we were in her world fragment. The seven huge arrays formed above me.

“Ryuko!” Sanzo shouted. He seemed worried. Maybe killing me wasn’t part of their plan.

Then, I noticed something. Something behind Ryuko. It was an aura. The powerful aura formed an outline of a huge woman. A beautifully mesmerizing and graceful woman. It was… It was a goddess’s aura.

An idea came to me. I didn’t have a second to lose. The great light has started descending. I cast, “Nullify!”

A strange magic field surrounded me. The light ray has touched down. The world was painted in white once again by the powerful flash. Everything went silent.

I didn’t feel any pain. “Is this the end?” I asked myself. I slowly opened my eyes. Ryuko was panting on the floor. She looked like she used up all the strength in her legs.

She stared at me with fear and confusion. Sanzo gasped when he saw me too.

I looked at my body. My body parts were intact. I couldn’t say the same to my clothes. I basically had no clothes on at all.

Sanzo asked me with a stuttering voice, “Who… Are you?”

I looked at him. I had no more strength in me too. I was on my last breath. Then, the darkness took over.