Inside Edward Tavern.
Watching the scene on TV where Shiki Ryougi cuts off her prosthetic limb with a knife to free herself from Fujou Kirie's control, everyone was curious about how Edward managed to film that scene. But before delving into that, Latisha spoke up first:
"What's with those eyes? I don't think the change in Shiki Ryougi's eyes just now was meaningless..."
Edward quietly explained, "Well, I figured someone would ask about this. I'll explain briefly for now. Those are called Mystic Eyes. Like the various magecraft abilities in Fate/Zero, Mystic Eyes are also a type of magecraft. The difference is that ordinary magecraft is activated through circuits inscribed within the body, while Mystic Eyes utilize circuits within the eyeballs to manifest their effects. Mystic Eyes also come in many types. Artificially created ones, like charm or suggestion Mystic Eyes, can only perform basic spells. However, some naturally born powerful Mystic Eyes are extremely potent, with abilities such as binding, coercion, contracts, incineration, illusions, misfortune, petrification, and even foresight—powers that magecraft or even magic cannot replicate."
"I see. So, what type of Mystic Eyes does Shiki Ryougi have? They don't seem particularly impressive..."
Hearing Winry's innocent question, Edward simply smiled and shook his head.
"Well, if you think Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes aren't impressive, then there's no such thing as an impressive Mystic Eye in the Type-Moon universe. Her Mystic Eyes are called the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. They allow her to see the 'death' of things. By tracing a thing's lines or points of death with a sharp blade, she can directly cause its instantaneous death."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present displayed expressions of disbelief. Understandably so, since those watching the beginning of The Garden of Sinners likely wouldn't understand what Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes truly are.
In this scenario, most people would instinctively assume Shiki's ability is some sort of destructive force or a causality-altering power, similar to the abilities of the Servants and magus introduced earlier.
But instead, it turns out to be the ability to see and bestow "death" itself. That's akin to thinking the protagonist has a basic barrage attack, only to learn later that they can actually stop time—it's beyond what logic can comprehend.
The first to recover, Latisha quickly asked, "Seeing the 'death' of things and bestowing death... What about immortals? Can she kill them as well?"
"Because the precondition for seeing 'death' is understanding 'death,' if one can comprehend the concept of death, they can be killed. If not, it's meaningless. For example, if a magitech device is defined as alive by Shiki because it can be activated, she can see its 'death' and kill it—even if it's not truly a living thing. Conversely, if the target is something incomprehensible, like the world itself or gods whose nature we still don't understand, she cannot kill them."
Hearing this, even Beldia asked in confusion, "Such an ability... Is it truly possible?"
"Maybe. After all, if someone really could see 'death' itself, they would undoubtedly be akin to a grim reaper. Whatever they did would seem natural."
"..."
In the silence that followed, Chase couldn't help but ask, "From the film, it's clear Shiki Ryougi isn't a magus. So, was this ability innate? If so, wouldn't this be akin to divine intervention? Legendary saints and holy figures pale in comparison to something so terrifying."
To this, Edward immediately clammed up. "Well, if I tell you, it'd count as a spoiler, wouldn't it? I'd better keep quiet for now. The only thing I can say is that everything in the Type-Moon universe originates from the Root. With creation comes an end, and a thing's end is predestined from its beginning. When something flows out from the Root, its 'death' is already determined by it. The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception see the death that inherently exists in a thing. In other words, the Eyes only accelerate the process. As for the conditions required to acquire this ability, there are two. But you'll have to keep watching to find out."
With that, Edward ignored everyone's annoyed expressions and continued watching the film on TV. By this point, the scene had shifted to the climax of Chapter One, with the battle at the summit of the cityscape.
<+>
At the Imperial Mage Academy, the scene of Aozaki Touko reconstructing Shiki Ryougi's prosthetic arm sparked heated discussions among the students.
"That right arm is artificial? So, she was missing an arm from the start? How was that arm made, though? It looks exactly like a real one and can even move freely. Is it connected directly to her nerves?"
"Don't you know? The Healing Branch has been researching the possibility of artificial organs for years. Although the Church's Holy Light healing is convenient and quick, it can't regenerate lost limbs. If artificial organs become a reality, the Empire's soldiers will have much more reliable medical support. That's why the Healing Branch has received the Empire's largest investments in recent years. Writing a paper there earns more than your monthly salary!"
"That's outrageous! We from the Elemental Branch strongly protest!"
"Oh, please. You Elemental mages don't have it bad, either. The Empire consults you on all kinds of issues. Even during wars, you're the first ones they call upon. Meanwhile, with the strict laws these days, we from the Curse Branch can't even find jobs. Look at the Necromancy Branch—they at least get to take on occasional grave-cleaning gigs!"
"We'd need a war first"
"But we haven't had a war in the Empire for centuries. Normally, only Water and Earth Elemental Mages get easy jobs that aren't demanding since they help with crop growth. Meanwhile, we Fire Elemental Mages are practically unemployed! I propose that the Academy hire Fire Elemental Mages as assistant instructors!"
"Fire Elemental Mages as assistant instructors? Aren't you worried they'll burn down the classrooms? How about pairing them with Wind Elemental Mages to practice explosive spells and blow the entire Academy sky-high?"
"Listen, you little punk! If I were a dual Wind and Fire Elemental Mage, I'd have blown your stupid face into the sky first thing!"
"..."
As the discussion spiraled more and more off-topic, the entire hall became lively with heated banter. Meanwhile, the mentors quietly observing through Eagle Eye spells couldn't help but wear exasperated expressions as they listened to their students' antics. However, their attention soon returned to the movie as they began discussing the narrative.
"These wraiths don't seem like simple monsters born from grudges. They feel more like artificially created vengeful spirits."
"I get the same impression. But then, I wonder, to what purpose? After all, creating something like this in an abandoned area just to increase the number of dead seems pointless. In fact, these dead don't seem to share any common traits. If there's a motive behind this, it feels almost whimsical. Considering how idle most powerful undead are, it wouldn't be surprising if this was just a hobby of sorts."
"Undead, huh? By the way, does the world of Fate/Zero and The Garden of Sinners even have undead? It's a fictional universe, after all, and its logic likely doesn't align with ours."
"Honestly, instead of discussing the wraiths, don't you find the protagonist herself far more interesting? I still can't figure out what Shiki Ryougi's powers are."
"Exactly! That's why no one's said anything definitive yet. If I had to guess, I'd say the protagonist's ability involves enhancing her physical body. Shiki's combat skills seem impressive, after all."
"Yeah, I think so too. But I also feel it has more to do with her eyes. Did you notice earlier? When she broke free from the wraith's restraints, her eyes suddenly glowed strangely."
"Wait, so… are you suggesting Shiki's power is… making her eyes glow?"
"I don't know what Shiki's ability is, but I do know your ability is having a hole in your head."
"..."
As the movie continued, the scene shifted to Shiki Ryougi, clad in a raincoat, returning under cover of night to the building where she was previously injured. With the story entering the climactic battle, all the mages present—students and mentors alike—focused their attention on the screen.
At the summit of the Alchemy Tower, a group of Arch Mages had been fiercely debating Shiki Ryougi's abilities. Earlier, their arguments ranged from her having some unique ocular power to her abilities being a variant of magecraft. Some even speculated she was merely an ordinary warrior who happened to break the wraith's bindings by sheer luck. Yet, despite all their guesses, none came close to imagining her possessing something as extraordinary as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
It can't be helped, after all, without being told, who would ever imagine that the seemingly ordinary, even somewhat frail-looking Shiki Ryougi actually possesses Mystic Eyes capable of perceiving 'death'.
As Shiki emerged from the ruins' apex, the forms of the distant wraiths revealed themselves to her. Including the true controller, there were a total of nine, just as Shiki had mentioned earlier in Aozaki Touko's office: there were eight victims in total.
"Oh, so it's finally about to start. I really can't imagine how Shiki, who isn't even a magus, plans to deal with these intangible wraiths. Sure, you mentioned earlier that she might have some kind of special ability, but facing this many wraiths seems pretty tough, doesn't it? For us, it'd probably take just one fifth-level Annihilation spell, but in this universe, magi seem rather weak. And Shiki isn't even a magus—how could she possibly handle so many wraiths?"
This particular Arch Mage's thoughts echoed the sentiments of all the mages who had a firm grasp of the story's premise. They knew all too well how powerless ordinary people were against intangible entities like wraiths.
History was filled with tales of powerful swordmasters who, lacking the protective charms of clerics or magical scrolls, met their end after having their life force drained by wraiths. Under normal circumstances, regular warriors stood little chance against such incorporeal foes.
As the group mentally played out countless scenarios for what would happen next, the movie showed Shiki charging toward the line of wraiths as if to throw her life away. Then, the scene shifted, and a wraith suddenly disappeared into thin air, dead at Shiki's hand.
"What— how did she do that?"
"Wait a second, this makes no sense at all!"
"Where's Durin?! Someone get that kid here right now!! How did he come up with a scene like this? Does he have nothing but crap in his brain? Why can physical attacks kill intangible wraiths? This misleads the audience!"
"Exactly! If some warrior watches this movie and actually tries fighting wraiths like that, they're doomed!"
Seeing the Arch Mages' agitated reactions, Rosa, who had already read the script, hesitated briefly about whether to spoil the plot. Finally, with a sigh, she said, "You're jumping to conclusions too quickly. Look closely at the screen. Haven't you noticed that Shiki's eyes are glowing again and that strange lines are appearing on the wraiths' bodies?"
Hearing Rosa's words, the gathered Arch Mages, including Administrator Hohenheim, redirected their attention to the screen.
Sure enough, as the battle unfolded, Shiki's eerie eyes seemed almost hypnotic, drawing everyone's gaze. Simultaneously, strange lines appeared on the wraiths. Each time Shiki's knife traced one of these lines, the targeted wraith dissolved on the spot as if struck by a fatal blow.
"What…"
"I don't get it."
"Me neither."
As confusion spread among the Arch Mages, Hohenheim hesitated before saying, "Could it be that these lines appear because of Shiki's eyes, and that if she cuts through them with her knife, the wraiths die instantly?"
"Oh?! I get it now! Shiki's ability is using a knife to kill wraiths!!"
"You get nothing you hammer-head."
"Hm? How'd you know I like hammers?"
Hearing the Fire Elemental Arch Mage's peculiar interjection, Rosa let out a long sigh, deciding it wasn't worth explaining further. Instead, she quietly returned her attention to the movie.
As the scenes continued, Shiki's battle with the wraiths quickly approached its climax.
<+>
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Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 188: Steins;Gate Premieres! (Part 6)[2]
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https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130705860?collection=162522
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130705860?collection=162522
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed