Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Lumn

Although Touko had recently risen to fame in the world of magic, the circles of the Dead Apostles and the Ancestor were far too closed off. For a rising star like her, it was practically impossible for someone like Nrvnqsr Chaos—a shut-in among the Ancestors—to have heard of her.

Touko had no intention of introducing herself to this beast. Instead, she simply placed the small travel suitcase she was carrying onto the ground, immediately preparing to act.

At the same time, Nrvnqsr Chaos observed the young woman standing before him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something about her was off.

Was she human? Or a Dead Apostle? Nrvnqsr Chaos couldn't determine for sure. If she was human, the oppressive aura she exuded was far too overwhelming. His beast-like instincts could sense the vast reserves of magical energy within her. But if she were a Dead Apostle, it was even less likely—Nrvnqsr Chaos couldn't detect the typical rejection of humanity inherent to Dead Apostles, nor the constant aura of hunger they emitted.

Nrvnqsr Chao grew more cautious. His beasts, currently feasting nearby, received an immediate order from their master. They ceased their feeding and surrounded the young woman, ready to attack at any moment.

"I don't care if you're a magus or something else," Nrvnqsr Chaos said coldly. "If you interrupt my meal, then you shall become my food!"

The behavior of these beasts was strange—or rather, they weren't truly beasts at all. They were merely shadows left by the system tree Nrvnqsr Chaos had integrated into himself, entities that only resembled the forms of beasts.

Under Nrvnqsr Chaos's command, the beasts encircled Touko in a ring formation, planning to probe her with a series of wave-like attacks. Those on the ground moved cautiously, while others—winged creatures with bat-like features—approached her from the air. A few even clung to the walls of nearby buildings, leaping repeatedly to find the best angle for an attack.

Faced with so many enemies, Touko's expression remained unchanged. She simply nudged the suitcase on the ground with the toe of her boot.

With a soft click, the suitcase opened. Yet, to Nrvnqsr Chaos's surprise, there was nothing inside—it appeared to be an empty, ordinary container.

However, his instincts screamed at him that something had emerged from the suitcase. He suddenly felt as though countless eyes were fixated on him. It was the kind of fear one only experienced when being hunted by a predator.

Fear? I feel fear?

This momentary lapse in composure angered Nrvnqsr Chaos. With a tense expression, he gave his beasts the order to attack immediately.

The black beasts roared and charged at Touko. At such close range, it should have been impossible for an ordinary magus to prepare magecraft or mount a counterattack.

But Touko was different. Her shadow, illuminated by the dim light around her, stretched longer and longer. Yet she remained smiling, unmoving.

A massive black lion-like beast lunged from behind, aiming to sever Touko's slender neck in one bite. But before it could close the distance of three meters, it was abruptly shredded into pieces.

"?!"

Nrvnqsr Chaos's eyes widened as he frantically searched for any signs of how Touko had attacked, but he found nothing. This only deepened his unease.

Under his command, the black horde of beasts surged forward as one, attempting to test the limits of the strange woman's defenses. Perhaps this invisible attack could only deal with a small number of targets at once?

Yet the result was no different. Every beast that approached Touko was torn apart as if thrown into a meat grinder.

Finally, Nrvnqsr Chaos saw the truth behind Touko's attacks—it was her shadow.

The seemingly ordinary projection beneath her was now a circular black zone with a three-meter radius. It was something that couldn't have been produced under natural lighting conditions.

Throughout his long life, Nrvnqsr Chaos had encountered countless bizarre familiars and forms of magecraft, but the shadow beneath this young woman was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying things he'd ever seen.

Was it just his imagination, or was that circular shadow spinning?

Realizing that his ordinary beasts were useless, Nrvnqsr Chaos escalated the situation. He pulled aside his coat, and from the chaotic void within emerged a series of monstrous, extinct beasts from the Age of Gods. Each one radiated immense magical power, the kind that modern magi would struggle to contend with.

Yet Touko didn't move an inch. The shadow beneath her, sensing the arrival of stronger foes, seemed to boil like a living organism.

At the edge of the shadow, jagged, saw-like spikes began to form, spinning rapidly. The shadow was expanding—this was the conclusion Nrvnqsr Chaos reached. And with it came a growing sense of foreboding.

"Your Reality Marble is quite interesting," Touko said lightly. "This little one seems to like it. I'll thank you on its behalf."

What was this woman talking about? Nrvnqsr Chaos was perplexed.

But in the next instant, he realized that perhaps he was the one who had failed to grasp the situation. The shadow... had opened its eyes—and its mouth.

How could a shadow have eyes and a mouth? Yet the thing before Nrvnqsr Chaos was nothing short of a nightmare he couldn't wake from.

Within the shadow, countless bloodshot eyes with elongated, distorted red pupils opened. They flowed like liquid, staring intently at Nrvnqsr Chaos and his beasts as if observing prey about to be devoured.

And speaking of devouring, for the first time in his existence as a predator, Nrvnqsr Chaos felt the terror of being prey. He understood fully that if he didn't go all out, he would soon be torn apart and consumed.

As if responding to his fear, the shadow's mouth—filled with jagged, razor-sharp teeth—opened wide. It was long, twisted, and seemed to grin.

"I'm retreating?" Nrvnqsr Chaos muttered to himself, incredulous. "I, Nrvnqsr Chaos, a being superior to humans, am retreating in the face of a mere magus?"

"This is impossible!" Nrvnqsr Chaos roared. "You think you've won? I'll kill you, devour you, and make that monster a part of me!"

Nrvnqsr Chaos's body began to boil, losing its human form. Several massive creatures, ancient phantasms immune to modern magecraft, emerged from him. They roared as they charged at Touko with all their might.