In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 26

Higashino gently rubbed her head; her silver hair was softer than he had imagined, carrying a faint scent of lavender.

"We'll be able to eat soon."

Index cheered and ran towards the living room.

As Dongye watched her cheerful figure disappear into the distance, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up in a smile.

Although she did sometimes do more harm than good and was quite amusing, Index's noisy personality added a cheerful atmosphere to her home, which she had only been staying in for a few days.

However, a whole day passed, and the expected pursuers still hadn't appeared. Although he had told Index that his abilities prevented Kanzaki and the others from finding this place, the magical power emanating from the mobile church on Index's body could still be detected.

Although his abilities prevented Kanzaki and the other two from accurately locating Index, it was only a matter of time before their general area was pinpointed. The most troublesome issue, however, was the automatic memory card. If this wasn't resolved, and they were pushed too far, they could remotely activate it from the UK, which would be a real problem.

And isn't it too quiet outside today?

As dusk settles over Academy City outside the window, the neon signs of the Seventh School District begin to light up.

Higashino turned the heat down to low, letting the curry simmer until the sauce thickened. Index hummed an unknown tune, her silvery voice echoing through the apartment.

Dinner was more uneventful than expected. Aside from the excessively peppery curry and the burnt fish, the vegetable salad was a surprising success. Index devoured it like a ravenous little animal, her mouth smeared with curry sauce.

"Eat slowly."

Higashino handed over a tissue.

"Nobody's going to take it from you."

Index wiped her mouth sheepishly, then suddenly sneezed.

"Higashino's cooking is the best!"

She clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"It tastes a hundred times better than the black bread from the church!"

Just as Higashino was about to respond, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The entire apartment building was eerily quiet. Normally at this time, you could hear the neighbors' televisions downstairs, and the footsteps of students returning home from school in the hallway. But now, apart from the sounds of them eating, there was no sound at all.

"what happened?"

Index noticed Higashino's unusual behavior, and her fork stopped in mid-air.

Higashino put down his chopsticks and tiptoed to the entryway. The peephole was completely dark, as if it had been blocked from the outside. He carefully turned the doorknob.

Squeak.

The old hinges rattled gratingly. The corridor was pitch black; the emergency lights had been switched off sometime earlier. Higashino fumbled for the switch on the wall, the light flickered a few times, and a stark white light illuminated the scene before him.

The entire wall was covered with white talisman paper, on which intricate runes were drawn.

These talismans stretched from the ceiling to the floor, densely covered everywhere.

Index

Higashino called out in a low voice.

"Come and take a look at this."

The silver-haired girl jogged over, but froze on the spot the moment she saw the talisman, her face instantly turning tense.

"The church's burning symbol..."

Her voice trembled.

"They...they can't find me, so..."

"So you're planning to burn the whole building down?"

Higashino sneered and tore a talisman off the wall. The paper was cold to the touch, but one could vaguely feel the heat contained within.

Index bit her lower lip and nodded, her slender fingers gripping Higashino's clothes tightly: "It should be that red-haired mage... He's skilled in fire magic..."

Dongye stared at the talisman in his hand and suddenly understood the enemy's plan. Since they couldn't pinpoint Index's exact location, they might as well burn down the entire apartment building. After all, Index had a mobile church that couldn't be burned to death, and the reason there was no sound was probably because they used a spell to disperse the bystanders, making the ordinary people leave.

It has to be said, this method is really effective... He didn't want his new home, which he had only lived in for a few days, to be burned to ashes.

"Stay here and don't move."

Higashino casually tore off the talisman and gently pressed down on Index's trembling shoulders.

"I'll go check on the situation."

"no!"

Index suddenly grabbed Higashino's wrist with astonishing force.

"That person is dangerous! His flames can burn everything..."

Higashino crouched down to look her in the eye: "Trust me, okay?"

He gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I promise nothing will happen."

Index hesitated for a few seconds before finally letting go. She nervously twisted the edge of her apron, her eyes filled with unease.

He dared not use the elevator at all; an explosion inside would be no joke, so he had to take the fire escape. Every floor was covered with the same talismans, with the density increasing as you went down.

This is to ensure there are no blind spots...

As he walked and tore at the same time, when Dongye reached the third floor, he noticed someone's figure. He tiptoed and slowly approached along the wall.

A tall, red-haired man with his back to him was attaching talismans to a load-bearing pillar.

The red-haired priest whirled around, his sharp gaze piercing like a knife. He froze upon seeing Higashino, clearly not expecting anyone to appear.

He wore a black priest's robe, was over 2 meters tall, had shoulder-length red hair, and his hands were covered with thick silver rings. His ears were also adorned with earrings, and he had a barcode-like tattoo under his right eye. If he hadn't read the original work, Higashino Yu would never have believed that this guy was only 14 years old.

"who are you?"

Stiyl looked at Higashino with a puzzled expression, a lit cigarette now in his hand.

"I clearly set up a function to deter unauthorized users..."

Higashino looked directly into his eyes, his hand stealthily reaching into his pocket to grasp the talisman: "I'd like to ask you, what were you doing in my apartment building?"

The red-haired priest narrowed his eyes, the glow of his cigarette standing out starkly in the dimly lit hall. He sized up Higashino, his expression gradually turning dangerous.

"An unexpected intruder? Sorry, although I don't want to deal with ordinary people, please leave!"

Chapter 36 The Intense Conflict Between Flames and Cognition

The night sky over District 7 was torn apart by a sudden burst of fire, with orange-red flames dancing wildly in the darkness.

Stiyl Magnus stood opposite Higashino, his dark red priest's robes fluttering in the heat, his red hair like flowing lava in the firelight.

He had no intention of talking to Higashino at all; a burning rune card was between his fingers, and the cigarette dangling from his lips lit up automatically in the heat.

"Fle210 (Give the most heinous sinners a severe lash)!"

Five condensed, almost tangible, fiery whips instantly formed in front of him, whistling sharply as they hurtled through the air, aiming straight for Higashino Yu from a tricky angle! The scorching air currents instantly distorted the air.

Higashino Yu's pupils contracted sharply as he darted through the narrow street. A scorching breeze brushed past his body, sending a sharp burning sensation through his skin. He had just dodged the first wave of attacks—

"Auspcum856 (Offering Ashes of the Three Kingdoms)! Transformation—'Incendium Cremat'!"

With a wave of his hand, Steele unleashed three rapidly spinning, half-meter-diameter spiral fireballs, like guided missiles, blocking Higashino Yu's escape route with a piercing shriek! Boom! The violent explosion sent Higashino Yu flying, his back slamming heavily into the window of a shop on the street! The reinforced glass shattered instantly, and smoke and dust filled the air.

Cough... This guy's fire manipulation is stronger than I expected. I couldn't feel it at all when watching the anime... No wonder he's such an outrageously grotesque priest!

Higashino coughed amidst the ruins, a searing pain shooting through his left arm as his clothes were charred and stuck to his skin.

Amidst the smoke and dust, he quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for the locations of the rune cards that served as magic nodes.

Stiyl didn't pursue. The new rune card slowly spun and burned around his body like a shield. He coldly stared at the ruins: "Hmph, all they can do is dodge? The guys from Academy City really aren't very capable!"

Before the words were even finished, dozens of "flame swords" of varying sizes materialized instantly in response to the burning rune cards in the air! Like a dense rain of fire arrows, carrying devastating heat, they covered every possible space where Higashino Yu could dodge! The scorching air waves distorted the light; this was a pure, saturated bombardment of fire!

Faced with this overwhelming and deadly rain of fire, Higashino Yu suddenly burst out of the ruins! A flash of eerie blue light appeared in his eyes. His target was not Stiyl, but a lamppost on the edge of the street, on which was a rune card for a key area!

Want to destroy the node?!

Stiyl instantly understood his intentions.

The rain of fiery arrows was already overhead! At the critical moment, Dongye suddenly ripped open his collar, revealing the amulet that Chuchun had given him at the hospital last time; the edges of the daisy embroidery were beginning to scorch under the high temperature.

Without issuing any commands, he simply channeled his power into the small amulet, and a powerful thought exploded within him: Protect!

To Stiyl's astonishment, an unbelievable scene unfolded: the dozens of "flame swords" that had been rapidly falling from the sky and should have instantly torn Higashino apart, vanished and disintegrated silently upon contact with the invisible domain in front of him, like ice cubes thrown into water! It was as if their inherent destructive power had been negated by some more fundamental rule! The rain of fire dissipated above his head, leaving only a scorching shockwave and Stiyl's suddenly contracting pupils!

What?! What...what kind of ability is this?! This is...the erasure of the concept of fire attacks?!

The immense shock caused Steele to freeze in place.

Forcibly rewriting the nature of such a large-scale attack was somewhat of a stretch for Higashino Yu. His temples felt like they had been struck by a heavy hammer, his blood vessels throbbed, his vision blurred, and his consciousness felt like it was being torn apart. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the Daisy Amulet he had just retrieved.

But Stiyl was, after all, a battle-hardened mage, and his shock lasted only a moment. His eyes sharpened, and his hands swiftly switched rune cards in his sleeves, preparing to unleash a more powerful spell. However, just as he began to channel his magic...

Higashino pressed his bloodied fingers firmly against his throbbing temples, activating his ability.

The understanding of magic has collapsed!

The command was silent, yet the effect was surprisingly effective!

"Uh-huh?!"

Stiyl shuddered violently! A metallic taste welled up uncontrollably in his throat, causing him to cough violently.

He was horrified to discover that his connection with the vast network of runes that had been laid out in advance across the entire battlefield had been forcibly severed and crushed by an invisible giant hand!

—Crack! Bang!

—Sizzle... Boom!

—Bang! Crash!

Rune cards scattered throughout the stairwell walls, floors, escalators, and other corners, regardless of their age or how deeply hidden, spontaneously combusted, twisted, exploded, or simply turned into powerless ashes! The meticulously constructed rune base collapsed completely within a second or two! The fiery magic permeating the air instantly became chaotic and dissipated!

Backlash?! The runic base...was...forcibly destroyed?! What kind of power is this?!

The immense magical backlash and the shock to his soul made Stiyl's vision blur. A sharp pain coursed through his magical circuits, and he collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling as he tried to support himself. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His cigarette had long since fallen and extinguished on the molten pavement.

Higashino Yu staggered, dragging his nearly broken body, step by step toward Stiyl, who was kneeling on the ground. Each step left deep, bloody footprints on the melting pavement. He reached Stiyl, raised his blood-stained fingers, and pressed them hard against Stiyl's sweat-drenched forehead.

Stiyl struggled to lift his head, looking at the blood-soaked man before him, whose eyes remained sharp, and for the first time felt a threat beyond comprehension. He coughed up blood, his voice hoarse yet carrying a strange fervor: "Cough... Haha... Interesting! Very interesting! You... worthy of my name! Listen carefully! My name is—Forts931! Here I will prove why I am the strongest!"

"Forts931 (A gift of suffering to giants)!"

As the spell name was announced, Stiyl seemed to burn his last bit of magic! The remaining rune cards burst forth with an unprecedented light!

The lingering flames on the ground, the chaotic heat in the air, and even Stiyl's own surging magic, all converged, twisted, and expanded wildly! A five-meter-tall fire giant, more solid and ferocious than before, the "Witch-hunting King," rose from the ground in the middle of the street! Ominous flames flickered in its empty eye sockets, and every step it took left melting footprints on the ground, radiating a suffocating aura of destruction! This was his true trump card!

However, facing this final strike that summoned life itself, Higashino Yu calmly watched the roaring fire giant, his fingers pressing slightly against Stiyl's forehead, a cold thought piercing directly into the other's chaotic mind:

Devour your master...fire in your hand!

--boom! ! !

The remaining, uncontrollable, and raging magical power within Stiyl, which had spiraled out of control due to the collapse of the rune network, along with his connection to the fire spirit, was now detonated by this thought!

The spare rune cards he carried, the fire-resistant runes sewn into the lining of his robes, and even his lingering flame affinity magic... all instantly transformed into the spark that ignited him! Flames erupted from his seven orifices and from every pore of his body, instantly turning him into a man of fire, screaming in agony!

The newly formed "King of Witch Hunting" let out a mournful cry filled with resentment. Its massive body trembled violently, and then its entire body crumbled instantly like a sandcastle blown away by the wind, turning into a sky full of chaotic sparks that dissipated into the night sky. Its summoner itself had turned into fuel!

Stiyl rolled and roared on the ground before finally stopping, leaving only a charred outline and wisps of smoke. The genius rune mage had completely lost consciousness and fallen into a deep coma.

"Phew, finally got this guy done..."

Silence returned to the street, leaving only Higashino's heavy breathing. His vision began to blur, and his legs went weak uncontrollably.

Although the process was short, he had to defeat the enemy while preventing the apartment from being burned down by the aftershocks, so using his ability was not easy.

Just as Higashino was about to collapse and rest for a while, a clear female voice came from the moonlight:

"What a wonderful performance."

Higashino Yu looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting. Kanzaki Kaori was already standing on top of the streetlight at some point.

...So she really came, Kanzaki Kaori!

Chapter 37 The Maid Outfit Bet is Established! The Saintly Girl's Defeat