allonlinenovel Interlude 148: The Zodiac
Interlude 148: The Zodiac
Wednesday, July 5th, 15 days after the disappearance of the [Malignant Paradise] that shrouded Tengu City~
9:45 AM
On a bright and sunny morning, the sun had just risen, and its warm rays shone through the clouds onto the earth.
In this quiet and beautiful town, the old Gangfeng family mansion stands quietly.
At this moment, in Ming's room, skeletal arms extending from numerous magic circles around the bed are holding up various mysterious objects called [Magic Crafts].
Ming didn't speak, but instead intentionally decomposed the spiritual power within his body and poured it into the feather-woven [Wings of Icarus], slowly lowering it down.
"The more than 30 artifacts unearthed from the village are the last pieces, besides it (the Spear of Longinus), to have their mystery restored..."
Ming stood up and muttered to himself, because he possessed all of Merlin's research knowledge on magic, which allowed him to thoroughly understand the principles behind countless crafts.
"The first step is to re-infuse the mysterious part of the spiritual power... This will complete the task if the damage is not too serious. The only drawback is that only I can use it, but that's not really the case for me."
As Ming spoke, he carefully stored the Wings of Icarus into a specially made container.
He took the Spear of Longinus, which had been impossible to repair, from the altar and the floor and held it in his hand.
"The second step is like this... Although the name is grand and the mystery it attracts is great, the technique is undoubtedly useless. At present, it is just an empty shell with no substance."
Ming looked at the Spear of Longinus in his hand, while in his other hand, a ball of pink spiritual energy, which was not under his control, gradually gathered in his palm.
"Using the Spear of Longinus as an anchor point, combined with the strange spiritual power of the [Paradise of Calamity], and finally adding the Domain of Freedom, that should be enough to achieve that, but unfortunately, it's not the right time yet..."
10:15 AM
Having already taken care of most things, Ming walked out of the room. Just as he reached the courtyard gate, his cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
Ming took out his phone, saw that the caller ID showed Shido, and pressed the answer button.
"Hey, Shido, what's up?"
Shido's somewhat indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Good morning, Mr. Ming. By the way, are you back from your holiday in England?"
Ming paused for a moment, then realized that Möbius had asked for leave for him in his own name last time, and laughed:
"Oh, I just got off the plane. What brings you here, Shido?"
"Uh, it's nothing. Tohka just mentioned you while she was having breakfast today, so I just came to say hello. It's nothing, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, Ming, as usual, went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for Er Ya, who was still fast asleep.
He skillfully chopped vegetables, stir-fried dishes, and made soup. Before long, a table full of delicious and visually appealing food was ready.
Ming gently pushed open Er Ya's door, looked at her sleeping soundly, and placed the food on the table with a blank expression. He left a note telling Er Ya to remember to eat lunch, and then silently left the room.
Ming walked out of his house alone and strolled through the streets. His destination was the once bustling restaurant—Shan Da Wu.
However, the mountain house has lost its former glory. The entrance is deserted, and there are no longer any bustling crowds. There are only a few regular customers passing by...
"Yes...times are changing, and quite a few residents have moved to Tiangong City, but they have stayed here because of the daughter I couldn't protect..."
Ming stood in front of the mountain house, gazing quietly inside.
Through the window, he saw Iwahira and Saori, who looked much more haggard than before.
A complex emotion welled up in Ming's heart, but he did not go in. Instead, he turned around and walked towards a diner who was eating.
Ming politely greeted the diner and then asked him to help deliver an envelope containing a large sum of money to Iwahira and Saori.
The diner looked at Ming with some surprise, but still agreed to his request.
After handing the envelope to the diner, Ming waited at the door for a while until he saw the diner enter the mountain house and hand the envelope to Iwahira and Saori.
He watched from afar as the Iwahira couple opened the envelope, their faces showing astonishment, and then they began to look around, seemingly searching for the person who had delivered the money.
Ming knew they couldn't see him, so he silently turned and left.
"Even if they don't have any customers, they can still afford to live off this money until next month... Even if it's next month, we can just give them another payment."
As Ming walked along the road, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, even though he knew that given Uncle Iwahira's personality, he probably wouldn't accept it.
But this is the small help I can offer to the departed Sae.
Upon arriving at the cemetery, Ming slowly walked to Sawa's cenotaph and gazed quietly at the small tombstone. He sighed softly, as if he could feel Sawa's presence beside him.
Ming slowly crouched down, reached out, and gently swept away the surrounding dust with his black flames. The black flames, like a black whirlwind, swiftly and gently swept away the dust, revealing the clean ground beneath.
After doing all this, Ming straightened up and sat quietly in front of Sawa's cenotaph.
"It really brings back memories. When was the last time I came here... Sawa." Ming said to the empty cenotaph, his expression full of emotion.
"Five years ago...it feels like such a long time to me...In these pathetic 25 years, I've spent my entire life doing only two things: seeing you...and killing a god..."
After chatting alone for half an hour, Ming stepped out of the cemetery, looked at the clear blue sky, and seemed to be deep in thought.
"The plan still needs a helper who can move quickly, so let's go with her, she's perfect..."
Outside the cemetery gate, a massive skeleton rose from the ground, its black, random domain and magic forming armor, eventually transforming into a gigantic Tengu giant.
[Black Flame Style: Susanoo Complete Form]
After Susanoo was fully formed, Ming controlled it to leap into the air. Susanoo suddenly flapped its wings, and the huge wings stirred up a gust of wind. It took off like a giant fighter jet and soared straight into the sky.
Susanoo was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced through the clouds and continued flying higher.
Its body appeared increasingly small high in the sky, but its immense power and unwavering will remained undiminished. Finally, Susanoo broke through the atmosphere and entered the vast universe.
In this endless darkness, Susanoo began to dissipate into countless points of light, while Ming, already dressed in his spirit armor, was floating on the space station.
"Phew, flying in space feels a bit different from flying on Earth. Earth is like being tethered by a rope that binds your feet, while here it's like a kite with a broken string. I need to adjust my spiritual energy to fly at different speeds."
After placing his hand on his chin, he rationally analyzed the situation, removing the inscription from Susanoo, and finally looked up at the golden-haired elf who was holding him.
"Hoshigumi Rokuro, theoretically the number one person after Tenka and Mio. If I could get her to help me, the speed at which I set up spells in the future could at least double," Ming murmured.
After 15 minutes, Ming used the [Divine Eclipse Manual] to distinguish the picture from a certain purple-haired ultimate life form from his past in his mind.
Finally, the blonde, humanoid creature of the 100-level size, who had been curled up in space and had given up thinking, opened her eyes.
"Nice to meet you, zodiac spirit, or perhaps you should be called Ms. Hoshimiya Mukuro?"
Following this statement, the ultimate life form in this universe slowly unfolded its body and evolved into an upright-walking creature.
"Who are you? Where did you come from? What do you want with me?" Rokushi tilted her head, but after thinking for a moment, she continued, somewhat blankly, "
"If there's nothing else, please leave..."
"Would you like to introduce yourself? Sure, hello. My name is Okamine Mei, son of Okamine Takeichiro, the former head of the Okamine family. But I am more widely known as... your kind, the extremely evil spirit [Flame Beast]."
Ming bowed slightly in a gentlemanly manner, then continued to scrutinize the still somewhat dazed Liu Shi, as if pondering the most urgent solution.
"Then what brings you to me?"
"Oh, it's like this. I have a plan, but it requires a lot of troublesome people to set up the spell. Your [Sealing Master] can help me. Would you be interested in becoming my assistant?"
"No," Rokuro said indifferently.
"Tsk, that's really fate playing tricks on us. Although I didn't want to tell the truth that way... after all, whether you seal your heart or not, you still have some feelings for me..."
Ming spoke meaningfully, still wearing a sincere smile, but his aura was already making people shudder.
'Ding~'
Accompanied by a strange playing sound, the cane in Ming's hand, now in the void where it was impossible for it to ignite, was enveloped in pitch-black karmic fire and charged straight towards her.
"Um?!"
Liu Shi immediately activated [Sealing Master]. A door appeared behind Ming, and a key suddenly touched his back from the opened door. With the sound of the key turning, he closed his eyes.
"You... dare to attack me? You overestimate yourself."
Ming's ability to transmit his thoughts through spiritual power was shut down, leaving him standing there blankly before being disintegrated by Rokuro.
Is that really the case...?
The scene shifts, and Rokuro, with heart-shaped eyes and a lifeless gaze, stands before Akira like a puppet, the angel in his hand now unnoticed.
Ming held the [Sealing Master] and said with a hint of apology, "I didn't want this either, but it will be very troublesome if you refuse. I'm sorry."
Seeing the lifeless look in Rokuro's eyes, Ming shook his head helplessly. Even if he apologized, Rokuro wouldn't hear him; it was just an expression of his apology.
After obtaining the Ninth Demon King, he didn't use it very often, since it was like hypnosis and took away too much of the other person's right to think.
"Well, before you start the plan, why don't you stick with me for now... as my sister? How about that?"
"I will obey all orders from Lord [Flame Beast]!"
She spoke listlessly, as if she hadn't even unlocked the lock in her heart, making her sound like an artificial intelligence that had just learned to speak.
"Let's go then."
"As ordered."
After he finished speaking, Ming led Rokuro back towards Earth.