Magician in Type-Moon

Page 325

Even the benches under the trees are covered in rust, their mottled surfaces reflecting the desolation of the place.

However, amidst this decay, the ritual inscriptions carved on the ground stand out starkly—the intricate lines intertwine like a giant spider web, tightly enveloping the area.

Not long ago, Matou Ike was sitting in his bedroom with a steaming cup of black coffee beside him, its aroma mixed with a slightly bitter smell.

He casually flipped through the investigation report sent from the clock tower. The densely packed records had a rigid feel to them, but the occasional keywords that popped up made him frown slightly.

However, the next moment he suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation coming from the depths of the city's spiritual veins.

The oscillations were not violent, but subtle and continuous, as if a thin thread was gradually shifting the balance of the entire system.

So he came to this abandoned park.

The scene before my eyes was completely different from the secret activity I had imagined—there was no magician in sight, nor any trace of any special spells.

There was only a ragged homeless man, holding a twig, slowly carving some kind of pattern on the ground.

Matouchi frowned slightly, walked slowly closer, and made a faint sound as his footsteps pounded on the fallen leaves, but did not disturb the other party.

He looked down at the pattern gradually taking shape on the ground. It was an easily recognizable ritual structure, but it appeared stiff and crude, clearly the work of an amateur who lacked basic knowledge of magic.

"What are you doing?" Matou Ike asked casually, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable pressure.

The homeless man looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

“Someone gave me some money to finish these paintings. I don’t know what it means, I just thought it was a simple job and the money was good, so I took it.”

"Someone's there?" Matou Ike crouched down, his gaze level with the homeless man's, his tone unchanged: "What does that person look like?"

"Hmm..." The homeless man scratched his head, seemingly trying to remember. "Strange, I don't remember. I saw him just yesterday..."

"Yesterday? Then why are you only just starting?"

The homeless man paused for a moment after hearing this, then looked even more confused. He shook his head and muttered to himself:

"Yeah, why is that... I clearly took on the job yesterday, but I only started drawing it today... It's really strange."

Matouchi squinted, shifting his gaze from the homeless man's confused expression to the pattern on the ground.

He didn't answer immediately, but observed silently. After a moment, he asked, "What do you remember from yesterday? For example, where did you see that person? What did he say?"

“Yesterday… I think it was night, I spent the night under a bridge nearby. He got out of his car and said he would give me some pocket money and ask me to draw something for him,” the homeless man said in a low voice. “But I can’t remember anything after that… what else he said to me, but my mind is a blur, like… being flashed by car headlights.”

"By the headlights of a car?" Matou Ike repeated, his tone calm, yet it sent a chill down the homeless man's spine.

"It was that feeling... empty, bright... and then I couldn't remember it when I woke up." The homeless man's voice grew softer and softer, until finally he seemed unwilling to recall it anymore.

Medea floated over from the side, glanced at the vagrants, and then looked at the ritual implements on the ground:

"It should be a kind of suggestive magic trick, a very skillful technique, and they even came a day in advance to eliminate the mysterious residual traces."

Matou Ike nodded slightly, stood up, glanced at the homeless man, and said, "You can go now. Leave this area, find a quiet place to stay, and don't come back."

The homeless man, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, readily agreed to leave, and his figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the park.

This confirms that the homeless man has left the area and hints at the successful completion of the magic trick.

Matouchi then refocused his attention on the ritual.

He extended a finger and completed one of the unfinished symbols. In an instant, a mysterious aura emanated from the ground, carrying a hint of holiness and mystery.

"Is this the Kabbalah Tree of Life, drawn based on the virtues and angels needed to reach heaven?"

Another name represented by the Kabbalah Tree of Life is the Gate of Truth.

The ten discs on it are sometimes marked "Eloah" or "Elohim", both of which refer to God.

The Tree of Life signifies the vast universe, the human body as a microcosm, and the spiritual journey to the divine realm.

Human beings exist in individual "kingdoms," and embark on a journey of meditation through 22 paths to ten circles, until they reach the "crown."

This is a relatively common secret base technique in modern magic, so Matou Ike recognized it at a glance.

“Almost, but it’s strange.” Medea frowned, her gaze fixed on the empty area on the ground. “The ‘human’ spot shouldn’t be empty.”

Matou Ike was slightly taken aback, then realized the seriousness of the problem.

Although the ritual in front of us is incomplete and many symbols representing "angels" have not yet been added, the fact that "humanity" is deliberately left blank as the starting point is extremely unreasonable.

“The Tree of Life symbolizes the path from ‘humanity’ to ‘divine’,” he said softly, his thoughtful gaze sweeping over the ritual. “Regardless of the culture or the mysticism, the order of the path can never be reversed.”

You eat one bite at a time, and you walk one step at a time.

Starting with "human beings" and moving towards "divine beings" aligns with the fundamental logic of all rituals.

“This homeless man may not understand, but the person behind him would never make such a basic mistake,” Matou Ike calmly analyzed. “So… the reason for the vacancy in the ‘human’ position has a deeper meaning.”

“To be more precise,” Medea’s voice turned colder, “this blank space was not ignored, but deliberately created. It may not even have been reserved for ‘humanity’.”

Matou Ike looked up at her: "What do you mean?"

Medea said softly, "This blank space may not be the beginning, but... the end of another existence."

"Fallen angels? A completely opposite path..."

............

Inside the city, in a dimly lit secret room, one could vaguely see strange symbols shimmering on the walls.

Orange stood in front of an intricately carved stone platform, her gaze fixed on the engraved patterns, her fingertips casually circling the cigarette filter.

“Fallen angel…” she narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke in a low voice, but her tone carried a certainty of understanding the whole situation, “You can see it too? This is not the traditional ‘Tree of Life’ (Sephirothic) spell, but its reflection.”

She raised her finger and lightly touched the outline of the pattern: "The 'Tree of Life,' a symbol of Kabbalah, was originally a path guiding humanity to heaven, guarded by virtue and angels. But here—"

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the twisted, decadent symbols.

“But fallen angels have replaced angels, and evil has replaced virtue.” Orange’s voice carried a hint of coldness as she exhaled a puff of smoke. “This is another aspect of the ‘Tree of Life,’ the Tree of Evil [Qliphoth].

Her gaze returned to the graphic on the stone platform. The node symbolizing "humanity" was swallowed by darkness, and the names surrounding it were all those of fallen angels and demons.

“It seems that the basic technique for stripping away the city uses this as its core,” Orange said, her tone calm but with a hint of disdain. “They really are… a bunch of ambitious guys.”

"So here's the question." The Second Prince spoke slowly, his gaze rising from the dim glow of his burning cigarette, a deep look in his eyes. "What they want to reach isn't 'the heavens,' but... what?"

“That beast might be the answer.” She paused, then smiled beautifully, like a blooming flower.

"That's enough clues. Let me show you what the Aozaki family does..."

......

This is a forest, night has fallen, and the shadows of the trees are dappled. The rustling of leaves echoes in the air, like the low laughter of a witch, sounding particularly eerie and unsettling.

This was the forecourt of the city, which, after being discovered by Orange and El-Melloi II, was quickly transformed into a makeshift ceremonial space. The surrounding woods formed a natural barrier, isolating this place into a secluded space.

Hanako Ryori wiped the sweat from her brow, looked up at the unfinished spell, and sighed heavily: "I'm the supervisor, why should I have to do this kind of thing for you guys..."

Her tone revealed a deep sense of helplessness, clearly indicating that she was quite dissatisfied with her current situation.

El-Melloi II glanced at Hanano Hishiri, who was constantly radiating a toxic mood.

He quoted a classic line from a movie from a certain island nation.

“If you don’t want the other families in the Clock Tower to know that your Legal Affairs Department is making money through these petty tricks,” he paused his work, speaking slowly and deliberately, “then hurry up and come help instead of complaining here.”

These words were like a sharp knife piercing a sore spot, causing Hana no Ryori's eyes to widen instantly: "You! How dare you say that—"

Weber, too lazy to listen to her rebuttal, added in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense, I don't have that much time to waste."

Ryori Hana was so angry she gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do. Reluctantly, she moved back to the edge of the incantation and continued working, muttering under her breath:

"The credibility of the Department of Law and Politics is not so fragile... but your approach is simply wishful thinking. That technique hasn't even been verified as being used to construct this stripped city, has it?"

"Verification is too much trouble. Anyway, whether it succeeds or fails, it will probably become part of the clues."

Orange stood to the side and responded lazily. As the host of the upcoming ceremony, she didn't need to do such chores.

Before long, Reines and Grey finally returned to the ceremony venue.

Reines was so exhausted she almost collapsed to the ground, one hand supporting her knee, the other waving weakly to indicate that they had completed their mission.

Grey, however, appeared more composed. After tidying herself up slightly, she stood up straight and answered:

"Ready. Strip away all the rooms and passageways of the city; the magical circuits have been filled with Miss Orange's runes."

"Well done." Orange's lips curled slightly as she looked from Gray to Reines, who was still panting heavily. Her tone was somewhat teasing. "Looks like a certain young lady isn't quite used to this kind of physical labor?"

Reines merely pursed her lips and did not reply.

Seeing this, Orange stopped teasing her and instead reached out and began to draw in the air.

“Mannaz.”

The runes representing "humanity" at the fingertips glowed and connected to other runes.

Dangerous like the fuse of a bomb, yet as dazzling as the curio room, which was said to be the predecessor of the British Museum, the orange was gradually filled with a beautiful light.

The first phase is around the orange.

The light emanating from Rune's matrix slowly began to rotate.

The controlled, spiraling magic began to revolve around its original shape.

The Second Prince, standing to the side, looked at this magnificent world and couldn't help but marvel.

"Is this the talent of a Grand Magician?"

The Second King's lament was not without reason. Orange was using Kabbalah's intricately crafted spells to make minimal changes to the stripped city of Adela, transforming it into a spell with entirely different meaning.

The scale is that of an entire stripped-down city, and the runic matrix composed of these parts does not even allow for deviations that a mayfly could pass through.

The next second—

"Awaken. Let Fehu connect with Netzach, ignite Sowilo, and circulate through Yesod. Ehwaz, connect with Geburah, Jera, Keter, and Tiferet, along with Chokmah, Binah, and Hod, becoming the light that guides you to my side."

(Awaken. Connect wealth and suffering, ignite the sun, and cycle back to the foundation. Eternity, connected with power, result, crown, and balance, together with revelation, reason, and spirituality, becomes the light that guides you to my side.)

The incantation continued for a long time.

The second phase takes place around the woods.

The spiraling magic, like a snake raising its head, seemed to sway in the wind.

The runes already embedded within the stripped-away city responded, and the surrounding magic began to dance. Subtle vibrations then spread throughout the entire city, and noticeable tremors began to appear.

The Second Prince looked up at the sky.

"...Is the castle shaking?"