Of course, there was dissatisfaction.
First, Shinji passionately kissed Justeaze in front of everyone for several minutes, which declared her the main winner.
Next, the terrifying opponent, Aozaki Touko, announced her participation in the fight.
And now, he was once again passionately kissing Arcueid.
In that instant, titles like Grand, Beast, Outsiders, and Magicians were all thrown aside. The hearts of all the girls were filled with one emotion: envy, jealousy, and resentment. There was only one thought in their minds—"It Should Have Been Me Not Her!!"
The palpable intensity of this collective resentment made Shinji's hair stand on end, and goosebumps rose all over his skin.
Keep in mind that he was now a Third Magician and highly sensitive to any spiritual fluctuations.
After the initial sweetness passed, Shinji suddenly snapped back to reality, forcefully pushing Arcueid away.
"Ugh—ha…"
He gasped for air, his heart still racing. He had to admit, that kiss with Arcueid was the most intense one he'd experienced in both of his lifetimes. Her clear and fiery passion had almost set his very soul ablaze.
Arcueid, the heroine of the kiss, licked her lips with satisfaction and clung to Shinji's arm, giggling.
"So that's what a kiss is like! It's so much fun, Shinji. Let's try it again sometime."
"Ahaha, ahahahaha."
Shinji nervously laughed, cold sweat running down his back.
My dear princess, you're going to get me killed!
While Shinji didn't entirely object to the idea, could she please refrain from saying such things in public?
No, this can't go on. If this continues, things will get out of hand.
"Ahem, your dad… no, your mom—wait, no… Crimson Moon, the one who took over your body?"
"I don't know," Arcueid shook her head.
"You don't know?"
Shinji was in disbelief.
"I don't. After regaining control of my body, she disappeared. I checked myself but couldn't find her."
"…Don't move."
Activating the Third Magic, Shinji began a soul scan. The result took him by surprise.
"She's gone? It seems she's not just reincarnated but has become part of your soul. This technique is far more advanced than Roa's infinite reincarnation. Could it be that Roa stole your power because of this connection?"
"I don't know, I never thought about it."
"Yeah, I didn't expect you to."
With your single-track mind, how could you possibly think about such details?
"Good thing I became a Third Magician—at least I won't be completely helpless. Worst case, I can cut off the part of the soul and patch it up. It'll be troublesome, but better than leaving a hidden danger. I'll prepare for a soul operation soon."
"I'm happy you're so concerned about me, but it's okay," Arcueid said cheerfully.
"She's quite pitiful. She's not as bad as you think. It's fine like this."
"Really?"
Shinji was skeptical.
"Really."
"Old man, what do you think?"
Zelretch thought for a moment and said, "Crimson Moon has been active on the planet for a long time, and her threat level is far less than that of a giant god… If you and Arcueid can maintain control like this, we can observe the situation for a while. Your method of materializing Gaia and Alaya gave me some ideas. Outsiders might not always be enemies—they could bring new possibilities."
"In this area, you have much more experience than I do, so I'll follow your lead."
Shinji didn't agonize over it. Completely eradicating a Type (U.O.) wasn't easy, so if appeasement was an option, there was no need to resort to brute force.
"I'll find an opportunity to talk to Crimson Moon. If she agrees not to cause trouble, it might not be impossible to let her roam freely. We might even need her help for things on the Moon."
"That's a good idea. You're more thoughtful about this than the Fourth Magician," Zelretch nodded approvingly.
The other person being mentioned simply threw up her hands in resignation.
"Sorry for not being thoughtful enough, okay?"
"…"
"…"
The old man and the young man exchanged awkward glances.
Well, what can you do when even Aozaki Aoko herself says that?
It wasn't like they could just beat her up—that would only play into her hands.
More importantly, there was still one culprit who hadn't been dealt with—
Wait, what was going on?
"Uh, Ms. Aoko, where's the person you were supposed to be watching?"
"Isn't he right here?"
Aoko turned her head, only to freeze in shock.
"Huh? Where did he go? He was just here a moment ago!"
"…"
Sensing the increasingly unfriendly stares from them, Aoko raised her hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I admit it. I didn't keep an eye on him, and he ran off. But it's not entirely my fault! The things you've been doing have been so over the top that I got distracted. You know I'm just a fool who's only good at destruction."
"Big sis, are you addicted to self-deprecation now?"
Shinji couldn't help but retort.
"After being roasted by Touko so much, I've gotten used to it," Aoko replied nonchalantly.
"Besides, so what if he ran? It's not a big deal. With the old man's abilities, he can catch up to him in less than a minute."
Indeed, as Aoko said, the Second Magician controlled both time and space. Anyone he set his sights on could be caught in an instant, no matter where they ran.
"Old man, I'll leave it to you."
Zelretch smoothly raised his staff, closed his eyes, then opened them again. The scenery around them shifted rapidly.
As soon as the transfer was complete, the sound of melodious bells mixed with angry roars echoed in their ears.
...
Let's rewind time a little.
Back to the moment when Shinji was suppressing Crimson Moon through his bond with Arcueid, Kirei Kotomine once again attempted to escape.
There was no other choice—he had to run. Even though there were fewer invincible monsters around, the most troublesome one had returned. If he didn't flee, was he supposed to wait for death?
As he fled, Kirei was filled with anxiety.
After failing once, would it happen again this time?
Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on Shinji, and Kirei successfully escaped to the opposite side, where Ryuudou Temple was located. There, a powerful bounded field limited the movement of spiritual entities, making it the safest place amid danger.
Halfway up the mountain, Kirei stole a glance behind him. Seeing no reaction from the others, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.
I should be safe now.
However, just as Kirei turned his head forward, he was startled by the sudden appearance of something in front of him.
It was a skull mask—ghastly white, with two eerie blue flames flickering in the hollow eye sockets, giving it an extremely sinister appearance.
Kirei was certain that the skull mask wasn't there when he turned his head just moments ago. Where had it come from?
As soon as he realized the danger, he leaped back and shouted, "Who's there?!"
"The time has come. Hand over your head!"
A voice echoed from within the mask, followed by a flash of cold light that swept across Kirei's neck.
In the next second, his head, propelled by the force of blood pressure, shot into the sky.