Chapter 216: The Garden of Sinners Episode 5: Paradox Spiral! (Part 14)
After Shiki Ryougi's storyline concluded, the perspective suddenly shifted to Kokutou Mikiya, with the timeline rolling back slightly.
While Shiki had been living together with Tomoe Enjou, Mikiya was away in the countryside attending a driving school run by a relative. After three months, he finally obtained his license and returned home.
Edwardg a brief chat about his license, Mikiya's attention was suddenly drawn to a photograph lying on the table.
The background of the photo appeared to be a massive clock tower. In front of it stood two men and a young girl.
One of the men was a Japanese man in a black haori-like coat. The other was a handsome blond man in a red coat. The girl standing between them looked far more ordinary in comparison—petite, almost delicate—but carried a striking beauty, as if she were a blooming flower.
Just realizing that this was a younger version of Touko Aozaki, Mikiya couldn't help but feel slightly awkward.
"Miss Aozaki, this photo—"
"Hmm? Ah, that's of some people I used to know. I've long forgotten their faces. I only recalled something when I saw the photo."
"So… who are they?"
"That must've been—when was it again…? I think it was back when my little sister was still in high school. So, at least eight years ago."
"Was it taken at the Clock Tower?"
"Yes. One day, I met that man by chance. He had the rather peculiar background of being something like a Buddhist monk. As a magus, he had plenty of flaws in his craft, but as a person, his strength far exceeded others. I had a soft spot for that clumsy guy."
"..."
"My work in dollcraft, you see, is aimed at achieving [ ] through the creation of a perfect human prototype. But that guy took the opposite route—not through the body, but through the soul. No matter how much effort I pour in, at best I can only create a perfect version of myself. I could never make a puppet that surpasses the original. But that guy… he's probably still going. Because he possesses the ability to see a person's origin. There were even rumors that he betrayed his master in pursuit of the perfect soul template. Listen closely, Mikiya. I'll say this up front—no matter what happens, don't get involved with the man in this photo."
Mikiya didn't respond to Touko's warning. He simply stared at the shadowy figure in black within the photo, his expression growing increasingly grave.
The scene cut away—now Touko had brought Mikiya to visit the other man in the photo: Cornelius Alba.
They arrived at an opulent apartment. Standing on the second floor was the red-coated man, who looked virtually unchanged from the past. Touko spoke coldly:
"What do you want from me?"
"Me? Shouldn't I be asking you that? Why did you break into my base?"
"Oh? So that apartment's your workshop? In that case, I may have to reevaluate your skills."
"Don't go judging me. The technology I use to preserve only the brain while replacing the body with a puppet is mine and mine alone!"
"But that apartment is protected by a supreme barrier that prevents any magical experiments from leaking to the outside world. As far as I know, only one person is capable of setting up such a barrier!"
"Heh. And what makes you so sure of that?"
"In any case, why did you create that apartment? Was it to reach the Root?"
"The Root? Please. I have no interest in something so tasteless—chasing after something whose very existence is uncertain? That's not even a good joke. And even if it does exist, who in this world could ever actually reach it?"
"Someone did. And precisely because someone reached it, we know it exists. But those who get there… never come back. Every magus who's reached that point has vanished. No matter how you look at it, magi are a group who chase an infinitely distant goal with no hope of return—that's what being a magus is."
"That's just your opinion."
"The ultimate goal of magi is the Swirl of the Root. It also goes by another name—Akashic Records, the source of all phenomena in the world, the origin of all things, the cause and truth behind everything. There's a saying that in that place, one can find the records of all past, present, and future events in existence. There is no magus who would not crave the Root."
With those words from Touko Aozaki, the scene came to an abrupt end.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After that intense combat sequence, the shift into a calmer, slower-paced scene allowed the audience to gradually unwind their tightly strung nerves.
It was also at this moment that people realized the previous sequence had only presented Shiki Ryougi's side of the story.
In reality, Mikiya Kokutou and Aoko Aozaki were also pursuing their own investigation.
However, unlike Shiki's direct infiltration into the apartments, Mikiya and Aoko were clearly working from the shadows—gathering clues and following trails bit by bit, without any direct confrontation.
Given this, the nobles—who had been rendered silent and breathless by the earlier tension—finally had a chance to breathe again. And as usual, having learned nothing from earlier, they resumed their habitual criticism.
"Ugh, this kind of constantly shifting perspective is seriously confusing. Total pain in the ass!"
"Exactly! A story that can't be told in a linear, coherent way? Total trash!"
"I admit the film has a lot of strong points, but the flaws? Man, they're just off the charts!"
"Hmph, just because I kept watching doesn't mean I was impressed. A truly great work should leave you absolutely hooked!"
"..."
While the nobles were busy stacking flags on themselves with their typical grumbling, Edward didn't pay them much attention. Instead, he turned toward Arcueid, who was seated beside him.
After all, this was the first time the film had gone into concrete detail about the concept of the Root. As a Vampire who had lived for countless ages, Edward was curious to hear her take.
As expected, upon hearing the depiction of the Root and the Akashic Records within the film, Arcueid furrowed her brows. She remained silent for quite a while before finally speaking in a quiet voice:
"The Root… Akashic Records… a realm that holds all past, present, and future records of the world? Honestly, even with all my knowledge and experience, I still can't grasp that concept clearly. Perhaps only by crossing into a much higher state of existence would one begin to truly comprehend what it means."
"Oh? A higher state of existence? You mean like transcending to the Sixth Rank?"
That was Edward's instinctive question—but Arcueid only smiled enigmatically and murmured:
"Transcending to the Sixth Rank? That's merely a starting point."
"..."
Shocked by such an astonishing statement, Edward didn't even have time to respond before the True Ancestor turned her gaze back to the television, her expression serene and unreadable.
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/creating-anime-140083067
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138667623?collection=162522
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed