Chapter 222: The Garden of Sinners Episode 5: Paradox Spiral! (Part 20)
Under the breathless gaze of every viewer, the scene on the television shifted once more.
Kokutou Mikiya, driven to the very edge of the grand hall under Alba's relentless pursuit, suddenly found himself with nowhere left to run.
With his back against the wall—literally—he made a desperate move. Clutching the protective short blade at his waist, he lunged forward and drove it toward the magi before him.
But Alba merely raised his right hand, catching the blade with insulting ease.
"Now that's just rude… stabbing people? Don't you know that's dangerous?"
His voice was laced with mockery. With an icy smile, Alba seized Mikiya's face and slammed him down against the staircase—once, twice, again and again—each thud echoing like a battering ram against the boy's body.
All the while, he muttered complaints about Touko as if Mikiya were nothing more than a punching bag to vent his frustrations on.
Finally, after leaving the boy barely clinging to life, Alba stepped back with a cold snort.
"There—job done. I might have some interest in Araya's research, but… I think I'll head back home. The air in this country is filthy. I can't stand it anymore."
He turned to leave—only to freeze.
From behind, in the depths of the hall, came an eerie, inexplicable sound.
And then—
Touko appeared.
Casually standing there as if she'd never been gone, one hand gripping an oversized travel case.
The very same woman who should have been dead.
The sight sent a jolt through Alba's chest—and through every single person watching the broadcast.
. . . . . . . .
In a southern territory tavern:
"What the hell?! How is Touko alive again?"
"Impossible—she died! I saw it!"
"I mean, sure, I suspected she might have some trick up her sleeve, but to come back completely like this? That's insane."
"What's the principle here? Is she some kind of immortal?"
Shock spread like wildfire. Some who had still been mourning her death now found themselves whiplashed straight into disbelief.
. . . . . . . .
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Mage Academy:
The mage stared at the screen as if their worldview had been rewritten.
"What is going on? How is she alive again?"
"I can't follow this anymore."
"Is this… resurrection magic? The revival of the dead?"
"That's absurd—even the Holy Light Tier 6 Forbidden Spell can't do something like this!"
Even the great Arch Mages atop the Alchemy Tower, who prided themselves on knowing everything, found themselves slack-jawed, awaiting an explanation from the unfolding story.
. . . . . . . .
Back in the film:
Alba stood rooted in place, staring at Touko's impossible return. His voice trembled; fear crept into every corner of his being.
"Y-you— you should be dead. I killed you with my own hands!"
Touko tilted her head, her eyes glinting with wry amusement.
"Dead things can't exist in this world? You should know better. This building is practically overflowing with contradictions."
"Are you… a doll? No—that's impossible. No doll could be this realistic. If such a thing existed, it would tear logic apart…"
"It's simple, Cornelius. Years ago, I made several copies of myself—perfect replicas. The moment I saw them, I thought: If I have these, then I don't really need the original, do I?"
Alba's eyes widened.
"What?! But you call yourself Aozaki Touko—you have self-awareness, intelligence. How can something know it's a fake and still function normally?!"
"Collapse just because you know you're artificial? That's second-rate thinking. And that line of thought has nothing to do with me. My body may have been constructed, but as long as there's only one Aozaki Touko in the world, that Touko will always be real."
"If you can achieve that level, you should keep reaching higher. A true magi is never satisfied with what they have!"
"Exactly. So even if a perfect replica of me exists, it will still seek higher ground just like I do. Even if I die, the result will be the same."
Alba's voice faltered, a deep sense of dread crawling over him.
"So… it wasn't Araya who spared you. You simply never let the next you activate while you were alive…"
A revelation struck him—one so profound it felt like part of his world had crumbled.
"Up until now… were you the real one?"
Touko's lips curled in a sharp smile.
"For me… does a question like that have any meaning?"
Touko's lips curled into a wide, unrestrained grin—a smile so brazen, so overwhelming, that it shook not only Alba before her, but also every viewer watching from beyond the screen.
No one had imagined that her "immortality" would rely on such a method.
It was a logic so far removed from human thought that it brushed against the realm of monsters.
Yet before the audience could even begin to voice their thoughts, the film's tempo surged forward without mercy.
The scene cut sharply to Tomoe Enjou.
The boy stepped out of the elevator onto the tenth floor of the Ogawa Apartments, and there… he found a familiar figure waiting.
Araya Souren.
The man's gaze was cold as the void as he addressed Tomoe:
"Here to save Ryougi Shiki, are you? Foolish. Even now, you haven't realized—your heart isn't Tomoe Enjou's to begin with."
Tomoe blinked, taken aback.
"What…?"
Araya's voice was like steel scraping across stone.
"Tomoe Enjou did indeed escape this spiral… but he was destined to die all the same. So I gave you a new task—one that would keep you alive: to bring Ryougi Shiki to me. You never acted on your own will. You merely fulfilled my desire to lure her here."
"In truth, you possess no memories of your own. Your will is nothing more than a byproduct of fantasy—an imitation given life by delusion. That is why you are capable of nothing. That is why I made you the bait to draw her out."
"You were manufactured. In the end, you are nothing but a counterfeit. Not even worth killing. Go—crawl away to whatever corner you wish."
The words were merciless, meant to strip away every last shred of meaning from Tomoe's existence.
But the boy's expression did not cloud with doubt. No—he smiled.
"What's this? Araya… you're not such a big deal after all."
His voice was steady, defiant.
"Real or fake—it doesn't matter. As long as I carry this feeling in my heart, that's enough. I really do like Shiki. I don't know why. I don't even have many memories of our time together. But even so… those days were enough to make me happy."
"So—if you're the one who gave me the chance to feel that, I almost want to thank you."
Tomoe lowered his gaze, murmuring to himself.
"Sorry, Shiki… I can't die for you. I have to stake my life—for myself."
Then his head rose, and his voice rang clear.
"Araya Souren—I'm going to kill you!"
With that, Tomoe gripped the small knife in his hand and lunged toward the magi before him.
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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