Tokyo Singularity (25): The Tsar's Questioning...

"To hell with this, is this an illusion?!"

A bone-chilling cold instantly engulfed Gojo Satoru and Natsume. The pale snow and wind eroded their skin and bones; even the superhuman physique of a sorcerer began to stiffen and turn icy.

Gojo Satoru mobilized his utterly unscrupulous methods, but to no avail. An unexpectedly agitated look appeared in his eyes, and he let out a short, frustrated "tsk."

He subconsciously turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka. Since he and Jetsu were in this state, then Ritsuka...!

But the moment he saw her, his eyes widened, and he pointed at her, speechless.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, wearing a jumpsuit that barely reached her knees, seemed completely unaffected, as if she were home, standing out starkly from the two shivering individuals.

"you……"

Ritsuka's clear voice rang out from the blizzard. After a moment of confusion, Gojo Satoru and Natsuyuki tried hard to decipher her words, "Come on!"

Gojo Satoru raised his arms and clasped his hands together to catch the small object that Fujimaru Ritsuka threw to him. A warm feeling spread from his clasped hands to his whole body.

Feeling his body temperature suddenly rise, Gojo Satoru rubbed his arms and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close! I almost died from hypothermia, that lame cause."

Xia Youjie stroked the small object he had caught with one hand; it was a six-sided pebble engraved with patterns he couldn't understand. Then, his gaze fell on Ritsuka, who had thrown the pebble, and he couldn't help but shiver when he saw her exposed skin.

Are you really okay?

"No problem." Fujimaru Ritsuka waved her hand dismissively, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes. "Back then, in order to survive in Russia, the formal attire I wore was specially modified by Leonardo da Vinci himself, so it was absolutely reliable!"

Gojo Satoru: "...?"

Russia? Is Russia really that cold?!

Upon hearing the name Leonardo da Vinci, Xia Youjie forcibly ignored the bearded uncle in the textbook and recalled the cheerful girl in the Chaldea correspondence and the trusting gaze of Fujimaru Ritsuka, and couldn't help but sigh.

It's Leonardo da Vinci again; she really is omnipotent.

But now is not the time to think about that. Just as he was about to ask where they were, Ritsuka seemed to sense his thoughts and spoke first:

“I know you have many questions, so let’s get to the conclusion first. We need to break out of the illusion to see the other Mr. Xia Youjie.”

"I have a question!" Gojo Satoru raised his arm. "Illusions can be explained by the failure of the limitless realm, but what about the stone you're making by hand...?"

“Probably, experience.” Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head and answered somewhat uncertainly, “With more experience, I can control the illusion a little. I can’t draw such a perfect rune outside.”

Ritsuka silently expressed her gratitude for her master's relentless training. Even if she couldn't achieve the desired effect, she would strive for a likeness, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to solve the problem of hypothermia.

Gojo Satoru looked at Ritsuka as if he were looking at a hidden treasure trove of icebergs. Ritsuka's unexpected combat strength and tactics, his adaptability and all sorts of novel survival skills opened his eyes.

Compared to his initial indifference, Gojo Satoru now truly regards Ritsuka as a close friend who can fight alongside him.

"Speaking of which, how do we break this illusion?" Xia Youjie changed the subject, looking around. All he could see was snow, as if this unimaginative illusion was nothing but snow.

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked around. This was the first time she had ever seen a white illusion, devoid of anything frightening or alluring, as if it simply wanted to trap them.

It must be said that this scene is remarkably similar to Russia at that time.

So she was really in a dilemma when faced with Xia Youjie's question. It took her a while to make up her mind, "Let's walk forward and see if there are any other clues."

But before she could take a step, her arm was suddenly grabbed. She turned her head in confusion and followed the finger that was pulling her to see Gojo Satoru's serious gaze.

Gojo Satoru used his other free hand to pull Natsumi Yuuki along, "Hmm~ This way, we won't get separated."

"Satoru... never mind, what you said makes sense. Don't hold on too tightly, Ritsuka isn't as thick-skinned as you."

"Hey!" Gojo Satoru was about to protest when he suddenly heard a soft "pfft," and Ritsuka's lips curled into a cute smile. He heard her say, "It feels like elementary school students holding hands on a picnic."

"I'd rather you said it was adventurers conquering a desperate situation."

The three of them walked forward side by side, joking and laughing. Perhaps it was good luck, but before long Gojo Satoru spotted a black figure and excitedly pulled the other two along as they ran forward.

Xia Youjie and Lixiang exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and followed. The smiles on their lips revealed their good mood.

The city gate, built of bricks and stones, came into view. Xia Youjie and Wujiao Wu had never seen this style of building before. They touched half of it with curiosity before walking into the city, thus missing the surprise and solemnity in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes.

"Ha, what is that?" Gojo Satoru's curious and Natsume's surprised voices rose and fell. Ritsuka subconsciously looked over and saw a familiar Yaga standing with the white-haired princess.

No way, this scene is...!

"Is this... a strange adventure story about a person with a beast-like face and some kind of princess?" Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow.

"I take back my criticism that this illusion lacks imagination. How did he even come up with something like this?" Xia Youjie couldn't bear to look at it.

Will my future self be influenced by reading too many comics?

Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly stopped, causing the two who were walking forward with great interest to turn around and look at her. They tried to ask Ritsuka a question, puzzled.

Hidden by the wind and snow, Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered her eyes, her face blurring for a moment, as if a transparent icy glass barrier separated her from the DKs.

Gojo Satoru instinctively tightened his grip on her wrist, the words he wanted to say were forced into his throat by the sudden cold wind and snow.

“This is not imagination.” Ritsuka’s voice was soft, like melting snowflakes, but when it hit DK, it silenced them. “They really existed.”

Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuuki: "...?"

What do you mean, these orcs actually exist?!

They suddenly realized that after today, nothing in this world could move them anymore.

Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was no more hesitation or wavering. She analyzed that this was an illusion created from her memories.

This is the Lostbelt—the Russian Lostbelt ruled by the Hermit Kadoc.

The seven members of Group A, originally members of Chaldea, defected from Chaldea one day and became subordinates of the alien god, each in charge of one of the seven Lostbelts, attempting to cover up and replace the history of humankind.

The Russian Lostbelt was the first stop for Fujimaru Ritsuka after escaping the original Chaldea, where she met humans who had evolved into Yaga in order to survive the harsh cold.

This was also the beginning of her understanding of everything about Lostbelts.

Why would the illusion choose this memory, whether with good or bad intentions? The reason must be the key to leaving this place.

If she remembers correctly, next...

Fujimaru Ritsuka's unintentional murmur was keenly caught by Gojo Satoru. He curiously pondered her emotions and was about to ask her a question when a sudden tremor interrupted him.

Wave after wave of violent earthquakes swept in like tides.

The next moment, the earth shook and the snow collapsed, revealing a colossal creature resembling a mammoth that awoke and shattered the ground. To it, tiny humans were nothing more than ants.

The white-haired princess's expression changed, and the enormous creature's angry roar stopped the wind and snow. Gojo Satoru felt the threat of death; the terrifying pressure almost forced him to give up resisting.

When was the last time he had this feeling?

What is Fuheishen?

No, that big guy didn't have that godlike, insurmountable sense of oppression.

Joan of Arc alter?

No, her flames, though scorching, held no murderous intent.

This time, Gojo Satoru wasn't sure how long he could hold out; death seemed imminent.

Xia Youjie felt the same way; the two DKs had lost the ability to speak, and they didn't forget to shield Ritsuka behind them. But Ritsuka didn't accept their kindness; she stared intently at the group of old ghosts.

Why do you make me see the deceased?

But just a moment later, Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep breath, forcing herself to temporarily pull herself out of her memories and pay attention to what the purpose of this illusion was.

What followed was as if the video had been sped up, with scene after scene unfolding before their eyes that were beyond their wildest imaginations.

In Gojo Satoru's memories, the boy named Kadoc, who appeared in the Chaldea Communications, was the one who delivered the most sarcastic remarks in the group jokes. Ritsuka's reliable senior appeared in the illusion.

He walked with the girl wearing the crown toward the youthful-looking Fujimaru Ritsuka, his gloomy expression made even more indifferent by his dark circles under his eyes.

The barbed words and the unspoken hostility between them surprised Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru.

Tiny humans joined forces to challenge the near-godlike Tsar. The still-inexperienced Fujimaru Ritsuka jumped onto the giant puppet without hesitation, manipulating it to block an almost unstoppable attack.

Intense music blared, and a sturdy shield caught Ritsuka's body. Then—

A stunning sword strike.

The seemingly invincible Tsar, the entirety of Russia, had its trunk severed by this resolute sword strike. The cheerful young woman, wielding the sword in both hands, swayed and gradually disappeared.

Musashi, my dear…!

Fujimaru Ritsuka took a step forward, as if trying to grab her fading friend. She knew it was just a string of memories, and she knew she couldn't dwell on the past, but a surge of emotions overwhelmed her, reminding her that she had never forgotten.

Suddenly, before disappearing, the girl named Musashi turned her head and vaguely met Ritsuka's gaze across the insurmountable illusion and memory.

Look ahead, I will be blessing you from the past.

In the end, the seemingly weak princess seized the Tsar's crown with her own hands, declaring victory for her side.

"Are these... all your memories?" Xia Youjie, recovering from the exhilarating battle, couldn't help but put his arm around Ritsuka's shoulder.

Although he had known for a long time that Ritsuka was not simple, he still found it hard to imagine the scene where Ritsuka, who seemed to handle everything with ease, had once achieved victory through a desperate gamble.

What kind of terrifying enemy has she been facing all this time, and how much has she gone through to develop her current abilities?

The phantom of Musashi completely vanished. Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her mouth, but in the end, reason prevailed over her emotional turmoil. The past belonged to the past, and she had to look forward.

She took a step back and returned to her original position. "Let's keep watching. I think we can find the answer to getting out of this illusion."

The scene shifts to a staggering Tsar approaching a youthful, orange-haired girl. The girl and her servant support each other as they confront the last emperor.

Gojo Satoru and Natsuyuki watched intently, firmly believing that the girl would ultimately prevail, after all, Ritsuka was that kind of person.

The savior who never gives up.

Until, the fading Tsar spoke in a barely audible voice, asking: "Why, why do you want to destroy my world?"

The young Ritsuka and the DKs hesitated, their questions coinciding: "...Eh?"

What did he just say? Gojo Satoru suddenly met Xia Youjie's eyes, as if confirming that his ears were playing tricks on him. Xia Youjie's equally bewildered gaze was like the last straw breaking the camel's back.

But the Tsar's questioning wasn't over. He rebuked sharply, each word piercing the heart: "Does your world truly have such value—"

"Is it really necessary to slaughter every single one of the struggling humans here without leaving a trace?"

A note from the author:

----------------------

* This novel will be available for purchase starting with the next chapter, which will include a 10,000-word update! Thank you for your support!

[The following are pre-orders~]

"Updated Ways to Die Every Day":

Lin Jue

Former new streamer in the gaming section: ripped off by money into a full-immersion game where you can't quit until you finish it;

The now-lost winery researcher is waiting at the airport for a bottle of wine to take him away.

Good news: His live stream popularity is skyrocketing, and the gifts he receives are bringing him close to those of streamers with millions of followers.

Bad news: His game attributes and skills were completely randomized, and he could only look at the skill list: level 0 Research, level 10 Rhetoric and Skillful Hands, leaving him speechless with despair.

[What is a disastrous start? - Any streamer not nominated is just a random ranking!!]

[Don't cry, streamer, haha, it's only the time it takes to shoot one bullet per second~]

Lin Jue: ...as if his defenses were breached.

What to do? There was no benefactor descending from the heavens, no halo of wisdom descending from the sky. He could only, "If my ability is insufficient, I'll make up for it with rhetoric; if I face a life-or-death crisis, I'll use my skillful hands to save the day."

—

"Death Notice" is the first suspenseful holographic game from Infinite Company. Players will enter the game with a random identity and receive a death notice for that identity in the future.

Players must avoid death within a limited time. Each notification allows for three save/load attempts; failure ends the game—for Lin Jue, failure means death.

then,

On November 6, a police officer from the investigation department received a notification from his superior that the police had received a tip from a kind-hearted person that a bomber was hiding in the Mihana XX Street.

Lin, who conceals his merits and fame, says: Great, this way Bourbon will have time to accompany him to the party and help him take the fall.

On the eve of his death, an undercover agent at a winery was exposed. The weak researcher he was guarding suddenly drugged and kidnapped him. But when he woke up, he suddenly became an outstanding employee of the winery who refused to submit to evil forces, and was promoted and received a raise all at once.

Lin (who reads the save file three times) said: "Although we are only friends... but when you die, I die too, three times in total!"

#It didn't say there would only be one notification letter#

#Witnessing the Diversity of Ways to Die#

—

Having become an undisputed legendary streamer in the gaming section, Lin Jue finally shed his image as a weak researcher and smiled brightly at his former colleagues from the winery who were besieging him.

"How about we make a bet?"

He opened his arms, completely unguarded.

"I'll make sure your guns are out of bullets!"

—

—

Ritsuka the Witch's Journey:

Ritsuka is an immortal witch who doesn't remember how she came into this world. Her adoptive guardian left after she came of age, leaving behind more money, real estate, and countless magical props than she could ever spend in several lifetimes.

And so, Ritsuka embarked on a long journey alone. She would only stop occasionally to find homeless children, raise them until they turned eighteen, and then quietly leave again.

However, looking at the scene before her, she had a feeling that her peaceful journey was about to come to an end.

A black-haired girl transforms into a little detective: "Ritsuka-neechan?!"

A blonde, purple-eyed fake liquor drinker: "Sis...sis?"

A long-haired alchemy master: "Master, we've finally found you."

Congratulations! Congratulations! Miss Witch's life is no longer lonely.

—

2025.9.21

* Please note the following when reading this article:

1. This is a lighthearted, non-serious drama with many out-of-character (OOC) moments and significant alterations to the timeline!

2. Some characters' personalities may undergo subtle changes due to time and circumstances, but their true nature remains the same!

3. Everyone in Chaldea has familial, platonic, and romantic feelings towards Ritsuka, but without exception, they are all deeply connected, and Group A will appear.

4. Ritsuka is the group's darling, and the story ends happily!