Chapter 032 [Inverted V] 32

"Well, next, let me hear your sincerity."

Kotoko Iwanaga held her cane upright in front of her and her eyes were fixed firmly on Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Fujimaru Ritsuka walked out of the Servants' protective circle and stood still, showing the bright red Command Seal on the back of his hand to Iwanaga Kotoko -

"We are from Phoenix Chaldea, the Humanity Continuation Guarantee Agency. Phoenix Chaldea is a research institute and observatory that brings together researchers from various fields in order to ensure that human history can continue long and strong. It is a secret agency jointly established by various countries to prevent the extinction of mankind, the "Bad End."

"We observed that on October 31, 2018, an anomaly occurred in Shibuya, Japan, and the anomaly became a special point that would lead to the extinction of humanity." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked straight at Iwanaga Kotoko, "So Chaldea sent an investigation team into the special point - to investigate the cause of the special point, and eliminate the existence of the special point to ensure the survival of humanity."

"Chaldea's goal, from the beginning to the end, is to enable human history to continue long and strong."

After the basic information exchange, Iwanaga Kotoko and Sakuragawa Kuro joined the Chaldea anomaly exploration team and served as local guides to introduce the four people to the Shibuya anomaly.

"Just as you speculated before, the battlefield in Shibuya was prepared for another person." Iwanaga Kotoko walked in front, leading everyone around the pile of corpses. "Strange, I remember there shouldn't be so many people in Shibuya today... Well, let's get back to the previous content."

"The battlefield in Shibuya is prepared for a certain 'strongest'."

There are non-human beings in this world, monsters, ghosts, demons, monsters, ghosts - but there is another type of non-human that has not been mentioned.

They do not belong to the category of weirdness and are naturally malicious towards humans, so they are not within the balance of the "God of Wisdom" Iwanaga Kotoko - this is the curse, the cursed spirit.

——They are born from mankind's endless fear and cannot be completely eliminated.

However, there are also humans who can exorcise cursed spirits - they are sorcerers.

"Well, for ordinary people, sorcerers are probably confused with priests, shrine maidens, and Onmyoji." Iwanaga Kotoko stopped in front of a grotesque corpse and let the slowly seeping blood soak her shoes. "After all, they are all professions that deal with non-human related matters - but the existence other than sorcerers can only deal with strange things, and sorcerers can only exorcise cursed spirits..."

"The battle between sorcerers and cursed spirits is a never-ending one."

"This is the most basic summary." Iwanaga Kotoko turned her head and glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka, "You magicians of Chaldea—"

"We are a research institute and an observatory. Our profession has never been related to combat. This scene is just a rush." ​​Fujimaru Ritsuka learned well from the past remarks of the head of the medical department, and smiled to hide the past that had happened in Chaldea. "However, we in Chaldea are closer to magic users than orthodox magicians."

"A magician spends his entire life studying his own theories. Ah, to put it simply, he is a creature like a mad scholar."

"A magician is just someone who uses magic to make his life easier."

"So an excellent magician is not necessarily good at fighting..." Iwanaga Kotoko understood Fujimaru Ritsuka's unfinished meaning very well. "In short, the reason I accepted the commission is because a certain curse master led the cursed spirits to threaten the normal survival of monsters. I appeared here to maintain the balance between humans and monsters."

"And the cursers and cursed spirits didn't know that I had come to Shibuya. The battlefield they prepared in Shibuya was prepared to restrict the curser - the only strongest in this era."

When entering Shibuya subway station, people saw more severed arms and legs and blood than outside.

"You said you want to maintain a balance between humans and monsters..." Abe Haruaki has become accustomed to Sakuragawa Kuro's presence, and calmly looked at the bloodstains on the walls around him. "Then how do you usually maintain this balance? I mean, how do you create a world where 'non-humans don't exist' in the eyes of ordinary people?"

"In short, it's just making up stories." It was Sakuragawa Kuro who answered this question. "No matter how bizarre the story is compared to the real situation caused by non-humans, as long as the ordinary people involved believe it, it's fine. Because many strange things exist in the world because of human imagination."

"Well, but that kind of guy is a habitual offender of breaking the balance." Iwanaga Kotoko spread her hands and stepped onto the stairs going down. "I don't need my story to be reasonable, I just need them to believe that non-humans don't exist. And cursers and sorcerers are people outside of this range - most of this kind talk face to face..."

"But this time, that guy - my job is to punish him."

"And, recover the seal-type cursed tool in his hand - Hell Gate."

"His existence and this cursed tool threaten the living space of the monsters - this is not allowed." Iwanaga Kotoko stuck her head out to take a look at the scene deeper. "Is the power down there cut off? It's pitch black. Monsters will not threaten human survival, so accordingly, unless the monsters cause serious harm - humans must not affect the lives of the monsters that already exist here."

"Strictly speaking, that guy has already hurt quite a few monsters. Let me think... maybe the demons are the only ones that haven't been hurt yet."

"That means almost everything has been damaged!!!"

Everyone went smoothly all the way to the fifth underground floor - this was the location of the official battlefield that Iwanaga Kotoko had expected.

However, the scene before their eyes was completely different from what everyone had imagined - not only were there no living people or corpses here, but even the strongest person in the world of sorcery, who Iwanaga Kotoko was sure would be here, did not show up.

This place is even cleaner than the one upstairs, it's like a new station that has just been built.

However--

"The prison gate."

"That's a seal."

Kotoko Iwanaga and Seimei Abe spoke at the same time.

Everyone looked in the direction the two had pointed, and were surprised to see a cube that looked out of place in the subway station, lying on the brand new white platform.

"The Hell Gate is a cursed object made from the body of the monk Genshin, known as the 'living barrier', that was left behind after his death." Iwanaga Kotoko paused on the last step leading to the fifth underground floor. "There is nothing in this world that the Hell Gate cannot seal - that's what the sorcerer I met said."

"Jakumon Kyo... This seal, judging from its status, should have completed its sealing this time." Abe Haruaki turned his head and glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka, "My eyes tell me that this seal has been activated and is now in operation - but I can't be sure what is sealed inside."

"The scene is too clean - besides, I'm not one of those guys who can see the past. As for the seal, I can only understand this much."

"Your eyes?" Iwanaga Kotoko turned her head subconsciously to look at Abe Haruaki, "Come to think of it, I just noticed it now--"

"You look exactly like the strongest sorcerer."

"ha?"

"…Because we only know one sentence about the strongest person in the world of curse." Sakuragawa Kuro immediately pulled Iwanaga Kotoko to the back, "Because of the influence of the six eyes, he was born with white hair and blue eyes."

"No, I'll just make some additional comments on this." Fujimaru Ritsuka cleared his throat and dragged Abe Haruaki to the back. "Chaldea follows the Magic Association's code of concealment - unless necessary, never appear in front of anyone other than Chaldea members."

"That's why I didn't introduce the others to you before."

"However, in order to explore the unique points and ensure the survival of humanity, we need sufficient combat power - so we chose heroes who are engraved on humanity."

"That's a Heroic Spirit - a hero whose great deeds have become legends after his death and who has become an object of faith. Of course, heroes in myths and legends that don't actually exist can exist as Heroic Spirits if they gather enough faith."

"Heroic Spirit Summoning - Chaldea is already the most professional in this area of ​​technology among the organizations related to the Magic Association." Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at Abe Haruaki and stepped aside. "In fact, except for me, the other three are all Heroic Spirits summoned into the world through the Heroic Spirit Summoning technology - I am the only living one, the only staff member of Chaldea."

"As for her name, let her tell you herself."

A small paper Shikigami cut out of a piece of talisman paper floated past everyone's eyes, landed on the platform on the fifth underground floor, and walked towards the location of the Hell Gate. Abe Haruaki reached out from his sleeve and took out a brand new stack of paper figures, then smiled at Iwanaga Kotoko and Sakuragawa Kuro.

"Master, have you given me the opportunity to introduce myself?" Abe Haruaki glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka standing beside him and sighed helplessly, "Then it would be better to use a slightly more formal way, right?"

Abe Haruaki opened his folding fan and held it in front of him, lowering his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Princess of the monsters. Servant Caster, I came from Heian-kyō a thousand years ago... As for my name... well, Ashiya Doman, please call me that. My specialty is the Onmyojitsu, which controls paper dolls and shikigami - but other than that, like most Casters, I'm not a good fighter."

"Awaya Doman..." Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Sakuragawa Kuro and then at Abe Haruaki. "No, shouldn't it be Abe Haruaki? After all, there is no legend that Awaya Doman has a blood relationship with non-humans. In this regard, Abe Haruaki has a very famous legend of being the son of a white fox."

"And you were scared like that by Jiulang-senpai before..."

"...Ah, really, if it was an ordinary magician, they wouldn't notice the problem until the Noble Phantasm's True Name was released, right!?" Abe Haruaki put away his folding fan and complained to Fujimaru Ritsuka, "That guy is really scary - but what he said before was definitely a lie."

"My real name is Abe Haruaki, and I am the most powerful Onmyoji in Japanese history. No one can surpass me in the past, present, or future."