Director Edward

Chapter 212: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (10)

Seeing the content in the video, along with the intricately designed West and East wings of the apartment, most viewers were genuinely astonished after hearing Ryougi Shiki's explanation.

However, before they could delve further into the details, the gruesome scene at Enjou Tomoe's real home left everyone silent.

The sight of corpses left unattended for six whole months was so horrifying that just witnessing it instinctively made one feel the urge to vomit.

In such a moment, when the viewers' nerves were just beginning to relax, a sinister figure suddenly appeared, attacking Enjou Tomoe before he could react.

...

"Ahhhh!!!"

In the film, just as Enjou Tomoe and many viewers felt their hearts stop, Ryougi Shiki suddenly drew a dagger from her waist and effortlessly killed the figure in one swift motion!

It was only then that people noticed the attacker was a bizarre-looking human-like creature.

Despite being killed instantly, its body showed no signs of blood.

In that instant, as the corpse split apart in a shocking manner, Enjou Tomoe couldn't help but cry out in disbelief:

"Ryougi... you..."

"Stop gawking. These things aren't human. They're just dolls pursuing death—utterly repulsive!"

With that, Ryougi Shiki strode toward the door.

Though still unsure of what was happening, Enjou Tomoe quickly followed her.

Outside the room, an even more horrifying sight unfolded. A large number of creatures resembling the earlier "human" slowly approached from a distance, filling the narrow hallway in an instant.

Confronted with this terrifying scene, Enjou Tomoe froze, unable to react, as Ryougi Shiki suddenly charged forward!

One, two, three, four…

For these apartment "residents" continuously surging forward, Ryougi Shiki moved with the grace of a dancer, killing them with precise and efficient strikes.

Each blow decisively pierced through her enemies, leaving no room for excess motion.

"Ryougi, you—!"

"Don't get the wrong idea. These things aren't human. They're undead who've probably died countless times already. Nothing more than puppets."

As she spoke, Ryougi Shiki continued her assault, cutting down countless enemies with ease.

Her overwhelming combat prowess made the battle seem more like a performance, a breathtaking display of lethal elegance.

However, just as Enjou Tomoe thought it was all over, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

Ryougi Shiki, too, sensed the eerie atmosphere and shifted her gaze toward the end of the corridor.

There, a man in a black coat stood motionless, exuding a foreboding presence.

"How ironic. I was supposed to wait until things were over here to finish the job."

The man in black spoke as he slowly approached, step by step.

In contrast, Ryougi Shiki's gaze was filled with an indescribable sense of astonishment.

Her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception couldn't discern any death lines on the man's body. There wasn't a single part of him that could be severed.

With that, Shiki pushed her mind to its limits, focusing with an unprecedented level of determination to observe the man.

As her brain felt like it was overheating and her consciousness wavered, she finally saw something—a pitch-black void at the man's chest.

No, it wasn't a void but a mass formed from countless interwoven death lines, tightly coiled into a singularity.

"Do you remember me? Two years ago!"

"Two years ago… It's you?"

"Correct. It's me, Araya Souren, the magician who once killed you."

"…"

Araya's words left the audience puzzled, but Ryougi Shiki seemed to comprehend everything.

Slowly, she tightened her grip on her dagger.

However, before the fight began, she couldn't help but ask:

"What's the purpose of this apartment?"

"In general, it has no purpose. It's entirely my will."

"What do you mean?"

"I created a world that ends in a single day, using their corpses as the yin and their lives as the yang to construct the duality of life and death—a spiral of death and rebirth—to pay homage to your existence."

"Does this serve any purpose?"

"None at all. However…"

Araya Souren cast a glance at Enjou Tomoe, who was trembling in the shadows, before continuing:

"Humans cannot simultaneously embody two opposing states. The dead and the living cannot coexist. Yet, even knowing this, I still wanted to see if humanity could experience death in a way that defies conventional endings."

"According to the influence of the world's record, humans are fated to die, and the form of their death is also predetermined. Those who die in a fire will always, in some form, perish in flames. Those killed by family will always, in some way, meet the same fate. Escaping death once merely ensures a second or third death in a preordained manner. This finite nature of death is what we call lifespan."

"But I wondered—if a human's mode of death is destined, could repeating the same process thousands of times create an error in the spiral of life and death? Unfortunately, after two hundred uninterrupted repetitions, all I found was the unchangeable nature of human fate."

Araya Souren's words were utterly shocking.

The audience, who had been speculating about the purpose behind the construction of the apartment, was left completely stunned.

Not only were the viewers at the Tavern Theatre and the Imperial Mage Academy shocked, but even the nobles who had become fully immersed in the storyline were equally astonished.

"Was this apartment really created for something like this?"

"Araya Souren… He's appeared several times in the trailers. Who exactly is this guy?"

"Regardless of his motives, this man is incredibly dangerous. To conduct an experiment, he sacrificed so many innocent lives, watching them die horrifically over and over again. He's completely devoid of humanity!"

"Yeah, he's even more terrifying than some of those fallen mages who tread the dark path. At least they have some restraint in their actions. But this guy… just for his own experiments, he's done such atrocious things. It's horrifying!"

"Still, his words make a bit of sense. It does seem like everyone has their own destiny…"

"Have you been reading too many Church texts? How can you believe in something like that?"

"Better to believe it than not, right?"

"By the way, why do Araya Souren and Ryougi Shiki seem to know each other? Have they met before?"

"I don't remember. I don't think they've ever met."

"This is so strange. Feels like I missed an episode."

"Don't even get me started. I'm so confused. Feels like I've missed countless episodes, and now I can't make sense of anything."

"…"

The audience's debates grew lively, but despite their confusion, they all instinctively looked forward to the impending battle between Ryougi Shiki and Araya Souren.

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