Shinji Matou at Your Service

Rune Magic, one of the most widely spread magical systems in ancient Europe.

Primordial Runes directly embody divine authority, reaching the pinnacle of magic's highest peak through these original characters.

Once upon a time, Touko regarded the three rune stones, which bore the primordial runes passed down from Age of Gods, as her greatest trump card. Even her sister, the destructive idiot who had mastered the Fifth Magic ten years ahead, dared not confront her directly.

Now, Touko's research into runes has long surpassed mere replication. She can craft those masterpieces, which originally belonged to the Nordic giants, according to her own will.

Yes, right now, the four slabs on the mansion's roof, transforming from virtual to physical forms.

This is the rawest violence, the ultimate curse.

With the amplification of the formations spread throughout the Tohno household and the support of the spiritual veins, the destructive power unleashed is even greater and more precise than during her battle with Aoko.

Runes swept up a storm, and magic power shook the atmosphere, roaring thunderously. The mirage-like red figure was instantly engulfed, not even having the chance to scream before being completely reduced to dust.

No one knew, not even her closest ally Shinji, what the complete rune system meant to her. No one knew the extent of her power after reconstituting the runic system alone and mastering the twenty-four derivative runes and the eighteen primordial runes.

After years of research, her mastery of runes has long surpassed Shinji, surpassed Sakura who had concentrated on rune studies since childhood and even the Queen of the Land of Shadows has given her high praise, believing that one day she might rival her in the path of runes.

Now, even if she were to battle her sister, who perfectly controls the Fifth Magic, she would remain unafraid. How could Akiha phantom, who hasn't entered the Red Vermillion state, pose a threat?

The phantom is ultimately just an echo of Kohaku and Hisui's memories, incapable of deeply tapping into everyone's potential. Such an opponent is not worth Touko's attention.

"Boring..."

Smoke wisps slipped between her teeth as she remained lazily composed.

"I planned to test the phantom's resilience in various ways, but Shiki's side ended too quickly. Since that's the case—Katou, it's about time. You may use your full strength and finish the battle quickly."

"Order received.!"

From behind the Makihisa phantom in the courtyard came Katou's voice.

Makihisa immediately turned, throwing a heavy punch, the overwhelming force causing the air to shriek fiercely.

However, this shriek met no resistance and vanished, just like before.

Makihisa and Akiha's phantoms appeared at the Tohno household slightly earlier than when Satsuki saw the murderer. But because Touko was prepared, the phantoms were intercepted as soon as they appeared. Not only did they fail to harm the Kohaku and Hisui, who were the source of the malicious information, but they were also toyed with.

Touko was responsible for Akiha.

There's nothing much to say. Touko has been Akiha's tutor since 1998 for three years now. She knows Akiha inside out—Akiha's strengths, the essence of her abilities, and her weaknesses.

Frankly speaking, Akiha is very strong, arguably the strongest head of the Tohno family in a century. But no matter how strong Akiha is, she cannot surpass a Grand Magus. Touko, who is prepared, dares to challenge a Magic User, let alone a still-growing Akiha.

From the start, Phantom Akiha was targeted in various ways. First, various traps left Akiha dizzy. After recovering, she faced layer upon layer of curses. Barely surviving the curses, she was sealed in an extremely cold barrier, nearly frozen solid.

If not for changing circumstances, Akiha's phantom wouldn't know how much more suffering awaited.

More pathetically, until she dissipated, her phantom never even touched a hair on Touko's head.

Makihisa Phantom fared slightly better than Akiha Phantom but not by much. He faced Kato Danzou.

Makihisa's combat style is typical of the Tohno family: a strong body combined with advanced martial arts and plunder ability, making him a tough opponent for most.

But this did not include Kato Danzou.

No matter how strong Makihisa's body is, it's still based on flesh and blood. Katou is a mechanical doll made from a special wood long extinct, more flexible than humans, and harder than steel. Though far from a true divine weapon, it is undoubtedly stronger than Makihisa.

The Tohno family's traditional martial arts are indeed formidable, having been passed down since the family's inception, maximizing the unique traits of the Tohno blood. But Katou's close combat skills are no less impressive. These skills were custom-tailored for her by Kashin Koji and the first Fuuma Kotarou, combined with the weapons hidden throughout her body, making her stronger than Makihisa.

As for the plunder ability, unfortunately, it does not affect Katou, who is a mechanical doll. The ability to merge with life is ineffective against her.

Since her strengths surpass him, there's no need to mention other aspects.

Kashin Koji's illusions, Fuuma-style ninjutsu, the extensive experience Katou has accumulated over time, and of course, the Hades Cloak left to her by Shinji—all these factors and specific countermeasures allowed a seemingly delicate girl to completely dominate a powerhouse who could cause chaos elsewhere.

It was bad enough that Makihisa couldn't win. The critical issue was that he couldn't even see his opponent's face. Only during intense moments of the battle could he occasionally catch a fleeting glimpse of her figure.

Makihisa felt humiliated. The Night of Wallachia creates phantoms that are nearly identical to the original, including intellect and mentality. If he could, this powerful former clan head would prefer to be without intelligence, sparing himself the enemy's humiliation.

By now, Makihisa knew his enemy could easily finish him off, but they chose not to, confining him within the courtyard. He couldn't win, couldn't escape, and due to the limitations of the Night of Wallachia, he couldn't stop fighting.

When he heard Touko's words, "You are permitted to use full strength and end the battle quickly," his first reaction was one of relief—he would finally be liberated.

Katou did not disappoint. With a barely perceptible sound, akin to a mechanical synthesized voice, she announced:

"Assemble, wind... Activate Kashin Mystic Code! Karakuri Genpou, Dongyu!!!!"

Makihisa suddenly felt his vision blur. In a daze, he saw young Akiha smiling at him, young SHIKI waving, and further away, Shiki, Kohaku, and Hisui. They were all so carefree, so innocent.

It was a truly beautiful moment, the most beautiful scene in his memory.