Unrestricted Spells—existences similar to magic, a general term for miraculous phenomena caused by freely manipulating the [Power of Existence].
The Fuzetsu that severs causality between inside and outside is the most frequently used Unrestricted Spell. Originally created by the "Pursuer of Truth," Dantalion, it was so complex that nearly no one could wield it. Only in modern times was it simplified by the "Spiral Organ," Leanan-sidhe, to the extent that even weak Rinne could now easily use it.
Invisible to human eyes, white flames rose, forming a circular wall. Within the flames, the Fuzetsu unfolded—a dark-red barrier descended, severing all cause and effect inside from the outside world.
"Food, food... delicious food, there's so much! I won't hold back!"
Two enormous doll-like Rinne smashed the ground beneath their feet. They gazed innocently at pedestrians as though they were children eyeing candies. Yet, what they intended next could rival demons.
A smaller doll-like Rinne didn't move toward the crowd like the other two but floated quietly in midair. Its duty was surveillance and management. The Crimson Lord who created these Rinne had infused it with greater intelligence and more Power of Existence, allowing it to command ordinary Rinne.
"Don't forget our mission. Master commanded you to devour these humans to lure out the Flame Haze who might be hiding in this city. Do not get the order wrong."
Though the two large Rinne nodded in compliance, they immediately began consuming the [Power of Existence] from nearby humans anyway.
The advantage of regular Rinne was their obedience and loyalty, but their intelligence was too low to process complex commands. Hence, intelligent Rinne were needed to supervise.
Watching the two large Rinne entirely driven by their appetites, the supervising Rinne felt its hatred of stupidity flaring.
"Haah... Seems like I still have to locate the Flame Haze myself. Counting on these two idiots is impossible."
Not wanting to look at those fools anymore, it raised its head toward the sky. Strangely dark, utterly silent, the sky was an abyssal black, capable of swallowing all light and sound.
"…Strange, isn't the sky inside a Fuzetsu supposed to be dark red? Why has it turned black?"
Sensing something amiss, it glanced downward again.
The two giant Rinne stood stiffly in place, no longer continuing their feeding.
"What are you two doing? Are you slacking off? Hey! Answer me!"
The supervising Rinne slowly descended, flying toward the pair, its scolding abruptly catching in its throat.
It clearly saw two gray blades, forged from unknown materials, deeply piercing the foreheads of the two giant Rinne.
The very next instant, those enormous Rinne vanished in white flames, reduced to nothing, leaving only two faintly flickering white flames behind—the [Power of Existence] they had stolen.
The white flames fell gently into a figure's hand. She gazed briefly at them, then shifted her golden eyes onto the supervising Rinne.
Only then did the remaining Rinne realize in utter shock.
When did this woman appear here?!
How could I have completely failed to sense her approach?!
"Do not panic over that which is natural. I am fated death, I am silent death. Only when I (Death) truly descend may you glimpse my (Death's) true form."
The supervising Rinne might have been smarter than the two dead ones, but not by much. At least, not enough to understand Nitocris's words.
However, the moment it laid eyes upon her, it understood clearly—the being standing before it was death itself.
"What are you?! Are you the Flame Haze who came to this city?!"
Fear overwhelmed reason, causing it to speak carelessly. Otherwise, it would have turned and fled immediately.
Not a ripple disturbed those golden eyes, like the sun hanging high in the sky, unmoved by mortal outbursts.
Like an emotionless machine, Nitocris pronounced judgment on the Rinne before her.
"To disrespect the gods is a sin."
"To disrespect life is an even graver sin."
"To disregard the suffering of others is unforgivable."
With each sentence spoken, the supervising Rinne felt its consciousness blur slightly, sinking deeper.
"Here and now, I pass judgment upon your sins."
Gray flames ignited the supervising Rinne's body.
It could not resist—its consciousness had already fallen into the abyssal depths of dim death.
"Your sins are heavy; only death can atone for them."
Watching the gray flames burn steadily before her, Nitocris uttered these words indifferently.
After the supervising Rinne perished, its remaining [Power of Existence] lingered as a small white flame, which Nitocris took into her hand.
Repeating what she'd done earlier, Nitocris revived the humans who had just been devoured. Afterward, she still had some leftover [Power of Existence].
It wasn't difficult to understand—Rinne actions also consumed existence, and these Rinne had previously eaten other humans before this attack.
"So much [Power of Existence]… Just how many people did those Rinne monsters devour…?" Hirai Yukari's consciousness inside Nitocris exclaimed. "But with this, you can revive Sakai-kun and the others, right?"
Although Nitocris borrowed Yukari's body, Yukari herself remained conscious. Nitocris allowed her to observe the outside situation.
"It's too early to be impressed. These Rinne only hold fragments from their master. The true source of sin is that Crimson Lord."
Her golden gaze settled on the flame before her, her eyes and words carrying innate power.
"Using this existence merely to revive others would be wasteful. I have other plans... But there's no need to rush things. If you stay out too long, your parents will worry. Let's return home first."
"Oh…"
Hirai Yukari felt disappointed hearing this. She'd been excited to witness Nitocris's power firsthand, yet before she even processed the fight, the Rinne had been exterminated.
Aah! You can't think like that, Hirai Yukari! A smooth battle is good. The weaker the enemy, the stronger Kami-sama is, and the safer the city and everyone in it will be!
It hadn't even taken a minute to defeat the Rinne, though reviving the pedestrians took slightly longer. Travel, however, was even less of an issue for Nitocris—she could reach any corner of this city in an instant. Thus, when Yukari returned home, her mother noticed nothing unusual.
"Mom! I'm home!"
"Oh, Yukari's back! Want some fruit?"
"Watermelon! Mom, you're the best—I love you!"
...
"As expected, those Rinne I sent out didn't vanish by accident; someone destroyed them."
Friagne, the white-clad Crimson Lord known as the "Hunter," frowned deeply upon sensing his connection with three Rinne severed.
"Flame Hazes, they're truly hateful pests. Even if you kill one or two, more fools appear like moths drawn to flame."
"Master… Could they have discovered our plan already?" The female doll resting in Friagne's arms suddenly spoke, worried their plans would fail and that her master would get hurt.
"Ah, my beloved Marianne… Why is fate so cruel to you? All I want is your happiness. Yet why do these fools keep obstructing us?"
Friagne gently lifted the small doll, eyes filled with tenderness solely directed toward Marianne.
"Master, Marianne is happiest just by being at your side."
"Yes, I feel the same, my beloved Marianne. I wish to stay with you forever… But that's impossible. As long as you remain a Rinne, you'll inevitably fade away one day. Thus, I must do this. With enough [Power of Existence], you can remain by my side forever, sharing my long life, my Marianne."
Crimson Denizens were usually attracted by the vast [Power of Existence] in this world.
Some desired power to become fearsome Crimson Lords; others sought to fulfill wishes.
Friagne desperately craved existence to transform Marianne into a true existence. He planned the ritual of "City Devouring," sacrificing an entire city for sufficient existence to grant Marianne true life.
"You might have your reasons, your hardships. Yet, they don't lessen your sins."
"!!!"
Coldness surged, pressing Friagne as if submerged in the ocean's depths. His body reacted faster than his mind. With no time to grab his Noble Phantasm, he instantly conjured white flames, throwing them furiously.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted; Friagne shielded Marianne before retreating—prioritizing her safety above his own.
Such sincere affection was indeed touching.
But the one who'd come wasn't human—it was merciless Death.
"You wished for her to share your long life, never to be separated, even by death. Thus, I (Death) have arrived to grant your proper end."
A cold blade flashed, cutting through flames, severing Friagne's head in a heartbeat.
Until the very end, Friagne never even realized he'd died.
But Death was merciful; thus, in his final moment, he glimpsed Nitocris clearly—
"Farewell. It was not cruel fate or reality that killed you, but your own unrestrained desire. Though the Underworld won't accept you, I'll grant you eternal rest."
Parting the flames, Nitocris emerged from within. The white-hot blaze unleashed by Friagne hadn't left the slightest mark upon her. Flames of such feeble temperature could never hope to breach the transcendent divinity ceaselessly radiating from Nitocris's form.
After Friagne's death, Marianne also lost her reason for living, and a casual swipe from the Anubis familiar at Nitocris's side ended her existence.
The battle seemed to conclude rather abruptly—but this was perfectly natural.
Friagne was strong, unquestionably ranking among the top five Crimson Lords of the modern era. Equipped with tools specialized against Flame Hazes, he had always been invincible when facing those exterminators. But so what?
Putting aside that Nitocris wasn't even a Flame Haze and thus wasn't restrained by his methods, the gap between them was like comparing a firefly's glow to the brilliance of the moon. No matter how formidable, Friagne was still merely a Crimson Lord—and there were plenty of older, more experienced Crimson Lords even stronger than him. Nitocris, however, possessed a status comparable to the three gods of Guze.
If she couldn't even instantly kill an opponent like him, wouldn't she, the supposed Goddess of the Underworld, lose all face? Besides, she was busy—very busy. The real owner of this body still had studying to do back at home.
Nitocris might currently have limited access to her true power, but that didn't mean Friagne suddenly became stronger. Forget Friagne—even if the strongest existence beneath the gods, "Thousand Changes" Sydonay himself appeared, Nitocris would still thrash him effortlessly.
"As expected, the [Power of Existence] left behind by a Crimson Lord is far greater than what a few insignificant Rinne can offer."
Contemplating the mass of white flame before her, representing immense Power of Existence, Nitocris thoughtfully stroked her chin, temporarily unsure how to handle it.
Friagne had created numerous Torches as part of his plan for the secret ritual "City Devourer." Yet Nitocris understood clearly that the existence gathered here was more than sufficient to turn every single Torch in this city back into humans—with plenty left over.
"...Forget it. I'll keep it for now. Later, I'll stroll through other cities, see if there are Torches needing revival—and hunt a few more Crimson Denizens along the way."
At that very moment, Crimson Denizens all around the world suddenly felt an inexplicable chill creep down their spines—as though something unimaginably terrifying had fixed its gaze upon them.
Particularly those Denizens whose activities took place near Misaki City—they abruptly sensed an icy sensation gripping their necks, almost hallucinating a cloaked reaper resting his scythe gently against their throats, or glimpsing a blood-red "death" character appearing faintly on their foreheads when looking into a mirror.
And the culprit responsible for all of this—due to Hirai Yukari having used the flimsy excuse of "going out to buy study materials" to slip outside—after killing every Rinne in the building and casually confiscating all of Friagne's [Treasure Tools], Nitocris simply teleported straight to the entrance of a bookstore in Misaki City's shopping district, promptly returning control of the body to Hirai Yukari. Thanks to a concealment spell, nobody noticed the little girl suddenly appearing there out of thin air.
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