The so-called Hell Hall referred to a cave hidden deep in the mountain woods behind the Kumano Hot Spring Inn.
According to local lore, it had once been a site where mountain spirits were worshipped. Over time, it had fallen into neglect. The trial awaiting Shiomi and the others was nothing more than a massive number of Yamabiko—yokai said to be connected to echoes.
For ordinary people, even a single Yamabiko was extremely dangerous. To Shiomi, however, they were little more than weeds meant to add another layer of wear to his spear.
After confirming that the cave held nothing but swarms of Yamabiko, Shiomi told his master and the others to wait outside and enjoy themselves while he went in alone to deal with it.
The cave was dark, damp, and cramped. It would be easy to get filthy inside.
This time, they had deliberately changed into clean, neat, and even rather nice everyday clothes before Rayshifting. The idea was to avoid unnecessary fighting as much as possible, so they wouldn't dirty their outfits and ruin their mood.
At least, that was how Shiomi saw it—
"It's been pretty lively in here for a while. I got a little worried and came back to check. How's it going?"
Touko returned into the cave and called out to Shiomi, who was in the middle of cleaning up the Yamabiko.
Shiomi swung the crimson spear as casually as if he were cutting through tall grass. Under the sharp edge of the weapon, the Yamabiko offered no resistance at all, splitting cleanly in two before vanishing.
"Going smoothly. There's just a lot of them. Feels like pulling weeds in the yard—annoying more than anything."
He snapped his fingers. The runes he had already set up transformed into slender needles of light, punching through the Yamabiko nearby.
"No real difficulty, just takes time. Besides, we can't exactly blow the whole place up with a Noble Phantasm. That'd probably cause a landslide."
Touko exhaled a lazy stream of smoke and used the half-burnt cigarette in her hand to casually draw runes in the air. Once completed, they turned into fireballs that shot toward the Yamabiko creeping closer to her.
"Want me to help out? Can't just leave you here while we head back to rest," Touko said with a grin.
"Go ahead if you feel like it. Either way, the rest are just a matter of time," Shiomi replied. "I don't know what the other people handling exorcisms think, but once everything's cleared out, reinforcing the area with runes should keep monsters from showing up again for at least fifty years."
Touko immediately laughed.
"In a place like this, Onmyōji techniques would fit the atmosphere better than rune magecraft."
"I don't know Onmyōji arts."
Shiomi brought the butt of the crimson spear down on a Yamabiko's head, like cracking a walnut.
"Though now that you mention it, among the Alien Apostles, there's a Servant who calls himself Caster Limbo. His magecraft system is based on Onmyōji techniques and shikigami—"
He had been relaxed, killing time by chatting with Touko as he worked, letting the conversation drift naturally.
But just as he got started, Shiomi suddenly cut himself off and stepped back to Touko's side.
There was the faint sound of droplets striking the surface of water, ripples spreading outward.
An ornament made of cat's eye stone and glass fell onto the uneven rock floor. Instead of shattering, it sank straight into the stone, as if melting into it.
The dripping sound came from that very spot.
The pendant fused seamlessly into the surface, luminous ripples spreading outward as waves of mana radiated from it.
"Even though the boss never explained any additional rules, victory and defeat are actually much simpler than that. Competing over who earns more points is far too trivial. After all, as long as there's no opponent left, the side that remains is naturally the winner, isn't it?"
Alice Kuonji stepped out from the shadows, with Aoko Aozaki following behind her. Judging from Aoko's expression, the two clearly weren't in agreement.
In an instant, the mana gathered inside the cave shifted, giving rise to something resembling an inherent barrier.
"Diddle Diddle: Banquet of the Night, a Magecraft that turns the very foundation of the world into a fairy tale."
Touko explained calmly to Shiomi.
There was no doubt about it. The expressionless Alice was openly hostile.
That hostility was directed not only at Shiomi, the Clock Tower Magus, but also at Touko Aozaki.
"Unlike a Reality Marble, this type forcibly cuts reality away. To Magi, it's Magecraft, yet it feels even closer to true magic than the Five Great Magics. A fairy-tale Magecraft, in other words."
In contrast, Touko looked completely relaxed, showing none of the tension of someone about to fight. That alone felt alien to both Aoko and Alice. Touko stood there like a bystander, casually explaining the situation to Shiomi.
"You really have plenty of composure, Touko Aozaki," Alice said coolly.
"So what? Because I'm here, you recognized the strangely dressed Aoko and decided to team up with her against me, just like back at the old school building?"
Touko folded her arms and asked the question without the slightest hint of caution.
"Aoko is Aoko's problem. But since you're exorcism competitors and Clock Tower Magi, and you're here as well, it'd be better to drive you all out now to avoid unnecessary complications. Especially while those guards outside are separated from you—"
"Just how hated are you, Touko?" Shiomi asked with a wry smile.
"If I had to say, this witch here has more reason than anyone to dislike me," Touko shrugged. "If you don't want to get dragged into this, you can leave first. I'll manage something on my own."
Shiomi raised his left hand, palm open.
"There's no way I'd leave you behind. That said, killing people too casually would inevitably affect history. Making her give up on continuing the fight should be enough, right?"
"You're a remarkably confident Magus. I can sense something ancient about you, something completely different from Magi of this era. Are you one of those who inherited Magecraft from the Age of Gods?"
Alice Kuonji pinpointed Shiomi's nature with sharp insight.
She had been watching from the shadows for some time, and she was already certain that Shiomi's runes operated on an entirely different level from Touko's.
"A beautiful assessment."
Shiomi slowly crouched down, pressing his palm to the ground.
"My name is Tenkei Shiomi. I was taught by Scáthach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows who trained countless heroic warriors. Allow me to show you my Magecraft."
The environment, stripped from reality by [Diddle Diddle: Banquet of the Night] and reshaped into a fairy-tale night to prepare for Alice 's spell, was instantly eroded.
Alice noticed it.
Aoko noticed it too.
"Alice, be careful!"
"Pseudo Reality Marble deployment, [Eternal Orkney]."
Shiomi's calm declaration overlapped with Aoko's warning.
The glass-like reality was counter-eroded by barrier Magecraft, transforming in an instant into a vast wilderness buried under snow and sealed in ice for tens of thousands of years.
Although the Reality Marble had been formed, Shiomi judged that it wasn't necessary to escalate things into a full-on clash. He deliberately lowered the output, using only a simulated version as a deterrent.
Even so, the overwhelming gap in strength was still unmistakable.
Alice stared at Shiomi and Touko with a stiff expression, fully aware now that her opponents were anything but ordinary.
"If you want to fight, I'm ready at any time. After all, you've got another Magician on your side. But if it comes to that, this Reality Marble will stop being an imitation and become the real thing."
Shiomi lifted Gáe Bolg and pointed it straight at Alice's heart from afar.
...
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