Nobu narrowed her eyes sharply at the radiant figure, her gaze filled with scrutiny.
"Hm… so you're the one behind the creation of this gathering?" Nobu asked.
The light-born child grinned widely and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I'm the one who made it."
Nobu took a step forward and pointed at Ritsuka. "And you're also the one who attached that strange thing to my Master's head?"
The child nodded again, this time proudly. "Correct. That thing is really cool, right? So I just put it on Ritsuka," he said casually while pointing at the Dharma Wheel floating above Ritsuka.
Zelretch frowned, staring at the wheel. "What exactly is that thing? Its structure is strange… it's clearly not an ordinary Mystic Code."
"That thing can heal and strengthen Ritsuka," Koko interjected. She tried touching the wheel above Ritsuka's head out of curiosity, but her hand passed straight through it, as if it were only a hologram. "You can't even touch it?"
"And it can rotate and make a sound on its own whenever Ritsuka is badly injured or completely exhausted," Kagaya added, recalling the earlier incident.
Zelretch's eyes gleamed with interest. "Enhancing, reinforcing, strengthening, and healing… that object is manipulating concepts, both on Ritsuka's physical body and his Magic Circuits."
"All of that happens when Ritsuka is in a critical state. He recovers completely, and even becomes stronger, once the wheel finishes rotating and makes that sound," L analyzed flatly, though his intense curiosity was unmistakable.
Ritsuka held his head and looked at the light-born child in confusion. "What exactly did you do to me?"
The child went silent for a moment, then burst into cheerful laughter. "Hahahaha! You're amazing, figuring out that much from just a few clues. You really aren't ordinary people. Fine, I'll explain."
He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Instantly, a massive screen—like an IMAX theater display—appeared out of nowhere in front of them.
"A screen?" Koko raised an eyebrow.
"I'm going to play a recording. Once you watch this, you'll understand what that thing really is," the child said. Slowly, his body dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
"Tch. Instead of explaining it himself, he makes us watch a video," Nobu grumbled.
"A recording? What does he want to show us?" L muttered, eyes fixed on the dark screen.
Suddenly, the screen lit up, showing a partially destroyed city.
Kagaya, who should have been blind, flinched softly. "I… I can see this clearly. It feels like the image is being transmitted directly into my brain, just like the recording device of this gathering."
Zelretch narrowed his eyes at the skyscrapers. "A modern city? The architecture… this is clearly from the 21st century."
Ritsuka held his breath as he recognized the street layout. "This city… this is Shibuya."
"What does Shibuya have to do with the wheel on Ritsuka's head?" Koko asked, confused.
The camera shifted, focusing on a young man with messy black hair standing in the middle of an empty street, his hands held in an unusual stance. The streetlights around him flickered out, creating a chilling atmosphere.
The young man began chanting in a hoarse, desperate voice.
"Furube… Yurayura…"
"What is that guy doing that the camera's focusing on him?" Koko asked.
"That posture and energy flow… he's performing a ritual," Nobu said warily.
"That chant…" Kagaya murmured softly. His usually calm face grew tense, as if he recognized the words.
"It looks like he's trying to summon something," Zelretch analyzed quickly. "It's Summoning Magic, but the scale feels different."
On the screen, the howling of wolves echoed. Pitch-black shadows seeped out of the ground, forming the silhouettes of wolf-like beasts howling toward the sky.
"Seeping shadows and wolf howls… it's like they're welcoming someone's arrival," L commented coldly.
Then the sound rang out.
Clunk.
The heavy sound of rotating gears. The exact same sound as the one above Ritsuka's head.
The camera shifted upward, revealing a massive floating mummy bound by thick ropes.
Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Ritsuka… that sound… it's exactly the same as your wheel," Koko whispered.
The young man's chant continued, his voice trembling but filled with lethal resolve.
"Eight-Handled Sword… Divergent Sila Divine General… MAHORAGA."
The moment the name was spoken, the mummy opened its mouth wide.
"That—! That's a chant from Furu no Koto—uhk! Uhk!" Kagaya suddenly coughed violently in shock.
Amane panicked and grabbed her husband. "Oyakata-sama! Are you all right?!"
"Kagaya, are you okay?" Ritsuka asked anxiously.
Kagaya weakly waved his hand, catching his breath. "I'm fine… I was just shocked. Very shocked."
"Kagaya, can you explain what that chant is?" Koko pressed.
Kagaya took a deep breath. "It comes from the Ritual of Furu no Koto, also known as Chinkonsai. It's an ancient Shinto ritual believed to extend life, restore health, and even revive the dead. It's deeply rooted in the Ten Sacred Treasures."
He stared at the screen in horror. "That chant was meant for healing and vitality. But the energy in that recording… it's not for healing. It's for summoning a monster."
"So a sacred healing chant is being used as a catalyst to summon a destructive monster? How disgustingly ironic," Nobu sneered.
On the screen, the mummy began to shake violently. The restraints snapped one by one. The mummy shattered, revealing its true form: a massive white giant with a muscular body, four wing-like structures on its face, and a large Dharma Wheel spinning above its head.
Without hesitation, the monster swung its fist at its summoner.
BOOM!
The young man was sent flying through a building. The monster—Mahoraga—began moving in search of another target. Every step it took sent heavy tremors through the ground.
Even through the screen, its terrifying aura felt suffocating.
Ritsuka swallowed, cold sweat forming at his temples. "That monster… it's as tall as Berserker Heracles."
"I think we've figured out who the original owner of that Dharma Wheel design is," Nobu said seriously.
Zelretch stared at the creature with a furrowed brow. "That thing has no intellect. Pure bestial instinct. It even attacked its own summoner. Calling that thing is basically a suicide ritual."
"It's like a pure Berserker-class Servant," Ritsuka added.
"But what exactly is that thing? It's as big as a tank or a combat helicopter," Koko said in awe and fear.
"The man earlier called it 'Mahoraga.' That name is very close to 'Makora,'" L said.
"Makora?" Nobu repeated.
Kagaya continued L's explanation. "In Buddhism, Makora is one of the Twelve Divine Generals who protect Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha. In Hindu mythology, Makara is a half-man, half-serpent deity associated with music and the earth."
"Tch. Buddha again. Always troublesome," Nobu muttered.
Back on the screen, Mahoraga now stood towering before a different person. That person looked terrified, slumped helplessly on the ground. His lips moved as if saying something, but no sound came out.
"Hm? What's he trying to say? Why can't we hear his voice?" Koko asked.
"Whatever he's saying doesn't matter. In front of that monster, he's finished," Nobu said coldly.
Mahoraga raised its right arm high, preparing to crush the tiny human beneath it.
And—
BOOM!!
The ground where Mahoraga struck was completely pulverized, debris flying everywhere. Smoke billowed thickly. But as it cleared, a shocking sight appeared. The person who should have died was now safe, rescued in a split second by another figure.
A man with pink hair and a face covered in black line tattoos.
Kagaya's hand, which Amane was holding, suddenly began trembling violently.
"Oyakata-sama?" Amane whispered anxiously.
"A demon…" Kagaya hissed, his blind eyes seeming to stare directly into the tattooed man's soul. "Pure evil aura…"
"It looks like that monster has finally found a worthy opponent," Nobu said, an intrigued grin appearing as she sensed the killing intent radiating from the tattooed man.
"That man… is not human," Zelretch muttered, eyes narrowing. "That speed and aura… is he a Dead Apostle?"
On the screen, the tattooed man spoke casually, then effortlessly healed Mahoraga's summoner before stepping forward to challenge the white giant.
"He healed his enemy?" Ritsuka said in disbelief. "Is he a good guy?"
Nobu let out a short laugh. "Don't be naïve, Master. Look at his eyes. He just doesn't want his toy to break too quickly."
The tattooed man assumed a relaxed stance.
"He's really going to fight that giant monster barehanded?" Koko asked in disbelief.
"No. Watch the airflow," L said. "He's going to use something invisible."
Mahoraga drew a long blade fused with its right arm and charged forward at an absurd speed for its size. The tattooed man raised his arm.
CLANG!
BOOM!
He blocked Mahoraga's massive blade with just his arm! The ground collapsed into a crater from the impact, yet the man was only pushed back slightly.
The battle escalated into a frantic tempo. The man leapt nimbly, dodging Mahoraga's slashes, then flicked his fingers through the air.
SLASH!
Mahoraga's body was suddenly deeply cut, as if sliced by an invisible blade.
"Wind magic?" Zelretch leaned forward, fascinated. "No… it's more like the concept of 'cutting' being manifested instantly."
Mahoraga ignored its wounds, roaring as it counterattacked. The tattooed man laughed, responding with another barrage of invisible strikes.
BOOM!!!
Both figures were blown apart by a massive energy explosion.
"They're evenly matched," Kagaya said in awe.
Ritsuka stared at the screen, mouth slightly open, cold sweat dripping down.
"That man with the tattoos… can he really defeat Mahoraga?" he whispered.