Chapter 123: Resurrection
Ayanokouji walked towards the coffin and looked at the woman's face inside. Sure enough, it was different from the Echidna in the Dream City.
"Betty, is this your mother?" Ayanokouji asked.
"Yes!" Beatrice looked at the woman in the coffin and immediately answered.
Roswaal pursed his lips. He wasn't sure if Beatrice, who had been following Ayanokouji all this time, knew his true identity, but he finally saw his teacher with his own eyes again.
Seeing their expressions, Ayanokouji could conclude that the one in the coffin was the complete Echidna they knew. Based on their previous descriptions of Echidna, he could basically confirm that the one in the Dream City was definitely not the complete Echidna.
But it didn't matter. He didn't care whether the person he was dealing with was the complete Echidna. As long as the other party could help him, it was enough.
"I really did it." Shima, who followed the others, nodded at them.
Ayanokouji's eyes fell on Shima, observing him carefully, and he seemed to realize something.
"Has the Sanctuary been liberated?" Emilia asked curiously.
"No, not yet." Shima shook his head and said, "There are two barriers to the Sanctuary. Breaking through the trial and unlocking the tomb is the first. The real barrier is in the core facility of the Sanctuary. It's the main body that serves as the key to unlock it."
"Core facility?" Emilia was a little confused. She had never known that such a place existed in the Sanctuary.
"Right, everyone, please follow me." Shima said, and then led everyone to the core facility – the place where the core of Ryuzu's magic body resided.
Everyone had entered the facility, and the other Ryuzu clones had been waiting here for a long time.
Bilma, Delma, and Alma, whom they met earlier, were all here, as well as some ordinary clones that hadn't been infused with souls.
"Young Aya, you really did it." A clone said to Ayanokouji with a smile.
Although she had the same body shape and appearance as the other clones, Ayanokouji could feel a subtle difference between the four original clones; they four already had the concept of 'personality'.
For ordinary people, the difference between them could not be noticed at all, but in his eyes, it was very clear.
At this moment, Shima was explaining to everyone the method to completely liberate the Sanctuary after breaking through the trial. They needed her as the 'key' to unlock the barrier, in other words, she had to sacrifice herself to liberate the Sanctuary.
Only Shima, who had previously forced her way into the ruins to save Garfiel, had this qualification.
Bilma and the others cried. To them, Shima was like their sibling. However, to liberate the Sanctuary, everyone seemed to have no other choice.
Emilia looked at the scene before her, and her eyes became wet, while Beatrice raised her head and closed her eyes tightly, not wanting others to see the scene where she would cry.
"Young Aya, Young Gar and the others will be entrusted to you." Shima turned and said.
Although Ayanokouji had previously taken her hostage to control Garfiel, Shima also knew that this man was someone who had the ability to change everything. It was precisely because of Ayanokouji that the Sanctuary had a chance to be liberated.
"Yes." Ayanokouji nodded, "I will take care of Garfiel, the villagers, and these clones."
"Good." Shima smiled with tears in her eyes, "Please leave here as soon as possible. After the seal is broken, a large amount of magic might leak out, which is very dangerous."
A dazzling light shone, and cracks gradually began to appear on the Sanctuary crystal.
"Lia, Betty, let's take the others out of here first." Ayanokouji said.
"Mm!" Emilia nodded, then they immediately left the facility with the others.
Then, the light inside the facility became increasingly dazzling, but after reaching its peak, the light quickly dimmed, and the crystal in the middle of the room had shattered, leaving only a large black hole.
Without the light of the crystal, the whole room seemed very dark, leaving only the sound of the wind, the dripping of water, and the sound of footsteps.
A girl with long pink hair and a white robe was walking around the empty facility. She had the appearance of Ryuzu, with a crystal pendant hanging from her chest, but her demeanor was different from any of the clones, and even more so...like a Witch whose original body had died.
"I apologize that I had to borrow that person's hand, and I couldn't see that person's frustrated figure during the trial...But the barrier has been broken. Let's consider it a cancellation and there's no debt between us." She said slowly, with a very bright smile on her face.
Inside this body, Echidna's soul resided.
This was her carefully laid out plan all along, to help Ayanokouji let Emilia break through the trial, to use their strength to liberate the Sanctuary.
And Echidna, years ago, was sure that Shima would break into the ruins to save Garfiel, so she transferred part of her soul into him while the other party was undergoing the trial.
The so-called saying that Shima was the key was just a lie. Echidna's goal was to let Shima, who possessed part of her soul, come into contact with Ryuzu's body and crystal, so that she could transfer her entire soul into Shima and let herself obtain a suitable body.
And after the Sanctuary was liberated, this body would no longer have any restrictions and could move freely.
This was Echidna's research on immortality. Her disciple Roswaal successfully achieved it. However, Echidna had no heir during her lifetime and had no way to directly seize her body like Roswaal, so she could only do it once.
And it wasn't just her soul that escaped, but also the souls of five other witches.
"...Forget it, it's fine. This body can't move much yet. To fill the void, I'll have to go around for a while. No need to obsess over it now. I happened to witness Kiyo's performance. At the same time, let the current world satisfy my thirst for knowledge..."
Echidna regained her body, saying to herself that she hadn't had a real body for four hundred years, and it would take a long time to adapt. "Her name...this is a rare opportunity to name her based on her knowledge, let's call her Omega."
Although they escaped from the Dream City, the contract between Echidna and Ayanokouji was not broken, so the two could still meet in the spiritual world.
As long as Ayanokouji used the pendant, the two would return to the Dream City, even though Echidna was resurrected, she would not be affected.
The rule in the contract that she had to obey Ayanokouji's words was a bit troublesome, but luckily Echidna's plan was quite secret, Ayanokouji might not know that she had been resurrected.
"Omega? You should have learned this term from the knowledge memories in my mind before."
A familiar male voice came from behind.
Echidna's eyes widened, with a hint of fear in them. She turned her head and looked behind. Ayanokouji was leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on her.
"Kiyo...no, Ayanokouji-sama..."
"No need to pretend, Echidna." Ayanokouji said slowly.
"Why are you still here."
"Because I didn't leave. I told them that I wanted to make sure the spell dissipated and witness Shima's last moments with my own eyes. This reason is enough." Ayanokouji said calmly.
Echidna narrowed her eyes, never expecting the other party to actually know her plan.
"My goodness, I didn't expect you, who is known for your wisdom, to be known by others one day." In Echidna's mind, Sekhmet's slightly mocking voice sounded.
This voice sounded directly in Echidna's mind, so Ayanokouji couldn't hear it.
But now Echidna had no time to pay attention to Sekhmet, but instead focused on Ayanokouji.
From beginning to end, she used Ayanokouji as her own tool, pretending that she was willing to help him, and then used him to break through the trial barrier step by step. She believed that her plan was perfect.
And why was Ayanokouji here right now?
"How did you realize it, Kiyo?" Echidna asked seriously.
"Maybe because I know a little about Echidna." Ayanokouji said, "I know you're researching immortality plans. I learned from Roswaal that the so-called immortality is just transferring souls into other bodies. Even though the body has died, your soul still exists, and the core of the Sanctuary still makes copies of Ryuzu. This inevitably makes me associate with your greedy character. If there is a goal you want to achieve, it will never end, so I think you have been trying to be resurrected."
"The Ryuzu clone might be a good vessel for you, but because of the Sanctuary, even if you use the Ryuzu clone, you can't leave the Sanctuary. Emila isn't the only one blocked by the Sanctuary, but you are too." Ayanokouji recounted Echidna's plan in detail.
"Do you know something about me...We should have only met a few times." Echidna narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Indeed, your acting skills are very high. I would never have guessed your methods at first, but as long as I know your character and your goals, I can fill in the content and guess everything about you."
"This is just a guess."
"Yes, this is just my guess, but it was Shima who really made me realize something was wrong."
"Oh?"
"Because your soul has entered Shima's body, sometimes her attitude and movements will become a little similar to yours, and the most important thing is why she has to be the 'key'. If the 'key' is to unlock the Sanctuary barrier is a must, then if Shima had not previously broken through it, even if Emilia had successfully passed the trial, the Sanctuary would not have been liberated, and it would have been an unsolvable problem. And you don't like unanswered questions."
Ayanokouji paused: "Then there is a possibility that the key has not been fixed, but you need something from Shima. With your character, you move Shima while he enters the trial. The possibility of hands and feet is very high. Letting Shima stay is not just to unlock the seal, but for another purpose. Then it's just the body you prepared for yourself."
"Amazing." Echidna couldn't help but applaud. This time she really admired someone. From the beginning to the end, Ayanokouji had given her unexpected things.
"If my guess is correct, the contract is still valid, right?"
"That's right."
"Are the other witch souls with you?"
"Yes." Because of the contract, when Ayanokouji asked the question, Echidna couldn't lie or refuse to answer the question.
"After you get the body, can you use magic in this world?"
"Of course, but it will take a long time to return to the peak – but now I should be able to surpass those mortal mage."
"If that's the case, you can give me a little bonus combat effectiveness." Ayanokouji's eyes fell on her.
"Are you asking me to follow you? This makes the girl a little embarrassed." A meaningful smile appeared on Echidna's face, "Then, are you using the power of the contract to command me?"
"It's not that I'm commanding you, but you have no choice." Ayanokouji said slowly.
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