章 10: First Seal, unleashed!

"Wha- you! How did you know? No– since when you knew about it?!"

Black Iri couldn't contain herself any longer. She quickly distanced herself from Ryan to the edge of room, as if such short distance could brought her a little relief–despite realizing it was actually meaningless. After all, her true essence was still lodged within Ryan's body, unable to escape the binding within.

"After all these years, have you not ever wondered why you could smoothly alter my magic circuit in secret?"

Ryan turned to Black Iri quietly. His expression was calm, his eyes exuded a complete confidence in himself to stay in control of the situation.

The shower's water kept raining down on Ryan. In that silence, only its sound kept the both of them company.

"Honestly, it didn't really matter when, Avenger. However if you insist, probably, since the beginning?

The reason I stayed quiet all these years because I didn't want to alert you or that thing inside the Grail. 'He' is one of my target after all.

Now that the Holy Grail War has come forth–and I am already chosen as one of Master candidate, it's no longer necessary to keep you unchecked, Avenger.

You,.. your existence is merely a back-up plan in case I was not chosen by the Grail."

Ryan spoke calmly. He was looking at Black Iri with emotionless gaze, as though he was merely looking at his prey.

Black Iri tried to keep her expression intact, though her panicked eyes betrayed how chaotic her feeling was. Looking at Ryan's confident look, she really felt like a clown who had been dancing on the palm of his hand all these years.

"As a gift for accompanying me for all these years, let me show you my new mystic art. You're the first person I try this on, Avenger. You can be proud."

"New mystic art? More like a new way to kill me, isn't it!?" Black Iri screamed. But she could do nothing to prevent Ryan.

"Seal of Samsara. First Seal – Devour the Sky."

Ryan smiled lightly, but to Black Iri, his smile looked nothing more than a devil's wicked taunt.

"Be glad, as you have the chance to be proper nutrients for me, Avenger."

She wanted to resist, but a mysterious force suddenly bind the triangular black shard tighter than before. This mysterious force didn't come from Ryan's Mystic Eyes like what Ryan usually used to suppress her, but it came from the soul altar under Ryan's soul.

'I knew it! That damned thing is dangerous!!'

A whirlpool slowly formed on the soul altar which was trying to pull the black shard into it. At first, Black Iri could still resist the suction force, but the suction force grew stronger quickly, it didn't give her any more chances to resist.

"Damn asshole! Curse y–!"

Since Black Iri could not resist, she could only let out disparaging curses to Ryan at the end of her line. However, even that chance was cut off by Ryan, as his Mystic Eyes glowed, suppressing her even more.

"Just be gone quietly, no need for such passionate farewell, Avenger." Ryan had a evil grin on his face as he saw how Black Iri tried to spat on him.

At that moment, Ryan could hear the sound of the room being opened from outside. Following it,

"Ryan, you there?"

Kanade spoke from outside the bathroom.

"What's up, Kanade??"

"No-nothing much, it–it's just... ah, here's the matter, Fujimura-sensei asked me to help her buy some souvenirs. I am just wondering if you can help accompanying me or not... It's not like I want to peep at you or doing anything strange like that, alright!"

Kanade spoke with some stutter at the beginning. Honestly, when she heard the rustling sound of water from the bathroom, she couldn't help imagining about what Ryan did there. Although she knew it was unlikely for him to do anything strange, the images just kept coming into her mind anyway...

"Oh, ok, I'll go with you. Wait a bit, I'll be done quick, Kanade."

"En." Kanade quickly rushed out of the room before her mind wandered even further in strange direction. She also didn't forget to wipe the trickle of blood on her nose. As it did seem like her imagination made her unusually excited there...

Few seconds after Kanade rushed out of the room, Ryan felt the absorption was about to be finished. And it was also at that moment Ryan suddenly felt a jolt on his mind. He felt that his consciousness was being dragged into a mysterious space which only had white color on it.

There, he saw Black Iri was looking at him with venomous glare.

"Hm, what is this space? Did you do this, Avenger?"

"Hah! If I could do this, do you think I will be trapped inside your body for so long?!"

"I see. So, it's not your doing. Then, the next possible explanation is that; either I have caused this unusual phenomenon, though I don't know how. Or there is another existence interfering here..." Ryan muttered to himself as he was looking around the white space.

More importantly, in this strange space, Ryan felt that he could not use his usual abilities at all. This feeling was like the feeling when he suddenly couldn't wield his hands or feet which previously worked just fine.

"To think you'd have such sophisticated mystic art. Should I say, as expected of Beyonder–THE being from beyond the stars?

Heh heh! But, you also shot yourself in the foot by summoning our soul in this battlefield, Ryan!

Perhaps, I should really be thankful to you. After all, as long as I kill you here, everything you own would be mine!!"

Black Iri laughed like a deranged person. She couldn't help smiling widely at the thought of finally having a body her own, as well as cleansing her past humiliations on Ryan's hand.

"Ah, that so? Thanks for your explanation anyway, I got the gist of it. However, do you really think you can match me in terms of soul or battle spirit??

"You are too naive, 'Irisviel'..."

"Huh?"

At the next moment, Black Iri saw how Ryan's soul rapidly became enlarged. It probably only lasted for an instant before a giant which looked like Ryan to be standing in the place Ryan once was, looking down on her from above.

"For your information, what I am trained in is an Arcane Art which specially cultivate the soul itself. Even if I can't use my other abilities from outside world, do you think you can match up to me here?"

The giant's thunderous voice rumbled through the mysterious space. It looked like the space could break at anytime, though even after some time had passed, the mysterious space still stayed the same.

"This is truly the end. Good bye, 'Irisviel'. May we not meet again in the next time."

Ryan watched with indifferent gaze as Black Iri slumped in despair when he raised his feet.

Swoosh! Boom!!

Along with the loud rumbling, Black Iri remained no more. Her soul turned into small balls of grey light, which were quickly absorbed by Ryan. Not long after, the white space around Ryan was also quickly destroyed.

With the destruction of that mysterious space, Ryan could feel his consciousness had returned to his body. There were some perspirations on his forehead, he was still feeling a bit shocked at the previous incident.

'I was careless. Lucky I decided to try it on her first. Otherwise, if I used it first on someone with stronger spirit...'

Ryan truly didn't expect that the new mystic art would force him to enter a battle of soul with his opponent. It was really a double-edged sword in his opinion. If he unluckily lost the soul battle...

Even so, as the saying goes; the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

What Ryan gained from winning this soul battle also did make up for its shortcoming.

Ryan could feel that his soul was being strengthened, his soul altar grew a bit, his cultivation of Demon King Solomon's Arcane Art also showed some degree of growth.

Although the degree was not much, mosquito's meat was still a meat. There was nothing wrong with getting himself stronger.

Not only that, Ryan also felt a surge of foreign memories and knowledge being available to him. Knowledge such as Einzbern family magecraft, Black Iri's personal skills, as well as her complicated feeling toward 'Irisviel's daughter– Illyasviel von Einzbern...

'...you should be more honest with your feeling, Avenger. Or should I call you, Irisviel...? Even after death, you still couldn't forget your daughter after all. What a pity...'

Ryan shook his head slightly. Since he had done the deed, it meant he did it knowing full well he would bear the risk coming with it. There was nothing he would regret afterward.

Besides, letting her to stay for long with him was not something he felt comfortable with. If not because she had a use to help modifying him into a Lesser Grail–as she was one herself–Ryan would have eliminated her long ago.

Moreover, now he knew why the Demon King Solomon's Arcane Art mainly tempered his soul. It was actually a preparation for this kind of mystic art...

The Demon King of Domination.

Did he get that moniker after defeating his opponents this way...

Hmm, but, it's strange. I feel like this mystic art is more than this, though.

Finished showering himself, Ryan began to dress up as Kanade had been waiting for him outside the room for a while now.

"Sorry for the wait, Kanade."

"Hn. It's fine, I didn't wait for long anyway.

"Sorry, to make you accompanying me even after I told you to rest..."

"What're you saying?? Even if you don't ask me, I'll still follow you if I knew that unreliable teacher told you to buy things.

I don't want to walk the trope of saving a damsel in the trouble. Accompanying you now is more efficient than saving you later, in case you meet with trouble." Ryan stated it matter-of-factly.

Kanade:"..."

This guy... can't you be more romantic?!

"Then, let's go. Like you said, we can't be late for the closing ceremony, Kanade." Ryan urged while he was already walking ahead. He still had to sort out the new knowledge he had just absorbed, so he needed to finish buying those souvenirs as soon as possible.

"Ahh! Wait for me!"