章 52: Sorry if I accidentally kill you!
"Bastard! How could he do that to a little girl?"
Elinalise's angry shout echoed in the room where all the family members were gathered.
Elinalise's eyes burned with rage, and the expressions of the other family members weren't any better.
Clearly, the tragic story of little Sakura was something hard for most people to accept.
"That guy, Tokiomi Tohsaka, doesn't seem fit to be a father," Paul said with a grim face, spitting in disgust.
To him, anyone who could hand their child over to someone else was unworthy of being a father.
"Well, not to defend him, but from his perspective, what he did was the right thing. For a pure mage like him, the decision he made is the most reasonable," Kaylon, a being as old as the universe itself, had learned many things over his long existence. One of those was that before judging someone, you had to see things from their perspective.
To others, perhaps giving away your daughter to a stranger would be atrocious, but for Tokiomi, a mage to the bone, it was more appalling to let Sakura's great magical talent go to waste.
That's why he made that decision. In his opinion, as long as Sakura inherited the Matou family's magical legacy and shone as a mage, everything else was trivial.
Of course, it wasn't that Kaylon agreed with the decision, he simply understood it.
"Hmph," Paul snorted, clearly unconvinced regardless.
"Alright, this isn't the time to argue about our points of view. What's important now is rescuing Sakura," Riveria reminded them, seeing the conversation veer off topic.
"Riveria-sama is right. Every second we waste prolongs that girl's suffering," Ghislaine echoed Riveria's words.
"No need for more talk, Riveria-sama. Let me go, and I'll bring the girl back along with the head of that freak," Eris, already eager to cut down the mage, said to Riveria.
Riveria raised a hand, calming Eris before her warrior impulse could lead her to act rashly.
"Eris, I understand your impatience, but we need to be strategic. If we just charge in, we might make things worse. We don't know all the details about Sakura's condition or the layout of the Matou house. We need a plan."
Eris huffed but nodded, clenching her fist in frustration.
Turning her gaze to Kaylon, Riveria waited for him to provide more information about the Matou household and the mage Zouken Matou.
Sensing Riveria's look, Kaylon didn't hold back. "As for Zouken Matou himself, he isn't very strong—his power is likely around level 3 or 4. What's truly troublesome are his abilities. His body is primarily composed of a type of 'familiars' called 'Lust Worms.' This grants him physical immunity and a twisted regenerative ability."
The more they heard about the mage's powers, the darker everyone's expressions grew. Zouken's abilities had already sidelined more than half the family members from the mission.
"From a superficial assessment, the only way to completely kill that guy is to disintegrate him until not a single atom remains or to attack his soul directly and destroy it," Kaylon said. Of course, for him, it was as easy as snapping his fingers, but he preferred to let his family handle the situation.
"It seems that the only suitable ones for this mission are Riveria-sama and Alfia-sama," Ghislaine calmly analyzed the mage's abilities.
Riveria and Alfia were the only ones with wide-area annihilation magic.
As for Rudeus, Roxy, and Sylphiette, although they possessed destructive magic, their elemental attributes weren't effective against Zouken. Rudeus specialized in earth magic, which didn't have disintegrating properties, and Roxy and Sylphiette's water and wind magic were similarly ineffective.
As for Paul, Elinalise, and Talhand, they were purely physical warriors, so they had no effectiveness here either.
What about Eris's ability? Well, although her fire magic was destructive and capable of disintegration, it didn't have enough range, so Zouken could easily escape if he wanted.
"Tch, so I'm just supposed to stand here and watch?" Eris spoke angrily, clenching her fists in frustration.
The rest of the family didn't voice it as directly as Eris, but their faces clearly showed their unwillingness.
"I understand your frustration. However, given the importance of the mission, it's better if only Alfia and I carry it out... Is that okay, Alfia?" Riveria said, trying to console them with a bitter smile and turning to ask Alfia for her readiness.
Alfia, sitting near Kaylon, simply nodded indifferently without saying more.
"Oh, one more thing… Sakura's mental state is probably not great right now. It's likely that she'll be hostile toward you when you try to rescue her," Kaylon added, reminding them of another important point to consider.
Riveria's face darkened at the reminder. They weren't sure how Sakura would react.
"It's simple. If things get complicated, we'll just subdue her. Once that old man is dealt with, we'll have time to talk her down," Alfia said, not seeing any issue with knocking her out if necessary.
"As expected of you, a violent woman," Elinalise nodded vigorously, glancing around at everyone proudly, happy that someone else acknowledged her arch-nemesis's violent nature.
Shaking her head, Riveria could only smile bitterly. Alfia's aggressive nature was something Riveria felt she could never change.
"Even though I find it a rather uncivilized solution," Riveria sighed, crossing her arms, "it does seem like the most effective option in this situation."
Her gaze softened a bit as she processed Alfia's words. While she had always preferred more diplomatic and just solutions, Riveria understood that sometimes effectiveness had to prevail over what she considered morally right. After all, this was no ordinary situation.
"What's important here is rescuing Sakura and ensuring that Zouken can't continue to cause harm," she continued, looking back at the rest of the group. "For now, this will be our plan of action."
Kaylon, who had been watching the conversation attentively, nodded slowly.
It was in decisions like these that Kaylon could see how much Riveria had grown. In the past, she wouldn't have even considered this option.
Over time, Riveria had started to view things with a more neutral perspective, recognizing that sometimes securing the safety of her family required bending some moral rules.
Kaylon was satisfied with this. It seemed the experiences shared with all the family members had opened Riveria's mind a lot more.
"Well, now that the plan is in place, we can depart shortly. For the sake of this mission, I will accompany you. However, I'll warn you in advance that unless the situation gets out of control, I don't plan to act."
It wasn't that Kaylon didn't trust Alfia and Riveria, but this world wasn't simple, and variables were everywhere. Considering that, it was better for him to go along. After all, Sakura could be a future member of his family, so her safety was important.
"Thank you, Kami-sama," a smile appeared on Riveria's face. Even though she believed Alfia and herself could complete the mission easily, the presence of their God was still reassuring.
...
"And here we are," Kaylon remarked with a smile as they approached the large gate leading to the elegant Matou mansion.
Surprised, Kaylon commented, "I've got to say, that bastard Zōken has good taste," he thought aloud. "At least the mansion is nice. I expected something more… gloomy, like a haunted mansion."
Riveria, on the other hand, was focused on what really mattered. Frowning as she carefully examined the entrance, she murmured, "There seem to be several magical formations…"
Alfia, always direct, asked without hesitation, "Can you disable them without Zōken noticing?"
"Don't worry. Give me a moment, and I'll deactivate them without alerting the mage," Riveria replied calmly.
Deactivating magical formations without raising suspicion was a significant challenge for most mages, but for someone with Riveria's vast experience, who had spent years honing her skills at Ranoa Magic University, it was a perfectly manageable task.
Without needing further words, Riveria stepped forward, carefully analyzing the layout of the formations. Her calculating gaze quickly identified the key points. Moving with precision, she began altering the barriers, deactivating their functions without disrupting the flow of the original magic, allowing them to pass unnoticed by Zōken. Each gesture was meticulous, like plucking the strings of a delicate instrument.
Kaylon watched silently, fully trusting Riveria's expertise.
Alfia, beside him, maintained her usual indifference but remained ever vigilant, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
Slowly, the tension in the air eased as Riveria, unbothered, finished her work and turned to the others.
"It's done. The formations are disabled. We can proceed without Zōken noticing… for now," she said firmly.
"Heh, as expected from my little Riveria," Kaylon said with a proud smile, glancing at Alfia as he bragged about his amazing wife.
Alfia simply rolled her eyes.
"Let's move quickly before Zōken realizes something is off," Riveria said, ignoring her God's antics as she led the way inside.
With a slight nod of approval, Kaylon followed Riveria closely into the mansion, Alfia walking behind him with calm yet determined steps.
The mansion, despite its elegant exterior appearance, emanated a gloomy atmosphere once they entered. The magical energy was heavy, and the air had a somewhat unpleasant smell; the calm and peaceful vibe from outside seemed to have completely disappeared in here.
"How curious. It looks refined, but feels rotten inside," murmured Kaylon, as his eyes moved from side to side.
"Stay alert," said Riveria quietly. "Although the outer formations are no longer a problem, that doesn't mean there aren't traps or hidden mechanisms inside."
Riveria didn't think there were only magical traps in this place; someone as cautious as Matou surely must have many more methods.
As they ventured deeper into the mansion, a shiver ran down Kaylon's spine, but not from fear; it was from anticipation. He knew that the best was yet to come.
Unlike Riveria's caution and concern, for Kaylon, this felt more like a fun play.
After all, this is the perspective of an all-powerful God.
Alfia, walking with quiet but confident steps behind them, observed everything with her characteristic indifference. Her eyes scanned the surroundings for any signs of ambush or traps.
"The further we go, the more we feel the presence of something... sick," Alfia commented, breaking the silence. Her tone was cold, but there was a shadow of disdain in her voice.
Riveria nodded. "It's the magical energy of this place. Zōken has manipulated his environment to the point of corrupting it."
A person's magical signature can be defined by their personality.
A cheerful person will have a vibrant magical energy, while a sinister person will have malignant and aggressive magical energy.
"Hehehe, I hope that scum doesn't die quickly; that way, I can see the abilities of a 'wicked' mage, hehe." The fun in Kaylon's eyes could no longer be hidden, and he eagerly awaited this character's performance.
Riveria, who heard Kaylon's words, looked at him for a moment and then continued observing the surroundings.
Riveria's severe gaze did not go unnoticed by Kaylon, but he simply shrugged. He knew he was toying with everyone's nerves, but he couldn't help it. For him, this situation was too exciting.
"Gods..." Shaking her head, Alfia was not surprised; for beings like them, most things are just their amusement, something everyone in Genkai understands clearly.
Ignoring Kaylon's comments, Riveria and Alfia continued slowly advancing into the depths of the mansion.
Suddenly.
The three of them stopped, directing their gaze toward a shadow looming over one of the mansion's windows.
"Hey... she's not supposed to be here, at least not yet."
The moment of silence was broken by Kaylon, who commented with some surprise upon seeing the presence in the window.
A woman with long purple hair and a purple visor was staring intently at the group of three.
Her hands, holding sharp daggers and the hostile intent that was not hidden, made it clear that she was not here to comfortably talk with them.
"Kami-sama... Is there a problem if we leave this person to you while we go after Zouken?" The plans had changed, and an extra presence jeopardized their plan; seeking a solution, Riveria quickly found a way to address it.
Throw the problem to your God.
"Sighhh... it seems I won't be able to be just a mere spectator," sighed Kaylon, resigning himself to the fact that he would have to intervene. His deflated expression was unusual, but he had accepted the situation without many more complaints.
After all, his presence here was for that reason: to deal with unforeseen situations.
"Thank you, Kami-sama," said Riveria, not hiding a slight satisfaction at seeing her god somewhat frustrated. Seizing the moment, she quickly launched into the mansion, with Alfia closely following her, their steps synchronized and determined.
Worrying about leaving Kaylon behind was not even an option for them. If a primordial god like him couldn't handle that woman, then, as they used to say in Genkai, simply "wash your neck," because there would be no way to survive what would come next.
*Swishhh*
Medusa was naturally not going to allow the intruders to approach her master. With impressive speed, she lunged at Riveria and Alfia, the daggers shining in her hands, ready to stop them. Her movements were so fast that they were barely a blur of violet shadows.
But her advance was abruptly interrupted.
*Bang*
The sound of an impact resonated in the air as Medusa was halted in her tracks. Kaylon, who had been several meters away, suddenly appeared in front of her, his leg extended in a powerful kick that moved like a whip. Medusa had barely registered the movement before feeling the impact on her body, being thrown backward.
As she felt her body, it seemed she could sense broken ribs in her chest where the strong kick landed.
"Too much force...? Hehe, pretty lady, I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time; Sorry if I accidentally kill you, haha."
...
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