"How ironic. We were supposed to finish this after we were done here."
As he spoke, the man in black walked towards him step by step.
In contrast, Ryougi Shiki's look at this moment was filled with indescribable surprise.
This was because her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could not see through the death line on this man's body, and there was no part of the other person's body that could be cut off.
For this reason, Shiki immediately used all his brain power and stared at the man with a perseverance he had never had before.
With her brain almost overheated and her consciousness in a trance, she saw a dark hole in the other person's chest.
No, that is not a hole, but a ball formed by the continuous entanglement of dead thread!
"You still remember me, right? Two years ago!"
"Two years ago... was it you?"
"Yes, it's me. The magician, Araya Sōren, the one who killed Shiki."
"… "
Ryougi Shiki seemed to understand everything about Araya Sōren's words that confused the audience. She slowly grasped the dagger in her hand, but before the battle, she couldn't help but ask:
“What’s the point of this apartment?”
"It has no general meaning. It is entirely my personal will."
"What's the meaning?"
"I created a world that would end in one day. I used their corpses as Yin and their lives as Yang, and constructed the two yin and yang of life and death, the spiral of death and resurrection, to sacrifice to your existence."
“What’s the point?”
"It doesn't make sense, but..."
As he spoke, Araya Soren glanced at the shivering limp in the darkness, and continued:
"It is impossible for humans to have two attributes at the same time. The dead and the living are incompatible. But even so, I still want to try whether humans can usher in a death that is different from the end."
"Under the influence of the world record, people are bound to die, and the way they die is also predetermined. People who die in a fire are only killed in a fire no matter how they die. People who are killed by their family are only killed by their family no matter how they die. The first time you escape the dilemma of death, it is only a destined method to welcome the second and third deaths. This limited death is lifespan."
"But I thought that even if the way a person dies is predetermined, if the same process is repeated thousands of times, the spiral of life and death will have errors. Unfortunately, two hundred consecutive repetitions only made me realize the fact that human destiny cannot be changed."
…
Araya Soren's words were so shocking that the audience who were originally guessing why this apartment was built were all stunned at this moment.
Not to mention the audience in the TV tavern and the Imperial Magic Academy, even the nobles who had already immersed themselves in the plot were shocked at this moment.
"Is this apartment created just for things like this?"
"Araya Soren, he has appeared in several previous trailers. Who is he?"
"No matter what his purpose is, he is a very dangerous guy. Just for the sake of experiments, he actually threw so many innocent lives into the furnace and watched them die tragically again and again. This guy has no humanity at all!"
"Yes, this guy is even more terrifying than some corrupt mages who have fallen into evil ways. After all, corrupt mages still have some scruples when doing things, but this guy did such a terrible thing just for his own experiment. It's simply too terrifying!"
"But what he said seems to make sense. No matter who you are, it seems that everyone has his or her own destiny..."
"Have you read too many church books? Why do you still believe in this kind of stuff?"
"It is better to believe it exists than to believe it does not exist."
"By the way, why do Araya Sōren and Ryougi Shiki look like they know each other? Have they met before?"
"I don't remember. I don't remember them ever meeting each other."
“It’s so weird, I feel like I missed an episode.”
"Stop talking. I'm confused. I feel like I missed a lot. I don't understand a lot of things."
"… "
The audience was talking about this, but no matter what, seeing the battle between Ryougi Shiki and Araya Souren about to break out, everyone still instinctively looked forward to it.
Chapter 213 Episode 5: Spiral of Contradiction! (XI)
Chapter 213
The confrontation between Araya Souren and Ryougi Shiki attracted the attention of all the audience. People were looking forward to this contest, wanting to know who would win and who would lose between the two.
Of course, compared to ordinary people who are simply waiting for the battle to begin, magicians have already begun to analyze this battle from all aspects.
"Ryougi Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can't even see through Araya Souren's death line. This is very disadvantageous to Ryougi Shiki."
"That's not the case. In fact, I've always felt that the effect of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception is not very useful in a battle between two opponents of similar strength. Ryougi Shiki's real strength lies in her combat skills."
"Yes, I think so too. We have all witnessed Ryougi Shiki's fighting ability. Even if the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception lose their effect, she may not be a match for Araya Souren."
"But we know very little about Araya Sōren. We only know that he is a magician. Although the magic setting in the world view of "Kara no Kyoukai" is not strong, it is still possible that he has very dangerous abilities."
"In short, I think Ryougi Shiki has a better chance of winning. After all, she is the heroine and her fighting ability is definitely trustworthy."
"I think Araya Soren is stronger, and most importantly, this apartment is Araya Soren's base, and the environmental conditions are very unfavorable to Ryougi Shiki..."
"Even so, it's not impossible for Ryougi Shiki to win."
"That's true, but we still have to respect the setting. This situation is very unfavorable to Ryougi Shiki no matter how you look at it."
"Stop arguing and just watch it quietly."
"… "
The quarrel among the magicians about the plot gradually became more intense. Apparently, no matter what the circumstances, taking sides and PVP are human nature.
In contrast, the great sages at the top of the Alchemy Tower had no doubts about the battle in the film and saw through the final winner from the very beginning.
The only thing that surprised them was the experiment that Araya Soren conducted using the entire apartment.
The practice of separating the human body and soul to conduct yin and yang experiments on humans is also a very surprising thing for the great sages of this world.
Although the great sages could not understand the concept of yin and yang, the conclusion of the experiment itself was easy for them to understand.
But it is precisely because of their understanding that they are so surprised by the result...
"Does Araya Soren believe that human death is predetermined?"
"According to the theory of origin, everyone's life has a direction from the beginning, and since the beginning is predetermined, the end is naturally predetermined as well."
"Death has never been changed, and fate is destined to spiral. This movie has a strong flavor of nihilism and fatalism."
"Yes, but no one knows whether fatalism exists or not. At least from my point of view, I don't think fatalism is true. People's fate can be changed after all."
"But our world is like this, but the world of Kara no Kyoukai doesn't seem to be like this. When the theory of origin is already a fact, people's destination is naturally unchangeable. I think Araya Soren himself should be very clear about this, so he doesn't have any expectations for the experiment itself."
"That being said, why did he target Ryougi Shiki?"
"For Araya Soren, whether it's this apartment or every conflict that occurred before, everything he did seemed to be for the pursuit of a certain goal. In this case, perhaps Ryougi Shiki is the key factor in achieving his goal."
"… "
The communication went on like this, and the great sages' current concept of the spiral of contradiction could only reach this extent.
After all, the concepts of Tai Chi and Yin and Yang contained in the film are beyond the understanding of people in this world. Without basic consciousness and worldview, it is bound to be very difficult to understand its core.
Therefore, the great sages finally stopped discussing this matter and instead turned the topic to the information that Ryougi Shiki and Araya Souren had met before, as revealed in their conversation.
It can be said that the previous few "Kara no Kyoukai" films never mentioned similar settings, but this time the film suddenly gave such a clue, which is really confusing.
Of course, before the great sages could think too much, new content had already appeared in the film.
…
In the film, after learning what Araya Souren had done, Ryougi Shiki couldn't help but shout out:
"Is this the reason you keep dying the same way over and over again?"
"The families that come here are all people who have already collapsed. They are already on the road to collapse, and after coming here, they will more clearly reach the end."
"Indeed, this building can easily put people into a state of stress. The floor is made to be sloping like the sea surface to disrupt the sense of balance, and the paint and lighting that add burden to the eyes make the nerves unconsciously tense. Without any magical effects, it can make people who come here fall into confusion. You are an amazing architect, you guy."
"No, this place was designed by Aozaki, so if you want to praise her, it should be given to her instead of me."
Hearing the familiar name, Ryougi Shiki was slightly surprised, and then immediately said:
"Araya Soren, why did you kill me?"
"Whether it's Wujo Kirie or Asagami Fujino, it's ineffective."
"???"
"Mukijo Kirie, who can only survive by relying on death, has similar attributes to you. Asagami Fujino, who can only get happiness by contacting death, has similar attributes to you. I failed once two years ago. That guy was too opposite. What I need is people who have the same origin and can differentiate them. Yes, be happy, Ryougi Shiki, those two people are living sacrifices prepared just for you."
"You—"
"Nothing is your chaotic impulse, your origin—see the darkness. Then remember your name."
"-Prime culprit!!!"
Unexpectedly, it was this guy who was responsible for everything. A trace of anger suddenly flashed in Ryougi Shiki's eyes. With her emotions fluctuating, she suddenly pounced towards Araya Souren.
Her speed was as swift as an arrow shot from a bow that was stretched to its limit, and with the murderous intent of a wild beast, she stabbed at the tall, dark man in front of her!
"laugh!!!"
Seeing this astonishing scene, the audience outside the screen were all on edge, nervously watching the amazing battle that was about to break out in the film!
Chapter 214 Episode 5: Spiral of Contradiction! (XII)
Chapter 214
In the video of "Kara no Kyoukai", Ryougi Shiki and Araya Souren instantly started a fierce battle.
In an instant, Ryougi Shiki pounced on Araya Souren, intending to stab the opponent's chest with the dagger in one go.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere suddenly changed—
"Buju, Vajra, Serpent and Scorpion."
As Araya Soren finished his words, three circular patterns suddenly appeared around him, interrupting all flows.
At the same time, spider-web-like white threads wrapped around Ryougi Shiki's body, completely depriving her of the ability to move.
"I, Huangye Zonglian, will accept this body."
As he said this, Araya Souren moved closer to Ryougi Shiki little by little, and slowly stretched out his left hand as if to crush Shiki's head.
Faced with all this, Ryougi Shiki suppressed the chill and reflexively took the opportunity to cut off the opponent's left hand with a knife.
"Dai Tian!"
However, his left hand, which had clearly been cut off, became intact again with no visible damage at all after Araya Souren said a word.
"Top Sutra."
Then, Araya Souren grabbed Ryougi Shiki's face with his right hand and easily lifted her into the air.
"ah-"
At this moment, Ryougi Shiki couldn't help but tremble, and fear spread throughout her body.
On the other side, Araya Soren said coldly:
"You are childish. There is a Buddha relic buried in this left hand. Even if you use the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, you cannot see the mortal parts. Simply cutting it off will not hurt me. Moreover, I cannot die. My origin is stillness. Those who call upon my origin can control it. How can you kill someone who has already stopped moving?"
Ryougi Shiki did not respond to Araya Sōren's words. Her brain was working at full capacity at the moment, trying to find the 'thread of death' that should exist on the other person.
Araya Souren, on the other hand, calmly urged his energy and almost crushed Ryougi Shiki's face completely.
In this desperate situation, Ryougi Shiki finally saw the thread that was so thin that it could not be noticed under normal circumstances, and cut off the opponent's right hand.
“—Hmm.”
As Araya Souren was injured and retreated, Ryougi Shiki also immediately distanced himself and escaped from the triple barrier under the opponent's feet.
"I see. I was careless. Whether it's alive or dead, as long as something can move, you can cut off the source of its movement. This is your ability. Even if my life has stopped, there is a thread that keeps me alive because of this existence. If you cut it off, I will definitely be killed. As expected, your eyes are useless. They are too dangerous as an accessory to Ryougi Shiki."
Araya Soren said this and wanted to attack again.
Ryougi Shiki sneered and said:
"It's useless. You have no chance. The so-called barrier is just a state of mind. Only the grass at the boundary is a wall of magic that blocks others. Then, as long as the line disappears, its power will also disappear."
As she spoke, Ryougi Shiki thrust the dagger into the ground, directly destroying the outermost layer of the triple barrier!