"Shinji?"
The surprise on Orange's face had not yet faded when her sight caught another figure.
The tall man who was dark, dull, and suffocating was actually her old classmate who had just been killed.
"Araya!!! What are you—"
"If you want to solve the problem, you have to kill him with one blow, that's it." Araya Souren, who was confronting Shinji, said lightly. His tone was calm, but Orange felt an indescribable irony.
"So that's how it is. Was that a puppet just now?" Orange looked at Araya in front of him, then looked at the half of the body left on the other side, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
Araya gave a positive answer: "Yes. Although my skill in making puppets is not as good as yours, I have the skills of my ancestors. You should know the name of the puppet-making 'evil monk', right?"
The one that was devoured by the black cat just now was not Araya himself, but a puppet that looked very similar to Araya. It was precisely because of the puppet that Araya did not rush forward to fight Orange in close combat. This puppet, which was so lifelike, deceived Orange's eyes, making her think that she had won, and thus let down her guard. Araya's real body took this opportunity to move behind Orange and suddenly launched a surprise attack.
If Shinji hadn't appeared in time to stop it, Orange would have had her heart ripped out by Araya's claws, and then her head would have been removed and placed in a container that could maintain her consciousness, just like what was described in the chapter "Spiral of Contradiction".
I just don't know when Araya replaced the original body and the puppet. Maybe the puppet appeared at the beginning, or it might have been replaced in the middle. This is the temple built by Araya Soren, so no matter what happened, it would not be surprising.
After answering Orange's question, Araya no longer paid attention to Orange, but focused all his attention on the boy who interrupted his fatal attack.
"Matou Shinji."
"It's me, Araya Soren." Shinji nodded, not daring to relax at all. Magic power spread throughout his body along his magic circuits, strengthening his body to the current limit.
With the blessing of the "Sixty-fourth Floor of the Offering Hall", Araya Sōren is more terrifying than any Dead Apostle he has ever encountered. If he is not careful, he will end up like Orange.
"Are you going to stop me again this time?"
"No, I'm here to collect a debt." To Araya's surprise, Shinji shook his head.
"Debt collection?"
"You said that as long as you achieve your goal, the barrier can be sent to me."
"I did say that, but my goal has not been achieved yet." Araya's voice was a mixture of melancholy, sighs, and the heaviness of hatred.
"When you achieve it, you will no longer exist in this world. How can you give it to me?" Shinji asked back.
"Indeed." The black magician was silent for a moment, then made a suggestion, "Then, use your own way to solve it. Let's make a deal. I'll give you my barrier technology, on the condition that you don't interfere anymore."
"Can-"
"Shinji!"
Orange's dissatisfied voice came from behind, and Shinji waved his hand at her, signaling her not to speak.
"One more condition. I want to take Sister Orange away with me."
"As long as she promises not to interfere in this matter." Araya then put forward his own conditions.
"Even if she doesn't agree, I will keep an eye on her." Shinji answered without hesitation, "As long as we leave the apartment, I will sign the compulsory document."
"Can."
After getting Araya's permission, Shinji kept a guarded posture, picked up Orange, and walked out of the apartment backwards. He stopped in front of the main door of the apartment and took out a specially treated parchment from Shinji's pocket. The parchment had already been written with the format terms.
"Binding Technique: Target - Matou Shinji
Subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions, the oath becomes a commandment and is binding upon you, without any exceptions—"
Shinji filled in the content with his own blood, signed his name at the end of the certificate, and threw it to the black magician standing at the edge of the temple.
After quickly scanning the document and confirming that the content was correct, Araya threw out two scrolls thicker than Shinji's thighs.
Shinji took a quick look, first put the scroll into the back seat of the red Honda, then carried Orange into the passenger seat, and finally sat in the driver's seat and drove away skillfully.
Araya glanced at the car that left, then turned and walked into the apartment. He casually glared at the suitcase left by Orange, and it immediately broke into pieces.
Inside the broken suitcase, there was a machine with lenses and films. It made a chirping sound, and it was a projector that was still running.
This is the truth about Orange's familiar—a projection monster created by a projector. Even if it destroys the etheric body reflected by the air, it can continue to regenerate as long as the main body machinery is still operating, so it can make various attacks ineffective.
Araya stared at the projector at his feet, motionless, like a sculpture. He recalled the time he spent studying in London.
In the academy, he and she were the only ones who didn't belong to the group. He pursued the archetype of the soul, while she pursued the archetype of the body. He was sure that she would be the first to arrive, and he had thought of competing with her to see who would reach the "root" first. He liked her like this.
But she gave up. She gave up her goal, even her identity as a magician, and her past of learning for a certain goal, gaining power, saving, and completing.
When he thought of this, his heart was filled with anger.
"You've fallen, Aozaki."
◇◇◇
Inside the car, the fallen woman asked, "Are you really done with it?"
"Never mind, the certificate has been signed, what can I do about it?" Shinji turned at the first fork in the road and entered a vacant space with a view of Ogawa Apartment.
"Really?" Orange's mouth curved up into a playful arc, the orange in his eyes almost overflowing, "Don't tell me you just arrived today and just happened to save me. I don't believe it's such a coincidence, and the phone call you made to me."
"Really—" Shinji pulled the handbrake and raised his hands in surrender, "—I can't hide anything from you. I'm afraid of you."
"Then tell me the truth. Start by telling me when you and Araya met and why you kept it from me."
"That's why I hate dealing with smart people."
"I'm sorry for being so smart. If you like idiots, I can introduce my sister to you."
"... ... "
"Wait, what's with all this weird silence?"
"Nothing, I just felt that your suggestion just now was not up to par and not in line with your usual intelligence, so I was thinking of how to complain."
"Really?" Orange looked at Shinji's expression with suspicion, "Why do I feel like you're not being sincere? Are you really interested in that idiot?"
"You definitely won't believe me if I say I'm not interested. After all, she's the fourth magician who masters the fifth magic, known as Miss Blue, and a humanoid rocket launcher. But she's just interested."
"Really? Why do I feel like you're not telling the truth?" Orange still didn't believe it, his eyes as sharp as a razor.
Shinji was amused and helpless: "Do you really want me to say that no matter what happens, I will stand by your side. Although I am interested in your sister, I am more interested in you. Who makes me like you?"
"I'm not a little girl anymore."
Orange leaned back on the leather seat, hiding her suspicion and smile, leaving only a trace of the vicissitudes of time and the changes of the world. This charm is what Shinji appreciates the most, especially in Orange.
"But I'm still a little boy."
Shinji grinned foolishly. Only at this moment did he show an expression that matched his age.