Altrouge's always calm expression changed, becoming incredibly serious. "This mirror has a special property; the light it emits varies with the strength of the opponent. The Agent just now were only a faint glow, but the person who just entered... is very strong!"
Tohsaka Rin couldn't help but lean over to look at the image in the mirror, curious as to who could make the Dead Apostle Princess so solemn. When Tohsaka Rin first saw the scene in the mirror, her twin-tails immediately stood on end in shock!
In the mirror, Tohsaka Rin saw a tall young man with short white hair, blood-red eyes, and a tattered crimson cape draped over his back. He carried a greatsword on his shoulder that was not much shorter than himself. His exposed arms were covered in blood-stained bandages.
Through the death qi and pressure that could be sensed directly from several kilometers away, Tohsaka Rin could even see through the mirror that the death qi emanating from this man was incredibly vast and terrifying. Apart from the previous Magus Aozaki in his prime, no one could compare to him. The pressure he exerted on Tohsaka Rin was ten times greater than any opponent she had encountered before. Tohsaka Rin would not believe it if this guy wasn't an Ancestor!
Moreover, Tohsaka Rin, who was intimately familiar with the physical characteristics of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, could recognize an Ancestor at a glance just by their original appearance. And this guy, whose image was identical to Dante, the Male Protagonist of the game Devil May Cry, was none other than the Eighteenth of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, the Oath-Sworn Knight—Anhalt!
Possessing the same constitution as Mayu Arima, his potential as a Dead Apostle was unbelievably strong. When he was still human, he revived on the first day after being bitten by the original Eighteenth Ancestor. After his revival, his abilities and combat power directly rose to a level sufficient to rival the original Eighteenth Ancestor. In the entire history of Dead Apostles, including him and Mayu Arima, only four people have possessed such aptitude!
After his revival, he immediately broke free from the control of the previous generation of Dead Apostles. He then even slew the original Eighteenth Ancestor and took his place... He is also the only Ancestor among the Twenty-Seven Ancestors who successfully overthrew and ascended above his predecessor.
Although he doesn't possess an Reality Marble like Mayu Arima, nor does he have exceptional special abilities like other Ancestors, relying more on willpower and decisive action in combat, no one can question his strength as an Ancestor! And Altrouge had just mentioned that among the few Ancestors of the Dead Apostles who could surpass Tohsaka Rin in physical attributes, he was one of them.
Tohsaka Rin frowned, watching the man rushing towards them. "Why has even an Ancestor come to kill us? Your Dead Apostle circle is really chaotic."
"Probably. After all, he has a certain cooperative relationship with the Church. Since he's here, he definitely won't be an enemy of the Church," Altrouge analyzed. Although she was very nervous when she first saw Anhalt, she now seemed to have calmed down, looking composed.
"..." Tohsaka Rin was speechless. Indeed, Anhalt was called the Oath-Sworn Knight because he hated being turned into a Dead Apostle by an Ancestor, so he hunted other "Ancestors" for personal reasons. This aligned with the Church, so the two often cooperated. In another sense, Anhalt was half a henchman for the Church.
The circle of the Ancestors of the Dead Apostles was truly chaotic, to say the least. They were completely independent, ignoring each other. Some belonged to various factions, some established their own factions, and almost every one of them had one, or even a group, of mortal enemies within their own Ancestor circle. An Ancestor like Anhalt cooperating with the Church was nothing unusual. Even more bizarre was the Dead Apostle Ancestor: Merem Solomon, who directly joined the Burial Agency of the Church, the highest armed organization of the Church specifically responsible for subjugating Ancestors.
To call them a loose collection of sand would be an overstatement, because a loose collection of sand is still in one plate. The Ancestors of the Dead Apostles are completely scattered to the ends of the earth, a bunch of 'I exist because I'm cute, you're stupid so you die' types.
They even start civil wars for no reason, and they enjoy fighting them. The replacement and succession of the Dead Apostle Ancestors are basically the result of internal conflicts.
Although Anhalt had no grudge against Altrouge, it was not inconsistent for the Eighteenth Ancestor, whose goal was to hunt Ancestors, to be invited by the Church as a strong reinforcement to hunt the Dead Apostle Princess.
"So what do we do now? Run?" Tohsaka Rin fretted. She wasn't confident enough to think she could defeat an Ancestor-level expert even with Altrouge's assistance.
Any Ancestor of the Dead Apostles possesses the strength to contend with a Magus. One could say that if two-thirds of the Ancestors of the Dead Apostles banded together, and the remaining one-third didn't join the human side, this world would likely become the domain of the Dead Apostles in no time.
Of course, no one knows how many old monsters are hidden among humans. As far as the Mage's Association is concerned, only the Clock Tower is relatively active. The older Atlas Institute and The Sea of Wandering (Outer Sea/Dead Apostle Sea) are too low-key in comparison.
"Run? That's useless." Altrouge shook her head. "With Anhalt's abilities, as long as we are in this shared area, no matter where we run, he will find us. Or do you think your mobility is superior to his?"
"Isn't this shared domain a gift from Jewel Owner?"
"It is, but I don't know the Second Magic. I can only set it to turn on and off at fixed times; I can't control it freely. Damn it, why didn't that old geezer give me the Second Magic along with it?"
"..." The Second Magic along with it? Given the uniqueness of a Magus, I don't think that old man would go so far as to give up his life just to give you a gift.
"So, we have no choice but to fight?" Tohsaka Rin lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, her whole body trembling slightly.
Seeing Tohsaka Rin like this, Altrouge sighed slightly with some disappointment, her expression downcast: "You're right, even the Eighteenth Ancestor is not someone the two of us can contend with right now. You should go." Altrouge pointed in a direction. "Run ten kilometers in that direction, and you'll find a giant crystal. The gate to the outside world will open three hours later..."
"Slap!"
"Huh?..." Altrouge suddenly felt her shoulder being tightly gripped. Subconsciously, she looked up, and her crimson eyes met a pair of emerald eyes burning with battle intent.
"Scared? I'm so excited right now, I can barely contain myself!" The battle intent erupting from Tohsaka Rin's eyes even awed Altrouge, a Dead Apostle Ancestor.
Since her reincarnation, when had Tohsaka Rin ever been afraid! Even when she was just two years old, she didn't hesitate to risk her life, risk her soul, and bear everything, even if her bones shattered and her life was in peril, she would break through all obstacles and become strong! To change the ending of Mahoutsukai no Yoru, facing unprecedented powerful enemies, as an individual, she defeated one enemy after another, overcame one difficulty after another, and protected what was most important: her dream!
Tohsaka Rin loved this beautiful yet cruel world. She wanted to change the predetermined tragedies in this world, but she also wanted to admire the grand beauty of this world! 973 And what could be more appealing than facing off against one of the strongest individuals in the current era! Moreover, Altrouge was someone Tohsaka Rin had deeply loved in her previous life. If she were to flee in fear now, there would be a second time. Love knows no distinction of past or present. This courage and determination to sacrifice life and death for change would never allow Tohsaka Rin to abandon the person she wanted to protect and retreat!
"Al." Tohsaka Rin called Altrouge by the nickname she had initially used for herself again.
"Hmm?" Altrouge looked at Tohsaka Rin curiously.
"Do we really have no ability to resist Anhalt in our current state?"
"Hmm..." Altrouge pondered, weighing the difference between them. "If you can double the intensity of your Mana Burst, it should be enough to contend with the Eighteenth Ancestor. After all, your combat intuition and experience in life-or-death struggles absolutely cannot compare to his, so you need an absolute advantage in power."
Doubling the burning of Mana Burst actually means doubling the speed and frequency of magical energy explosion and circulation within the body. Although the outward leakage and consumption of magical energy will indeed greatly increase, what is truly damaged is the body. Whether the body can withstand such an overloaded operation is the biggest key.
Therefore, even in Alice's Moon Oil world, Tohsaka Rin did not activate the doubled burning of Mana Burst but chose to use Projection Magecraft. However, the situation is different now. With Altrouge present, the earth provides Tohsaka Rin not only an endless supply of magical energy but also stamina, vitality, and vigor. It can be said that the burden of this Mana Burst will be borne by the earth for Tohsaka Rin.
"Then what are we waiting for, Your Highness? I promised to protect you through this ordeal."
"Interesting human girl, then I'll leave it to you. You just need to hold on for three hours, and then my power will be fully restored."
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