Chapter 23: The Game Between Factions
Kazakiri Hyouka rapidly calculated in her mind. After 0.6 seconds, the calculation was complete, and Stiyl disappeared from his spot. When Stiyl reappeared, he was two meters in front of Su Xiao!
For Stiyl, this kind of coordination was a nightmare. Previously, he had been blocked by the "Hunter of the Witch King" between him and Su Xiao, and he had also set up a large number of magical traps at his original location, making it difficult for Su Xiao to get close.
Now, completely defenseless, Stiyl appeared under Su Xiao's blade, the longsword about ten centimeters from his throat.
The longsword slashed through, leaving a trail of light blue Cyan Steel Shadow energy in the air.
Puchi!
Blood spurted at least three meters high. Stiyl's head flew into the air, his face filled with disbelief. Neither the Hunter of the Witch King nor the numerous magical traps he had set up had been of any use.
If they had fought head-on, even if Stiyl wasn't Su Xiao's match, he could have lasted a few rounds. Moreover, given Su Xiao's current state of severe injury, killing him would have come at a cost. However, Stiyl, who knew little about superpowers, died under the combination of spatial ability and Su Xiao's swordsmanship. For Stiyl, his death was inexplicable.
Was that really the case? Of course not. Before their practical cooperation, Su Xiao and Kazakiri Hyouka had gone through numerous attempts and discussions. Whether it was the distance and position of spatial movement, or the timing and trajectory of the slash, everything had been practiced many times to achieve this effect.
Now, in actual combat, Su Xiao used only one slash to behead this genius mage belonging to the British Puritan Church's Special Forces, the Necessary Evil Church.
[You have killed Stiyl Magnus.]
[Stiyl Magnus is a main member of the British Puritan Church. Obtained World Source 3.2%. Total World Source obtained: 8.8%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has been activated. Permanently increased Mana Points by 30. Current maximum Mana Points: 3176.]
[You have obtained the Mage's Rune Card: Dark Purple (Mage's Rune Card: Chest-type item).]
...
The reward for killing Stiyl wasn't very generous. Su Xiao had anticipated this. It wasn't that Stiyl wasn't strong enough, but that Kazakiri Hyouka played a crucial role in the process of killing him.
Su Xiao had noticed something a long time ago: when fighting alongside plot characters, the rewards obtained would be reduced. As for how much, it depended on the plot character's identity, strength, and how much they contributed to the battle. After combining these factors, the system would determine Su Xiao's contribution in the battle. The final reward was: Maximum benefit from killing the target - Various factors of the plot character + Su Xiao's combat contribution = Final gain.
The increase in Mana Points from Su Xiao's talent ability, Soul Devourer, was not affected by the above factors.
With a thud, Stiyl's head hit the ground.
"Stiyl!!"
A piercing scream came from inside the warehouse. No, it couldn't be described as a scream; it was a wail.
The "Hunter of the Witch King," which had been charging fiercely at Su Xiao, stopped in its tracks and rapidly disintegrated. All the flames generated by Stiyl's magic dissipated.
Su Xiao lightly flicked his longsword, and the blood on the blade splattered to the ground, forming a semicircular spray pattern. He looked into the warehouse, where "Kanzaki Kaori," her eyes full of tears, knelt inside, her gaze somewhat vacant.
Su Xiao stared at "Kanzaki Kaori," his brow furrowed. Kazakiri Hyouka beside him didn't immediately use her spatial ability; she knew about Kanzaki Kaori's close-combat skills.
"Continue?"
"Wait."
Su Xiao walked into the warehouse. Inside, the kneeling "Kanzaki Kaori" didn't even look at Su Xiao. Her sword was thrown aside.
Seeing this, Su Xiao felt something was very wrong. Even if Stiyl had died in battle, Kanzaki Kaori wouldn't be this pathetic. After his fight with Kanzaki Kaori, he had some understanding of that woman. Although kind, she wasn't rigid, and she had a strong will. When they first met, his Aura Release ability couldn't even affect her.
Given Kanzaki Kaori's personality, even if Stiyl died in battle, she wouldn't kneel on the ground crying and drop her sword in the face of a powerful enemy. That wasn't something a swordswoman would do.
"Who are you? Where is Kanzaki Kaori?"
Su Xiao's figure flickered, and Dragon-Slaying Flash was already pressed against the throat of "Kanzaki Kaori." Getting closer, he found that this woman only had the same appearance and clothing as Kanzaki Kaori; her temperament was completely different.
"You'll die a miserable death..."
The fake Kanzaki Kaori looked up, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Su Xiao.
Su Xiao's eyes narrowed. After figuring something out, his longsword slashed across. The fake Kanzaki Kaori's throat was cut. A few seconds later, the appearance of the fake Kanzaki Kaori lying on the ground changed, transforming into a woman he had never seen before.
[You have killed Sylvia Rockefeller.]
[Sylvia Rockefeller is an ordinary member of the British Puritan Church. Obtained World Source 0.23%...]
...
It turned out that this woman was not Kanzaki Kaori and was relatively weak. Killing her yielded very little World Source and Mana Points, and there was no chest-type item at all. This woman's inner strength was insufficient. After Stiyl's death, she completely collapsed and even lost her will to fight. Judging by her age, she was probably an admirer of Stiyl, the kind of crazy admirer. But Su Xiao also considered another possibility: this woman might have known that she was going to die here today, that this was her mission. Her crying and hatred were all on-the-spot performances.
The severely injured Kanzaki Kaori was missing, and things became confusing. Su Xiao sat on a wooden crate in the warehouse, lit a cigarette, and thought silently.
After a long time, Su Xiao figured out the whole situation.
"That old fox. He says his thinking is entirely handled by life support devices? Bullshit."
The old fox Su Xiao was referring to was Aleister. In this matter, Aleister was the beneficiary. Of course, Su Xiao's gains were no less than his. He had laid a good foundation for completing his Third Rank promotion mission.
He now understood the whole situation. Earlier, when Aleister had him deal with Kanzaki Kaori, he indeed wanted to eliminate her. Of course, even if Kanzaki Kaori didn't die, Aleister could accept it, as long as she stopped running around in Academy City.
After Su Xiao severely injured Kanzaki Kaori, the British Puritan Church received the news. Archbishop Laura Stuart negotiated with Aleister for a second time. Laura Stuart was a vixen.
Given the situation at the time, the negotiations went relatively smoothly. The Index was temporarily kept by the Science Side. This was Laura Stuart's reluctant concession.
Compared to the Index, which had multiple protective measures and was virtually impossible for outsiders to steal, the life of the Saint Kanzaki Kaori was more important. She was a tangible combat force, a "nuclear-level" military asset of the Magic Side. If such a useful pawn died in Academy City, Laura Stuart would have no one to turn to for tears.
For this reason, Aleister allowed the British Puritan Church to forcibly take away the "severely injured and unconscious" Kanzaki Kaori. As the price for invading Academy City, the genius mage Stiyl became a sacrifice, a discarded pawn.
In fact, when Su Xiao saw the fake Kanzaki Kaori kneeling on the ground crying, he sensed something was off. Her crying was too sad, so sad that it seemed fake, and she didn't resist at all.
Clearly, Stiyl was unwilling to accept the British Puritan Church's order to retreat, i.e., temporarily give up Index and leave Academy City. He had no awareness of being a loser. Therefore, Laura Stuart decisively abandoned him and temporarily deployed a magical spy disguised as Kanzaki Kaori. This allowed the Magic Side to preserve its combat strength while giving face to the Science Side, preventing a complete rupture between the two sides over this matter.
The struggle between factions was so cruel and ruthless. Those who didn't comply were abandoned. Su Xiao's role in this was about to become that of a "scriptwriter."
Su Xiao took out his communicator and contacted Aleister.
"Aleister, I've dealt with Kanzaki Kaori."
"Oh? Wasn't that a magical spy?"
"In a sense, that is Kanzaki Kaori."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Aleister in the windowless building slightly curled his lips. He actually smiled.
"Perhaps that's the case. Let this matter end here. As long as you don't interfere with my core plan, you can move freely within Academy City. I've already spoken to Motoharu Tsuchimikado. He's waiting for your news at any time."
The call ended. Su Xiao let out a long breath. He had successfully laid the best foundation for his Third Rank promotion mission.
"That old fox."
Su Xiao repeated "old fox." If he hadn't firmly insisted that Kanzaki Kaori was "dead," Aleister would likely have used the mission failure as an excuse to send him on other tasks. As for Su Xiao's earlier claim of "unconditionally helping Aleister during the search for the Codex," that was complete nonsense. Not to mention Aleister, Su Xiao himself didn't believe it. He wasn't here to be Aleister's "grunt." He did all this just to gain freedom of movement and to meet the multi-layered spy, Motoharu Tsuchimikado.
"Well then, it's time to start the real work."
Su Xiao walked out of the warehouse, with Bubu Wang following closely behind. As for Kazakiri Hyouka, she was already humming a tune and walking in another direction. To reiterate, except for Aleister's missions, Kazakiri Hyouka would not act together with Su Xiao. Relying solely on terrifying aura to make plot characters bow down was a fantasy, especially for a rebellious girl like Kazakiri Hyouka.
As for winning her heart, if Su Xiao heard that, he would laugh out loud. A mentally sound girl with independent thoughts and will would have her heart won because of a crowded car ride or a few collaborations? Use your head to think; that's the treatment of a hot-blooded manga protagonist. For a violent villain like Su Xiao, even if they cooperated a hundred times, Kazakiri Hyouka wouldn't have a change of heart. A surge in vigilance would be more realistic.
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