bookbashuk Page 348
Page 348
"who are you?"
Aozaki Touko asked sharply, despite already having a terrible suspicion in her mind.
The doll—or rather, Aozaki Touko ten years later—slowly emerged from the shadows.
She wore a magical costume similar to, but more elaborate than, that of Aozaki Touko, with faint traces of the seams visible at the neck.
"I?"
The future Aozaki Touko gave a self-deprecating smile.
"I am the failure you never want to become."
Aozaki Touko felt a wave of dizziness.
The being before her emanated the same magic as her, yet it was far more profound and dangerous.
This is not a simple illusion or disguise, but a genuine other self.
"impossible..."
"Aozaki Touko murmured."
"A time paradox... Grandfather's magic..."
"magic?"
The future Aozaki Touko gave a cold laugh.
"You think I would use something like that? No, this is a simpler, more direct answer."
She suddenly raised her hand, and a rune shot out from her fingertip, heading straight for the rune stone in Aozaki Touko's hand.
Aozaki Touko instinctively retaliated, and the two magical powers of the same origin collided in the air, bursting out with a dazzling light.
"The response has been good."
"That's what Aozaki Touko will say in the future."
"But it's too slow."
Aozaki Touko felt a sharp pain and looked down to find that her runestone had shattered at some point, with sharp shards embedded in her palm.
Blood dripped from her fingertips, but she didn't bother to treat the wound.
"What do you want?"
Aozaki Touko asked through gritted teeth.
The future Aozaki Touko tilted her head, a gesture that would normally appear playful, but at this moment it only sent chills down one's spine.
"...Check how well your body functioned ten years ago. After all..."
Her eyes turned dangerous.
"I need a more perfect container."
Aozaki Touko finally understood the other party's intention.
Without further hesitation, she poured all her remaining magic into the spare runestone and threw it toward her future self.
This is not an attack, but a technique of mind control—she intends to directly invade the other person's mental world.
The future Aozaki Touko merely gave a mocking smile and raised her hand to slap her own neck.
"Snapped!"
His head shattered instantly, like a watermelon that had been smashed.
Aozaki Touko's mind control spell instantly lost its target, and the backlash of magic left her frozen in place.
Her eyes gradually dimmed, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
In the distant dense forest, Beowulf, the golden wolf, suddenly stopped.
His golden eyes were filled with confusion as he turned to look towards the workshop.
Beo the Golden Wolf stopped in his tracks, his golden pupils slightly contracting.
The scent wafting from afar puzzled it—it was the smell of Aozaki oranges, yet it existed in two different directions at the same time.
This contradicts all its cognitive experience as a apex predator.
Chapter 431 A Brief Confusion
"strangeness..."
Beo murmured softly, his voice hoarse with the peculiarity of a wild beast.
It raised its front paws, the sharp tips gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
As a being bound by a contract with Aozaki Touko, it is not absolutely loyal, but the safety of that woman does indeed affect it.
The air was filled with the lingering, burnt smell of magic.
Beo twitched his nostrils, trying to distinguish every tiny odor molecule.
Two Aozaki Toukos... No, more accurately, two independent individuals who both possess the qualities of Aozaki Toukos.
This is not an effect that can be achieved by simple cloning or illusion.
"Roar--"
Beo suddenly tilted his head back and let out a long howl, his golden fur standing on end.
It decided to stop dwelling on the mystery and go directly to find out the truth.
As it roared, the surrounding air began to distort, and a tremendous life force surged forth from its body as if it were a tangible entity.
In the blink of an eye, the humanoid creature that was standing there disappeared, replaced by a giant golden wolf that was over three meters long.
Each of its hairs looked like solidified liquid gold, shimmering with a sacred yet dangerous luster under the moonlight.
The surrounding trees trembled under this oppressive force, and their leaves fell off one by one.
Beo shook its dazzling fur and was about to rush toward the source of the aura when it suddenly stopped.
Its ears perked up alertly—Aozaki Touko's scent had returned to normal.
This unusual change left the intelligent creature briefly bewildered.
Just then, a gentle breeze swept by, bringing a completely new yet strangely familiar scent.
Beo's pupils suddenly contracted to thin slits, and all the muscles in his body tensed up.
That aura... that aura contained an essence similar to it!
"This is..."
Beo's voice suddenly became childlike, creating a strange contrast with its majestic appearance.
It completely forgot about Aozaki Touko's unusual behavior, its entire attention drawn to the slender figure on the road ahead.
Under the moonlight, a young man with black hair stood there quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
His eyes were like abysses, reflecting Beo's massive body, yet he showed no fear.
"I never imagined that there really are people like me in this world!"
Beo shouted excitedly, his voice filled with the joy of discovering a treasure.
"Aozaki Touko clearly said that they have disappeared in the present world and can only be encountered in the outer world!"
The young man, Shiraishikawa, slightly raised his head, his gaze piercing into Beo's body like a knife.
In his field of vision, the Golden Wolf's body structure was completely visible.
It was a perfect product entirely composed of materialized soul, every inch of its flesh and blood containing the miracle of the Third Magic.
"similar?"
A cold smile curled at the corner of Shiraishikawa's lips.
"You have a very shallow understanding of yourself."
Beo crouched down, its huge tail sweeping across the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
It tilted its head, revealing a human-like expression of confusion.
"Aren't you one of the same beings as me? I can sense... the power flowing within you!"
Shiraishikawa did not answer immediately.
He walked slowly forward, and with each step he took, the grass beneath his feet parted automatically, as if making way for the king.
Beo noticed that this seemingly frail young man exuded an indescribable sense of oppression, which made Beo instinctively tense up.
“Come play!”
Beo suddenly suggested, his voice regaining its childlike exuberance.
"We can have a race to see who runs the fastest, or see who can destroy the most mountains!"
Shiraishikawa stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Don't talk to me in that disgusting tone. What are you pretending to be innocent for, you beast?"
Beo's expression instantly darkened.
As the perfect creation of the Third Magic, it has never been so underestimated.
His golden pupils gleamed with a dangerous light.
"The weak have no right to judge the strong."
"Weak?"
Shiraishikawa chuckled softly.
"Your self-positioning is quite interesting."
"Roar--!"
Beo was completely enraged.
It opened its gaping maw, revealing fangs powerful enough to tear steel apart.
"I will show you who the real strongman is!"