Fantasy Library.

Chapter 459 How could it be her?
At the same time, on a remote coastline slightly away from the bustling streets and out of reach of even the neon lights, a fierce battle had just ended.

"hateful……"

"Why is this happening..."

Two alluring women dressed like medieval witches, and who were indeed witches, lay on the ground covered in wounds, groaning in pain and resentment, surrounded by a group of men who were clearly just grunts.

Without exception, all of these people were seriously injured and lay scattered on the ground. Some had even lost consciousness and were unable to stand up.

The person who turned them into what they are now was a gothic girl holding a parasol in the dead of night.

"That guy was right after all." Nangong Nayue said expressionlessly, "You people from the library really don't learn your lesson. You've already been defeated on this island once before, yet you still dare to sneak in this time. It seems that I, Nangong Nayue, haven't made a move outside for too long, and you've all forgotten my bottom line."

After being reminded by Aize, Nangong Nayue instructed the special district security team to strengthen their vigilance, monitor the area around Itogami Island at all times, and keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals who might arrive.

Surprisingly, we actually found something here: the group of stowaways, members of the international criminal organization LCO (Library), including two witches.

"【The Dark Witch】, Emma Maya."

“【The Crimson Witch】, Octavia Maya.”

"The Maya sisters, members of the first philosophy team of LCO (Library), first-level criminal mage, who once turned about 300 hectares of forest around Ashdon City in the North Sea Empire into guardians and were known as the 'Witches of Ashdon'."

With her back to the night moon, Nangong Nayue, like a goddess of the night, quietly delivered her verdict.

"It's kind of you to have traveled all this way to Itogami Island to turn yourselves in. Don't worry, I'll reserve a good spot for you in the prison barrier."

Upon hearing this, the Maya sisters both showed expressions of horror.

The prison barrier is a facility used to imprison ferocious demon races or magical criminals who cannot be accommodated in ordinary detention centers.

Some say that the souls of criminals who died and were unable to attain enlightenment wander there, hence the place is also known as the Ghost Detention Center.

Some say that it is another name for the temple of an evil god that sank to the bottom of the sea, a cursed prison where even the gods would be imprisoned forever.

The prison barrier is a well-known urban legend in Itogami City; almost everyone has heard of it, yet no one can confirm its existence.

Only those in the know understand that the prison barrier truly exists. It is an artificial alternate world created using the power of the dragon vein flowing through the Demon Realm. It is usually hidden in an inaccessible dimension, and no one knows its exact location.

Nangong Nayue is the administrator of the prison barrier.

That sealed space, so different from this world, the eternal exile, the time labyrinth with no exit, is actually Nangong Nayue's detention center.

Only Nangong Nayue knows where it is.

Only Nangong Nayue can open its entrance.

Once imprisoned there, one will never be able to escape unless Natsuki Nangong agrees.

"Your purpose in coming to Itogami Island is to rescue the Grand Librarian Sentoki Aya from the LCO (Library) and retrieve the grimoire, the Book of Dark Oath, which Aya brought here, right?"

Nangong Nayue spoke coldly.

"Since you want to see her, I will grant your wish and allow you to reunite within the prison barrier."

As soon as she finished speaking, silver chains appeared in the space behind Nangong Nayue.

"The Chains of Discipline!"

The Maya sisters gasped in surprise.

That was a powerful magical artifact created by the Heavenly Department to capture mythical monsters, possessing a strength that even divine beasts could not break through with brute force.

The chains of heaven, created by the gods, shot out like dragons and hurtled towards the Maya sisters.

"Go away!"

The Maya sisters could only strain to support their injured bodies and scream.

"boom!"

Suddenly, enormous tentacles burst forth from the sea behind the witch sisters.

The tentacles are about 150 centimeters in diameter, but their length is unknown. They are translucent and resemble the flesh of a cephalopod, which looks rather disgusting.

The translucent tentacles wriggled like snakes, emitting a miasma of evil while increasing in number, heading towards the chains of discipline.

"Is this the guardian you obtained after offering up approximately three hundred hectares of forest around Ashdon City in the North Sea Empire as a sacrifice?"

Looking at the disgusting, enormous tentacles, Nangong Nayue's face also showed a look of disgust.

"The witches these days are really getting worse and worse, having to resort to such methods to gain a guardian of this level."

The so-called guardians should originally be the servants of witches bestowed by demons, who are both the source of the witch's power and her watchers.

In other words, when a witch makes a pact with a demon, she should already have her own guardian. This guardian will protect her and grant her the power to fulfill her wishes. When the witch breaks the pact, the guardian will become the executioner who takes her life. There is no need to obtain the guardian through any other means.

Of course, guardians vary in strength. The weak ones can only fight to a standstill against the familiars of ordinary vampires, while the strong ones can fight against the familiars of old-generation vampires, or even be on par with familiars of the True Ancestor level.

If a witch cannot gain a guardian, it only proves two things.

First, her guardian was too weak, so she was abandoned.

Second, as a witch, she is an unorthodox and unconventional being, and therefore cannot obtain her own guardian.

Either way, it proves that the witch's abilities are insufficient, or that she has a flaw in some aspect.

The Maya sisters are clearly the former, which is why they need to use this method to obtain a powerful guardian.

"As a farewell gift, let me show you what a true guardian is."

Nangong Nayue folded her parasol and arrogantly gave a command to her own shadow.

"Rise, Lord of the Rings."

The next second, behind Nangong Nayue, a huge figure appeared, large enough to overlook the giant tentacles.

It was a golden knight with distinct curves, a very obvious feminine symbol, an elegant yet fierce figure, clad in golden armor, and composed entirely of machinery.

When it appeared in this world, the land along this coast began to tremble, and from within its thick armor, which seemed to imprison darkness, came the sounds of huge gears and drive mechanisms operating, sounding like the roar of a monster, shaking the very air.

"------!"

At that moment, the ferocious, enormous tentacle froze in mid-air, trembling as if it were feeling fear.

The Maya sisters were also stiff all over, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The guardian known as the Ring King not only exuded astonishing magical power, but the aura emanating from him also clearly did not belong to this world, possessing a terrifying quality capable of eroding light and corrupting people's hearts.

"boom!!!"

As the Golden Knight drew his sword and swept it, the enormous tentacle vanished without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air.

"Wow--"

The chains of discipline immediately sprang forth, binding the Maya sisters and immobilizing them.

"Let me go! Nangong Nayue!"

"You monster...!"

Despite being witches, the Maya sisters struggled desperately, screaming at Nangong Nayue as if they were facing immense fear.

Nangong Nayue coldly watched all this, manipulating the Chains of Discipline to drag the Maya sisters into the distorted space.

The other end of that space was the prison barrier; once inside, the Maya sisters had essentially bid farewell to this world. The fierce battle between the witches had finally come to an end.

"What a bunch of troublemakers."

The coldness on Nangong Nayue's face disappeared, and she murmured as usual, like a concerned teacher.

Regarding this…

"Not entirely, at least I watched a good show."

A pleasant chuckle answered Nangong Nayue's murmur, causing her pupils to shrink sharply.

However, what shocked her even more was the appearance of the person who spoke.

That person appeared silently on the shore, sat on a rock, looked down at Nangong Nayue, and smiled in a dreamlike way.

The girl possesses a fairy-like beauty, combining allure, childlike innocence, and a dreamlike quality. She sways her waist-length golden hair while her eyes, radiating a fiery light, open, giving her an innocent and naive appearance.

Nangong Nayue recognized that face, and she recognized the person even more.

"Aurora Florestina...!"

How could it be her?
How could it be this person?
She's not already...

“I am already dead, and even a trace of my soul remains. It should be sleeping in that priestess's body, and shouldn't be here, right?”

The girl seemed to enjoy Nangong Nayue's shock, a pleasant smile appearing on her face.

"Don't worry, your understanding is basically correct."

So, don't take me to heart now.

"I'm only here looking like this to see someone."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Nayue immediately guessed who the other party had come for.

Moreover, her witch's intuition told her that if she let the other party run rampant, Itogami Island might be destroyed.

"...Do you think I'd just stand by and watch?"

Nangong Nayue's face was frighteningly heavy, and the space behind her twisted and swayed, allowing the terrifyingly fierce Golden Knight to reappear once again.

"This is the guardian of the [Witch of the Gap], the legendary King of the Rings..."

Facing the powerful guardian who made the infamous Maya sisters tremble in fear, the girl merely showed an expression of interest.

"Such magic, such aura, no wonder it is the guardian of the prison barrier. It is probably no less powerful than a True Ancestor-level familiar."

"But, witch, is it worth it?"

"The price you paid for gaining this power is so high that even I find it hard to bear."

The guardian is the embodiment of the contract made by the witch, and the strength of its power is directly proportional to the weight of the contract.

In other words, the greater the price paid to become a witch, the stronger her guardian becomes.

What kind of power does a guardian possess that can rival a True Ancestor-level familiar?

To gain such a powerful guardian, what price did Nangong Nayue pay? It's enough to send chills down your spine just thinking about it.

"Ring King!"

Nangong Nayue ignored the girl's sympathy and pity and issued the order in a cold voice.

But when Nangong Nayue gave the order, the golden knight behind her did not obey. Instead, he seemed to be sucked into a deep darkness, his body suddenly twisted and disappeared from the world.

"what?!"

Nangong Nayue's expression changed drastically.

Then she discovered that she too had been sucked into a dark world, as if she had been thrown out of Earth at the speed of light and into outer space, completely out of control and trapped in another world.

"This is... a familiar?!"

Nangong Nayue, whose entire body and even her vision were covered by darkness, finally realized the true nature of this darkness.

That was clearly a beast.

A beast whose physical form is space itself.

This entire dark world is the beast itself, the otherworld created by that beast.

"Although it would be interesting to fight you, that would definitely attract his attention, so let's just forget about it."

The girl's innocent laughter reached Nangong Nayue's ears.

"This sealed space should be able to disintegrate your illusory body, temporarily preventing you from interfering with anything outside."

"In this way, I will be able to move around more freely."

"Don't blame me, the administrator of the prison barrier. Your presence may hinder my operations on this island, so please leave for now."

As they spoke, the other person's voice gradually faded into the distance.

"If you want revenge, come find me in your true form. That way, we can fight more effectively."

The girl vanished without a trace, causing Nangong Nayue, trapped in the darkness, to curse aloud.

"These bastards, how dare they run rampant on this island...!"

Nangong Nayue was both angry and helpless.

She tried to activate spatial control magic, intending to leave the darkness through spatial teleportation, but found that the surrounding space was completely locked, making it impossible to activate spatial control magic.

The Ring King was also banished to the deeper depths of darkness, and for the time being, he was unable to return to Nangong Nayue's side.

"Is there no other way but to accept our fate?"

Through the darkness, Nangong Nayue looked at the artificial land.

"It seems that this is the only way to end it."

"It's up to you now, transfer student."

"Please don't die..."

After leaving those words, Nangong Nayue's body vanished suddenly, like shattered glass.

Soon after, this coastline welcomed a brown-skinned boy who appeared to be about twelve or thirteen years old, with black hair and golden eyes.

"...Am I too late?"

The boy stared intently at the coastline, and after a while, he began to mutter to himself.

"This magic power... it really is that person, isn't it?"

The boy's golden eyes suddenly turned scarlet.

"He actually took matters into his own hands. Just like before, he doesn't play by the rules..."

(End of this chapter)