Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 210: [] Compound Magecraft - Tuning

"Keep pushing! We'll break through this wall soon!"

Shouts rang out as magi unleashed their diverse abilities, sending flames, storms, and frost toward the barrier ahead.

When the magi who arrived later saw the corpses hanging on the blades, their eyes wide with unseeing horror, they were momentarily startled. But they quickly joined the fray, using their signature spells to destroy the iron-clad "Wall of Lamentation."

"Damn it, why is this thing so tough!" A magus specializing in physical enhancement clutched his fist, now stripped to the bone, his face twisted in pain.

Even though more than a dozen magi were now participating in the destruction, the wall casually erected by the young man was unnaturally sturdy. If the magus hadn't reacted quickly and retreated dozens of meters after punching it, he would have suffered far more than just an injury.

"That's why you're just cannon fodder. Do you even know who you're up against?" A well-known lecturer from the Spiritual Evocation Department manipulated a swarm of undead insects to devour the mystery within the materials, his voice cold. "That wall was written in the blood of the El-Melloi Lord. Do you think that boy ascended to power peacefully?"

Seeing the wall finally showing signs of collapse, the lecturer didn't look triumphant. Instead, his expression turned grave as he rubbed a ring given to him by the acting family head.

"What we're facing is the new Lord of the Mineralogy Department, El-Melloi!"

Aside from Waver, who didn't achieve his position as Lord El-Melloi II through strength, the Lords of the other eleven departments of the Clock Tower were all backed by formidable magecraft. Among them were magi of the highest rank, the Brand level. The Lord of the Creation Department, Barthomeloi, was so terrifying that even Touko Aozaki once said, "Please spare me from my teacher's words."

Moreover, in the world of magi, children who look like old men and old men who look like children were absolutely, unequivocally, not to be messed with!

With a crash, the D-rank Noble Phantasm barrier finally crumbled. But as the obstruction fell, a melody reminiscent of a fashionable salon welcomed the uninvited guests.

"What... the!" The lecturer's thoughts froze as he saw the young man, who didn't even bother to show his face, completely absorbed in playing his instrument.

"The acting Lord of El-Melloi... is this arrogant?!"

This was also his final thought before death.

***

Compound Magecraft - Tuning.

Fully immersed in playing the instrument he hadn't touched in so long, Sakatsuki's fingers moved with familiar ease.

The sound waves spread out, and the moment they touched an object, they became extensions of the boy's mental perception.

[Projection Magecraft, Activate]

As far as the sound waves could reach, everything was "projected" into Sakatsuki's consciousness, displaying their circuits and wavelengths like a thermal imaging device.

[Imaginary Number Domain, Expand]

Just as Waver had described in his thesis, Imaginary Number magecraft was like an inverted mirror, and everything within that mirror could be reflected back onto its original.

Lost in the performance of an étude, the sound waves continued to resonate, feeding back information about the defenseless enemies. Within the domain woven by the strings of the Imaginary Number, a new and fragile "double existence" was born.

Ding!

The middle C key was pressed, signaling the start, and then his fingers began a dazzling dance. There was no familiar melody, not even a coherent tune—but on the level of magecraft, Sakatsuki's goal had already been achieved.

[Double Existence, Established]

[Beginning Interference]

By the time the magi broke through the iron wall and finally stood before Sakatsuki, their counterparts in the Imaginary Number domain were being ruthlessly torn apart by the ten-horned Shadow of the Imaginary Number.

Limbs were ripped off, heads bitten, hearts devoured, and blood greedily consumed.

Satiated, the Shadow of the Imaginary Number retreated, and at that moment, the boy activated his final spell.

This was a copy-and-paste, mirror-reflected reality within the Imaginary Number domain. It should have existed separately from the real world, undisturbed.

But under Sakatsuki's third spell, they were forced to overlap in a gruesome manner.

[Transposition Magecraft, Lock]

[Swap!]

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Ahhhhh—!"

The sounds of flesh tearing and screams filled the air. None of the magi had any defense. Just by listening to the boy's impromptu performance, they lost parts of their bodies, spilling blood and forfeiting their lives.

The lecturer from the Spiritual Evocation Department was the first to fall, his head flying into the air before he could even register shock. The magi behind him followed suit, meeting their deaths in either astonishment or resentment.

Dozens of corpses littered the entrance, the stench of blood rising into the air, only to be absorbed by the dragon-blood-stained grand piano, coating it in a crimson glow.

This was Sakatsuki's concert hall, and Sakatsuki was the undisputed performer, the weaver of the threads of fate.

If Sakatsuki decreed the end of a person, that person would meet their demise in agony. If Sakatsuki bestowed a blessing, that person would dance gracefully to the melody.

Sakatsuki's music was law, it was order, it was the unchanging truth.

This was a hunting ground belonging solely to Sakatsuki.

The invaders who had broken into the residence were annihilated, but Sakatsuki didn't stop playing. Through the transparent vision of the Imaginary Number domain, he saw the ring on the lecturer's finger shatter.

A powerful spirit sealed within soared into the air, its claws extended, lunging without hesitation toward the last living person in the area.

The music didn't cease. Just as the spirit's massive claw was about to touch the boy's back, hundreds of Black Keys rained down from above. Flames specialized against spirits ignited with a whoosh, piercing the spirit like a pincushion and burning it to ashes.

A ring treasured by the Lord of the Spiritual Evocation Department was thus meaninglessly consumed.

The music gradually faded, and Sakatsuki sat on the piano bench, reflecting on the battle.

By using Projection Magecraft to create a "double existence" identical to the target, then increasing synchronization through the strings woven by Imaginary Number magecraft, and finally inflicting damage on the defenseless pseudo-circuits, the harm was reflected back onto the enemy via Transposition Magecraft.

In the face of omnipresent sound, no armor was of any use. The tuning that combined the three great magecrafts not only dealt damage that ignored defenses but also allowed for subtle manipulation, covertly playing with the enemy.

However, while it was invincible in attack, it had obvious weaknesses. First, the method of target acquisition relied on sound waves emitted by the instrument. If the target concealed their presence or, like the spirit, lacked the normal fluctuations of a living being, this magecraft would lose its target from the start.

Second was the consumption.

Sakatsuki massaged his temples, alleviating the dizziness in his head.

Whenever precision was involved, the difficulty of casting magecraft increased significantly, especially when projecting the surroundings into the mirror of the Imaginary Number domain.

Even with the buffer provided by the precious materials used to create the mystic code, the consumption of magical energy and mental strength was not to be underestimated.

"After all, this is the first magecraft I've created. Reaching the pinnacle always requires climbing."

With a wave of his hand, Sakatsuki allowed the Shadow of the Imaginary Number to devour the corpses littering the ground. He then looked at Waver and Melvin, who were slowly approaching, and smiled.

"Hey, you two. I have gifts for you. Also—I think it's time to say goodbye."

***

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