Crossover: The Problematic Human of Arcadia — Shaper of Anime Worlds Chapter 481: A Choice Without Choice

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Ryo glanced at Shizuri Kasugaya, who was gripping his arm with one hand and clutching her head with the other, clearly in pain. "Looks like your mories fully woke up after the shock."

Kato Magatoki let out a sigh. "You really are extre. Bringing her straight here just to force her mory awake."

Ryo smiled and looked at her with faint contempt. "You say that like you care. Weren't you the one who altered her mories in the first place?"

Kato smiled, a sharp and openly malicious curve of her lips. "This is a fictional world you can ss up as many tis as you want. As an experintal base, it's ideal. Besides, I just sealed the painful mories. That sounds like a kindness to ."

"Delusional nonsense." Ryo snorted and patted Shizuri on the shoulder.

She flinched, but the pain on her face eased. The mories that were flooding in slowed to a steady trickle.

Her breathing evened out. Then she opened her eyes and stared at the two coffins with a complicated expression.

"Do you rember who that is?" Kato asked casually.

"Yeah…"

Shizuri's voice shook as she gripped her head. "She's Shinako Kasugaya. The last nun knight of the Holy Order. My foster mother."

"Four years ago, when Iroise collapsed, she tried to create a pocket dinsion using the Prison Barrier technique to shelter refugees. She pushed too far and died."

The Iroise Collapse. A massive terror attack. Iroise was destroyed, over a hundred thousand residents were displaced, and tens of thousands vanished.

Among those missing were the six thousand people now living on Onrai Island.

Shizuri, or rather all of Onrai Island, ca from that event.

Kato narrowed her eyes, speaking more seriously now.

"Four years ago, Shinako wanted to protect the six thousand residents who couldn't escape Iroise. She planned to use the Prison Barrier technique and tap into the region's fūsui to create an incomplete Prison Barrier and transfer the refugees away."

"Normally, this would have been impossible."

"The Prison Barrier technique is classified knowledge known to only a few groups. Tools for manipulating fūsui are even rarer. Combining both made success practically zero."

"But sohow, she succeeded. At the cost of her own life."

(A/N: Fūsui, or Feng Shui, was ntioned as being mainly used for large-scale magic. The most famous user of it in the ani is Takehito Senga.)

"..."

Shizuri spoke in a tight, trembling voice. "As a half-witch, I was taken in by Shinako. The Iroise authorities considered a reserve candidate for maintaining the barrier, so they granted the Prison Barrier technique."

"And the terrorists who attacked the district used strange thods, making it easy to steal the fūsui energy around."

"So…"

She touched the sword at her hip.

"Shinako used this magic sword, Hauras, to consu the fūsui's power in our region and complete the Prison Barrier."

"I see."

Kato nodded, suddenly understanding. "No wonder she succeeded… and no wonder she died. Any normal human trying to steal that much power directly would have died instantly."

Shizuri clenched her teeth, bitterness written across her face.

Ryo, who had been scanning Onrai Island's structure with his power, finally spoke with mild astonishnt:

"So that's how it is. She knew she was dying and handed core control of the technique over to you, Shizuri. That allowed this fictional world to continue running."

His gaze turned odd.

"And the price was that you beca sothing like Natsuki. Your true body has been asleep in this cave, while the version of you on the island was just a thought-projection."

"Likewise, the residents of Onrai Island were placed into deep sleep in the underground caves. The people on the surface only look alive. They're dream phantoms."

"And since you're not the true creator of this fictional world, you can't leave to seek help. You're stuck here, waiting for the fūsui power that Shinako stole—the power keeping the world alive—to slowly run out, until everyone is erased in a dinsional collapse."

Shizuri listened and nodded bitterly, "That's right."

"Before eting you, I tried countless tis to send distress signals outside and evacuate the island residents. Nothing ever worked."

"A few months ago, I saw the Vampire King and the Instructor enter from outside. I was planning to cooperate with him, but…"

"But she didn't even speak to . She knocked out, sealed my mories, and crushed my last hope."

Ryo's eyes slid toward Kato with amusent.

Truly worthy of an LCO witch. Destroying other people's hopes ca to her very naturally.

Kato just smiled back, stepping away slightly yet looking neither apologetic nor regretful.

She glanced at Shizuri and said with a bright, mocking smile. "So? Seeking revenge?"

"No. I don't have ti for that right now."

Shizuri swallowed her anger, turned to Ryo, and spoke through clenched teeth. "Fourth Primogenitor, Your Majesty, I ask that you allow us refugees to join your empire."

"Oh?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Placing your hopes on ?"

"Everyone left on Onrai Island are elites from Iroise. Mages, researchers, Deva descendants."

Shizuri dropped to her knees and bowed, forehead touching the ground.

"They have value. Please lend us your aid."

Ryo lowered his head slightly, studying her. After a brief pause he smiled. "Not enough."

"What else do you want?"

Shizuri was silent for a beat, then asked quietly.

Ryo replied with a single word, "You."

Shizuri froze for half a second, then answered without hesitation, "Deal."

Her foster mother sacrificed herself to save Iroise's last six thousand survivors. If one more sacrifice was needed now, she would make it.

If she wanted to keep her foster mother's final hope intact, she had no choice but to rely on Ryo Yagami. He was the only one with enough power and more conscience than Kato.

It was a choice without a choice.

And… Shizuri lifted her head and looked at Ryo's face.

'Honestly, I'm not losing that much…' she thought, cheeks reddening.

Ryo accepted her answer without further comnt. He simply lifted his head and looked toward the spellwork woven into the cave walls.

"Get out."

Static crackled through the cave like a TV losing signal.

A mont later, amidst the brief distortion, a young boy with short golden hair and rainbow-colored eyes appeared, his face faintly resembling Avrora's.

"Pleasure to et you, new Fourth Primogenitor."

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