Natsuki frowned when she saw Aya's insidious smile.
Aya and Natsuki used to be good friends. Different choices and destinies have led them down different paths. Their current animosity speaks nothing of the past they shared.
Natsuki understood Aya just as Aya understood Natsuki. Although witches rely on bluffs as much as the next guy, she's not lying right now.
A flame pillar, a lightning flash, a blurry figure, and a golden mist appeared. Kotori, Kojou, Yukina, and Vatler gathered here.
"Natsuki-chan (Minamiya-sensei)!"
Kojou and Yukina stared at Aya with Natsuki nearby. Kotori returned to Wu Yan's side, she kept her Astral Dress activated.
Kotori asked Wu Yan.
"Aren't you going to take her down?"
Although the enemies weren't as strong as Wu Yan or her. They were powerful in their own rights.
The five prisoners including the four they defeated should be the cream of the crop in the Prison Barrier.
In other words, once they take them down, the Prison Barrier's collapse can be quickly cleaned up.
Shutora D, Gigliola, Kiliga, and Broodt are out of the picture. Aya is the last enemy standing.
Once they defeat her, they can slap a case-solved tag on this incident.
Wu Yan knew what Kotori's thinking about. However, they both had the same feeling.
Solving this won't be as easy as it seems…
Natsuki, Yukina, and Kojou had the same feeling.
Vatler kept his cool appearance up.
"Not going to move?"
Vatler grinned.
"Although I had my fill of fun, I still have room for more. Just saying…"
Natsuki glanced at Vatler and she ignored him.
"Aya, what are you planning on doing?"
"You haven't sensed it?"
She's probably lamenting Natsuki's ignorance or her inability to figure out her plans, Aya snickered.
"Did you honestly think I came here with a bunch of mages because I wanted to have a fair and honest fight with you? Did you think I was just playing with my fingers when my teammates went down?"
The others had dark expressions.
Aya started laughing out loud.
"My name's Tokoyogi Aya, the Witch of Notaria…"
"Aya, don't tell me you…"
"Records of magical knowledge and curses, that's the essence of grimoires."
Aya raised her head.
"I am the librarian who can recreate grimoires through written replication, that's why I am also known as the Witch of the Notaria. Natsuki, you gave me too much time…"
The air started taking on a weird vibe.
The air suddenly felt sticky, even gravity's affected as space around them shifted.
There's golden and profound energy suffusing the space. Then, magical scripts appeared above the apartment building they were standing on.
"!"
They stepped back as the runes surrounded the apartment building, overlapping the entire building.
"This is…"
Natsuki looked at the runes around her.
"Magical runes!"
Natsuki's expression sank.
"You're still trying to take my memories?! Aya!"
"I already said I am just taking back what's mine…"
Aya shrugged.
"Return the Dark Oath Grimoire, Natsuki…"
"Tsk…"
Natsuki clicked her tongue.
"Minamiya-sensei!"
Yukina raised Sekkarou, she stabbed the ground with her silver spear, dispelling the surrounding runes.
But, the extinguished runes came back after a few seconds.
"How?"
"It's futile, transfer student…"
Natsuki shook her head.
"She set down runes on the entire building. Unless you can destroy all of them at the same time, it will only take Aya a bit of magic power to restore them…"
"What?!"
Kojou's arm turned black with magical red lines.
"Then, let's destroy the entire building!"
"I don't think that will work…"
Kotori mumbled. She looked at the runes with an expressionless look.
"These scripts are engraved in space, destroying the physical building won't save Natsuki. As expected of a witch adept with spatial spells…"
"Damn!"
Kotori's words made Kojou change his mind, he readied himself to take Aya down.
Kotori poured cold water on Kojou again.
"Give it up, Akatsuki, that witch can teleport away before you can hit her with your familiar."
"Then what can we do?!"
Kojou roared. Is there only one option left? Watch Natsuki get her memories taken from her?
"The girl has a point, fourth primogenitor…"
Aya glanced at Kojou.
"These runes are linked with Natsuki, unless she can escape Itogami Island or you guys use your magical dagger from before, there's no way to stop this spell when I have already turned the surrounding space into a giant grimoire…"
"It's checkmate for you guys…"
Aya only needs to take Natsuki's memories since she already took her time last time. Wu Yan would need to stick his dagger in Natsuki's head to stop the spell.
Even if this dagger's not designed to kill, sticking a dagger in someone's head would still kill a person.
Aya stood there confidently because she assumed her victory's already all but assured.
Kotori started giggling.
"Who told you we are out of options?"
Aya's eyes shrunk. Natsuki, Kojou, and Yukina also flinched.
"All of you made your moves, right?"
Kotori smirked.
"But, our general's still in his camp, he hasn't made a single move yet…"
They realized what Kotori is insinuating, they had different expressions on their faces upon realization.
A wave of magic power erupted like a giant volcano, the seemingly endless magic power lit up this area with the glorious light of dawn.
"What?…"
Aya felt her runes trembling under the immense pressure of that giant magic power surge.
This never happened before!
In an instant, her eyes went blank. The runes were telling her something shocking…
Before she returned to reality, the magic power storm gave birth to a wisp of flame. The flame is pure white…
When the wisp of flame came into being, another wave of giant white sea of flames erupted like a fuse just got lit.
Everyone heard the chant…
"Come…"
