The film's dual narrative continues.
Amidst the howling storm, Asagami Fujino gasped for breath, her gaze locked onto Shiki with a murderous glint in her eyes.
"Ryougi—Shiki!"
Hearing her name spoken with such venom, Ryougi Shiki calmly gripped her knife with her right hand and replied:
"It would've been better if you had just gone home. Right now, you're nothing more than a beast that has tasted the thrill of bloodshed—killing has become enjoyable for you."
"That's not true. I don't find it enjoyable at all."
"Heh, deny it all you want. Right now, you and I are very much alike. Ah… that's exactly why I need to kill you as you are now."
As soon as the words left her lips, Shiki lunged forward, her eyes glowing with an ethereal light, revealing the dense network of death lines running across Fujino's body.
On the other side, Asagami Fujino raised her left hand to cover her face. Peering at Shiki through the gaps between her fingers, her Mystic Eyes flared brilliantly—warping space itself!
The battle was about to begin.
<+>
As the storm raged outside, Kokutou Mikiya returned to the office.
The moment he saw Aozaki Touko, he spoke without hesitation:
"By the way. Miss Touko... I found out that Asagami Fujino was insensitive to pain... just as I had thought. But she used to be completely normal."
"What did you say? That's absurd. A condition like Fujino's, where only pain sensation is absent, must be congenital."
"But that's the truth. Fujino was originally part of the Asakami family, but they went bankrupt when she was twelve. After that, she and her mother were taken in by the Asagami family."
"—And then?"
"Apparently, Fujino used to have pain perception, but she also had an unusual ability—she could bend objects without touching them. Because of this, the villagers stayed away from her and harassed her. But then, when she turned four, her abilities and pain sensation both vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Yes. At the time, her family assigned a physician to treat her. I managed to track him down, but he was only responsible for prescribing medication. He had no idea why she lost her sense of pain—it was all arranged by Fujino's father."
"And what exactly did he arrange?"
"Simply put, he administered a drug to suppress her pain perception."
"I see. Now it makes sense."
Touko fell silent for a moment, contemplating Mikiya's findings before speaking again:
"Fujino's father suppressed her pain sensation to seal away her ability. In a way, Asagami Fujino is the complete opposite of Shiki, who desperately tried to manifest her powers. But the irony is, rather than sealing it, this method only made Fujino's ability stronger. It's similar to how some ancient magicians would sew their eyelids shut to prevent their magical energy from leaking out. Fujino, too, accumulated an immense amount of repressed power over the years. And now, with this recent accident restoring her pain perception, her abilities have been completely unleashed—turning her into an anomaly."
Mikiya clenched his fists.
"That's cruel… To think that the only way she could remain 'normal' was by not feeling pain at all."
"Yes. Pain is a good thing. It allows humans to recognize danger. When we touch fire, we instinctively recoil—not because we see our hand burning, but because we feel pain. Without that sensation, a person could watch their own flesh burn to the bone and never understand the danger of fire."
Touko picked up her coat as she continued:
"Fujino never recognized those boys as a threat. But once her pain perception returned, she finally understood—they were dangerous predators. That being said, slaughtering them was excessive. More importantly… this also confirms that there were never any wounds on that girl's body to begin with."
Mikiya froze.
"What… do you mean?"
"We can discuss the details on the way. Right now, the biggest problem is—Ryougi Shiki has already gone to find Asagami Fujino."
"What?!"
In an instant, Kokutou Mikiya's eyes flashed with urgency.
Immediately, the screen cut to the intense battle between Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Fujino.
<+>
Compared to the lengthy analysis between Kokutou Mikiya and Aozaki Touko, most viewers watching at home were far more concerned with the battle itself.
As the scene shifted, Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Fujino clashed violently in the midst of the storm.
The excellent cinematography, paired with a perfectly timed soundtrack, had the audience erupting in excited cheers.
However, while ordinary viewers could only shout praises, the mages from the Imperial Magic Academy analyzed the fight with far greater depth.
"Asagami Fujino's ability is ridiculously powerful! The speed at which she activates it is insane—even a Grand Mage wouldn't be able to unleash such a destructive spell this quickly!"
"Yeah, normally, a Grand Mage needs time to construct a spell model, but she doesn't seem to need any casting at all."
"If mages could cast magic this efficiently, future battlefields wouldn't need knights anymore. Just send a squad of mages, and they could flatten the enemy effortlessly!"
"That's way too broken—no way that's realistic."
Most of the students could only discuss to this extent. After all, their knowledge was limited—they couldn't imagine how an ability like Fujino's could exist in reality.
For a deeper understanding of the battle's inner workings, one would have to turn to the Arch Mages at the pinnacle of the Alchemist's Tower.
"Hmm, wasn't there an Arch Mage in the past who could do something similar?"
Upon hearing Hohenheim's comment, Rosa immediately responded:
"Yes, one of my Branch predecessors. He dispersed his soul into tendrils, using immense spiritual energy to interfere with reality. During a war between two nations, he single-handedly entered the battlefield and wiped out thousands of soldiers—setting a new record for a human Arch Mage's destructive capability."
"That was certainly a legendary feat, but his method of casting magic is completely different from Asagami Fujino's."
"Of course. According to the film, Fujino's ability is tied to psychokinesis, triggered under a state of extreme mental focus. To be honest, this doesn't seem like magic at all—it's likely impossible to replicate. Moreover, the idea that suppressing pain prevents someone from using their ability… That's even harder to understand."
Hohenheim nodded in agreement with Rosa's words.
"Yes, magic is ultimately a form of language. We mages can only manipulate the fundamental principles of the world through structured spells. But psychokinesis? That concept doesn't even exist in our world."
"Still, isn't this worth researching? If the human will reaches its peak, could it truly influence reality? That's a profoundly valuable question."
"Haha, we already have too many research topics piling up in the Mage's Tower. There are so few Arch Mages in each generation—who has the time to investigate so many different theories?"
Hearing this, Rosa suddenly said:
"What if research wasn't limited to the Arch Mages? What if even non-mages could contribute to such studies?"
"Are you suggesting…?"
"Forget it. Let's just keep watching the movie."
Their conversation ended there.
Clearly, the topic had already strayed beyond their field of expertise. Even as top-tier Arch Mages, they dared not make any bold claims on such matters.
Soon enough, the film's battle reached its climax. Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Fujino's fight erupted into a full-blown clash, their fierce exchanges unfolding on screen.
At that moment, everyone's attention was completely absorbed in the battle—no one dared to look away.
<+>
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