"... "
The noisy aura gradually faded away.
This was a small alley that stood in complete contrast to the lively atmosphere of the Daihasei Festival, so quiet it was almost eerie.
At this moment, Fang Li and Kanzaki had entered it, distancing themselves from the crowd.
Fang Li raised his head and looked forward.
There, Kanzaki held in her hand a longsword longer than her own height. Meeting Fang Li's gaze, she stared back at him.
Fang Li's eyes lingered for a split second on the blade in Kanzaki's hand.
That kind of sword was called a nodachi, a traditional weapon once used in religious rituals.
Yet Kanzaki wielded it as a weapon, confronting Fang Li.
Pressure began to fill the air.
That was something impossible not to feel.
Anyone facing the magician known as Kanzaki Kaori would feel at least a trace of pressure.
Because the young woman before him was one of fewer than twenty Saints in the entire world, someone who could use a portion of the Son of God's power. Her strength far surpassed that of ordinary magicians, even allowing her to fight against angels recorded in the Bible.
Facing such a being, no one could remain unaffected.
Fang Li felt it too.
Only, having long treated danger as pebbles and death as dust, Fang Li simply ignored that pressure.
"So, what business does the former Priestess of the Amakusa-Style Church have with me?"
Fang Li broke the silence and asked.
"Don't tell me you're still trying to hunt down Index like before?"
The moment he spoke, Fang Li showed no mercy.
At this, Kanzaki lowered her gaze slightly, hiding the emotions flickering in her eyes. After a while, she raised her head again, returning to her composed demeanor.
"I am no longer the Priestess of the Amakusa-Style Church," Kanzaki said coldly, as if trying to suppress her own feelings. "I left the Amakusa-Style Church long ago and joined the Anglican Church. I don't believe you're unaware of that."
Of course Fang Li knew.
In fact, he knew far more than Kanzaki.
The Amakusa-Style Church was an underground religious organization that had existed since the shogunate era, surviving by integrating into local communities.
At that time, Christianity was not recognized by the shogunate.
Thus, to evade persecution, the Amakusa-Style Church completely disguised its teachings as Shinto and Buddhism. Over time, it developed in a direction entirely different from other churches, becoming a religion capable of incorporating various doctrines.
As a result, whether it was Buddhism, Taoism, or Christianity, the Amakusa-Style possessed elements of all of them, complementing each other's strengths and eliminating weaknesses, becoming an almost all-purpose religion.
Of course, the Amakusa-Style Church was not large, with fewer than a hundred members in total. However, they specialized in operating behind the scenes, maximizing the "idol theory," and could perform magic through seemingly trivial actions like conversation, eating, or clothing. They were also a combat group skilled in weapon use.
Kanzaki Kaori's unique attire largely stemmed from this, her clothing itself held magical significance, aiding her in casting spells. Even having constant passive magic effects on her body would not be unusual.
This was also why Fang Li had immediately suspected that the magician who took Index was from the Amakusa-Style Church.
After all, the Amakusa-Style existed by blending seamlessly into everyday life. Even if its members dressed normally and looked like ordinary people, lacking any magician-like aura, it would not be strange at all.
However, even so, it could not change the fact that the Amakusa-Style Church was a small religion with fewer than a hundred members.
And that was precisely the reason Kanzaki left it.
"Simply put, you couldn't stand seeing the people around you sacrifice themselves, so you chose to leave, right?"
Fang Li's words made Kanzaki fall silent.
Kanzaki was a Saint.
That was something that didn't need to be stated again.
In other words, Kanzaki was someone who, from the moment she was born, was destined to possess power, a blessed individual favored by God.
Because of that, even before her birth, she had already been designated as the Priestess of the Amakusa-Style Church. She possessed talent that allowed her to achieve success without effort, naturally attracting the admiration of others and becoming the center of attention without doing anything. Even unexpected good fortune would occur around her daily.
Even if she were targeted for assassination, Kanzaki would always survive by sheer luck.
Bullets fired at her would inexplicably miss.
Even if a bomb exploded nearby, she would miraculously come out completely unharmed.
This was luck.
Innate luck.
But this very luck became Kanzaki's curse.
Because when she was attacked, although Kanzaki herself would survive, the result was that those around her would die protecting her.
Since bullets aimed at her would veer off for no reason, they would instead strike those beside her, piercing their bodies and killing them on the spot.
And if a bomb exploded, even if Kanzaki emerged unscathed, the people around her would not be granted the same blessing.
In other words, Kanzaki's good fortune resulted in misfortune for those around her.
Thus, Kanzaki chose to leave the Amakusa-Style Church and instead joined the Anglican Church.
"But in the end, you still can't let it go, can you?" Fang Li said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have hidden your whereabouts from the Anglican Church, disappeared on your own, come to this country, and you wouldn't have come to find me."
Stiyl had already said it.
Kanzaki would very likely make a move against Fang Li,
to take back the Book of the Law and save her former companions who were being hunted by the Roman Catholic Church.
"Since you already understand, there's nothing more I need to explain."
Kanzaki looked straight at Fang Li. As if shifting the topic and getting to the point, she made her request:
"Please hand over the Book of the Law to me."
"That is not something you should possess as an individual."
The pressure filling the air suddenly turned into something like gravity, pressing down over the entire alley.
And this expected request naturally received an expected response.
"What if I refuse?"
Fang Li's reply was just as Kanzaki had anticipated.
Still, a trace of regret and disappointment flashed across her face before being replaced by determination.
"I don't want things to turn out this way," Kanzaki said softly. "But if it absolutely comes to this, then we can only resolve it through battle."
As she spoke, Kanzaki raised the nodachi in her hand, as if to demonstrate her resolve.
With just that movement, the air itself seemed to hum.
However, Fang Li showed no fear at all.
In fact, he said calmly:
"You should understand this better than anyone, right?"
"If it really comes down to a fight…"
"You basically have no chance of beating me."
(End Of This Chapter)
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