She had actually used Mental Magic to invade his mind.
Originally, Kokoro Senka herself was already an expert in the domain of the mind.
After all, she was a creation imagined into existence by Lottie.
And Lottie's mastery over the mental domain was likely the greatest in the entire world.
Logically speaking, Kokoro Senka's mental defenses should have been extremely powerful.
And in truth, they were.
At the very least, her Sea of Consciousness was constructed exactly like the one Lottie had once taught Kanzaki Rei to build—a heavenly palace-like spiritual domain.
Inside and out, hundreds of layered restrictions reflected and reinforced one another.
Under normal circumstances, even Eighth-Tier Mental Magic should not have been able to break through Kokoro Senka's mental defenses so easily.
Yet Kanzaki Rei's Mental Magic had bypassed every defense entirely and pierced straight through.
No…
Was that even pure magic?
It didn't feel like magic at all.
It felt more like an entirely new system of power that had never before existed in this world.
Towering ice pillars rose within Kokoro Senka's Sea of Consciousness.
The surface layers of her spiritual domain were completely frozen solid.
Forced into absolute calm, Kokoro Senka finally realized just how terrifying Kanzaki Rei's mastery over the mental domain truly was.
After weighing the pros and cons, she abandoned any thought of opposing him.
Kanzaki Rei casually waved a hand.
The false scenery surrounding them dissolved away.
Originally, this illusionary world had been created by Kokoro Senka—
But Kanzaki Rei had directly seized control of it instead.
All authority over the illusion had become his.
Once everything faded—
The two of them appeared atop a stretch of muddy terrain.
Both Kanzaki Rei and Kokoro Senka's feet had sunk into thick sludge as viscous as crude oil.
Kanzaki Rei casually pulled his foot free and stepped out of it effortlessly.
Then floated into the air.
Seeing this, Kokoro Senka froze for a moment before looking up and shouting at him:
"Hey! Why aren't you trapped here? How did you get out?!"
Kanzaki Rei tilted his head.
"Am I supposed to get trapped?"
Kokoro Senka puffed up immediately.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This isn't some ordinary swamp. This is the Marsh of Fate."
"When you emerge from it, it shouldn't happen like this. You're supposed to first confront your own destiny, then contemplate the meaning of your existence, witness the critical turning points of your future, and finally face the illusion of that destined moment. Only after making your decision within that illusion can you escape."
Kanzaki Rei scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about…"
At the end of the day—
He had never actually sunk into it at all.
Azure Path — Fourth Principle: Eternal Void Displacement ensured that Kanzaki Rei himself had never truly existed within the swamp in the first place.
It only looked as though he had sunk in.
In reality, the Kanzaki Rei visible within the physical world was merely a projection.
Anything directly seen in reality could essentially be considered not his true body.
So naturally—
He had never truly touched this so-called Marsh of Fate.
"So… do you need me to help pull you out?" Kanzaki Rei asked kindly.
Kokoro Senka puffed out her cheeks.
"Obviously! What else did you think I wanted your help for?"
Kanzaki Rei asked again,
"So you can't get out on your own?"
The instant she heard that question, another wave of irritation rose within Kokoro Senka's heart.
Of course I can't get out! If I could, why would I need your help?!
Unfortunately for her—
Under the effects of forced calm, the anger vanished instantly.
All she could do was compromise helplessly.
"If you pull me out, I'll tell you how to obtain the Eighth Forbidden Magic."
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"How do I help?"
Kokoro Senka asked instead:
"You can predict the future, right?"
Kanzaki Rei feigned confusion.
"How did you know? Did Lottie tell you?"
Kokoro Senka smugly explained:
"Because the only people who can enter this place are either those with prophecy-related classes, or those summoned here by fate itself."
"So making a guess that you have some kind of foresight ability isn't strange at all, is it?"
Oh~
Her mind really was simple.
Her emotions were written all over her face.
She genuinely resembled someone completely inexperienced with the world.
No matter how strong her mental defenses were, she would still end up getting tricked senseless by a few sweet words.
Kanzaki Rei widened his eyes in admiration.
"So there's a rule like that."
"No wonder I didn't feel any resistance at all when entering."
Heh.
He had already investigated the information beforehand.
How could he possibly not know?
Even the composition of the Marsh of Fate beneath his feet had been fully understood the instant he came into contact with it.
"You…"
"You need to help me predict the future."
Kokoro Senka wasn't completely trusting of Kanzaki Rei.
It was simply that she had realized a rather depressing fact—
She probably couldn't beat him.
Under those circumstances, trusting him became the better option instead.
Only if absolutely necessary would she choose to fight him head-on.
Kanzaki Rei nodded casually.
"Alright. I'll give it a try."
As expected—
Overwhelming strength was the true foundation of negotiation.
If he had been weaker than her—far weaker—
She likely wouldn't have been nearly this cooperative.
Kanzaki Rei placed his hand upon Kokoro Senka's shoulder.
His eyes gazed toward the future.
Within Kokoro Senka's pupils, the future appeared as well.
In less than half a second, her expression became deeply confused.
Then traces of fear surfaced within her eyes.
Kanzaki Rei narrowed his gaze slightly.
He too saw the future she was destined to face.
And at the same time—
Destinies that had not existed before slowly emerged around her.
"Destiny Fated to Liberate the Deep Strata."
"Destiny Capable of Turning Lottie's Fantasy into Reality."
The two destinies coiled around her body.
Kanzaki Rei could also sense that, at this moment, he was capable of stealing those destinies and grafting them onto himself.
However—
Doing such a thing inside a future preview was meaningless.
Glub… glub…
Gradually, Kokoro Senka's consciousness returned fully to her body.
She slowly lifted her feet.
At last, she was able to step free from the muddy swamp.
"See? I helped you, didn't I?" Kanzaki Rei smiled.
Kokoro Senka muttered quietly:
"Even without your help, I would've escaped eventually."
What she didn't continue saying was—
That she would have continued sinking deeper and deeper.
And the deeper she sank, the more clearly she would see the future and the threads of fate.
As for how far she needed to sink, when she would finally make a decision, and when she could break free—
That depended entirely on luck.
So in the end, there was only one truth here.
Everything depended on fate.
And Kanzaki Rei—
Really did look like someone blessed by destiny itself.
"Let's keep moving forward. Grab onto me."
Kokoro Senka spoke as she said this.
"As long as we keep moving ahead, we might enter the next door."
"Might?" Kanzaki Rei asked with slight confusion.
"It depends on fate. Luck," Kokoro Senka replied helplessly.
"There's no other method?"
"There is. Aren't we already doing it?"
Kokoro Senka grabbed Kanzaki Rei's wrist.
Clearly, she could feel physical contact.
Yet at the same time—
There was another contradictory sensation telling her she hadn't touched him at all.
"As long as the two of us stay together, if either one of us enters the door, the other will be dragged in as well."
"…So we still have to rely on luck?" Kanzaki Rei replied speechlessly.
If they really had to wander around aimlessly depending entirely on luck, then even repeated future previews might not be enough.
What happened in the Time Ruins last time had left a deep impression on him.
Who knew how absurdly unfair a ruin related to fate could become?
Fate…
If your luck was good, you could enter.
And if your luck was bad, then you would never enter at all.
Just as Kanzaki Rei was still considering what to do if several future previews in a row failed—
Buzz—
An enormous majestic gate suddenly appeared before them without warning.
…Huh?
Looks like it didn't block me after all?