It was a colossal structure standing on a floating island in that deep-blue sea. The mottled stone bricks, worn and damaged in places, carried a faint air of age. It was a building of absolute luxury and grandeur, like a Western palace.
Prison Barrier. That was the name of this ancient structure. As the name suggested, it was a prison, one that held most of the world's most vicious and terrifying terrorists.
It had come into being when Natsuki Minamiya, using her Witch lineage, summoned a Witch's Contract Demon. In exchange for her true body sleeping forever, she dragged this prison into the dream of her slumbering self and became both its warden and its key, thereby obtaining the great power of the Witch of the Void.
In theory, since they had all been pulled into someone else's dream, barring any accidents, this prison and the inmates inside it would never see the light of day again. The terrorists within could only grow old and die there.
But that was assuming there were no accidents. And as expected... there was an accident.
Just like now. This prison, which theoretically should never have appeared in reality, had not only materialized in the real world, but the magic-suppressing devices restraining the inmates had also failed because of a problem with the warden herself. One prisoner after another began to escape.
At this moment, the prison's once-clean walls and floors were in ruins. Craters from explosions and scorched marks were everywhere, sword cuts were carved into the walls, and the prisoners' powerful Magical Power surged from all directions as they used every means possible to break out.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Panting heavily, a petite figure with not a single clean spot left on her body sat down in a hidden corner. As the warden of this prison, Natsuki Minamiya leaned against the wall, a dazed look flashing through her eyes from time to time.
After staying inactive for far too long, then suddenly overexerting herself in such a serious crisis, Natsuki Minamiya now felt as if her body weighed more than lead. Even lifting a finger was painfully difficult.
"I failed..."
Looking at Astarte sitting in front of her, equally filthy and bleeding heavily from several places, Natsuki Minamiya murmured under her breath.
After realizing that outsiders had followed her avatar, which had been active outside, and used the connection between her avatar and her true body to forcibly awaken her true body, pulling the Prison Barrier into the real world, Natsuki Minamiya had immediately used spatial movement the moment she broke free of her restraints, waking herself up so she could recapture the prisoners before they escaped.
Unfortunately, she failed. Not only had she failed to recapture them, they had seized the chance to shatter the locking item connected to the magic-suppressing devices on their bodies.
Even though the prisoners had been weakened by long-term magic suppression, once this group of the world's top terrorists united under some shared goal, even a God who personally appeared might end up overturned.
And that was even more true for a Witch of the Void who had only just woken up, opened her eyes, and found the prisoners she was supposed to be guarding standing right in front of her. She had lost the initiative from the start.
In a moment of distraction, drowsiness crept into Natsuki Minamiya's mind. The heavy blood loss made her body long for a quiet place to recover, while the intense exhaustion brought on by overusing her Magical Power made her eyelids grow heavier and heavier.
"Buzz!"
A vibrating sound rang out, followed by the sound of footsteps, jolting Natsuki Minamiya awake.
No. She could not wait any longer. She had to find a way to capture them again immediately.
After coming back to her senses, Natsuki Minamiya realized she had almost fallen asleep. Cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
Under normal circumstances, even if the prisoners escaped the prison, once they consumed a certain amount of Magical Power, the magic-suppressing devices on their bodies would automatically bring them back.
But this was not a normal situation. The warden of the Prison Barrier had been forcibly awakened from the level of consciousness, so this counted as her waking up on her own. On top of that, the item controlling the magic-suppressing devices had been shattered by the prisoners.
If she passed out now, the Prison Barrier would immediately return to her dream. The result would be that the magic-suppressing devices would lose their teleportation destination. How could an ordinary magic-suppressing device possibly send a living person into a dream?
Realizing this, Natsuki Minamiya struggled to her feet and looked toward the direction of the footsteps, her expression shifting uneasily.
To be honest, Natsuki Minamiya was also curious. Which prisoner was stupid enough that, after she had been defeated and lost control, they would not immediately flee the prison, but instead choose to walk toward her? Whether it was better to finish the job or quit while ahead depended on the situation, especially when facing an ageless, immortal Witch.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
The messy footsteps drew closer. From the dark corridor ahead, a dozen or so blurry figures gradually appeared in Natsuki Minamiya's line of sight.
"Hello, Witch of the Void..."
The group of more than a dozen people was clearly split into two sides. From one side, the young man who was obviously in the leading position, carrying a spear in his hand, greeted the battered Natsuki Minamiya with a smile.
"Khaos Brigade, Cao Cao, Vali."
With an ugly expression, Natsuki Minamiya looked at the two groups in front of her and quietly spoke the names of their respective leaders. Her right hand rested on Astarte's shoulder as Astarte sat beside her, resting and recovering her strength.
"We didn't come here to fight you, Witch of the Void..."
Just before Natsuki Minamiya could slip away, Vali, who stood to one side with a cold expression, spoke up and made her stop.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki Minamiya let out a doubtful sound and looked at Vali warily, wanting to know what they had come to her for.
After all, Vali had been bailed out by Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen Angels. Although Natsuki Minamiya had found an excuse to force him to stay and he was still under observation, he was at least someone she could talk to, and he had a certain degree of credibility.
"Look at that. All the prisoners in the prison you were guarding have escaped. As the Witch of the Void, you've been a little negligent in your duties..."
Without immediately stating his purpose, Cao Cao merely tapped the Holy Spear against his shoulder and spoke in a leisurely tone, pointing out Natsuki Minamiya's sorry state.
"If you want to die, I can grant your wish right now. Get to the point."
Natsuki Minamiya shot back without changing expression, her eyes fixed tightly on the two groups before her. She did not remove the hand resting on Astarte. Who knew whether the other side might suddenly attack?
"Let's cooperate."
Cao Cao still wanted to say something, but Vali could no longer stand their dawdling. He stepped forward and directly stated their purpose to the battered Witch.
"Cooperate? How do you want to cooperate?"
Natsuki Minamiya did not reject the proposal. Her current state did not allow her the luxury of doing so. She simply lowered her voice and asked.
"It's simple. We'll deal with the escaped prisoners for you, Witch of the Void. In exchange, you give us our freedom."
Vali stated their goal bluntly. Everyone around him twitched at how direct he was, but they still nodded in agreement.
"Oh, that does sound pretty good. But if you want freedom, do you really need to make a deal with me? You can just leave now, can't you?
Especially you. Even if you don't leave right now, the forces backing you will take you away in a few days. You don't need to make this deal with me at all, do you?"
It was possible that the other side knew nothing about this, but Natsuki Minamiya was not naive enough to deceive herself into assuming that. As a Witch, she knew exactly how many traps could be buried in a contract. More often than not, the ones who thought they had found a loophole were the ones being trapped by someone else.
"I don't want to owe Azazel anything, and I don't want to just leave with him like this..."
"And we want true freedom, not this fake freedom where we lie to ourselves."
Vali and Cao Cao spoke one after another. At the same time, Cao Cao revealed the purple mark beneath the magic-suppressing bracelet on his wrist. It was the mark carved into them by this illusory prison after they entered the Prison Barrier. The previous magic-suppressing devices could be destroyed, but this mark, engraved by the Prison Barrier itself, would remain even if Natsuki Minamiya died. The only way to remove it was for the warden to do so personally.
"That, huh..."
With a relieved smile, Natsuki Minamiya looked at the two groups who had sealed off her escape. She grabbed the wary Astarte beside her, stretched out her hand, and pulled a contract from the void.
"All right, then let's sign a contract. My Contract Demon as a Witch will serve as witness."
Looking at the contract floating in midair, Cao Cao and Vali fell silent for a moment, then tacitly had Georg and Kuroka Toujou from their own teams step forward to examine it.
"Vali, it's fine."
"She isn't lying to us."
Only after receiving confirmation from their respective teammates did Vali and Cao Cao sign the contract. The members behind them followed suit.
After signing, Vali's group and Cao Cao's group did not say anything more. They were enemies to begin with. The only reason they could stand together and talk now was because they shared a common goal and had no conflict of interest. They immediately pursued the prisoners in the directions they had fled.
"I didn't think anyone would actually be that much of a sucker..."
Leaning against the wall to rest, Natsuki Minamiya looked in the direction Vali and the others had left and muttered to herself. After a moment of silence, she seemed to think of something funny and started laughing.
"Tch. I originally thought Shadow had left me a bunch of hot potatoes that would only fill me with frustration, but they actually came in handy. Hahaha..."
She, Natsuki Minamiya, had won big this time. Vali, Cao Cao, and the others had already been bailed out by the forces behind them. If she had not been so angry that she forced a reason to keep them locked up for a few days, they could have left that very day.
Yet now, this bunch of stubborn troublemakers who had frustrated her so much she wanted to curse had actually become useful at a time when all the prisoners had escaped and the entire guard force was out of action. She did not even have to pay them. It was hilarious.
Thank you, Shadow.
As for whether Vali and the others could win, Natsuki Minamiya was not worried. It might be hard to say if the prisoners were all together, but their long prison life had already weakened them considerably. For people like Vali, who were already powerful in their own right, dealing with isolated prisoners was more than enough.
"..."
Beside her, the battered Astarte looked at Natsuki Minamiya laughing foolishly and tilted her cute little face in confusion.
"Boom!"
Amid the laughter, an explosion roared from the rear of the prison. Natsuki Minamiya instinctively raised her head, and a column of flame shot into the sky. Even from a distance, she could still see the dazzling light.
"Someone still hasn't left!?"
This time, Natsuki Minamiya was genuinely surprised. Vali and Cao Cao's groups from earlier were understandable. They truly did not need to rush. Even if they were caught again, the forces behind them would take them out. But what kind of powerful person would dare fight inside the Prison Barrier?
The Prison Barrier's ability had only temporarily failed. It had not vanished. Once she entered her dream, everything in this prison would return to her dream with her. Who had the nerve to waste this one chance to escape? If they missed it, they would never get out again.
"Let me think. The prisoners who didn't show themselves earlier were..."
She wanted to go take a look, but Natsuki Minamiya judged her almost depleted stamina. Even if she went, at most she could use spatial magic to escape. She would not be able to fight at all. So she gave up on the idea and instead began recalling who had not appeared in the earlier battle.
Remembering more than a hundred prisoners was difficult, but fortunately, Natsuki Minamiya had kept her mind here for long enough, and quite a few of them had even been captured by her personally. She soon thought of something.
"The Red Dragon Emperor. The Red Dragon Emperor I sent in a few days ago to prevent anyone from coveting him didn't appear here. And then there's that familiar Magical Power..."
Sensing the Magical Power in the sky that felt vaguely familiar, Natsuki Minamiya thought of a certain possibility, and her expression turned grim.
"It seems you have not forgotten me, my ally, Natsuki Minamiya..."
From the corridor leading toward the explosion came a steady rhythm of footsteps. A beautiful voice gradually rang out, almost like a chant.
From the pitch-black corridor, a figure dressed in a Japanese twelve-layered kimono slowly appeared before Natsuki Minamiya. Her expression was gloomy, her body still bearing traces of battle, and her voice carried a hint of surprise at seeing Natsuki Minamiya.
"Do you really hate me that much?"
Looking at the woman before her, her former closest friend, Natsuki Minamiya complained without changing expression, though her head ached.
"Do not think so highly of yourself, traitor..."
As she spoke coldly, Aya Tokoyogi raised her right hand. Magic Circles appeared at her fingertips, blocking the blue arm that suddenly attacked her and sending Astarte flying.
"I was merely schemed against by a few people and led here to you..."
Noticing the gritted-teeth expression Aya Tokoyogi showed when she mentioned those "few people," Natsuki Minamiya smiled dryly.
"But since we have met, I shall deal with you, traitor, before settling accounts with them."
Aya Tokoyogi's tone suddenly shifted, and the smile vanished from Natsuki Minamiya's face.
"Looks like they really did a number on you."
"More or less. Although I do not care about that daughter of mine, she was still used in their scheme. Even if they did release me, it still leaves me somewhat displeased..."
Explaining casually, Tokoyogi Aya raised her hand, intending to finish off the weakened Natsuki Minamiya. Then a sense of danger reached her.
A Guardian, like a wild beast, had appeared behind Aya Tokoyogi at some point.
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