Kanzaki manipulated his staff with precise, fluid motions, constantly dodging and weaving through the relentless assaults of the Invisible Mirror Ghosts and their accompanying shadows.
The labyrinth was packed with mirrors of every size and angle. Completely avoiding reflection proved nearly impossible. The moment even a corner of his clothing caught in a mirror's surface, a new shadow would form and lunge. The shameless design of the place left him thoroughly irritated.
Herta rested steadily in his arms, undisturbed by the chaos swirling around them. Complex equations raced through her mind at high speed.
Through careful analysis of the surrounding space, the external and internal structure of this mysterious mirror realm gradually became clear to her.
Yet clarity alone was not enough. They still needed to locate the true body of the ghost.
"Mr. Magician, share my vision and strike the mirrors according to my instructions."
"You're finally finished!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Herta felt Kanzaki's finger brush across her eyes. A strange sensation followed, as though ownership of her vision had briefly transferred away from her.
It also stung a little.
"Hurry up and give me the positions. If this drags on any longer, the pain will blind you. Where would I find such a beautiful and cute meal then?" Kanzaki urged.
Herta listed the precise coordinates one after another.
This time Kanzaki did not rely on lightning magic. He simply and directly smashed the mirrors with the end of his staff.
The staff shot toward the back of each designated mirror, then twisted sharply at the last instant in a drifting arc, striking the surface with the butt and shattering it cleanly.
Invisible ghosts continued to leap from nearby mirrors to attack, yet every one of them was avoided with practiced ease.
After dealing with them for so long, Kanzaki had already determined that these invisible ghosts possessed only physical means of attack. As long as he remained untouched, he would take no damage.
Before long, every invisible mirror in the space had been shattered in the exact order Herta specified.
"Hahaha! Simple enough!" Kanzaki laughed.
Herta scanned the surroundings. Mirrors of every size were vanishing one after another.
Moments later, the dark glass covering the floor suddenly brightened, revealing a faceless figure standing in the central area.
"That's it." Herta's spirits lifted slightly.
"Away with you."
Without hesitation, Kanzaki cast a spell. A powerful bolt of lightning crashed down and blasted the faceless figure into smoke.
Silence fell over the entire world.
Two seconds later, the space itself shattered, dissolving into an endless expanse of pure white.
A hundred meters away from Kanzaki and Herta, a door cracked open.
"Is that the exit?"
"It might not be the exit you're imagining. According to the settings of 'Life-taking Mirror Shadow,' there are five such spaces. The ending only arrives after clearing all of them."
The corners of Kanzaki's mouth stiffened.
One space had already been annoying enough. Now this brat was telling him four more mirror spaces still waited?
"First tell me how many spaces you saw in this lousy movie."
"The fourth one. Think about it yourself. I mentioned the mirror ghosts here earlier, and I also said the movie is a level-clearing type. As for whether the protagonist lives or dies in the end, I don't have much of an impr… uh, it hurts…"
Near the end of her sentence, Herta felt the arm holding her suddenly tighten and could not help protesting.
"I hurt too!"
"But I'm the one being squeezed. Do you have phantom pain syndrome?"
"I have a headache!"
Kanzaki glared, yet his arm quickly loosened a fraction.
Herta rubbed her aching waist.
"You're a magician, yet your strength is actually so great."
"Then go ask my creator. The settings of a Virtual Substance Lifeform can never be modified. If I were a grand mage who could wipe out half the universe with a snap of my fingers, would I still be here at your beck and call?"
"True. Let's enter that door."
Herta urged him onward, not forgetting to dangle a carrot.
"I know you're very impatient, but the sooner we return to The Blue, the better my mood will be, and I'll taste even better when you eat me, right?"
"At least you're sensible…"
Kanzaki carried Herta and walked straight through the door.
They entered another world filled with mirrors.
The instant they stepped inside, countless mirrors lit up simultaneously. From each one stepped a copy of Kanzaki and a copy of Herta.
Thousands upon thousands of shadows arranged themselves into two dense rows, occupying more than half the space.
Eerily, their positions formed a clear passage leading toward an unknown destination.
Some of the figures were crying. Some were laughing. Some remained expressionless. Others screamed in frantic panic.
Countless voices converged into a noise loud enough to tear eardrums.
The sound was infinitely amplified by the enclosed space, echoing from every direction.
In the distance, Kanzaki's vision filled with overlapping double images. His expression shifted slightly.
Countless versions of Herta swayed before his eyes. Some even wore expressions identical to the real Herta held in his arms.
"There better not be some swap-out plot. Using sheer quantity to create horror is just too ridiculous."
Herta grabbed the corner of his clothes again.
"I'll stay right behind you."
Her voice cut cleanly through the surrounding clamor and reached Kanzaki's ears with perfect clarity.
"Walk forward. No matter what you hear, don't stop. The ghosts of the second space can only kill through mental attacks."
"They may look different on the surface, but once you step into the passage they've formed, they will release negative emotions and words that keep boring into your mind."
"The moment your mental defenses collapse, it's your time to die."
Kanzaki was stunned for a brief moment, then let out a low chuckle.
"Heh… you brat, you're getting more and more skilled at ordering people around. Can't I just fly you over?"
"You can only walk this path. Even running isn't allowed. That's the rule of the second space."
Kanzaki tested it and discovered that his abilities truly refused to function.
"Hack screenwriter, actually using this 'rule setting' trope."
His brow twitched in annoyance. He reached out and picked Herta up properly.
Such a small thing. She barely filled his arms.
Through the noise and Herta's earlier hints, he realized that covering his ears would be useless.
The second space of the labyrinth was in truth a test of pure willpower.
"Let's go."
The two figures, one large and one small, entered the heart-attacking passage and moved forward without deviation.
Countless eerie figures turned their gazes toward the girl in Kanzaki's arms.
"Give up…"
"There is no spaceship at all…!"
"The Blue has already been destroyed!"
"We will die here…"
They were all the voices of despair that lived deep within Herta's heart, the ones she was most unwilling to hear.
Although she knew it was useless, she still covered her ears with both hands, offering herself only the thinnest psychological comfort.
Noticing the girl in his arms biting her lip, Kanzaki casually tried to kick a version of himself standing nearby.
His foot passed straight through it.
Tsk. Not even a physical form.
At least in the previous space he had been able to kill these eyesore fakes.
"Brat, can you still hold on?"
"I'm… okay…"
"You don't sound okay. Let me tell you a joke—"
Kanzaki lowered his head slightly, leaning close to her ear.
"Question: Do you know who the perpetrator of the Swarm Disaster was?"
"…I think I've heard of it. It was the Aeon of Propagation."
"Wrong! The answer is the Aeon of Elation."
"And the reasoning?"
"'Elation Swarm' and 'Swarm Disaster' sound so similar. It's quite a laugh."
"Better not tell jokes, Mr. Magician. You're really not good at it…"
Despite her words, the furrow in her brow relaxed a little, and the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.