Anything that is alive can be killed. That was always Ryougi Shiki's belief. Her eyes...

no, perhaps they couldn't truly be called eyes, because the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are not a function of sight. In essence, they are a form of cognition. Even if her eyes were destroyed, she would still be able to "see" the Death Lines of things, and thus kill them.

It is like a kitchen knife; even if one is blind and cannot see, they can still recognize what a kitchen knife looks like. Therefore, as long as the concept "this thing is alive" exists in Ryougi Shiki's mind, she can see its Death Line and strike it down... it doesn't matter if the thing is just a chair, a television, or even a concept—as long as she perceives it as alive, it is so.

Conversely, if Ryougi Shiki perceives something as broken, she cannot see its Death Line. Of course, she cannot switch this perception at will. It's impossible for the same object to be perceived as alive today and broken tomorrow...

if she could switch so easily, her own cognition would already be flawed. This brings up a very contradictory issue: Kohaku. Because she is a Venus UO, she has no Death Line.

If it were Touya Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, while lacking Ryougi Shiki's cognitive limitation, the Venus UO itself possesses no concept of being destroyed, so Touya Shiki could never perceive her Death Line. Yet, Ryougi Shiki’s Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, despite this massive restriction, clearly treated Kohaku as something alive when they faced her—so why couldn't she see Kohaku’s Death Line? The reason is simple: the most fundamental law of the Nasuverse...

Mystery becomes meaningless when faced with a higher grade of Mystery. In other words, Kohaku's existence surpassed the concept of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and simultaneously, Ryougi Shiki's cognition. Now, the biggest problem facing Ryougi Shiki is this: she can see Lin Luo's Death Lines, and she can even sever them, but why can't she kill him after severing them?

If Kohaku's existence merely transcended her cognition, Lin Luo's existence completely upended her cognition, even shattering her worldview; he was utterly incomprehensible. Thus, when facing Lin Luo's questions, she didn't know how to answer. At this moment, her mind was filled only with confusion and question marks.

Naturally, Lin Luo didn't expect an answer from Ryougi Shiki. Seeing her silence, he merely smiled and said, "Although the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are powerful, they are not omnipotent, because there will always be things in this world that exceed your comprehension. Relying solely on the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, you can certainly navigate the ordinary world with ease, but trying to touch things that are deeper and more mysterious is somewhat of a fantasy." "Deeper...

more mysterious..." Hearing this, Ryougi Shiki suddenly recalled the scene from four years ago. Although her consciousness was hazy then, at the moment of near collapse, she saw the bursting of stars and the shaking of spatial dimensions. It was a power utterly beyond her comprehension, capable of instantly destroying the world.

She had always believed it was just an illusion. After all, if someone truly possessed such power, wouldn't they be able to obliterate this world effortlessly? Moreover, at that time, the planet had clearly exploded, yet the world remained intact—how could that be explained?

Was she not on Earth at that time? Or did the Earth resurrect itself immediately after its destruction? Either scenario seemed like a fantasy to Ryougi Shiki, so she never thought deeply about it.

But now, she was forced to doubt: what if what she saw back then wasn't an illusion? Just the thought sent a shiver of dread through her. Then, lifting her head, she gazed at Lin Luo with a look mixing complexity and disbelief, and asked, "Who...

exactly are you?" At first, he was just a mage with no magic power, no different from an ordinary person. Then, he suddenly transformed into an investigator for this Holy Grail War, albeit self-proclaimed. Moments before, he executed an Aristotelian act of Conceptual Manifestation, playing with her as if she were a toy in his palms.

Finally, his trait of being unkillable even by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception completely overturned her worldview... Ryougi Shiki could no longer regard such a person as ordinary; even the rank of Magus might not suffice to describe him. He was practically...

practically a god who could do anything! For some reason, at this moment, Ryougi Shiki connected him to the Fourth Demon Lord, Melchisedec. Both were equally mysterious and immensely powerful.

Was there some connection between them? As the saying goes, one mountain cannot house two tigers. Now, both of them were residing in a small place like Fuyuki City.

Yet, the Fourth Demon Lord had never mentioned Lin Luo, and Lin Luo, until today, seemed unaware of the Fourth Demon Lord's existence. But... could beings with such heaven-shaking power truly not sense each other's presence?

Frankly, Ryougi Shiki didn't believe it for a second. She even suspected that the Fourth Demon Lord Melchisedec and Lin Luo were the same person. Only then would it explain why they didn't know of the other’s existence—because they were deliberately pretending.

But if that were true, why orchestrate such a charade? Even boredom has its limits! Therefore, although Ryougi Shiki harbored this feeling, she didn't believe it was reality.

Setting aside the logical inconsistencies, her intuition also told her that the person before her was not a bad man. After all, with such immense strength, he could do anything he wanted; why bother with such convoluted schemes? Lin Luo smiled casually and said, "Who I am is not important; you will know soon enough.

What matters now is you." "Me?" Ryougi Shiki looked slightly bewildered. Lin Luo nodded. "I know that within your body lies an unimaginably potent force.

That power transcends the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, even surpasses this world. Have you... tried to find it?" "Uh!" Ryougi Shiki froze instantly.

Such power... did she possess it? Seeing Ryougi Shiki's confused expression, Lin Luo offered no explanation, merely stating, "Ask your own heart, and you will discover it." With that, Lin Luo snapped his fingers, and the Conceptual Manifestation dissolved.

Before Ryougi Shiki could say anything more, Lin Luo had already turned and departed. Ryougi Shiki stood frozen on the spot. Watching Lin Luo's receding figure, though the surroundings had returned to normal, she now felt as if she could see the impassable distance between herself and Lin Luo...

so far! So far! This distance was not measured in road length, but in ontological rank.

It was like the difference between an elephant and an ant; no matter how slowly the elephant walked or how quickly the ant ran, the ant could never catch up to the elephant's pace, because the very nature of their existence was worlds apart. A gap in rank is not something that can be closed by effort alone. "Is that power inside me?" Ryougi Shiki murmured, looking at her hands.

She needed power, desperately. From her previous battle with Lin Luo, she had vaguely understood that there existed many Mysteries in the world she couldn't grasp. If she couldn't fundamentally change herself, no matter how strong she became, she could never reach the realm Lin Luo occupied.

Simultaneously, her intuition told her that if she couldn't touch that realm, she would never know what truly happened four years ago. This problem had plagued her for two full years. She yearned to know the answer every moment, because...

it was that incident that caused her second personality to perish and her existence to be altered! Although she no longer grieved or shed tears over it now, finding the truth of that event was an obligation she must fulfill. And for that, she needed power!

But what did those words just mean? Ask my heart? How does one even do that?

Ryougi Shiki clenched her fists, utterly unable to comprehend. However, at that very moment, a voice sounded near her ear, distant as if echoing from a faraway world, profound as if rising from the deepest hell, ethereal as if drifting like a phantom: "Do you want it? My power.

If you want it, take it. As long as you accept me, you can obtain power that reigns above all else. All...

all things will cease to be feared." Ryougi Shiki’s expression shifted instantly. Even she felt a surge of alarm at this sudden voice, and instinctively asked, "Who are you?" "Me? I am the Root." "The Root?" Ryougi Shiki paused again.

She was not unfamiliar with that term. Touko Aozaki had mentioned it to her before: the Root is the cause of everything, the starting point of all phenomena. Since any cause can produce an effect, the Root is also equal to ultimate knowledge.

For example, the ultimate goal that Mages dream of is reaching the Root, yet no one has ever truly succeeded throughout history. If humanity were to reach the place of the Root, they would grasp the fundamental causes and laws of everything in the world, gaining the ability to rewrite the world's order and structure, thereby achieving the level of destroying the old world and creating a new one. However...

the world does not tolerate such an act, so the place of the Root is a dreamland humanity can never attain in a lifetime. Unless... unless that person's very existence already surpassed the Root!

This was all information Ryougi Shiki had learned from Touko Aozaki; she didn't know if it was entirely correct, but one thing she knew clearly... two years ago, while hovering between life and death, she had made contact with the Root and, as a result, acquired the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. So, was the voice she was hearing now that very Root?

Ryougi Shiki was inwardly stunned. Her contact with the Root two years ago had been very vague; even she couldn't recall exactly what happened. But now, the Root was actively appearing, and...

what was this situation? Ryougi Shiki didn't understand at all. "No, I am different from the Root you imagine," the Root's voice sounded again, as if aware of what Ryougi Shiki was thinking.

"The Root you know is merely a 'void' state—infinite in appearance, yet finite in reality. Even if truly mastered, it can only affect a single world, merely a drop in the ocean. But I am different...

I am the cause of all phenomena across infinite worlds, and even beyond infinite worlds; I am true infinity." "Infinite worlds? True infinity?" "Precisely. By obtaining my power and knowledge, you can attain everything." "...Why me?" "Because we are special.

I am the Root, and the Root is you. Remember, your other name... Root Shiki!" "Root Shiki?" As the name left her lips, Ryougi Shiki’s vision instantly went black.

When she came to her senses, she found herself standing in boundless darkness. "Where is this?" Ryougi Shiki couldn't help but ask. After experiencing so much, especially having her established perceptions shattered by Lin Luo, she was now able to maintain her composure even in this bizarre environment.

"This place is me. Behold." As the Root's voice sounded again, Ryougi Shiki discovered the surroundings were no longer dark. Countless stars and spaces revolved around her, the clearly visible points and lines distributed densely, seemingly beyond her control.

Ryougi Shiki instinctively raised her hand and slashed along those points and lines. Though her blade seemingly didn't make contact, at that moment, planets shattered, spaces annihilated—everything died along with her strike! Witnessing this scene, Ryougi Shiki couldn't help but tremble.

This... what is this? This power is too terrifying!

"This is the karma of life and death. Because you severed the cause of their being alive, they all died. But this is only a part of my power...

Swing your dagger once more." As the Root finished speaking, Ryougi Shiki felt her body move beyond her control again. Then, the moment the dagger hovered, the shattered planets were restored, the destroyed spaces were reborn; everything returned to its previous intact state. "This...?!" Even though she thought she was sufficiently calm, Ryougi Shiki was too shocked to speak.

"To live is to live, to die is to die. Even if the heavens and earth shatter, even if the bones are resurrected—it is all within a single thought. This is me...

the Root." Then, the scenery before her changed, and Ryougi Shiki found herself withdrawn from that strange environment, facing the familiar street again. Standing there, Ryougi Shiki was utterly at a loss for how to react. She had never imagined such things; such terrifying power resided within her own body...

What was she? Ryougi Shiki's mind was in chaos, and the Root seemed to understand her hesitation, remaining silent. It was only after a long time that Ryougi Shiki looked in the direction Lin Luo had departed and asked, "Are you...

a demon or a god?" "Demon? God? What merit do such beings hold?" The Root's voice was filled with disdain.

"Then, if I accept you, can I catch up to that person's footsteps?" "..." The Root was silent for a moment, then replied, "Naturally." Although the tone was full of confidence, it was entirely different from when it spoke of gods and demons. In fact, a hint of hesitation appeared for the first time. This meant...

that person's existence ranked even higher than gods and demons; even this powerful Root could not guarantee keeping pace with that person. What kind of entity was that? From the Root's slightly hesitant words, Ryougi Shiki clearly captured the underlying meaning.

She understood even more clearly: if Lin Luo was truly an existence that caused even the Root to hesitate, then she, on her own, would absolutely never catch up... There was only one path left. "I accept you...

Root!" Ryougi Shiki's gaze sharpened as she spoke with resolve. (To be continued)RQ