48 Spear Boy Meets The Witch With A Cold Doll

(Cao Cao POV)

Flying through the country and spreading my senses, I could feel a decent number of stray devils, all of which I portal into a pocket dimension of my own creation. How did I do this? Imaginary numbers, which, thanks to blank, I could learn as while Solomon knew of the numbers, he could not make sense of them. 

But thanks to my adaptive resistance and the essence of the Archmage, learning them was a decent challenge, and even now, I feel like I have just scratched the surface.

But I don't even dare try to go further as beyond the imaginary numbers is the possibility of Eldritch Horrors, and I do not need the Cthulhu mythos showing up in this universe. To describe the imaginary number space is to try and understand the plot of Kingdom Hearts without playing any of the games. Essentially, it is a layer of reality that is undefined by time and space where up is down, down is side to side, and side to side is forward.

Through greater mastery, I could use imaginary numbers as another form of defense to absorb attacks into my space, but that will require more time. For now, though, I send a few clones to scour Japan to find more of them and more to study them and fix them if need be.

"Do you often have mental conversations with yourself, boss?" I hear Sigurd ask as I am using my concealment to keep us hidden and telekinesis for him to fly.

"Sorry, just used to doing that. But I have to ask, did anyone else survive the Sigurd cloning project?" My question is met with Sigurd having Vietnam flashbacks with his eyes going dim.

"I remember three others that were able to escape but the others…they didn't make it. I believe those three were named Freed, Siegfried, and Lint. But I don't know where they went as after the project ended, and I was snatched up by devils hiding nearby. And then all I knew was pain." The more he spoke, the quieter he became, and after saying the last part, he went quiet.

"Well, don't worry, as they can't harm you anymore; in fact, we shall be the ones doing the harm if they show up again. We shall revel in their suffering and enjoy the screams of the agony as we-"

"Enough, I get it!" He says, annoyed, but I could see some light returning to his eyes as I then sensed another presence. But this one was different as it seemed colder in a way.

Sigurd then looked at me as he nodded, and I summoned a clone to keep him safe as he was still weak from the reversion process. I then found myself looking at a warehouse as I saw a small barrier around the building. As I went through it, I felt a signal travel into the building, but I simply overtook the barrier from their hands and flew in through a broken window.

And I found at least a dozen men, all wearing some type of uniform, attacking a woman wearing what looked to be a classic witch outfit with white and blue being the predominant colors and a large doll made of ice standing behind them. The woman looked to be completely okay with this as she sent out waves of ice to try to freeze her opponents.

Yet the men use some type of paper dolls to create barriers around them which block the waves of ice albeit temporarily but enough to dodge them, and as I watch the battle unfold, I began to understand the magic being used, but that doll is not normal as it feels almost primordial but not at the same time as it feels reduced. 

What made this worse for the witch was that the barrier I just took control of was draining her magic co she was fighting on 50% power, but as I continued to look at the scared gear, I began to put the pieces together.

That's when it hits me: the markings, the runes around the gear hidden from view, the gear was the personification of Ymir's breath before Odin felled him. I wonder how God was able to get his/her hands on it.

Yet as the ice broke through their shields, they summoned fire using their staves written with Kanji, and again, I see what lies beyond the symbolism. It was faith, history, and desire. The magic that these Japanese Sorcerers use is reliant on the faith of their gods and the desire to see the world changing around them.

Truly magic such an in-depth field of study.

So after analyzing their magic further using my All Seeing Eyes and looking to see what was inside the giant ice doll, all I saw was the cold and chilling wind that never seemed to end, and for the Onmyouji, I witnessed faith made real, yet it seemed hollow in a way. 

But then I remember the fact that these people are probably a part of the Utsusemi agency who were thrown away by the Five Principal Clans, so while they may use the power of their gods, it is hollow.

"Well, that is enough of that," I think to myself as I reveal myself and land on the ground. And no sooner do I do so that one of the men sees me and yells out.

"It's the spear user! Retreat for now!" They then try to run using various poisons and wards, but I simply scoff and use alchemy to grab them all with the cement underneath us and grip them all in large cement hands. I would yawn in boredom, but I am enjoying this feeling.

As I walked over to them, one of them yelled, "Why are you doing this spear user? Should you not be with us against those bastard clans and their useless gods!?"

"I don't even know who you are," I said, which made them fall silent as I walked over to their ladder, and with my new form, I was actually taller than him. As he looks me in the blindfold, he spits towards me and says with spite.

"I will tell you nothing foreign, swine! If you do not release us, you will have all of Japan after you. If you don't, it does not matter, as I will give you nothing!" His attempts to resist are amusing at best, but I simply de-summon my spear and place my palm on his face, and as it glows with power, all I can say to that is.

"You make it sound like I need your permission to learn everything about you. How about this? You tell me what you know, and I don't reach into your soul and pull the answers from your drooling mess of a soulless husk." The threat makes the men behind him start to shake, yet he seems very thickheaded as he laughs.

"I always thought that you were a fraud, but this is disappointing! Mental and soul magics are long-lost arts! How can you know them or even use them?! You are bluffing!" A sigh reaches my lips as I simply then grasp his face with both hands, and as he shouts out in pain, I reach into his mind and soul.

While he was right, in a way, my abilities surpass what could be known in this world, and I see him in conversation with Hanezu Himejima.

"Himejima-Sama, it seems a foreign witch has arrived from the Magicians Association Grauzauberer. What shall be done?" The man then turned around to look at my interviewee and simply handed him a bunch of seals.

"Take care of her. Our work is too close to completion to be found out now. Especially by those foreign magicians, so simply lure her away and use these seals on her, and they should temporarily disable her magic for a short while. If you complete this quietly, you will be rewarded." I could feel the desire flowing from the guy as he nodded reverently, but I had learned enough.

I then take my hands off of his face as I see hand mark burns that then fade away as he cries and sobs in pain as I was not very gentle with him like I was Sigurd. 

I then looked to the rest of them and saw if I could find any other information from them, but they knew nothing. So I then simply waved a finger at them, and all their heads were disintegrated.

The final one that I mind-raped simply watched in horror as he tried to beg, "Wait! Wait! Shouldn't you support us in this!? We are fellow humans! We are simply trying to replace a broken system! Please let me live! I could lead you to our base! We could end those five clans together!" All he gets is a small chuckle that turns into laughter from me.

I could sense the pure amount of lies he was speaking, and even if they did succeed, their organization was already as corrupt as the five principal clans. They simply would have just replaced the leadership and killed anyone who disagreed with them. 

Honestly, I do not fault them as that's what I would do, but trying to play the human card, really? After laughing, I simply just curl my right arm into a fist as his head explodes in yellow light.

Some blood does spray from the explosion, but my imaginary numbers and mana skin keep the blood from hitting me. As I disintegrate their bodies so that they may receive no burial, I look to the white witch as I ask her, "So it seems that I am not the only one touring this country. But I must ask why you summoned me here?"

Her stare remains blocked by her large hat, and her body shakes with emotion as she then looks up at me in excitement and bubbly happiness. It was at that moment I realized that I messed up.

(Lavinia Reni POV)

So cool!

The entrance! The look! The magic! All of it was amazing!

I walked up to him but made sure not to disable my sacred gear just in case. I walked up to him and asked, "Hello, Spear-Kun, I am the representative of the Grauzauberer, the amazing witch Lavinia Reni."

The man simply looked at me like I was some alien creature, which made me slightly annoyed, but my attitude would make it through his shell. I will make sure of it!

He then sighs, grips my hand, and does a slight bow while kissing my hand, which may or may not have been one of my fantasies, but no one can prove anything!

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Lady Reni, but I must ask why this less than fine fellows were trying to kill you?" His question is met with me looking into his blindfold, yet I could feel the burning gaze he was giving me. After surviving the unfair look he was giving me, I then straightened myself and said.

"Well, I was sent by Lord Mephisto to investigate the Aloha Cruise Liner disappearance, and my investigation led me here, and these men I thought were the contacts I was supposed to meet."

"So you just followed random men into an abandoned warehouse without any authentication?" Don't make it sound so dumb, Spear-Kun!

"No! I was just distracted, that was all!" His raised eyebrows showed otherwise, but I elected to ignore him as he sighed and said.

'Lady Reni-" He tried to say the unfamiliar noun.

"Lavinia," I said.

'Lady Lavinia," He corrected.

"Lavinia," I responded.

"Lavinia," he said.

"Lady Lavinia, wait, no!" He then chuckled at that as I pouted, and he patted my hat too, which I will never admit felt nice.

"Well, Lady Lavinia, I am Cao Cao. It's nice to meet you, and it seems that we are here for the same purpose as I was also investigating that disappearance but for different reasons." Oh, another mystery!

"What is it?" I ask seriously as he turns away with his clothing billowing behind him. I wonder how someone could look so cool so easily.

"My apologies, but I am unable to tell you what this current moment. Besides, it is just a theory, but primarily, I am here to locate the missing people, as allowing an organization to take so many people unpunished will set a bad precedent for the supernatural world. Even now, the world is not so kind to normal humans. I would appreciate the help, but I can do this on my own." he then prepares to leave, but I then ask.

"Wait, what did you learn from the boss?" he simply formed a piece of paper and threw it at me. I caught the paper using some force-lessening magic, and it showed some coordinates. 

He was already gone before I could ask where this place was, but the words "We will meet again if you can get there fast enough. Also, don't call me Spear-Kun in your head."

I stomped my foot in frustration as he seemed so cool and so annoying, and I could even feel my doll judging me as I pulled my hat down in embarrassment. I wondered if he would be willing to show me more magic. I also gave him a good reprimand for reading my surface thoughts.

(I hope I got Lavinia's character somewhat right as I was never a reader of Slash Dog)