[42] The Red Guardian

However...

Despite this, Gaia and Alaya didn't directly target the women who approached Kurokawa Kazuya.

Instead...

Two magus took action.

The lifelong goal of many magus was to reach The Root.

However, almost all of them had failed.

The few who had genuinely reached The Root often got lost within it, losing themselves and becoming mere husks, eventually vanishing both physically and spiritually.

There were only five magus who had truly gained power from The Root—

These five, to distinguish them from ordinary magus, and among them, they were referred to as the "Magicians."

Or it could be put the other way around.

It was precisely because of the existence of the Magicians that they were called Magus. In the mundane world, there were magicians, but these magicians merely used tricks of the senses and visuals.

For magus, being associated with these tricksters might have been an indignity, and that was one of the reasons they sought to change and become Magicians.

As for why those who reached The Root were called Magicians while those who hadn't were called Magus...

This might be due to the power of their fists, and it's highly likely that "The combined strength of the five magicians surpasses that of all the magus in the world put together."

Of course, these details weren't important.

The existence that had cast suggestive spells on those women, making them attracted to Kurokawa Kazuya, was actually two magus—

In the mystical world, they might be obscure, but they were undoubtedly powerful Magus. They had once touched The Root but had inevitably failed. The position of a Magician was limited; it wasn't something just anyone could achieve. Because of their contact with The Root's corruption, their minds had been slightly affected.

Previously, the Counter Force had instructed both magus to influence many women to approach Kurokawa Kazuya. However, due to some obstacles, now they were no longer needed. In fact, both magus had value for Counter Force only once, and afterward, they could be eliminated.

So, after deliberation, Alaya decided to send a Counter Guardian to eliminate this potential threat. 

Because Alaya and Gaia could only provide subtle hints to both magus, using these hints, they made this Magus believe they possessed the advanced ability of "Enhanced Clairvoyance," a power that had been exclusive to a few Magus during the Age of the Gods. This allowed them to see the future and notice that something was amiss with Kurokawa Kazuya, prompting them to start probing.

In this way, Gaia and Alaya might temporarily relent, but both misguided Magus could genuinely pose a threat to Kurokawa Kazuya's life.

This was not allowed.

So—

Alaya dispatched a Counter Guardian to eliminate both Magus who might threaten the entire world!

...

"Really, am I the only one available?" The Red Guardian looked at the gray-cloaked magus in the distance and sighed slightly.

He opened his hand slightly.

A bow appeared in his hand—

An arrow appeared in his other hand.

Hrunting!

Countless arrows were shot at the magus several kilometers away.

"Counter Force?" The cloaked magus's face changed, and with his abundant experience, he immediately realized that he had come into contact with Counter Force's henchman, Counter Guardian!

But how had this happened?

He hadn't done anything, so how had he come into contact with Counter Force?

Swish—

The gray space appeared for an instant and then disappeared, and the arrows shot by The Red Guardian vanished—

"Oh, it's not for nothing that you once came close to The Root... You're quite powerful." The Red Guardian smiled. He had received information from Alaya, so he understood the situation. This magus had encountered Counter Guardians more than once.

He had come close to The Root twice, but both times ended in failure. The first time, he had encountered Counter Force and fled. The second time, he had found a way to bypass Counter Force and truly reach The Root. However, at that critical moment, he hadn't obtained true magic; instead, he had nearly died!

If he died in such a way, even the memories of his acquaintances about him would disappear.

He would become a part of The Root, dying—

Such beings, like him, probably numbered only a few in the world during this era, not many more than Magicians. Because their lifespans were short, once they touched The Root, if they succeeded, it was good, but if they failed, they didn't have many years left to live. However, they possessed formidable power, placing them at the pinnacle among magus. Moreover, the Counter Force could provide some mental suggestions when necessary.

They could be considered valuable pawns.

However, now was the time to remove this pawn!

"Want to run? That's not going to happen..." The Red Guardian, watching the gray-clad magus attempting to escape through the various buildings, drew his bow and transformed his sword into an arrow.

Caladbolg!

That was the name of the Noble Phantasm he intended to use now.

However, at that very moment, his arm trembled slightly, and the arrow vanished.

"Alright, alright, I got it..."

The Red Guardian sighed and disappeared.

He didn't turn into a spirit form; rather, he was shifted in position by Alaya, who could transfer not only through worlds and time but also over distances.

When the red guardian reappeared, he was right in front of the gray-clad magus.

"So fast!" The gray magus was about to say more when the scenery before him suddenly changed.

It turned into a red world with several large gears in the sky and countless swords on the ground.

"Reality Marble?"

"Yes, indeed... the boss behind me didn't want me to cause too much commotion in the real world. Although I don't know your capabilities, if I want to unleash my power without causing a disturbance in the real world, this is the best choice, right?"

After that...

What happened next was simply a one-way massacre...

Boom, boom, boom...

The mission was successfully completed.

This magus, no matter how strong he was, was no match for the counter guardian who had ascended to the Throne of Heroes.

Although he regretted sitting in this position, he felt he needed to do something to reaffirm his initial thoughts when he ascended to the Throne of Heroes and became a Counter Guardian.

But it was probably impossible; the boss behind him had some dark intentions.

Taking a vacation, caring about his thoughts... it was highly unlikely.

"Well, where's the other one? Send me there."

The red guardian said and then disappeared.

He went to deal with another magus.

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