Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 517 - 454: Anti-Magic Power

Chapter 517: Chapter 454: Anti-Magic Power

Tenjouin Kiriyara looked out the window.

He saw a commercial building in the distance, its facade one giant screen of rolling advertisements, now cycling through a soda commercial. Handsome men and beautiful women held refreshing drinks, reveling on the beach, strolling, and drinking heartily. But the most important corner logo had been shattered by a stray shell, leaving behind a massive black hole that took up a quarter of the screen, rendering all the actions of the advertisement’s protagonists hollow.

Everyone says corporatism splurges money like dirt, that war could be avoided with enough funds. Yet how much would it take to buy off Nestor Corporation? Would they stop their offensive for a trillion funds? Perhaps, but she would use that money to bolster her forces and strike again.

They were a system that couldn’t be conquered with financial measures, a force that was soaring and angry, a fierce desire for revenge. As the conflict progressed, Tenjouin Kiriyara now felt it clearly.

"Why are you still here?" Tenjouin Zina burst in to see Kiriyara standing in the empty command center, "You’re the only one left!"

The others had already left. Staff officers, executives, nobles, and partners had boarded Orochi, the safest place in Shangjing.

For fear of the Ancient Witch’s Wind of Slaughter, Orochi had not yet engaged in battle and was planning to evacuate Shangjing to seek refuge on the Taixi Continent.

Tenjouin Zina went through the list and found that only her nephew was missing, so she hurried over to check on him.

Seeing his aunt’s concern, Tenjouin Kiriyara felt somewhat relieved.

"Street combat doesn’t need my command," explained Kiriyara, "and the warship troops know what to do. I can take a break for a bit. Many people in the warship troops have served Orochi for generations; they know all of its capabilities."

The central urban area of Shangjing was very safe, and Kiriyara couldn’t see Nestor’s forces advancing from here. Even given a lifetime, they wouldn’t be able to breach Shangjing, only a company with an overwhelming military force like Black Fire Innovation could force a breakthrough. And the tiny Nestor Corporation would silently drown in the city without causing a ripple.

"But you’re anxious," frowned Tenjouin Zina.

"I truly dislike working for the children of Xisheng," said Tenjouin Kiriyara, "Xisheng and Kyoto Infinity are prosperous... until they grow like tumors. The companies used to run well under professional managers, and now these princes and scions have to prove themselves."

"They have money, that’s enough."

"There’s also the Xisheng Shrine," Kiriyara analyzed slowly, "They’re sure to attack it. It’s inevitable, and once the shrine falls, it will be time for Orochi to set sail and leave, and for New Xisheng to declare defeat."

"Xisheng Shrine is a strategic location and has elite guards like Quantum Warriors and those iron guards."

"Nestor Corporation has teleportation Magic Power and quite potent Battle Witches," Kiriyara reminded.

"Then I’ll go guard the Xisheng Shrine," Tenjouin Zina said seriously, "Protecting Shangjing is my duty, and I’ve been doing this for a very long time... long before you were born."

Kiriyara gazed at the eternally youthful Tenjouin Zina.

He had been infatuated with his aunt’s appearance since his adolescence, craving her over and over. These past few days their interactions surpassed all previous total encounters, thanks to Minamoto Makoto’s help.

Tenjouin Kiriyara got up and walked towards Zina, emboldened, took her hand, and Zina also felt at peace, remembering her deep relationship with Kiriyara.

"Auntie..."

"Don’t worry, child," Tenjouin Zina nodded to him with a gentle tone, "I will guard the Xisheng Shrine."

Kiriyara felt a fervent warmth and nodded repeatedly. He had often dreamed of such a scene, and now he was experiencing it firsthand.

"We will live together," Zina whispered to him, "after everything is over."

Tenjouin Kiriyara smiled. He was lost in a dream, having never seen such tenderness in his aunt’s eyes before... replacing all past impressions of her cold and angry glare, Zina was indeed a very fierce Witch once.

"I understand," Kiriyara nodded, "Now... it’s time to face the battle."

The siege of the Xisheng Shrine was about to begin.

The Xisheng Shrine was not only Honma Noriko’s residence but also the core data center of Xisheng, the hub for all important data flows, storing all of New Xisheng’s secrets, including the ultimate answers not even the Hundred-eyes Demon could discover, all backed up deep within the Shrine.

If it were occupied or damaged, the entirety of New Xisheng’s operations would suffer a severe blow.

At the moment, even with efforts to evacuate, data on critical projects like transportation, finances, human resources, management, and securities were still being stored and operated in the Xisheng Shrine. With an enormous volume of data, it wasn’t easy to relocate. In fact, the Xisheng Shrine had long served as the backup center for other key databases, with endless and invaluable data. Who in the past dared to invade the Xisheng Shrine? This place had always been considered the safest in the Northern Archipelago, with the group’s business mechanisms all rooted in the building, and it was too crucial to fail.

Tens of thousands of senior employees, such as data analysts, fund managers, investment consultants, traders, and software engineers, had flaunted wealth in peacetime, and now they hastily packed, ordered to leave the Xisheng Shrine as soon as possible, trembling in fear that Xisheng’s dazzling sign would shatter overnight. If their cash flow stopped and their highly leveraged financial chains broke, they would become prisoners of immense debts.

To defend the Xisheng Shrine to the death, after clearing out unrelated personnel, those left behind in the Shrine were all elite edges, including Power Armored Soldiers, Semi-Mechanical Military Police, Heavy Armored Enforcers, Senior Mercenaries, Battle Witches, and Nano Armor Special Forces, converging all reliable military power of the New Xisheng Group.