Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 519 - 455: The Desire for Revenge

Chapter 519: Chapter 455: The Desire for Revenge

After her proper memories were restored, Tenjouin Zina’s fury soared to the heavens, her belly full of grievances.

How dare they?

She, a Dominator Witch born into a distinguished family, had suffered mental interference! The feeling of being fooled was like ants gnawing at her heart.

For this, she would have her revenge.

Tenjouin Zina was extraordinarily talented and had never received training. Yet, her breakthroughs were still extremely smooth, becoming a Dominator without any obstructions. Even so, she had no interest in fighting and had always intended to conceal her identity as a witch. In her youth, she was a heavy-duty homebody who flipped through comics, watched videos, and played games from dawn to dusk, later working for sixty years at Kyoto Infinity Animation Production Department.

Although powerful, Zina had never intended to use her Time Stop magic for anything, nor did she want to get involved in any worldly issues. Still, she ended up being exploited to this extent! This was unbearable, especially since "Siphon!" was supposed to release its trailer today, but now the original work was nowhere to be found.

...And that Tenjouin Kiriyari, she was seventy years his senior! To think she had actually interacted with him back and forth!

At this thought, Tenjouin Zina almost disgusted herself.

She decided to seal off Xisheng Shrine.

Zina accumulated magic power in her hands, more aware than other witches of the differences in magic properties, as her magic inherently possessed the attribute of "stop," making it difficult to activate. Consequently, channeling her magic was much slower than others.

It took about tens of seconds for the magic to be deployed, reaching sufficient mass, appearing like cotton fluff, a grayish haze capable of destroying all mobility.

Then, she opened her palms, released it downward, and instantly subdued the entire Xisheng Shrine!

In an instant, everything from the top-floor tea room to the bottom-level engine room, all life and mechanical power came to a halt.

This quieted down the noisy shrine, saving her the bother of interference.

Tenjouin Zina pondered her strategy and sorted through her memories.

How shameful... She had cooed and coddled with that lecherous, loathsome brat Kiriyari, scrambled around for the young witch Minamoto Makoto, who was still wet behind the ears, fell out with her family elders, and even tied Kyoto Infinity to the war chariot of New Xisheng, allowing them to detain the fox-faced... With these acts over the past few days, Tenjouin Zina was overwhelmed with humiliation and rage, determined to exact severe revenge on them!

That once awe-inspiring and glamorous Xisheng Group was history, leaving behind weak-natured descendants to squander the vast legacy of Honma Noriko.

These dirty, selfish beings filled Tenjouin Zina with extreme anger.

"Everyone in this room," Tenjouin Zina shouted to the Quantum Warriors, Iron Guards, ninjas lurking in the shadows, and the witches from the Nestor Special Task Force, "make the most of these 30 minutes! This is going to be the most peaceful half hour of your lives... Reflect, reflect, I say!"

Afterward, Tenjouin Zina left with a flick of her sleeve, starting to clean up the aftermath.

The most peaceful 30 minutes of life! Those words were no exaggeration... unable to move.

Their thoughts were trapped within the confined space of their brains, completely unable to move arms or legs.

Absolute stillness, and from the looks of it, the concept of "movement" seemed to have been eradicated; they couldn’t change their position and had to remain in place.

Those who were blown away by the shock wave in the tea room also maintained a static position in mid-air, the blood oozing from wounds on their bodies was sticky, and despite being severe hemorrhagic open wounds that could be fatal, no blood fell outward.

It was excruciating! Even scarier than Time Stop. Shallow Dream thought to herself.

She still maintained a half-kneeling shooting posture, holding her small-caliber sniper rifle, aiming to take out the Quantum Warrior.

Shallow Dream’s muscles were completely relaxed as if her body was evenly placed in a metal mold crafted perfectly to her outline, making it utterly impossible to move even an inch, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

Luckily, Tenjouin Zina’s Time Stop magic would last at most 30 minutes, so there was still a glimmer of hope. If such a despairing state of stillness were to persist forever, Shallow Dream feared she would go mad instantly.

Because her style favored long-range combat, Shallow Dream was situated at the very edge of the tea room and could clearly observe the overall situation.

The private sanatorium, heavily financed by Honma Noriko, had become a chaotic battlefield. She could see dozens of metal bullets frozen in their flight; it was uncertain if the bullets would continue their trajectory once the Time Stop magic wore off. If they did indeed strike, they might create several bullet holes in Witch Armor 102, who had endured too much!

And there was Mizuiro Yoshioka, who had released ink enveloping a security staff member holding a submachine gun, completely covering the person’s entire face and upper body.

That person might have had a chance to clear the ink from his airways, but now he was forced into this delicate and terrifying state, slowly dying in extreme anguish and a pitiable suffocation.

That fellow had parents too, what a pity. Shallow Dream suddenly thought. Because of the conflict, they had to fight to the death here.

Where did this intense conflict originate from?

She felt hatred and fury from both sides; both parties had deep-seated resentments and ample reasons to wish the other dead. Now, rendered immobile, the twisted expressions of loathing on the faces of corporate personnel became even more apparent.

Shallow Dream had been implanted with the "Rare Factor" created by the Kyoto Infinite Z10 Research Institute, specially cultivated to be a witch, with the Rare Factor greatly increasing the chance of a powerful witch appearing among infants. Other witches bred in the same batch were culled between the ages of six and twelve because their magic wasn’t up to par, and the researchers needed to recycle the Rare Factors.

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Rescued, escaped, and now fully armed atop the Xisheng Shrine, Shallow Dream had traveled a long road and was particularly lucid at this moment.

She clearly knew the answer; this conflict had transcended the scope of ordinary corporate struggles for profit, touching on fundamental ideological differences.

Some people are instinctively opposed to corporatism!

There are those who consciously reject a system that benefits only the very few, loathe societal norms, vehemently oppose the profit-only values, devotedly aid the disadvantaged, cease unconscious collusion with corporations, embark on a path of resolute resistance, to put an end to the privileges of those vested in power—their fight is to forge a pathway through the despair of darkness—

With nothing to do, she could only indulge in wild thoughts. While considering these rather exciting notions, Shallow Dream saw 101 leap back into the tea room.

was surprised to find that everyone was frozen, and their expressions were extremely subtle, struggling to make minute facial movements. With their actions restricted, all they could do was to tremble their eyebrows slightly or twitch their facial muscles a tad.

Shallow Dream had never thought that simply being able to walk around could be a source of superiority. Now, she could only watch enviously as 101 savored the precious right to move freely within the tea room, becoming the sole great being and freeman here.

As 101 strolled about, Shallow Dream noticed Seeking Shadow still lying on the ground, right hand raising the Ion Sword forward, poised to strike when the opportunity arose—an embodiment of patience in the room, for it was of mechanical mind and lacked feelings, merely operating in a low-power mode.

101’s footsteps eventually halted beside the formidable Quantum Warrior, who grasped "Shilou Maru," ready for battle, with steady steps and a ferocious stance, yet unable to launch an attack regardless.

The mightiest of beasts now seemed particularly vulnerable before 101, like a comical child.

forcefully pulled "Shilou Maru" from the Quantum Warrior’s hand.

She swung the heavy, immensely powerful Tech Weapon through the air, this divine blade now entirely 101’s treasure, making a pleasant hum as it sliced the air.

This was the most suitable weapon for 101, Shallow Dream thought to herself. The supremely sharp Shilou Maru, a lethal weapon custom-made by Xisheng Company for its samurais, paired with teleportation magic power, would make 101 a top assassin without a single flaw!

She observed carefully: what would 101 do with Shilou Maru?

then aimed Shilou Maru at the head of the Quantum Warrior, who was unable to move, its eyes flashing intensely once.

"Fight me." The Quantum Warrior managed to emit synthesized electronic speech even while its chassis was immobilized.

did not waver. She brought the sword down with great force, cutting off the Quantum Warrior’s head.

Shallow Dream watched with wide eyes; all the martial skills of the Quantum Warrior were now worthless!

nodded slightly, claiming "Shilou Maru" as her own.

Meanwhile, Tenjouin Shino approached the upper terrace of the Xisheng Shrine, calling for her family’s Shuttle Machine to provide support.

She distinguished cause and consequence from her memories, gathered every detail, and now had to carefully consider her position in this war.

Helping the New Xisheng Group again was out of the question; she wasn’t that desperate.

Working with Nestor Corporation, seeking an honest opportunity for cooperation, might be a better plan.

The presence of Lu Jing in the tea room suggested that Nestor Corporation was not isolated here and still had external support, in a state of forming alliances.

Thorough communication was necessary... respecting each other’s positions, as the opposing side had both convictions and strategy. Clear terms of mutual benefit were needed for collaboration.

With that thought, Tenjouin Shino contacted Lila Nestor.

"Mrs. Nestor," Tenjouin Shino initiated the communication, "due to some personal disagreements, I have decided to leave the New Xisheng Group and, instead, offer my assistance to you. I am currently at the Xisheng Shrine, where I’ve encountered your Special Task Force, but I have not harmed them."

"The Xisheng Shrine is our target," Lila responded promptly.

"Yes, and I have halted everything, minimizing the risk of taking it over. As the newly appointed president of Kyoto Infinity, I assure you of my willingness to cooperate and hope that Nestor Corporation will ensure my safety."

"I am aware," said Lila, understandingly, "Now let our two sides join forces to clear out and thoroughly take over Xisheng Shrine."

Now, only one last issue remained.

An unresolved question lingered in Tenjouin Shino’s mind.

With a last shred of hope, Tenjouin Shino posed her final question.

"Do you really not watch anime at all?" she asked hesitantly.

"I don’t," said Lila.

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