funbook-pk Chapter 302 The Gold That Blocks the Demon
Chapter 302 The Gold That Blocks the Demon
Gold? What the organization has in abundance is high-purity gold that's hard to sell!
Kuromon Haruya almost laughed with relief, but then she thought about it again and felt something was wrong.
If it were just a small amount of gold, Koizumi Akako could easily obtain it with her irresistible charm. Her request, which she finds difficult to articulate, must be more complex!
After a moment's consideration, Kuromon Haruya nodded under her expectant gaze.
“No problem, but the amount I can conveniently allocate right now is only…” He stretched out his left arm from right to left, encompassing the entire basement space, and gestured with his hand, “This much.”
That's about enough to fill the basement.
Following the instruction, Koizumi Akako looked at the small round table beneath his palm—did it mean the tabletop was covered with gold bars?
She stroked her chin, trying to figure out how long all those gold bars would last, only to discover... mental arithmetic really is difficult!
But it will definitely be fine after using it for a while.
"Alright, let's make do with this for now! Next, let's use the crystal ball to materialize your prophecy, and while you're at it, give me anything related to the Raven Demon that you have on you."
Kuromon Haruya took off the small whistle from her necklace and handed it to Akako.
"The bird whistle buried under the Tower of London was used to summon crows within a five-kilometer radius. Ordinary people could use it, but they would get their heads covered in bird droppings for a week."
"Hmph~ It does indeed have the scent of feathers."
After examining it in her palm for a moment, Koizumi Akako grabbed a large piece of parchment from the drawer. The instant the quill tip touched the parchment, the blood-red ink suddenly boiled. The liquid, as if guided by an invisible compass, flowed automatically, drawing three precise and perfect concentric circles.
Kuromon Haruya stood to the side with great interest: "Akako-sensei, I want to learn this!"
Koizumi Akako waved her hand without turning her head: "These are runes for summoning demons. Someone like you, who already has a sect leader's servant, can't use them."
Oh, it was just a magic circle to summon the Raven Demon...
"Wait?! Why did you summon me, my sect leader? Why not send another demon instead?"
He threw himself onto the parchment, demonstrating his protest with his actions: "No way!"
For forty years since he inherited Nigredo's position, Heimon Haruya has never been summoned. Who knows what might have happened!
He almost pictured that horrific scene: his lower body stuck in place, while his upper body crawled out of the parchment covered in strange runes—
Koizumi Akako was somewhat surprised by his resistance: "Judging from how easily you joked around before, I thought you two got along very well!"
That's because the concept of "family reunion" simply doesn't exist. Kuromon Haruya glanced sideways.
Perhaps because he had suppressed his abilities to the level of an ordinary person for a long time, when she first met Koizumi Akako, the witch clearly mistook her for a very capable "demon familiar" rather than a demon.
He neither confirmed nor denied this misconception—claiming himself to be the devil would only increase the danger.
Yoya Kuromon sighed: "My relationship with that person isn't very good. He'd rather see me struggling in despair than demand a price."
"It's impossible to find another demon. Lucifer is the king of hell, and all evil spirits could become his subordinates unless you can find another safe and reliable demon."
"How about we try another way to seek help from gods and Buddhas?"
"In your past journeys in search of the mysteries, have the spirits of the temples ever responded in any way?"
Koizumi Akako expressed the same regret, stroking the crystal ball's translucent surface. A trace of deep red power, like ink, dissipated into nothingness before it could take shape: "Only a demon can fight a demon. If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to risk tempting another demon to perform the ritual."
A heavy silence hung over the Crimson Witch's forehead like a burlap sack. She should have been able to act recklessly with her talent and beauty, but instead, she had to bear a heavy fate.
“...Alright, then at least wait until I leave here before proceeding.” Kuromon Haruya broke the silence, a pale smile spreading across his face. “A flower-loving messenger like myself would not wish to witness the vibrant red magic wither away.”
"Thank you." For the first time, Koizumi Akako set aside her arrogance and sincerely thanked him for his efforts.
The young man smiled and shook his head, waving as he walked towards the exit from the basement to the outside world, without even saying anything more to lighten the mood—Koizumi Akako was becoming increasingly convinced that summoning the Raven Demon had a huge impact on him.
People tend to value actions more than words. Therefore, by exaggerating information gaps and fabricating claims of losses suffered due to someone or something, intelligence agents can quickly build rapport with targets without incurring any losses themselves, inducing emotions such as gratitude and guilt in the latter.
Emerging from the dark, shadowy safe house, Heimen Yaoye turned on the power switch and, lying on the dusty bed, instructed, "Hong, monitor my physical condition from now on, just in case."
The camera in the corner of the room was deflected.
[All monitoring equipment has been activated]
......
Koizumi Akako's fingertip traced the surface of the crystal ball, and the blood-ink runes suddenly lit up, extinguishing all the candles in the basement and leaving only the scarlet halo at the center of the magic circle:
"In the name of the Crimson Witch, I summon the shadow of the contract to appear here!"
The air suddenly froze, and the runes on the parchment began to writhe as if alive, the blood ink boiling and releasing a rusty mist.
Click, click, click.
It sounded like ice cracking.
In the center of the magic circle, a figure wearing a black mask with a crying and laughing expression slowly emerged.
His figure was tall and slender, yet his back seemed bent under some invisible weight. In the shadows beneath the mask, a pair of cold eyes could be vaguely seen. Frost covered his shoulders, and the hem of his robe fluttered without wind, dripping with half-congealed blood.
Koizumi Akako's fingers tightened slightly, and fine cracks appeared on the surface of the crystal ball—something was wrong!
This was no ordinary demonic contract summoning, nor any kind of evil spirit she was familiar with; it might even be more powerful than Lucifer!
"I've heard so much about you, the rebellious Crimson Witch~"
He raised his right hand high, making an exaggerated and flamboyant bow like a theatrical actor. His voice was hoarse, like syllables produced by a frostbitten throat, yet it carried a strange sense of pleasure.
Koizumi Akako raised her scythe, took a half-step back, and deeply regretted bringing Dracula out because of the prophecy:
"You demon summoned here, quickly reveal your name!"
"Name?" The masked man tilted his head, ice crystals falling from his hair with the movement. "Let me think... You can use my localized name—Karasuma."
This is another bad sign. According to the Koizumi family's traditional ritual, the summoning spell should have a binding effect on demons, making them at least able to reveal their true names.
He stretched out his body and reached out his left hand to pick up a strand of dark red hair.
Crack, crackle!
A deadly bolt of lightning exploded instantly, yet he chuckled dismissively, utterly disdainful. The powerful demon-resistant barrier seemed like nothing more than a tickle. His light tone sent chills down Koizumi Akako's spine:
"If I withdraw my hand, will this little trick bring you any comfort?"
The demon lightly jumped off the round table, tiptoed, and curiously examined every detail of the basement. He occasionally made soft "thudding" sounds as his tongue tapped against his palate, like a curious blackbird.
As a precaution, Koizumi Akako had no choice but to follow his lead, wielding her scythe and responding to his evasive dance moves: "You wicked Karasuma, I need you..."
"Shh, shh, shh."
The phantom appeared, and the demon pressed his hand to her red lips, covering them tightly: "Time is money, let's get straight to the point."
"I come from the past, present, and future. There is no secret in the world that I do not know, including the reason you summoned me. My answer is, a piece of cake, no problem at all."
But in return, I want you to give him that incomplete resurrection array, to Kuromon Haruya. Last Crimson Witch, this is your last chance. No need for an answer, just nod or shake your head.
His words were polite, but his tone, which left no room for refusal, implied that Koizumi Akako had no choice but to nod.
Her hand gripping the sickle trembled slightly, and she nodded heavily.
"Good girl." The demon withdrew his hand, wiped it on the hem of his clothes with no attempt to hide his disgust, and leaped back onto the parchment.
Snapped.
The crisp snap of fingers, like the tolling of bells, echoed in every corner of the mansion. Instantly, a sense of security, that "I am under some kind of protection and not threatened," welled up in my heart, warmer than drinking a cup of hot cocoa on a winter's day.
"Deal done."
The demon stomped his foot, and black and red sparks instantly ignited from the edge of the parchment—this gentleman, of course, had the freedom to choose where he came from and where he went.
Before the black ink gradually faded away, he deliberately dragged out his words, instructing:
"By the way, as a commission, I will take away a portion of Kuromon Haruya's memories and any unnecessary malice. Please pass on this message for me; he will understand without needing to say anything more."
"And if you dare to conceal the additional costs from my retinue again—for example, if you think that the summoning will only attract the attention of Lucifer, rather than the mystical side of the entire Japanese territory—I will turn you into a red door, a red door overflowing with juice and built of flesh and blood."