Chapter 713: The Approaching Endgame

"Click—"

The door of the Mysterious Shop was pushed open slowly, and a white figure appeared at the entrance.

"Mr. Lingyun." After stepping into the shop, the figure bowed slightly toward Lingyun.

"Origami, are you the only one who came today?" Lingyun asked with some confusion as he looked at Tobiichi Origami, who had appeared before him.

"Yes." Tobiichi Origami nodded.

Although Lingyun had previously had Itsuka Shido reverse history, causing everyone to forget the events of the previous World Line, Tobiichi Origami and Itsuka Shido seemed to have retained their memories of the previous World Line because they had been tainted by Lingyun's Time Power.

Not long ago, the Tobiichi Origami of the new World Line had also transferred to Raizen High School, reuniting with Itsuka Shido once again. However, even in this new World Line, Tobiichi Origami and Yatogami Tohka were just as much at odds as before, and their bickering had made Itsuka Shido's daily life much more "colorful."

Regarding what she had experienced, Tobiichi Origami felt immense gratitude toward Lingyun in her heart. It was he who gave Itsuka Shido the chance to save her from committing a grave mistake, preventing her from becoming the murderer who killed her own parents; thinking back to that despair, she still felt lingering fear even now.

"This is a small gift I made myself; I hope you will accept it." Tobiichi Origami took an exquisite gift box out of her school bag.

"Alright, I will accept this." Lingyun took the gift box from Tobiichi Origami's hands.

He noticed that in this new World Line, Tobiichi Origami's smiles seemed to have increased. Compared to the previous World Line, the current Tobiichi Origami held no hatred for Spirits in her heart, though her obsession with Itsuka Shido seemed even more severe than before—he wondered if that was because Itsuka Shido had saved her parents.

"By the way, why didn't I see Shido today?" Lingyun asked.

"Today? He went on a date with a Spirit who speaks entirely in archaic language," Tobiichi Origami said.

"A Spirit who speaks entirely in archaic language?" Lingyun raised an eyebrow. "Could it be Hoshimiya Mukuro?"

"Mr. Lingyun really knows everything!" There was an inexplicable tone in Tobiichi Origami's voice.

"Perhaps." Lingyun shrugged and said, "By the way, how did you discover Hoshimiya Mukuro?"

"Ha, that was discovered by a crew member on the Fraxinus EX while they were organizing the space footage records of the previous satellite crash incident. When we first discovered it, we were all shocked; who would have thought that a Spirit could survive in space, and even remain suspended in low Earth orbit," Tobiichi Origami said. "This Spirit is really a difficult person to deal with; even Shido had to put in quite a lot of effort!"

"So that's how it is. It seems she really is an interesting person; perhaps I can meet her if there's a chance." Lingyun nodded slightly.

After Tobiichi Origami left, Tokisaki Kurumi's figure suddenly emerged from behind Lingyun.

"Lingyun, Hoshimiya Mukuro has appeared. Does this mean that Takamiya Mio is about to appear again as well?"

"It's possible. If that's the case, I need to add an insurance policy for the Spirits in Itsuka Shido's house. If something happens, it would be hard to handle. None of them are a match for Takamiya Mio right now." Lingyun beckoned casually, and specks of silver light appeared in his hand.

The silver light gathered in his hand, eventually forming seven silver Seal Bracelets.

"Yatogami Tohka, Tobiichi Origami, Itsuka Kotori, Yamai Kaguya, Yamai Yuzuru, Hoshimiya!"

"By the way, do you know what Westcott has been doing lately?" Lingyun asked.

"I'm not sure about that either. During this time, he seems to have been trying to stabilize DEM Industries; after all, there are many forces eyeing DEM Industries right now. If he loses DEM Industries, he won't be able to execute his plans, no matter how many methods he has," Tokisaki Kurumi said.

"No, I always feel that his affairs won't be that simple," Lingyun said. "Perhaps he is already plotting something in the shadows."

"Then should I go and find him?" Tokisaki Kurumi asked.

"That won't be necessary. Isn't it better to let interesting things jump out on their own?" A faint, inexplicable smile played on the corners of Lingyun's mouth.

In the apartment built by Ratatoskr specifically for the Spirits.

"Where did you get this thing?" Itsuka Kotori asked, looking at the several Spirits in front of her with curiosity.

"This? The shopkeeper gave it to us!" Yatogami Tohka waved her hand at her excitedly, then took out another bracelet and handed it to Itsuka Kotori. "By the way, Kotori, this one is for you!"

"Eh, even I have one?" Itsuka Kotori took the bracelet with curiosity. "Why would Mr. Lingyun give us something like this for no reason?"

"I don't know about that either. Mr. Lingyun said that you must keep this on your person," Itsuka Shido said.

"Must keep it on my person? It seems he might know something extraordinary," Itsuka Kotori said. "Since he said so, let's wear the bracelets for this period of time!"

Just as Itsuka Shido and the other Spirits were gathered together in a joyful atmosphere, a figure covered entirely in a mosaic effect appeared abruptly in the empty sky.

If Tobiichi Origami were here, she would certainly recognize that this figure was the mysterious person who had previously bestowed a Spirit Crystal upon her and was later hunted by her when she returned to five years ago—Phantom.

"Has it finally reached this time period? Although there is a slight discrepancy compared to the expected situation, this is enough. As long as I retrieve all of my power, I will be able to complete my plan. Wait for me, my love, we will be reunited soon. This time, it will definitely succeed. By then, no matter who it is, they will absolutely, absolutely never be able to separate us!" Phantom whispered, then vanished into the air.

Inside the Mysterious Shop, Lingyun suddenly raised his head and looked out the window.

"What's wrong, Lingyun?" Tokisaki Kurumi, who was beside him, asked.

"Nothing, I just sensed an extremely faint yet extremely powerful spiritual power appear above Tengu City." Lingyun withdrew his gaze.

"Powerful spiritual power, could it be?" Tokisaki Kurumi was startled, a flash of killing intent crossing her eyes.

"That's right, it should be her." Lingyun nodded. "Since she has appeared, perhaps Westcott will also make a move! It seems our time in this world is running out!"

"When the time comes, neither of those two must be let off!" Tokisaki Kurumi said through gritted teeth.

Lingyun did not reply, but looked behind him. Behind him, a long sword embedded with ten different crystals was emitting a faint glow.