Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Dazzling golden ripples spread out around Ragnar Kagenou like shimmering waves.

He narrowed his eyes, then lightly waved a hand.

A mysterious radiance bloomed from the Gate of Babylon.

As the light slowly faded, a massive, uniquely shaped crimson greatsword appeared in his grasp.

Its blade was broad, its body black-red, and its strange design seemed to hold boundless majesty and destructive power within it.

“While I can’t use Domain Expansion, the effect of this weapon should be close enough,” Ragnar murmured, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

At that exact moment, Rain Spirit—who had been watching his every move without blinking—felt her heart sink.

A primal sense of danger surged through her.

Every instinct she had screamed the same warning.

She absolutely could not allow Ragnar Kagenou to fully bring that terrifying crimson blade into play.

“Don’t even think about it!”

Rain Spirit moved both hands at once, sending several high-speed water blades screaming toward Ragnar.

They cut through the air in elegant arcs, swift and vicious like living water serpents.

Ragnar casually flicked his wrist.

The crimson greatsword in his hand erupted into two roaring tongues of flame.

Clang! Clang!

The water blades and the flames collided instantly, sending brilliant sparks exploding in every direction.

“Hmph. Deciding to react now is already too late.”

Ragnar let out a cold laugh and stepped aside in a blur, slipping past the high-speed cutting vortices.

Still, being trapped inside Rain Spirit’s Domain meant his movements were being restricted.

Even he was forced into a slightly passive position.

Then Ragnar tightened his grip on the crimson greatsword, and waves of power began surging from the blade.

“Admire my talent… and listen to the thunderous applause.”

He began releasing the Noble Phantasm’s true power.

A brilliant halo of blood-red light flashed across his body.

Then, in the very next moment, an astonishing sight unfolded.

Countless delicate crimson petals poured out from the void like a tidal wave, as though an endless rain of scarlet blossoms had begun to fall.

At that moment, Rain Spirit—who had been sitting calmly in the distance—could no longer suppress the impulse rising within her.

Her figure flashed forward like an arrow released from a bow, her speed so great that it was almost impossible to track with the naked eye.

But Ragnar only raised his head slightly.

A mocking smile tugged at his lips.

“Too slow. You really think that level of speed is enough to touch me?”

As he spoke, he drove the greatsword blazing with terrifying power straight down.

At the same time, Ragnar shouted:

“Then rejoice—rejoice in this golden theater!”

The instant his voice fell, an enormous and exquisitely complex crimson magic circle flared into existence beneath his feet.

An overwhelming force burst outward.

In the blink of an eye, both Ragnar Kagenou and Rain Spirit were swallowed by it and dragged into a magnificent golden Roman theater.

“How is this possible?! This is my Domain! How could it just—”

For the first time, a trace of naked terror appeared on Rain Spirit’s calm, smiling face.

Because inside this golden theater—

Ragnar Kagenou had become the absolute ruler of the field.

“Bear witness to all of it… and then die beautifully.”

Ragnar raised the blazing greatsword and pointed it toward the Rain Spirit, who no longer had any path of escape.

“Aestus Domus Aurea — The Golden Theater of Heart-Throbbing Excitement.”

Rain Spirit only had time to feel the searing blade cut through her.

“No… impossible—!”

Meanwhile, in that submerged black-and-white world, Yuki Tsukumo was abruptly expelled and returned to reality the moment Ragnar slew the Rain Spirit.

But the instant she reappeared, a wave of dizziness hit her.

Everything in front of her was blurred and spinning.

Along with Yuki, another object was released into the plaza—

The sealed Cursed Object formed from the remains of another Rain Spirit.

The Prison Realm.

At that moment, a short-haired woman walked up to it.

“This… so this is the Cursed Object, the Prison Realm, the one capable of sealing a Six Eyes user. To think I’d actually get my hands on it like this…”

Holding the Prison Realm, the short-haired woman couldn’t help but laugh.

After that, she looked toward Yuki Tsukumo lying unconscious on the ground, clearly considering finishing her off.

But in the end, she gave up.

Because she sensed that another Special Grade Sorcerer was about to emerge from that space.

“You’re lucky. I won’t kill you this time.”

Yuki Tsukumo saw her too—

But her dizziness still hadn’t faded.

“Don’t… don’t go…”

Even then, she couldn’t make out the face of the person who had taken the sealed Cursed Object.

The next second, Yuki’s vision went black.

Her consciousness sank completely into darkness.

Click. Tick. Tick.

“Hah… hah… Is this… outside?”

The plaza was empty.

Well—

That was only if one ignored Yuki Tsukumo unconscious on the ground.

And in Ragnar Kagenou’s hand was a small silver cube.

That object was none other than—

Prison Realm: Back.

Ragnar immediately went to Yuki’s side.

“Hey. Yuki Tsukumo. Are you okay?!”

It was a good thing Ragnar had gotten out as quickly as he did.

If he had been even a little later, Yuki Tsukumo might really have died here.

From a distant vantage point, the short-haired woman quietly watched the scene.

Beside her stood a young girl with similarly short hair, only hers was white.

“Let’s leave for now. Against two Special Grade Sorcerers, you’re no match for them.”

“That may not necessarily be true. There are gaps even among Special Grades.”

“They weren’t part of the plan. There’s no need to create extra complications. Retreating now is the smartest option.”

“You’re right… but I have a feeling that if we don’t get rid of them now, they could become a problem later.”

“In front of Lord Sukuna, mere Special Grade Sorcerers are nothing to fear. Once Lord Sukuna is revived, none of this will matter.”

“Without Sukuna around, you’ve gotten pretty cautious, Uraume.”

The white-haired woman called Uraume replied calmly,

“Now that we’ve obtained the tool needed to seal the Six Eyes user, our objective has already been accomplished, Kenjaku.”

Kenjaku smiled, clearly unconcerned.

“That’s true enough. Let’s head back. Now that we have it, all that remains is to prepare the proper plan to seal the Six Eyes user.”

Long ago, around the Nara period, Kenjaku had been defeated twice by a Six Eyes user from the Gojo clan.

Even after using body-hopping to outlive a Six Eyes wielder, Kenjaku discovered something troublesome—

Even if he killed the current bearer of the Six Eyes, another would soon appear.

After realizing that, Kenjaku changed his approach.

Rather than kill the Six Eyes user, he decided it would be far better to seal them.

That way, the Six Eyes could no longer threaten him.

And as long as the current one remained sealed, another Six Eyes user would never emerge.

Uraume said, “Before long, Lord Sukuna will be resurrected. When that time comes, no one will be able to stand against him.”

Kenjaku narrowed his eyes.

“Ryomen Sukuna… This time, I’ll seal the Six Eyes user, and then…”

— — — — — —

Noble Phantasm: Aestus Domus Aurea

The Golden Theater of Heart-Throbbing Excitement

Rank: B

Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Description:

The Noble Phantasm of the fifth Roman Emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.

By expending magical energy—here adapted through Cursed Energy—it recreates the grand theater known as the Domus Aurea, the Golden Theater built in Rome. Inside it, the user stands at center stage, turning the entire battlefield into a spectacle under their control.