Looking down at the two cards in his hand, labeled Summer and Summer Rose, Tsutsumi put them away without much care. Still using Ruby's appearance, he continued on his way, heading directly toward the location of the Relic of Destruction in Vacuo.
Because of his existence, which violated the rules of the world itself, the Summer Maiden's power didn't get the chance to transfer to its next host, unlike how the Maiden power system was originally supposed to function.
Normally, the power would continue from one host to another, passing through the system whenever the conditions were met. But Tsutsumi's existence had already thrown those rules out the window. The moment Summer died, before the power could even go somewhere else, Tsutsumi had already claimed it for himself.
Amber and the Fall Maiden's power were a different matter.
Ren had severed what remained of her soul from Amber using Erosion, separating the two souls that had been forced together, while Nora finished off Amber with Nine-Lives.
The reason the three of them never bothered, or even tried, to heal Pyrrha's severed body was simple: there was nothing inside that body left for them to heal. Pyrrha's soul had already been separated from Amber, and what remained of her body was nothing more than an empty vessel. Stitching it back together would be no different from stitching together an empty corpse.
And because Tsutsumi wasn't the one who finished off Amber, the Fall Maiden's power followed its original rule instead. Her half of the Fall Maiden's power transferred over the other half, finally becoming one again.
From what Tsutsumi had discovered through the Gaia Library, the Maiden Powers were... kinda pathetic.
They were based on the four seasons, but there was essentially no major difference between them besides the season they represented. The elemental manipulation that came with the Maiden Powers was simply their main ability, while the specific element a Maiden chose to wield depended mostly on her own personal preferences and fighting style.
The condition for obtaining one was already extremely specific: the next host had to be a young girl under thirty. Once the power was passed down, the personality and traits of the previous Maiden would slowly begin to influence the new host over time.
However, the Maiden's power could only influence its host. It couldn't completely take over their body or erase their personality.
Pyrrha's case was different.
Because Ozma forcing an already dying soul into a living body while suppressing the original soul had left Pyrrha completely defenseless against the invading soul. Instead of allowing the two souls to coexist naturally or slowly merge, Ozma's methods had created a situation where the original soul was weakened while the foreign soul was given the opportunity to take control.
Tsutsumi continued moving forward without pause, heading straight toward the hidden location of the Relic of Destruction, which was sealed away within Shade Academy. He didn't care that he was still using Ruby's appearance. His goal wouldn't change just because he happened to look like someone else, and if anything, using Ruby's face made the situation even more confusing for anyone who tried to stop him.
The Huntsmen and Huntresses within the academy quickly realized that something was wrong and attempted to stop him; Tsutsumi simply shrugged off every attack that came his way. He didn't even bother slowing down unless someone got directly in his path.
Those who got too close, however, had to deal with Azu.
Currently using Kamen Rider Zero-Two form, Azu moved through the battlefield like a flash of light, intercepting anyone who attempted to reach her Master. Thanks to Zero-Two's advanced high-speed calculation processing combined with her nearly instantaneous robotic reaction speed, she could predict their movements and respond before they could properly commit to their attacks. Bright green and red trails were left behind every time she moved, making it difficult for the Huntsmen and Huntresses to even tell where she would appear next.
Someone would attempt to close the distance with Tsutsumi, only for Azu to suddenly appear in front of them and strike their weapon aside. Another would try attacking from a distance, only for her to calculate the trajectory and intercept the attack before it could reach Tsutsumi.
Getting close to Tsutsumi was already almost impossible, but trying to attack him from a distance wasn't much better. Azu simply wouldn't allow it.
She calmly crushed weapons in her hands, knocked attacks aside, and shattered Aura after Aura, leaving the defeated Huntsmen and Huntresses scattered throughout the academy grounds.
She wasn't going to kill any of them.
Tsutsumi didn't even look back.
He was enraged by Pyrrha's death, yes.
But unlike before, his rage, anger, and hatred were now concentrated on specific targets instead of being allowed to run wild. Back when he had faced Geats, his anger had been so overwhelming that innocent people had ended up losing their lives because of it. Tsutsumi had no intention of repeating that.
Now, he had a list of those who would die. Everyone else simply wasn't worth his effort.
After all... what could they even do to stop him?
Tsutsumi eventually paused in his tracks when he noticed a tan-skinned man standing between him and the door leading to the vault containing the Relic of Destruction. He didn't recognize the man immediately, but judging by how quickly he had figured out Tsutsumi's actual target, there was only one person he could be.
The Headmaster of Shade Academy, Professor Theodore.
Tsutsumi's gaze briefly moved over Theodore's gloves. Just by tracing the equipment with his eyes, he already knew everything he needed to know about Theodore. The gloves were designed to increase the strength of the user's punches by channeling Dust through them, turning Theodore's already powerful physical attacks into something considerably more dangerous.
Tsutsumi's Ruby form disappeared, returning him to his normal appearance as he continued walking forward.
Theodore immediately charged. His gloved fists began glowing with a bright purple light as he pulled one arm back, preparing to strike Tsutsumi. He had noticed that Azu was still busy dealing with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses behind him, which meant that this was probably his best chance to stop Tsutsumi himself.
As one of the strongest and most experienced Headmasters, Theodore wasn't about to simply stand aside and allow someone classified as Danger-Level 8 to walk into his academy and take one of the four Relics.
Even if Tsutsumi couldn't open the vault without the Summer Maiden's power, that didn't mean Theodore could simply ignore him. If Tsutsumi managed to enter with ease, he could eventually find the Summer Maiden and force her to open the vault for him without anyone being able to stop him. That possibility alone was enough for Theodore to take action.
His fist came swinging toward Tsutsumi with enough force to make the air around it shake. Black and crimson lightning suddenly flashed around Tsutsumi's body as he moved.
Theodore's punch didn't even manage to reach its target.
Tsutsumi threw his own fist forward, moving faster than Theodore's. Even though Theodore had started his attack first, Tsutsumi's punch reached its target before his opponent's ever could.
"Black Flash."
His cold voice echoed through the hallway.
The impact sent Theodore flying backward and crashing through the wall of the academy. The force carried him straight through the building, disappearing from Tsutsumi's sight.
Tsutsumi didn't even stop to see whether he would get back up.
With no one immediately standing in his way, he turned toward the wall and delivered one sharp kick. The stone wall shattered, revealing a magical door hidden behind it. The entire doorway was covered in layers of magical seals, clearly designed to prevent anyone from reaching the Relic inside.
Tsutsumi looked at it for only a moment before throwing a card into his Decadriver and closing it.
Final Kamen Ride: Wizard! Infinity Style!
The transformation began immediately.
Bright white, diamond-like sparks appeared around his body as his clothing dissolved and reformed. The brilliant white and silver magician outfit of Kamen Rider Wizard's Infinity Style formed around him, with the familiar outfit covering his body.
Tsutsumi reached out and placed his palm against the sealed door. The moment he touched it, the entire surface began glowing. The magic within the door reacted to his own power, but instead of accepting him as someone worthy to enter, the ancient magical locks attempted to reject him.
It didn't matter. Tsutsumi simply forced his magic into the seals and broke them one after another. The conditions placed upon the vault were unraveled as easily as if someone were pulling apart a knot.
With the final seal broken, the magical door opened as Tsutsumi stepped inside, his outfit fading away, returning to what he was wearing before.
The interior of the vault was completely different from the academy outside. A thin mist covered the area, and the entire floor appeared to be made from a perfectly still layer of water. There were no shelves, no decorations, and no other objects inside.
Only one thing could be seen.
Hovering just above the reflective surface was a single sword, half-submerged beneath the water. It possessed a golden hilt and guard decorated with silver accessories, while the blade itself gave off a faint blue glow.
The Relic of Destruction.
Tsutsumi walked toward it without hesitation and reached out, grabbing the hilt before pulling the sword free from the water.
The moment he did, he felt a bit strange.
It reminded him of a certain Saber he knew. A Saber who only seemed to know how to eat, eat, eat, and eat his magical energy, either by drawing it from him through their connection or simply sucking it out of him.
"Oh my..." A melodic and charming voice suddenly rang out behind him. "To think that after so long, someone carrying such hatred would finally reach out for me."
Before Tsutsumi could even turn around, a pair of slender, pale arms wrapped themselves around his neck from behind.
Pale blonde hair cascaded over his shoulder as a familiar face appeared beside his own, piercing golden eyes looking directly at him with an amused smile.
She wore a black and dark blue dress, with part of her upper chest exposed and her stomach showing the red tattoo across her body.
Tsutsumi recognized that face immediately. It was identical to his useless Saber.
"Morgan le Fay." He said her name before she could introduce herself.
Morgan blinked; for the first time since appearing, she looked genuinely surprised.
Then her smile slowly returned.
"Oh my..." she said, letting out a light chuckle. "You really do know who I am."
Her arms remained comfortably wrapped around his neck as she leaned slightly closer, clearly enjoying the situation far more than Tsutsumi was.
"I didn't think someone would still remember my name after so long."
Morgan's golden eyes narrowed with interest.
Tsutsumi didn't answer her, causing Morgan to smile teasingly.
"You're not very talkative, are you?"
Still getting no answer, she said directly.
"How rude."
Tsutsumi simply turned around and started walking toward the entrance. While Morgan continued clinging to him without the slightest intention of letting go.
"At least pretend to be impressed. You finally found the great Morgan le Fay, after all."
"I found a ghost inside a sword."
"That is a very rude way of describing me."
"But you are a ghost inside a sword."
"I prefer 'powerful spirit residing within an ancient relic.' It sounds much better."
Tsutsumi ignored her.
He had already gathered information about the Relics through the Gaia Library, including the conditions required to use them.
The Relic of Destruction, as its name suggested, was capable of destroying anything. However, possessing the sword alone wasn't enough.
The wielder needed to convince the spirit residing within it, Morgan le Fay, that whatever they wanted to destroy actually needed to be destroyed. Morgan herself had to agree with their judgment before the sword could unleash its true power.
Otherwise, the Relic was nothing more than an indestructible, dulled sword that couldn't cut or destroy anything.
Ozma had failed to convince Morgan in the past. That was why he had been unable to use the Relic to destroy Salem.
Tsutsumi already knew all of this before he had even entered the vault. He also knew that the four Relics were heavily based on classic fairy tales, mythology, and folklore.
The Relic of Knowledge, The Lamp, was based on the magical genie lamp from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, housing the spirit Jinn, who granted three questions every hundred years in a manner similar to a traditional genie.
The Relic of Creation, The Staff, was based on the traditional image of magical creation, similar to the wands and magical tools commonly used by wizards in fairy tales.
The Relic of Choice, The Crown, was based on traditional monarch crowns, as well as the prophecies and curses commonly found within fairy tales.
And finally, the Relic of Destruction, The Sword, was based on the story of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. Morgan remained within the blade and acted as its judge, deciding whether the wielder was worthy of using its power, much like the Lady of the Lake granting Arthur his holy sword.
"Since you already know my name," Morgan said, resting her chin lightly against his shoulder, "I assume you must already know the condition for using the sword too."
Tsutsumi didn't answer her. Instead, he used Construction to create a simple sheath for the blade. He attached it to his belt before placing the Relic inside.
Morgan stared at the sheath for a moment.
"Hey."
"How did you do that?"
"You just made a sheath out of nothing."
Tsutsumi didn't answer her and continued walking, causing her to narrow her eyes.
"Are you seriously ignoring me?"
"Yes."
"How cruel."
"I don't have time for this."
"Oh, but you have time to walk around with a beautiful woman on your back?"
Tsutsumi finally glanced sideways at her.
"You can let go."
"No."
Morgan smiled brightly, even poking out her tongue to mock him.
"Besides, you're the first interesting person I've seen in a very long time."
Before Tsutsumi could respond, Azu finally approached them from behind, still fully clad in her Zero-Two armor. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Morgan, who was still clinging to Tsutsumi as though she had always belonged there.
"Master," Azu asked calmly, "who is... this?"
Tsutsumi didn't even hesitate.
"Just a ghost haunting me."
"Hey!" Morgan immediately snapped her head toward him. "I'm not just some ghost haunting you!"
She looked genuinely offended for a moment before narrowing her eyes at Tsutsumi.
"And you're being awfully dismissive toward the woman who controls the sword you just stole."
"I didn't steal it."
"You took it without asking."
"I took it from the vault."
"That sounds suspiciously like stealing."
"I don't care."
"You really are difficult."
Azu tilted her head again. "Should I remove her, Master?"
Morgan immediately looked toward Azu.
"Oh, I like to see you try."
Before she could say anything else, however, several ghostly hands suddenly emerged from Tsutsumi's body, causing Morgan's expression to change.
"What-"
The ghostly hands grabbed her by the face and pulled her forward.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't grab the fac-"
Morgan disappeared into Tsutsumi's body before she could finish her complaint.
Tsutsumi merely glanced down at himself before turning away.
Unlike before, he could now see spirits without needing to use Fox Spirit, thanks to everything he had learned about Curse Energy. He already knew that Priestess's spirit had somehow appeared and was haunting him, literally.
But he didn't really care. As long as she didn't annoy him or get in his way, he had no reason to force her out.
Azu, meanwhile, could only stare at the spot where Morgan had disappeared. To her, and to everyone else who couldn't see Curse Energy or spirits, it had simply looked like Morgan suddenly slammed her face against Tsutsumi's shoulder before disappearing into him.
Tsutsumi continued walking toward the exit of Shade Academy without saying anything, with Azu simply following behind him.