Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1041: Restrained?

"I know you far better than you think."

Shinji said this with calm confidence.

Hearing his words, Roa looked thoughtfully in a certain direction, his eyes narrowing into slits, increasingly resembling those of a snake.

"I see now. Araya once mentioned that his previous failure had something to do with you... It's no surprise you know about the Mystic Eyes."

The implication was clear: Roa believed Shinji had learned about the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception through Ryougi Shiki and had thus prepared accordingly, knowing the location of his death lines. However, Shinji denied this assumption.

"It's not that."

"Did I guess wrong?"

Roa asked as this seemed the most plausible explanation to him.

"You didn't guess wrong, but you're missing something on a deeper level—something you'll probably never understand."

Shinji agreed that Roa wasn't entirely wrong. Indeed, he had learned about the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception through Ryougi Shiki and had noted the approximate location of his death lines out of curiosity.

But Roa was mistaken because his eyes weren't the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Instead, they were a similar yet distinct type of eyes. While these Mystic Eyes could also perceive lines, what they saw were not the lines of death that signified the end of an object or being, but rather the lines of life that symbolized vitality.

In most cases, the lines of life overlapped with the lines of death, and cutting them would have the same effect. However, life and death are not the same. Cutting a line of life couldn't cause the absolute, nearly irreversible damage that severing a death line could. Moreover, these lines of life couldn't affect inanimate objects, making them a weaker version of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from a destructive standpoint. Since the official sources hadn't given this power a name, fans commonly referred to them as the Mystic Eyes of Life Perception.

The Mystic Eyes of Life Perception might have other mysterious uses, but Roa, unaware of their true nature, mistakenly believed they were the legendary Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. As a result, he never bothered to study or develop their potential. Shinji, being the only one who knew the truth, wasn't about to reveal it and strengthen his enemy, so he intentionally remained vague.

Roa interpreted Shinji's attitude as a new form of provocation and let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Trying to confuse me with this nonsense? You underestimate me far too much."

Shinji maintained his earlier stance.

"If you were the original Roa, maybe I would have tried such tricks to increase my chances of winning. But the current you?"

The original Roa had indeed been a terrifyingly powerful force, once even defeating Arcueid's older sister, Crimson Moon Brunestud. But this strength came from the original Roa's body, which was an incredibly powerful magus vessel. After losing that body and beginning to reincarnate, his strength had been limited by the qualities of his reincarnated body.

Among his eighteen reincarnations, only the sixteenth—which was the seventeenth generation body, Ciel—could match the original's potential. The others had varying degrees of decline. While Kotomine Kirei's body was impressive, it was only on par with a strong Executor, far from the level of the original Roa, the founder of the Burial Agency. Even with the Mystic Eyes of Life Perception, Roa couldn't bridge that gap.

Though Shinji's remark hit a sore spot, Roa wasn't angered. Instead, he burst into laughter.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

"You talk big for someone who can't even defeat the current me. You're quite the amusing frog in a well."

"What we just did was a mere greeting," Shinji replied coldly.

"Now, the real fight begins. If this is all you've got, you'll only have a few seconds of life left."

Shinji's usual Divine GunBlade retracted into his sleeve, replaced by a golden spear over three meters long. The spear radiated pure solar energy, the ultimate bane of Dead Apostles.

"A Noble Phantasm embodying the sun? How dazzling."

Roa raised a hand to shield his eyes, as though standing under the scorching midday sun.

"Is this how you became the Azure Knight? But this alone isn't enough to defeat me."

"Is that so?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow and thrust the spear directly at Roa's heart.

"Of course!"

Roa replied confidently.

Facing the A+ ranked divine spear, Roa didn't dodge, nor did he raise his dagger to block. He simply stood still, allowing the spear to come at him.

What happened next was astonishing. As the radiant spear approached Roa, its light began to dim. By the time it reached its target, the spear had lost all its brilliance and power. It didn't even pierce Roa's clothes, stopping harmlessly at his chest.

Everyone who witnessed this was stunned. They could all feel the immense power contained within the golden spear—anyone struck by it would have been instantly reduced to ashes. Yet, this terrifying blow was casually stopped by Roa.

He hadn't used any magecraft, nor was he wearing special equipment. He had simply used his chest, covered only by an ordinary black robe.

Unfazed, Shinji kept spinning the spear, thrusting and sweeping with techniques that would make even the greatest martial artists sweat. But none of his attacks had any effect. His strongest thrust only managed to tear Roa's outer coat.

"Can't believe it, can you?"

Roa reached out and grabbed the now-dull spear with ease. The sharp tip scraped against his skin but left no mark.

"Curious to know why? Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll enlighten you. I'm not stronger than a Heroic Spirit. I've been soundly defeated by some in the past. You see, Heroic Spirits are beings that affirm human history and protect the laws of the human world. We the Apostles, on the other hand, are beings that deny human history. We exist to corrupt your rules."

As he spoke, Roa's grip on the spear tightened, and the so-called indestructible blade shattered instantly.

"Therefore, we can completely negate the protection of any Noble Phantasm created by humans or prepared by gods for humanity. Of course, if it were a Noble Phantasm made by a god for another god, that might be a different story—but good luck finding one of those."

Roa continued to toy with the broken pieces of the spear until they disintegrated into their most basic spiritual particles.

"Of course, if the same Noble Phantasm were wielded by a Heroic Spirit, that would be a different matter. A Heroic Spirit might have a chance of defeating me. But as long as you're using a human body, no matter how many Noble Phantasms you have, you're bound to lose."

Roa shook his head in mock pity.

"You're both fortunate and unfortunate. Most Dead Apostles don't require the use of Noble Phantasms. The ones that do are typically mindless vampiric plants or phenomena created through human belief. That's why you've never realized this simple truth. Natural enemies, like snakes and frogs, can't change their fate through strategy or willpower alone."

PS: I believe the Mystic Eyes of Life Perception and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are on the same level. If Roa knew the truth and developed his abilities more like Fujino did, he might even be able to steal life energy or transfer it.