Creating Anime In A Fantasy World

Chapter 227: The Screening of Paradox Spiral Concludes! (Part 1)

After the story of Araya Souren came to an end, the movie’s scene shifted once more.

The audience suddenly found themselves inside a quiet little café.

The lighting inside was stark, almost unnatural—brilliant shafts of white sunlight cutting against deep pools of shadow, the contrast so sharp it felt as though the room had been cleaved in two.

Sitting alone in one of the seats was Ryougi Shiki.

From the far end of the café, a young man—Enjou Tomoe—entered and quietly took a seat behind her. Neither seemed to notice the other. They simply sat there, waiting in silence.

Time passed slowly, almost endlessly, until Shiki rose from her chair. Her gaze shifted to the window, where a man stood outside, waving frantically with one hand while catching his breath.

At the same moment, Tomoe noticed someone as well—a woman in a white dress, waving gently in his direction.

The two stood almost in unison, each moving toward opposite exits of the café. And then, just before stepping out, Shiki and Tomoe turned their heads. Their eyes met, their expressions calm, almost like old friends exchanging a final farewell.

Ding-dong.

The sound of a bell rang.

Shiki’s eyes flicked open. Slowly, she pushed herself up from her bed, only now realizing that everything just now had been nothing more than a dream.

But the bell continued to chime, echoing persistently through her apartment. Shiki, sulking for no reason she could quite name, had no intention of answering the door.

And then, without warning—

Click

The sound of a key turning echoed, and the door swung open from the outside.

“Pardon the intrusion—ah, Shiki, you’re already awake?”

The familiar voice belonged to Kokutou Mikiya. He stepped in with a warm smile, only to be met by Shiki’s icy glare.

Mikiya tilted his head in mild confusion.

“What’s with that look? You’re not scheming anything, are you? And for the record, I haven’t had breakfast yet, so you’re not getting a share this time.”

“You trespass into my room and think I’d want to steal your food? Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Finally, a peaceful breakfast all to myself. You’ve actually managed to kick that bad habit of snatching whatever you please?”

“By the way, Shiki…”

“What?”

“…It’s about that apartment building. I heard from Touko—it’s going to be demolished.”

“…Really now. But won’t that cause a lot of problems? For the residents, I mean.”

“No worries. There’s a rule that matters involving magi are handled by magi themselves. The Association already sent people over to settle everything. Even the fabricated tenants were made to ‘move out,’ and the underground was completely burned away. They erased it all, as though it never existed.”

“…That was fast.”

Mikiya gave a small nod. “Which means, the troubles surrounding you are finally over. From now on, you can focus on school again. If you don’t graduate properly, Mr. Asagami will be disappointed, you know.”

“That has nothing to do with this! Honestly, it’s your fault for getting mixed up with people like Touko in the first place. You, of all people—a dropout—have no right to talk to me about school!”

“Calling me a dropout is hitting below the belt, don’t you think?”

As Mikiya sighed in mock defeat, Shiki muttered under her breath, her tone soft, almost embarrassed.

“…Hey, Kokutou.”

“Mm?”

“…The key.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t have the key to your place. That’s not fair, is it?”

Her face flushed crimson as she ducked her head, stretching out her hand like a sulky child demanding a prize.

And just like that, the ending theme began to play.

The fifth volume of The Garden of Sinners—Paradox Spiral—had come to its close.

. . . . .

The gentle melody of the ending credits echoed out.

In countless taverns across the southern territory, patrons remained transfixed on the fading images of the screen. Even after the broadcast ended, a lingering silence hung in the air, broken only after a long pause when the audience finally gave voice to their thoughts.

“Damn… I didn’t think the fifth movie would be that long. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have downed so much beer—I had to hit the bathroom twice during the screening.”

“Hah! Weak bladder. I held it in until the very end.”

“Yeah, but at what cost…”

“Anyway, this chapter of The Garden of Sinners was absolutely stunning. Honestly, I’d say it’s the best one yet. The quality, the fight choreography, even the smallest details—everything was flawless!”

“Right? I never imagined this series could deliver fights that spectacular. Up until now, I always thought it was just a low-budget occult flick. But Director Durin… well, he’s still the number one Director for a reason.”

“No kidding. And it wasn’t just the visuals—Paradox Spiral had a depth the earlier chapters didn’t even come close to. The sheer number of characters it developed was on another level. Honestly, the only thing I can even compare it to is Fate/Zero.”

“Yeah, and I’d say the mage battles here were even more impressive than Fate/Zero. Touko, Souren, and even Shiki herself—if you dropped them into that war, none of them would be weaklings. I’d bet they could even take on Servants head-to-head.”

“Oh? Now that you’ve brought up power levels, I’m suddenly wide awake!”

“Hold it. Save the power-scaling debates for later. Right now, there’s something I really want to know—did Souren actually die at the end? Sure, he looked completely dead, but from what Touko said, it sounded like he might revive someday.”

“I caught that too. Honestly, as far as magi go, Souren’s ability is absurdly powerful. Without a monster like Touko standing against him, he would’ve been the real monster. But if even a direct strike from the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception wasn’t enough to erase him for good? That’s just insane.”

“There’s also that weird line—‘I’ve finally met you, Ryougi.’ What did he mean by that? It’s not like he hadn’t seen her before. Why say something so strange?”

“You’re missing the real point here! The most important thing is Shiki herself. That final scene was way too sweet! Seeing her get all flustered like that… honestly, it hits way harder than any normal girl’s cuteness. I’m dying of jealousy over Mikiya.”

“Ahem! On that note, allow me to make an official declaration—Shiki is my wife!”

“The hell she is! Get lost!”

“That’s right— Shiki is my wife!”

“…”

The tavern dissolved into chaos as arguments and playful shouts echoed through the night. But eventually, the crowd began to thin. After all, The Garden of Sinners screenings always aired late in the evening, and after sitting through a two-hour film, most people had no choice but to hurry home.

Meanwhile, far away at the Imperial Mage Academy, the ripple effects of the screening were only just beginning to take shape…