<h4>Chapter 981: Voiding a contract, the copse of the Prison Barrier</h4>


    Nobody expected this.


    The bedazzled knife can see the strike. The sharp knife is aimed at her chest. She started hesitating, she could dodge this jab but will she?


    Natsuki sighed and she allowed fate to take its course. The knife went into her chest.


    What shocked her the most is the absence of pain. She didn''t feel anything.


    "Natsuki-chan!"


    Kojou roared at Wu Yan.


    "You bastard!"


    "Wait, senpai!"


    Yukina stopped Kojou.


    "Look at Natsuki-sensei, that knife isn''t harming her physically."


    Kojou saw Natsuki''s puzzled look and he started grumbling.


    "Damn vampire-sensei, would it kill him to exin his act every once in a while?!"


    Kotori and Vatler chose to watch from the side. They weren''t making a fuss like Kojou and Yukina.


    They were more curious as to what Wu Yan is nning on doing to Natsuki, including Kotori.


    Wu Yan never told them his whole n. Kotori also didn''t ask, she decided to tag along as an assistant and that''s enough for her.


    Natsuki isn''t as cool as Kotori & co. She''s starting to panic.


    She can feel her borrowed power leaving her, even her Guardian is rapidly dissipating along with the contract made between herself and the demon.


    The contract''s being rescinded.


    When Wu Yan chose to ignore her advice, she thought he''s going to destroy the Prison Barrier and then chain her up without allowing her to go back to the dark and boring realm.


    She also considered Wu Yan might kill her to free her from her eternal bondage.


    She didn''t think Wu Yan came here to null her contract with the devil.


    Forget previous cases, Natsuki never heard about any witch that sessfully canceled her contract with a demon.


    That''s not the most important thing right now. With the contract null and void, her power will also be gone, she will turn back into a normal human.


    What is this knife?!


    Natsuki held her breath, she didn''t shout.


    "Yan, this…"


    "Stay quiet."


    Wu Yan narrowed his eyes, he looked dead serious.


    "I already said it, I know what I am doing, just wait and see…"


    Natsuki closed her mouth after a brief moment of hesitation.


    As for Wu Yan, he closed his eyes.


    He knows doing this will turn Natsuki back into a normal human.


    Wu Yan is aiming to keep her powers while tearing out the contract that stiptes she needs to keep the Prison Barrier intact.


    It''s a very innovative way of thinking. However, demons are not weaklings, they will not lose out on a deal.


    Wu Yan has another idea.


    Using the Rule Breaker, he''s going to keep the contract and rob the contractual rights from the demon, effectively driving a wedge between Natsuki and the demon.


    If the contract''srgely intact, she can keep her powers. And, with the control rights in his hand, Natsuki doesn''t have to pay any price to the devil.


    Keeping the contract and breaking the link between the parties to the contract.


    This precise setting is almost beyond the Rule Breaker.


    With Eternal Arms Mastery, he can perfectly control this dagger''s abilities. Leveraging Knight of Owner, he can use this knife like it''s his favorite weapon, this nigh-impossible setting became possible.


    Since Wu Yan wrestled control of the contract from the demon and Natsuki, he needs to supply magic power to the contract to keep it in this state. It''s like how Kanon existed despite her angelic powers.


    Since it''s like that, Wu Yan couldn''t care less.


    He has too much magic power to spare!


    With Knight of Owner and the Rule Breaker, he severed the connection between the contracted parties.


    With the connection gone, the contract almost copsed but Wu Yan supplied magic power and he used his Eternal Arms Mastery to navigate the Rule Breaker, pouring magic into Natsuki''s body and he reconnected the severed connections.


    With the connection rerouted, the contract resumed operation. This time, Natsuki is contracted to Wu Yan instead of that unknown demon.


    "What…"


    Natsuki can feel the sense of restriction being lifted and she couldn''t help but gasp.


    When a witch signs a deal with a demon, she can obtain the demon''s power for a price. The demon usually requires the witch to perform service through contractual restrictions.


    She felt the restriction of her contract loosening up. The demon that controlled her power seemed to have just "let go" of the reins.


    Am I free?


    Wu Yan sighed. He took out the knife. He can feel the connection between himself and Natsuki.


    Wu Yan looked into Natsuki''s eyes, he gave her a bright smile while she only grinned bitterly.


    "How did you do it?"


    Wu Yan wanted to answer when…


    Tremble


    The castle started shaking.


    It''s like an earthquake hit the castle, everything''s shaking and the walls were creaking with deep cracks spreading everywhere.


    The Prison Barrier is Natsuki''s dreamscape given form. Now that she''s awake, the Prison Barrier is in an incredibly unstable state. When Natsuki''s connection got broken for a brief moment, the Prison Barrier finally started copsing.


    The castle is crumbling!


    Kojou and Yukina couldn''t regain their senses, they didn''t think something illusory like the castle can crumble.


    Space shook while everyone''s focused on the castle.


    "This isn''t good!"


    Natsuki recalled something. She turned around just in time to see a woman in fancy clothes standing behind her.


    The woman held a thick book in one hand and with the other hand she touched Natsuki''s unguarded back. A creepy smile crept up her face.


    A sense of danger rose up within Natsuki''s heart…