The Reawakening of the Magic Eye
I knew about the Magic Eye holders. They were said to carry a cursed fate from the ancient past, born with both extraordinary mana sensitivity and innate physical talent. Their most distinctive feature was, of course, those special 'eyes.' When they used their unique abilities or when their emotions surged violently, their eyes would glow with brilliant light. Since the original story had featured a Magic Eye holder, I understood the trait well enough.
'If it's a Magic Eye, I can at least accept that…'
In the original setting, the potential of a Magic Eye placed its owner a step above any other talent. The fact that Bianca, a mere human, possessed heaven-defying talent was surely thanks to her Magic Eye.
'But if she has a Magic Eye… does that mean she's connected to that person?'
In the original story, she had been both a companion to the protagonist and one of the heroines. The character who constantly bickered with the protagonist and possessed the now-outdated 'tsundere' personality—Olivia von Lebeus. She too had possessed a Magic Eye, just like Bianca.
And unlike in ancient times, there was only one way for someone to be born with a Magic Eye in the modern era.
'Unless she's a descendant of the imperial family, it should be impossible.'
The Magic Eye passed down from the distant past could only be inherited by those of the same bloodline. Back then, the royal family had drawn Magic Eye holders into their lineage and ensured that only the imperial house would carry it forward. Since the current 'Empire' had inherited the bloodline of that ancient kingdom, there were still those who carried the true lineage of the Magic Eye. The prime example was Olivia, the original story's heroine whom I had just mentioned.
From that, I could make a guess.
'Don't tell me Bianca is…'
“Ian…?”
'Shit. Damn it.'
It seemed I no longer had time to think.
“Why… why aren’t you saying anything…?”
Bianca’s shining eyes weren’t just sparkling anymore—they were twisting. The hexagram within her pupils had gained another line, slowly forming a heptagram. At first glance it looked like some kind of awakening, but the original story had never described the Magic Eye changing like this.
Whatever the case, if I kept watching, Bianca might completely fall into darkness.
'Where exactly did I slip up?'
I thought I had overcome the crisis with my earlier excuses, but it seemed I had been completely mistaken. I spoke to Bianca in a slightly aggrieved voice.
“Lying? Bianca, what are you talking about?”
But even at my words, Bianca didn’t answer. She simply began to sob.
Hic—
The problem was that, unlike her previous cute appearance, the 'current' Bianca was no different from a bomb on the verge of exploding.
“I-Ian. Did you… did you hate me that much?”
To be precise, she was dozens of times more dangerous than a mere bomb.
'Fuck?'
Kugung—
The entire sky trembled. Various spells began moving on their own as if they had lost control. Massive meteors caught fire, and a black mist finally covered them completely. The resulting meteors started merging together. What was born was a dark-red sphere of thermal energy. The sight resembled a sun rather than a meteor—it was dizzying just to look at.
“You keep… keep lying to me… I trusted you, Ian…”
In a situation where the entire forest seemed on the verge of being destroyed by this nightmare, I could only stare blankly at the scene. The worst possible situation—I was bound by magic and couldn’t even twitch, let alone run. How on earth was I supposed to escape?
—I was originally going to save you, but you brought this upon yourself.
A seductive fox’s voice echoed in my head, but I lightly ignored it.
'In the end, there’s only one answer.'
It looked like a completely hopeless situation, but one method remained.
'I don’t know if it’ll work, but…'
It was close to a gamble, but I had no choice.
'To survive, I have to do it.'
I stared fixedly at Bianca’s lips.
—Hmm. No matter how I look at it, he seems far too frivolous for that guy.
To Talian, his behavior was so different from the man she remembered that it was suspicious whether he was truly the same person. She narrowed her eyes as she watched Ian. Though his face showed distress, she was looking not at his outward appearance but at what lay 'inside' him.
The bizarre being known as Talian had vision vastly different from ordinary living creatures. Rather than the physical body, she distinguished individuals by their fundamental 'soul.'
—The soul is definitely his… but has there been a change great enough to alter his innate nature?
Unless one experienced a change that completely 'shattered' their ego or mental foundation, it was normally impossible to change one’s born personality. Talian had not accompanied Ian on every part of his journey, so she knew nothing of his past. But that lack of knowledge did not mean she lacked interest.
'For a mere human to grow strong enough in just ten years to confront the Pantheon… that would be impossible even if he died and came back to life.'
The Pantheon. The greatest force spanning the mortal and divine realms, composed solely of gods renowned even beyond the continent. No one could have predicted that a mere human would dare raise a sword against such an eternal and undying power.
—Just where did this seed come from…
His will and strength had stood out even in the future, but what was most peculiar was his terrifying growth speed that even the gods could not comprehend. Talian had swallowed her pride and asked him several times about the source of his power, but the answer was always the same.
—I just naturally realize things while fighting.
Hmph. What kind of nonsense is that? In the first place, it was impossible in this world to grow so dramatically overnight through mere 'realization.' The many masters and powerhouses who grew stronger through enlightenment did so only on the foundation of the effort and time they had accumulated. Anything beyond that—true super-growth—was originally an impossible domain.
Even if one possessed talent that transcended reason, it would only reach the level of a 'mortal.' It could not compare to beings who had fundamentally achieved 'transcendence.'
—A mere creature is, after all, nothing but a mere creature. Its roots do not change.
Could an ant learn martial arts and block a human’s foot? The gap between humans and gods was even greater than that. In this life, she had planned to make him her subordinate in order to uncover the source of his strength, but…
Before that, it seemed urgent to give him proper 'mental education.'
—How dare he sell out this seat.
He needs to taste real pain before he comes to his senses.
The corners of Talian’s mouth curved slyly upward. She knew Bianca wouldn’t be able to kill Ian, so she had been comfortably observing the two. That had been the plan, at least…
—Huh?
As Bianca’s Magic Eye began to mutate, the playfulness on Talian’s face gradually hardened.
—A reawakening of the Magic Eye? This could be rather dangerous.
Even Talian, the very embodiment of arrogance, felt a faint wariness. The current Bianca was in a considerably perilous state.
Magic Eye holders were beings who had already transcended the realm of ordinary geniuses. Their differences began at the genetic level; they could be considered the pinnacle of the human race. However, the potential of the Magic Eye did not end there.
The reason it was called the ultimate potential was precisely because they could undergo 'awakening' once more. If one accumulated sufficient enlightenment, shock, and personal rank, the Magic Eye would forcibly 'evolve' the body’s level.
The problem was that over ninety-nine percent of Magic Eye holders could not endure this evolution process and literally burst apart. The human body was simply too frail to withstand a single evolution.
Even in the future, Bianca’s awakening had nearly caused a massive problem, but with Ian and his companions’ help, she had barely managed to complete it. But now…
—There are no companions, and all that remains is the weakened one.
In the end, she will go on a rampage.
If Bianca’s Magic Eye went berserk, everything nearby would be mercilessly destroyed by the overwhelming energy.
—Tsk. No choice, then.
Clicking her tongue, Talian finally decided to move herself. Just as she was about to step forward—
—?
Kkadeuk—
Ian bit his tongue.
The True Ancestor, Leona Pirel, furrowed her brow as she glared at the man.
“What trick did you pull?”
Originally, the bodies of every 'human' present—including the man—should have exploded. Yet not a single one showed any abnormality. As the progenitor of vampires and their queen, she felt an enormous sense of humiliation.
“Huu…”
The man didn’t properly answer her. He simply steadied his breathing.
'As expected, swinging both at the same time consumes too much mental power.'
What the man had just attempted was to wield a physical sword and a Mind Sword simultaneously. Inspired by his battle with Orgen, his rival, he had created one additional arm in his mental image and launched a sword strike with it. The first strike had been aimed at the vampires, while the remaining strike had been used to sever the True Ancestor’s ability.
The result—
Seogeuk—
“Kuh, kuh-heok—!”
The necks of every vampire holding hostages were sliced cleanly and fell to the ground with a clatter. The queen watching this flew into a rage and sprayed blood-red mist from behind her.
“How dare you! I shall show you my true authority. Blood River Fog, befo—”
Seogeuk—
Before she could even finish speaking, the man’s sword had already swung. Leona Pirel, queen of the vampires and their True Ancestor, had her head fall pathetically to the ground.