The White Wind Howls (6)
The White Wind Howls (6)
#85
"...Eek! U-Um... P-Please take good care of me!"
"... ... ... ... Likewise."
That caught me off guard. I'd assumed Estelle herself would be my opponent, but apparently not.
"We will now proceed according to the Academy's formal dueling rules. Mr. Do-yun, you are likely unfamiliar with them, so listen carefully. I will explain only once. Unique Magic, after it is Conceived, may be invoked—"
"Up to two times. Once invoked, a Unique Magic can be used until your mana runs dry, and victory is achieved by disarming your opponent or forcing them out of bounds. Is that correct?"
A moment of silence.
"...Where did you learn that?"
I lowered my eyes briefly at the question, then raised them again.
"In the distant past."
"I see."
To be precise— it wouldn't be so far in the past for the me of the original timeline. But it would be a very distant past for this Ha Do-yun, whose body my soul now inhabits. Not that I had any particular desire to elaborate on that at this point.
Estelle didn't press further either.
She gave a light nod and stepped back a little.
Gugugugugu————
The stone floor of the sparring ground rose from the earth, and mana-stone pillars erected at its edges activated an invisible barrier.
"Then the duel will now begin."
Lucien flinched. I kept my gaze fixed on my opponent.
Silence.
No one in the sparring ground made a careless move. Facing each other, we were simply calculating how to win.
Unique Magic, usable only twice. That restriction was, in fact, an enormous advantage for me. Because while my opponent had to agonize over which card to play from her hand, I had no such dilemma.
And besides— wasn't my opponent the heir of a Count House? Even if she looked like a total nerd, her grasp and mastery of magic were likely worlds beyond mine.
That was precisely the point I would assault.
『Unique Magic—Equivalent Exchange』
I would use a magic I knew for certain to strike the gap of an enemy still agonizing over a range of options.
『Full-Body Enhancement—全身强化』
What I was after was a ring-out.
Using a body enhanced to superhuman levels, I would find a way to shove that woman out of the sparring ground.
Something drained from my heart, heating the Imprint near my groin to a searing temperature.
So that was what it felt like to invoke a Unique Magic using mana.
I understood it fully now. At the same moment, the muscles across my entire body contracted briefly, then began expanding to a degree that could no longer be called human.
My heart pounded fiercely and my vision sharpened. It sharpened so much that I could even see the material of Lucien's underwear through the mage's robe she wore ahead of me.
Hmm— a black bra. Bold.
My body felt insanely light.
Bam!
I kicked off the ground and lunged straight at my opponent.
"Hii, Eeeek...!!"
I saw Lucien take a step back, raising one hand high into the air.
There it came.
If it was an offensive spell, I'd dodge with my enhanced physical abilities. If it was a defensive spell, I'd break through it with my remaining Unique Magic. Having finished that calculation, I pressed my advance.
And then—
The moment a white light flashed from Lucien's fingertips, everything before my eyes was swallowed by darkness.
***
***
"...The hell."
I reflexively twisted my body and killed my speed. Charging out while blind would accomplish nothing but a ring-out against me.
In short, I'd been hit with a perfect counter.
"H-Hwu... I'm sorry..."
I could hear Lucien's voice, but it felt both close and distant at once... Without my sight, I couldn't properly gauge my opponent's position from voice alone.
Damn, I didn't expect this.
"You have been struck by 「Light of Eternity」."
Star Instructor Estelle's voice flowed in calmly from afar.
"You will be unable to visually see your opponent until the duel ends."
"I seem to have gathered that."
"I would imagine so. Now then— think about what you intend to do."
...It would be manageable if she'd at least tell me what kind of spell Lucien still has left to invoke. Even if I restored my sight with my remaining Unique Magic, I would simply fall prey to the one Unique Magic she still had in reserve.
"Hey, Instructor. How about a bit more of a handicap?"
It was a duel, sure, but it was still a class, wasn't it? Couldn't you do that much for me?
Estelle let out a shallow sigh and answered.
"...Verciel of the Ring, the family in Arcanum specialized in 'Sealing'. Among them, the Unique Magic of the heir, Lucien, is 『Eternity』."
"Eternity?"
"Yes. It is a magic that places something into a state of eternity. In Mr. Do-yun's current case, you should consider your state of 'blindness' to be eternally sustained."
I understood it completely. So it wasn't that my sight was merely blocked. I had entered the 'state of being unable to see.' Even if I recovered my eyes as they were now, I still wouldn't be able to see my enemy.
"Thank you for the instruction. Now let's continue."
As I said that, I heard the sound of my opponent retaking her stance from the other side.
In any case, to sum it up: my inability to see where my enemy was would persist until the duel ended.
Since it had come to that, I had to abandon the idea of a ring-out through straightforward offense. There was no way to physically close in and shove my opponent out. Defensive spells were impossible for the same reason.
For starters, I had no experience forming a Mental Image (心象) with the intent of protecting something. And since my opponent was experienced, the odds were very high that my clumsy defensive magic would simply be pierced through.
So how should I use my one remaining Unique Magic?
The answer was simple.
A wide-area attack. If I couldn't see, then I would respond with a wide-area attack that sliced across the entire sparring ground. What's more, Lucien had no way of knowing that I could execute a wide-area attack in the first place.
If I used the 『Reversion Slash—還元斬』 I had used to protect Lily, I could cut down an off-guard opponent with plenty to spare.
Alright then. Here I go.
I steadied my breath and slowly raised my hand. I traced back through my memory. The sensation from that moment— when I tore apart Purple Girl's barrier.
I recalled the trajectory that had cleaved the world.
『Unique Magic—Equivalent Exchange』
O lingering vestige of the dead who could not enter the cycle,
Pass through my hand——
And may that karma and power alike be resolved into a single thread of breaking light.
『Reversion Slash—還元斬』
...........................
...........................
"............?"
From a distance, I sensed Lucien's flustered reaction.
"U-Um... What are you doing?"
Estelle sighed shortly.
"Haah."
No, I meant—you know.
Wow.
This was actually pretty damn embarrassing....
#86
"Um... So, I mean— why didn't it work? It worked last time."
"Mr. Do-yun, a magic does not succeed simply because the aria sounds cool."
"Right..."
But seriously, it really did work last time?
"I explained this to you already. A magic is only established if you observe the Three Elements of Magic: Mental Image (心象), Manifestation (顕現), and Netherworld (冥府). Do you think a magic would succeed with a childish Mental Image that only a little kid would come up with?"
...Fair point. Yeah.
"Uuuu... I-I'll give you another chance, so please try again... Lucien will take it head-on."
Give me a break...
Ugh, fucking embarrassing. If the duel up to now had been fifty percent duel and fifty percent lesson, the atmosphere now felt like it had shifted to a hundred percent lesson. I didn't even feel like the other side saw me as a duel opponent anymore.
"Then, could you give me a moment? Let me think."
"Hwuut... Y-Yes, let's do that. Try again when you're ready..."
Even after thinking it over again, I couldn't understand. The Unique Magic I invoked back then had definitely been established. It even tore through the barrier made by Purple Girl— the heir of the Etchellan family— and his lackeys in a single blow.
What on earth was different between then and now?
What was different back then?
That I'd taken the advice of a strange man?
That I was in a situation where I stepped up to protect Lily?
That I awakened because my opponent was strong?
My intuition told me that none of these were the right answer. The solution definitely wasn't among them.
Right— now that I thought about it, I hadn't paid mana as the Netherworld (冥府) at the time. If so, Estelle's point would be incorrect. Even if it was a bit cringey, there had been nothing wrong with my Mental Image (心象). Manifestation (顕現) would also be irrelevant, since I hadn't been in a bodily state that prevented me from using magic.
Therefore, the problem was the Netherworld (冥府).
It was definitely because I had paid something other than mana as the Netherworld that the magic had been established back then.
And that something was...
I closed my eyes and replayed the events of that night once more.
A strange man had definitely activated an Imprint. I was certain it hadn't been the Imprint of Equivalent Exchange. Because Elysia's half was on my groin. The Imprint on my back— even I didn't know what its identity was.
That unidentified Imprint had plundered the fallen, the deceased on the battlefield.
Correct.
What had been paid as the Netherworld.
Souls, thoughts, and everything the deceased had harbored.
"Thank you for waiting. I'm ready now."
"Then we shall resume the duel."
Though I didn't know how I had stolen the vengeful spirits of dead mages at that time, it was impossible to replicate that magic right here and now.
Moreover, since this lesson was meant as practice for paying mana as my Netherworld, I would have to use mana.
I conceived a new magic.
『Unique Magic—Equivalent Exchange』
The Mental Image (心象) would have to be simpler.
More intuitive, more clear, and above all— in a form that my current self could believe in all the way through. What I needed was a single massive slash that would sweep across the entire sparring ground toward my invisible enemy. If I couldn't pinpoint their location, I would cut so broadly that I didn't need to. Only that.
Manifestation (顕現) was the process of revealing that form into reality.
And the Netherworld (冥府) was mana.
What I would Restore this time was not souls and resentment, but all the mana remaining within me. The path to victory also included besieging Lucien after the slash.
I slowly raised my fingertips.
『Reversion Slash—還元斬』
BOOM———!!!!
The moment the mana strike manifested from my fingertips flew across the sparring ground floor, the stone was gouged out and dust scattered in all directions. A faint ripple rose at the edge of the sparring ground barrier.
And then—
"Aaaah!"
I could hear it very clearly— the direction, mixed with the sounds of surprise, panic, and a body staggering.
Now!!!!
I immediately kicked off the ground and surged forward.
I had no vision, but if they screamed that openly, it didn't matter. I would throw the flustered Lucien out of bounds!
I closed the distance to Lucien rapidly and reflexively stretched both arms out. After all, in a situation where I couldn't see, the only way to keep from losing my opponent was to spread my body wide and grab them as if embracing them.
Grab!
"Eeeek—!!"
Caught you.
I caught Lucien. If I threw her out just like this, it would be my victory— but.
"Hn, Hwaaaaaahhh—"
"Haah. Mr. Do-yun."
?
Ah. I should have just forfeited.
My regret was soft.
