Chapter 19: The Final Mana
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: The Final Mana
Combat between swordsmen is intuitive and fair.
This was precisely why the profession of the gladiator still thrived in Serdes. Because it was intuitive, it was simple; because it was simple, it was visible. There was a unique kind of entertainment in watching the psychological warfare unfold within that simplicity.
The world of mages, however, was the polar opposite.
It was an abstract realm defined by stark, immutable disparities. The problem lay in the fact that the gap between Circles was overwhelmingly absolute. In the unfairly honest world of magic, ascending even a single Circle skewed the odds of victory by over ninety-five percent.
Yet, a five-percent margin for irregularities always remained.
There existed overwhelming talent capable of invalidating ten years of effort in a single day.
Ferda Valdrova, whom Marquis Burnell was currently watching, was the living embodiment of that irregularity.
‘Magic Intercept?’
It was a technique that involved seizing control of an opponent’s manifested spell and turning it back against them. It was a pinnacle feat, rarely seen even in high-level duels between masters.
‘Isn’t that a technique only mages who have reached at least the 5th Circle can perform…?’
Only a 5th Circle Master Mage—someone with a profound ontological understanding of magic and absolute mastery over mana—would even attempt it. Yet, Ferda was only at the 2nd Circle, a level even Burnell could technically look down upon.
‘No, theoretically, I’ve heard it’s possible for a 2nd Circle.’
The 2nd Circle: the Spell Blower.
The rank earned its name because it was the stage where mages finally began to use proper incantations, weaving magic through threads of mana. However, at that level, the magic was usually crude, weak, and lacked precision—so much so that it was belittled as merely "blowing" out spells.
‘But theory is just theory.’
The world of magic was littered with possibilities that existed only on paper.
‘And yet, he’s performing a Magic Intercept? For real?’
It was possible in principle, but it was something no one had ever actually achieved in practice. If this truly was a Magic Intercept, Burnell was witnessing a new chapter being written in the history of magic.
* * *
Having returned to the past and attempted a Magic Intercept for the first time today, Ferda’s assessment was simple:
‘As expected, it’s just as easy as I thought.’
If a Mana Walker masters the "point," then a Spell Blower masters the "line." It was the stage where one used those lines to create a "plane"—in other words, weaving the fabric of a spell.
‘The only spell I can use right now is Mana Shot.’
He had long since forgotten the low-level spells of the 2nd Circle after becoming an Archmage, and he hadn't bothered to re-learn any new ones yet.
‘But this is all I need.’
It was basic, but it was the most effective tool for the current situation. There was no need to waste effort transforming mana into elements; pure mana was more than enough.
At least, it was for a monster.
‘I’ve captured monsters alive more times than I can count.’
Back when he had collaborated with the Demon Follower, Thesalos, the man had frequently requested live specimens. Killing them was easy, but capturing them was an art. While sharing forbidden knowledge with Thesalos, Ferda had learned the specific biological and magical characteristics of these creatures.
‘And that’s how I eventually figured it out.’
It was a simple conclusion.
If a human is continuously exposed to corrupted mana, they wither and die. Conversely, for these cancer-like creatures that thrived on corruption, pure mana acted as a lethal toxin.
Ferda was currently injecting that poison directly into its heart.
As the monster stopped emitting its own mana and became "poisoned," its hyper-regeneration and overwhelming strength ground to a halt. It was like jamming a steel rod between the teeth of a spinning gear.
‘It’ll break eventually, but I can stall it for now.’
Ferda launched the first sphere toward the bear monster’s face. He fired it in a high arc to obscure its trajectory, dropping it precisely onto the crown of the beast's head.
Boom!
Against an ordinary person, the impact would have turned their head to mush.
— Roaaaaar!
However, the bear monster merely let out a roar and jerked its head up. Its durability had been reinforced by its mana addiction. Its skull was dented, but the damage wasn't critical.
Ferda glanced at Burnell. “Prepare a big one.”
“Yes, sir!”
While Burnell molded a massive sphere, Ferda immediately prepared a second shot. This time, he used a curved trajectory. Instead of falling from above, the sphere hooked sharply from the flank.
Boom!
The bear monster’s head recoiled violently.
— Roaaaaar!
Thoroughly enraged, the beast let out a thunderous roar. It shifted its massive front paws, searching for the source of the irritation.
Ferda didn't miss the opening. Four spheres formed around his fingers.
“Now.”
Burnell hurled his sphere into Ferda’s firing line. Ferda snatched it mid-air with his own mana. Along with the four spheres floating at his fingertips, he launched the entire payload in a straight line toward the monster’s chest.
Boom!
One Mana Shot exploded prematurely in mid-air. The resulting shockwave acted as a propellant, accelerating the other four spheres to terminal velocity. The three small spheres Ferda had created spun in a tight spiral, impacting the chest first.
Crash!
Three explosions detonated in rapid succession. The continuous blasts tore through the black hide of the chest, exposing the raw, pulsing flesh beneath. Then, the large sphere Burnell had provided struck the open wound.
‘Deeper.’
The sheer momentum and rotational force bored into the muscle.
‘Even deeper.’
And finally, it detonated.
KABOOM!!
A massive explosion swallowed the bear monster’s entire frame.
“Gah!” Burnell let out an ungraceful yelp. ‘Did my mana sphere always have this much explosive power?’
He knew the sphere that exploded was his own, but the force was far beyond anything he could have produced. Ferda, a mere 2nd Circle mage, was handling his mana as if it were his own, optimizing it to a terrifying degree.
Ferda’s eyes remained fixed on the cloud of dust. ‘Show yourself.’
As the visibility cleared, the target was revealed. As expected, the bear monster’s body was in tatters. Its black hide had been stripped away, leaving its dark purple flesh ravaged. Internal organs and shattered bones were visible through the gore.
Ferda’s gaze locked onto the heart. ‘It’s still beating.’
The source of its vitality was that heart, and it was pumping vigorously. With every heavy throb, the monster’s flesh began to knit back together.
‘Hyper-regeneration.’
It wasn't just durable; its recovery speed far surpassed that of any normal monster.
‘I need to end this now.’
The creature was currently defenseless, unable to even twitch a finger. If it managed to recover its mobility, it would mean Ferda’s defeat.
‘Time to be aggressive.’
Having made his decision, Ferda generated a flurry of spheres at his fingertips and shouted to Burnell.
“Burnell! Throw them as soon as you form them!”
“Yes!”
Ferda unleashed a relentless assault on the exposed heart.
— Gurgle. Gurgle.
Hit directly in its core, the bear’s body flinched as it wheezed out a ragged breath. Ferda’s spheres repeatedly struck the heart, forcibly tearing open the skin every time it tried to close.
It was a race: would Ferda’s mana run out first, or would the bear’s regeneration fail? It was a brutal tug-of-war over a single wound.
‘Because of its sheer mass, this isn't going as smoothly as I’d like.’
Victory wasn't guaranteed. If he were still a 5th Circle mage, he could have ended this with a thought, but with the limited mana capacity of a 2nd and 3rd Circle combined, the margin was razor-thin.
* * *
‘I feel sick.’
Burnell felt like he was going to vomit. His mind was hazy, as if he had been inhaling thick oil fumes for hours. The sensation of his mana being drained so rapidly was blurring his consciousness and shattering his focus.
‘Have I ever used this much mana in my life?’
Never. As a scholar, he only needed enough power to immerse himself in his research. He had always maintained more than half of his mana reserves as a safety net. Now, Ferda was pouring on the attacks, and Burnell was draining his soul to match that tempo. He had barely twenty percent of his mana left. He could manage maybe three more spheres before he was empty.
Doubt began to cloud his mind as he looked at the Regent. ‘He must have used far more mana than me... how is he still casting?’
By a rough estimate, Ferda had thrown triple the number of spheres Burnell had. Burnell looked up at Ferda, and his eyes widened in horror.
‘H-His nose is bleeding!’
The meaning of a mage’s nose bleeding during casting was simple and terrifying.
‘Overload!’
It was an abnormal phenomenon that occurred when a mage forced too much mental energy into a single point, exceeding their natural capacity.
‘If he keeps this up, he’ll hit Mana Burnout…!’
In the worst-case scenario, it was a permanent injury that could leave a mage a cripple, unable to perform even basic calculations for the rest of their life.
‘He came here without even a staff, and now...’
A staff served as a vital stabilizer for mana formation. Ferda was calculating every variable purely with his mind. Overload was the inevitable result.
“Burnell.” Ferda called his name, his voice eerily calm.
“Y-Yes?”
“Focus.”
Burnell’s panic vanished at the sound of that steady voice.
‘Right. Stay calm. What kind of Blue Circle mage am I if I can't even keep my composure?’
It was a pathetic sight. Ferda, a Red Circle, was as steady as a rock, while Burnell, a Blue Circle, was falling apart.
‘I really… had no resolve at all,’ Burnell realized.
Had he ever been prepared to put his life on the line for his research?
‘No. I wasn't.’
He had thought he just needed to sit in a lab. He thought he could just study the monsters someone else captured and bring about peace from the safety of a desk. But here was Ferda, risking his very existence for Burnell’s project. He was risking Mana Burnout—the death of a mage’s soul.
‘I have to bet everything too…!’
Burnell faced his own cowardice and used it as a stepping stone to leap forward.
“Uuuuugh!”
Burnell squeezed out every last drop of mana, converting his very life force into energy.
“Regent!” he roared, a valiant sound unthinkable for the usually timid scholar. “Please take my final mana!!”
He passed a massive, glowing sphere over to Ferda.
“Thank you.”
Ferda took the sphere, synchronized it with his own rhythm, and hurled it into the bear monster’s chest.
KABOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted from within the beast. The creature’s movements and regeneration ceased instantly.
‘The heart?’
If the heart had been destroyed, the capture was a failure. Ferda observed the chest with intense focus.
‘It’s still beating.’
The creature was barely clinging to life, its hyper-regeneration successfully stalled.
“Now! Sever the tendons and bind it!”
Arwen and his knights charged forward, swarming the bear monster. It was as easy as sitting down to a meal that had already been prepared. They had captured the monster alive without a single casualty.
Ferda turned his attention to Burnell. “Are you alright?”
Burnell was twitching on the ground, blood streaming from his nose. He had hit full Mana Burnout. Despite the agony—which likely felt like his internal organs were being shredded—he was smiling.
“Haha… H-How was it? M-My… my sincerity?”
Ferda replied coldly. “You did something foolish. Risking your life like that.”
“I-If the Regent is doing it, how could I…?”
He couldn't even finish the sentence before he lost consciousness. Ferda laid him down gently.
“Are you alright, Regent?” Arwen asked, approaching.
“Is the monster bound?”
“Yes. Its condition is… stable. We will transport it to the castle immediately.”
“Good. But let’s take care of the urgent matters first. Is there a mage in your territory?”
“Yes, there is.”
Ferda pointed to the unconscious scholar at his feet. “Take this idiot and have them perform a mana infusion. It’s a long way back to the capital, so I’ll leave him in your care.”
Arwen placed a hand over his heart and bowed. “Understood. But Regent, do you not need emergency treatment yourself?”
“For what?”
Arwen pointed to his own nose. “Your nose is bleeding.”
“A nosebleed?” Ferda wiped his face. Blood that had already cooled came away on his hand. “I see.”
Even Ferda, in his intense focus, hadn't noticed. Arwen handed him a handkerchief.
“I’ve heard that using magic excessively can cause nosebleeds. If you feel dizzy, you should be the priority for treatment.”
“Ah, I’m fine.” Ferda wiped his nose. After a few dabs, the bleeding stopped. “I may be reckless, but I’m not the kind of fool who fights by throwing his life away.”
He would take risks when necessary, but he would never gamble with his existence. In truth, he still had enough mana left for several more spells.
“A pebble must have flown into my face when the mana exploded. It seems it hit my nose.”
Ferda looked down at Burnell, who had pushed himself into a state of total overload and ruined his own body for a misunderstanding. He could only feel a sense of profound pity for the man.