Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Combat Simulation (8)
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Even after the battle began, Dante didn't move. To be honest, he hadn't expected a Tier 6 summoned beast to appear at all.
"How about it? Why not surrender now before you're humiliated? If you do, I'll let you off the hook for kneeling."
"Impressive. How did you get Gaos?"
As Dante made a weary face, Boyle's shoulders squared with pride.
"I'd be too disgusted to even get near it. You've lived with that monster for years, haven't you? Surely you haven't crossed a forbidden line, have you? Hehehe."
Boyle's eyes widened in fury.
Given the nature of their profession, it was natural for summoners to live with their beasts for extended periods. In fact, some eccentric mages were known to cross that forbidden line to achieve a perfect state of empathy.
It was a well-known fact among mages, but to say it out loud was a clear taunt.
"I'll make you kneel before me."
Gaos charged forward at a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye. Even Shirone, who had fought Ulk in the slash-and-burn village, had no desire to face Gaos.
*‘What on earth is Dante planning to do?’*
Contrary to expectations, Dante simply teleported away—a textbook move.
But that wasn't enough to stop Gaos.
The monster twisted its body sharply, closing the distance to Dante in an instant and swiping with its claws.
Everyone thought it was over.
But in that moment, Gaos's movements slowed.
"What?"
Mentally linked with Boyle, Gaos scanned the ground. A small magic circle was shimmering there.
Shirone recognized the type of magic circle just by its effect.
"A Slow magic circle?"
Dante rested his clasped hands on his head and taunted him.
"Are you there yet? For a Tier 6, you're pretty slow."
The enraged Gaos tensed its muscles, but it couldn't twist the flow of time with sheer strength.
Kuaaaaargh!
Finally breaking free from the magic circle, Gaos let out a monstrous roar and charged at Dante.
But once again, it was caught in another Slow magic circle that had been laid in advance, reducing it to a pathetic state.
Watching with a look of pity, Dante yawned and pointed down.
"Look at the ground. The ground! Are you an idiot?"
"You bastard! How dare you mock me!"
As Boyle shouted, electricity sparked from the hoses connected to Gaos's spine. Lightning erupted, bypassing the magic circle's area of effect and scorching the spot where Dante stood.
Hit by a spell cast by a Tier 6 summon, it was safe to assume he was finished.
But the spot was already empty.
Boyle belatedly realized why.
"An Illusion magic circle?"
In the scorched spot, a single small magic circle remained. It was a trick he had set up when he cast the first Slow magic circle.
*‘Where the hell did he go?’*
As Boyle looked around, Dante appeared behind him and slung an arm over his shoulder. Boyle was so startled he thought his heart would stop; he couldn't even lift a finger.
Dante's face popped up over Boyle's shoulder.
"Are you even trying? I haven't accepted a challenge in a while, so make it a good one."
"Kgh! G-Gaos!"
As Gaos whipped around with ferocious momentum, Dante teleported away again.
Based on the battle so far, Shirone realized what Dante's specialty was.
"I see. It's combat using magic circles, powered by Light Magic—specifically, Information Magic."
It was an application of Photon Output, which Shirone had learned before the speed gun test. A branch of Information Magic derived from it.
Photons have the fastest information transfer speed, making them highly compatible with magic circles.
Weren't halos, the ability of angels, also light in their essence?
Moreover, the magic circles Dante used were single-use, instant magic circles.
They only lasted for about a minute, but the time it took to construct them was less than a second.
Dozens of magic circles were now floating around Dante.
Gaos, which had been charging relentlessly, stopped for the first time as it took in the changed scenery.
Closer, who had been watching the fight, smirked.
"Reflection magic circles. He's caught. Boyle can't escape."
Boyle looked around with a grim expression. Everywhere he looked, magic circles shimmered.
There were 48 magic circles in total. Using his summoner's superhuman senses, he determined they were all identical in size and shape, with a diameter of 57.62 centimeters.
Dante approached with his hands raised like a conductor.
"Welcome to Dante's playground."
"Shut up!"
Dante fired an Air Strike into a reflection magic circle. The moment Gaos got right in front of him, the Air Strike, having ricocheted off seven magic circles like a pinball, slammed into Gaos's side.
The fact that Dante didn't even think of dodging meant he had complete mastery over time and space.
Dante continued to unleash spells here and there as if conducting an orchestra.
The Air Strikes zipped between the magic circles in three-dimensional trajectories, duplicating in a copy magic circle and striking Gaos as two.
Kuaaaaaah!
No matter how high Gaos's physical abilities were, taking consecutive hits from Air Strikes amplified by magic circles was taking its toll.
Boyle was at a loss. No matter where he moved Gaos, an Air Strike would score a direct hit. When a three-hit combo landed, the summon was almost canceled.
"What's wrong? The great Gaos can't be taken down by an attack like this, can it?"
The reason Boyle endured Dante's taunts was because the magic circles' duration was about to run out.
If he could just hold on a little longer, his chance would come. As long as he didn't miss that one opportunity, he still had a chance to win.
"Now!"
As the magic circles vanished, Gaos charged at full speed.
Slow magic circles were laid out in intervals, but Boyle wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice.
As if mocking Boyle's thoughts, Dante cast two Slow magic circles that grazed Gaos's shoulder and knee.
With different flows of time applied to each part, Gaos's balance shattered, and its body flipped over.
"You really are an idiot. A magic circle is still magic. If you dodge it, I can just cast it directly on your body."
Boyle gritted his teeth. Just who was this guy, toying with a Tier 6 summon as if it were a child?
Gaos seemed to struggle just to get up.
Even though it was a virtual summon, its characteristics were identical to the real thing; separate from the mage's spirit, if its stamina ran out, it couldn't fight.
"Are you okay? Your darling seems to be in pain."
"You son of a bitch!"
Humiliated in front of everyone, Boyle went for broke and forced Gaos back to its feet.
Blue lightning erupted from its entire body, transforming it into a being of pure electricity.
It was a self-destruct attack that even the real Gaos wouldn't use unless it was a life-or-death situation.
Kuaaaaargh!
"Giving up already? How boring."
Dante pointed a finger at Gaos. Ten magic circles appeared in a line on the floor, then stood upright a moment later.
It was Rising Target, a technique of Information Magic.
*‘Those are amplification magic circles...’*
Boyle calculated the distance. He estimated that if an Air Strike passed through all the magic circles lined up in a row, its power would be amplified nearly tenfold.
But at Gaos's speed, it could pass at least four of the magic circles before the spell hit. That would reduce Dante's amplification to only six times, making it a gamble worth taking.
*‘I have the advantage in power. I'll go for a full-frontal assault.’*
The moment Gaos reached the first magic circle, Dante cast Air Strike.
However, the Air Strike wasn't aimed at Gaos but shot off in a completely different direction.
The Air Strike flew off ahead, ricocheted in a three-point pattern, and then entered the Rising Target array from the far end, traveling backward through it.
*‘He calculated the distance in reverse?’*
Since Gaos and the spell were now rushing in the same direction, the Air Strike could pass through all ten magic circles before reaching its target.
Boyle didn't let go of hope. Even so, Gaos was faster. The key was to strike Dante before the Air Strike hit.
"I've won!"
As Gaos reached the final magic circle, Boyle shouted without realizing it.
But, as if to shatter his hope, Gaos's movements slowed drastically.
By the time he realized the last magic circle was a Slow circle, it was already too late.
Even with a summoner's superhuman perception, with ten magic circles overlapping, he couldn't identify what the final one was.
The Air Strike, having passed through nine magic circles, slammed into Gaos's back, sending it flying diagonally before it vanished.
Boyle could only stand there, devastated.
If he wrung out every last bit of his power, he might be able to summon it again. But he didn't want to.
Dante possessed a genius-level understanding of time and space. His tactic of using Information Magic to create an advantageous situation and slowly corner his opponent was enough to make one lose the will to fight.
Dante shrugged.
"Don't tell me that's it? I even went easy on you, and you still disappoint me."
"Don't be arrogant. It was a hair's breadth. If Gaos had just a little more stamina, you would've been the one to lose!"
"Sure, console yourself with that if it makes you feel better. But you know what? I could have ended this whenever I wanted."
"Nonsense! You were also fighting with all your might...!"
A magic circle lit up beneath Boyle's feet, and his body sank downward.
He immediately emerged from the underside of a magic circle floating in the air and fell in front of Dante.
"Uwaaah!"
Crashing to the ground, Boyle couldn't bear the pain and arched his back like a bow.
Dante clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Didn't you know passive magic gets priority? Magic circles are a passive skill, you know."
"Kgh! You... When did you put a magic circle under me...?"
"Hmm, when could it have been? Take a guess."
Boyle replayed the battle in his mind. But Dante had been too busy dodging Gaos; he'd never once come near him.
No, there was one time.
"Don't tell me... the reason you put your arm around my shoulder was..."
"Bingo. I can activate magic circles on a delay. I call it Time Walk. Summoners control two consciousnesses, so you guys usually stay put, right? Plus, the technique to flip a magic circle upside down is called a Spin, and it's pretty difficult. Anyway, the point is, even while you were so focused on your darling, I was ready to take you out at any moment. Got it, mama's boy?"
"You, you bastard...!"
"But I'm bored now. Let's finish this."
As Dante finished speaking, another magic circle appeared, and Boyle dropped through it.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Shuttled through a complex pattern of seven spatial transfer magic circles, Boyle couldn't get his bearings.
The reason he couldn't even resist was that the actual distance traveled was zero.
It was no different from just standing still.
Dante calculated the timing and fired an Air Strike. After ricocheting exactly six times, the spell slammed into the back of the upside-down, falling Boyle.
The hit registered, and both of their bracelets lit up.
The scenery of the simulation vanished from Boyle's sight, replaced by the floor covered in physical blocks.
The students were stunned into silence.
Boyle didn't understand what they were so shocked about. From his perspective, he had just been bounced around frantically and hit by a surprise attack from a blind spot.
In contrast, the spectacle the students had witnessed was a work of art.
Boyle and the Air Strike had crisscrossed through the air, only to collide at one precise point, ending the match.
It was a technique that couldn't be replicated just by calculating it.
Dante looked at the dead-silent students, then turned to Shina.
"Professor, could you please turn on the percentage gauge?"
Revealing one's full power was something most would be reluctant to do, but Dante was confident.
Shina used the master bracelet to display the percentage gauge.
His mental energy hadn't even decreased by one-fiftieth.
Shirone realized Dante was sending a message. The reason his mental energy consumption was so low, despite creating numerous magic circles, was that he was using basic magic.
Photon Output was a spell anyone could perform easily, and using it to construct simple information wasn't difficult either.
It was a calculation that installing five magic circles that amplified magic by two times was far more efficient than one that amplified it by ten.
But the synergistic effect created by the interlocking magic circles was enough to treat a Tier 6 Gaos like a pet.
A tactic where he never ceded control, slowly pressuring his opponent until he eventually drowned them.
That was the fighting style of the Shining Boy, Dante.