Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Magic Clash (4)
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The drawback of Detonation magic was that its pre-casting wasn't intuitive, causing casting times to vary wildly depending on the explosive power.
One kilobuster was enough to blow away a single wagon, and it took a certified Grade 10 mage an average of twenty-one seconds to cast it.
But Iruki, a savant, could complete the pre-casting in just three seconds. And the power he was now gathering, taking over ten seconds, reached a staggering ten kilobusters.
Closer intuited from the silence of Iruki's magic that this explosion would be no ordinary one. Trying to defend against the entire blast would likely result in a critical injury.
Predicting the point of impact, Closer focused Earth Skin on his left side. As if time were fast-forwarding, dirt piled up to form a solid earthen wall.
At the same moment, Iruki's Atomic Bomb detonated.
There was no knockback effect, so Closer didn't move, but the Earth Skin was obliterated without a trace.
"Phew!"
Closer exhaled raggedly. He had nullified the impact, but the sheer power that had blown away his Earth Skin was chilling.
At this point, Iruki also grew serious. He hadn't expected Closer to completely block a ten-kilobuster explosion. He was a much tougher mage than anticipated.
*'Looks like I have no choice.'*
Iruki split his consciousness in two, operating an additional Spirit Zone. The moment the two Spirit Zones penetrated with synesthesia, Closer's eyes widened.
It felt like he was fighting two mages at once.
*'Damn it. Isn't this cheating?'*
From this point on, Closer could no longer enjoy himself. If the ten-kilobuster Atomic Bomb he had just blocked came at him from both sides, defense would be impossible.
"I'll end this before that happens!"
He cast Heavy Stone, and dirt rapidly coalesced in mid-air, forming a boulder weighing nearly a ton that plummeted toward Iruki's head.
It was simply transmuting dirt, but when cast from a great height, it became a gravitational weapon capable of crushing someone with potential energy alone.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Wherever Iruki moved, a boulder fell.
Considering the time it took to transmute and for the boulder to fall, it wasn't highly effective in one-on-one combat, but if one were ever immobilized, the thought alone was terrifying.
*'I see. Is that what he's aiming for?'*
Iruki saw through Closer's intention. The fact that it took time to reach the ground meant it could be combined with other spells for a delayed, coordinated attack.
As expected, Closer cast Heavy Stone over a wide area.
While several boulders formed in the air, he skillfully detached the pre-casting of Heavy Stone and installed a new one.
He cast the Slug spell, and nearby pebbles floated up and shot out like bullets.
"How about this!"
Falling rocks from the sky, and pebbles spreading like buckshot from the front.
"Tch! I didn't want to use this."
Iruki switched one Spirit Zone to a defensive form and cast a protection spell.
Along the surface of the Spirit Zone, hundreds of tiny, ten-grambuster bombs spread out in a spherical shape. The incoming pebbles collided with the bombs, creating small sparks.
The students stared blankly at the scene of countless chain explosions occurring at the boundary between offense and defense.
It was the Bomblet Barrier, the signature spell of a Detonation Mage.
A technique that floated hundreds of micro-bombs around the caster to intercept approaching objects before they could reach them. The key was how many of these small bombs could be manifested in the Spirit Zone.
By that standard, Iruki had reached a level where he could manifest a total of 387 small bombs simultaneously.
In terms of sheer numbers, his skill was comparable to a professional's, yet even with the Bomblet Barrier deployed, Iruki was on the defensive.
The problem was that his Detachment-type was too exceptional. Most of Iruki's advanced techniques stemmed from the Detachment-type. However, the Bomblet Barrier was most effective when used with a Defensive-type Spirit Zone.
In short, it was like an offense-oriented swordsman who wielded dual blades giving up one sword for a shield.
Of course, since Iruki had a Double Spirit Zone, he could at least hold onto one sword, but without operating two Detachment-types simultaneously, he couldn't break through the earth magic's defense.
"Kekeke! I'll end it with this!"
Closer covered his face with both arms and charged headfirst into the Bomblet Barrier. It was a move he could only make because he trusted the defensive power of his Earth Skin.
As Closer broke through the curtain of small bombs, Iruki detonated his Atomic Bombs in a rapid rhythm.
As the ten-grambuster explosions frantically hammered his guard, Closer's face contorted. But instead of stopping his charge, he pushed even deeper. And the moment his Earth Skin shattered, he raised a fist and slammed it into Iruki's face.
Iruki's eyes spun, and he was sent flying.
Silence fell over the arena. No one had expected a mage, of all people, to throw a punch in a 2000-level duel.
"I-Is that allowed? He used his fist."
"I don't know. It's a duel, so shouldn't it be fine? There's no rule against using your body."
The students' gazes naturally fell upon the referee. Etella also wore a troubled expression.
Checking his status with the Master Bracelet, the blow had been incredibly effective.
Until now, Iruki's gauge had been decreasing by one percent per minute. The steady rate of decline, like an hourglass, meant he had been managing his resources well.
But the moment Closer's fist connected, it was cut in half. A classic weakness of mages against physical attacks.
Having made her decision, Etella stepped back, signaling her approval.
Given the nature of earth magic, where physical clashes could be sufficiently effective, it could be considered a valid tactic.
"Kekeke, didn't I tell you? You couldn't even take the hint I gave you. The title of 'genius' is just for show."
Closer kicked Iruki in the back as he tried to get up. Iruki tumbled across the floor and landed face down.
It was a blow that had taken down even the massive Mark in a single hit; maintaining a Double Spirit Zone was now impossible.
Nevertheless, Closer approached cautiously, his entire body covered in Earth Skin just in case.
"Shall we start the remodeling? First, let's tenderize that body of yours."
Closer raised his foot and began to stomp on Iruki's body. Iruki covered his face, curled up, and couldn't move.
"Hey, does it hurt? Huh? Still won't show your face? You were ugly to begin with, so what's the big deal?"
"That bastard...! I'll kill him."
Nade clenched his fists, trembling with rage. The only reason he didn't charge in was for the sake of Iruki's last shred of pride.
"Shirone, you stay back. I'll take responsibility."
"If we're going to fight, we should fight together. But I don't think we need to step in. Iruki hasn't given up yet."
Nade studied Iruki closely. Between his shielding arms, he could see Iruki's smiling face. With even his Bomblet Barrier broken, there was nothing he could do. What could he possibly be thinking to be able to smile while getting beaten up?
"Tougher than I thought. Hey, turn over."
Pushed by Closer's kick, Iruki rolled onto his back. Contrary to expectations that he would be terrified, his face looked relieved.
"This bastard pisses me off to the very end. This time, I'll really break that nose of yours."
Annoyed, Closer raised his leg and aimed for Iruki's face. One kick would be enough to break his nose.
"Kikik! Kikikik!"
With a laugh as strange as his voice, Iruki arched his back like a bow, supported himself on his head, and looked at Shirone.
"Shirone, I'm sorry. I was saving this for you."
The students were speechless. Iruki's bizarre behavior was about to start again.
"You bastard!"
Just as Closer, feeling ignored, brought his foot down like a thunderbolt, the corners of Iruki's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
"I'll show you something interesting, Shirone."
*CRACK!* The booted foot struck the ground.
Having rolled away to dodge, Iruki moved into Closer's range. And with his slender wrist, he threw a punch.
Closer was dumbfounded. He had not only Earth Skin but also Earthrise active; the punch would only hurt Iruki's own fist.
"Oof!"
Contrary to his expectations, a heavy impact landed on his abdomen, and a slight groan escaped Closer's lips.
Closer's eyes wavered in shock. The power behind the blow was nothing special, but the defensive magic surrounding him had completely vanished.
"H-How...?"
Iruki leaped up in a martial arts stance imitating a crane. Then, he jabbed two fingers toward Closer's eyes.
"Acho!"
"Gah! My eyes!"
Momentarily blinded, Closer hastily cast Earthrise. But it was the same as before. Just as the spell began to activate, it was canceled, as if time had reversed.
*Tok. Torrr.*
The recordkeeper watching the battle dropped his pen, his eyes fixed on Iruki.
"...Cancellation?"
The cancellation spell, Cancellation.
A spell of the highest difficulty, regardless of its power, that nullified a mage's omnipotence.
Magic textbooks often explain Cancellation using the analogy of a glass cup.
The question is whether the shattered pieces of a glass cup dropped on the floor can spontaneously reassemble themselves.
The answer is 'yes.'
The reason no one has ever witnessed such a phenomenon is that the probability is extremely low.
Since the dawn of time, this world has been moving from a state of stability to instability.
That is why when you drop a glass, it shatters with a near-infinite number of variables.
However, among those infinite possibilities, there is one single case: if the direction and velocity of the forces acting upon the glass at the moment it shatters are perfectly reversed, the glass can spontaneously restore itself.
In reality, 'breaking' is nothing more than the state of molecular bonds being severed, so if the forces are reversed at the atomic level, a perfect restoration without a single crack is possible.
Mages call this the 'Returned Glass.'
Iruki had his Detachment-type Spirit Zone infiltrate Closer's Spirit Zone to analyze the changing processes within his mind.
Then, by reversing the pattern generated by a specific spell into an equation, he succeeded in creating a 'Returned Glass.'
This required a level of calculation that ordinary humans could not even imitate. It was why seventy-two percent of mages who could use Cancellation were those with Savant Syndrome.
"Aaargh! This is so annoying!"
Closer flailed his arms in frustration. Giving up on defense entirely, he cast Heavy Stone, transmuting a dozen or so boulders in mid-air.
Iruki pointed his finger at them one by one, casting Cancellation. The process of the dirt coalescing reversed, as if time were rewinding, and the boulders vanished.
"Acho! Acho! Acho!"
Iruki stubbornly continued his martial arts display. To the onlookers, it might have seemed like he was mocking Closer, but he was actually serious.
He struck the bridge of Closer's nose, and a double stream of blood burst forth.
There was no way to counter a situation where his magic was being forcibly canceled. It was as if a mage was fighting an ordinary person.
Just how fearsome a spell Cancellation was, was clearly reflected on the teachers' faces. Even if he was a student, if he had learned a cancellation spell, it was a different story entirely.
"I knew he was exceptional, but since when did he have such an ability..."
"His environment must have played a big part. After all, Iruki's father is..."
Mercodine Albino, the head of Dragon's Thunder.
He may seem careless, but it's said that very few in the kingdom know what he's truly thinking.
Savants have the potential to become the best at Anti-Magic and Cancellation, so a man like Albino would have undoubtedly trained him from a young age.
"Not all savants have a mind as quick as Iruki's. If he's managed well, he'll reach an unparalleled domain in the future."
Like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle, the countless light punches from Iruki began to make his bones ache.
Closer's face was a mess. His eyelids were swollen, and blood trickled from his nose. His lips were split and hurt every time he moved.