Chapter 319
Chapter 319
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: One-Third (5)
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“If he helped someone in exchange for payment, that would be illegal. But the situation itself is the same. What if Fermi simply helped someone on a whim? Could you still call that unfair?”
Olina couldn't answer.
“The graduation exam candidates are ranked from 1st to 30th. But the gap between students isn't the same every year. Some years, students of similar levels compete, while in other years, an unrivaled talent appears and sweeps the board. Fermi’s case is no different.”
“Even so, failing intentionally is a problem. It goes against the spirit of the graduation exam.”
Alpheas shook his head.
“Think about Shirone from Class 4. He’ll probably move up to the graduating class next year. If Shirone were to go pro right now, what level do you think he’d be at?”
Olina placed a finger on her lips, lost in thought.
“Hmm, if we’re just talking about combat ability, couldn’t he hold his own against an 8th-grade mage? Honestly, anyone below 6th-grade is pretty much in the same boat. It's a constant back-and-forth.”
“That’s easy for us to say, looking down from above. From the students’ perspective, even a 10th-grade mage is an incredibly high wall to overcome. And that’s how it should be. But there will always be students who transcend their peers. We can't argue about fairness just because a few such kids are included.”
“That may be true, but…”
“In terms of difficulty, next year’s graduating class will have it much worse. It’s no exaggeration to say that the squads moving up next semester are the strongest in history. But will they complain that the competition is tougher than in other years?”
“But those kids won’t fail on purpose.”
“You don’t know that. My point isn’t about failing intentionally, but that it’s difficult to set a clear standard for these things. Whether there’s lobbying or not, the fact that it’s a system of free competition doesn’t change.”
Olina propped her chin on her hand and groaned.
As it stood, there was no way to overthrow Fermi’s dictatorship. What on earth was a mage of professional caliber—one suspected of using unconventional magic—thinking, pulling a stunt like this?
“So, in the end, there’s no way to save Amy. What a shame.”
“Are you certain Amy would have passed 100 percent if there hadn’t been any collusion?”
Olina’s eyes narrowed at Alpheas’s leading question.
“I’m saying that’s the case, looking at talent alone.”
“The Carmis family’s Red Eyes are renowned across the continent. Whatever you teach them, they absorb it like a sponge. A jack-of-all-trades, you could say. Of course, she’s also a beauty in her own right.”
Olina shot Alpheas a cold glare. But since he wasn't wrong, she rested her chin on her hand and huffed.
“...Being too pretty is a problem in itself.”
“I’ve watched that child since she was twelve. She’ll get through this just fine.”
The two turned their heads to look out the window. The academy, where so many events had transpired over the past year, lay sleeping peacefully, like a stage after the performance had ended.
And so, another year at the magic academy came to a close.
A Fleeting Crack (1)
The 6th Heaven, Zebul.
In Zebul, the city of angels, there existed two Mecha Systems.
One was Ingris, where the Akashic Records were kept, and the other was Daesegejeon, the laboratory of the Archangel Kariel.
Daesegejeon, which had been laid to waste by Shirone’s Photon Cannon, was now immaculately restored.
The central control system, shaped like a colossal pillar, was the tallest structure in Daesegejeon. Beside the pillar, which glowed with multicolored light, the Galactic Scope that observed the movements of the stars rotated smoothly.
Daesegejeon had returned to its former state. But Heaven had not.
After Shirone’s departure, a wind of change had swept through the 1st Heaven, Shamain. The subjects no longer believed that the Art of Oneness was the only truth, and radical factions began to emerge among them.
This only spurred the angels to muster all their strength to break through Miro’s Spacetime.
At the vanguard of this effort was the Archangel Kariel.
The Archangel of Creation, who had attempted to perform the Art of Life on Amy, Tess, and Arin after they were captured by the fallen angel Ikasa.
The most intelligent of the angels, he had analyzed the Meta Gate that Shirone left behind when he returned to his original world.
And at last, he had found the coordinates to the Land of Earth. But to get there, they first had to break through Miro’s Spacetime.
“Even if we know the coordinates, we still have to break through. But that’s where it gets tricky.”
“Then was there no point in restoring the coordinates?”
At the sound of a booming voice, Kariel turned.
Recognizing the speaker, a smile graced his lips. Another Archangel, Uriel, floated in mid-air, clad in pure white heavy armor.
Angels were taller than humans, but Uriel’s height, reaching three meters, was the greatest even among angels. His build was as massive as his height, with his chest plate reaching the tip of his chin.
With a single flap of his wings of light, Kariel ascended to the top of the central processing system. A large screen was installed at the height of 40 meters, displaying countless scrolling numbers.
“Not necessarily. By now, the number of Nephilim in the Land of Earth is quite substantial. Even if we shatter Miro’s Spacetime, we should be able to put up a firewall of sorts. But with the coordinates, we can just ignore it.”
“Shatter Miro’s Spacetime? Wasn’t that strategy rejected a long time ago?”
The only being who could reject an archangel's proposal was Ankh Ra. Indeed, after the final war was blocked by Miro, Ankh Ra had forbidden any investigation into the Land of Earth.
The archangels didn't know why, but they could not defy the will of Ankh Ra, the keeper of the Akashic Records.
But Kariel had not given up.
The turning point was Shirone’s appearance. His existence had changed the subjects. And that change was accelerating with each passing day.
“I have no intention of going against Ra’s will either. Think of this as a preventive measure. The Land of Earth will have to be conquered someday. If we wait until then to start building things, it might be too late, don’t you think?”
“In that case… you’re not certain about this experiment either.”
One corner of Kariel’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
He had never once lacked certainty. It was just that every time he made an attempt, Miro had responded nimbly and thwarted him. Now, it felt as though he were playing a game with her from some unseen place.
But today, she too would have no choice but to give up.
Miro’s Spacetime would be breached. Ankh Ra didn't want it, but… what could be done? That, too, was merely fate.
Kariel flew past the Galactic Scope toward the western wall. Uriel watched for a moment before unleashing a terrifying gust of wind, catching up to him in an instant.
“Now, this is the piece I’m unveiling today.”
“…”
Uriel could not offer any comment.
Kariel’s masterpiece was enormous, occupying a quarter of the vast Daesegejeon. It was a rectangular wall, 40 meters wide and 70 meters tall.
Uriel’s frame, which had seemed like the second coming of a war god just moments ago, suddenly felt small and insignificant before the wall.
“It is quite large.”
As Uriel acknowledged it, Kariel grew even more triumphant.
“I thought about why we can’t break through Miro’s Spacetime. It’s because the very nature of a dimensional wall is that it cannot be broken. But with this Heaven’s Fall, it’s possible. Just as an unbreakable liquid can be shattered if you freeze it. We’ll land a direct hit on Miro’s Spacetime.”
“A direct hit. In other words, you’re saying this Heaven’s Fall *is* Miro’s Spacetime?”
It was a significant oversimplification if you got into the specifics, but in simple terms, it was a correct assessment.
Well, what did it matter? He had summoned Uriel today not for his mind, but for his arm.
“If Heaven’s Fall can be shattered, so can Miro’s Spacetime. I wanted to add an amplification circuit, but it’s impossible without Ikael’s help.”
Uriel avoided a direct response.
Ikael would not help. Not only was she imprisoned for committing an irreversible sin, but the incident with Shirone had further solidified the suspicion that she was siding with the humans.
Kariel tapped Heaven’s Fall and said.
“What do you say? Care to give it a try?”
Uriel deliberated on whether he should really destroy it.
If Heaven’s Fall was shattered, so too would Miro’s Spacetime. And that would go against the will of Ankh Ra.
‘No, no one can defy Ra’s will. Not because he is strong, but because he is the whole.’
Whatever future came to pass, Ra would simply be Ra. Kariel must also know this, which was why he was attempting something so reckless.
Uriel decided to be honest. From the start, hadn't it been Ikael, not Ra, that bothered him?
‘Why… why did Ikael abandon us?’
Since ancient times, the angels had been tasked with delivering God’s will to the Land of Earth, and also with its destruction. Among them, Uriel was the archangel who had distinguished himself in the act of destruction. His power had overturned the land and split the seas.
But even Uriel, who had blindly slaughtered humans, found himself questioning if he was in the right when he heard the rumors that Ikael might have sided with them.
Ikael is always right.
No, it wasn't a matter of right or wrong. Even if she wasn't right, he wanted to follow her. If that was his given nature, he would carry out even a wrongful act with conviction.
Perhaps Kariel, too, had existed his entire life with such thoughts.
Angels do not have the concept of a mother. But if they had to name someone as their mother, it could only be Ikael. The archangel among archangels, who had cared for them since their creation.
Uriel glanced at Kariel. Seeing his innocent smile, he recalled something from a very long time ago.
Back then, Kariel’s personality wasn't like this. He was still sly and perverse, but he didn't obsessively create things for a purpose. He would create fun and clever items to give to Ikael, and she would laugh with delight and stroke his head.
“Kariel, I can destroy it. You know that as well. Is this truly what you want?”
“Haha! It won’t be easy this time, I tell you. No, to be honest, it *must* be destroyed. I want to destroy the Land of Earth as soon as possible. If we destroy Miro’s Spacetime, today will be that day.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Ra has not yet given any word. Ymir still has not awoken from his slumber. Is there really a need to go this far?”
Kariel looked ‘down’ at the world outside Zebul. The riots that started in the 1st Heaven, Shamain, had spread to the 2nd Heaven, Rakia, where battles raged between the subjects and the fallen angels.
“Shirone changed Heaven. And this is only the beginning. We must break through Miro’s Spacetime and eliminate the humans of Earth as quickly as possible.”
It wasn't that he didn't understand Kariel’s concerns.
But for an archangel who had destroyed countless lands of Earth to become anxious over a mere subjects’ rebellion made no sense.
“Do you think that if we destroy the humans, Ikael will return?”
Kariel’s face suddenly hardened.
“...What do you mean?”
“Ikael’s sin has already been expunged. The incident itself no longer exists. Geopin disappeared as the price for that. At this point, shouldn’t the two of us at least forgive her?”
Kariel’s aura expanded at a terrifying speed.
As a halo over 40 meters in diameter unfurled, the Mecha Systems of Daesegejeon blared emergency alarms, as if mirroring Kariel’s current state of mind.
“Her sin is expunged? Then what is this filthy memory that remains with us? I don’t give a damn about Geopin! I just find Ikael disgusting! Don’t you ever speak of that again!”
“Are you truly going to fight her? Kariel, I ask again. Am I, are *we*, truly going to fight her?”
An expression of both sorrow and fury crossed Kariel’s face.
“She gave birth to a human’s child!”
The halo sent out ripples like a wave. The Mecha Systems flickered on and off, and the lights in Daesegejeon blinked.