Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: To Infinity (2)
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Arcane scowled.
“Hmph. You, praising me? Even a stray dog would laugh.”
“Will you be alright? Your mental energy may be restored, but it's ultimately just a trick of the brain. If you intend to push further, I cannot guarantee your life.”
There is no free lunch in magic. The mental energy recovered by Abyss Memory was an equivalent exchange, one that risked brain death.
“So? Are you saying you're going to stop me?”
“If you stand down, we can end this here. This may be your last chance. I can make this offer only because everyone is still unharmed. But if you cannot abandon your obsession, you will have to pay the price.”
“Kekeke. Your silver tongue is as sharp as ever. Pretending to be considerate, but in the end, you only care about yourself. Do you think your past will be buried if I back down? It's too late. Not only those present here, but also the students affected by Abyss Nova have ears. You will no longer be able to remain headmaster.”
Shirone glanced at the students who had lost their memories. When the spell was broken, everything that had happened here would remain as memories. Even if the battle ended safely, it would be a major crisis.
“Hahaha! Finally grasping the situation? How about you just kill them all here? If you do, I'd even be willing to take the blame for you.”
Alpheas's lips curled into a faint smile.
“What a jest.”
“Then how about joining me? I am the one offering you a final chance. Shouldn't you carry on the legacy Erina left behind? Now, look. Behold the result of my work. The magical creature, Harvest!”
Shirone and the others turned to where Arcane was pointing. Harvest lay on the ground, sprawled out like a tattered rag.
“…Well, it's become a bit unsightly. But the experiment was a success, nonetheless. If you help me, we can achieve even greater results. Besides, that is what Erina truly wanted.”
Hearing Erina's name, a cold light entered Alpheas's eyes.
“Master. Please, act your age.”
Arcane, too, finally revealed his killing intent. They were exchanging trivial banter, but in truth, it was all meaningless. From the start, they were fated adversaries who could never coexist.
“You think someone like you can defeat me? Headmaster? Don't make me laugh. Pretending to be smart while making foolish decisions... you haven't changed a bit, Alpheas.”
The authority of darkness hanging in the air coalesced once more into the shape of a fist. In response, Alpheas slowly raised both hands, preparing to cast a spell.
“No, this is the right thing to do. One foolish decision is enough.”
Alpheas compressed photons between his palms. Seeing a Photon Output, a spell any light mage could cast, Arcane scoffed in displeasure.
“You intend to stop me with that? You've grown weak, Alpheas.”
“One never knows until one tries.”
“Hahaha! Wasn't that the phrase you hated most? Where is the Alpheas who used to say, like a mantra, that one must know before one tries?”
“A mage is one who lives in the future. Though my wits may have dulled, I haven't merely grown old. Did you think I wouldn't have calculated your forty years?”
“Oh? You foresaw this day? And all you prepared was a mere Photon Output?”
“Let's end this.”
Alpheas thrust his hands toward the sky. The photons between his palms compressed, becoming smaller than a speck of dust. At the same time, Arcane swung his fist. The immense authority of darkness rained down upon the earth. This would end it. It was a blow that poured out forty years of resentment.
Shirone and the others stared, dumbfounded, at the authority of darkness falling at incredible speed. Seeing it up close, it was far larger than they had anticipated.
Alpheas's hands slowly descended. The movement of his arms flowed like water, then began to split into dozens of afterimages. The eyes of the onlookers were all filled with confusion.
‘What is this?’
Alpheas's afterimages moved with excruciating slowness. The photons compressed in his palms vanished in an instant. All the while, the authority of darkness had not yet covered even half the distance.
Shirone couldn't move a fingertip. No, even breathing was impossible. Time was flowing slowly. Only a single drop of photons, smaller than a mote of dust, was moving at the speed of light.
The photons plunged into the vast darkness. Ripples spread out like waves, their amplitude oscillating as slowly as the distorted time, expanding outward.
And in the next moment.
Flash!
A powerful explosion of light erupted, turning the world into a blank canvas.
The authority of darkness was torn to shreds and scattered. The radiance that spread throughout the entire magic academy weakened from the center, then vanished in the shape of a ring.
As time returned to normal, Shirone and the others looked up at the sky with bewildered expressions. In the night sky, where even the clouds had vanished, a pale moon hung.
‘What in the world was that magic?’
It didn't have physical force like Photon Cannon, nor was it continuous like Shining. It was a spell designed solely to unleash the strongest possible burst of light in a single, fleeting moment.
Arcane's face contorted.
“Alpheas…”
“It is a spell called Big Bang. It's too embarrassing to submit to the Association, but I believe it is sufficient as a farewell gift.”
“Indeed… you weren't just running away for forty years.”
Arcane realized Alpheas's true aim. This wasn't a spell developed to counter dark magic. Nor was it created to surpass him.
For forty years, Alpheas had honed Big Bang for this very moment, this exact situation.
“Not bad, for you.”
Arcane's knees slammed into the ground. The aftershock of Abyss Memory had severely degraded his brain function.
“You must be pleased, Alpheas. Your fifty-year bet has paid off. You've defeated the great Arcane; your reputation will surely soar. Do you wish to become the Archmage you've always dreamed of?”
Alpheas shook his head. Even in a moment like this, Arcane's competitive spirit was obsessed with superiority. He knew this was the driving force that had made Arcane who he was today, but a part of him still felt pity.
“Master, you are no longer an Archmage. That was a title from fifty years ago. It's enough time for a 10th-grade novice to become a 2nd-grade Archmage. Our era is already over. The world has changed, and we are too old for ambition. How can you not see that?”
A vein throbbed on Arcane's temple. Though defeated, he hadn't lived such an uninspired life as to be lectured by his own student.
“Do you know why you're the arrogant Alpheas? You probably think you were just unlucky to be caught up in some unfortunate event. Let me tell you the truth. You are not a genius. You're just a pathetic mage who runs away from misfortune.”
Arcane forced strength into his trembling legs and stood up.
“Old? I became an Archmage at your age. Why don't you just be honest? You lack confidence. Aren't you just making excuses because you don't have the confidence to climb any higher?”
“Climbing is not all that matters. With age should come introspection befitting it. But you, Master, are no different from a boy chasing sweet ambitions.”
“Hahahaha! Foolish Alpheas! What is it that you fear so much? Take a step back and look. There is no such thing as a categorical imperative in this world that dictates how things ought to be!”
A terrifying energy erupted from Arcane's body once more. Realizing he had used Abyss magic to erase his memories again, Alpheas's eyes shot open in shock. The brain could withstand one use of Abyss Memory, but a second time meant death with almost absolute certainty.
“You foolish old man! Are you trying to kill yourself?”
Arcane responded with a sneer and cast the authority of darkness. The shadow at his feet expanded to cover the basin, then lifted the memory-wiped students into the air and moved them toward the cliff.
This time, even Alpheas couldn't help but be terrified.
“Stop! This is nothing but meaningless slaughter! What will you gain from this!”
“The satisfaction of a victor.”
“You utter fool! You still want to win at your age! Do you think you can be a boy forever!”
“Foolish Alpheas. Listen well.”
In the final moments of his life, Arcane spoke with a confident smile.
“A mage… is an eternal boy.”
The 400 people caught in the authority of darkness were flung over the cliff as if scooped up by a gourd. Alpheas couldn't understand. To waste the mental energy gained by trading his life for such a foolish act.
‘What on earth drives you? What can such a childish belief possibly bring you?’
In any case, this was no time to worry about Arcane. Having poured all his power into the Big Bang spell, Alpheas hastily turned to the side and shouted.
“Save the students!”
The moment the order was given, Thadd became a flash of light and shot forward. Shirone followed, and then Nade and Iruki also teleported to the cliff. There were a staggering 400 people. It was impossible to save them all. But even that thought was a luxury in such a desperate situation.
Descending to the middle of the cliff, Thadd created a wall of air with an air-type spell. But since the wall had to be at least 50 square meters, its thickness was inevitably compromised.
Eventually, holes tore through the weaker parts, and students poured through to the ground below.
Below Thadd, Iruki and Nade were in action. But it was too late to turn the situation around. Tears welled up at the sight of everyone from young children to graduating adults plummeting down.
“Damn it! Dammit, dammit!”
Iruki looked up at the sky through his blurry, tear-filled vision. A star in the night sky twinkled, and then a streak of light shot down vertically.
“Shirone!”
The streak of light passed even Iruki, continuing its descent. As Shirone moved at supersonic speed, a red-haired girl came into his view.
“Amy!”
Hearing Shirone's voice, Amy turned her head. This was an impossible reaction for someone under the effect of Abyss Nova, so Shirone shouted again, filled with a sliver of hope.
“Amy! Snap out of it!”
‘Mind?’
Humans are thinking beings. It is more difficult not to think than to think. But when under the effect of Abyss Nova, which blocks memories, the very source of thought is cut off.
“Amy! Amy!”
And yet, Amy was able to think.
Because she was Amy of the Carmis family.
“Amy! Come on, snap out of it!”
‘So annoying. Please, stop it.’
“It's me! Shirone!”
‘Shirone?’
What did that mean? It was a word she didn't know. But Amy couldn't let go of the three-syllable word that kept tickling her brain.
‘What is it, what is it? What was it? I'm so curious.’
Amy kept thinking. Electricity spread through her cerebral cortex as it began to search for information. Finally, a pattern flashed, and the meaning of 'Shirone' flooded her body.
‘Ah, that's right. Shirone! It was Shirone.’
Amy let out a huge breath as if she'd been dying of frustration. At the same time, her eyes blazed red, and the power of the Red Eyes activated. Abyss Nova was instantly burned away, and her memories came rushing back.
‘You idiot! What am I doing right now?’
Her special trait was the Red Eyes. Academically, it was known as Self-Image Memory.
People of the Carmis family, when their red eyes manifested, could revert their state to a specific point in time.
For instance, they could save the motion of raising a sword and striking, then repeat the exact same motion infinitely without error. Moreover, like Schema, it was in the realm of feeling, so correcting errors was also instantaneous.
The saying, 'One mistake is a stepping stone for growth, a second is a disgrace to the family,' was a testament to their confidence.
‘What is this? What's my current state?’
Based on her Self-Image Memory, Amy analyzed the discrepancies at a neural level. She was currently under the influence of gravitational acceleration. Her body's center of gravity was tilted at 87.6 degrees, and her heart rate was 1.6 times faster.
‘I'm falling.’
She had no particular complaints about that. She could see Shirone descending on a streak of light. The things she had done to him came to mind. How could she ever forget Shirone?