Chapter 272
Chapter 272
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Theseus's Ship -2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crunch. Crackle, crunch.
There was once a ship sailed by the hero Theseus.
The people of Athens wanted to preserve that ship, a relic of the hero's great deeds, for as long as possible. So whenever a plank rotted away, they replaced it with a new one.
Before long, only about 30% of the original planks that had made up Theseus's ship remained.
In a trash bin where the laborers had dumped the discarded plank fragments, somehow 51% of the originals had gathered. But no wise person gave it any serious thought.
People foolishly went on praising something that was no longer Theseus's ship. Yet in the shadows beyond their gaze, the undoubted genuine article lingered.
No matter who it was or what flowery words they used to gloss over the world, that truth would never change.
After shattering the touching tale of the Five Great Trees and Kim Lulu with my own hands, I swept into the Violet Magic Tower, my Violet Tower robe billowing dramatically.
In the lobby were the Violet Magic Tower Master Yuna, fidgeting anxiously and stomping her feet, and the scar-faced senior, her face pale as ash and utterly limp.
A few others had escaped on their own, too.
So, just how urgent and emergency-level busy was it that they had to rush me like that?
Was it really so critical and dangerous that I had to rip that heartfelt love story in half with my own hands? Come on, explain it!
"Junior, where the hell have you been wandering all day, only showing up now──"
"What exactly is the problem?"
"Someone unleashed Mass Confusion in the Violet Tower. Most people got hit and are rampaging around."
"Pardon?"
Did I hear that right?
Mass Confusion is an utterly straightforward illusion spell. It blankets an area with hallucinations that drive the mind into extreme disarray. But of course... the Violet Tower has manuals for dealing with stuff like this!
The class I teach at the Academy is Countering Illusion Magic, isn't it? Violet Magic Tower mages handle illusion magic, so they're pros at countermeasures.
So that scar-faced senior's words sounded about as absurd as saying the Crimson Magic Tower had a fire outbreak from a Flame Annihilation spell. Or like saying a polar bear froze to death...
Tension shot through me.
"This is seriously bad!"
"Exactly! Why didn't you hurry up, Junior?!"
To screw over illusion magic veterans with illusion magic, you'd need overwhelmingly superior skill. If this Mass Confusion terror wasn't some accidental mishap, but the work of some... malice-driven mage,
then that bastard's got some serious power.
"W-What do we do? W-What should I do...?"
"Cute little Yuna, you just stay put."
"Waaah."
I firmly pressed down on Yuna's pointed hat, covering her eyes. Yuna has nothing to do here right now. She's a powerhouse type, relatively weak on fine control.
If she tries waking someone under illusion magic and accidentally wipes their memories or mental barriers with a Subtract, it'd be a disaster. Better for me, with my precision work, to handle it.
"...Hmm."
Something was nagging at me.
Scar-faced senior looked like she'd somehow escaped this mess. She's skilled, of course, but not on Evil God-chan's level. And she wasn't visible in the lobby.
Was Evil God-chan still guarding the shard collection? Or had she been taken out by the intruder? It bugged me a little.
Eh, whatever. If it got dangerous, she'd have bolted on her own. She's not the type to risk her life in loyalty to me, and if things felt off, she'd dodge the Gingoah restrictions and cope.
That's why I left the leash deliberately loose.
To shake off the ominous feeling prodding at the corner of my mind, I asked Yuna for backup.
"Tower Master, come up in about five minutes. I'll sweep through as I go."
"...Okay!"
This should be fine.
I rubbed my hands together briskly and started ascending the Violet Tower. First in, last out.
Strip away intellect from a human, and what's left? The beastly instincts.
Under Mass Confusion, everyone had lost their marbles, turning the Violet Tower's interior into a miniature savanna where various "animals" vied to expand their territories.
"Follow the shorts! Follow the shorts! Dress them in shorts and bow ties, and increase the candidates for the great Princess Luche's boyfriend!"
"Draw in accuracy-debuff fields! Etch hypnotic runes across the whole world to make nothing ever miss!"
A sixth-year mage with thick glasses, deep into my Hologram magic. Has an illusory boyfriend.
And a third-year mage, the diligent one who gives Yuna that crunchy delight with sugar-coated magic.
The two were locked in a showdown over one floor.
Shorts enforcers versus rune scribblers, plus mages turned soldiers by the brainwashing spells of confused mages.
I was curious how this battle would play out and who would win, but I had no leisure to watch. I needed to check on Evil God-chan.
"That's far enough."
"──She's here! The creator of the shota butler, fashion expert, light of the tower!"
"The black curtain puppeteering the Tower Master from behind, freak, mad mage who only half-understands human hearts has reappeared! Retreat!"
Handing me the upsell service like this? Gotta play along.
"Oh...? Even under Mass Confusion, you recognize my glory? You remember this black hair and red eyes?"
"Oh god, show us the ultimate him once more!"
"Please control the Tower Master already; how long are you gonna let her wreck everyone's research?!"
"Very well. Since you ask, behold the pinnacle of illusion magic."
I flicked my hand like a conductor, realigning my mana.
My computational power had dropped compared to before. But splitting and recombining wasn't meaningless; I'd amassed a wealth of concentrated experience.
Nuances of flame magic, bizarre techniques learned while an artifact-wielding warlock targeted me... from such things, I drew "inspiration."
Beyond calculation.
With inspiration, some things move naturally without thought.
The trick to flame magic was explosive power. That satisfying,爽快 blast. No reason illusion couldn't do the same.
Whoosh!
Phantom Barrage
Hundreds of semi-transparent arrows, homing sleep shots. Full surround barrage.
Shwoosh-shwoosh-shwoosh──!
Hundreds of semi-transparent arrows aligned around me. A light gesture, and they launched like heat-seeking missiles in all directions. Omnidirectional saturation.
"Gaaah! The mad mage is using fire magic!"
"Aaah! Aaaah!"
They screamed dramatically, but it only looked like attack magic—it was proper illusion. Payload: sleep.
The Violet Tower seniors and juniors, shrieking about dying, soon plunged into deep dreamland. I dusted my hands in the suddenly silent tower center. Mission clear.
I scanned around. Clothes scattered messily, and that Mel-whatever's army had scrawled twisted runes everywhere—walls, floors, no surface spared.
Cleaning this up would be a chore.
"...?"
Staring at the runes, a slight dizziness hit, so I blinked. Disconcerting. What, was Mel-whatever actually that skilled...?
With that uneasy feeling, I headed upstairs. Still plenty of mages and floors to clear.
I swept through relentlessly, reaching just below the top floor.
The shard collection was definitely at the peak, in Yuna's lab. So Evil God-chan, unseen till now, should be there too.
"Hmm..."
Having subdued confused mages floor by floor on the way up, that weird unease only grew.
Putting together scattered info, this Mass Confusion wasn't an accident. Someone had definitely cast it.
However.
A mage with skill to throw the entire Violet Tower into chaos. They must've come here for something, yet no research gear or valuables were missing. Not even any deaths.
All that's left unchecked in the tower: Evil God-chan and the shards.
But both are awkward targets from outside...
Only a tiny few know Evil God-chan's secrets and power—not even the warlock groups hostile to me. The succubus queen who found out got offed.
The shards even more so. No one could've known their value without me spilling. Suspiciously many warlocks had them, though...
The unknown is dangerous.
I reached the top floor, vigilance and mana maxed.
Opening the door revealed a large magic circle for storage. And Evil God-chan, wearing a subtle expression.
Didn't look hurt. Relief.
"...You're here?"
"Yeah, Daddy's here. Looks like someone terrorized the Violet Tower—what happened? And... the shards?"
The circle was empty. No shards. No sense of them.
Evil God-chan said calmly.
"I gave them back."
"...Gave them back? To who."
Crack, crunch.
"──To me."
That grinding sound, and my voice echoed right behind me.
I instantly commanded every brain cell: Analyze the situation, gather intel, find answers. This was peak crisis.
Info from the Pact: My shards had vanished untraceably.
Evil God-chan, under Gingoah control, had apparently decided to betray me.
Mages who could shake the whole Violet Tower with illusions were rare on the continent—and I was one. Putting it together:
Doppelganger.
I got that far.
"The shadow at your feet."
Vreeee──!
Mana flow from behind. And that incantation: Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow. An illusion spell meant to kill.
The hatred, disgust, and menacing aura in the voice: The doppelganger was hostile to me. Unsettling.
Heart, Crow—self-aware or not, they didn't hate me. Because they were me. So the case where my shard became an enemy? I hadn't seriously considered it.
Contaminated? Or someone... gathered my shards to create this?
Fine.
I was already on high alert, mana surged. I could counter. Intuition over calculation. Instinct to draw the line.
Pick up the brush of the mind, dash it down in one stroke. Shadow at the feet, darkness peeking from the closet slit, solitude of pitch-black night.
No incantation.
"Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow!"
⟨ Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow ⟩
Turning, I fired a black arrow from my grasp.
Only then did I see my doppelganger. Black hair, red eyes. That sneering faint smile. Same face, but annoying mug.
Chin.
It snatched the Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow with its right hand, like it'd been waiting.
That's not a physically grab-able spell. It prepped a counter spell and bound it in midair. Predicted?
"I knew it. When cornered, you pull something out. Didn't think it'd be no-incant, though... How'd you do it? Doesn't make sense."
"You... what the fuck are you."
"Duh? Mad mage, fake-ass. Darkness peeking from the closet slit──"
Who's calling who fake?
A pitch-black arrow began condensing in its left hand. Without hesitation, I activated the provisional Heavenly Demon module. Dropped stance, lunged a fist at the solar plexus.
A razor-sharp strike.
But.
"Ah, I ate that one."
"What...?"
Thud, ta.
But as it reached with eerie, bizarre movements, my attack dispersed like mist, arms deflected, chest wide open. Lost the mana clash. Overpowered.
This was... outcomputed. The original Heavenly Demon module chunk that broke off—doppelganger bastard had it?
I mouthed a spell.
But attempts to rattle its mind with other illusions were all blocked. Tried splitting and disguising to inject malware, but the doppelganger's processing speed was faster.
Instead, my mind started eroding. Tinnitus rang, corneal images split in two.
Realization hit. It... ate more shards than me.
I'd absorbed about 30%. But the doppelganger, having slurped up the Violet Tower's shard stash too... probably over 50%. It was more "me" than I was.
I got how my enemies felt facing me. This mad fuck gives no openings, just binds limbs and pounds unilaterally.
Still, not over yet.
Still manageable. It didn't know info and tech only I did. Hit the blind spot. Released illusion-woven serpents.
"Academic Courtship Illusion Serpent!"
⟨ Academic Courtship Illusion Serpent ⟩
"What's this now...?"
Hiss──!
Boosts control over illusion magic, serpents that devour illusions. Used it to strip away the doppelganger's spells blocking my Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow.
Splat──!
Then jammed it into its head.
The black arrow struck the temple dead-on, shattering and burrowing inside. Its pupils dilated, a trickle of nosebleed flowed.
Subdued...
"...think so?"
Sharpened again. This fucker tanked a Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow?
"Solitude of pitch-black night."
"...!"
"Take one yourself: Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow."
"Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow."
⟨ Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow ⟩
Swoooosh──
Dark.
The doppelganger's arrow was darker than mine, rippling in nauseating hues. Chilling emotions rising: doubt in existence, envy. Its feelings.
So it harbored this...
Crack.
Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow pierced my head. I'd planned self-Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow for transcendence if needed, but this was way worse than expected.
Irresistible mire of emotions dragged me down. Irid, Bennett, Tara, countless other players. Their screams choked me.
Lost body control. Collapsed.
Squeeze.
Felt like the doppelganger's foot on my fallen nape. Not sure.
"...Bastard, even fake, you're still me. With just 30%, you pull every trick."
"Done?"
"Yeah. Done, Evil God-chan. Hang on a sec; I'll extract the Gingoah admin code first. Set you free in no time."
"Free my ass; it's just a leash holder swap..."
Hand on my nape. Sucking sensation. It was absorbing my info. Was this how Crow felt?
The doppelganger extracted Gingoah info from me. Now it had the right to unleash Evil God-chan on the world.
Then.
No door sound, a butterfly fluttered in.
The butterfly descended in human form. Fingers gleaming ominously.
"...S-Stop. Right there."
"......"
Yuna. My five-minute backup insurance had paid off.
But it calmly said,
"Yuna, wait just a bit. Finishing absorbing this fake soon. This guy's the culprit. Caused the tower chaos."
"......"
"Warlocks gathered shards, made a clone of me or something. Creepy... Luckily Evil God-chan recognized me. Saved my ass."
I see. Playing it that way.
Doppelganger and I shared identical looks; it had more shard content. Physically... it was closer to the "real" one. Factually true.
How to tell apart? Like one person split in two.
Its voice carried deep affection for Yuna. To me, it felt genuine, not fake.
Mood was utter shit, head killing me. Even if I died here... it'd look after Yuna and Yuri, right?
Fine then. Infuriating, but acceptable. Fuck you.
But.
Surprisingly, Yuna flatly denied.
"You're not him."
"......Why? No, really. Why?"
The doppelganger asked like it truly couldn't comprehend. Hand on my nape trembled. Voice even choked with tears.
Being rejected by Yuna hurt like hell.
I wondered too. Why think that, Yuna...?
Yuna replied.
"He likes happy endings. Step aside, fake. Touch him again, and I'll kill you."
"......"
Joy. Felt like owning the world.
Even flatlined from Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow, vegetable-state tears streaming, vacant eyes. Mood soared. Flying high.
But that was, uh.
Not a good move. If I got existence-denied by Yuna... I'd go half-mad rampaging. Obvious.
Especially for a highly aggressive-attitude doppelganger.
"...Ah, I see."
No surprise if it snapped completely.