Chapter 338
Chapter 338
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 338
Chapter Title: Chapter 338
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 338
Chapter Title: S6. Illusion Realm -1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Moon-Crossing Scene - Skybound Fantasy Pillar.
The world flips around me at its core, and the ground I step on rises like droplets, turning into a lake. I don't plunge into the lake. This serene surface buoys up my feet like jelly.
Beneath the crystal-clear lake, the sky reflects.
In the night sky mirrored on the lake's surface, a colossal pillar like Ruyi Jingu Bang floats in the void.
The full moon sparkled. To me, its light rang like a faint chuckle. Mirror Yuna, on the other hand, scowled at the sight.
"Yuna knows that spell does nothing. Forgot?"
"Of course I know."
This magic dated back to... ancient times, or so it felt.
Some boy knights and nobles had come to deliberate the Magic Tower's funding, so I'd whipped it up for fun.
A pure bluff spell crafted to tease Yuna—no real effects. Just something that looked impressive and intimidating, nothing but a raw 『Illusion』.
That's why I'd pulled it out.
Ruuuumble──!
Mirror Yuna pointed a finger at me and chanted. The ground surged like waves from beyond the horizon. Buildings sprouted from it, each one turning into jagged teeth as they swarmed forward.
A tsunami, true to the incantation. Rather than dodge or block, I cinched Skybound Fantasy Pillar tighter. Flashier. More pointless.
The key was its utter lack of effect.
The 『Tower of Illusions』 turns illusions real. So I'd turn reality back into illusion. Pure 『Illusion』 for amusement's sake.
Kabooom──!
Swish... swish...
The building tsunami crashed into my domain, every granule of concrete scattering as butterflies. They traced visually stunning arcs through the sky before bursting like little fireworks and vanishing.
"...You turned my magic fake?"
"Not quite. I just recast your magic as harmless illusion with no extra effects."
Illusions weren't fake.
An invincible shield, possible only in the special confines of the 『Tower of Illusions』. Against any ordinary illusion mage, the fight would've ended there. But—
"Nullifying the materialization effect of the 『Illusion Realm』 with 『Subtract』 means 『Subtract』 itself is soft."
"...Our Yuna's too sharp for her own good."
"Can't you catch on three beats later...?!"
I'd prepped every follow-up.
I flattened prone on the water. A red beam streaked overhead, obliterating Skybound Fantasy Pillar. Fine by me. The situation still favored me.
Normal illusion magic? Blocked by Skybound Fantasy Pillar. 『Subtract』? Tanked with giant monster form.
Even the 『Erasure Domain』 was crow-occupied. If erased, resummon. I signaled through the mana network.
"Crow, cough up exactly what just went in!"
-Caw caw. Apologies, main body. No data entered this domain. Were you referring to those prior giant monster bits I swallowed?
"...Skybound Fantasy Pillar didn't enter?!"
"Idiot. As if Yuna couldn't counter. She spun up a fresh processing domain."
She'd dug another trash bin folder. That halved my counters to 『Subtract』. I urgently dropped the transformation.
Groooar──
Shifting to 150-meter armored giant monster form. Then whipped my foreleg like a lash. Slime-composed body's perks. The elastic swing shattered the sound barrier.
Slaaash──!
Thump.
Mirror Yuna rebounded off the foreleg. No matter her spatial jumps, it wasn't invincible evasion. Strike fast enough pre-teleport, and she ate it.
Her body punched through three buildings before cratering into the ground.
Keep the pressure. Tail and arms flailing, pulverizing all directions as I advanced. Sonic booms echoed nonstop.
Area denial to tag her wherever she fled.
Then.
Shluck-!
A massive pointed spire rocketed from the ground, goring my flank. Cobbled from reckless resource hoarding—like modern art fusing buildings, dirt, and cars.
"Kreeeech!"
It hurt.
Clocked the wind-up, but the damn oversized monster bod couldn't evade. Worse, the spire was injecting malware into my flesh.
Still, no major hitch. I could filter it.
Snap.
Broke it midshaft and yanked the shard free. Larger hit zone sucked, but ditching giant form? No way. Size was key to blunting 『Subtract』 pain.
Kaboom──!
Reached toward the mana ping, smashed through an apartment, snagged Mirror Yuna beyond. Recycled Skybound scraps to bind her—no teleporting.
Stack damage. Unleash giant-form's heaviest hitter first. Tank whatever, hit back—
And the sky crumbled.
"KeeEEEK!"
RUMBLE──!
The entire sky caved, slamming my back. Unlike Atlas holding firm, I teetered on flat-dumpling oblivion. The crush threatened to evict my guts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Smashed gripped Mirror Yuna into the dirt over and over, but I'd hit the River Jordan first at this rate. No more.
Fwup.
Human form. Fight on. The collapsed sky had pancaked the world—y-axis shrunk to adult-male height.
Right—total skyfall meant Mirror Yuna got squished too.
"Huuuuh."
Catch breath. A moment.
Mirror Yuna wielded the 'world' with elegance beyond my expectations. A succubus queen at half this level would've been dicey.
Red glints flickered afar. Not singular. 『Subtract』 barrage.
Weeeeeeen──!
Incoming beams riddled the area with holes. Cover? Useless. I dashed, rolled, evaded 『Subtract』—but y-limits loomed. End soon.
Dig deep.
Idea hit. Highway those 『Subtract』 beams. Surf their surface in info-state to zip beside her instantly.
One slip, dead. But viable theory.
Focus. Focus. I can. Perfectly.
Grazed fingertip on passing 『Subtract』... Now!
Flicker.
Current on wire. Surfer on swell. Body to info, rode 『Subtract』 reverse. Rematerialize.
"...How?"
Mirror Yuna, point-blank.
"......!!"
I loosed a pitch-black arrow at Mirror Yuna's head. She yanked countless hands from under her hat for guard...
Feint. Hologram shaped like Heartbreaker Dark Arrow. No chant, after all.
Fleeting gap. Too late for Heartbreaker cast now. Class-swap to flame mage, fire? Nope. But instant dakka? Abraham's pistol.
Bang──!
Crack.
Her chest shattered radially. No finisher, but this solid hit mattered hugely.
Inject control via the breach. Reached for frozen Mirror Yuna. Scores of mana strands surged.
"...Heh."
Laughing?
Chills. Missed what? Hidden card? Bluff?
"The 『Obelisk』 Yuna hacked? Not you... 『Dreaming Mirror』. Execute forced transformation protocol."
"Son of a── Nyaaaaagh!"
Poof. Black cat.
Cat anatomy sync. Mana flow tweaks, optimization. Combat restore: one second.
Her strike beat one second.
Schwick.
Right arm airborne.
A hammer of the world's layered condensates swung in. Wasteland, city, UFOs, inns—pixel-smashed springs appended.
And that spring? Bursting right in my face.
Boing.
Raw repulsion from bloating crushed info swept me. Hurtled beyond measure till consciousness snapped.
Darkness fell.
I still remember. That first encounter.
"Th-the Violet Magic Tower has, uh, nothing much, but if you're into illusion magic..."
The timid twintailed girl who'd approached me, all huddled up...
That irresistible, bizarre urge dragged me into becoming a Violet Magic Tower mage.
What followed? A drab, gray slog.
Violet Tower life wasn't fun. Had nothing to do with Yuna being less cute back then. The issue was me.
I suspect every ounce of processing power went to suppression. Emotions too—all joy, sorrow, love, hate.
I dwelt in mental silence.
Apathy.
Couldn't laugh, couldn't cry. Others' smiles? Tasted like gnawing corrugated iron. Nothing registered.
It crept forward. Ever so slowly.
Traces? Easy to spot, ruminating the past.
"Uh, um... if you push this funding, y-you'll really make something useful, right?"
"Yes."
Tower doomed or not, Yuna hurt or not—I did my thing.
"I'll hole up three years developing magic, so meat-inclusive meals three times daily. And don't bug me for trivia."
"G-Getting trashier by the day... Th-three years?"
Treated Yuna like a cash-dispensing NPC. Empathy flatline. Heart twinges, in retrospect.
"...S-Sometimes, just sometimes... you don't seem alive. Like your heart's elsewhere."
"......"
Me, hollow. Sole dopamine? Past-life memories. Explains the magic grind. Scavenging old feelings.
So. That's why.
"...Sounds like quite the tale."
"Romance first. Love spices up a session."
You, who cared about my world. Listened to my stories.
"And?"
"Trials and tribulations, always. Heroes grow overcoming hardship."
You, who let me dream.
"More?"
"Humor's key. Grabs two birds: fun in itself, elevates tragedy beside it."
You, who saw me. I...
"Fine, I'll help. I've got a story itch too. You'll craft my world later, right? After hogging all that funding, conscience demands it..."
Her adorableness? Unbearable.
Vision cleared. One side tinged red...
"......"
Fingers twitch. Left responds. Right? Numb. Oh yeah—arm got lopped earlier...
Stagger upright. Balance tricky, but managed. In my brief dream, the world turned vast white void.
Mirror Yuna loomed ahead.
Swoooosh──
She conjured a massive soap bubble, aimed my way. I knew it: 『Violetiris's Condensed Memory Demon Crystal Explosion』.
Bubble innards flashed friends dying, cities crumbling, worlds folding, demons swarming.
All layer resources slurped and balled up, I figured.
Back then? Licked her ear to dispel. No shot now...
Fine.
World bleached empty, but that lovely moon still bathed the sky in gentle halo.
Yuna Yurensuto Violetiris.
In soul-deep apathy, you let me dream.
Laughing, chatting with you—suddenly, I loved so many. My session players, my contacts...
That pinky-swear day? Everything shifted.
This? All your creation.
"Now look at me."
Not the past I left. The future ahead.
Chest out proud. Shoulders squared. Lone arm spread. No ugliness before my beloved.
Mana surges. Summon every infiltrated resource from Tower ascent. Cross-shaped fissures crack behind. Set.
I smiled.
As if the whole world charging couldn't touch me.
And bellowed. Clear to the moon!
"The me you saved—the me who wouldn't exist without you──"
Crack, craaack.
"—let's see what I achieve, how far I go!"
Claaang──!
Academic Forgery Succession Sublimation──
```