Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Until It's Over, It's Not Over (2)
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# 113
12. Until It's Over, It's Not Over (2)
#2 Their Side of the Story: Aris Lil Retia's Side.
Long, long ago.
Not long after the world was created, compared to now.
A single impurity slipped into this perfectly crafted world.
But that impurity, which had only just been born, was sealed away by the gods and banished to a place half outside the world.
However, one god, for reasons unknown, broke that seal.
And so, the Evil God Pandora's atrocities brought darkness upon the world.
It took an age to escape that time of darkness, or so the tales say.
Humans, dwarves, elves—even dragons and demonkin suffered the same.
Even spirits, including the Spirit Kings among them, could not escape that dark era.
Spirits corrupted by the Evil God's influence were born, and the most compassionate of the Spirit Kings stepped forward to free them—only to be corrupted himself.
That Spirit King was so powerful that he annihilated four other Spirit Kings, and the remaining ones had to pour every ounce of their power into finally destroying him.
That was Elemental Roar.
The miraculous fusion of the Spirit Kings' powers, created solely to defeat the corrupted Spirit King.
I pondered whether a spirit user could wield this miracle.
And I reached a conclusion swiftly.
Namely, [almost impossible].
Originally, pooling strength for a single technique is no easy feat.
For grand magics that individuals can't cast alone—often called great magics—mages who have linked together for as little as a few years or as long as decades spend endless preparation.
They synchronize their magical flows, align their personal connections, and weave their pre-prepared spells.
Even then, cooperative magic carries the risk of failure.
Spirits are the mental essences of all natural forces across the world.
Purer than anything, composed of the purest nature, they possess distinct personalities like no other.
Thus, even spirits of the same attribute rarely cooperate.
For a spirit user to orchestrate that?
It's next to impossible.
Even aligning personal connections between individuals takes one or two years of practice—now imagine doing it not just between people, but between spirits as well.
There are those who handle multiple spirits or familiars, but that's a direct link between themselves and each spirit.
Linking to another person's spirit requires going through that person first, and spirits—beings close to mental entities or even gods—reject such indirection.
Familiars are almost always fiercely possessive.
To them, their summoner is the one and only gateway to being called into this world.
But the more familiars there are, the fewer chances each gets to emerge—which is only natural.
Even low-grade spirits without fully formed egos dislike their summoner contracting with others. Do you think proud gods or demons would desire it?
By chance, I once met a summoner contracted with both a god and a demon. They constantly pressured her: -That one or me!- demanding she sever other contracts.
To put it simply, it's like a single king mediating between nobles who despise each other.
Now, add alliances with others into that mess.
It's like negotiating with another kingdom's king while mediating between that kingdom's nobles—who won't even listen to their own king—and your own nobles.
Possible? No.
That's why the consensus is that spirit users can't link up.
But I flipped that thinking on its head.
Consider the reversal.
Spirit users can't link? That's like saying, "Another kingdom's king can persuade nobles who ignore even their own sovereign."
Impossible?
Yes, impossible with ordinary means. You can't persuade them outright.
But human affairs always have a breakthrough.
And in that scenario, there are plenty of easy ways.
Threats work fine.
Press a blade to their throat: cooperate or die.
Magic's great too.
Cast illusions, show phantoms, brainwash them into puppets.
Bribery's an option.
Promise millions in gold for their vote—any greed-driven noble would fold.
See? Three methods already.
Back to the original question: can spirits cooperate?
I think it's tough.
That's why I concluded [almost impossible].
But not completely impossible.
Just nearly so.
In other words, difficult—but possible.
Among all familiars, spirits are the most influenced by their summoner.
So if the summoner achieves near-brainwashed unity, the spirits might follow suit.
Of course, true brainwashing won't work.
Familiars are hypersensitive to their summoner's mental state. If they detect outside influence, they won't obey.
To use Elemental Roar, then, you'd need to unite countless spirit users through sheer force of their own will—with emotions strong enough to bind them as one.
And the emotion best suited to uniting everyone is
“...anger?”
I looked up from the summons scroll the vice president had given me, staring blankly at the scene before my eyes.
A hundred figures radiating black auroras.
Around them, the Yuglasia dropout vice president spewed lies to boost their morale, putting the academy's closure front and center.
And astonishingly, all hundred—not under any brainwashing magic—chanted the same words.
-Kill that damned Nerkia bastard.
Their fury toward the Student Council President had unified their emotions.
A pure harmony of minds, untainted by a single stray thought!
“Summon your spirits! Every single one you can!”
Countless spirits appeared.
And they all sang.
“Perfect—success!”
The vice president gazed proudly at the sight, then blinked to my side in Loki's Shoes.
“Lady Aris, order them to unleash it the moment you're ready. I'll... go ahead and feed that Nerkia prick a spear through the gut!”
“Huh? No, you should keep commanding here... Oh.”
I sighed deeply as she bolted toward Arsia's base without listening.
“...Is this really possible?”
The spirits' song continued.
A beautiful dirge that could annihilate any being.
I glanced down and finished reading the scroll.
『But this is just a hypothesis, unverified since I'm no spirit user.』
“Professor, your students are proving your hypothesis right now?”
And for the most ridiculous reason.
Low-, mid-, high-grade spirits.
Different ranks, different attributes—all united in song.
A fantastical scene crafted by hundreds of spirits.
At its center grew a swelling orb of light.
And that orb...
-Elemental Roar.
It plummeted toward Arsia's base amid the hundred voices' cry.
...They won't die, right?
#3 Their Side of the Story: A Certain Villain Leader's Side.
I look up at the sky.
The orb of light begins its descent.
Grind.
My teeth clench involuntarily.
I never expected the current emperor's resolve to be this swift.
How many students are even here right now?
Over a hundred easily. Maybe over a thousand.
Arsia and Marsis students, no less.
If this were Mercaria's base, it'd be different.
Most of their students are commoners—we could sacrifice them to wipe out half the imperial army.
But Arsia and Marsis academies are attended mostly by nobles' children.
And he's throwing them away?
“Impressive.”
An enemy's decision, yet worthy of respect.
Even with the defensive and teleportation magics over the Imperial Tournament grounds, that bombardment would annihilate everything before any escape.
How will the emperor handle the fallout of this madness?
Admit he did it?
Never.
Slaughtering nobles' children in plain view of the public?
Even Karan Empire's emperor, with his absolute authority, couldn't own that.
Blame us, then?
Plausible.
An Anti-Empire Army suicide attack.
Internal purge via the blast.
Round up disfavored nobles as Anti-Empire sympathizers and massacre them—wouldn't raise an eyebrow.
Or pin it on a secretly hostile kingdom and declare war.
So ruthless!
So brutal!
So wicked!
Is this the emperor who forged the world's strongest hegemony?
Sacrificing his own people—children!—to eradicate us and his foes!
“Urgh... Emperor! Don't underestimate our power!”
I activate mana throughout my body.
No talent for the sword, but magic? Abundant.
The kind to become a grand mage.
The Anti-Empire Army comprises survivors from kingdoms the empire crushed.
Honed on countless magic tomes smuggled out before the fall, I was confident no Magic Tower Master could match me.
“Mana.”
Concentrating my mana, the air quivers.
Proof of the atmosphere's mana submitting to me.
But...
“Strong.”
Dominating ambient mana lets me sense it.
I can't control the mana around that massive light orb.
No—there's no mana there at all.
A destructive light annihilating even atmospheric mana.
Impossible alone.
“To all Anti-Empire Army mages: pour everything you have into blocking that spell!”
I infuse my voice with mana, broadcasting across the castle.
One by one, mana signatures emerge.
Mages who could be called grand mages, others who'd rank high in any tower.
A force rivaling one of the continent's top ten Magic Towers.
That's our Anti-Empire Army's magical might.
“Great mana! By my will, shield me from my foes!”
Not the empire's Imperial Magic Bombardment.
Pure mana, brimming with spirit power.
So I resist with mana.
Barriers as thick and sturdy as possible.
Layer them, layer again, and again.
Not just me—every Anti-Empire mage follows suit.
Our translucent barriers gain visible thickness.
Then, our barriers clash with the imperial bombardment.
“Guh!”
“Milord!”
A colossal shock rocks the interior.
Impossible. Can't block it. Give up—the mana's intent screams.
“Urgh... Not... yet!”
But I can't lose here.
One bombardment ending us? The Anti-Empire Army's grudge runs too deep.
“Great... power of mana!”
I hurl my will-infused barrier skyward again.
My body's already wrecked inside.
Blood surges up my throat, spilling from my mouth—but its metallic tang sharpens my mind.
‘Even if this is my end.’
I won't let it be the Anti-Empire Army's.
“This is my all, Emperor!”
Death was accepted long ago.
Layer after layer.
As our mana barriers dwindle, the light orb shrinks too.
“My victory... Emperor.”
I smile at the diminishing orb—that instant.
“Damn it, is that all you've got? I hate dragging this out, but listen up, you pathetic solos!
Nerkia snagged Lady Aris toooooo!”
A rage-filled voice from somewhere.
Those names—if accurate—meant the Yuglasia heiress of House Retia fancied the summoner academy's Student Council President.
‘So what?’
Why hear this as the empire's wicked emperor drops hell from above?
And then.
-I'll kill you, Nerkiaaa!
A scream near madness echoes—and simultaneously.
“What?!”
Why is the dying light orb swelling again?
#4 Their Side of the Story: Aris Lil Retia's Side.
“Damn it, is that all you've got? I hate dragging this out, but listen up, you pathetic solos!
Nerkia snagged Lady Aris toooooo!”
...What nonsense is this?