The Choice (2)
It was a shock that would have made an ordinary child foam at the mouth and roll back their eyes.
But—
Defense spell 'Turtle Form' is active.
Impact reduced by 1/3.
Unfortunately, it didn't land properly.
Lumil had timed his defense spell perfectly.
At the same time, he exploited an "Acceleration" spell to flee beyond the danger zone.
'Not bad.'
[Indeed. Blending magic into close-quarters combat is no easy feat.]
It required considerable talent in both martial arts and magic.
And Lumil was exactly that kind of kid.
Of course, he wasn't enough to threaten me.
Transcendental Eye opens.
Everything came into crystal-clear focus.
The openings the kid exposed as he retreated, the flow of mana gathering around him—all of it unfolded in agonizingly slow motion.
'Perfect. Time to make use of this.'
I needed to test if Nirvana's functions were working properly.
Slipping my hand into my robes to grip the hilt, Hierniorn's eyes sparkled.
[Oh ho! Wilt thou wield the divine sword? If so, in its full form...]
'Do that, and someone might recognize it. You gonna take responsibility if mysterious assassins come after me?'
After rebuking Hierniorn,
I activated Nirvana's second function.
Divine Sword Nirvana's 'Leash' function activates.
The blade trembled violently.
Sensing something off, Lumil's eyes wavered.
The kid fixated on my dagger, lips moving silently.
Interference spell 'Slowdown' applied.
Movement slowed.
He intended to preemptively seal my swordsmanship.
But he misjudged.
The next instant—
"Guh..."
Lumil's body staggered.
Like someone hit with anesthetic, clutching his forehead and swaying.
The result of Nirvana activating in my hand.
[Oh ho, inducing mana exhaustion?]
'Right. It's a replica, but the functions are identical.'
Leash.
Nirvana's second function forcibly drained the opponent's mana and condensed it into the blade.
This protected the sword perfectly.
Even if it took damage that could shatter the blade, the stored mana would deplete instead.
In other words, infinite durability enhancement.
But it wasn't omnipotent.
Mana drained from opponent proportionally consumes owner's mana.
It mixed my mana and the opponent's at a 1:1 ratio.
Against a powerful foe, it could drain me uncontrollably.
Even Ulfrik couldn't spam it.
Fighting high demons in war, even an Allmaster struggled to exhaust them that way.
'But things are different now.'
The gap between Lumil and me was too vast.
I'd started mana cultivation before I could even walk.
My reserves alone dwarfed his.
So I could yank it all out in an instant and exhaust him.
'Leash' function enhanced.
"Urk..."
As Nirvana's blade thrashed even harder, Lumil dropped to his knees.
Terror filled his upturned gaze.
Unable to stop his mana draining on its own, he had only one choice left.
"Se, Senior!"
"Focus on recovery behind me, Young Master!"
Guardian summon.
The female mage who emerged from a rift in the air scooped up Lumil and leaped back.
She immediately erected a mana barrier to block the front.
Mana distortion halts 'Leash' function.
She'd cloaked him in mana to deflect my influence entirely.
This let Lumil recover—a wise move.
But I just grinned.
The guardian blocked the Leash?
'Then I'll break through.'
Guardians couldn't harm participants directly anyway.
I strode toward the female mage maintaining her barrier.
Time for Nirvana's third function.
Divine Sword Nirvana's 'Clang' function activates.
Light vanished completely from the short blade.
Yet the emanating mana swelled.
If Leash mode was defensive—
'Clang is offensive.'
Rapidly expends absorbed mana to shatter opponent's spell activation.
In short, a spell-crushing function.
Its power scaled with prior Leash duration.
Even against a master mage, no need to fear.
'Dragging it out? It's only 30 seconds anyway.'
I thrust the blade tip into the barrier's weak point.
The concentrated destructive force cracked its surface.
The result: collapse.
Shatter!
Boom!
The mana barrier crumbled in an instant, before she could react.
The female mage's eyes shook as she stared at me.
"How...?"
A kid without an academy shattering a proper mage's barrier?
Unbelievable, naturally.
[The stands are buzzing. Quite the sight, all those terrified faces.]
Hierniorn cackled.
The flustered opponent layered barrier after barrier.
A massive mana waste.
She meant to push me back at any cost.
About 10 seconds left?
"Young Master! Find a way! Hurry!"
"A, a way..."
With the summon time nearly up, they grew desperate.
Then Lumil's pondering face lit up.
He thrust his hand toward me.
A new spell unfolded.
Special spell 'Freeze' deploys.
Sizzle!
Ice began forming on Nirvana's tip.
Felt like an invisible snowman grabbing the blade.
The frost climbed my forearm in a blink; I had to release it.
'He even knows this trick?'
A chill lingered on my palm.
Freeze condensed and froze atmospheric moisture—a simple nature spell.
But targeting an opponent's weapon precisely for defense? Another level.
Even adult mages rarely attempted it.
No wonder the female mage beamed.
"That's it! You can do it, Young Master!"
The 30-second limit ended; she vanished, and the barrier with her.
Back to facing me alone, but Lumil looked confident again.
"I made a fair offer! You ignored it and chose to fight, Kirian!"
He bellowed for the audience, eyes brimming with triumphant vigor that grated on me.
The next moment, a new spell assailed.
Attack spell 'Thunder Storm' deploys.
Incredibly, he maintained Freeze while summoning a massive bolt with his other hand.
Perfect dual-casting.
I hurled myself aside; the enormous thunderbolt singed strands of my hair as it grazed past.
His assaults didn't stop at one—no respite, constant motion required.
'This kid might even surpass Libiel in talent.'
[But he's not cute, so disqualified.]
What nonsense.
Anyway, I stood at a crossroads.
Counter with pure magic? Or keep using Nirvana?
[Push with magic now. You can't reveal your sword skills fully anyway.]
'No. One more with Nirvana.'
[What art thou planning...?]
'Watch closely.'
Dodging each onslaught, I projected mana toward the fallen blade.
Lumil had exceeded expectations, sure.
But that didn't mean he'd overwhelm me.
'Plenty of ways to crush him.'
Hummm—
Nirvana, infused with my mana, began quivering along its length.
I aimed for two effects.
Divine Sword Nirvana's 'Leash' function reactivates.
Divine Sword Nirvana's 'Clang' function reactivates.
First, remotely fueling Leash remotely with my mana.
Then chaining the mana flow to kickstart Clang too.
'Using both functions at once.'
The blade wailed like a living beast.
Opposing functions sent mana in conflicting directions, causing intense vibration.
Harnessing that amplitude...
Divine Sword 'Nirvana' counters special spell 'Freeze'.
Opponent's spell disrupted.
Crack!
It shattered Lumil's ice on the spot.
Magic crushed.
Panicking, he raised his hand for another Freeze.
But that hand was already mine.
'Leash' enhanced, rapidly absorbing opponent's mana.
No guardian to shield him now.
Dizzy, Lumil staggered back, screaming as I closed in.
"Get lost! Stay back...!"
Attack spell 'Invisible Arrow' fires.
His frantic strike was effortlessly blocked by Nirvana.
Powerless.
I leveled the blade at his nose.
The boy's face twisted in despair and defeat.
"Be honest now. That offer earlier was a trap, right?"
"......"
A question to strip away his sly facade.
If he tried deception again, I'd give him a real lesson.
Breaking a exhausted kid's guard would take a blink.
But—
"Lumil Kirchheis forfeits this match."
Lumil's abrupt declaration to the tomb's spirits.
Sighs erupted from the stands.
"Forfeit?"
"Oh no..."
"Tsk tsk. Worst choice."
But Lumil waited silently.
The watching ghosts tilted their heads skeptically.
"No victor yet...?"
"Art thou serious...?"
"Major deduction..."
Don't spurn a chance to bleed.
Forfeiting equated to not fighting—potentially violating family rules.
Yet Lumil stood firm.
"I know. But I forfeit. No mana left, and I won't be that guy's toy."
Salvaging some pride?
His icy glare drew a hollow chuckle from me.
But part of me nodded.
'Yeah, forfeiting might be better. Fine, suits him.'
Getting crushed publicly could mean total ostracism.
Great academies valued disciples' reputations too.
"...And I won't use my challenge right. Like I said, it's best. But if anyone challenges me, I won't refuse. That's all."
Done speaking, Lumil vanished into the crowd without regret.
He never admitted the trap.
Framing himself as sincere instead.
I clicked my tongue at his retreating back.
'No ordinary kid.'
Sly bastard.
We might cross paths on a single-log bridge someday.
Anyway, the tomb spirits had no choice but to accept Lumil's forfeit.
Victory decided, regardless of the judges' inclinations.
But they turned to me solemnly.
"The result of the first challenge..."
"Kirian Kirchheis's victory."