Chapter 29: ■■el (3) — Fictional Hell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: ■■el (3) — Fictional Hell
In the wake of that awkward atmosphere, I hurriedly stepped out into the hallway.
The students had already begun whispering about me.
They wondered why I’d suddenly bolted, why I hadn't fought like that from the start, or if I was just a coward putting on a show.
Even Luce, who usually didn't give anyone the time of day, was watching me with an uncharacteristically attentive gaze.
Am I really standing out that much?
Of course, from her perspective, I was probably just Background Extra A—maybe Extra D at best. She’d likely stop caring soon enough.
Mateo, on the other hand, gave a firm nod of approval. I didn't need to be a psychic to know what he was thinking: “Isaac adjusted his power to match Tristan’s level.”
Now isn't the time to get distracted.
The moment I reached a blind spot, I sprinted.
Come on…!
Normally, reaching the roof would take a considerable amount of time. Fortunately, I was in peak condition. I could push myself to a full-speed dash without stopping.
As I suspected, there was a high probability that Leafa the Illusive intended to trap the entire Duke Hall within [Fictional Hell]. He must have already engraved a magic circle onto the roof.
I had to dismantle the spell before it could target the students.
I leaped up the stairs three at a time. Despite the exertion, my stamina held firm. This was where all that hellish physical training finally paid off.
While running, I pulled the Cloak of Disguise from my magic pouch and threw it on. I donned the ultramarine blue hooded cloak, masked my face, and pulled the hood low.
Magic Cloak of Disguise—Berserker. From this moment on, I would look like nothing less than a monster.
I reached the rooftop entrance sooner than expected.
“…!”
The door was wide open. The first thing I saw was a massive, ashen eyeball floating in the air.
[Second Eye]. It was a signature skill of Leafa the Illusive.
The eyeball was fixed on the arena below. It seemed Leafa was using [Clairvoyance] to monitor the proceedings from inside the building.
Even as I stepped onto the roof, the eye didn't react. It likely couldn't see the hallway or the stairwell leading up here. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Then, just beyond the floating eye, a murky, dark membrane stretched into a hemispherical dome—a localized [Fictional Hell], covering a section of the rooftop.
Why is it already active?
At that size, it was meant for a small group—one or two people. Someone had already come to hunt Leafa.
No way…
Professor Fernando had vanished during the PvP evaluations and hadn't returned even after my duel ended.
Whenever he conducted exams inside a building, he used telekinesis magic to set up a sensory net. It functioned like radar; if an uninvited guest tripped it, he would know instantly.
Professor Fernando had to be the one fighting Leafa inside that miniature [Fictional Hell].
“Crazy.”
I couldn't allow any casualties. Aside from the narrative complications, I hated the idea of an innocent person dying, not to mention the logistical nightmare it would cause.
More importantly, Professor Fernando was a vital supporting character in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. He was the one who kept Alice Carroll in check and played a pivotal role in helping Ian overcome his future slump.
I have to save him, no matter what.
It’s a race against time. I need to be fast.
Leafa was likely toying with Professor Fernando. Once the magic circle was fully charged with mana, [Fictional Hell] would expand instantly to engulf the entire hall.
I have to hunt him before that happens.
With that thought, I dove into the [Fictional Hell].
*
The sea was a perfect mirror.
The shallow waters reflected the ultramarine sky so clearly it felt as if the world had been inverted. The heavens were thick with stars, the Milky Way drifting lazily across the expanse.
In every direction, the horizon stretched infinitely, broken only by the silhouettes of crumbling, abandoned buildings. They looked so fragile that a stiff breeze might turn them to dust.
“Ugh!”
Fresh blood splattered across the ethereal landscape.
Kuung—!!
Fernando’s body skipped across the air like a stone before slamming into a building. With a strangled shriek, he slid down the wall, his lower body soaking in the shallow sea.
“Haah… Agh…”
He spat a mouthful of blood. Despite the pain, his blue eyes burned with a defiant fighting spirit.
Looking up, he saw a swarm of monsters closing in. They were alien entities, their jet-black skin shimmering as if the Milky Way itself flowed through their veins.
They blended perfectly with the night sky. Fernando had dubbed them Night Sky Monsters.
They took many forms—humans, animals, magical beasts—and even a colossal octopus drifting through the void above. The creature was so gargantuan it defied logic.
But the most striking feature was the moon. It hung low and massive, dwarfing the natural moon he knew.
It was a hauntingly beautiful sight.
So beautiful, in fact, that the grim thought crossed his mind: This wouldn't be a bad place for a grave.
“A grave…”
Fernando groaned, forcing himself to his feet. His legs were like jelly, but he managed to steady himself against a crumbling wall.
He remembered the instructions he’d left for his associate professor.
He had told them that if he didn't return within twenty minutes, they were to halt the evaluations immediately, evacuate the students, and bring reinforcements to the roof.
Currently, the demon was merely playing with its food.
He just had to stall a little longer.
The odds were impossible. He had killed dozens of the creatures, but their numbers only grew. They seemed to replicate infinitely.
It was a war of attrition he was destined to lose.
It was then that it happened.
[Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe─────────]
A mouth split open across the face of the full moon. It was massive, consuming half the lunar surface. Its jaw was perfectly straight, its teeth a blinding, unnatural white.
Then, tens of thousands of eyes snapped open above the maw. It was no longer a moon; it was a living, breathing horror.
“…!”
Fernando’s eyes widened. The sheer wrongness of the sight sent a shiver down his spine, leaving him breathless.
Tens of thousands of ominous lunar eyes locked onto him simultaneously.
The moon began to laugh.
───────────────── [Kyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Kyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!] ———————————————
The grotesque laughter shook the heavens and the earth, a cacophony of a thousand voices.
Even the Night Sky Monsters grew mouths that split their heads in two. They joined the moon in its mocking chorus.
It was as if the entire world was demanding he despair.
“Agh…!”
Before he could react, a hulking Night Sky Monster closed the distance, swinging a fist the size of Fernando’s entire torso.
He scrambled to deploy a shield.
「Basic Protection Magic (Neutral Element, ★1)」
The monster’s fist collided with Fernando’s temple.
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—!
An explosive roar rang in his ears, rattling his brain.
Fernando was sent flying, skipping across the surface of the water like a stone before finally coming to a halt in the shallows.
He hit the water with a dull thud and lay still.
The strength drained from his limbs.
“Ah…”
Fernando stared blankly at the sky.
It really is beautiful. But I’ll have to save the appreciation for another time.
With a final surge of will, he pushed his upper body up. The monsters were closing in, all hunger and malice.
His muscles screamed in protest. He couldn't stand.
But he could still fight.
Fernando thrust his right arm toward the horde. At the tips of his five fingers, he used telekinesis to manifest compressed [Elemental Magic Bullets].
「Water Generation (Water Element, ★1)」 + 「Ice Generation (Ice Element, ★1)」 + 「Compression (Neutral Element, ★4)」
= 「Elemental Magic Bullet (Water + Ice Element)」
BANG—!
BANG—!
BANG—!
BANG—!
BANG—!
He fired five shots. Not a single one found its mark. His hands were shaking too violently; he lacked the strength even to aim.
His mana was nearly depleted, and to make matters worse, the monsters were multiplying again.
From the void, the giant octopus watched him. The moon continued its mocking giggle.
The crushing weight of reality set in: he couldn't win. He was going to die here.
Even so, he refused to yield.
“I am… a professor…”
He clung to his identity to ward off the encroaching despair.
His voice was a raspy whisper, but he spoke with everything he had left. “For my students… I must…”
He hadn't become a professor for prestige, but out of a genuine love for teaching the next generation of mages.
A memory flickered in his mind—teaching a young student who dreamed of greatness. He had only explained a basic theory of fire magic, but the child’s eyes had sparkled as if he’d revealed the secrets of the universe. He hadn't shown it then, but the memory always brought a smile to his face.
Using the dregs of his mana, he conjured five more [Elemental Magic Bullets]. They were unstable, flickering as if they might dissipate at any moment.
It was a futile struggle. But he needed to buy time, even if it was only a single second.
“Protect…”
Fernando’s small, firm voice was swallowed by the demon’s laughter.
[What a pathetic face, Fernando—! This has been fun. Goodbye—]
The eerie moon bid him farewell in a patronizing tone.
The Night Sky Monsters began to mimic Fernando’s technique in perfect unison.
「Dark Generation (Dark Element, ★1)」 + 「Fire Generation (Fire Element, ★1)」 + 「Compression (Neutral Element, ★4)」
= 「Elemental Magic Bullet (Dark + Fire Element)」
Dark red flames flickered into existence before the monsters' fingers, mouths, and foreheads.
The scale was terrifying. Some mimicked Fernando’s small bullets, while the larger beasts manifested spheres of fire proportional to their massive size.
“…”
Thousands of [Elemental Magic Bullet] spells were aimed at his heart.
This was the end.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG——————————!
The Night Sky Monsters opened fire simultaneously. The sound was a continuous roar, like a battery of heavy machine guns.
The dark red flames tore through the air toward Fernando.
In contrast, the bullets he had fired sputtered and died before they even reached the enemy.
Fernando watched the incoming wall of fire and closed his eyes.
—It was then.
「Ice Wall (Ice Element, ★4)」
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu───!!!!
「Frostfire (Ice Element, ★4)」
Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa───!!!!
“…!”
A massive wall of ice erupted in front of Fernando, followed by a tsunami of freezing blue flames that swept across the sea.
His eyes snapped open.
The [Elemental Magic Bullets] fired by the monsters couldn't even scratch the [Ice Wall], despite their elemental advantage.
As the wall fulfilled its purpose, it shattered into a fine powder of pale blue light. A vast, frozen wasteland now stretched out before Fernando.
The Night Sky Monsters were ravaged by flash-frost, their skin scorched and torn, oozing purple blood.
Kuung─!
A figure plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on the thick ice. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through the frozen surface.
The man radiated a bone-chilling cold from every pore.
With his arrival, the massive ice sheet began to dissolve into shimmering blue dust.
In that glittering haze, the Night Sky Monsters collapsed.
Fernando stared at the man’s back.
He was a mountain of a man—rugged, muscular, and standing at least two meters tall. He wore an ultramarine blue hooded cloak, his face hidden in shadow.
[Greuuuuuuung…]
A low, guttural growl vibrated from the giant’s chest. It wasn't a human sound; it was the warning of a territorial predator.
Fernando was speechless. His mind struggled to process the scene.
He recognized this being. It was the same suspicious entity that had appeared during the class assignment evaluations.
But why is it here?
Why did it save me?
Before he could find an answer—
───────────── [Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]
The monster let out a ferocious roar, challenging the laughing moon.
*
Meanwhile, outside the [Fictional Hell].
Dorothy Heartnova, a student sporting a large witch’s hat, was currently cutting class to admire the horizon. The perfect symmetry of the sky and sea today was simply too beautiful to ignore.
She floated cross-legged in mid-air, surrounded by the soft glow of her colorful stars. Her starlight magic allowed her to manipulate natural forces like gravity with ease.
Is that…?
She looked down at the academy and frowned.
A strange magical distortion had formed on the roof of Duke Hall. It wasn't emitting any mana, which was why she hadn't noticed it until now.
Instead, the unknown spell was greedily absorbing the ambient mana from the air. It was as if that patch of space had been severed from the rest of the world.
A separate dimension?
It appeared to be in its infancy, but it was expanding rapidly. At this rate, it would swallow the entirety of Duke Hall in minutes.
Sensing something was very wrong, Dorothy adjusted her flight path and sped toward the anomaly.