Chapter 472
Chapter 472
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 472
>Chapter Title: Open Wide
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Space warped...
Boom!
Light flashed.
The instant the light blazed, Aster entered Transcendence and raised a barrier.
Crunch, craaack—!
One, two, three... The barrier kept shattering.
Even in slowed time, the light kept closing in. So destructive it tore through the barrier like paper.
The light finally vanished completely only after ripping through dozens of layers, and Aster etched that number into his mind before taking in the scene ahead.
‘The ones who got hit...’
None. Even the most worrisome Paraphus had entered Transcendence and blocked the light. Not just blocked it—he was already unleashing spells toward the sun and moon.
Aster watched, splintering time into fragments.
Finer, even finer...
Just like in his decisive battle with the Uurbonga family patriarch Oto, he seized the fragmented time and tore it apart.
How many times did he do it?
‘...This much for now.’
In the even slower time, Aster took in the landscape.
It was bizarre.
A frozen world.
The sun and moon... those deep entities stood utterly still, spells surging toward them.
The spells were all kinds.
Golden sand, pure white ice, lightning, flames... Too many to list one by one. That many great archmages were pouring out their magic in earnest, and amid it all, Aster realized a few new things.
First...
‘...The spells’ speeds differ.’
If the Arbiter of Zamal’s spell was speed 10, Demeya’s was 12. Kazar’s 13, Paraphus and Kizystone around 7 and 8.
Not a precise comparison since they were different spells, but his instincts pegged it at that ratio.
Why the difference?
Probably...
‘...Calculation speed.’
Yes, that had to be it.
Strictly speaking, entering Transcendence didn’t slow time’s flow.
It just accelerated thought so much that time felt slowed.
So even if everyone entered Transcendence, differing speeds were natural.
Then, let’s see.
‘Pahren?’
Searching for Pahren, was it internal injuries? He’d blocked the light of destruction but wasn’t doing much else.
Honestly, disappointing.
If he could glimpse Pahren’s calculation speed, it’d help big time against him later.
Aster shook off the regret and refocused on the sun and moon. Something to check.
Let’s see.
- Weak and pitiful beings.
- Be silent.
That’s what they’d said.
Then immense pressure had crushed down.
On the surface, nothing special.
Anyone at a certain level could crush foes with aura.
But somehow...
‘...It didn’t feel like that.’
Something was off.
Not killing intent or intimidation, not mana or magi-force crushing him...
‘...Just.’
Just crushed, that’s how it felt.
And that wasn’t all that was strange.
Look now.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
Countless spells surging at the sun and moon were vanishing futilely.
Vanishing them was a shield of pure white.
So...
‘Not a barrier—protective magic.’
He recalled hearing once.
Before ‘barriers,’ they learned separate ‘protective spells.’
Unlike simple barriers from basic formulas and magi-force structures, these required complex formulas and imagery understanding, like attack spells.
Why obsolete? Simple.
Easier to layer dozens of barriers than hone protective spells for decades.
Of course, protective spells had their perks...
‘...Not my concern.’
Anyway, the sun and moon’s pure white shield was closer to protective magic than a barrier.
But was it really?
‘...Nah.’
Mystical now, but their core magic rooted in ancient ways.
Ancient protective magic, then. Why strange?
‘It doesn’t break.’
Boing—
Aster snapped out of the splintered time, kicked off, and charged. Spells from Transcendent archmages whipped past lethally, but his stride was smooth.
Thoughts kept racing meanwhile.
Let’s see.
‘...Three leaps to reach the sun and moon.’
Just over a second.
How many spells grazed him en route?
Uncountable.
In splintered time, he could tally them, but in normal flow, surreal.
But even more surreal...
‘This.’
The pure white shield withstanding them all.
How?
If sun and moon could Transcend, maybe, but no.
Then—
“This works too?”
Aster slipped through a lull in the archmages’ spells, clenched his fist. Drew shoulder back, palm wide, foot planted.
Crackle crackle—
Sparks surged to his hand.
“Fearless— iiiiiiiiii.”
Aster Transcended before ‘sun’ finished, voice stretching eerily in his ears. Irritating sound, but he focused on the gathered mana.
Inspired watching the Arbiter of Zamal dispel the ‘hands’ in magic immunity.
Creating hundreds, thousands of barriers at once? Tougher than thought. Even simple structures needed formulas.
Simply put:
Saying ‘ha’ once is easy, but hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands in a second?
...Not exact logic.
But the Arbiter of Zamal handled it how?
First, says ‘ha’ tens of thousands times per second. Each separate.
Then...
‘Treats all those utterances as one batch.’
Absurd.
How possible?
No clue.
Probably stumbled on it, not planned.
Apply it, then.
‘Obliteration’s key is collision and compression.’
Just particle collision? Collision Formula.
Add compression? Obliteration.
Power determined how?
‘Volume? Obvious.’
More mana, magi-force, aura poured in, more power.
But truly key...
‘...How many flows collide, and compression depth.’
Aster’s usual obliteration: about 3 flows.
Rushed: 2.
Normal: 3.
Careful: 4 or 5.
Minimum 2 flows for collision—not many.
Power from where?
Simple.
‘Compression.’
Creating flows: complex, taxing.
Compression? Dead simple.
No calculations or tuning, just...
‘Crumple it in.’
Higher realm, stronger compression of more magi-force. No understanding or balance needed.
Now, think.
Like Arbiter batching hundreds, thousands of barriers...
‘...Batch tens, hundreds of flows?’
Layer and compress those batches?
Theory-wise...
‘Perfect, right?’
Chill up his spine.
Thrilling goosebumps.
But better thrill:
Has spell to use...
‘...And target.’
Nice, huh?
‘Right?’
Aster spun his circle. Mana flooded his hand.
Honestly, ambient mana near depleted.
No wonder.
Not one or two archmages... all Transcendent, blasting away.
Sanctuary’s rich mana allowed this; elsewhere, they’d exhaust and fistfight.
Wait...
‘Fistfight?’
Aster pondered.
Punching match—who strongest here?
‘Me?’
Sun and moon: old men. Arbiter of Zamal, Paraphus: old. Kazar sturdy-ish, but just sturdy.
Pahren, Demeya: good frames. Kizystone: scrawny mage archetype.
‘Play right...’
Could lay down the law hard?
Issue: deplete mana to neutralize sun and moon?
‘Let’s try.’
Aster layered flows.
One, two... Particles collided, shockwaves rippled. But subdivided them.
Ten.
‘Now...’
Made ten flows one ‘batch.’ Layered batches.
Ten batches overlapped.
‘Another.’
New batch, layered.
How many times?
Suddenly, change.
Grind, griiiind—!
Flows hit count, obliteration shrank. Not Aster compressing.
...Natural compression.
Not stopping.
Bang—!
Mysterious attraction burst outward. Fitting term? Transcendent archmages watching thought so.
What did it do?
Sucked in mana.
Like a vortex...
Whoooosh—!
Obliteration—no, former obliteration—devouring space’s mana greedily.
What rippled in Aster’s hand? No longer obliteration. Not blue flash—closer to abyss.
At this point, details?
Whatever.
‘Unknown pressure, pure white shield...’
Just launch it.
Aster gripped the mana-devouring abyss, eyed sun and moon.
Finally—
‘Spoonful of Reverse Heaven aura.’
Boing.
Aster exited splintered time, then smashed the abyss into sun and moon’s faces.
“Open wide.”
Gotta get the abyss in.
In a world we share, the warm hospitality that beautifies life.