Growth (3)

Lia had brought ten fragments of crimson firestone and four high-grade firestones.

With the materials I had on hand, I could make a total of four Flame Focus Cannons, and that was more than enough to hold off this mutated beast.

I hurried into the second fusion attempt.

This time, it went far more smoothly than the first.

I had already succeeded once, and I’d learned the trick of resonating the two flames and twisting them together into a spiral.

Whoooosh--

White flame completed itself once more in my hands.

This time I handed the completed bead to Alberte, then immediately began the third fusion.

I forged another Flame Focus Cannon, and this one I passed to Sophia.

"Me?"

"Yes. Sophia. I’m counting on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you."

"B-But, Tower Master, I’m only at the 2nd Circle now... can I really handle such a powerful spell properly?"

Sophia asked as she took the bead with trembling hands.

"You’ll be fine. This is a 2nd Circle spell, so you can cast it without a problem. Have confidence."

At my words, Sophia’s eyes changed a little.

"Understood. I’ll do my best!"

I began the fourth and final fusion. By now, I could resonate two flames together as naturally as breathing.

"Carlos! Take this."

"...Am I really allowed to have one too?"

"Of course."

"But... right now, wouldn’t it be better to give this to the mages of Blue Rose instead?"

"No."

I cut Carlos off firmly.

"Our Fusion Magic Tower’s disciple comes first. And you’ll do far better with it than you think."

Tears of gratitude filled Carlos’s eyes. For someone who had always been looked down on while teaching himself magic, this kind of trust must have been a first.

"Thank you, Tower Master. I won’t let you down!"

Now there were four Flame Focus Cannons ready, including mine.

"Alberte takes the left, Sophia the center, Carlos the right. I’ll handle the front of the gate. Ready?"

"Yes! Ready."

"Yes, Tower Master."

"Just leave it to me."

"Yes..."

"Prepare!"

At my command, Alberte, Sophia, and Carlos raised their wands at their assigned positions.

White light pulsed simultaneously from the tips of the four wands.

"Aim!"

We targeted the mutated beasts beneath the gate.

"Fire!"

At my command, four lances of white flame shot out at once.

Whoooosh--!

The purest edge of flame cut through the air, flying straight toward the mutated beasts.

BOOOOM————!

Four mutated beasts were pierced at the same time. The white flames broke through the purple barrier and tore into them, dealing damage.

One of them, the one that had already been struck by Flame Focus Cannon once before, turned to ash.

But it still wasn’t enough.

The mutated beast that had already taken a Flame Focus Cannon hit was finished off.

But the remaining three, wounded though they were, continued attacking the wall.

The cooldown is five minutes... will we be too late?

While I was still worrying over it,

"Now!"

The Blue Rose Tower Master shouted.

The mages of Blue Rose unleashed their spells all at once. Fireballs, ice spears, lightning bolts, and blades of wind rained down like a storm.

As the beasts came under concentrated fire, the remaining three began to collapse in turn.

"Grrrraaaah——!"

One mutated beast staggered first and fell, and then the other two crumpled one after another.

The purple glow slowly faded as the beasts’ forms broke apart into black ash and scattered away.

"......"

"......"

With all the mutated beasts finally down, the mages on the wall fell silent as if they had just witnessed something they could hardly believe.

After a brief pause,

"We did it!"

Carlos clenched his fist and shouted. Starting with his cry, cheers erupted all along the wall.

"We defeated the mutated beasts!"

"We held the gate!"

The mages of the Blue Rose Magic Tower embraced one another, overjoyed. But soon their attention shifted to the disciples of our tower.

Their expressions were complicated, filled with awe, surprise, and a little envy.

"Tower Master..."

Sophia called to me in a trembling voice.

Her face was flushed from the excitement of battle, but at the same time she was brimming with pride that she had done it.

"Well done, Sophia. And all of you."

I looked over my disciples as I spoke. Carlos’s eyes were reddening with emotion, while Alberte wore a satisfied smile.

It was a small victory, but I was moved too.

For the first time, our Fusion Magic Tower had fought as one, and as a result, we had defended the village. It may have been small in scale, but for us it was a meaningful first step.

"Tower Master, we did it!"

Lia ran up and said excitedly.

She hadn’t taken part directly in the battle, but she seemed to feel pride as a member of our tower all the same.

"Yes, we did."

I smiled and gave Lia’s shoulder a light pat.

"Grace."

As we were celebrating the victory, the Blue Rose Tower Master slowly approached and called my name.

"Yes."

"I apologize for my rudeness earlier. To be honest, I underestimated you."

"It’s fine."

"The rumors weren’t exaggerated after all."

Blue Rose said it with genuine respect.

"Haha... thank you."

"And that same-attribute fusion spell you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just used—how on earth did you do that? It’s something that’s been considered impossible for centuries."

"If you understand the essence of flame, it’s possible. You have to approach it through resonance, not fusion."

At my explanation, Blue Rose nodded, though he didn’t seem to fully understand.

"Amazing. I hope we can maintain a good relationship with your Fusion Magic Tower from here on."

He held out his hand, and I took it.

"Of course. Ah, and could I ask you to handle the aftermath here?"

"Why? Reinforcements will arrive soon. Couldn’t we report together?"

Blue Rose asked with a puzzled look.

"I have a few things to do."

"Hmm... all right. Then do that. I won’t be trying to steal credit or anything, so rest easy."

"Yes. Of course."

Credit? I honestly didn’t care about that.

There was something far more important.

I think I can reach the 4th Circle...

While I had been making those four Flame Focus Cannons, my understanding of the essence of flame had deepened by a great deal.

I had grasped the fundamental attribute of flame: change.

"Alberte, let’s go back."

"Yes. Understood, Tower Master."

***

After returning to the Fusion Magic Tower, I immediately sat down in the lotus position.

Though I had only awakened to the essence of flame, change, I felt that I could use that experience to understand the other attributes too.

Water is adaptation, wind is freedom, earth is stability...

I repeated each attribute’s meaning in my mind. But simply knowing something and truly internalizing it were two entirely different things.

I realized flame’s change while making Flame Focus Cannon. In that case...

I thought the other attributes might have to be approached in a similar way.

Namely, by fusing same-attribute spells to experience the pure essence of each attribute.

I opened the fusion spell list again.

Would I need to make all three of these to reach the 4th Circle?

But I didn’t have the luxury of gathering materials right away.

In particular, high-grade materials like abyssal droplets or wings of storm spirits would be difficult to obtain and far from cheap.

Let’s try it.

I closed my eyes and entered deep meditation.

Based on my experience of realizing flame’s change, I tried to understand the essence of the remaining attributes, if only in theory.

First, water’s adaptation.

Water changes shape depending on the vessel that holds it, yet its essence never changes.

It is soft yet strong, flexible yet tenacious. To accept everything without losing itself is the essence of water.

Wind’s freedom.

Wind is not bound anywhere.

It moves constantly from high to low, from cold to warm, crossing boundaries without cease. Nothing can truly confine it.

Earth’s stability.

Earth is the foundation of all things.

It may seem unchanging, but within it lies sleeping immense power. The essence of earth is its vast capacity to embrace and nourish all life, and its patience.

Drawing on that understanding, I raised my mana.

Then I converted it into four different attributes.

Flame was already something I had grasped, so I had to manifest the remaining three within myself.

First, I gathered water mana in my left arm.

A cold, supple energy flowed along it. Rather than simply letting it flow, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I made it move with the meaning of adaptation embedded inside it. I guided it so that it fit perfectly into the shape of my mana circuits, like water winding its way around stone.

Next came wind mana in my right arm.

A light, lively energy moved freely.

But it was not chaotic; even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠within freedom, it carried its own current.

A movement unbound, yet purposeful.

Finally, I gathered earth mana in my lower dantian.

A heavy, steady energy anchored the center of my body.

It became the unshakable basis of stability, a foundation on which the other attributes could move safely.

And at the center of my chest was the flame mana I had already comprehended.

The four attributes began to pulse from their respective places.

But that alone was not enough. To break through to the 4th Circle, these four attributes had to harmonize and create a single circulation.

Harmony... not simply mixing them together, but moving as one while preserving each attribute’s nature.

At that moment, a powerful realization struck me.

It’s circulation.

The four attributes had to circulate like the seasons.

Flame’s change announced a new beginning like spring, water’s adaptation accepted and nurtured everything like summer.

Wind’s freedom spread fruition like autumn, while earth’s stability accumulated power for what came next like winter.

The instant I understood the law of this circulation, the four attributes began moving on their own.

When flame brought about change, water adapted to it; when water created a flow, wind spread it freely; and what wind carried, earth accepted with stable resolve.

Then the power accumulated in earth once again sparked flame’s change.

Whoooosh--

Inside my body, the four attributes began to rotate in a perfect cycle. It was not fusion, but harmony; not destruction, but creation.

And then, just as that happened, the mana backlash Alberte had warned me about began.

Grrrrr--!

All the mana that had been circulating suddenly began to spin in reverse. A crushing pressure swept over me as though my heart might burst.

Reverse circulation is still circulation.

But this time was different.

Now that I understood circulation, I could accept even the backflow as a natural phenomenon.

Just as winter follows spring and autumn follows summer, and that too is a cycle.

I imagined the four seasons turning counterclockwise.

From winter to autumn, from autumn to summer, from summer to spring.

And from spring back to winter.

It was not a reversal of time, but another form of circulation.

CRACK--!

My mana circuits screamed.

But this time, instead of splitting, they were expanding.

As though a narrow river were becoming a great one, my mana circuits were changing at the root.

This is it!

As the forward and reverse cycles occurred at once, they traced the pattern of yin and yang.

The four attributes complemented one another and achieved perfect balance.

At that moment, I felt my consciousness expand.

I began to see every flow of mana around me with startling clarity.

The minute mana particles in the air, the vast veins of mana sleeping in the earth, the wind mana flowing through the sky.

And even the mana of life pulsing within all living beings.

BOOOOM——!

With an enormous explosion, waves of mana surged outward in all directions from my body.

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