Battlefield (3) - Miracle Beyond Magic
Another month passed after that. Iris and I had been separated for a while. We were both high-value assets, so we'd been temporarily reassigned to different battlefields. Of course, that didn't worry me much. Even without me around, Iris was always a powerhouse of a mage.
But our deployment to that somewhat unfavorable battlefield—for a quick cleanup—didn't last long. That's when I heard some utterly unexpected news from the commander in charge.
"An 8th Tier Archmage has appeared on the eastern battlefield where Mage Iris has joined."
An 8th Tier Archmage. The pinnacle realm that only those who had reached the absolute peak as mages could attain.
I had no idea why a mage of that caliber had suddenly shown up where Iris was fighting, but the instant I heard it, my body was already moving at full speed.
Even Iris won't be able to hold out easily against that.
Iris was a genius. The heights she'd reached at her age were nothing short of miraculous. But separate from that, her talents hadn't fully bloomed yet. Given time, hitting 8th tier was a certainty—but right now, she was still at 7th tier. No matter how prodigious, bridging a tier gap like that was damn near impossible. Lower tiers might be manageable, but the chasm between 7th and 8th was wider than from 1st to 7th combined. That was how overwhelming the wall of 8th tier truly was.
My mind went ice-cold, a chill racing up my spine. I pushed my speed to the limit, praying Iris was safe. Finally, I reached her battlefield.
"…"
And I couldn't find words at the brutal scene unfolding before me. A field blanketed in hundreds of corpses. Standing aloof in the center was a single woman.
"Oh? A new guest?"
Her face looked young, but the aura and seasoned poise she exuded were far beyond her apparent age. I couldn't guess how many years she'd lived, but one thing was clear: she harbored something far more vicious than her appearance suggested. Above all, the vast energy enveloping her crushed down on my entire body.
The pinnacle of mages. An archmage. This was the moment I witnessed one firsthand.
"Did you come for this girl?"
In her hand dangled a familiar figure, drenched in blood. But there was no mistaking who it was.
"Iris…"
She gazed at me through barely open eyes.
"Why… did you come… you idiot…"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. The sight of her covered in wounds ignited rage from the top of my head down, turning my reason to ice.
The woman glanced back and forth between Iris and me, her eyes glinting with interest.
"You two seem awfully close. Kinda jealous, huh? Well, I'm feeling generous, so here— she's yours."
She tossed Iris right at me. I caught her and quickly checked her condition.
Her magic circuits are wrecked.
For a mage, the magic circuits were like their heart. If they were destroyed, it meant the end of their life as a mage. Worse, Iris's internal injuries were so severe she could drop dead any second. Her life hung by the thinnest thread.
Was it the fear of losing someone precious? My arms tightened around her even more.
"Evan…"
"What."
"Sorry…"
"…"
"Sorry… really… so sorry…"
She kept apologizing to me over and over. With great effort, she reached out a trembling hand to caress my face.
"You know… honestly? I've wanted to give up so many times… I hated it—feared it—people dying because of my magic… Every night, nightmares of them cursing me… So yeah, I actually tried to die…?"
"…"
"But then one day…? You just showed up… Being with you was fun… made me happy… no more nightmares… To be honest… I still wonder sometimes if it's all just a dream."
A smile curved her lips. It flickered like a candle about to gutter out.
"Ah… what a shame. Just half a year ago, I wanted to die. Now? I hate the idea. I want more time with you… more moments together… Why is it… when I finally found hope… that I have to die…"
"Iris."
"…Master's gonna be shocked. The Magic Tower's scenery is so pretty…? Especially at night—the views are amazing… And the nearby city's got tons of great food… fun stuff too…"
"Iris."
"Ah… am I really dying like this? I don't want to…"
Tears beaded at the corners of her faintly open eyes.
"Evan… sorry… And I love you. Please… you live on."
She closed her eyes like it was her final farewell. Her exhales grew shallower, her heartbeat fading. But I rejected it all.
That denial wasn't mere sentiment. There was no way in hell I was letting her die.
Hum!
A mage's intense will surged outward through my imagery.
At its core, magic was an aggregate of miracles born from imagination and delusion. Powers beyond human reach were captured in the heart's delusions, transmitted to the world's will—and its response was magic itself.
So in this moment, I desperately conveyed it to the world's will.
Let her live.
No mere magic could revive the dying. But what I was attempting went beyond simple magic.
I didn't just convey my will to this world—I engraved it as an unalterable causality.
The fact that she lived.
Impossible even for an archmage? Didn't matter.
What did tiers mean in the face of willpower's weight? Rage and resolve didn't discriminate.
And right now, I held the deepest connection to the world's will.
In response, the miracle occurred.
Boom!
The ground twisted. Ambient mana churned wildly.
Magic was the phenomenon born from the world's reply to a mage's heart. But to engrave upon the world itself? That transcended magic, becoming something akin to raw authority.
Iris's complexion eased. Her breathing regained its vigor.
The power brushing against authority had brought her back.
But the price was exacted in full.
Cough.
My magic circuits warped. Agony like my organs being crushed shook my mind.
The toll for grasping forbidden power was merciless.
Yet somehow, I felt more liberated—more omnipotent—than ever before.
"I was enjoying the show, but kid… what the hell are you?"
The archmage's face held no more leisure. The gaze that had toyed with me like a plaything now saw an inscrutable threat.
Killing intent roiled around her, binding me tight.
But there was one thing she didn't know.
Right now, mage tiers meant nothing.
I simply touched the air, like placing a dot.
That was enough. Mana converged into a single point and rocketed like a shell, slamming into the archmage.
A mana barrier flickered around her? No problem.
If once doesn't do it…
Just hammer it multiple times.
I flicked my finger like pulling a trigger.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of mana shells rained down on her.
She instantly layered multiple barriers and unleashed chains of lightning spells, but those bolts never reached me. The moment I seized control amid the magical backlash, I hurled them right back.
Endless bombardment.
For the first time, the archmage showed haste.
"What the hell are you…?!"
She couldn't finish her sentence before the barrage breached her for the first time.
That single hit exposed a glaring opening, and I didn't miss it.
Sounds grew muffled. The roar of ceaseless attacks rang in my ears like tinnitus.
"Spa—"
I poured it on, unrelenting, until she was utterly crushed.
How long did the onslaught last? At some point, the noise faded. My mind cleared, and I gasped for breath.
As sanity returned, one fact hit me.
My realm, teetering at the edge of 6th tier, had somehow surged to 8th tier.
I had no idea if anyone had ever leaped two tiers at once, but it hardly mattered.
I approached the spot where the enemy archmage lay. Just minutes ago, she'd brimmed with arrogance; now she was a broken wreck, unable even to hold her form together. She wasn't dead yet, but three minutes was her limit at most.
Blood-soaked, she looked up at me and spoke.
"…You… what are you…"
"Does it matter?"
I cut her off.
"What matters is you're the loser."
This was the battlefield. A place where death claimed countless lives daily. Concepts like good and evil didn't exist here.
Live or die. Only those two options.
Our clash had simply ended in my victory. She knew that, so she said no more.
"You're a mad monster… kid."
With words like a final testament, the archmage breathed her last.
I surveyed my surroundings. The battlefield's horror, blanketed in hundreds of corpses.
Even with this victory, the interminable war showed no sign of ending.
Me reaching 8th tier probably wouldn't change that.
But I would make it change.
If one thing was clear from all this, it was that this war would only end in mutual destruction.
So someone had to step up.
To end it.