C103
Amira, who stood at the forefront, encouraged the students.
"School must disclose every detail of this incident. Only by prosecuting Principal Alpheus can we ensure the future of the magic school!"
"Right! Alpheas must resign! Hold the funeral for Shirone!"
Their loud cries were carried over the infirmary window to the ears of Amy and her friends. At that moment, the door swung open, and Cerielle entered.
"Amy, we have a big problem!"
"What happened? Why are they suddenly like that?”
Amy's confusion was understandable. She thought the student council meeting was about to end when suddenly they gathered and demanded Shirone's funeral.
"The graduating class is conspiring to accuse Principal Alpheas. I thought we could at least protect Shirone, but Fermi, that bastard, is stirring things up..."
Amy could understand the situation without seeing it. Fermi was more than capable of causing such a mess. In the end, the student council seemed to have focused on the principal's resignation. But it was not their fault. If the school's leader was morally flawed, it would be good for the future to deal with it.
But it was too extreme. That's why Fermi's actions were so annoying. While the teachers' lukewarm response provoked the student council's anger, Fermi was the one who lit the fuse.
"That rotten kid. He himself survived thanks to Shirone."
"What do we do now, Amy?"
Amy spoke while biting her nails.
"What can we do? We just have to hold on."
Alpheas had said they would watch over Shirone for the time being. It was a miracle that he, the person responsible for this incident, had convinced the teachers.
Nade, who had been looking out the window, snapped at Ilruki.
"Are you satisfied now? There are kids with the same thoughts as you gathered in a group out there. Shouldn't you be with them?"
"Do you want me to?"
Iruki didn't back down either. The two of them had been awkward since their fight that day.
Cerielle frowned and said.
"Stop it, both of you. Fighting amongst ourselves won't solve anything. Now is the time to join forces."
“Ha! Do you think this bastard Iruki will join forces? He’s like a guy with no blood or tears.”
"Stop it already. And Iruki, you too, be careful. Things got really serious. We don't know how public opinion might change with one word, so stay here for the time being."
“I have no intention of leaving anyway.”
Iruki buried his face in the table and was lost in thought. It had already been five days since Shirone's death. It was taking much longer than he had anticipated.
'If the student council has made a move, the teachers won't hold out much longer. Maybe about 48 hours...'
The atmosphere in the infirmary quickly turned cold. Everyone was overly sensitive due to the ongoing crisis.
Amy stroked Shirone's forehead. Logically, he should be considered dead. But was the current situation, clinging to hope, really normal?
'Please, please come back, Shirone...'
Amy was unsure of Shirone's survival. However, with her heart stopped for five days, the realm of certainty had long passed. From now on, it was a matter of faith.
-------------------------
The woman looked closely at the red light emanating from Sirone's body. If it were based on the principle of emitting high energy to vibrate particles, it could destroy any object.
“Shirone, don’t do this. That magic is so destructive. It doesn't match your disposition.”
"I don't want to fight either. But you want to keep me here. I can't allow that. I have to go back."
“Do you think you can win against me?”
Shirone shook his head. It was an honest feeling. She was a being who possessed powers strong enough to call herself a god, even in the same dimension. At the very least, she had to be considered on a higher level than Arcane.
Who was this woman, and where was this place?
Shirone stopped thinking. At least here wasn't where he was supposed to be.
"Please teach me how to return to the original world."
"Even if I teach you, it's impossible. It is an act that will drive you to death again.”
"Even so, I think I should try."
The woman was not afraid of Shirone's magic. But the power of the laser was not something to be taken lightly. She had to prevent the destruction of this world at all costs.
"Fine. I will let you do as you wish. But promise me, if you fail to return to your original world and come back here, you will follow my will."
"What's the way back?"
"I can't compromise any further. Will you still do it?"
No matter how terrifying the obstacles were, Shirone's determination did not waver.
"Fine. But I will never give up."
"Your life is your own. Use it however you like.”
The woman created a glass orb in front of Shirone. Inside, dark darkness swirled.
"Shirone, to return to the original world, you must go through the process you took to get here, but in reverse."
"I see."
"It's not a simple matter. It's the process of turning back from a pure spirit to a human being. Human beings are a collection of all sorts of unpleasant elements. If you can't accept this, you'll eventually become a strange existence that is neither human nor anything else."
The woman was convinced of Shirone's failure.
"The darkness you see now is a spot that penetrates time and space. It is commonly called a black hole. You can return to your original world through this place."
As the glass orb disappeared, a huge darkness was born in front of Shirone.
"What should I do?"
"It's simple. Just enter. It's a spot connected to your physical body."
"Thank you. I won't forget your kindness."
Shirone was sincere. Although he was hijacked, if it weren't for her, he wouldn't have even had the opportunity to return to the original world.
"Don't thank me prematurely. I never think you'll succeed. If you want to give up, just come back this way."
Would that situation really happen? If he died, he would never come back, but since it was something he hadn't experienced yet, Shirone didn't make any conclusions in advance.
"Then I'll give it a try."
The woman said, squinting her eyes as if she were sleepy.
“Have a good trip.”
Shirone took the first step into the black hole. He felt the same way as when he first entered the spot. As expected, Shirone couldn't find an exit. No matter how far he moved, nothing changed.
Shirone inadvertently looked back and was startled. The woman was still looking at her with sleepy eyes. Time wasn't passing. He had been trapped in an event horizon that only occurs in extreme gravity.
'I can't escape. It is absolutely impossible to escape from this place.'
Shirone finally understood what the woman was saying. In a place where even time couldn't escape, there was nothing he could do.
As clever as he was, he was quick to face reality. Shirone turned around with a miserable feeling. He had to go back to the woman. Isn't it better to live in a place with people rather than being trapped in darkness forever?
'Wait. Maybe...'
Shirone suddenly stopped walking. Time was eternally trapped in the event horizon. But he had the ability to generate time. It was his light magic.
Sub-luminal, near-luminal, luminal, and superluminal.
There were four categories of speed classified by light magicians. Shirone calculated that he would need a superluminal speed, faster than light, to pass through the event horizon.
'Superluminal... is it really possible?'
Shirone's level is at most sub-luminal speed. It seemed possible to reach near-luminal speed with the addition of God Particles, but even so, it fell far short of superluminal.
'Let's think.'
Time was not an issue as a method was found. After a long period of contemplation, his eyes changed. He could do it. Without a physical body, maybe he could achieve superluminal speed.
'Immortal Function.'
Even at the speed of light, you cannot travel across the vast universe. However, the speed of infinite expansion is instantaneous. Perhaps the Immortal Function was the key to reaching superluminal speed.
Anyway, returning was the priority. Shirone took a deep breath and cast the light magic while opening the Immortal Function.
The effect was immediate. The trembling that accelerated from sub-luminal to near-luminal and luminal was so strong that it threatened to destroy the Spirit Zone.
"Ugh...!"
But he still couldn't reach superluminal speed. Casting magic through Omnipotence was impossible without understanding what it meant to be faster than time. All that was left was the complete opening of Immortal Function. Although he was venturing into another unknown world where he might vanish again, Shirone expanded his consciousness without hesitation.
The form that made up Shirone burst and disintegrated into particles. Finally, something faster than light began to race towards the light beyond the event horizon.
'I did it!'
Shirone still maintained consciousness. Even after fully opening the Immortal Function, no particles were disturbed within the black hole. The exit was visible in the distance. His physical body was waiting for her there.
'There! I'm finally going!'
Then all of a sudden it started to slow down. Unidentified particles began to cling between Shirone's particles. The particles formed meaning through bonding, and it affected Shirone's mind like a voice.
- Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour.
- Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed.
As the voices grew heavier, Shirone saw the exit getting farther away. The particles intertwined in complex ways, evolving from simple meanings to higher-dimensional meanings.
- Ah, birth. The lowest existence.
- I don't want to die. The life of a mortal.
Shirone realized that he was undergoing the process of becoming human, as the woman had said. A being thrown into the world, filled with both desire and fear.
Perhaps all humans had been hearing such voices inside their mother's womb?
"I won't give up! I will definitely go back!"
- Where? There is no place to welcome you.
"To the world where I belong! To the place where my friends are waiting for me!"
- They will kill you. They will interfere with your devouring and breeding. All that awaits you is a collision of desires, painful struggles, and an inevitable journey toward death.
"Ugh! I don't hear anything! Nothing can stop me!"
Shirone cried out desperately. But as the bonding progressed, the floating voices grew louder.
Humans were, after all, beings made up of countless voices. Just as a solo performance is drowned out by a chorus, Shirone eventually lost his own voice.
- Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour. Devour.
- Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed. Breed.
-----------------------
The 7th day of Shirone's death.
The student council was still holding a sit-in. To be precise, they were the radicals who followed Amira.
In opposition, the conservative students blocked the entrance and prevented entry. Factions also split within the moderate party, eventually doubling the number of protesters.
With most of the students gathered in front of the building, day and night, Shirone's friends guarding him were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Perform Shirone's funeral!”
“Perform! Perform!”
"Alpheas must face the judgment of the Magic Association!"
"Face it! Face it!"
Cerielle covered her ears. The sound wasn't loud because the windows were closed, but she couldn't bear to listen anymore.
"Isn't this too much? Why are they so impatient that they couldn't catch Shirone?"
At Cerielle's words, Amy, who had her face buried in the spare bed, raised her head.
"They must have their own positions. Even those who disliked Shirone before probably joined in."
"Is it Shirone's fault for being outstanding? They're just narrow-minded."
“All humans are like that. If there are people who acknowledge Shirone, there are bound to be people who reject him.”
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
