C90
“Light is beauty.”
"Yes? I beg your pardon?"
Alpheas asked. It was natural that he did not know photonics, but this kind of answer was unexpected.
“The light is beautiful. Flowers are beautiful too. We are also beautiful. But the light you're talking about... it doesn't sound beautiful."
Alpheas felt as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer. It was a direct hit in the form of pure thought that could not be molded into words.
“I- I see. Why do you think light is beautiful?"
To Alpheas, light was just photons. But Erina answered without hesitation, as if she knew everything.
"Light shows us darkness. Without light, how can we see the night sky?"
The world became silent. Like the universe.
Alpheas didn't say anything. The thoughts he truly desired poured out like a waterfall above his head.
Why did he try to distinguish between the two? By taking just one step back, he could see everything so clearly.
Because it is beautiful.
No contradiction would be considered a contradiction.
“It is a beauty. You are so beautiful, Ms. Erina.”
Erina turned her head while smiling innocently like a child. The moment he saw her smile, Alpheas made up his mind.
To remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Alpheas knelt down to Erina. Then, in her most polite gesture, he held out his right hand.
"Please be my light."
That night 40, years ago.
The confession under the moonlight was a precious memory for Alpheas, a happiness he could not exchange for the whole world. A faint smile lingered on his lips as the curtain of Abyss Nova lifted.
Reversed Roles (1)
Canis glared at the white light burning on Shirone's palm. . It was truly an overwhelming presence. Of course, he had the aggression to face death without hesitation. But he thought that even if he died, he should at least get something out of it.
- Harvey. I'm up for a fight. Let's do it.
- That magic. How fast could it be? It might be unavoidable.
- You just have to block it.
- If I can't block it, you'll die. If you die, I'll perish too. We'll have to fight eventually, but there are too many variables. (I have mental image that they are similar to Stand. Dark Mage = Stand User. Change my mind.)
Exchanging opinions at the speed of thought was a huge advantage in battle. But there was also the disadvantage of not knowing what decision to make when opinions were polarized.
"What's going on here?"
The one who broke the standoff was an unexpected voice. A shadow surged like water from the cliff, and a grotesque skeleton of an old man rose to the surface of the darkness.
It was Archmage Arcane.
The impression of Arcane, who grasped the situation at a glance, was crumpled. The reason he had been able to devote his full power to Ethella was that he was confident that the situation here had already been resolved.
Arcane believed in Canis. No, he firmly believed in Harvest, who was subordinate to Canis.
However, when he finally arrived, the situation was completely different than expected.
Lucas is down with a miserable sight, and Canis and Harvest were being cornered by just one person.
"I apologize, Master."
Arcane was not a person with a generous personality. He ignored Canis's apology and coldly turned to look at Shirone.
'I thought his face looked familiar.'
He resembles Alpheas. Rather than the face or appearance, the temperament felt throughout was similar. The audacity to confidently speak his mind even under the gaze of the Archmage was also similar.
“Did you plan this?”
“Young people are cheeky. What is your name?”
“I don’t want to tell a murderer my name. Release the mind control and leave the school immediately. If you don't, I won't let it go."
"Hehehe."
Arcane burst out laughing. He wasn't angry. However, his standard for killing someone was not based on anger, but on how much amusement he could derive from it. In that sense, Shirone was a ripe fruit that was perfect for killing right away.
"I'm sorry, but I can't release the mind control. That's because Alpheas's disciples must die."
Sensing a sense of death, Shirone fired the Photon Cannon without realizing it, along with a chilling sensation throughout his body.
It was obviously an accidental shot.
Arcane easily dodged the Photon Cannon and confirmed the magic's disappearance before turning back.
“The radius of the Spirit Zone is 52.7 meters. Not bad. It's quite a high level for your age."
Even photons cannot exceed the limits of the physical world if they contain mass. However, the basic speed of Photon Output was much faster than most flying objects. To dodge a Photon Cannon in an instant and measure the radius of the Spirit Zone was beyond human senses.
Shirone gritted his teeth and compressed the photons again. He had encountered a master whose abilities he couldn't gauge, but in order to prevent hundreds of students from free-falling off the cliff, he had no choice but to fight.
“Stop it, Sirone.”
Ethella emerged from the mountains. Her clothes were torn, revealing her bare skin, and she was covered in dirt from head to toe.
"Don't act recklessly. Arcane is a dangerous person."
Arcane's brow wrinkled. The battle with her had been enjoyable, but he had long forgotten about the food he had already trampled on.
"The defeated have quite a thick skin. If your life was saved, you should cherish it.”
Shirone and the others were shocked. Could it be that Miss Ethella was defeated by an old man with only his bones left? Bishop of the Karsys Holy Order. Jonah, the authority of the Spirit Zone. Certified 6th-rank mage. Her titles that qualifies her are not something most can afford to take care of.
"It's impossible. Teacher Ethella....”
Nade questioned the possibility. Of course, there might be stronger mages like 5th and 4th rank, but what kind of level would be stronger than Ethella? They couldn't even imagine it now.
Shirone asked while supporting Ethella.
“Are you okay, Teacher?”
"I'll manage. But it will take some time to recover."
"What happened? Who is that person? Why is he doing this?"
"Viltor Arcane. An Archmage who reached unoffcial 3rd rank 40 years ago."
The eyes of Shirone's companions wavered. All magic school students knew what position the non-official 3rd rank held.
The mage's rank is classified into 10 levels, but there is a specific section where the honor and achievement points that must be accumulated for promotion jump unimaginably high.
That was exactly the case from rank 7 to 6 and from rank 4 to 3.
If the 6th rank was the executive level of the mage society, the 3rd rank was a position that could take the head of the kingdom's core facilities. Considering that even Alpheas, a certified 4th-rank wizard, was the principal of a private school, it was possible to guess how high-ranking a mage Arcane was.
“Arcane has a grudge against the principal. He won't back down until he gets what he wants.”
You sure talk a lot. Complaining to your students will only make you more miserable."
"I'm not interested in winning or losing. I'm a teacher, after all. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my students."
"So? What can you do? Do you think you can stop me now, even though you couldn't defeat me with your full strength?"
“The bluff is too much. Arcane.”
Arcane's expression changed terribly.
"Sure, I couldn't stop you. But you also don't have the mental capacity to focus on battle anymore, do you?"
Ethella's words were half right and half wrong. In fact, the magical power Arcane left after casting the Shackle of Darkness was only 10% of his normal state. However, it was 10% of the Archmage. It was enough power to sweep away the exhausted Ethella and her inexperienced youngsters.
"Times have changed indeed. I was kind to you, and now you're talking back without knowing your place?"
Arcane gathered his magical power. It was the 10% he had saved to kill Alpheus, but it didn't matter. Such tedious calculations did not suit his philosophy of life.
"Master, leave it to me."
Canis interrupted. Abyss Nova is a gigantic magic that consumes so much mental power that ordinary mages cannot even try. Considering that he had cast such magic and fought, even his master wouldn't be in a normal state.
Arcane looked back at Canis displeasedly. Even if she was his disciple, he couldn't tolerate a challenge to his authority. However, after some thought, he looked at Shiroe with an interested expression.
"Hey, little one. You're also Alpheas's disciple, aren't you?"
“Don’t mention the principal’s name carelessly, you murderer.”
"Kekekek! Is that so? You must really admire him."
Shirone didn't even feel the need to answer. How could he not admire Alpheas? Alpheas was the person who had opened his eyes to magic and allowed him, a commoner, to enter the magic school.
"It doesn't matter whether you're a great mage or rank 3. Compared to the principal, you're not even a mage."
“Puhahaha! Fuhahahaha!”
Arcane burst into laughter. But his eyes were burning with rage.
'Alpheas. How hypocritical have you been living? Don't you know? You don't deserve to be admired by anyone.'
Having made a decision, Arcane nodded.
"Fine. Watching the battle of disciples should be fun. Canis, fight him."
"Yes. Thank you, Master.”
Canis finally felt relieved. It was an opportunity for him to make up for the mistakes he had made so far. However, Harvest had a different idea.
- Canis. Think again. Better leave it to Arcane.
- What are you talking about? I've already disappointed Master. Now, I have to beat Shirone even if it costs me my life.
Having differing opinions in a situation where a battle was imminent was never a good thing.
- Harvest. Answer me. Even for you, I can't give in this time. We have to fight no matter what.
Harvest didn't answer until the end. It was disconcerting since this had never happened before. However, he couldn't show weakness as long as Arcane was watching.
Using the Dark Port, he moved to the place where Shirone was in an instant, and Shirone cast teleportation and soared out beyond the cliff. This was to ensure that the students were not affected as much as possible.
"Heh! So, you want an aerial battle?"
The night sky covered with darkness wasn't a disadvantageous field for Kanis, who could move using Dark Port.
At an altitude of 1,000 meters above the abyss, the two engaged in a fierce battle reminiscent of a bird fight, unleashing their respective firepower.
Shirone condensed seven photons at the front and fired them all at once. The Photon Cannon activated from the Infinite Realm was several times more powerful than before, but the recoil was also enormous.
With each magic cast, his consciousness momentarily wavered. The Infinite Realm that threatens the opponent and at the same time collapses one's own mental power was definitely a double-edged sword.
"What on earth..."
Ethella blankly looked up at the sky. The Photon Output that created shockwaves was something she had never seen before.
A dazzling beam of light from the Photon Cannon split the night sky. It was like swirling a golden pen on a black canvas.
Iruki and Nade were mesmerized by the beam of light. Indiscriminately firing the powerful Photon Cannon, even with a single shot, was akin to turning Shiroene into a human weapon.
"It's amazing, indeed. But is it okay to do that?"?”
"We have no choice but to trust. He did well during the presentation, didn't he?"
“But it was different from then. It's a situation where he’s fighting for his life right now. He may cross the line without even realizing it.”
Ethella looked back at the two and asked.
"What do you mean? Are you saying Shirone has entered the Immortal Function before?"
"Huh? Oh, well, that's actually... It seems like he has been doing it whenever he’s bored these days."
Ethella sighed. Even though she warned him that he could lose his lives, he didn't even pretend to be cautious. Well, without such passion, such rapid growth would have been impossible.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
