Chapter 295.
I swallowed dryly, defending against the magic of the s.p.a.ce Specialist and Curse Specialist that filled the entire area. I hadn’t felt something like this since I faced Arietta when she was just about to become a Demon King.
"Pretty good."
"Pretty good."
The two people in front of me said the same thing simultaneously and turned to look at each other while spitting out:
"Don"t copy me, Communication Disorder."
"That"s what I was about to say, Bit*h."
They growled as if they were about to fight each other at any moment, but their mana was still fierce, as if they were going to devour me.
The s.p.a.ce Specialist stared at the Curse Specialist before scoffing and looking at me. "It"s impressive that you aren’t getting pushed back by me and Communication Disorder, Kid."
The way he spoke made it seem like he was looking down on me, but his eyes couldn"t hide their admiration. I smiled lightly and answered casually. "It"s basic."
"There are so many people who can"t even do that basic thing."
That"s true.
"Come to think of it, I haven"t heard how old you are, so why don’t we properly introduce ourselves? I am Grand Duke Parablum di Wisendria Blando, the Royal Instructor in Crescendria, the Magic Kingdom. I’m usually called the Grand Duke Wisendria or the s.p.a.ce Specialist." [1]
The s.p.a.ce Specialist emphasized his specialist t.i.tle as if that was what he was most proud of being called. This wasn’t a surprise since having this t.i.tle was no different from being recognized as a symbol and representative of the branch of magic known as s.p.a.ce magic.
The Curse Specialist sneered at the s.p.a.ce Specialist"s introduction. "Your introduction got really short. You used to talk all day long in the past."
"Shut up, Communication Disorder. You"ve been called Communication Disorder for years now because you don’t know when to speak or not,” the s.p.a.ce Specialist retorted with clenched teeth, but the Curse Specialist just yawned and ignored him.
I wonder if they’ll start fighting each other on their own if I ignore them.
The s.p.a.ce Specialist stared fiercely at the Curse Specialist, then looked at me. I scratched the back of my head and introduced myself. "I’m Denburg Blade. First of all, I am a civil servant in the Empire. And... What else? Oh! I"m a disciple of Mirpa Ainsmall and the son of Doomstone Blade. I"m 19 years old this year."
It was my first time introducing myself like this. After giving my introduction, it turned out there wasn’t much to talk about. However, the two opened their eyes wide at my ordinary introduction.
"19?! Impossible!"
"Crazy."
For some reason, these two’s reactions were similar to old man Arpen’s.
"No. If it’s Mirpa, that crazy Alchemy Specialist, it might be possible." The s.p.a.ce Specialist smiled in vain, convinced.
"Hey, you aren’t even going to introduce yourself?"
At the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s complaints, the Curse Specialist only said his name. "I’m Pelefasta."
"Are you worried that someone won’t know you have a communication disorder?"
When the Spatial Specialist shook his head and took a magic wand out of his pocket s.p.a.ce, the Curse Specialist also took a magic wand out of his pocket s.p.a.ce. At that moment, their mana rose explosively. When I released mana accordingly, a vast amount of mana collided and began to distort the entire s.p.a.ce.
"Now, let"s get started!" The first one to move was the s.p.a.ce Specialist.
"Reflect! Everything that the image s.h.i.+nes on!" At the same time as the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s incantation, his body split, and hundreds of clones appeared everywhere.
"Ha! How’s that!"
"Ahahaha!"
"Will you be able to find out where I am?"
I smirked at the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s voice that was coming from everywhere. "I know how to do something similar. The mirror and mirror face each other and grow! Mirror of Ten Thousand Images!"
In the same manner as the s.p.a.ce Specialist, I spread hundreds of clones around the area and disguised myself among them.
"Oho! This isn"t s.p.a.ce magic."
At the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s a.n.a.lysis, my illusions and I nodded and answered, "Yes, it’s elemental magic using light."
"But the result of the magic is the same. Interesting. It’s hide-and-seek from now on!" As he cried out, the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s illusions simultaneously moved in unison and attacked with magic.
While on the other hand, my illusions scattered and avoided the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s attack. This was to minimize the effect that the aftermath of this battle had on the fortress as much as possible.
"Now, which guy is the real one!”
The illusions of the s.p.a.ce Specialist and myself roamed right above the battlefield, firing tens of thousands of substantial magic bullets in all directions. The s.p.a.ce Specialist’s illusions were erased with my magic bullets, and similarly, my illusions were also erased by his. The number of illusions quickly decreased.
I scanned the flow of mana to try and find the s.p.a.ce Specialist among the vanis.h.i.+ng illusions.
"Ayy, I don"t know! Incantation omission! Reaching the destruction at the end is for regeneration! Flame Constellation!"
I shot a great magic in an area where I roughly estimated the s.p.a.ce Specialist to be located. From my magic circle that appeared in the air, a white flame flew out and made dozens of the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s illusions disappear.
"Ahahaha! It"s not there!"
"Where are you aiming at!"
The illusions of the s.p.a.ce Specialist were laughing playfully, but I definitely brushed by him just then. I quickly examined the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s illusions that were flying in all directions one by one.
"Is it there!? Thunder Spear!"
At the same time, my illusions and I all threw a thunder spear at the only s.p.a.ce Specialist whose sleeves were slightly scorched.
"Reflect! s.p.a.ce!"
As expected, the targeted s.p.a.ce Specialist magically deflected the thunder I shot. Having been caught, the s.p.a.ce Specialist removed the other meaningless illusions. The s.p.a.ce Specialist knew that once revealed, the same magic would not work.
"How did you discover my real location?"
The s.p.a.ce Specialist’s magic was perfect. No matter how keen my senses were, I didn"t know his exact location. At that question, one of my illusions raised their arm and pointed to his sleeve.
The s.p.a.ce Specialist shot a magic bullet at the illusion pointing out the sleeve and destroyed it, and then checked his sleeve. Seeing that it was subtly scorched, he clicked his tongue. "Tch! This is why battle races are absurd.”
The s.p.a.ce Specialist wasn’t a battle race, and he seemed to think having pure physical abilities outside of magic was unfair. I suppose it was strange to be able to spot fine soot on someone’s sleeves from hundreds of meters away. If it weren"t for my previous life, I wouldn"t have understood the word absurd.
"Isn"t life normally absurd!?" Life was full of absurdities, just like how I was forced to partic.i.p.ate in the war. Shouting with sincerity, I controlled the illusions and had them charge at the s.p.a.ce Specialist at once.
"…be overwhelmed by a squall of vengeful spirits."
At that time, the Curse Specialist had been watching the battle of illusions between the s.p.a.ce Specialist and me, and he launched a great magic toward my illusions. A gray skull-shaped smoke cloud formed from the Curse Specialist"s magic, wiping away my illusions.
"Hey! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
The problem was that the s.p.a.ce Specialist was also caught up along with my illusions. I was at the edge of the great magic’s range and avoided it without difficulty, but the s.p.a.ce Specialist had no choice but to be hit directly alongside my illusions.
"Incantation omission! Event Horizon!"
The s.p.a.ce Specialist’s magic stopped the Curse Specialist"s own as it rushed over him. To be exact, with the s.p.a.ce Specialist at the center, the entire s.p.a.ce near him stopped as if time had frozen.
"Exit Gate!" Subsequently, when the s.p.a.ce Specialist left the area using teleportation, the Curse Specialist"s great magic devoured where he was just located as if time had resumed.
"Tch!"
The Curse Specialist clicked his tongue, and the sweating s.p.a.ce Specialist grew infuriated, shouting and pointing. "Hey! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! I almost died!”
The Curse Specialist’s magic must have been immensely powerful for even the s.p.a.ce Specialist to say that.
"I aimed it at that guy. Who told you to stay within the range of attack?” The Curse Specialist pointed at me.
"What?!?"
"And it’s fine as long as you"re not dead. If that attack could kill you, you would have already died by my hands,” the Curse Specialist brazenly said.
The s.p.a.ce Specialist gritted his teeth. "Oho! It"s my fault that I was playing around with a guy like you nearby! You just try giving me an opening later!"
"Hmph, there won"t be a chance like that."
Unfortunately, the two remembered that they were on the same side of the war and didn’t end up fighting each other to the death. The two great madosas were too intelligent for their emotions to overcome reason.
The Curses Specialist snorted. The s.p.a.ce Specialist and Curse Specialist both growled at each other before unleas.h.i.+ng their magic with all their might.
"To sever the chains of causality is to sever s.p.a.ce! Cut off the wings of the small b.u.t.terfly! Isolation Dimension!"
"G.o.d gave the foolish doll a box of blessings! What"s in that box is an endless flood of evil! Pandora"s Box!"
With the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s s.p.a.ce magic, the s.p.a.ce around me was divided, and my movement was sealed as if it became a different dimension. In that state, the Curse Specialist’s curse flocked to me.
I hurriedly took the Miracle Crystal out of my pocket s.p.a.ce and attached it to my magic wand. After that, I instilled mana into the Holy Sword and cast Holy Tribe magic. "The first flower of the World Tree gives blessings like all the morning dew in the world! With the sacred Holy Spirit! Its name is also a divine hope!"
The thick barrier of divine power and the vast curse of the Curse Specialist perfectly opposed and offset each other. Then, I cut down the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s movement-sealing magic with the Holy Sword.
"What?! What magic is that? What kind of sword can cut my boundary so easily?!" The s.p.a.ce Specialist was fl.u.s.tered after seeing this magic for the first time.
However, the Curse Specialist’s eyes shot open as if he could guess the magic I used. "The Holy Sword and Holy Tribe magic."
"Holy Tribe magic? The bloodline magic that was lost after the Holy Tribe was destroyed? How can the Crow Tribe use it?!”
As soon as I moved, I rushed to the s.p.a.ce Specialist. The curse of the Curse Specialist was terrifying, but the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s magic that interfered with my movement was a greater threat.
"Extreme Enlightenment, dropping the sun!" Using all my might, I activated martial arts and cut the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s neck at a speed that would not leave even an afterimage.
I was certain that my swing was quick enough that the sound of the Holy Sword cutting through the air followed behind me. Yet, my sword slashed through the empty air. More specifically, it split the air over the Curse Specialist’s head.
"Don"t think that my magic was simply a barrier. I"m not foolish enough to allow a Crow to approach me."
The s.p.a.ce Specialist now stood in the spot where I originally was as I arrived at the place where he’d just stood.
Hmm, I think I know what magic this is.
It was a magic that not only cut off the target in s.p.a.ce but also cut off the magician himself. He wasn’t a great madosa for no reason.
"You…!" The Curse Specialist almost had his head cut off without warning, and he moved his hands over the top of his head and stared at the s.p.a.ce Specialist.
"Tch, you managed to live because you’re short. I already told you not to show any openings, Communication Disorder." The s.p.a.ce Specialist widened the distance between us, and the Curse Specialist quickly backed away from me as well.
"Come! Let"s stop probing each other; start for real!"
At the s.p.a.ce Specialist’s shout, the three of us began raising our mana to the limit. The only magic that could be called with our full power was the Domain Proclamation. One had to create his own domain faster than his opponent, but at the same time create a solid foundation for it. I used the full extent of my abilities to chant the incantation, also drawing mana from the Miracle Crystal.
1. Royal Instructor here refers to being the King’s instructor.