Cramel Wastelands.
A desolate land devoid of dust, wind, and life.
“…”
Yohan narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings. He felt a sense of alienation and incongruity.
Even with the sun overhead, there was no warmth, and even when night fell, there was no chill.
He felt no wind on his skin. He heard no sound, no matter how hard he listened. He felt no solid sensation, even when he stepped on the ground.
Each step gave the illusion that the ground beneath his feet was crumbling. Yet, when he looked down, there was neither sand nor stone. Where earth should have been, only an endless expanse of empty, ashen gray stretched out.
He was clearly standing on the ground, yet he left no footprints. But the space was not distorted. The laws here were clearly lacking something.
Empty.
The most accurate word to define this place.
Not the Wastelands, but the remnants of the Wastelands.
Not a place of existence, but a place where something once existed. Nothing is born in the Cramel Wastelands. And no one lives here.
This was a land imbued with nothingness.
The site of a life-or-death battle.
“Even if the Cramel Wastelands are barren, it wasn’t this bad. Did you do this?”
Yohan asked, drawing upon his Magical Power. Across from him stood Rain Adriche, his green eyes gleaming.
“Obstacles are unnecessary for a duel between Transcendents.”
Rain leisurely extended his hand. Then, he clenched his fist as if grasping at the air.
“I simply made a few adjustments.”
He shrugged. This only heightened vigilance. He might have set up some kind of trap. Trusting him was utterly impossible.
Of course, as the Archmage, he might have simply prepared the ground for a fair duel. But Yohan’s answer was a resounding no. This was a place where defeat meant death.
“Hmm, you seem to distrust me. I am not so petty as to resort to cowardly tricks after proposing a duel.”
When Yohan cast a suspicious glance, Rain shook his head and sighed. His expression of sincere injustice only fueled Yohan’s anger.
“Really? Considering what you’ve done, you seem plenty petty already. Have you forgotten your attack on the Imperial Capital, transcending space?”
Yohan retorted, dumbfounded. Suppressed rage surged in his low, gravelly voice.
“Haha, that’s a separate matter. I simply did what I could with my abilities. And it wasn’t during a duel. Am I wrong?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Kugugugu-!
Yohan explosively unleashed his Magical Power. Blue sparks flew, distorting the space. The mana in the atmosphere was forcibly suppressed, and the air tore apart due to the overwhelming density.
“Hoo…”
Rain watched Yohan with interest.
“Your Magical Power is impressive. It might be equal to or greater than mine.”
Pajijijik!
The overwhelming density distorted the surroundings, and lightning erupted from Yohan’s entire body. The excessively compressed mana exploded, manifesting as electrical currents.
“Let’s see if you can maintain that composure later.”
Kuang-!
A deafening roar erupted as Yohan vanished, leaving only an afterimage. The ground where he had stood was now laced with spiderweb-like cracks.
—High-speed movement using Distortion.
“-!”
Rain’s eyes widened momentarily. He didn’t understand. Yohan had disappeared. No, he was too fast to perceive.
Kwaaaang!
A fist flying in from the side slammed into Rain’s Magical Power barrier. A massive shockwave erupted, sweeping through the area. It was a martial art used by knights.
Paaat!
Yohan left another afterimage and vanished again. Each time he reappeared, he relentlessly hammered Rain’s mana barrier. Fists imbued with mana rained down incessantly.
Kugugugung!
Rain’s mana barrier was far thicker and stronger than most, but it had the disadvantage of needing to accurately perceive the opponent’s attack to activate. So, he was overwhelming him with speed like this.
But the barrier didn’t budge. Rain could read the surrounding mana, after all. There was no way he couldn’t block it just because it was fast. He was ‘perceiving’ everything.
“Hahah.”
Rain burst into laughter. The shockwaves transmitted through the barrier. Blows far surpassing those of a Special-class knight rained down like a storm.
Using martial arts was an excellent choice. He wouldn’t be able to defeat him with magic head-on. Rain slowly raised his mana, a smile playing on his lips.
“La Lanza Delus Adrabesara, may the spear of light pierce through.”
Kwagwaga-!
A pure white beam of light shot up from the ground. The tip was honed to a sharp edge. A lattice of Magical Power. Rain read the mana. And accurately ‘perceived’ Yohan’s location.
He solved the incantation in his mind through calculations. Ssuuuuk! The lattice rapidly moved, tracking its target.
‘Like this.’
Yohan, who had been explosively rushing forward, ignoring even air resistance, frowned. The lattice was fast. At this rate, he would be caught before long.
‘Eliminate it.’
Yohan, who had been evading the lattice, stopped. His fingertips aimed at the lattice. Uuuung! The Sphere of Emission gathered mana. A torrent of Magical Power swirled, creating a fierce gale.
The Sphere of Emission fired from his fingertips formed a cone. Kwaaaa-! A refined yet raw beam of Magical Power erupted, threatening to connect the sky and the earth.
The explosion at the point of rupture, containing mana that had been fully unleashed, suppressed, and suppressed again, swallowed the lattice.
Kwaaaaaaaaa-!!
A momentary flash. Red light covered the earth, and the explosion of Magical Power spread as if devouring space.
Kuuuuung!!
The Magical Power released from the epicenter raged wildly, forming a storm that seemed to devour everything. The mana twisted mercilessly, and the two men’s Magical Power momentarily intersected, then collapsed, leaving nothing behind.
At the center of the bombardment, Yohan’s eyes gleamed. A massive presence of Magical Power seeped in from behind. It was Rain Adriche. Yohan immediately turned his body. There was no time to hesitate.
Kwaaaa-!
Points of Rupture exploded from his fingertips in succession.
Red flashes tore through space. An explosive beam designed to completely obliterate a single mage. The overloaded mana compressed, unleashing a cataclysm of terrifying power.
“Noches de Mil Colores, a night of a thousand colors.”
The light of three primary colors compressed and rotated. A fusion magic of three attributes.
The endlessly spinning Magical Power distorted space, and a fierce explosion of mana collided head-on with the red beam.
Kwaaaa-!
The moment light and Magical Power intertwined, space was torn apart, and an intense shockwave erupted. The earth and sky were swallowed in a torrent of three primary colors. A dust storm covered the area.
Yohan covered his nose and mouth with his wrist.
Pasasak-!
As the Magical Power fog that had obscured his vision dissipated, he could see Rain Adriche. He still wore a look of composure. Yohan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘He should have suffered a fatal wound.’
But there was no sign of it. But Francia wouldn’t lie, so he must be acting. There was a delay when he actually completed the magic.
“That magic is only a High-level magic, but its power is incomparable. Did you alter the incantation?”
A smile appeared on Rain’s lips. Interesting. The magic he used was ‘Point of Rupture.’ It was difficult to control and had terrible efficiency, so no one used it.
But Yohan was wielding it freely. That alone was unusual, but its power was abnormally enhanced. In terms of destructive power alone, it was comparable to Transcendental magic.
“Do you need a break? You’re trying to make conversation.”
“Haha, not at all. I’m simply curious.”
Rain said casually with a smile, but his shoulder twitched momentarily. It was true that he needed a break. But what he was thinking now was a question.
“…How did he know?’
He had tried to hide his presence as much as possible, but did he notice? The flames of divine punishment were still burning in his abdomen. But he had completely cut off his Magical Power, so he shouldn’t know?
‘Ah, he must have heard it from the Obsidian Saintess.’
A shadow fell over Rain Adriche’s eyes. The opponent knew he had suffered a fatal wound. Then, he couldn’t delay any longer.
“Well, if you wish, I will cut off the conversation. Now is a sacred duel, a battle between Transcendental mages.”
Rain unleashed his Magical Power. A massive storm exploded around him. In an instant, overwhelming Magical Power swept through the space, and a blade-like current indiscriminately swept away the surroundings.
Kwagwagwaga !!
The atmosphere tore apart. The mana flowing around was helplessly swayed by Rain’s Magical Power.
“La Estrella de Ese Cielo, the star of that sky.”
Кuuuuuuuuu—!
Space was compressed. An overwhelming presence spread from the sky. Yohan’s eyes widened. Instinct warned him. He raised his head. Something was falling.
Far away, the sky was splitting. At first, it was a thin crack. But the crack grew larger and larger.
And from that gap, a massive mass began to fall. It blocked the light. It changed the wind. It distorted gravity. The earth cried out.
Paak-!
The clouds that had been obscuring the sky were torn apart.
Darkness that would cover the earth descended through the gap.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A mass that crushed space. What was falling was a meteor. Not just a falling object. A massive mass of destruction large enough to cover the entire Cramel Wastelands.
That was a real star falling.
“This…!’
Cold sweat ran down Yohan’s forehead. Heavy mana pressed down on his shoulders. Could he stop that meteor? Of course, there was no need to eliminate it. He could avoid it with high-speed movement.
‘Avoiding it is the best option.’
He raised his Magical Power and reached out into the air. He tried to form a Distortion, but the flow of mana was completely distorted.
The shockwave from the falling meteor shook the space, and the Magical Power lost its balance.
It didn’t seem to be holding its shape because he was creating it in the air instead of from his body. With that much mass falling, it was natural for the flow to be distorted.
‘Damn it.’
All he could do was use his own Magical Power to eliminate the meteor. What could he do? Manipulating mana to stop it was out of the question. There was no way he could eliminate it with Point of Rupture.
‘…The most powerful magic I can use.’
And pour all of his Magical Power into it.
“Huuuk…!”
Yohan inhaled and pointed his fingertips towards the sky. A massive Magical Power swirled, creating two spheres.
Emission and Absorption. A single vortex was created.
Uuuuuung-!
He poured in Magical Power. The Sphere of Absorption absorbed the Magical Power and increased its rotation. And based
on that center point, mana in the form of a spiral fiercely rotated, creating a whirlwind.
His fingertips vibrated. As an unmanageable Magical Power swirled, his entire body trembled. But there was no problem with the calculation. The circuit was still intact. There was no need to mention the amount of Magical Power.
Emission and Absorption were combined. But he didn’t end it there. He added the properties he had gained as a Transcendental mage, space distortion and mana manipulation.
What was completed was Transcendental Magic.
Heavenly Demise(天破滅).
Uuuuuuuung—!
The two powers meshed in one place. Emission and Absorption. Opposing forces tried to devour each other, yet at the same time, they yearned to become one. And within it contained the distortion that twisted space.
A colorless sphere soared through the sky.
Forward, collision with the meteor.
Kwaaaaaaang!!
An explosion erupted. The aggregate of Magical Power with three intertwined attributes pressed down on the meteor head-on. At that moment, the mana of the entire Cramel Wastelands stopped.
Biiiiiiii—
The only sound that lingered in his ears after the deafening roar was tinnitus. In that silence, the collision of opposing Magical Powers exploded in succession.
The meteor shattered, and the distortion of space devoured the debris. Magical Power danced. Destroying everything,
and at the same time, sucking in even the traces of that destruction.
Kugugugugu—!
An intense gravitational pull rotated, drawing in everything around it. The meteor was disassembled. Space was torn apart. But at that moment, the sky that had been peeled away began to be restored.
The auroral cascade of light vanishes as if sucked away.
And then, through the completely scattered clouds, sunlight descended.
“What in the…?”
Rain, mouth agape, stared at Yohan with trembling eyes. He then confirmed the meteor, disappearing without a trace. What was this? Was this even possible?
Transcendent magic, ‘Stars in the Sky,’ was the most powerful of all his spells. But to erase it, without a trace?
…Unbelievable.
“I thought I was going to die.”
Sunlight illuminated the earth.
Beneath it, Yohan grinned.
“What…”
Goosebumps crawled up Rain’s neck.