[575] The Monster of Omnipotence (2)
Icicles formed in the sky and struck the ground as if time had been sped up tens of thousands of times.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Prins appeared between the thick pillars of ice.
'Prins? Why him?'
Even a surprise attack wouldn't make this a fair fight.
There was no one on the allied team with a higher rank than Shirone; all it took was casting Kang to stop him.
"This is no fun…."
Ultra-Thin Frost Strike (초박릉).
When Prins swung his arm, the air froze into an ultra-thin blade and surged toward Shirone.
So thin that, unless the light caught it, it would have been invisible—razor-sharp—and it sliced through the forest like paper, felling trees as it went.
"Prins! Kang!"
Shirone dodged the Ultra-Thin Frost and shouted Kang, but shock filled his eyes.
'What is this?'
Ruru's electrical signals didn't reach his head.
"Did you think a stop was guaranteed? Learn the rules properly."
As Ultra-Thin Frost was cast in rapid succession, the landscape began to be cleaved as if perspective itself were being erased.
'What's happening?'
Shirone rolled on the ground and shouted again after slipping out of a sliver of the slicing attack.
"Prins! Kang!"
Kang didn't stick this time either, but after two tries Shirone could see where the problem lay.
'It vanished.'
Prins' presence had suddenly disappeared from the synesthetic sense Shirone used to feel Spirit Zones.
'I see.'
- To place Kang on a specific target, the Spirit Zone must be in contact.
In normal battles Spirit Zones overlapping is routine, so people don't worry about it. Black-and-white matches are different. The moment you try to place Kang, if the Spirit Zone is evaded and you end up outside its radius, the stop won't trigger.
'The theory says so. But is it really possible?'
Unless you enter the Image Zone, a Spirit Zone isn't something you can visually confirm. Evading a Spirit Zone using a synesthesia that fuses the five senses would require murderous sensitivity.
"I'm a bit sensitive, you see."
Shirone had fought countless mages, but he'd never seen a tactic specifically to evade Spirit Zones.
'Third in the graduating class, Prins. So it's not just luck that put him there?'
It made sense why Prins had shown little interest in collecting cards.
'From the start, Kang was impossible. He must be absolutely confident he can avoid it.'
Unless you had mental activity on the level of Arin's, catching Prins by merely switching directional modes would be difficult.
'But is that really so?'
Just as Shirone's pride flared and he narrowed his eyes, Prins raised both arms and cast a spell.
"Ice-Soul Tempest (빙혼난무)."
Hundreds of tadpole-shaped clouds of frozen condensation formed around Prins and spread outward, cutting through the forest.
As if an ice age had come, frost formed on everything and things began to freeze solid.
'Danger!'
This was no drill.
Fire and cold are called the strongest offensive magics in actual combat because they create environments where living things can't survive.
"Shall we begin?"
Prins charged, barbed ice like gargoyles trailing him.
* * *
"All right, today's integrated lesson is directional conversion. The Spirit Zone changes according to a mage's mind, but it's inefficient for practical use. So mastering the basics of directional conversion is important."
Ethella explained directional conversion as usual to the gathered advanced students.
Those newly promoted to the advanced class pricked up their ears, while students from Class Five or Four waited impatiently for the practice portion to begin.
"Ugh. Boring."
Mark muttered and Maria put a finger to her lips.
"Shh. The teacher will hear you."
"Sorry. But I think I'm in a slump lately."
"You've been training hard, haven't you?"
Under Sade's private instruction, Mark and Maria had improved greatly—currently first and second in Class Four.
"That's the problem. I'm training hard, but it's boring. Maybe it's time for me to leave advanced class."
Maria had been thinking the same recently.
"Well, the seniors we know were worried about promotion to the graduating class around this time, too. But no openings have appeared yet, right?"
Aider, currently hospitalized in the infirmary, still hadn't had his graduating-class spot decided.
"This is annoying. If he has full-body fractures and trauma, he should just give up this year. Why be stubborn and block the juniors' paths?"
"Don't say things like that about a senior."
"Tsk. I heard he messed with Shirone and got his comeuppance—good. Anyway, just let an opening appear. I'll apply first. Is that okay?"
Maria shrugged.
"Do as you please. I'll stick to the orthodox route."
Even if she entered the graduating class now, she saw no merit beyond getting early experience with the graduation exam.
"Waaaaah!"
Ethella leapt into the Image Zone and demonstrated directional conversion at speed, drawing cheers from Class Seven.
"All right, does everyone understand? Now disperse by class and practice directional conversion—"
Kwahhh!
A sudden boom in the forest sent broken trees skyrocketing into the air.
"W-what was that?"
As the advanced students stared in disbelief, Ethella spun and checked the woods.
There was no need to detect them by Spirit Zone—two graduating-class students had entered the integrated practice ground.
"Huh? Shirone-senpai?"
Chased by Prins' indiscriminate assault, Shirone had somehow ended up inside the practice hall.
"Damn…!"
Before he could even scold himself, ice-gargoyle thorns aimed at vital points and flew in.
'The precision is incredible. Sensory-wise, he even surpasses Dante.'
With the forest cover gone, Shirone and Prins launched full-out offensive magic.
Reflected sparks, exploding shards of ice.
The advanced students watched, dazed, at the supremely complex exchange of high-tier magic.
But the awe lasted only a moment; as the magic's power climbed exponentially and began to threaten the area, the lower-class students bolted upright.
"Eek! It's dangerous!"
Prins shifted into a guarded stance and curled all ten fingers to cast.
'Ice Wave!'
The freezing wave scraped the ground and thousands of ice spikes shot forward; Shirone responded by activating Frenzy.
Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-thud!
Fragments of the Ice Wave scattered like frozen starlight in daylight.
"Stop this! This is class time!"
Ethella shouted, but Shirone and Prins, half in a trance, didn't stop.
A Homing Photon Cannon swept widely through the hall and even upper-tier advanced students turned and fled.
"G-get out of the way!"
Though the distance was large, the Homing Photon Cannon's speed made it feel like it was coming straight for them.
"Move aside. What's going on?"
Hearing the clamor of Pisho's insect swarm magic, Siina and Sade teleported in, cutting through the crowd.
"Huh? That's…?"
Sade blinked and the lower-class kids shouted.
"Shirone-senpai and Prins-senpai are fighting! Sade-sensei, please stop them!"
Sade's brow furrowed.
'This isn't just kids fighting.'
It wasn't merely a matter of power; lethal anomalies and battlefield tactics were intersecting in real time.
If they waded in they'd be stepping onto a live front line; for that reason Ethella and Siina were also waiting for an opening.
"Light Wings!"
Shirone unfurled wings of light and traced a low flight path as an ice spear drove into that trajectory.
A time-sliced Homing Photon Cannon closed in with great force, but Prins used ultra-precise movement to bait the path and create a misfire.
'The difference in precision is obvious. It's a little infuriating.'
Stung, Shirone fired the Photon Cannon straight on; a one-meter-thick ice wall rose before Prins.
With a roar the Photon Cannon punched through the ice, but Prins' expression stayed indifferent.
'Its power has already dropped.'
He'd compacted high-reflectivity ice into his fist and, swinging his arm, the Photon Cannon ricocheted aside.
"Incredible…"
Admirations rose among the Class Four students.
Approaching graduation, they knew how precise and perceptive this duel was.
"Shirone-senpai…"
Mark, in particular, was shaken beyond imagination.
'I thought I was desperately catching up.'
He'd trained as hard as anyone; he was sure no one had pushed themselves more fiercely than he had.
'I'm not the only one running. Everyone is running.'
In that race, what more would one have to give to run faster than the rest?
"Maria, from today double our training."
"...Okay."
As the battle intensified, Prins prepared his ace move and measured the timing.
"Time to finish this."
He gathered both hands to his right flank and the freezing mist began compressing at an eerie speed.
At the same time Shirone floated a Photon Cannon in front of him, ready to counter.
"Chobing—!"
Just as Prins began to cast, a rough vortex rose from his feet and instantly froze.
Siina's spell: Ice Tornado.
Sharp ice spikes crossed his body, but not a single wound appeared.
Meanwhile Ethella, moving behind Shirone, slipped an arm under his armpit and looped the other around his neck, choking him.
"Ugh!"
Under the pressure like a tightening steel whip, Shirone finally canceled the Photon Cannon.
But his gaze remained fixed on Prins, his breathing rough with excitement.
"Prins, what are you doing?"
Siina stepped closer; Prins, unable to move, turned only his eyes.
"Sorry. There was a trivial disagreement."
Siina, who'd already been briefed by the teachers about the Scramble Royal, didn't even scoff.
"Stop this at once if you want to keep attending school."
'Nice figure,' Prins thought, half-listening.
"You can't leave school. But in this case, mutual fault seems more appropriate."
Siina's face flushed.
'These kids…'
These shadowy club presidents paid no heed to teachers as if they had some ancient grudge. When they were sent to the graduating class she had hoped they'd mature, but for years they'd caused headaches without ever graduating.
"Shirone, stop it."
Ethella loosened the hold and chided him.
"But—"
Prins had been the instigator.
"Some juniors could have been hurt."
Only then did Shirone look around and see the students who had been in class with him just last year staring at him fearfully.
"...I'm sorry."
Scramble items would have been collected by Pisho anyway, and with the teachers intervening, further fighting was pointless.
Siina released the Ice Tornado. "Return to the graduating-class area immediately. If there's another incident like this, there will be no forgiveness."
"As you order."
Prins saluted politely and headed into the woods—but in a direction completely unrelated to the graduating-class area.
"Ugh. Annoying. Stress."
Siina pressed her temple and called to the dejected Shirone.
"Shirone, come see me for a moment."
"Huh? Now?"
It was Scramble Royal prime time.
"Sorry, but now isn't a good time—"
Siina's eyes hardened.
"Now. Even if you're in the graduating class, this is still a school. Or do you think advanced-class teachers are a joke now?"
"No! I would never think that—!"
"Fine. Follow me."
Siina led Shirone down the mountain while Ethella smiled and smoothed the atmosphere.
"All right, everyone! Now you should clearly understand why you must polish directional conversion diligently. The core of conversion is—"
As the students sat dazed, Sade smacked his lips and shook his head.
'Ethella-sensei, that's not it.'