Infinite Mage

Chapter 90: Battle of Wits (5)

"Light is beauty."

"Huh? What did you say?"

Alpheas Myrhe asked again. It was natural for her not to know about photonics, but this kind of answer was unexpected.

"Light is beautiful. Flowers are beautiful too. We are beautiful too. But the light you talk about... it doesnt sound beautiful."

Alpheas felt as if he had been struck in the head with a hammer. It was a direct hit of pure thought, unforgeable in language.

"That's true. But why is light beautiful?"

To Alpheas, light was merely photons. But Erina Bastadd answered without hesitation, as if she knew everything.

"Light shows us darkness. Without light, how could we see the night sky?"

The world fell silent, like the universe itself.

Alpheas couldn't say anything. Thoughts he truly desired cascaded over him like a waterfall.

Why did I try to separate the two? When I step back, it all becomes so clear.

Because its beautiful.

Every contradiction ceases to be a contradiction.

"Beauty... It is indeed beautiful, Miss Erina."

Erina turned her head with a childlike, pure smile. At that moment, Alpheas decided.

He would remember this moment for the rest of his life.

Alpheas knelt on one knee before Erina and extended his right hand in the most respectful gesture.

"Please be my light."

40 years ago, that night.

The confession under the moonlight was an irreplaceably happy memory for Alpheas Myrhe. As the shroud of Abyss Nova lifted, a gentle smile lingered on his lips.

Canis stared intently at the white glow burning in Shirone Arian's palm. It was an overwhelmingly dominant presence. Of course, he was ready to rush towards death with his aggressive nature. However, he believed that even in death, one must reclaim whats owed.

-Harvest. I'm in favor of fighting. Lets face him.

-That magic. How fast is it? It might be unavoidable.

-You can block it.

-If I can't block it, you'll die. If you die, I cease to exist too. We have to fight, but there are too many variables.

Exchanging thoughts at the speed of thought was a huge advantage in battle. However, when opinions diverged so drastically, it was unclear what decision to make.

"Whats going on here?"

The tension was broken by an unexpected voice. A shadow flowed like water from the cliff, and a gaunt old man emerged from the dark surface.

It was Archmage Viltor Arcane.

Realizing the situation at a glance, Arcane's expression soured. He had been able to devote his full power against Ethella Romie because he was confident that this situation would have already been resolved.

Arcane trusted Canis. Or more precisely, he trusted Harvest, who was subservient to Canis.

Yet, upon arrival, the situation was completely different. Lucas lay miserably defeated, and Canis with Harvest were being intimidated by a mere boy.

"Im sorry, Master."

Arcane was not a forgiving man. Ignoring Canis's apology, he turned coldly and glared at Shirone.

'So familiar.' 

He resembled Alpheas. Not the face or the appearance, but the overall temperament. Even under the gaze of the Archmage, Shirone had the audacity to speak his mind.

"Did you plan all this?"

"Such audacity for a young one. Whats your name?"

"I dont want to tell my name to a murderer. Release the mind control and leave the school. If not, I wont let you go."

"Heh heh heh."

Arcane burst into raucous laughter. He wasn't angry, but his standard for killing someone wasn't anger, but how much amusement he could derive. In that regard, Shirone was ripe fruit, ready to be plucked.

"Sorry, but I can't release the mind control. Because Alpheas's students must die."

Feeling the murderous intent, Shirone instinctively fired the Photon Canon, a clear accidental shot.

Arcane easily dodged the Photon Canon with a light twist of his body, waiting until the magic dissipated before turning back.

"Spirit Zone with a radius of 52.7 meters. Impressive. Quite a level for your age."

Even photons, when given mass, can't surpass the limits of physical laws. However, the basic speed of photon output meant it was much faster than any typical flying object. Dodging the Photon Canon in an instant and measuring the radius of the Spirit Zone was beyond human perception.

Shirone clenched his teeth and concentrated photons again. Facing an inscrutable master, he had no choice but to fight to prevent hundreds of students from free-falling off the cliff.

"Stop, Shirone."

Ethella emerged from the woods. Her clothes were torn, revealing her skin, and she was covered in dirt from head to toe.

"Don't rush in recklessly. Arcane is a dangerous man."

Viltor Arcanes brows furrowed. He had enjoyed their battle, but he had long forgotten about her, like food trampled underfoot.

"A loser with such audacity. Shouldn't you cherish the life I spared?"

Shirone's group was shocked. Could it be true that Ethella, a bishop of the Karsis Order and an authority on the Spirit Zone, had been defeated by this frail old man? 

"It's impossible. Ethella..."

Nade couldn't believe it. Of course, there are higher ranks like Grade 5 and 4, but it was unimaginable what kind of level one must be to surpass Ethella.

"Are you okay, Teacher?"

"I'm hanging in there. But it will take time to recover."

"What happened? Who is that man? Why is he doing this?"

"Viltor Arcane. A Grand Archmage who ascended to unofficial Grade 3 forty years ago."

The group's eyes wavered. Every student at the Alpheas Magic Academy knew what unofficial Grade 3 meant in the world of magic.

"Arcane bears a grudge against Headmaster Alpheas. He won't back down until he gets what he wants."

"Blathering on and on. Complaining to your students only makes you more pitiful."

"I'm not interested in competing. Im a teacher. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my students."

"And what can you do? Can you stop me now, when you couldn't win against me at full strength?"

"Such arrogance. Arcane."

Arcane's expression turned menacing.

"Indeed, I couldn't stop you. But you must be lacking the mental capacity to focus on the battle now, arent you?"

Ethella's statement was half right, half wrong. Indeed, having cast Abyss Nova, Arcane's magical power was only a tenth of his normal state. But it was still a tenth of a Grand Archmage's power. Enough to sweep away a weakened Ethella and these fledgling students.

"The times have changed. Spoiled by affection, now they blabber without knowing their place."

Arcane gathered his magic power. The 10% he had reserved for killing Alpheas didnt matter. Calculations like that didn't fit his philosophy of life.

"Master, please leave it to me."

Canis intervened. Abyss Nova was a grand magic spell that even ordinary mages couldn't attempt due to its immense consumption of mental energy. Having cast it and engaged in battle, even his master wouldnt be in top condition.

Arcane looked displeasedly at Canis. Even if he was a disciple, challenging his authority was unacceptable. But after some thought, he looked at Shirone with interest.

"Hey, boy. You too are a student of Alpheas?"

"Don't mention Headmaster Alpheas's name so casually, you murderer."

"Ha ha ha! Is that so? You respect him that much?"

Shirone didnt feel the need to answer. How could he not respect Alpheas? He was the one who opened his eyes to magic and allowed him, a commoner, to enroll in the magic academy.

"It doesn't matter if youre a Grand Archmage or Grade 3. Compared to Headmaster Alpheas, you're not even a mage."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Arcane burst into laughter, but his eyes burned with rage.

'Alpheas. How much hypocrisy have you lived with? You know as well as I do that you don't deserve to be respected by anyone.'

Deciding, Arcane nodded.

"Fine. Let the disciples fight. It should be entertaining. Canis. Face him."

"Yes. Thank you, Master."

Canis finally felt relieved. This was an opportunity to make up for all his past mistakes. However, Harvest thought differently.

-Canis. Rethink this. It's better to leave it to Arcane.

-What are you talking about? I've already disappointed Master. Now, even if I die, I must defeat Shirone.

The disagreement in their opinions at this critical moment was not a good sign.

-Harvest. Answer me. Even for you, I can't concede this time. We must fight.

Harvest remained silent. Unprecedented for Canis, he was bewildered. But with Arcane watching, he couldnt show any weakness.

Using Dark Port, Canis instantly moved to where Shirone was. Shirone, in turn, used Teleportation to fly out over the cliff, trying to avoid affecting the students as much as possible.

"Ha! Are we fighting in the air?"

In the dark night sky, Dark Port's movement was not disadvantageous for Canis.

Above the 1,000-meter abyss, the two engaged in a battle reminiscent of eagles, unleashing their firepower.

Shirone condensed seven photons in front and fired them all at once. The Photon Canon, activated in the Infinite Realm, was several times more powerful but also had tremendous recoil.

Each time he cast the spell, his consciousness briefly slipped away. Threatening the opponent while simultaneously collapsing his own mental strength, the Infinite Realm was indeed a double-edged sword.

"What is that..."

Ethella stared blankly at the sky. The shockwaves of the photon output were something she had never seen before.

The brilliant trails of the Photon Canon split the night sky, like golden ink swirling on a black canvas.

Yiruki and Nade were captivated by the rays of light. Shirone, firing the Photon Canon indiscriminately, was practically weaponized.

"Indeed impressive. But is that okay?"

"We have no choice but to trust him. He did well at the presentation, didnt he?"

"But it's different now. He's risking his life in battle. He might cross the line without realizing it."

Ethella turned to them and asked.

"What do you mean? So Shirone has entered Immortal Function before?"

"Yes? Oh, well... lately, he seems to do it whenever he's bored."

Ethella sighed. Despite being warned about the risk to his life, he didn't even pretend to be cautious. Then again, such passion was necessary for his rapid growth.

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