Episode 477. Im Sol (3)

KWA-AAAAANG-!

The clash of magic power, heralding the start of the battle between the two mages.

Even the simple impact of magic power caused a deafening roar, the shockwaves reaching even outside the sparring arena.

“…It’s evenly matched.”

Im Sol muttered, watching the magic power collide in mid-air.

Lee Hoyeon, standing before her, calmly drew up his magic power. This much must just be a warm-up for him.

Beasts possess instincts they’re born with.

Whether an opponent is stronger or weaker than them. They can tell just by making eye contact.

The weak flee with their tails between their legs before the fight even begins, while the strong naturally claim their prey.

Im Sol was no different.

She could gauge the level of an opposing mage just by looking at them.

‘He’s gotten so much stronger.’

His magic power was far more refined yet destructive than the last time they sparred.

A massive presence she could feel just by him being in front of her.

The memory of that day was still vivid for Im Sol.

The day she first met Lee Hoyeon.

The day she recognized his talent.

The moment she realized there was another mage with talent similar to her own.

Im Sol felt an irrepressible joy.

At first, it was simply the joy of finding someone she could communicate with.

But now, with Lee Hoyeon facing her.

Im Sol was thrilled by her disciple’s remarkable growth.

Im Sol’s lips curled upwards.

Her disciple had shown her something, so she felt obligated to prove herself as well.

PA-AAAAK-

Magic power converging on a single point.

Im Sol’s magic power bloomed in the center of the sparring arena.

‘…She’s really enjoying this. Immensely.’

Lee Hoyeon watched Im Sol’s magic power.

Neither Im Sol nor Lee Hoyeon had revealed their true strength.

Just as he was hiding his Underworld magic, it was clear Im Sol was holding back a secret weapon.

‘I can’t use Macheongung yet.’

Macheongung doesn’t last long.

Besides, there’s no way Im Sol wouldn’t have prepared for Macheongung. He wanted to save it unless he could finish the fight decisively.

The ideal situation would be to reveal Macheongung after confirming Im Sol’s secret weapon… but things don’t always go ideally.

JIIING-

Lee Hoyeon’s eyes glowed golden as a sphere of magic power appeared above his head.

‘Awakening… and Arc.’

He focused his magic power into his right hand.

Lee Hoyeon had gained confidence from his spar with Rebecca.

His strength lay in strategic combat using Arc.

He wondered if it would work against Im Sol too.

KWAI-ANG-!

The magic power that had converged on a point surged towards Lee Hoyeon.

A violent barrage of light.

TOONG.

He weakened Im Sol’s magic power with his right hand while creating a Rune Barrier. It was quite powerful, but not enough to break through the Rune Barrier.

Simultaneously, hundreds of lightning strikes erupted from the Arc.

Im Sol blocked the lightning bolts falling from above, a smile on her face.

“Just as I expected from my disciple. You’ve grown stronger than I anticipated.”

“I appreciate the compliment… but aren’t you having a little too much fun!?”

KWADUDEUDUK.

Im Sol, still smiling, unleashed magic relentlessly.

Lee Hoyeon gave a wry smile at the dozens of spells striking his Rune Barrier.

‘Even without Arc, her casting speed is similar to mine.’

He had thought his strength was strategic magic combat using Arc.

But Im Sol surpassed Lee Hoyeon’s imagination.

Im Sol flawlessly controlled the ceaseless barrage of magic while continuously drawing new magic circles.

The product of immense talent and effort.

Lee Hoyeon, once again marveling at her magic that seemed to have reached the limits of humanity, looked at Im Sol through the cracking Rune Barrier.

KKII-IK-

Lee Hoyeon reinforced the Rune Barrier and drew up his magic power.

The best defense is offense.

The situation wouldn’t improve if he just kept taking hits.

Dugeun-

Blood Beat.

His internal magic circuits responded.

The wild mana within him was sucked into the Arc, drawing a magic circle.

SWIIIIK-!

At the same time, Lee Hoyeon snapped his fingers.

Instantly, Lee Hoyeon’s magic power dominated the air of the sparring arena.

A swirling Seolhanpung (snowy cold wind) centered around him.

The magic-infused wind pushed back Im Sol’s magic, and acid rain fell towards Im Sol from the clouds that had gathered in the sky.

The acid rain, heavily laden with magic power, devastated the area around Im Sol, neutralizing the magic circle she had cast.

‘Lightning Connection.’

KKADUDEUDUK-!

For a moment, Im Sol’s guard dropped, and a sharp spear of lightning shot forward into the empty space ahead.

Sensing the destructive power contained within the spell, Im Sol stepped back and deployed her magic power.

“…Good. Getting better and better. My disciple is becoming too good!”

KWA-AAAA-NG-!

‘Dimension Force.’

Im Sol unleashed her magic power, layering dozens of thick barriers.

The repeated explosions of magic power enveloped the entire sparring arena, driving away the clouds carrying the acid rain.

‘This thrill is the best…!’

Im Sol couldn’t suppress the smile creeping onto her face.

An equal exchange unfolded, and she felt overwhelmed by the immense magic power.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

When mages exchange magic, it’s a conversation of minds that transcends words.

Im Sol was overjoyed to have an opponent who could reciprocate her conversation.

A throbbing headache pulsed. The sensation of magic draining from her body felt incredibly pleasant.

‘I really can’t let this one go.’

The person she had searched for her entire life. She had to take him, no matter what.

Im Sol steeled her resolve once more, smiling as she looked at Lee Hoyeon.

‘…Her smile is terrifying.’

Lee Hoyeon swallowed hard.

Im Sol’s hair fluttered in the wind.

In this situation, her joyful smile seemed strange, yet she remained beautiful.

“I appreciate your affection… but people usually don’t pressure someone they like that much, you know?”

The flow of battle was just too fast.

He wanted to exchange more playful banter, but to resist Im Sol’s magic, Lee Hoyeon had to pour all his concentration into it.

KUNG- KUNG- KWA-ANG-

Im Sol’s endlessly erupting shockwaves dominated the space.

Twisting his body to resist the impact, Lee Hoyeon immediately switched his magic circle.

‘Ice Howling.’

A cold wave subdued Im Sol’s shockwaves.

At the same time, he took out the Arc hidden within the Rune Barrier.

Secretly charged with magic power since the start of the battle, the Arc had superimposed burning flames hundreds of times.

The continuously rotating flames were unleashed, coalescing into an arrow aimed at Im Sol.

Dozens of layers of magic power unfolded before it.

Lee Hoyeon smiled and accelerated the space he controlled.

‘…This is dangerous.’

Sensing danger, Im Sol immediately cast a thick barrier, but the flames pierced Im Sol’s body faster than it could form.

PA-AAAA-NG-!

The flames exploded upon contact with Im Sol’s body, burning fiercely.

The force of the explosion was deafening even to Lee Hoyeon, but he didn’t stop, pouring in more magic power.

Because he trusted Im Sol.

He firmly believed she wouldn’t fall from something like this.

‘…It definitely hit perfectly.’

The spell just cast was a trump card hidden since the start of the spar.

Using faint magic power to avoid detection, he had spun the flames hundreds, thousands of times inside the Arc. Then, launching it with spatial acceleration, it transformed into a flame bomb of immense destructive power.

Im Sol hadn’t expected it, and he thought the timing was perfect.

But then…

The magic circle in the sparring arena remained unnervingly calm, and despite his continuous magic infusion, the flames were slowly weakening.

“Ngh…!”

Magic power poured out from the center of the explosion.

Lee Hoyeon, staggering, covered his face with his hand and cast a barrier.

As expected, the flames lost their power even before his magic supply ran out.

Although it was disheartening that such an elaborate spell was nullified in an instant, Lee Hoyeon smiled.

Because he could feel Im Sol’s potent magic power.

Im Sol, floating in mid-air, had her eyes closed.

Behind Im Sol, enveloped in blue magic power, dozens of brilliantly shining, massive magic circles spun.

This was the third time he had seen Im Sol’s true mode.

Pure white light descended upon the sparring arena.

Four massive pillars of light struck down around Im Sol.

She looked like an angel descending from the heavens to vanquish evil.

Slowly descending to the ground, Im Sol took a deep breath and looked straight ahead.

Lee Hoyeon, smiling contentedly, came into Im Sol’s view.

At that moment. Im Sol and Lee Hoyeon both understood simultaneously.

Im Sol had unleashed her true power first.

“Macheongung, deploy.”

Lee Hoyeon immediately deployed Macheongung.

It was no longer a situation where he could hold back.

Magic power shimmered around Lee Hoyeon’s body.

The spreading magic waves emitted intangible pulses, establishing a domain that seized the surrounding space.

Dugeun- Dugeun-

As Im Sol grew stronger, her combat senses stimulated her heart once more.

Thanks to the powerful magic Im Sol was emitting, the headache during the deployment of Macheongung was worse than usual, but ultimately, Macheongung enveloped the entire sparring arena.

A peculiar flow of magic power was felt within Macheongung.

Feeling the magic flowing towards him, Lee Hoyeon’s lips curled upwards.

Inside Macheongung, he felt utterly invincible.

‘…Macheongung has grown too. The pressure feels much greater.’

Im Sol frowned.

An unpleasant sensation enveloped her body.

To Im Sol, magic power was like a part of her body.

Yet, she felt a foreignness in that magic power.

“Flame Strike.”

JIJIK-. JIJIK-. PUSHWIK-.

The magic Im Sol cast flickered weakly before losing its power.

Magic she had used her entire life refused to respond to her will.

This was the magic of her disciple, the genius mage Lee Hoyeon.

“Ah…”

Im Sol let out an ecstatic voice.

“It’s beyond imagination. Much heavier than I expected.”

She had naturally prepared for Macheongung, but Lee Hoyeon’s magic showed her something beyond that.

Regardless of how this spar ended. Perhaps she could grant Lee Hoyeon’s wish just once.

Thinking so, Im Sol took a step forward.

“Cheonroesupok (Heavenly Thunder Water Burst).”

Lightning bolts struck around Im Sol.

She had figured out the principle behind Macheongung.

A magic that deploys a domain to exert control over surrounding magic power.

Within the magic-controlled domain, the efficiency of Lee Hoyeon’s specialty, Magic Reversal, is maximized.

That’s why it can interfere even with the opponent’s magic.

At first glance, it seems like an invincible ability against mages, but put another way, it means one just needs to avoid the ‘reversal’.

Magic Reversal means tracing back the opponent’s magic circle.

‘It means switching fast enough that reversal isn’t possible.’

The magic circle’s composition. Its cohesion. Its gaps. The magic’s intensity. Even the caster’s breath.

All elements required for reversal are controlled down to the microsecond.

Even if her control over magic power is insufficient, Im Sol can take the lead in reaction speed and control.

It all began with Lee Hoyeon’s demonstration of altering an already activated magic circle.

PAJIK- PAJIK-.

The interior of the sparring arena filled with lightning strikes.

The lightning bolts, falling with a certain pattern, drew magic circles on the floor simultaneously with their explosions.

Im Sol’s specialty, the Double Magic Circle. A technique that maximizes efficiency by drawing magic circles with the magic contained within the spell itself.

‘…Holy shit.’

Lee Hoyeon’s eyes widened as he watched the magic circles drawn by the lightning.

It was a spell he had never seen before. It must be Im Sol’s original.

It wasn’t the first time Im Sol had shown an original magic. It wouldn’t be strange if she had several more hidden.

The problem was how she could use such a massive spell inside Macheongung.

‘The magic circle… no, the magic power is changing in real-time.’

Reversal wasn’t working.

Lee Hoyeon’s magic power, tracing the magic circle, quickly lost its way and scattered futilely into the air.

Im Sol was transforming all the information of the magic circle in real-time.

‘Is it possible to do that while using the magic power filling the entire arena?’

But there was no time for questions.

The Im Sol before him was actually doing it.

To nullify Lee Hoyeon’s Macheongung, she had prepared something absurd like this.

“I’m satisfied even with this. Hoyeon-ah. You exceeded my expectations. Truly… I felt like you might catch up within a few years.”

“…”

“I can even grant your wish. Ah, nothing too extreme, though?”

Lee Hoyeon gave a wry smile as he looked at Im Sol, who was smiling contentedly.

She had returned to her usual playful self.

Her face looked as if she had already won.

“…Don’t act like you’ve already won, Professor-nim.”

Even if Im Sol won, he wouldn’t give up until he fell.

Im Sol was undeniably strong.

A heavy pressure weighed down on Lee Hoyeon’s shoulders.

‘But so what?’

The first time he saw Im Sol’s true mode at the Magic Expo. His legs trembled with fear, rendering him completely immobile.

The second time he saw it during a spar using Arc, he felt an oppressive pressure so strong it made breathing difficult.

But now, he could move freely. He could use his magic power.

“Have you already forgotten who unleashed their true power first?”

Lee Hoyeon raised his magic power.

[Spiral] exploding in mid-air.

The spiraling magic power pulverized all the magic circles drawn by the lightning.

Im Sol’s eyes widened, then she slowly opened her mouth.

“…Yeah. There’s no way my disciple would end it here. Show me more. Push me even harder.”

Im Sol smiled confidently.

She eagerly anticipated how her disciple would defeat her.