episode_0066

Crackling!

Fierce sparks surged. Light flashed. The high-voltage current bleached the vision white, then soon intertwined with itself, causing an explosion. An intense flash surged towards him. It was a scene as if lightning were striking.

“Oh, dear.”

He narrowly ducked to dodge. The missed blow struck the innocent floor. Following that, a deafening roar was heard.

Boom!

A terrifying force shook the arena. He was almost caught in the electric shock. Though it seemed like a casual glancing blow, it was enough voltage to instantly knock out most students.

Yuda calmly regained his stance.

“As expected, you’re not an easy opponent.”

He muttered as if troubled. Ten minutes had already passed since the battle began. The duel was showing fierce aspects.

As he brushed off the soot clinging to his fingertips, someone suddenly walked out from the thick smoke. It was a boy with a relaxed expression.

“You’ve been nothing but dodging since earlier. Wriggling around like a wretched snake is quite impressive.”

The provocation came leisurely. Ian was smiling. Electricity crackled in both his hands. Reloading his magic, the guy pointed a finger at Yuda and spoke. It was clear mockery.

“Didn’t expect to be pushed back like this, did you?”

“Hehe… I wonder.”

Yuda shrugged his shoulders.

“I haven’t really been pushed back.”

“Isn’t it obvious when you keep avoiding a head-on fight? If you’re so confident, stop dodging and clash with me.”

“Please think of it as my strategy.”

“Strategy, my foot… you were barely clinging to evasion.”

Was it due to the accumulated bad feelings? He pushed his opponent more than necessary. This moment, where he held the initiative, seemed quite enjoyable for him. The boy unnecessarily showed composure.

“They call you a genius among the freshmen, but in the end, you’re nothing more than a rookie.”

When he first received the duel challenge, he couldn’t describe how absurd it felt. For a mere first-year rookie to look down on him… He wanted to crush him right then and there. However.

“I’m a very patient person, you see.”

He endured for a perfect revenge. Originally, if you want to crush someone, it’s fundamental to break them so they can never rise again.

Ian thoroughly analyzed Yuda over the past few days.

“Yuda Snakers.”

He was clearly a boy with outstanding talent. He maintained top ranks in all categories—magic, swordsmanship, academics—but there was one area where he truly excelled. That was illusion magic.

“But.”

Ian identified the blind spot.

“No matter how excellent your illusions are, what good are they if I don’t fall for them?”

Magic is simply something to be avoided. Of course, avoiding mental magic is not as easy as it sounds. It was only possible because it was Ian. He was among the fastest in the academy, counted on one hand. Especially when he wrapped his entire body in electricity, he could briefly become as fast as the professors. In short, it was an ultimate counter-match.

“I wonder if he can keep up with my speed?”

An opponent possessing not only speed but also terrifying explosive power. For Yuda, at least, it was no different from the worst possible match.

“……”

The golden snake fell silent. The boy stood without a single twitch, as if deep in thought. Ian believed he was scared. His lips, stained with arrogance, unhesitantly spat out a sneer.

“Looks like you’re finally grasping the situation, eh?”

Crackling!

Ian released sparks and leaped forward. A streak of lightning shot out.

“……!”

The snake, who had been standing blankly, belatedly moved his sword. A blade forged from shadow. It clashed with the flashing light, then barely managed to twist the attack’s trajectory. Despite being just that, the blade was left ragged and chipped.

Clang!

With the shattered obsidian falling behind him, Yuda drew a new sword. Ian rushed in as if to give no quarter. The two clashed with full force. For a while, sharp tearing sounds echoed within the arena.

Clang! Crackle! Grind…!

It was a close battle. Light and darkness, neither giving an inch, fiercely tore at each other. An offense and defense too fast for the eyes to follow continued.

“Gah…!”

However, the snake showed clear signs of fatigue. Although he was holding his own against Ian’s speed, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being increasingly dragged along. He seemed overwhelmed just by defending against the surging electricity.

Pant, pant…!

And so. Victory seemed to be completely tilting. Now, it was time to hammer in the wedge.

Ian, who had briefly put some distance between them, soon chanted an incantation and unleashed his final attack. Dark clouds gathered above the arena.

“Oh, heavens of downpour.”

He was finally unleashing his ultimate skill.

“Strike without mercy.”

-Ian Style Lightning Magic Secret Art- ‘Thunderbolt’

Immediately after his lips parted. Thousands of lightning bolts poured down from between the dark clouds.

CRACKLING!

Streaks of light rained down. Through the cracks forming one by one, blinding white flashes erupted, obstructing vision. Everyone in the stands had to shield their eyes.

A high-pitched ringing!

After the dazed ringing faded. When they opened their eyes again, the children could see the back of the snake, kneeling on the ground. The fierce duel had concluded.

“……”

The boy, seemingly utterly defeated, couldn’t even utter a single word. Ian circled around his opponent. With the thrill of finally having crushed him, mocking words spilled out.

“See, you shouldn’t have been so presumptuous.”

“……”

“It’s no use regretting it. I’m going to make you drop out of the academy as the price for this duel. If you don’t like that, then kneel and beg all day.”

Pfft.

“……?”

A sudden sound of laughter. The snake was smiling.

“What’s so funny?”

Was he in so much pain that he’d gone mad? As he stood with a furrowed brow, a clear, ringing sentence reached his ears. It was a perfectly calm voice, without a trace of disturbance.

“It’s quite amusing, really. To not have noticed anything until the very end.”

He had just been scorched by lightning, yet how could he speak so calmly? Ian froze at the unexpected reaction.

“B-but it was a direct hit! How could you—!”

“Honestly, I’m disappointed.”

“What are you talking about, ever since just now?!”

“I thought you’d at least show some signs of suspicion.”

Yuda leisurely brushed off his knees and stood up. Their gazes met. Ian couldn’t help but hold his breath.

“You said that no matter how excellent illusion magic is, it’s useless if one doesn’t fall for it, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Then, here’s a question.”

His eyelids, usually closed, were open. His pupils were bleached white. The boy asked, his eyes gleaming with a vivid light.

“Just when… did you mistake me for not using illusion magic?”

Cr-crack, crack-crack!

At the same time, cracks appeared in the perfectly normal air. As if a mirror was shattering. The background surrounding the two shattered into pieces. It was an utterly unbelievable sight. Towards the boy who couldn’t hide his shock, the snake murmured.

“Shatter.”

Snap!

The inverted world returned to normal.

***

Snap!

When his senses returned, Ian was standing in the circular arena. Exactly where they had first confronted each other. He hadn’t moved a single step.

“……?”

The scene in his vision was natural. It felt like waking from a dream. He tried to make sense of the confusing situation, but he found it impossible to understand what was happening. His consciousness kept becoming hazy.

“What in the world is this…?”

It was all illusion magic. The fierce battle after the duel, pushing his opponent back with lightning, and even ultimately claiming victory… In truth, everything had taken place within an illusion. In short. He had been played.

“No way.”

Nothing had happened in reality. It was an incomprehensible realization. He tried to survey his surroundings, but his body, which had inexplicably stiffened, wouldn’t move as he wished. It was as if he had lost control.

“Why… won’t my body move?”

As he barely managed to mouth words, someone suddenly spoke to him from beside him. Naturally, it was the golden snake.

“Oh, my~ You’ve finally come to your senses, have you?”

A grinning expression. He put an arm around Ian, who was stiff as a statue, then spoke with an ominous smile. He was answering the very questions Ian would be curious about.

“You’ve already been put under hypnosis, Senior.”

“Hypnosis…?”

“It’s another application of illusion magic. You won’t be able to do anything until I release you.”

“Damn it, you’ve been playing with me… from the very beginning!”

“I merely entertained you appropriately.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Ian was furious, as if he couldn’t accept it. Was it due to the shock of being so utterly crushed? He looked like his mind had snapped. Of course, it was still too early for him to lose his mind.

“Please, don’t raise your voice like that, Ian Ternado.”

While the boy was wandering in the illusion, the snake was also deep in thought. How he could crush the opponent before him. How he could most cruelly shatter that mind, completely filled with arrogance. Just then, Yuda had thought of a way.

“A stage awaits you.”

“Wait. What in the world are you going to do—!”

The snake lightly flicked his finger. Following that gesture, Ian’s frozen body began to move, taking one step at a time towards the center of the training ground. He soon took a stance, facing the stands.

“Show them all.”

The students’ gazes converged on Ian. Yuda wore a meaningful smile, as if immensely pleased.

“Your passion.”

It didn’t take long for Ian to understand the meaning of those words.

***

“……”

The students in the stands were silent. No… rather than saying they were silent, it would be more accurate to say they were simply speechless. For all of them wore stiff expressions.

They were staring somewhere with cold eyes. None other than the center of the training ground.

There, a boy was screaming. A cry filled with despair. It was Ian Ternado, who had participated in this duel. While it was originally a place where fierce battles raged, the boy was currently on that stage…

…enthusiastically enjoying a dance party. A vulgar dance unfolded. The boy hideously wiggled his hips, giving a massive “screw you” to the watching students. He had been swaying grotesquely for an entire hour.

Whenever he tried to signal his surrender, his lips automatically sealed shut. The students merely stared.

Ian Ternado. An epitome of an elite, who commanded numerous followers and was lauded as an undeniable genius. Truly, a crane reigning over the second-year students.

“……”

His honor was shattered in an instant. Even as Ian suffered a social death, he didn’t stop his enthusiastic twerking. A single tear streamed down his face.

“Hehe.”

Only the orchestrator of this entire chaotic scene was smiling amidst the mess. As if his dopamine was exploding.