Chapter 125 - Damn Reincarnation

The Green Tower Master

Divine Tree required no incantation. It took only a few seconds for the plaza’s soil to gather around Generic, become tightly intertwined roots, and coil around his legs.

An archmage’s spells were fast. When the spell belonged to a circle below their own, calling its manifestation instantaneous was hardly an exaggeration.

Magic was not the only thing that was fast. The moment Generic cast Divine Tree, Eugene activated the Ring Flame Formula. Speed? Eugene was confident in that, too. His mastery over mana, carried over from his previous life, was a talent that had astonished even Senya.

Both hands had been inside his cloak. His left held Akasha, while his right gripped several daggers. Driven to its limit, the Ring Flame Formula formed a white mane.

‘Mer.’

Eugene called her name in his mind. Curled up deep inside the cloak, Mer responded to the unspoken voice.

There was no need for her to poke her head outside. From within the cloak, she shared Eugene’s field of vision. This was why the formula that constituted Mer had been inscribed into Eugene rather than Akasha.

Senya wanted the familiar she had created herself and cherished to help Eugene—in her place, while she remained sealed away.

‘Chain Leap.’

Mer calculated the spatial coordinates he had yet to determine. By the time Divine Tree’s roots lifted Generic into the air, she had finished. The calculated coordinates were immediately inscribed into Eugene’s mind.

He pulled his right hand out of the cloak. The daggers in his grip vanished. At the same instant, so did Eugene.

CRACK!

Daggers appeared from different directions and collided with Generic’s mana. Without sparing them a glance, Generic continued operating Divine Tree. A root surged from the ground and pierced a point in midair.

‘Such shallow little tricks.’

Apparently, he had hoped to confuse Generic’s sense of space by Blinking the daggers first, then exploit the opening. Snorting, Generic looked at the tip of the root.

There was nothing there.

‘What?’

Generic had clearly discerned that Eugene would Blink to that spot. Had he sensed it incorrectly? No, that was impossible.

‘He Dispelled Blink midway, then Blinked again?’

That was not a feint someone at Eugene’s level could pull off. Teleportation spells like Blink carried considerable risk in exchange for their convenience. Dispelling one at the last instant, selecting new coordinates, and leaping again was no easy feat even for a seasoned battle mage.

That was precisely the misconception Eugene wanted him to have.

‘You told me to use everything.’

He had indeed canceled Blink at the last instant. The resulting mana backflow? Nothing serious. If it flowed backward, he simply had to correct it. Even Generic, an archmage, had failed to see through it because not a speck of the Dispelled spell had leaked away.

His mane streamed through the air. Blue mingled with the pure white flames. The sprawling plaza. The spectators’ cries. The churning mana. Akasha was in his right hand. Eugene understood just how advanced Divine Tree was and how dense the mana under Generic’s control had become.

‘There’s no sneaking up on him. The moment I approach, I’ll touch his mana.’

From there, it was a question of reaction speed. Even if Generic noticed his approach, could he drive Eugene away faster than Eugene could close the distance?

BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath his kick. A fraction later, the roots coiled around Generic began moving. It looked as though the entire earth was bearing down on him.

‘I’ll reach him.’

A margin as thin as a sheet of paper would suffice. Before the roots could lash Eugene, a sword with jagged, sawlike teeth shot out of his wide-open cloak. Asphel, the Devouring Sword. A sword that cut magic. Spinning like a top, Eugene swung it.

CRUNCH!

The roots wrapped around Generic were cut. Generic’s eyes widened. They should not have been severed so easily. This was soil bound together by mana, as tough as a high-level barrier spell.

‘The mana... No, he cut the formula.’

But the cut was shallow. He had sliced it, yes, but not deeply. A severed formula could simply be woven together again. Generic’s lips moved as he continued his incantation. There were limits to the spells he could use, and he did not disregard them. This was hardly a crisis to begin with. He had merely been mildly surprised.

‘Too shallow.’

Eugene felt it, too. As expected, understanding magic of that caliber at a glance and cutting through its core was still beyond him. Without hesitation, he pulled Akasha back.

‘Mer.’

The spell he wanted manifested in its optimal form. His body swept backward, narrowly evading the roots hurtling toward him.

["Sir Eugene."]

‘I know.’

The roots were not the only attack. It was exactly as Melkith had warned. Flying into the sky simply because Generic controlled the earth would be an ignorant, fatal mistake. In battles between mages who could freely fly, there were countless varieties of spells that could bind an opponent or slam them into the ground.

The controlled mana became a weight that crushed down on his body. The ground heaved as though responding to it.

CRUNCH!

Rising roots became a maw bristling with teeth, trying to swallow Eugene.

Could he break free through strength alone?

‘Why bother?’

If he had never learned magic, brute force would have been his only option. Now, there was no need.

Akasha’s dragon heart shone red. Mer accelerated the formula, and Akasha amplified the spell.

‘Blast.’

Eugene looked overhead. Magic took hold in the mana weighing him down and the air around it.

‘Frost Field.’

The Sixth Circle ice spell he had memorized in the Hall of Freezing slowed the roots. That was only the beginning. Frost spread rapidly, bringing them to a halt.

Then the Ring Flame Formula’s flames enveloped his entire body. This trick hardly qualified as magic. He was simply wrapping sword force around himself. It was a more combat-oriented adaptation of Aura Shield, a warrior’s defensive technique, belonging to the Hamel Style...

["... Sir Eugene? What is Divine Aura of Destruction?"]

"Shut up."

Eugene spat the words with a fierce grimace.

BOOM!

His stomping foot shattered the frozen ground.

But the roots immediately reconnected. Generic stared at Eugene with a frown. Every spell Eugene had just used belonged to the Sixth Circle, yet they flowed together with unbelievable smoothness.

‘The sword that cut my magic is Asphel, the Devouring Sword... And those are the Lionheart flames. Fine. Ending this too easily would be no fun.’

Generic’s awareness expanded fully. Now he began casting in earnest. The reconnected roots attacked Eugene in unison. There was earth beneath the roots, too. Every grain of soil clung stickily to the soles of Eugene’s feet.

The flames swelled.

ROAR!

The exploding fire drove the earth away. Eugene checked above him. Countless mana bullets were aimed his way.

They were no ordinary bullets. He understood that without touching them. Positioned in different directions, the bullets linked together to form a prison.

‘Blink.’

["No. He’s taken control of the space."]

‘Then I’ll open it.’

Mer did not understand. How could he open space controlled by an archmage?

Soon, she understood—and realized just how badly she had underestimated Eugene.

["That’s far too brute-force!"]

‘So what?’

The grains of soil stuck to his soles tore and ground together as Eugene lifted his foot, restraints and all. The Ring Flame Formula amplified his mana, and his flames turned a deeper blue.

BOOM!

His foot slammed into the ground. A Fifth Circle Earthquake. Yet its power was impossible to regard as that of a Fifth Circle spell. Generic’s cheek twitched at the sheer magnitude and precision of the surging mana. Still, the earth under Divine Tree’s control would break no further.

Nevertheless, Earthquake’s shock wave disturbed the mana in the surrounding space for an instant. An ordinary mage would not even have sensed the disturbance, much less seized the opening. Eugene was different. He swiftly inserted Blink’s formula into the gap he had created.

And leaped. Even Generic was late in identifying the coordinates of this unexpected Blink.

‘Ice Spikes.’

Swirling cold formed a cluster of long spikes that shot forward together. An attack from behind. Clicking his tongue, Generic directed his magic.

CRUNCH!

The spikes lodged in the roots he raised.

Eugene, charging alongside the ice spikes, twisted his body. With both feet, he drove the embedded spikes deeper into the roots. Soon, frost began coating their entire length.

‘What is he doing?’

Generic could not understand Eugene’s movements.

‘His spells are smooth. Powerful, too. But they cannot reach me.’

Would it not be more effective to swing Asphel as he had earlier, or use his martial skills?

‘... Insisting on magic... This brat...!’

Was he insisting on magic because he was dueling a mage? Generic’s eyes grew bloodshot.

CRACK!

The frost spreading over the roots burst apart.

RUMBLE!

The entire plaza writhed. All the soil under Generic’s control became roots, rearing like snakes. At the same time, every kind of magic filled the air—attack spells that did not exceed the Sixth Circle limit. Despite manifesting so many at once, Generic still had ample mana to spare, and not one spell escaped his control.

The snakes—the roots—danced. They lashed in a wild flurry. Eugene wove between them, combining flight, teleportation, and sprinting.

He was not merely dodging. Wherever he set his feet, blazing red footprints remained.

‘Flame Marks.’

Generic knew that spell, too. A Sixth Circle fire spell housed in the Hall of Blazing Heat. It inscribed embers in every footprint, then made them resonate together to burn a wide area. Flame Marks grew more powerful with the number of footprints left behind.

‘Such one-dimensional thinking.’

Using Flame Marks because his opponent was large—anyone could think of that. Fire because they were roots? Surely he was not that stupid. Divine Tree was a tree, yet not a tree. In other words, it would not burn easily like dry branches.

‘Quick as a rat. How long do you intend to keep running? Do you mistakenly believe I cannot catch you?’

Generic held back a sneer. The spells positioned in the air prevented Eugene from leaping above a certain height. Though the lashing roots appeared to attack at random, they were funneling his movements in several directions. Any direction would do. The moment he ventured deep enough, Generic could catch him without leaving any room for escape.

‘Perhaps I should simply crush him to death. That would be easier.’

He could have killed Eugene long ago. But he must not. Generic had enough judgment to understand that.

‘Or will you venture deep inside and cut a path with Asphel? Do you think I will fall for something I have already seen?’

Battle was ultimately a contest of reading one’s opponent. What mattered was how well one understood the other’s moves and how many moves ahead one could see. Generic understood that importance. He believed he had correctly read Eugene’s moves and was looking far enough ahead.

‘He has not summoned a spirit yet.’

Eugene Lionheart’s possession of Wynnyd was well known. Seeing that he also carried Asphel, Generic considered that he might have other Lionheart treasures as well.

‘The others are violent and large. He cannot wield them however he pleases. If he forces them into those narrow gaps, he will be caught in his own attack.’

That did not apply to Generic. His body was at the center of a sturdy tree. One of Yggdrasil’s—no, Divine Tree’s—great advantages was its defensive strength, which eliminated the need for separate defensive spells. Nor did it merely make him a huge target. Even now, Generic could move to another root and become a tree whenever he wished.

‘A pity I cannot make it flower. Had I set the limit at the Seventh Circle, I could have toyed with you far more amusingly.’

Just as he felt that regret, Eugene entered the trap.

Generic curled his lips into a smile and moved Divine Tree. The ground, transformed into roots, became a massive wave that engulfed Eugene. The spells positioned in midair also rained down on him in a bombardment.

‘Mer.’

Even then, Eugene showed not the slightest panic.

["Yes."]

Mer knew what he intended. Without being told, she retreated deep into the cloak and calculated the spatial coordinates.

The Cloak of Darkness opened wide. It swallowed the nearest root and expelled it from the other side.

CRUNCH!

Roots collided and twisted against one another.

All sorts of spells were pouring down overhead. From the center of the tangled roots, Eugene watched them. There were dozens of different kinds alone. He could not use Blink... Should he cut them with Asphel? Or break through with Divine Aura of Destruction?

Neither option appealed to him. Eugene bared his teeth in a grin. A piercing headache struck. It felt as though his brain had caught fire. Inside the cloak, Mer screamed in horror.

["Now?!"]

Despite her cry, Mer focused her awareness as well. Their consciousnesses resonated.

Mer felt responsible for this duel. Had she not needlessly stepped forward, she would not have been insulted as a mere familiar. Then Eugene would not have bothered accepting the duel.

Mer had grievances of her own, too. She wanted to put the Green Tower Master, who had disrespected Lady Senya, in his place—no, crush his pride altogether. She wanted to help Eugene in the absent Lady Senya’s stead.

And give Eugene victory.

The mana amplified by the Ring Flame Formula drained away. Blood flowed from his wide-open eyes. With those bloodshot eyes, Eugene comprehended the falling spells, their formulas, and the complex coordinates of the space they occupied.

Akron’s sixth floor. The Hall of Space. The pinnacle of Seventh Circle spatial magic.

"Spatial Inversion."

The space Eugene occupied was cut out. So was the space within his field of vision through which the spells were falling. Those severed spaces connected to each other.

And inverted.

BOOM!

Among Divine Tree’s roots, the spells tangled together and ran wild. Generic could not understand what Eugene had cast. No, he refused to understand. He had clearly heard the incantation.

Spatial Inversion. A Seventh Circle spell, and one of the most fiendishly difficult among them. How? He should not be able to cast it. No, Generic had heard Trempel Wizardor’s claim—that Eugene had cast the Seventh Circle Blazing Heat Bullet...

"Th-that spell is in an entirely different league!"

Unable to believe it, Generic shouted. The spells exploding in a chain reaction were destroying the roots. Gritting his teeth, he brought the magic under control.

Eugene stood in the sky, weeping blood. The space he had inverted with Spatial Inversion... He had wanted to invert everything within his sight, but was this his limit? The surrounding spells hung awkwardly suspended. Glancing at them, Eugene drew Asphel.

Generic noticed a little too late. Incomprehensible shock could delay even an archmage’s judgment. Hastily directed spells descended on Eugene, but he swung Asphel with loose, swaying movements.

The swordplay looked utterly devoid of strength. Yet it was unbelievably sharp and fast. The spells that struck first were cleaved in two. Asphel devoured the scattered mana. The flames enveloping Eugene grew fiercer still.

Eugene knew better than anyone that battle was ultimately a contest of reading one’s opponent. Someone certain of their own strength was actually easier to fight. The inevitable arrogance born of pride and the conviction of victory could readily be woven into a snare, depending on how he played along.

Asphel? He had shown it once, then stopped using it. That made Generic wary. Generic had said he would use only spells up through the Sixth Circle. Eugene had no such restriction. Even so, he had deliberately used only Sixth Circle spells. He had emphasized magic rather than his specialty, martial combat.

Generic had considered him arrogant. He had read that correctly. Eugene had wanted him to think so. Generic’s envisioned outcome was probably to let Eugene run wild until he fell into a trap, then defeat him through an overwhelming difference in skill.

Eugene had envisioned something else.

Burning footprints remained on the roots’ surfaces as they shuddered from the rampaging magic. Those footprints blazed exactly as Eugene intended. Red lines connected in a bewildering pattern, radiating heat. Then the flames exploded.

BOOM!

The spells had exploded deep inside the roots thanks to Spatial Inversion. Now Flame Marks’ explosion joined them. As hot winds swept over the spectators, they screamed and exclaimed in awe. Eugene steadied his breathing and extended Akasha.

["You’re... pushing yourself too hard..."]

"I’m fine."

Eugene answered with a grin.

Blazing Heat Bullet. A tiny ember formed before Akasha’s gem. Eugene gently pushed it forward. The heat from the flames detonated by Flame Marks clung to the Blazing Heat Bullet. As it advanced slowly, it swelled at a furious rate.

"Th-that, that lunatic...!"

Melkith, who had been watching the duel in a daze, turned deathly pale. She hastily shot into the air, her hair rising toward the sky.

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath the spectators shook.

The Earth Spirit King descended. A command conveyed through her will set him in motion.

CRUNCH!

An enormous wall of earth rose before the spectators.

‘Is it not enough?’

Melkith was not the only one who moved to protect the spectators. The Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Uzlen, and the Black Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth, flew into the sky, having arrived at some unknown point. They exchanged a glance, then layered barrier spells over the earthen wall Melkith had created.

"Ngh...!"

The mana currents were violent. Generic glared at the approaching Blazing Heat Bullet as it continued to grow. Could he Dispel it? No, too late. With a spell that large, detonating it would be meaningless. He had no choice but to push it back. Generic’s lips moved rapidly. The roots still capable of movement surged upward, and he began adding more spells...

"Tempest."

Eugene’s left hand emerged from his cloak. At the sight of the beautiful silver-blue sword in that hand, and at the name Eugene uttered, Generic’s face went white.

"Come push it."

A calm command.

The hot wind raged madly.

The Wind Spirit King descended. Tempest stood beside Eugene in a majestic form, as though flaunting his presence to everyone. Squinting against the hot wind striking his cheeks, Eugene grumbled.

"Stop posing and push it."

["Ahem..."]

Tempest cleared his throat in embarrassment and reached toward the Blazing Heat Bullet. Fingers woven from swirling wind touched the enormous flames.

The moment he saw it, Generic realized with painful clarity that Divine Tree could not resist.

Flames and tempest soared high into the sky.