"Ughh…"
A faint sound escaped Issei's lips.
His body slowly stirred, his breathing steady… though a faint pain still lingered in his bones like embers that hadn't fully died out. The endless white world stretched before him once again—an eternal grassy field within his deepest consciousness, where the sky looked too blue, and the wind seemed to carry whispers of ancient magic.
His eyes slowly opened. A soft light welcomed his trembling pupils.
"Heh. Took you long enough. I thought you were dead," Ddraig's voice echoed from the sky.
The silhouette of the massive red dragon emerged from the mist, its eyes staring sharply as if reevaluating whether its host still lived.
Issei blinked, exhaled… then groaned. "YOU CRAZY DRAGON!"
He sat up, clutching his head. "YOU SHOULD HAVE OPENED THE CIRCUITS ONE BY ONE, NOT ALL AT ONCE!"
Ddraig snorted lazily.
"You're still alive, aren't you? That means the method worked. Besides, if you died just from that… you were weak."
Issei punched the ground. "THAT'S STILL INSANE! I could've died stupidly in the opening chapter!"
"But you didn't, right? So stop whining. Let's move on."
Issei took a deep breath. "Wait… how long was I unconscious?"
A moment of silence.
"Six months."
Issei fell silent. His eyes stared blankly at the blue sky above him.
"Six… wasted… months…"
"Says who?" Ddraig slowly descended from the sky and landed behind Issei.
"You know, unlocking all thousands of magic circuit paths could take decades for normal races. Even Ancient Devils or Punisher Angels usually only have a few dozen. Thousands? That's nearly a myth."
Issei closed his eyes, digesting everything. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed.
"…Alright. Let's continue. We're still in theory, right?"
"Of course. Not practice yet. Your knowledge of magic is still at high school level. If you fought a strong being now, maybe you'd survive. But facing Great Red or Ophis? That's not just a magic duel. That's a war of reality's will."
Issei nodded. "Next theory?"
"Rewriting Magic."
Issei paused. His facial muscles tensed for a moment, then he asked:
"Rewriting… reality?"
"Exactly. Rewriting Magic isn't about chanting long incantations. It's not about elements. It's about imagination. Imagination that rejects logic. Imagination that creates cracks in the laws of the world."
Issei nodded slowly.
"Like… if I imagined fire that burns time? Or ice that freezes the world? If the imagination is strong enough… then reality will adjust?"
"Exactly. Imagination is the solvent of logic. If you imagine the sky splitting, and the whole world freezing in one breath… and you have Will strong enough—then the world will obey your command."
Ddraig raised one massive claw.
At its tip appeared a flicker of red fire, then frozen ice, a swirling wind, purple lightning, and even holy light mixed with darkness. The elements clashed, yet didn't cancel each other out.
"Most beings are born with one element. Water. Fire. Light. Shadow. That's normal. Even Ultimate-class Devils rarely have two. But…"
Issei raised his hand. "But if there's someone… who rejects the laws of the world… and isn't bound by those limits?"
He stared at Ddraig seriously. "Then they could use all elements. Even in a world that doesn't allow magic, they could still use it like the world had no right to forbid them."
"Correct. And when that happens—it's no longer a magic battle. It's a one-sided slaughter."
Issei fell silent, processing. Then he chuckled softly, bitterly. "In that case… I want to become someone like that."
"Heh. Then your path isn't that of normal magic. But the path of those who reject logic. Those whom the world resists—and who conquer that very world."
Ddraig stared at Issei, the dragon's eyes glowing deeply.
"There's still much theory I have to transfer to you. After Rewriting Magic, there will be Ether Pathways, Mana Intent Theory, then Domain Internalization. Only after that… can you touch 'true dragon magic'."
Issei stood slowly. The pain was gradually fading, and for the first time… he could see the flow of magic around him. Like mist of blue and purple, moving across space and land.
"Ddraig…"
"Hm?"
"…I can see mana."
Ddraig simply smiled.
"Welcome, kid. You've just entered the real world. The world behind human illusion. The world of magic… and will."