Chapter 262. Supernova
The twilight that had spread everywhere, that dusky light, vanished. The sky above the royal castle was dyed in pitch-black shadow.
Yet strangely, everything beneath the darkness could be seen clearly. Clearer than when light had been present. It felt as though one had fallen into an endless abyss.
An incomprehensible magical phenomenon.
In that indescribable sensation, Silis and Edmon's hearts wavered. Their bodies and souls trembled with pure terror of the unknown.
Then, within the darkness, a gray light was born.
"Uh..."
At first, there was only one light.
Soon it became two, then four, eight, sixteen… multiplying at a terrifying rate. By the time one blinked, darkness and light had already intermingled.
A strange shiver ran through them, while at the same time, a sense of familiarity tickled their memory.
The sight that came to mind was one seen hundreds, thousands of times.
The world that appeared only after the blue sky yielded to twilight, when small lights served as signposts illuminating the way, the beautiful night sky.
'What is this bizarre magic?'
Leonil narrowed his brows.
Ignoring the throbbing agony racking his body, he heightened his vision. This was instinctive.
But even with all his knowledge, he could not pierce its essence.
A witch's magic… no, even beyond that, a magic whose type and power could not be easily determined.
A strange anxiety wriggled up inside him, but he forced it down.
There was no way that destruction doubled could be blocked by something as trivial as a spell that merely created a night sky.
"Meaningless struggling!"
Leonil once again activated [Will of Desperation].
An artifact that allowed one to imbue will into magic at the price of permanently consuming life force.
The countless flaming boulders swirling in the air accelerated further.
A perfect encirclement had been formed. Red light drew near, scorching heat pricking at his skin.
Anything caught in that crimson storm would be obliterated without a trace.
"..."
In that moment, Verden quietly closed his eyes.
Spirit Star, Alhena, a cradle of celestial bodies where the domain of mana had been made manifest.
Here, Verden, its master, had all resistance and mana regeneration simultaneously elevated.
At present, it was as though he was surrounded by a fortress woven of protective enchantments.
But that was only the secondary effect.
───!
A tiny light was born at Verden's side.
In an instant, a cluster of gray stars encircled him.
It was dazzling, awe-inspiring, yet it was not merely a visual effect.
'The light shining upon Alhena is all part of the celestial bodies.'
In other words, each one was a star.
Each was a meteor of its own.
Verden opened his eyes.
Toward the flames looming nearby, brilliance flashed.
Countless flowing stars, a meteor shower.
The stars filling the space stirred.
From his position, the stars scattered across the night sky began to move.
Shweeeeee!
Gray star-tails carved lines across the darkness.
The innumerable trajectories became a downpour, and at furious speed they rushed toward the incoming flaming meteors.
And then, collision.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang───!
Dozens of blazing masses exploded.
The flames ignited by colliding stars set the night sky ablaze.
An overwhelming sight.
A force that could only be seen on vast battlefields swept across the void.
The deafening booms did not cease. Before long, the destroyed fire meteors numbered twenty, thirty, forty, then ninety. Soon it surpassed a hundred.
Leonil's magic, born of artifacts he had hidden and restrained from using, was gradually being nullified.
"...?!"
Leonil's eyes widened to tearing point.
Before he could utter a word, gray light closed in. Barely a dozen stars that had slipped past the magic clash.
Ordinarily, Leonil could have easily stopped them, both in power and in number.
But now, Leonil was far from normal.
Rapid mana depletion, the backlash of Mado, and the burden piled up from the Witch's Heart had left his mana circuits failing to activate properly.
He belatedly conjured flames into a wall, but the firepower was lacking, and the thickness too thin.
A miscalculation.
'I should have dodged…'
It was already too late.
A meteor pierced through the flames.
***
The robe that had protected him until now was trampled.
The masterpiece born of the kingdom's greatest blacksmith and magical item craftsman was ruthlessly torn apart. The protective barrier crafted into his accessories fared no better.
Every means of safeguarding his body lost its light.
There was no longer any way to block it.
All he could do was protect the Witch's Heart.
Puh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buk!
His left ring finger was severed.
The muscles in his left forearm ruptured, exposing bone.
Most of the organs in his abdomen were overturned.
His right knee was crushed, four toes blown away.
Finally, his left eye burst.
"Ggkha… aghhh…."
The sound of boiling blood crawled up from his throat.
In the torrent of searing agony, Leonil felt his consciousness blur.
Never in his life had he endured such pain, such magic. In the sluggish flow of time, Leonil's body tilted backward.
'Did I… lose?'
As darkness claimed his mind, reality came to him.
Utter helplessness and emptiness wrapped around his thoughts. As death neared, his eyes closed of their own accord.
If he surrendered to sleep now, it would be eternal rest.
His ruined body could endure no longer.
Then, in his fading vision, Leonil saw Verden.
Compared to his shattered form, Verden appeared far too unscathed.
Their clear blue eyes met.
An unfeeling gaze that did not even see Leonil as an opponent.
Had he mocked him, it would have been easier to bear… but before that gaze, he felt the meaning of his entire life collapse.
A meaningless life.
That realization stirred Leonil awake.
'I… can't accept it.'
In that instant, the dying ember flared violently.
Hatred and rage, darker than ever, tangled together.
Faded memories from long ago surfaced.
As a child, when he had been measured at upper-sixth-tier limit, he had rejoiced.
Naturally so. It was a rare talent, even in the world.
But with time, talent became a curse.
Until now, Leonil had met two Transcendents.
One looked down on him as trivial, and the tower master of DarkWarton did not even spare him a glance.
Seething humiliation boiled within him, but Leonil had not dared resist. He had only bowed his head, silenced by the overwhelming presence.
Because he did not want to die.
The minimum condition of a Transcendent, the 7th tier.
Leonil's limit was upper-6th tier. That damned single step short meant he could never become a Transcendent.
No matter how he struggled, no matter how he reached, it was a realm forever beyond him.
'Then, an opportunity came to me.'
The Witch's Heart.
After countless tribulations, he succeeded in transplanting it, and finally reached the realm of Transcendence.
His long-yearned desire, at last fulfilled. It felt as though he possessed the entire world.
But now, everything was collapsing.
To an unfamiliar, young Magus who had not even reached Transcendence.
Was this reality?
'I can't accept it.'
A Transcendent, dying here?
'I can't accept it.'
Was this the end of that long-cherished dream?
'I can't accept it.'
Yes, he would never accept it.
If this was the conclusion, then he would reject it.
If his entire life was to be nothing more than the stepping stone of another, then he would resist.
'Asher.'
The Magus who drove Leonil Bertanas to death was extraordinary.
Though not even a quarter of Leonil's age, he had reached this height. That overflowing talent would surely carry him to Transcendence.
'I cannot allow it.'
Call it base jealousy if you will.
If he could not have it, then neither should others—such was human nature.
Therefore.
'I will kill you.'
Here, I will sever your life.
You will never grasp Transcendence.
For that, I will pay any price.
Light returned to Leonil's eyes.
The remaining veins bulged, and baring his fangs, he let out his final roar.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
The Witch's Heart and Leonil's heart resonated. His pulse throbbed violently, beyond control.
His heart burst, unable to endure the explosive mana any longer. Following it, his mana circuits collapsed, searing as they burned away.
A vast curtain of flame surrounded Leonil.
He had long since passed the point of no return.
Verden furrowed his brows.
"Do you intend to self-destruct?"
"No one… can look at me with eyes like that…!!"
Leonil's remaining eye rolled wildly.
No trace of reason remained. He was feeding his own life, everything he had, as fuel to stoke the fire.
For the sake of killing just one man.
Of course, Verden did not stand idle.
A bolt of lightning crashed down.
But it was not enough to pierce the flames wrapped around Leonil.
The density was thicker than any flame he had ever seen. With ordinary magic, he could only hope to scrape its surface.
'Then I'll break it with greater force.'
Quadra Casting.
Mado and Chaos intermingled.
A violet sphere clashed against the flames.
It exploded, unleashing a storm of elemental magic from within.
Part of the fiery curtain, unable to withstand the impact, retreated, revealing Leonil's body.
Magic of 6th tier and above shredded him.
'This ends—'
Verden stiffened.
The flames still had not subsided.
"You… you, at least…"
Leonil muttered into the air.
His entire body had been hacked apart, his left arm and right leg completely gone, deep wounds exposing bone in countless places.
And yet he still lived.
"I will… kill you…!"
The flames burned even fiercer.
The lifeline that should have long been severed, he clung to with his last shred of will.
A twisted willpower, different in kind from Verden's. In that alone, even a Transcendent would not be lacking.
Leonil spoke.
This time, with startling clarity.
"I am, a Transcendent."
Super-tier magic.
A massive sphere of flame plummeted.
Leonil, burning his very body as kindling, had become a miniature sun.
Though slower in speed, having poured everything into raw firepower, its destructive force was unfathomable.
'If I were alone, I could dodge…'
Verden glanced downward.
Below, Silis and the Marquisate of Esperanza's group. Further still, the islands forming the royal capital.
'If it falls, they'll all die.'
If he did not stop it, everything would be destroyed.
The materialized Silis would perish instantly, and those formed of spirit would suffer mental collapse, their souls mostly annihilated.
The very reason he had tried to draw Leonil outside—
To prevent needless, meaningless damage and sacrifice from erupting in a magic duel.
He would not discard that purpose now.
Verden lifted his head.
The sun, larger and closer, loomed above.
'Super-tier magic, then.'
Even by trickery, a Transcendent was still a Transcendent.
And this spell, born of his entire life sacrificed to fuel it.
"As expected, you'll make a proper opponent for a test."
Verden smiled lightly, his Mystic Eye gleaming.
A storm of mana surged from his heart.
Expending nearly all the mana he still had, the gray stars that had been consumed as meteors all regenerated.
Ever since obtaining Celestial Magic, Verden had sought to refine 'Meteor Shower'. At the time, to reduce its excessive mana consumption.
But after thousands of trials, he never succeeded.
It always seemed within reach, yet amidst infinite variables, finding the right answer by chance was impossible.
He couldn't even be sure an answer existed.
'For now, this degree of mana consumption is no issue.'
Still, whenever he had spare time, he continued experimenting.
The efforts he had already invested were too great to abandon, and any breakthrough in refining Celestial Magic would be a tremendous boon.
So Verden pioneered Mado.
Though still only half-complete, it was enough to pierce through blocked paths.
'I can command three stars in total.'
Each was a finished spell. Using the potential inherent in Mado
Thus two Mado combined, birthing a new star's magic.
Verden spread his left hand.
Mana surged into currents, shifting Alhena's night sky.
The countless stars in the darkness traced straight lines, curved paths, and at last circular orbits. Together, they formed a massive flow.
Space warped.
The spiraling streams of stars converged into his grasp, fusing into a single star.
In the pitch-black void, gray light pulsed softly.
"..."
Verden silently extended his left arm.
A small star advanced, piercing space.
Compared to Leonil's crimson sun, it looked tiny, insignificant—yet within it was the essence of the stars.
'This is my trump card for facing Transcendents.'
Star and sun finally met.
A tiny flash flared between them, devouring all light. A shadow deep and dark as an abyss swallowed the world.
But there was no need to fear.
The darkness before their eyes would last only a moment.
For the star that became the current, that became the torrent, would at its end leave behind a radiant light.
The star's explosion, Supernova.
────!
Irresistible gray light erupted.
Alhena's night sky vanished in an instant, and even the twilight heavens beyond were dyed gray.
At the same time, the waves of power born of star and sun spread outward.
And the world collapsed.
***
Nature, with clouds drifting lazily.
The sound of air splitting tore apart the stillness.
───Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
A figure crashed down, and a corner of the royal castle crumbled.
The shadow in human form smashed through the roof, tearing down corridors and stairs from the seventh floor to the first.
Through the gaping hole in the ceiling, cool air and warm sunlight poured in.
A mound of rubble formed from the building's remains.
It heaved once, then shattered to pieces with a thunderous crash. Inside the small crater lay Verden.
"..."
His appearance was in tatters.
His ashen hair was thick with dust, a scrape marked his left jaw, even Ainber had been partially damaged.
The inside of his cheek was torn, the taste of blood bitter in his mouth.
Ptoo. Verden spat blood and stood.
'I'll need more distance before using Supernova again.'
Its power far exceeded predictions.
What's more, instead of canceling with the super-tier magic's explosion, the forces had merged, magnifying it.
Indeed, knowing something in theory and experiencing it firsthand were worlds apart.
Having gained new knowledge, Verden stepped outside.
Mana drain and injuries left his body sluggish. Yet the endless blue sky and fresh air welcomed him.
This was no longer Silis's mental world, but reality.
'Seems the mental plane couldn't withstand the impact.'
As expected.
From the sky, Verden looked down at Capital Retia.
First Prince Valrgna, the Marquis of Esperanza, Edmon, and others lay unconscious in the plaza. The fleet of airships hovering above was likewise silent.
Not a single one had regained their senses.
But it seemed their spirits were unharmed.
Their sleeping faces were utterly peaceful.
'Leaving them will be fine.'
Verden turned toward the royal castle's center.
Though Eznoren Castle had been mostly destroyed in the mental plane, here it stood intact. A quiet breeze brushed his skin.
Then, Verden stopped.
On the shattered avenue, submerged in a pool of blood, lay Leonil. As Verden approached, the state of his body was utterly wretched.
His lower half had been obliterated.
His once-lengthy beard hung bleached and half-gone.
What remained of Leonil was only his upper body, head and right arm still attached. Even that was breaking down, exposing bone and organs.
And yet, he still clung to life.
Eyes turned milky white.
Leonil muttered vacantly.
"I… am… a Trans… cendent…"
"Still prattling about Transcendence?"
Leonil's right hand still gripped his staff.
Even as his body was carved apart in real time, he had protected the Witch's Heart. Refusing to descend from the realm of a Transcendent.
Persistence that refused surrender, madness surpassing reason.
A lifetime poured into his dream, a desperate yearning.
Leonil's obsession, born of countless human experiments to overcome his natural limit.
Verden extended his hand.
"Worthless."
Crunch.
Two blue beams pierced Leonil's head and heart at once.
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