Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 244

Chapter 244

The Witch (11)

***

Arcaneum, Kanadan Academic District.

Boom!!

Suddenly, a thunderous noise shook the ground, causing students who were walking the streets after school to scream and fall to their knees.

“Kyaaah!!”

“E-Earthquake?!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

It was natural to think of an earthquake when the ground shook, but this was Arcaneum, the floating city.

Natural earthquakes do not occur here.

“My, how noisy~”

Hyeijin whistled as she watched the scene from the top of a building.

As she did so, a question arose.

“Is that really a witch?”

Witches don’t fight in such a noisy way. Since manipulating illusions meant having almost no effect on reality, they usually fought very quietly without leaving traces.

“Moreover, that…”

Hyeijin frowned as she looked at the translucent glass-like fragments rising from the center of Arcaneum.

The spatial fragments that had shattered like cracks in the air formed a kind of barrier field, preventing Arcaneum’s magic defense team, which had belatedly arrived, from even entering.

“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like illusion magic.”

But that was undoubtedly illusion magic. Hyeijin, who was more proficient in illusion magic than anyone else, could tell.

That’s why it was even more suspicious and fascinating.

“An illusion that affects reality. Is this what it’s like when a witch reaches her peak? Seems incredibly powerful.”

-No. It’s completely different.

“Huh?”

At that moment, when a voice came from somewhere, Kaen and Hyeijin simultaneously turned their heads to look at the empty air.

There, a translucent red sparrow was flapping its wings.

“Metler…”

-Yes. It’s me.

Hyeijin slightly furrowed her brows as she looked at the red sparrow illusion.

Its official name was ‘Psychometrer’, and he was a mage and operator belonging to the Tower of the New Moon with the special ability to read the memories of objects.

He usually receives situation reports like this by sending illusions to relay missions from headquarters to the tower master, design operations, handle post-processing, and manage supplies.

“I thought you were busy. What brings you here?”

-It seems the mission is taking an unexpected turn, so I came to check the situation directly.

“What about Cheonrian?”

-There was a target we had to intensively monitor for the past few days, so I worked overtime. It was quite a headache because the target had dimensional movement abilities.

“Geez…”

Hyeijin scratched her cheek and said.

“So, what do you mean it’s different? Are you saying that’s not illusion magic?”

-It is illusion magic. But, Hyeijin, you know what happens when illusion magic reaches its peak, right?

She nodded and looked at the fragments of the brilliant glass pillars raised by the unidentified witch.

‘The illusion of a witch at her peak is indistinguishable from reality.’

Metler spoke in a low voice.

-So, how does it look to you? Does it seem indistinguishable?

“Well… it looks real, but if you look closely, an illusion is still an illusion, right?”

-Right.

“I mean, illusions don’t work like that.”

Hyeijin mainly used magic that applied illusions to the opponent’s body, which was also the most basic way witches used magic.

Making the opponent’s body feel heavy or summoning a giant dinosaur that only the target could see to make them faint.

This was illusion magic that had no effect on reality but could have an infinite impact on the target alone.

However… the magic of the witch causing a commotion in Arcaneum now had a very different nature.

-That… is illusion magic that affects reality.

“…No way. That’s impossible.”

Hyeijin shook her head in disbelief.

“That’s the ultimate illusion magic. It should have been completely lost after the Last Witch disappeared…”

-That’s why I’m surprised too. I can’t believe something like that can actually exist.

She recalled the magic she knew with a dumbfounded expression.

‘An illusion indistinguishable from reality.’

And one step beyond that.

‘An illusion that affects reality.’

Good heavens. She looked at the scene unfolding before her eyes again with an expression of disbelief.

“Is that legendary witch… alive?”

Kaen shook his head.

“It doesn’t seem to be exactly that. Look closely. Does that level seem like the Last Witch’s magic to you?”

“Huh? Umm?”

Hyeijin narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the illusion barrier.

That magic interfering with reality was certainly impressive, but if asked whether its level was high, that wasn’t quite the case.

At best, it was similar to or slightly higher than her own level. It was laughable to call it the Last Witch.

“It’s probably a descendant or hidden disciple of the Last Witch.”

“Ah…”

Finally understanding the situation, Hyeijin exhaled excitedly.

It was her first time encountering a witch, and to think it was a descendant of the Last Witch.

“This is getting… more and more interesting…”

Unlike the excited Hyeijin, Kaen had a somewhat negative thought.

‘An abnormal ability.’

What’s the difference between an illusion that can interfere with reality and ‘reality manipulation’? Wouldn’t such an ability come with some kind of price?

Space-type magic, which seems overpowered when considering only the magic category, has the drawback that pure magic casting mental calculations are almost impossible, so it always requires gathering several high-class mages or carrying a magic book to write directly.

The flame type, which has the most destructive power, has the drawback that it’s difficult for the caster to control its form, and the water type has the drawback of reduced effectiveness in places without water. Every attribute necessarily has weaknesses.

Then, what could be the limitation of illusion-type magic?

“The priority is to break into that barrier. Have you found a way, Metler?”

-Sorry, Kaen. I haven’t found one yet. The mages at headquarters are currently analyzing the magic circle as much as possible, but it’s not easy since it’s witch magic. What about you, Hyeijin?

“Huh? Well~”

Hyeijin tilted her head.

Honestly, although she used witch magic herself, this was her first time seeing another witch’s magic, so she couldn’t really distinguish what was what.

‘How to break through something like that…’

It was a higher-dimensional magic circle, one step more advanced than her own magic. With her current knowledge… no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a way to break through.

“I can’t see an answer…”

It was frustrating.

There was a witch right in front of her eyes, but she couldn’t even approach the situation.

-You probably know, but there’s a high chance that the boy named Baek Yu-seol is fighting fiercely inside.

“Oh.”

-Ah.

-I don’t know much about illusion magic, but I think it would be difficult even for Baek Yu-seol to withstand the Last Witch’s magic.

If that was the case, they needed to break through the interior as quickly as possible and join the battle against the witch, but not being able to do so was frustrating.

“Then how…”

“Who’s there.”

Swish!

Just as Hyeijin was about to let out a low sigh, Kaen suddenly pointed his staff somewhere and summoned a wedge to throw.

Thud!

“W-What?!”

Belatedly taking a step back, Hyeijin raised her staff and discovered the uninvited guests behind them.

There were two girls.

Despite the wedge Kaen threw stopping just 0.1mm from their eyes, they looked this way with calm expressions without showing any signs of agitation. Their faces were familiar to Hyeijin as well.

“Oh, oh? Aren’t they those kids?”

-Kaen, stop. Don’t touch those two girls.

Flame, and Aiselle.

Special girls born with the fate of the stars.

However, Kaen didn’t withdraw the wedge and asked.

“What business brings you here?”

In the first place, Kaen and Hyeijin move without leaving any traces. It’s impossible for mere students to detect their location.

Moreover, since they distorted space and perception, ordinary people shouldn’t be able to look at or enter this place, so it can’t be explained as a chance encounter.

In other words, these two girls came here with some purpose after breaking through their barrier.

“Nice to meet you. You know me, right?”

“…Yes. I’ve seen your face before.”

“I know you too.”

“What?”

Kaen frowned at Flame’s words. He shouldn’t have left any traces of his identity, name, or anything, and should have been recorded as a dead person, yet a mere high school girl claimed to know of his existence.

“You know me?”

“Yes. You’re a mage from the Tower of the New Moon, aren’t you?”

At those words, Kaen’s eyebrows twitched, and Hyeijin smiled with a stiff expression. Meanwhile, only Metler spoke through the red sparrow with a voice full of amusement.

-Wow, this is a bit surprising.

He thought they weren’t ordinary, but to think they even knew about the existence of the Tower of the New Moon.

“You…”

-Kaen. You’re not planning to kill them for knowing too much, are you? Don’t do that.

“…I wasn’t planning to.”

-Well, I can understand. From recent investigations, there’s even news that she’s in a relationship with Baek Yu-seol.

At Metler’s words, Flame’s expression changed strangely, and Aiselle’s face crumpled, but he paid no attention.

-Moreover, just like Baek Yu-seol, or perhaps even more so, these two girls are special too… so there’s no need to be surprised at every little thing like this.

Convinced by Metler’s persuasion, Kaen nodded to some extent.

Metler’s judgment had never been wrong, so the choice to let these girls live must be correct as well.

As Kaen withdrew his staff, Metler moved the red sparrow closer to the girls and asked.

-Hello? I’m Metler. So, what brings you here?

“We want to help.”

Aiselle spoke a step ahead.

-Help? What kind of help?

“We know how to break that illusion barrier.”

-…Really?

“Yes. But… we don’t have enough power on our own, so we came to ask for help.”

Flame definitely knew the method. However, it required a considerable amount of equipment and a very high level of complex magic, so the help of the Tower of the New Moon was essential.

-Help…

Metler tilted the sparrow’s head and pondered for a moment.

Seeing this, Flame swallowed dry saliva. She knew from the original light novel that agents from the Tower of the New Moon had come here. However, there was no mention of directly encountering them, so from this point on, even she was completely in the dark.

If something really went wrong here and she was killed by the agents of the Tower of the New Moon, she would have nothing to say. They were that dangerous.

-Alright.

Fortunately, Metler’s concern wasn’t about how to deal with Flame and Aiselle.

-Actually, I was a bit confused about whether we’re giving help or receiving help. Let’s consider it mutual assistance. Sounds good?

“…Was that it?”

-Hm? What’s wrong? I think this part is quite important.

Aiselle sighed and shook her head at Metler’s words, which had a very different perspective from ordinary people.

What does it matter? They finally found a way to help Baek Yu-seol.

-Okay. Shall we get started then?

***

Crash!

The wall crumbled and scattered into the air like a flower. However, it was actually hundreds of blade fragments. Even a slight graze would cause at least a serious injury.

‘This is a bit dangerous…’

[Blink]

Quickly leaping into the air, Baek Yu-seol swung his sword. The invisible waves condensing in the air split, revealing a gap, but Melisher shot transparent spatial wedges through that gap.

Clash!

As it collided with Baek Yu-seol’s blade, it shattered into pieces, but as a result, his wrist swelled up painfully.

Boom! Boom boom!!

The ceiling collapsed.

Baek Yu-seol tried to gain the high ground while avoiding each pillar, rubble, and spatial fragment.

“Hahaha… I see. Your blink has a limit, doesn’t it?”

Melisher raised the corners of her trembling lips.

Her mana had long since hit rock bottom.

Even focusing enough to use proper magic was difficult, but she couldn’t possibly lose to a mere student who hadn’t even lived 20 years.

‘Blink, it’s certainly unique.’

That ability to instantly traverse space was an incomplete magic that no mage in the world had ever mastered.

That’s why she was very flustered at first, but it seems there’s a limit to controlling blink.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t need to dodge or struggle to block, right?”

If he could use blink without limits, he could have neutralized all attacks with teleportation and then approached to stab with his blade.

He could have even used other magic.

But he didn’t.

Or rather, he couldn’t.

‘His only means of attack is that sword. I just need to be careful of that.’

She just needs to not allow any distance.

Baek Yu-seol’s blink range is at most 10m.

She maintained a distance of at least 15m while collapsing the space.

No, to be precise… she was collapsing the illusion that made up this entire space.

‘An illusion that affects reality.’

She understood clearly now.

Illusions don’t work on Baek Yu-seol at all. None of the mental magic she used had any effect on him.

But what about this magic left behind by the Last Witch?

Could he really escape from the great Last Witch’s magic that affects even reality?

‘Last Witch. You were wrong.’

She couldn’t believe there was a being the witch feared despite having such a perfect ability.

Perhaps the Last Witch was just great as a pioneer who discovered new magic, but not particularly outstanding as a person.

‘Or… maybe I’m even more exceptional than the Last Witch!’

As she struck her staff on the ground, trees sprouted from the floor. Baek Yu-seol avoided it with a light backstep, but suddenly human palms bloomed from the tree branches, spreading in dozens of directions to envelop him.

Slash!

The illusion was easily cut by his swordsmanship, but from where it was cut, an anaconda’s head sprouted and bit Baek Yu-seol’s shoulder.

Crunch!

Despite the pain that should make him lose consciousness, he swung his sword without changing his expression, beheading the anaconda and charging forward.

“Ha, even if the damage accumulates, can you keep using such a reckless method?”

What a stupid fool with no strategy whatsoever.

Click! Bang!!

“Ugh!”

Occasionally he would throw strange magical tools to erase illusions or scatter them like a fan blowing away dust, and there were dangerous moments due to witch hunter-like magical tools, but it wasn’t a problem.

She had anticipated even such variables!

“Just die already!”

The water from the underground sewer surged up to become a giant dragon rushing towards Baek Yu-seol, and trains protruded from both walls to ram into his body.

Each time, he would dodge or cut them with his sword, but he couldn’t block all the damage.

“Cough…”

Her mana was starting to run out.

But it’s okay.

Before her mana reaches its limit, Baek Yu-seol will collapse from exhaustion first. Baek Yu-seol, who has already taken a lot of damage and is exhausted, versus herself who has only lost mana.

It was obvious who had the advantage without even checking…

‘…Huh?’

But something was strange.

‘Where did the wounds go?’

Surely Baek Yu-seol’s shoulder should have been crushed when bitten by the anaconda earlier.

But there were no wounds.

‘No, no. That can’t be.’

Direct illusions don’t work on that boy. That’s why she switched to using illusions that affect reality as her combat method.

He actually avoided or blocked the attacks, didn’t he?

If illusions didn’t work on him, he wouldn’t have needed to do such troublesome things.

But.

Baek Yu-seol didn’t look tired at all.

‘What’s going on?’

The witch’s mind went blank.

End of Chapter