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INFINITE MAGE

Chapter 98: To Infinity (1)

Viltor Arcane made a disgruntled face.

"Hmph. Are you praising me? Even passing dogs would laugh."

"Are you sure you're alright? You might have restored your mental strength with Abyss Memory, but it's merely an illusion of the brain. If you plan to exert yourself further, I cannot guarantee your life."

There's no free lunch in magic. The mental strength restored by Abyss Memory was an equivalent exchange achieved at the risk of brain death.

"So what? You're trying to stop me?"

"If you step back, we can end it here. Perhaps it’s your last chance. Since everyone's still safe, I can make this offer. But if you can't let go of your obsession, you'll have to pay the price."

"Hahaha! As always, eloquent with your words. Pretending to care, but in the end, you only think of yourself. Do you think stepping back will cover up your past? It's too late. Everyone here, and even those affected by Abyss Nova, are listening, so you can't remain as the headmaster anymore."

Shirone glanced at the students who had lost their memories. Once the magic is released, everything that happened here would be remembered. Even if the battle ended safely, it was undeniably a serious situation.

"Ha! Now you realize the situation? How about killing everyone here? Then I might consider covering it up for you."

Alpheas Myrhe slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.

"What a joke."

"Then how about coming with me? I'm giving you your last chance. Shouldn't you continue the legacy left by Erina? Look at what I've achieved. Behold, the magical creature Harvest!"

Shirone and his companions looked where Arcane was pointing. Harvest lay on the ground, crumpled like a rag.

"…Well, it's a bit unsightly now. But anyway, the experiment was a success. With your help, we could achieve even greater results. And that's exactly what Erina truly wanted."

Hearing Erina's name, Alpheas's eyes flashed coldly.

"Master, please be sensible."

Finally, Arcane revealed his murderous intent. The seemingly casual conversation was, in fact, meaningless. From the beginning, they were doomed to be irreconcilable adversaries.

"Do you think you can beat me, headmaster? Don't make me laugh. As smart as you are, you've always made foolish decisions, Alpheas."

The mass of darkness in the sky again formed into a fist. Alpheas slowly raised his hands, preparing to cast his magic.

"No, this is right. One foolish decision is enough."

Alpheas compressed photons in his palms. Seeing the Photon Output, a basic light mage skill, Arcane snorted dismissively.

"You think you can stop me with that? You've weakened, Alpheas."

"Only trying will tell."

"Haha! Weren't your least favorite words, 'try before knowing'? Where's the Alpheas who used to say that, knowing everything in advance?"

"A mage lives in the future. Though my courage has waned, I've not only aged. Do you think I wouldn't have calculated your 40 years?"

"Ho? You foresaw this day? And prepared nothing but Photon Output?"

"Let's end this."

Alpheas raised his hands to the sky, compressing the photon into an almost dust-sized particle. Meanwhile, Arcane swung his fist, and the massive Might of Darkness plummeted to the ground. This strike was to vent 40 years of frustration.

Shirone and his companions watched in disbelief as the Might of Darkness descended with incredible speed. When viewed up close, it was much larger than expected.

As Alpheas's arms slowly descended, they split into dozens of afterimages, puzzling those watching.

'What's this?'

The afterimages of Alpheas moved excruciatingly slow. The photon, once compressed in his palm, disappeared in an instant. During this time, the Might of Darkness had not yet covered half the distance.

Shirone couldn't move a finger, let alone breathe. Time was moving slowly. Only a tiny photon was moving at the speed of light.

The photon plunged into the vast darkness. Like a ripple in water, the wave slowly expanded in the slowed time.

And then, in the next moment.

Flash!

A powerful explosion of light obliterated everything. The Might of Darkness was torn to shreds, spreading throughout the Magic Academy. The brightness diminished from the center, eventually dissipating like a ring.

As time returned to normal, Shirone and his group looked up at the sky in astonishment. The pale moon hung in the night sky where even the clouds had vanished.

'What kind of magic was this?'

It was neither a physical force like Photon Canon nor a persistent effect like Shining. It was a spell designed to explode with the strongest light at a moment's notice.

Arcane's expression twisted.

"Alpheas…"

"Big Bang. A spell I'm hesitant to report to the Association, but fitting as a parting gift, I believe."

"Indeed… You haven't just been running away for 40 years."

Arcane realized Alpheas's intention. It wasn't a counter to dark magic, nor to surpass him. Alpheas had honed Big Bang for this moment, this situation, for 40 years.

"Not bad, for someone like you."

Arcane's knees hit the ground with a thud. The aftermath of Abyss Memory had severely diminished his brain function.

"Lucky you, Alpheas. A 50-year bet paid off. Defeating the great Viltor Arcane will surely raise your fame. Do you aspire to become an archmage?"

Alpheas shook his head. Even in such a moment, Arcane clung to his pride, the driving force behind today's Arcane, yet it also seemed pitiful.

"Master, you're no longer an archmage. That title belonged to you 50 years ago. It's been enough time for a 10th-grade novice to become a 2nd-grade archmage. Our era has ended. The world has changed, and we're too old for ambitions. How can you not see that?"

Arcane's temples throbbed with veins. Even though he had lost, he wasn't prepared to be lectured by his disciple.

"Why do you think you're the arrogant Alpheas? You probably think you're caught in unfortunate circumstances. Let me tell you the truth. You're not a genius. You're just a half-witted mage who runs away from misfortune."

Arcane forced himself to stand on trembling legs.

"Old? I became an archmage at your age. Be honest. You lack confidence. You're just making excuses because you can't climb any higher, right?"

"Climbing up isn't the only thing that matters. With age should come the right reflection. But Master, even now, you chase after sweet ambitions like a boy."

"Hahaha! Foolish Alpheas! What are you so afraid of? Take a step back and look. There are no absolute imperatives in this world!"

Arcane's body erupted with a terrifying aura again. Realizing he had erased his memory again with Abyss Magic, Alpheas's eyes widened in shock. One use of Abyss Memory might be bearable for the brain, but a second was almost certainly fatal.

"Foolish old man! Are you intent on dying?"

Arcane responded with a sneer and cast Might of Darkness. The shadows under his feet expanded to cover the grounds, lifting the amnesiac students into the air and moving them towards the cliff.

Alpheas couldn't help but feel terrified this time.

"Stop it! It's just meaningless slaughter! What do you gain from this?"

"The satisfaction of victory."

"Fool! At your age, you still want to win! Do you think you'll always remain a boy?"

"Foolish Alpheas. Listen well."

In his final moment, Arcane spoke with a confident smile.

"A mage is... an eternal boy."

The 400 students caught in the Might of Darkness were flung out over the cliff like scooping water with a ladle. Alpheas couldn't comprehend it. Using the mental strength exchanged for his life for such foolishness.

'What drives you? What has this senseless belief brought you?'

Regardless, now was not the time to worry about Arcane. Having expended all his energy on the Big Bang spell, Alpheas quickly turned and shouted.

"Save the students!"

As soon as the order was given, Thadd transformed into a flash of light and flew off. Shirone followed, with Nade and Yiruki using Teleportation to reach the cliff. There were 400 of them. It was impossible to save everyone, but even thinking such was a luxury in this dire situation.

Midway down the cliff, Thadd created a wall of air with his magic. But to cover at least 50 square meters, the wall had to be thin.

Eventually, the weaker parts of the wall gave way, and students began to fall.

Below Thadd, Yiruki and Nade were active. However, it was too late to turn the situation around. From young children to graduating adults, many were falling. Tears welled up in their eyes.

"Damn it! Damn, damn!"

Through his blurred vision, Yiruki looked up at the sky. A star in the night sky twinkled, then a streak of light descended vertically.

"Shirone!"

The light passed even Yiruki, continuing downward. In Shirone's eyes, a girl with red hair came into view.

"Amy!"

Hearing Shirone's voice, Amy turned her head. Such a response should have been impossible under the influence of Abyss Nova, but Shirone called out again, holding onto a sliver of hope.

"Amy! Snap out of it!"

'Snap?'

Humans are thinking beings. Not thinking is harder than thinking. But under Abyss Nova, which blocks memories, the source of thought isn't provided.

"Amy! Amy!"

Yet Amy could think.

Because she was Amy Karmis.

"Amy! Wake up!"

'Annoying. Please stop.'

"It's me! Shirone!"

'Shirone?'

What did that mean? It was an unknown word. But Amy couldn't let go of the three-syllable word tickling her brain.

'What is it, what is it? What was it? So curious.'

Amy kept thinking. Electricity spread across her cerebral cortex, searching for information. Suddenly, one pattern sparked, and the meaning of Shirone surged through her.

'Ah, right. Shirone! It was Shirone.'

Amy sighed as if suffocating, relieved. Simultaneously, her eyes ignited with a red glow, activating the power of Red Eyes. Abyss Nova burnt away in an instant, and memories flooded in.

'I’m such an idiot! What am I doing right now?'

Her trait was Red Eyes, academically known as Autographic Memory.

The Karmis family, when their red eyes manifest, can revert to a specific state.

For example, they could store the action of swinging a sword and infinitely repeat it with no deviation. Moreover, like Schema, being in the realm of feeling allows for immediate error correction.

'One mistake is the seed of growth; two mistakes, a disgrace to the family' – this adage confidently reflected their belief.

'What's my current state?'

Using her Autographic Memory, Amy analyzed the discrepancy at a neural level. She was under the influence of gravitational acceleration. Her body was tilted at an angle of 87.6 degrees, and her heart rate was 1.6 times faster.

'I'm falling.'

That didn't particularly bother her. Shirone was descending in a streak of light. Recollections involving him surfaced. How could she have forgotten Shirone?

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