Chapter 945 – One-Step Forward

000

A quiet hallway with no one watching, and a translucent barrier unfolding within it.

It is Laila who is sitting trapped inside the wall that spreads around the altar.

After she was trapped and her companions disappeared, she went into complete concentration mode, pouring all her attention into greedily absorbing the knowledge contained in the magic book in front of her.

‘As expected, fairy magic developed in its own direction after the world of humans and fairies became separated.’

Even though she thought everything was as she expected, Lila didn’t stop turning the pages.

As if she had two brains, she has two processes: one that organizes the information that comes in from her eyes and organizes it in her head and turns it into knowledge, and the other that thinks with the knowledge gained and creates the next action. It was going on at the same time.

‘But this… What is it? Does the difference in time change the structure of magic this much?

But at the same time, there were too many tasks to clear in order to acquire and use the magic of the fairies.

The first is a magical imprint that is equivalent to turning your entire body into a single grimoire.

There is something called a ‘magic organ’ in the human body, and wizards have this magical organ more developed than that of ordinary people, and humans with a high ability to produce and use magical energy learn how to do it, and for the first time, they call themselves wizards. We will be able to introduce you.

The magical organ of most humans is the ‘heart’, and geniuses like Lila produce and operate magical power centered on the ‘heart’ just like other magicians.

In addition, wizards are able to use magic more actively by engraving the magic they have learned and been able to use into their magic organs, and Lila alone had countless magic techniques imprinted on her heart.

The capacity to engrave this magic was also equivalent to the magician’s ‘talent’.

So, in the end, a wizard’s level is made up of 30% acquired knowledge and 70% innate talent.

The difference between wizards from the same school was not simply due to how hard they studied, but also due to qualitative differences in the magic organs they were born with.

The reason why many people dream of becoming an archmage but fail to achieve it is a reality so cruel that it cannot be summed up as ‘because they didn’t try hard’.

It’s literally to the point where I have to be reborn.

So, if wizards are told that they can become stronger wizards, they will easily give up being human and try to become something else.

If you can’t change your innate magic power storage and output, how about at least increasing the engraved magic formula?

In the end, if there is a limit to the vessel called the heart, it is somewhere else.

What was born from that idea is the magic book, scroll, or magic tool.

Passing magic power through a spell written on the outside and making it effective only then was a method of creating a very primitive external magic engine.

Through this method, humans have developed the study of magic by overcoming human limitations with the help of external objects.

However, the direction in which the spirit developed magic was different.

Unlike humans, spirits are closer to ‘phenomena’.

There was nothing strange about the fact that their body structure was a little different from that of humans, but they did not borrow the power of the outside – that is, the ‘outside’ of the body, but decided to direct their development ‘inside themselves’.

What that means is – the expansion of the body’s magical organs.

Not just the heart, but other organs starting from the heart, slowly, slowly, over a long period of time.

Of course, in a living state, such a thing is impossible unless you go through the consciousness of your past life.

So, by tying their existence to a specific ‘concept’, fairies have established a system in which they are reincarnated by obtaining a new body even if they die without absorbing the soul into the spirit vein.

‘Role’.

The fact that the ‘role’ given to all fairies is strongly tied to the existence of that fairy is also because it is a means for oneself to be reborn.

And each time the body is destroyed and rebuilt, the body, excluding the heart, gradually turns into a magic organ.

As this happens, the amount of magical power that can be used and the number of spells that can be imprinted increase.

In other words, beings called fairies are a species that become more powerful wizards every time they die and are resurrected.

Of course, since they have the same role before and after resurrection, they are treated as completely different beings, so the dead fairy just disappears.

That is why there are no beings who kill themselves for the purpose of becoming stronger.

It can take quite some time to be resurrected after death.

＂… And when he becomes a fairy king, he has lived for such a long time that it is not known how many times he has been resurrected and reborn, so almost his entire body will be made up of magical organs… ＂

It is understandable that the witches who have obtained her magical power, although limited, demonstrate god-like power within Fairy Village.

However, this method could not be used on Lila, a human.

Naturally, for Lila, there is no answer to ‘being born again.’

After the accident was over, Lila nodded. She closed her book with a ‘thud’.

“It was good to know about the magic of fairies, but if I could apply it to myself, it would be a little different…”

Even as Lila thought so, she stretched out her hand toward the barrier of her magic that was blocking her.

“Collapse. I deny your existence.”

When magical power gathers in her hand with a short chant – the gathered magical power is built into magic through the spell.

And, a flower of flame flows out from the end.

＂Bloom. Flower of joy.”

A new magic created in her head after interpreting the magic of the fairies.

Lila fills up her magic with a nervous expression and waits for the flower to unfold.

However-

The flame that was supposed to rise at the same time as the flower that was about to unfold was weaker than Lila thought, and its firepower was not enough to melt the barrier that was imprisoning her.

＂Ha, as expected…＂

The magic of fairies was basically based on the premise of imprinting and using magic organs, and magic that did not do so was of poor quality.

As if Lila knew that much, she shook her head with a sigh and opened the closed book.

＂Please let me do it in a way that even humans can do~!＂

Lila sounds so tired.

How on earth did Resia or her colleagues, who visited this place in the past, break through this wall?

“Are you saying I missed something? Is this Laila Flame Watch?”

Laila nods and quickly goes through the grimoire.

Since it was a book I had already read, I remembered what was written inside, but I wonder if there is any technique that can overcome this situation.

Looking straight, looking sideways, looking upside down… Upside-

＂… Huh?＂

It was that time.

Lila’s hands stopped turning the pages of her book.

The book contained not only simple magic theories, but also illustrations to help understand those theories.

However, since most of the illustrations were in the fairy’s avant-garde style, after confirming that they did not make sense to Lila’s senses, she skimmed through them.

However, some of those illustrations had symbols drawn over them that she could only understand when viewed upside down.

＂This is…＂

A tower drawn inside a square shaped like a star.

There is only one person in this world who can use the symbol that symbolizes the wise man who protects the world.

It was the great sage, ‘Sophia’.

“… No, no, no. Even if it’s not Sophia, there may be someone who visited Fairy Village before.”

While Lila was thinking that, she thought about the relationship between Hero Lesia and Sofia, and then she swallowed and cleared her throat.

Carefully, she placed her finger over the pattern.

Then.

A keying sound is made, and the pattern begins to glow.

＂Wow!＂

Who would have thought that there would be someone who would engrave their own magic on top of an already completed grimoire!

No matter how wise Sophia is, it is like drawing a picture on someone else’s heart.

While calming her heart pounding with astonishment, Lila read Sophia’s will remain in the pattern.

[I am angry at the trouble I have suffered because of the fairies who do magic research, so I am posting the interpretation here.]

＂…＂

And then, words were heard that Sophia would never say.

[I want to make sure that my juniors who come here in the future don’t have to suffer like me.]

She talks as if she has seen the future.

Lila carefully traced her pattern and began to peruse her magic book once again.

001

The wall you have to jump over and overcome is none other than yourself.

It is said to be a kind of ‘custom’ or ‘cliche’ that appears in numerous creative works throughout the world and throughout the world.

＂Haaa!＂

When Amelia’s hammer is swung, a huge scythe is swung to cut off the opponent’s head and take her life her, as if to mirror the pure white hammer.

And, at the same time-

When she thought the sound rang out, Amelia had no choice but to step back with a look of embarrassment.

I guess he is like that too.

This was because she noticed a large crack in the huge battle hammer she was swinging in her hand.

If you swing it like this one more time, it will not be able to withstand the next collision and will break apart.

And then, her throat will be cut off by the sword that she has dug in to target her broken posture.

It may be inevitable, and you may face death.

Stepping back was not an option; it was a predetermined process.

＂Ssssscht too

Amelia once dispelled the weapon in her hand with magic, and she had no choice but to create a new hammer.

Rather than repairing extremely damaged weapons using magical power, it was more efficient to restore them with magical power, absorb them into the body, and then create them again.

The ordeal that came to Amelia, who was unable to go beyond the stone gate with Cleon, was a fight with an illusion that resembled herself in the past, when she was parasitized by her devil’s flower and ran wild.

No-

The itchy sensation flowing through her hands due to the impact from the previous collision, and the presence of heavy and cruel magical power made her confused whether what was in front of her eyes was really an illusion from that time, or if she had really brought her past self in front of her. It was

And as expected – just as he thought, he is strong.

It’s a frustrating story, but… The girl in front of me seemed to have skills that were several levels above my current self.

Is the difference in martial arts? Or is it magic attribute?

Maybe it’s both.

Taking her own barrage with ease, she slung the scythe over her shoulder, stretched out the index and middle fingers of her hand towards Amelia, who regenerated her hammer, and – with a swish – struck her. Lowering her hand from top to bottom.

Then-

＂!＂

Amelia quickly rolled over to her side due to the feeling of life above her.

Then, a huge crystal blade fell from the sky and stuck in the ground like a guillotine.

She didn’t have to imagine what would have happened if she had continued to stand there.

It was a bit one-sided to say it was a one-step battle.

Her own attack, her weapon, was one-sidedly overwhelmed and destroyed or canceled out when it collided with hers.

But Amelia does not give up even in the face of such reality.

No, I should say she can’t give up.

Because she knew better than anyone else that she couldn’t surpass herself.

And, there were eyes watching Amelia.

It was Vivian who was observing the fight between Amelia and Black Amelia from a little back.

Wearing glasses, he watches the duel between the two intently, and only blocks attacks coming at him.

I don’t know if Black Amelia didn’t have any feelings about Vivian, or if she didn’t recognize her as a participant in the ordeal, but there were no attacks aimed directly at Vivian.

Vivian, who told Amelia that she would give her advice on how to beat that black Amelia, said that she would first observe her battle.

All Amelia had to do was hold out until she found her proper method of advice, but again, things don’t work out that easily.

However, even if that were the case-

Vivian’s eyes looking at herself were different from before when she smiled and joked with Amelia.

The imprint of magical power in her eyes was shining as if it were on fire, and rather than just visually accepting the information coming into her eyes, all of her senses-

For example, eyes that seem to be reading everything at once, such as magical parts or things that would otherwise be invisible to the eye.

Feeling as if her soul and even her thoughts were being penetrated, Amelia held her hammer again with both hands and caught her breath.

And what I felt while fighting the enemy-

Also, she can’t attack indefinitely.

Of course, even though she was able to take the lead in the attack longer than Amelia, she also showed signs of fatigue, and after momentarily releasing her magic power to execute the attack, there was a slight pause afterward.

It was like her own habit, as if she was fighting with her mirror in front of her.

＂Amelia.＂

And then, Vivian’s voice was heard.

＂If you hit the weapons one-sidedly, your weapon will just break due to the lack of accuracy. If so, we need to change our strategy. You have to make sure that only your weapon touches the other person.”

Vivian said so, but Amelia looked down at her own weapon.

‘So that I can unilaterally point my weapon at the other person…’

In that case, it is also mandatory to use a ranged weapon.

Amelia herself is best at handling heavy weapons, namely hammers, but she does not know how to use a bow.

Her problem is that she herself has never made a bow or arrow with magic.

Sasha has tried making arrows and infusing them with divine magic, but she does not fully understand the structure of bows, so unless she knows how to make a strong bow, she cannot make them easily.

Like Cleon, you can make a bow-

＂…!＂

If Amelia stopped her body and continued her thoughts, she was not the Black Amelia who would just leave the gap.

In terms of time, less than 10 seconds had passed since the previous attack. Instead of letting Amelia stand still, Amelia finished her maintenance and came into her gap.

Suddenly! As she heard her voice, Amelia could see that part of her armor covering her chest had been cut away.

If she hadn’t quickly bent her body backwards, it would have been her own neck that had been cut.

Even if it wasn’t her carelessness, it was undeniably her own mistake to think too long about the enemy in front of her.

And Amelia’s gaze was not on her scythe, which had already been swung, but on the direction of her next finger.

＇From left to right-＇

Just now, the finger that swung from top to bottom was followed by a blade falling from the sky.

If so-

Whistling- Sigh!

As she expected, Amelia moved her body in the direction her fingers moved before the swung blade touched it.

Until now, if you had focused on avoiding – not this time.

Amelia kicked her off the ground and jumped on top of her.

“You already know how – you just have to learn. Because it’s not just from me.”

I’ve also heard from Cleon that it’s better not to float in the air because it basically means you won’t be able to move from that spot anymore, but-

There was nothing I could do this time.

To achieve victory rather than continuously running away from the enemy in front of you.

In Amelia’s hands, a blade of light is created.

However, it was not as long as Cleon usually held and swung.

Memories passing through her mind-

Cleon trusted the sword he wielded, but he also preferred to always have a flexible strategy.

That’s why, even if you think you’re a bit cowardly, the thing you never take out of your armament is a throwing knife hidden in various places on your body.

It is good for stealing attention, can also be used to block the opponent’s movements, and can sometimes lead to fatal injuries.

Moreover, the structure is also simple.

As long as it has a blade and is small, you can control the throwing force to make it fly in a straight line.

＇The bow is not the only means of long-distance attack! ＇

The next moment, when Amelia swung her arm, the black Amelia, who was aiming for Amelia in the air again, gave her a confused look and rotated her scythe once. 〉

A knife made by Amelia that falls off with her scythe.

But at the same time-

＂Haaa!＂

The sickle, which is wielded as a circular shield to deflect knives, cannot block Amelia’s huge hammer that strikes through the gap.

Thud! When the sound is heard, the ‘handle’ of her scythe is struck with a hammer, and the scythe falls out of Amelia’s hand.

＂…!＂

Black Amelia with a shocked expression.

Without missing the opportunity, Amelia took a step forward and swung her hammer, this time aiming for her body.

‘That’s it…!’

Thinking like that, just before her hammer touched down.

Black Amelia’s face grimaced, and the next moment, she clenched her fist and struck down Amelia’s hammer.

Then – her fist, wrapped in black magic, and Amelia’s hammer collided –

Wow! A sound was heard, breaking Amelia’s hammer.

＂—-!?!?＂

Amelia must have been embarrassed by the unexpected result.

However, this time, Black Amelia came swinging her fist at Amelia, who was so embarrassed.

Despite her embarrassment, Amelia dodged the punch and blocked it with her armored arm, replacing her broken hammer.

＂Ugh…!＂

The armor protecting her arms was broken, and a penetrating shock spread out.

What on earth made her body so hard and strong?

＂Step back!＂

When Vivian shouted that, Amelia thought to herself that she was thinking of doing the same, so she distanced herself from Black Amelia.

＂Haa… Haa…＂

Breathing heavily.

It’s good to have found a way to attack from a distance, but that alone wasn’t enough to completely break down the opponent’s defense, and the opponent was strong even with bare hands.

What on earth should I do-

＂… Don’t worry.＂

At that time, Vivian’s hand was placed on Amelia’s shoulder once again.

She comes up to Amelia’s side and looks down at her, adjusting her glasses with the tips of her fingers.

“All right. How you can become stronger. And – whether she can defeat her.”

The fairy king speaks with a confident expression.

Even if Amelia was silent for a moment at her words-

Soon she nodded.

Because she decided to believe in her until she surpassed herself by receiving her teachings.