Chapter 637 — Arc 9, Chapter 49 – “Magician”

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――Fulminations of purple lightning cavorted, and amidst the sky of the battlefield, Clind dashed around through a full range of motion in every conceivable direction, free from any and all obstructions.

Volcanica: [――Haahraan!!]

As if to chase the light of that thunderous blast, dragonclaws stirred the air as if a storm, ripping the empty airspace asunder each time they did so, and the resultant vacuous waves shut off the dragonkin’s escape routes.

His options dwindling by the moment, Clind restrained the Dragon’s aim to himself, and exercising caution such to ensure that its shockwaves did not reach the surface below, he maneuvered through the heavens with both prudence and boldness.

Clind: [You have managed to exceed my expectations? Wonder.]

Whilst evading, sidestepping, and cancelling out the Dragon’s tyranny head on, each and every one of its blows capable of reshaping the terrain, Clind could not help but admire the usurper’s handling of the dragonhusk.

As mentioned previously, the usurper had failed to achieve a perfect control over the Divine Dragon’s dragonhusk. ――It was something akin to granting a newborn baby the body of the Sword Saint. To begin with, it was an unreasonable matter.

Ergo, the avaricious approach taken by the usurper, electing to use even the dragonhusk as a means to seize victory rather than drawing out its true merits as the Divine Dragon, was something that impressed Clind, further increasing his reverence for the strength possessed by weak humans.

However, when the battle began to surpass his expectations and drag on, he realized. ――Far exceeding Clind’s expectations, the usurper had adapted to the dragonhusk, all while still continuing to grow.

Clind: [I heard that you had also contended with the Sword Saint and Sword Demon to reach this point. Understanding.]

Even while possessing the Divine Dragon’s dragonhusk, the usurper had accreted battles against powerful individuals who could not be so easily defeated, and had thus drawn out a rather powerful degree of its potential as a dragon. From the brilliance of the dragonscales and dragonhalo that defended its Heartstone, that could be perceived overwhelmingly.

Clind: [The potential of humans… Heartfelt devotion.]

To boast as if they were perfected existences, just how comical was the way of being of Dragons?

For what reason had the Dragons, as the strongest of lifeforms, lorded over the surface as if they owned the place? ――The answer to that lay in their massive, unapologetic footsteps, so Clind believed. They asserted themselves with might, such that nobody would be able to avert their attention from them. Such that they could not be ignored. That was what had made it look as if the Dragons were the most important beings who resided on the surface.

Hence, when they lost their place upon these lands, the Dragons had disappeared beyond the Great Waterfall.

Clind: [――――]

Although he knew it to be an inappropriate sentimentality, glimpses of the past flashed through the dragonkin’s mind.

Heavenly skies were rent asunder into numerous rifts, amidst gigantic crags and lumps of ice that heaved up roaring winds as they flew past each other, slipping through the accumulation of shockwaves numbering ten, twenty, Clind’s mind went to four-hundred years ago―― he envisioned the figures of his brethren, flying away as they were ousted from these lands.

That day, those who had remained in these lands were either ones who had strayed from their weyrs or who were eccentrics; the Dragons that had fled beyond the Great Waterfall were considered to be in possession of sound thinking and judgment, but if Clind were to be asked, he would give the opposite answer.

The reason why Dragons were the ultimate lifeforms, was because their lives had been designed to be the most strong. In that case, a Dragon must always keep learning in order to never relinquish that seat, and must always continue to grow.

Was the fact that dragonkin had been conceived not proof in itself of that way of being belonging to the Dragons?

Clind: [Above all, are they truly not aware of it? ――Snicker.]

Channelling the purple electricity surging around him into thunderous discharge, Clind pulverized the clods of rock and ice tessellating the sky in the realm of hundreds, and concentrated the Dragon’s attention upon himself, before looking down at the ground.

And present there――,

Ezzo: [――The dragonscales and the dragonhalo, so those were the Divine Dragon’s contrivances to render your trump cards powerless, knave?]

Roswaal: [Rendered powerless, that is a bit of an upsetting way to put it. I would rather you described it as having been rendered ineffective, or rendered harmless, you knooow~.]

Ezzo: [Is this really the time to be finicky over such worthless things…!? The simultaneous invocation of differing attributes, was that an application of the “Two Attribute Intersection Theorem”? But, if you mix in a third variety, then how do you keep the convergence pressure of fire and wind under control?]

Roswaal: [It is rather elementary. Simply affix that convergence pressure as the nucleus. It is possible to correct for the imbalance birthed in the technique from the mutual interference by applying fire if the third element is water, and applying wind if it is earth.]

Ezzo: [You’re saying to make use of the helical interference of attributes!? Absurd, if attributes of inverse phases were to clash, the technique would cancel itself out, and it would easily exceed the critical deviation of the Gate… extreme compression, is it!?]

Roswaal: [Ho, I did not expect that you would be able to arrive at that conclusion on your own merits. From how it appears, you have formulated a rather novel technique, even though you seem to be self-taught… no, upon closer inspection, is it not founded upon a technique left behind by my House two generations prior?]

Ezzo: [Ngh…!!]

Roswaal: [By now, “Equilibrious Circulation”, which views the Mana flowing through one’s body as a torus, already ought to have been discarded as worthless in the mainstream… the materials on that subject were lost quite a long time ago, but, do not tell me, you…?]

Ezzo: [I-it takes a good amount of resolve in order to pursue the path of magic! To begin with, the book was covered in dust at a street stall! I discovered “Synthesis Circulation” from there, dramatically improving the efficiency of Mana usage in the invocation of spells!]

Roswaal: [A little audacious after stealing someone’s theory, areeen’t~ you?]

Ezzo: [I’ll admit that it served as the impetus for my ideas, but improvements and revisions are a constant for advancement! In that case, are you trying to say that you’ve never received any training or education from anyone, knave!?]

Roswaal: [――――]

Ezzo: [Don’t fall silent all of a sudden! In the first place, even if I concede some ground here for the sake of argument, it was not even you, knave, it was the accomplishment of your forebearer, the Madam Roswaal J. Mathers!]

Roswaal: [Though, she was not too dissimilar from myself, or something like that. ――Let us get back on topic. I had never thought of “Synthesis Circulation”. If you understand the main issue with the “Two Attribute Intersection Theorem”, then I suppose I have no need to explain why “Tripedal Centroid Control” is ill-suited to “Multi-Attribute Intersection Theorem”?]

Ezzo: [Are you trying to make a fool of me? Each attribute added to a simultaneous invocation multiplies the disturbance of helical interference. Even if “Tripedal Centroid Control” can reach a simultaneous invocation of three attributes, any more than that would be… no, just earlier you demonstrated control over five attributes at once, knave. How in the world did you perform that?]

Roswaal: [I see. So you want to hear the answer. Very well, I shall tell you. I believe the true pleasure of magic lies in exploring one’s own curiosity and the essence of abyssal enigmas, but since your passion is too shallow for that――]

Ezzo: [Wait wait wait wait, be quiet…! Five attributes, helical interference, extreme compression… no, that technique was using “Equilibrious Circulation”… that’s it! It’s “Tripedal Centroid Control” superimposed in parallel!]

Roswaal: [――!]

Ezzo: [In other words, you performed the simultaneous invocation of three attributes through “Tripedal Centroid Control” twice at the same time, and superimposed them before deployment! Among the second set of three attributes, you utilized the invoked Yang attribute to support your own Gate, and by fixing the nucleus as the convergence pressure yielded from the helical interference, you formulated the extreme compression between the three and two attributes remaining, resulting in that culmination…]

Roswaal: [Yes, yes that’s exactly right! That was the breakthrough that proved the existence of the “Fivefold Resonance Point”!]

Ezzo: [Are you stupid!? It only takes a single thousandth of a single instant of a single maneuver! If anything even so slightly shifts out of place in any part of the process, it would trigger a helical breakdown and spell the end of everything! Knave, that would cause a second Agzadd Canyon to form with you as its center, you know!?]

Roswaal: [But, such a thing did not happen. ――That is the towering, distant summit of this blasphemous path.]

Ezzo: [――――]

Roswaal: [Does it scare you? Ezzo Cadner-kun?]

Ezzo: [Yeah, it’s terrifying. That my own heart desires such a thing, Roswaal L. Mathers.]

――Indeed, the two magicians on the surface clashed with their diligent studies, sharpening one another.

Clind: [What remarkably lively faces. Beyond expectation.]

There was a role he had been entrusted with from the start. Hence, Clind gladly undertook the frontline in the battle against the Dragon, cladding himself in purple voltage as they violently clashed.

But, even if he had not been entrusted with that role, Clind, following his own convictions, would have likely chosen to wield purple lightning against his own former dragonhusk like this.

The way that humans sharpened and polished each other, would inevitably give rise to a brand new “something”.

Unmistakably, that was the desire of Clind―― the dragonkin of the Divine Dragon Volcanica, who had elected to be left behind in these lands, thus being deemed a heretic by its brethren who did not recognize its new sense of values.

After all, that was the stoutest pillar of the mentality that would never accept the Witch Factor of Tristitia, which demanded the stifling of potential as compensation.

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Roswaal did not know much about the one who was standing alongside him, Ezzo Cadner.

He had heard the name. As personnel who had recently joined the Felt Camp, his capabilities quickly gained him a key position within the Camp responsible for internal affairs; such was Roswaal’s understanding.

For the most part, there had also been some information saying that he was a magician, but with it having been unknown who he apprenticed and studied under, he was commonly seen as a mock magician operating privately, and since he was in fact self-taught, that perception was not very far off the mark.

However, that perception of him as a mock magician was overturned upon coming face to face with the real Ezzo, and laying eyes upon the theories that his magic were formulated upon. ――He was the real deal.

Thus, mutually understanding each other as the real deal, there was no need to exchange many words.

Ezzo: [Rest for a bit to catch your breath. I will be needing you to push yourself once more.]

As Ezzo spoke those words, he hopped down from the foothold he had made for himself to stand at eye level with Roswaal, before taking a step forth towards the battlefield and gazing up towards the sky.

Ezzo: [――――]

With the successive firings of great magic and hyper magic, further layered with the clash between Dragon and dragonkin, the stagnated Mana was dramatically perturbed, and the sky where blue had stretched out overhead was transformed into abnormal weather conditions of rainbow-hued flickerings. Amidst that scene, yet chaining were the innumerable fulminations of purple lightning as the dragonkin dashed through the sky, ever engaged in solo combat.

Even after Roswaal had fallen, unable to accomplish anything, Clind remained performing his role to the fullest――,

Ezzo: [For what reason is he fighting alone? You seem to have the wrong idea, knave.]

Roswaal: […What did you say?]

Ezzo: [You mean to suggest that a magician ought never consort with others? Nay, it is in harmony where their true worth lies!]

As Roswaal widened his eyes, before him Ezzo spoke those words, countless spheres of water floating in his vicinity.

Contained within each of those water spheres were numerous fragments of the boulders that had fallen down; at once, they all ascended up in one swift motion―― sent towards the battlefield where Clind was vehemently clashing against the Divine Dragon.

Roswaal: [That is――]

Excessive, or rather, meaningless; in such a manner did Roswaal grasp Ezzo’s intent.

It was a simple defense of the water attribute, nevertheless, he was impressed by that ability to easily control a number nigh on a hundred; however, that degree of water spheres would fail to even draw the attention of the Dragon, even if they smashed an entire boulder into it.

Rather, they could even spoil the tactics of Clind as he contended against the Divine Dragon by himself.

Ezzo: [I’ll say it once more, Roswaal. ――You have the wrong idea, knave.]

Ezzo’s declaration, and the spectacle that ensued, took Roswaal’s breath away.

The countless spheres of water he had elevated, had not been for the purposes of attacking the Divine Dragon directly. ――The water spheres and rocky fragments burst asunder from the fulminations of purple lightning, and having thus gained a foothold as he revolved through the skies, Clind accelerated a degree further.

As Clind accelerated, the water spheres guiding his path were deployed across a vast area, granting the dragonkin launchpads to make his attacks sharper, weightier, and more vehement as they bore into the Divine Dragon’s dragonscales.

The thunderous crackles and shockwaves were delivered back down to the surface, and Ezzo continued speaking to Roswaal as they basked in the wind.

Ezzo: [Certainly, that individual has the ability to engage in aerial combat by himself. But per my judgement, the original usage of that magical light is not suited to such purposes, and rather, is meant to be an astonishing defensive ability. Since he is a powerful individual of such mastery, he is utilizing it in a different way in order to fight, but if the dissipation of that power is set aside, it might be incomparable to its intrinsic might.]

Roswaal: [――. But, if you create footholds within the sky, it would instead make it more difficult to scatter its aim. Would the advantage of Clind being able to freely kick off the sky not then perish?]

Ezzo: [Do you take him for a novice incapable of switching between them as necessary? In that case, knave, it is not just consideration in which you are lacking, but an eye for people as well.]

Roswaal: [――――]

Ezzo: [Roswaal, to fight alongside someone does not mean to neglect considering all matters, and merely have faith in the other person. You entrust what you can entrust, and compensate what you can compensate. With your way of doing things, knave, even if you can achieve two-hundred by having a hundred and a hundred that do not get in each other’s way, you will never achieve a hundred and a hundred that elevate each other into a thousand.]

As he spoke of his opinion, Ezzo did not slacken from providing backup to the battle overhead.

This was a rocky wasteland with plenty of boulders to send up. The water spheres multiplied with enough vigor to permeate the sky, so even if Clind expended them as footholds faster than the eye could see, the quantity of that multiplication far overpowered it.

Volcanica: [Tch-, just when I thought things were getting too clever, turns out it’s Sensei-san!?]

Having located Ezzo as the source of the footholds being utilized, the Divine Dragon roared in anger. Crushing a hundred of the water spheres in one fell swoop of its dragonclaws, it took aim at the magicians upon the ground, and unleashed its breath――,

Clind: [I do not advise looking away, have a look at this. Demonstration.]

Shooting straight up into the Dragon’s jaw from directly below were the two legs of Clind after soaring upwards. The unreleased breath was thus detonated within the Dragon’s oral cavity, and some of its fangs could be seen flying out from the impact.

Volcanica: [You, little…hk!]

Reeling back from its own explosion, the atmosphere surrounding the Divine Dragon was rapidly filled with a distorted, warped, unstable yet mighty and authentic magical light; the Dragon was attempting to invoke the great magic it had learned through observation.

Even if Clind, who could use purple lightning as a barrier, and the Divine Dragon, who could entrust its defenses to its dragonhalo, could withstand it, if it reached the surface, Roswaal and Ezzo would not stand a chance.

Roswaal: [――In that case, the only option is to have it detonate in the sky.]

Fortunately, in addition to the Mana that had been discharged at random, there happened to be countless water spheres of magic founded upon “Synthesis Circulation” that he had been carefully observing next to him. ――Interrupting the formulation of that magic, he overwrote its efficacy.

Ezzo: [You knave, that’s my magic you know!?]

Roswaal: [Magic does not belong to anyone. Paths forwards are constantly being opened. ――A teaching of my mentor.]

That instant, Ezzo’s control over the water spheres was stolen, and they were bundled together whilst taking in the surrounding Mana to achieve extreme compression―― the great magic that the Divine Dragon had attempted to construct had been injected with self-interpretation, deliberately thwarting its completion.

Induced was the helical breakdown that Ezzo had feared―― the sky that had fractured several times during this battle, once more underwent a grand explosion of collapsing aurora.

Waves of scorching heat and zenith cold blew past them in turns, and the crags present in the sky melted, then froze, then shattered. Amidst the catastrophe, lightning scorched all of those remnants to naught, and the wind pressure blew the ashes and dust particles several kilometers away.

Ezzo: [Are you out of your mind, knave!? Your ally there would have disintegrated along with it!?]

Roswaal: [But, you protected him. ――This is the harmony you were speaking of, riiight~?]

Closing his yellow eye in a wink, Roswaal silenced the angered Ezzo.

In truth, as Clind was engulfed in the enormous explosion at high altitude, it had been Ezzo’s skills that enclosed him in innumerable layers of water, bestowing him the maximum defense from that destructive firepower.

Roswaal thought that if it was Ezzo, the latter would have correctly guessed his intentions, and performed that act. If the roles had been reversed, due to the differences in their talents and consideration, such a thing would absolutely not have taken shape; truly, it was the right man in the right place.

As expected, Roswaal was an inhuman villain. ――Only, he was merely one who still had room to improve, to revise, and to advance.

Clind: [Nevertheless, this deed makes me question the Master’s sanity. Brute.]

With that, Roswaal felt like he could hear Clind voicing complaints after having averted a crash thanks to Ezzo’s quick-wittedness, but being reproached whilst confronted with that ice-cold face, and all other such matters, would need to wait until this battle was concluded.

Thus――,

Roswaal: [Ezzo Cadner-kun.]

Ezzo: [――. What, Roswaal L. Mathers?]

Called out by his name, it was amusing how Ezzo called back to him as if in opposition. Concealing those sentiments of his beneath the makeup that had been ruined by blood and sweat, Roswaal sighed.

Then, once again training his gaze upon the Gray, Ezzo Cadner――,

Roswaal: [――I wish to have you assist me. For something that has not once transpired in this world, the genesis of a brand new magic.]

Recognizing it as a cowardly thing for even himself to say, Roswaal took the offensive. ――After all, those who gave themselves to the path of magic, could never even hope to resist such an allure.

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――In the midst of constructing a technique, Ezzo Cadner was on the verge of shedding tears in spite of himself.

Ezzo: [Stupid stupid stupid, these foolish lacrimal glands. Cease your operation now, just slack off.]

Reprimanding the functions of his own body, he stiffened his cheeks to hold back the tears.

Ezzo despised slacking off. This was because the dwarf race was not endowed with outstanding physical abilities or Gates, and many of his brethren were required to put in much more strenuous effort than other races in order to accomplish their goals. The sole grace of the dwarf race was that they had a tendency to be bestowed Divine Protections, but unlike his fellow member of the Felt Camp, Camberley, Ezzo had also lost out on that lottery, and was easily identifiable as a have-not.

Ezzo despised slacking off. This was because he was forced to live under stricter conditions than most others―― it was not. To use his dwarven ancestry as an excuse, and hold it in contempt saying “Ah, it can’t be helped”, was quite frankly unbearable to him.

If Ezzo failed to reach the goals he set for himself, it would not be because he was a dwarf.

If one allowed themself to make an excuse even once in their life, they would fall into the trap of sloth and neglect in the blink of an eye, setting themselves up to live in a slackened and unproductive spoiled manner; Ezzo knew this well.

Rather, that had been the case for his elder brothers and sisters. Ezzo was the youngest child of ten siblings, and all of his other siblings had received Divine Protections, rejoicing in the lives they lived fully dependent upon them.

He would not say it was a bad thing. Those were the lives of his elder brothers and sisters. He wanted to say it was bad, but he would not. He could bear it.

Merely, he could not bear to allow that for his own life.

Hence, when Ezzo Cadner discovered a book of magic covered in dust stored deep within a box at a street vendor, he vowed to dedicate his life to the deep inspiration it gave him, and to never make excuses no matter what.

Ezzo: [You’re the same, Roswaal… I can tell by looking at you.]

While he occupied the seat of the Kingdom’s Magician of the Court, and had multiple “colored” titles under his belt for having mastered certain magical attributes to their extremes, Roswaal did not provide guidance, nor did he ever consort with others. Even if he was skilled as a Margrave, his position as a magician had been something bought through his parentage and political strength. ――Having doubted Roswaal in such a manner, thus seeking to challenge him, was the unforgettable dark past of Ezzo.

But, in reality, upon witnessing the efficiency of construction in the magic Roswaal was deploying, and the beauty of the techniques he was materializing, Ezzo felt ashamed from the bottom of his heart.

Ezzo and Roswaal were of the same generation.

And, Ezzo had conceitedly believed that among those in similar age to him, there were none who had endeavored as much as he had. Having devoted the entirety of the time he had lived, he had believed he had touched upon part of just what magic exactly was. But that was not the case at all. ――Between Roswaal and Ezzo, in both their research and devotion to their studies of magic, it almost seemed as if there existed a difference of over one-hundred years.

A difference in talents, a difference in race, a difference in births, he would not credit it to any such thing, it was an absolute truth―― hence, Ezzo Cadner was on the verge of spilling tears of joy.

Ezzo: [――Hk.]

That there was someone who had endeavored even more than him, standing in the realm he longed for, he was glad.

Understanding, reverence, and gratitude all pounded through Ezzo’s heart, causing him, who hated slacking off more than anything, to command his lacrimal glands to slacken for the first time in his life.

With such sentiments in his chest, Ezzo once more focused his attention on demonstrating all the studies he had accreted.

When it came to magic, it was required to firmly envision the result that would occur. Thus, it was tantamount to an act that would lay everything bare about a person: what they thought, what they desired, and what they wished for.

Hence, there were no lies in magic. ――By witnessing someone’s magic, everything about that person could be understood.

Ezzo: [――Hey, you understand, right, Roswaal?]

Had those words actually been produced as a sound? Or perhaps, was it merely a deception produced by abusing his Gate more than ever before, concentrating to the point of his life eroding away?

Roswaal: […Ahh, I do understand, Ezzo Cadner-kun.]

However, contrary to his heart that doubted if it had actually been an illusion or auditory hallucination, there was indeed a reply.

The extreme heightening of Mana shifted the scenery to white, and despite being unable to hear even the purple lightning vehemently booming in order to protect them, their presences were so close to each other that it felt as though even their heartbeats could be heard.

Through a pathway of magic being weaved, the two magicians laid themselves bare, and their consciousnesses intertwined.

The days Roswaal had accreted, the fruits of his wholehearted research, and the time in which he had continued to walk by his lonesome, aiming for the summit with none ever managing to catch up to him, was imparted.

As a result of taking things too far, people would end up being isolated, regardless of their wishes. Roswaal, too, had remained by his lonesome.

But, swearing on the tears he had not allowed to fall, Ezzo had something he needed to say to Roswaal.

Ezzo: [Knave, as for how far you intend to venture all by yourself, my current self knows not. But, no matter how many people you attempt to distance yourself from, I alone shall remain different.]

If it was a combination of effort and diligent study that had delivered him to where he was, then Ezzo was the same―― nay, he could go even further,

Ezzo: [No matter how much you like being isolated, even if you elect to die by your lonesome, even if you decide to venture to a place where nobody else can ever reach, I alone will come to sink my teeth into you, knave.]

While he might not have understood the feeling of wanting to give up, Ezzo did understand the feeling of wanting to lament.

Simply doing everything he could to the fullest, before he knew it, there no longer remained anyone in his vicinity. ――There was nobody who would wish to believe such a thing was their own fault, after all.

Ezzo: [The titles of those who have mastered certain attributes to the extremes: Red and Green, as well as Yellow, are all appointed to you. Since the seat of Blue has been bestowed to Mr. Felix Argyle, only the seats of White and Black still remain vacant. ――Do you understand what that means?]

Roswaal: [――――]

Ezzo: [Do you know what it is that they call me? The Gray, Ezzo Cadner. And just what colors do you think gray is made of? ――Roswaal, I am the one who will reach you.]

Hence, the same gratitude that Ezzo Cadner had experienced, was now offered to the great magician.

Ezzo: [――This path you walk, knave, is not one you walk alone.]

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Color had perished from the sky a while ago now.

Blue had vanished from the clear azure above, leaving only a faded curtain of ash-white, and the merit of the atmosphere itself had waned, ephemeral in nature as it slowly vanished.

By a streak of light was that faded sky rent asunder. As Clind bolted forth with a belt of purple lightning trailing behind him, no longer could it be described as “jumping”, it was a force akin to kicking the fabric of the sky open.

In opposition was the colossus protected by dragonscales and dragonhalo, the dragonhusk soaring through the air with a faint glow―― each time the dragonclaws flashed, the empty sky was cleaved open, the empty rifts inundating the dragonkin alongside thunderous crackling.

Clind: [――――]

There was not even the leeway to utter a voice. Merely, purple lightning roared out.

Following that, with a beat of dragonwings, unleashed into the resultant gust of wind were countless orbs of light, gleaming in the sky. They studded the gray sky as if stardust, carving out ferocious paths as they closed in on Clind, nearer, and nearer. ――With a flash of roaring thunder, the downpour of several hundreds of light rays were impaled, and innumerable shimmers bestowed color to the desolate sky. The shockwaves from the explosions were all diffused upwards, not allowing even a single star fragment to reach the two magicians on the ground.

Volcanica: [――――]

The subsequent instant, in the truest sense possible, all present bore witness to the radiance of a star up in the heavens above.

From far beyond the faded sky, falling at the behest of a tremendous force of attraction, starlight plummeted down towards the ground in a straight line―― hesitation did not last for even the blink of an eye.

Clind: [――Hk!]

Violet voltage surged all the more vehemently, and the chaining of thunderous fulminations elevated the dragonkin to the sky in which a star was falling.

Volcanica: [――――HAAHRAAN!!]

The Divine Dragon’s breath was unleashed as a torrent of white heat that scorched the sky, however, the brunt of it was not directed at either the dragonkin in the heavens above, nor at the magicians down on the ground; rather, it soared towards a land over yonder.

The rupturing purple lightning and the Dragon’s breath intermingled with the star that had been shattered across the edges of the sky, intensely illuminating the dulled hues of heaven and earth――,

???: [――Al Sextet.]

An incantation quaked the horizon, and the heavenly skies baited their breath.

The Mana that gave this world form was bestowed with roles of six varying colors, and the power let loose began to intermingle, blending together. The interference that would have normally caused an instantaneous breakdown instead birthed a unique rhythm, utilizing the colorless world itself as an intermediary, a beautiful torus was brought to fruition.

Before long, the torrent of six colors coalesced as one, becoming a pillar that severed the boundary between heaven and earth.

The pillar of six hues did not incline to any one color in particular, rather the very principle known as “magic” merely elected its own color for the aurora of its manifestation, a light pillar that returned everything to a power engulfing all.

――Captured at the heart of that light pillar, was the colossal form of the Divine Dragon.

The resisting claws, wings, and breath, all were engulfed by nihil, and as the Dragon’s power was converted into fuel for the magic, the light pillar grew wider, emboldening it to shine even more radiantly.

The light stretched to reach the heavens, perforating the sky bereft of clouds, illuminating far beyond the highest layer of the atmosphere, casting its brilliant light even further beyond the horizon. For a moment, the laws of reality, of heaven and earth, were written anew.

――That was something that neither the Original Magician, nor the Witch of Greed, had managed to accomplish ever since the systemization known as magic had first commenced, an absolute miracle made manifest.

Volcanica: [――Ah.]

In a world from which sound had vanished, that which had resounded all too unreliably, was meager praise when compared to the events that had transpired.

But, it was enough to arrive at conviction. ――Here, the Divine Dragon’s dragonhalo had shattered.

Thus――,

Clind: [――Sealing Shackle: Unleash Third Stage.]

Sundering the aether and scorching the land, the six attributes maintained equilibrium to form a pillar, the beacon at the center of the world. And the sole thing to pierce that maelstrom of aurora, was the lightning teeming with purple hues that came crashing down from the heavens.

As if an iron meteorite that had broken off from the star, it bolted down from across the sky whilst lightning surged around its body. Legs explosively kicking off the air, it acted as a supreme arrow seeking to pierce a single target.

Its aim was the reverse scale. ――The sole weak point carved into the Divine Dragon’s neck, the ant-sized hole in the armor that boasted an absolute defense. Engulfed by the pillar of light and stripped of its dragonhalo, that was the final barrier that stood on the path to reaching the Dragon’s Heartstone.

Clind: [You have my gratitude. ――Gratitude.]

As if a comet with purple lightning trailing behind it, he firmly drove his fist forward, shattering both the sound barrier, and the protection of the dragonscales.

The brilliance of the pillar and the torrent of purple lightning overlapped, and as the impact quaked the empty sky, the sound of shattering was accompanied by a strip of light that dashed through the Dragon’s entire body.

The resolute strike entwined with the zenith miracle of magic never before seen throughout history, and bored down to the deepest depths housed within the Divine Dragon’s dragonhusk, finally striking the Heartstone that slumbered therein.

Volcanica: [――――]

Perforated by the definite blow, the Divine Dragon spread its wings mid-air and slowly looked down at the surface. Acknowledging those tiny existences that barely clung to life present there, the Dragon slashed the air as it brought its claws up to its own head. ――As if out of habit, reaching its fingers towards the metal fixtures on the helmet it expected to be wearing.

Volcanica: [Tch-, how pathetic… To end up like this even while having such a leg up, I can’t even… blame… the stars…]

Indeed, in annoyance, divorced from all the solemness befitting the Divine Dragon, cursing out in such an excessively banal manner, the absolute being that had dominated the heavenly skies was pulled by gravity, plummeting towards the ground.

Tearing through the empty sky whilst dragging the flickering vestiges of light with it, alongside thunderous noise, it came crashing down.

――That marked the conclusion against the usurper, who had stolen the dragonhusk of the Divine Dragon Volcanica.