Ep 116. Long Time No See. (5)

  A rather familiar sight was unfolding before the dragonlord’s eyes.

  After summoning a translut piece of chalk, Karas began to expin – just like his lectures from before.

  Although, a royal pace wall had to repce the chalkboard. But it did the job.

  “There are rgely two reasons why Lavnore is sidered the worst mage to walk the star – the first being his uanding of magic as a discipline.”

  Writing a basic spell formu on the wall, the crow professor then proceeded to summon a sphere of water levitating above his palm.

  “In rge, what mages learn is a version process from formu to spell: interpreting a formu, then f a spell accly. This is the foundation of using magic. However, in Lavnore’s case, the reverse also be established.”

  With a small flick, the sphere of water in Karas’ hand was soon repced by a sphere of fire.

  Following suit, the professan to write out fireball’s spell formu on the wall.

  “A reverse version from spell to formu. This is only possible with a thh uanding of magiature, and even for the gifted few, the practice is normally limited to basic spells. This is because advanced spells tend to grow expoially more plex in their formus. Only two individuals were ever capable of perf this reverse version with ease…one of them being the Akeian emperor, Amadeus Lavnore.”

  When Karas flicked his hand once more, even the fireball disappeared from his hand.

  “By verting others’ magito a formu, Lavnore is then able to adjust and improve upon said magid because he’s able to perform this reverse version on any magic at will…he came to imitate even the dragonkin’s magic. Further, he succeeded in verting a dragon’s very existeo a cept spell.”

  Serenis narrowed her eyes at the professor’s st remark.

  She’d seen cept spells before – but the ones she’d seen were objects, an interpretation of a passing myth end. They’d never been based on liviies, much less a dragon.

  And, even if such a thing had actually occurred, the question remained:

  “…How?”

  The professor meekly shrugged in his answer.

  “…During the empire’s invasion into the Dragon’s Valley, there was a dragon by the name of Ephea that led the tribe through their flict. After it had bee clear that Lavnore couldn’t be stopped by magic, she drove him away using brute forstead. But in their ensuing battles, Lavnore’s uanding of Ephea and the dragonkin tio grow. This uanding was then used in f experimental spell formu, and…before long, he was able to sculpt a w cept spell based on Ephea. After that, even brute force couldn’t drive him away.”

  “…”

  ‘This is what it was, then.’

  Bruton had mentiohe emperor ‘imitating’ a dragon’s true form. It was starting to bee clear what that had actually meant.

  After a brief pause, the professor tinued on with supplementary details.

  “Talent alone wouldn’t have made Lavhe threat that he was at the time. He was, in his words, merely human; his body and mana were both severely limited. The sed reason why Lavnore is sidered the worst mage in history is because he’d eventually overe these two restris on his own.”

  “…Is that not because he’s nourished himself with the kin’s strengths? Eline had said as much.”

  “It probably is, at least in part. Even back then, he was keen on assuming a dragon’s powers as his own. But even before fag the dragons, Lavnore had experimented with alternative methods of overing his human limit. The first solutiouro were mana pills – I’m assuming you’re familiar with these?”

  “densed mana designed for ption, yes? I’ve seen them being sold in Partivine.”

  “That’s correct.”

  After sketg an outline of a person’s body, the professor then drew a small circle within it.

  “As you said, mana pills are just that: densed mana. They’re desigo quickly teract the er’s maion. The problem is, our bodies tend to reject rge amounts of external mana directly entering our own circuits. This is why it’s reehat you take no more than one pill per day. The sed will usually incur a stinging pain across the entire body, and the third often causes the circuits to explode, killing the individual.”

  “…Then that’s ly ‘overing,’ is it?”

  “It wouldn’t be, no. Hence, Lavnore devised a way to circumvent the body’s reje.”

  Afterwards, Karas proceeded to draw a simir picture beside the first. Only this time, the person’s eyes were crossed out, signalling that they were dead.

  “Ohe body dies, ion occur to external mana. Lavnore uses this principle to restore his mana indefinitely: after overdosing on mana pills to replenish himself, he suicides each time.”

  “…What?”

  “…Of course, I say suicide, but it’s closer to shutting down the heart for a time. He prepares a spell in advao shock himself back to life just about when the body finishes harnessing the pill’s mana.”

  “…Shock?…is that not dangerous? What if the shock fails?”

  Karas shrugged back to Serenis’ question.

  “Then he dies. It’s a method only the insane could attempt – there’s no actual guarantee a shock spell would restore the heart’s activity.”

  “…”

  “Well, that’s his way of batting mana issues. However, he is vulnerable for a time during the method’s employment. Even if he appears dead, it’s best you exercise caution.”

  “…I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Now, as for how he overcame aging and other physical limitations…this is quite simple. Do you remember the artifact Aldrid made you?”

  “Do you mean the bracelet? I’ve left it with Patrick before departing the city…”

  “Yes, exactly that. You see, humans sider Aldrid’s artifacts priceless treasures due to their vitalizing effect. There are two others besides the bracelet you were given. One is a family heirloom that beloo Caldon’s monarchy, and the other is…”

  “…?”

  Karas briefly hesitated before finishing his senteh a guilty expression.

  “…A ring that Mother Nature is said to have gifted to the dragonkin. Obtaining this ring was a key reason behind Lavnore’s decision to invade Dragon’s Valley.”

  “…”

  “After acquiring the two treasures…Lavnore ceased to age. In fact, he lost age to return to his prime. I don’t recall him ever being ailed by a siess or poisoher. But versely, should these artifacts be taken away from him, his age should return to normal.”

  Serenis nodded her head in sile this point, she was too tired to be surprised about every little thing.

  Somehow, without even doing anything himself, reasons to kill this Akeian emperor was tinuing to grow.

  ? ? ?

  “Give it back!”

  “Hmph. To think a corpse would demand from the living…”

  No matter how many times he sshed, Aymeia’s fmes tio strike at him. And the ensuing attacks were apanied by a small realization.

  ‘…She was never using her divinity.’

  Regardless of their current appearahe Twelve were all of mankind at birth. After extrag their divinity, it was only natural that they’d return to the powerless human beings that they once were.

  But as far as he could tell, Aymeia was gaining strength, not losing it. Despite the huge, bleeding cut stretg across her shoulder and chest, the deity seemed unbothered in the slightest.

  “…It’s time you returo dust, Aymeia.”

  The assaint’s bde was once again coated in a veil of light, striking into the star deity’s stream of fire. The strength behind the strike fanned out tenfold, colpsing aire mountain behind them.

  But this time, Aymeia’s fmes refused to dissipate to her assaint’s attack.

  Instead, they held fast onto Aymeia’s body as she danced around the bde’s length, striking ba return.

  “Give it back!!”

  Whear deity stretched out her hand, a small ember ignited into her palm. Uhe e lights shroudihe ember retained a pure, white color.

  And as the ember expao shroud Aymeia in a veil of white fire, the earth sizzlih her began to pletely melt, turning to an expanding pool of va.

  The man reflexively covered his face from the intense heat.

  Despite g direct tact, his clothes were beginning to lit afme; it was as if the entire viity was slowly turning to a living hell.

  But for those watg the se from afar, the spectacle of white and e fmes was nothing short of beautiful.

  “Oh my, I didn’t know she could use that…are you sure you want to though, Aymeia?”

  Seeing the white ember his creation had summohe Reaper’s lips turo a wry smile.

  Uhe deity that he was watg.

  “…Hf…ah…!”

  When the colorless fme began to enshroud its summoner, a searing pain swallowed her whole. The screams she’d held back for so long began to slip out of her mouth.

  ‘Just…a bit further…’

  Aymeia stretched out her burning hand towards the unmoving assaint. Her feet sunk into the va beh her as she took aep, letting out a terrifying sizzling noise.

  One more step. One more step, and she could take back what he’d stolen from her.

  But wheook her st step, Aymeia’s legs finally gave away. The deity colpsed onto the molten ground before reag her assaint again.

  And following suit, her fmes withered away to nothing.

  All that remained was a burnt, wounded girl, lying motionless on the ground before an armed assaint.

  “Hah…how ironic, Aymeia. ’t even wield your own strength properly, you? And I was just sidering that I should take you more seriously. How pointless.”

  “…”

  ‘…L…ord…’

  Despite the man’s ominous gaze upon her, Aymeia couldn’t bring herself to rise again.

  Her flowing memories began to blur out once more.

  Their face, their voice – everything became tainted, fadih waves of pain from her wounds.

  Struggle as she might, the deity could no longer keep her eyes open.

  And in the creeping darkness, she quietly whispered under her breath.

  “…I wish…you were here.”

  You always were.

  But somehow, you never were.

  Praybird