Light and Darkness, Good and Evil

"Haha! Do you even have the nerve to worry about my share? Stop wasting time and get on with it."

'Please.'

As Saad cast the light magic, a single beam pierced through the darkness of Alpheas' memories.

Drowsiness crept in, and Alpheas' eyelids slowly shut.

'Is this... my life?'

Time, frozen at eighteen, began moving once again.

A guttural groan escaped from Kanis as he collapsed onto the thicket, his body reeling from the direct hit of the Photon Cannon. The shockwave had spread through his abdomen, rendering him unable to move a single finger.

If Arin specialized in mind magic, Kanis was a master of physical-based dark magic. Absorbing force was also a physical act, and the amount of impact he could absorb was immense. Even a grown man's hammer swing would feel like a mere child's punch against his Dark Skin.

However, the sudden attack from the Photon Cannon had exceeded his expectations in destructive power.

A murky voice rose from Kanis' shadow.

"Kikiki, you really took a hit, Kanis."

"Harvey... what exactly hit me?"

"Not sure. But from what I felt, it was mass. A tremendous mass that flew at you at incredible speed and struck your abdomen."

"Light has no mass."

As a combat mage, Kanis had studied opposing attributes, and he was well aware of photonic theory.

"Of course. But energy exists. And energy can be converted into mass. Your dark magic functions in a similar manner."

"That's only within a closed system— a mathematical reduction. Something's missing. For this level of power, there must be another medium bridging mass and energy."

The murky voice responded nonchalantly.

"Well, looks like he found it."

Kanis remained silent.

Though separate entities, he and his shadow shared a single mind. Sensing Kanis' displeasure, the murky voice reluctantly admitted.

"He's strong. Unique, too. I didn't expect to find someone like him in a magic academy. Arcane must be furious."

Satisfied, Kanis slowly got up.

Assessing an enemy's strength was the first step to victory. For the first time, he had encountered a worthy opponent, and his body was heating up in excitement.

"We can win, right, Harvey?"

"Kukuku. Kanis, if you want it..."

The shadow beneath Kanis stretched, extending its long, spear-like arms wide open.

"There is no enemy we cannot defeat."

Shirone stared into the darkness of the forest.

He hadn't seen Kanis cast Dark Skin, but the lingering afterimage imprinted in his eyes sent a warning signal.

As expected, when Kanis emerged from the forest, Naid, who had been observing the battle, scowled.

"Damn it, he's completely fine?"

Iluki spoke.

"Naid, the sun is setting."

With nightfall, the power of dark magic would reach its peak. Iluki cast an illumination spell.

With Naid's help, two glowing orbs lit up the sky.

Even so, considering the high-speed combat of mages, visibility was still poor.

"Tch, I guess this will have to do."

At that moment, Kanis cast his own illumination spell.

Three orbs now glowed, but rather than relief, Naid felt even more uneasy.

"What are you thinking? An illumination spell?"

Kanis smirked.

"What's wrong with that? No matter what branch of magic you study, photonic theory is essential. It's fundamental for teleportation."

"That's not what I mean! Light is a weakness for dark mages! Why are you willingly crippling yourself?"

Kanis burst into laughter.

"As expected, students from magic academies are naive and rigid. No magic is without weaknesses. The key is knowing how to compensate for them. This illumination spell is proof of that. Arin, fire another."

It wasn't baseless confidence— even the cautious Arin obediently cast another illumination spell.

"....."

With four glowing orbs, the brightness now resembled daylight.

Still dissatisfied, Kanis turned to Shirone.

A light mage with an unusual energy source. If his illumination magic was used, it would create the perfect stage.

"Hey, why don't you fire one too? I'm expecting it."

Shirone had never learned illumination magic. During his studies of teleportation output and Photon Cannon, he had no time to invest in other spells.

Just as his friends were about to intervene, a luminous sphere rose above Shirone's head.

The sheer brightness overshadowed the others' spells, leaving Naid and Iluki speechless.

"..."

Given his deep understanding of photonic energy, the theory was feasible. But instantly succeeding in casting a spell he had never attempted before? That required an extraordinary level of concentration— or in other words, anger.

Just as his friends suspected, Shirone stepped into Kanis' Spirit Zone.

Holding the entire student body hostage while spouting nonsense about a 'fair fight'— that, Shirone could not forgive.

"Satisfied now? I did as you asked. Now, do whatever you want."

Kanis examined Shirone's radiant sphere.

It was beyond student level. There had to be a mechanism incorporating mass into the light.

"Hmph."

But did it matter? No matter how strong his opponent was, Kanis was stronger.

In Radum, he had never fought anyone weaker than himself.

"Do whatever I want? You'll regret saying that."

Kanis' shadow surged forward like a raging torrent, while Shirone fired a barrage of Photon Cannons from above.

Now that he could inflict damage, he directly targeted Kanis.

Seven blinding flashes bombarded the ground, but Kanis used Dark Port to travel through the surrounding darkness.

He was so fast that it seemed as if dozens of moles were simultaneously burrowing up and down. Every time, Photon Cannons crashed into the ground, leaving the battlefield in ruins.

'I've got him!'

Shirone's eyes gleamed.

If the surroundings were dark, he might have lost sight of Kanis. But with five luminous spheres illuminating the battlefield, Dark Port's range was limited.

Predicting the one spot where escape was impossible, Shirone fired.

In the next moment, Kanis materialized right at the predicted point.

Dodging was impossible. The impact was something even Dark Skin couldn't endure.

'It's over!'

Just as everyone thought it was the end, Kanis' shadow suddenly rose up.

It stretched into a humanoid figure, elongated like a distorted silhouette.

The shadow caught Shirone's photon blast with its hands and torso, then crushed the light between its palms, causing it to shatter like a burst balloon.

Shirone, momentarily startled, landed on the ground, and Kanis' shadow loomed even larger.

"Kukuku, grand entrance. How did I do?"

With a small head but massive shoulders and chest, a tiger-like waist, and unnaturally long, monkey-like arms, the creature's build was bizarrely balanced— a sure sign of artificial creation.

"Kanis, I told you, didn't I? He's nothing special. Hey, kid, your photons were quite the treat."

As everyone stood dumbfounded at the sentient shadow, Kanis grinned and introduced it.

"The pinnacle of dark magic, the strongest arcane creature— Harvester."