Ch13 - Withstanding and Facing

The city didn't stretch out that far, it was just a small section of it with a couple of buildings surrounding me.

In the distance, all I saw was an ominous misty aura.

Mana fluctuated, I felt tendrils of it shooting and twisting toward me. 

It came from a large building top as if an eldritch beast of mana had just appeared.

I looked up,

Lucas was standing right there striking some dumb pose with a smile etched across his face. 

He held his handgun, which had snapped back into normal position, and pointed it directly at me.

Or so I thought. 

A loud bang and a flash of light shot from his gun. 

[Space Magic: Hardened Space]

Red, deep thick red.

My eyes widened in shock at what Lucas had just done.

It wasn't the first time, not even close, but even then.

Heavy blood splattered against my shield of space dripping down smacking against the floor,

not my blood.

The blood of a civilian. 

A person Lucas created and

killed on just a whim. 

"Lucas..."

"What? They're basically my creations."

[Advent of The Phantasmagoria] by far the strongest unique skill I've seen so far. The ability to turn illusion into reality. 

But just how real is it?

Do these people matter?

Do they have memories? Do they have lives? A conscience? 

Or are they just puppets that move as they were asked to?

Thoughts ran through my head slowly flooding each and every part.

"What gives you the right? To act like a god for these people?"

Helpless, weak, not strong enough. That's what I saw in every single last one of those people.

And I could relate.

With my eyes, open in shock, all I saw was–Lucas standing there.

His deep brown eyes were filled with utter amusement as if he were a kid playing with the next superhero action figure.

His black hair blew in the wind and that smile,

A smile that showed no malice, no mockery, just utter child-like amusement.

This set-up, I knew what it was for.

'He wants to push me. Push me to my limits, shake me, show him destruction.'

That was his plan, his goal, his performance. 

To fight against utter strength, to fight against a power that seems unreachable. 

"I can tell. Those eyes. You've figured it out."

"Do you think you can withstand it?"

"It's not about withstanding it, Lucien. It's about facing it. Facing it against all odds. Reaching towards the unreachable."

My hands shifted and moved, my indexes and thumbs made interlocking rings, the tips of my ring and middle fingers touched, and lastly my pinkies curled in.

This hand sign, it's the one I use the most, but it's true purpose is to push [Singularity] even faster.

To unleash just one attack, your mana would instantly drop to zero, no matter how much I'd have. 

"Cut."

[Space Magic: Sever]

The air didn't blow, nor did the trees blow back from the force.

Noiseless, absolutely noiseless.

It was if time had stopped, but people kept moving along.

The "pedestrians" nobody had noticed, even Lucas stood there awaiting the power he'd face.

But it had already hit.

Have you ever seen the Tokyo Sky Tower?

I visited it with my friends as a tourist attraction.

That same very building fell to the floor, and all the buildings that Lucas recreated had a large slash mark running across them. 

The little section of the city he recreated with just at max ten buildings, people chatting and walking.

I had no clue just how in-depth this world was.

For all I know the buildings could be completely empty. 

I could've seen the insides if not for

76%

 ⬇

0%

[Unique Skill: Singularity]

***

"Ugh..."

"You missed the second semifinal match, you idiotic kid."

"Professor Dunkirv?"

There he was standing there, his circle-framed glasses and emerald-like eyes.

He looked incredibly young for his age and, by far one of the most popular professors.

In his mouth, smoke rose as he exhaled, a small white cigarette hanging from his mouth.

'Nicotine-addicted professor.'

"Should you really be smoking in front of a patient?"

"Shush, you're really testing my patient-ce, you know?"

A stupid grin appeared on his face as he made the stupidest pun possible.

"Ugh just kill me now."

I looked around, it was the same room they put me in last time when I passed out. 

'I really need to stop passing out from mana exhaustion.'

Every time I've fought in this tournament, I've collapsed from mana exhaustion. 

"Ah"

"Huh?"

"Who won?"

"You, obviously."

"No for the other match."

"Oh, Henry."

Henry had never faced Lily in the novel, I wondered how it would have turned out.

'With [Abyss], it was probably an absolute breeze for him. Even magic gets devoured before it.'

The next match, the finals.

'Could I win? Against it, the abyss.'

Would the abyss devour me like a starving beast? 

I had no clue. 

Bright glistening gold hair.

A man sat at the doorway waiting for Professor Dunkirv's leave.

His deep blue eyes unlike Christina's light blue ocean-like eyes were a deep blue as if sapphires embedded themselves in his face.

"Mikhail?"

"You did well out there."

'Hah.... Really? He wants to recruit me.'

"Anyway, join me."

"No."

He reached out his hand and I didn't take it,

instead, he just stood there.

His eyes observed me like a predator watching its prey.

He paused for a moment but then pulled back. 

"Hhahh... Maybe learn how to use [Radiant Bloom] before you make a deal with me."

"Hah, duly noted."

He chuckled slightly, whether it was fake or real, I didn't know,

but he adverted his gaze looking towards something else. 

"Well, you'll be there to teach me how to use it, won't you?"

He said his harmonious voice trailing off as he spoke. 

"Of course, I'm a one-in-a-millennium mage."

***

"Lucien"

'White.'

It was the first thing I noticed. Snow-white hair that mirrored Lily's and for good reason.

Because her brother was standing right in front of me. 

I instinctively caught a small item he chucked at me. 

'The orb.'

"That's burning hot, dude."

The moment I caught it, the surface of the orb was searing hot, and

it almost burned my fingerprints off.

It had a bright yellow glow like a little ball of sun in my hands. 

"Listen here, Lucien. I'll change. I'll prove the world wrong."

[Space Magic: Pocket]

"I'll face the world, no matter how many challenges come my way."

A metallic clang echoed on the concrete flooring that led all across the academy. 

A small silver spear from my spatial pocket was on the floor. 

"Then face it. Start anew. Learn from Lumen or something. It's one of the easier weapons to learn."

The spear, a weapon used by rookie soldiers for its long range, and ability to be able to used decently without too much training.

Swords are considered better for one reason, mana. Swords are just much easier to infuse mana into for a multitude of reasons.