ARC SUMMARY:
In total, the attack on Theta Magic Academy lasted almost 9 hours. Beginning with the start of Theta Magic Academy's culture festival, the students were forced to put up with nearly 9 hours of straight combat, with little to no breaks. In terms of casualties, the total number is somewhere around 200. For reference, nearly 700 students were present during the 'Castle of Dreams' event. On the side of the Fangless Python, their entire force that was sent to attack Theta Magic Academy was defeated. Now you may be wondering, where did the massive portal gun fired by Riko and Ayung send them?
Somewhere. I'm sure we'll find out soon.
Your next question may be, did they survive?
Maybe.
And finally, you may be wondering if Himitsu is alive?
No....
Reason behind the Arc's Name: I decided to name this volume Castle of Dreams for two reasons. The first had to do with the theme of everything. Suijin and the student council wanted to set up a fairytale world with their culture festival. Something so mythical and magical that it would never be forgotten. And they succeeded. Essential transforming Theta into a castle of Dreams. However, I also wanted to add an aspect of 'fairytale gone wrong.' I named it Castle of Dreams because it not only gives off that mystical vibe I was hoping for, but it also sets up a bit of an ominous atmosphere. The second reason was because it quietly served as the name of two major areas in this arc. Raiden's own internal Castle of Dreams and Theta Magic Academy.
GENERAL INFO:
Now, allow me to wrap up a few things that may have been skimmed over.
Kaguya and Perseus's battle ended in a draw, as Perseus received an order from Prometheus to retreat.
The bodies of Greed, Pride, Eve, Aergia, and Wrath were all taken in by the Mages Association in order to analyze how the 'delusions' affected their bodies.
If you were wondering, the Delusions allowed for these five to wield abilities that literally bent the rules of magic.
Wrath's ability was to wipe things from existence completely.
Greed's ability was to store things in his own vault. (It is a separate dimension, like reality marbles.). And it is infinite.
Shindo and Phi were right about Pride's ability. It literally places him in a separate room from people and things that he views as below him.
Aergia's ability worked a lot like Sukuna's cleave and dismantle. With any movement of any part of her body, she was able to let out invisible shockwaves of force.
Eve's ability allowed her to have complete control over anybody that lusted after her, or loved her. She did purposely name and set up her servants to resemble Marvel characters. They were conscious the entire time; they just didn't have any control over their own actions.
All of these delusional abilities were born from past trauma that these people experienced. When they interacted with the Witch, she fostered that trauma into an ability that would help them bury it away. It was a toxic method that led to the formation of a toxic ability.
And yes, delusions can only be obtained through interacting with a higher being.
What is a higher being? That is any figure that is above the level of human. They are mythical, and if they descended in their true forms, they would drive people insane. Ex: What the witch was doing to Raiden, Hikaru, Aura, and Shindo when she appeared in front of them in her true form.
You may think that's a good thing, because it will be obvious when one shows up; however, they can lower the divinity of their bodies in order to blend in with humans.
Meaning that anyone could be "a higher being."
However, I will give you one hint.
All higher beings have 1 connecting factor. Whether that be a personality quirk or physical feature. They all share it, without exception.
And hint number 2: you have seen, and will see, more than you think.
I have also been entertaining the idea of writing a backstory for each and every one of the 5 individual witches' subordinates. I had already started with Greed; however, I decided against writing them because I felt it slowed down the pacing too much. However, now that the volume has been concluded, I'm considering writing them as extra chapters. Vote in the poll below for whoever you'd like me to do first.
One more question that you may have is, who is Ariel? What are her goals? Why is she an enemy of the witch?
Unfortunately, I'll have to plead the fifth on that one. However, you will find out in due time. Don't worry.
VOLUME 3: The Seven Star
Now, moving on to what to expect for the next volume.
It will be called "The Seven Star." Just like this volume, its name has a double meaning. Of course there's the surface-level event that I've named the arc after; however, there is more behind the arc's name than you'd think.
This arc will bring us back to the daily magic academy life (I'm sure you've missed it, after all that nonstop action), in which we will see the characters and the world in the process of healing.
As the name suggests, we will focus on the Seven Star Magic Academy Tournament. That means I'll be introducing the other 6 Magic Academies and their students, plus their cultures.
Political and social tensions will be high during this volume.
The Seven Star isn't the only major event happening either.
I'm sure you remember the little hint that Shindo dropped in his introduction.
The 10 Grand Magic families of Japan will also begin to hold their own events.
Political and family rivalry, as well as family tensions, will be high. New factions will appear.
Antarctica will become more important.
Prometheus will become more active.
The Axiom Church's role in the world will become more defined.
And most importantly, we will see the beginning of the disasters that Ariel warned Raiden of.
The Witch of Vainglory will make her first major move using Raiden's heart to unleash disaster upon the world.
And so the question becomes,
Can Raiden take back what's his before it becomes the end of him?
That's the end of the extra chapter.
Leave any extra questions you want me to answer down below.