Canis glared at the white light burning in Shirone's palm. It was an overwhelming presence. Despite his usual belligerence and willingness to face death without hesitation, he knew that even if he died, he needed to find his money.
– Harvest. I'm ready to fight. Let's stick together.
– That magic... How fast? It might be impossible to avoid.
– We can block it.
– If you can't stop it, you die. If you die, I die too. We'll have to fight eventually, but there are too many variables.
Exchanging thoughts at the speed of light was an advantage in battle. But there was also the downside of not knowing what judgment to make when opinions split drastically.
"How did this happen?"
A sudden voice shattered the tension. A shadow rushed in from the cliff like water, and a thin, old man emerged from the darkness.
It was Archmage Arcane.
He quickly assessed the situation, his expression twisted in frustration. The reason he had done so well in Ethela was because he was sure the situation here had already been settled.
Arcane had trusted Canis—no, he had trusted Harvest, who was under Canis's command.
But when he arrived, the scene was far different than expected. Lucas was lying on the ground, looking pitiful, while Canis and Harvest were being threatened by a young man.
"Sorry, Master."
Arcane wasn't the forgiving type. Ignoring Canis's apology, he coldly turned to glare at Shirone.
He looks familiar.
Shirone resembled Alpheas. Not in appearance, but in the air about him—confident and unwavering, even in the presence of an archmage.
"Did you plan this?"
"Young people are cheeky. What's your name?"
"I don't want to tell a murderer my name. Get rid of your mind control and leave the school now. Otherwise, I won't spare you."
"Heh heh heh."
Arcane laughed. He wasn't angry, but for him, the decision to kill wasn't based on anger—it was about how much fun he could have. In that sense, Shirone was ripe for the taking.
"I'm sorry, but I can't release the mind control. The disciples of Alpheas must die."
Sensing death closing in, Shirone fired the photon cannon instinctively, a wave of goosebumps coursing through him.
It was an accidental shot.
Arcane casually turned and dodged the photon cannon. He only turned back after ensuring the magic had dissipated.
"The radius of the Spirit Zone is 52.7 meters. Not bad. Pretty impressive for someone your age."
Even though it was a photon, the ideal speed of its mass couldn't exceed the boundaries of the physical world. However, the basic speed at which photons travel was faster than most things, and it wasn't something a human could easily sense. Arcane had dodged the photon cannon in an instant and calculated the radius of Shirone's spirit zone in the same moment.
Shirone gritted his teeth and compressed more photons. He was up against a master whose power he couldn't even fathom, but he had no choice. He had to stop the hundreds of students from falling off the cliff.
"Stop it, Shirone."
Ethela emerged from the mountain, her clothes torn, exposing her bare skin, and dirt covering her from head to toe.
"Don't rush into this. Arcane is a dangerous figure," she warned.
Arcane's brow furrowed. While he enjoyed their past battles, any memory of his food, which had been trampled and ruined, had long faded.
"The loser has a thick skin. If you managed to survive, you should be grateful," he sneered.
Shirone and the others were stunned. Could it be that Miss Ethela had been defeated by an old man who was little more than skin and bones? Jonah, the Bishop of the Karsis Monastery, and a certified 6th-class mage, was a formidable figure, someone whose credentials were not easily dismissed.
"This is nonsense. Teacher Ethela..." Neid wondered, struggling to fathom how it was possible. Sure, there were 5th and 4th-class mages out there, but to imagine someone more powerful than Ethela was beyond comprehension.
Shirone, supporting Ethela, asked, "Are you okay, ma'am?"
"Just a bit worn out. It'll take some time to recover," Ethela replied.
"What happened? Who is that? Why is this happening?" Shirone pressed.
"Viltor Arcane. He's an archmage who rose to an unofficial 3rd-class 40 years ago."
Shirone and the others exchanged glances, their eyes widening. Every student at a magic school knows the significance of an unofficial 3rd-class mage.
Mages are ranked on a 10-level scale, but certain ranks require a leap in honor and achievement points that makes the jump almost impossible. The jump from 6th to 5th and from 4th to 3rd are particularly notable.
A 6th-class mage is considered an executive in the magician world, while a 3rd-class mage could lead the kingdom's most important institutions. Considering that Alpheas, a certified 4th-class mage, was the principal of a private school, it was clear just how powerful Arcane must be.
"Arcane holds a grudge against the principal. He won't stop until he gets what he wants," Ethela explained.
"You're talking too much. Complaining to your disciple won't make you any better off," Arcane said coldly.
"I'm not concerned about winning. I'm a teacher. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my students," Ethela responded, unwavering.
"So, what will you do? Do you really think you can stop me now, after failing to defeat me with all your strength?" Arcane taunted.
"Your bluff is too much, Arcane," Ethela retorted.
Arcane's expression darkened.
"True, I couldn't stop you. But you also don't have the mental strength left to focus on battle, do you?"
Ethela's statement was partly true and partly false. In reality, Arcane's magical power, after casting the Dark Family spell, was only 10% of his usual strength. But that 10% came from an Archmage, and it was enough to overwhelm the exhausted Ethela and her students.
"Times have changed. I called you here because it was amusing, but you didn't even know your place and dared challenge me?" Arcane sneered, raising his magic power. He had enough to defeat Alpheas, and that was all that mattered. Calculations were unnecessary in his world view.
"Master, leave it to me," Canis interrupted. Abyss Nova was a massive spell that consumed more mental power than most mages could ever attempt. Even if Canis cast it, he wouldn't be in peak condition afterward.
Arcane looked at Canis with a sharp, displeased gaze. He could not tolerate any challenges to his authority, even from his disciple. But after a moment of thought, he turned to Shirone with a curious expression.
"Hey, sweetheart. Are you a disciple of Alpheas too?"
"Don't call the principal by his name, even if he's a murderer," Shirone replied sharply.
"Heh, so that's how it is. You seem to respect him quite a bit," Arcane laughed, the mockery clear in his voice.
Shirone didn't feel the need to respond. How could he not respect Alpheas? The principal had opened his eyes to magic and was the one who had brought him, a commoner, into the magic school.
"It doesn't matter if you're an Archmage or a 3rd-class. Compared to the Headmaster, you're nothing but an amateur," Shirone said, resolute.
Arcane laughed heartily, but his eyes blazed with fury.
'Alpheas. How long have you been hiding behind false pretenses? Don't you know you don't deserve anyone's respect?'
Making a decision, Arcane nodded.
"Alright. Let's see how the disciples fare. Canis, fight him."
"Yes, thank you, Master," Canis replied, finally feeling at ease. This was his chance to make up for his past mistakes.
However, Harvest had other thoughts.
– Canis, think again. It's better to leave this to Arcane.
"What are you talking about? I've already disappointed Master. Now, even if I die, I must defeat Shirone."
Disagreements before a battle were never a good idea.
"Harvest, answer me. No matter what, you can't give up now. We will fight without hesitation."
Harvest remained silent. He was embarrassed because he'd never been in this situation before, but he couldn't show any weakness with Arcane watching him.
Using the Dark Fort, he instantly appeared where Shirone was. Shirone cast teleportation and flew off the cliff, trying to minimize the impact on the students.
"Ha! Are we really going to have a dogfight?" Canis grinned, his voice filled with excitement.
The night sky, covered in darkness, was not a disadvantage for Canis, who had moved to the Dark Fort.
On top of a 1,000-meter-high cliff, the two began to unleash their full power while soaring through the air, reminiscent of every battle they'd fought.
Shirone condensed seven photons in front of him and fired them all at once. The Photon Cannon, activated in the Infinite Realm, was many times stronger than before, but the recoil was just as great. Each time he cast magic, his consciousness faded a little more. The Infinite Realm, which overwhelmed his opponent while also draining his own mental strength, was definitely a double-edged sword.
"What... is that?" Ethela murmured, staring up at the sky in shock. She had never seen such a powerful photon output before.
A blinding beam of light from the Photon Cannon split the night sky, like a golden pen drawing on a black canvas.
Iruki and Neid were captivated by the beam of light. Firing such a powerful photon cannon with a single shot was like turning Shirone, a human, into a weapon.
"It's impressive," Ethela commented. "But... is that okay?"
"I just have to believe in it. He did well during the presentation," Siana replied.
"But this is different. It's a fight for survival. Shirone might cross a line without even realizing it."
Ethela turned to the two of them and asked, "What do you mean? Are you saying Shirone has been to the Immortal Function before?"
"Yeah? Oh, that's true... It seems like he does it whenever he's bored these days," Siana answered casually.
Ethela sighed. She couldn't believe that Shirone wouldn't be more cautious when warned that his life could be at risk. But, if it weren't for his passion, such rapid growth wouldn't have been possible.
Canis was stunned as he dodged the flashing bursts of the Photon Cannon. He couldn't believe it—why wasn't Shirone showing any signs of exhaustion? It felt like his mental limits had been completely erased.
"Harvest! I'll handle it this way!" he shouted, but there was no response from Harvest. The silence felt ominous—this had never happened before. Canis knew Harvest well enough to understand he wasn't the type to stay quiet during battle, especially not because of a simple disagreement.
"Harvest! Answer me!" Canis called again.
A Photon Cannon whizzed past him as he focused on the mental channels. He tried to react quickly, but it was too late. It wasn't that he had missed the shot, but rather that it had never actually hit him.
"What?" he muttered, confused.
Shirone fired more than ten flashes of light, but the aim was still off. Canis finally understood what was happening. The flashes were extinguishing all the darkness in the air that could reach the Dark Fort.