Surviving as a Villain at the Academy

189 – Flipping the Magic Tower. (8)

Everyone who beheld Salus was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the young girl. Especially those who knew the power emanating from the girl was far from ordinary.

The master of the magic tower felt a massive shock shaking him. Had he been careless, the magic power would have scattered, nearly shattering the carefully constructed magical formula.

What exactly is this girl bound in chains? What kind of being is she to emit such an overwhelming aura?

It’s hard to breathe. As if I’ve seen something I shouldn’t have. As if I’ve peered into an abyss not meant for human eyes.

“What exactly are you?”

How many times have I muttered that today? The master of the magic tower could only express his confusion at the incomprehensible situation. No, it was more than just confusion.

He could feel a creeping dread raising its head. Goosebumps spread all over his body.

This being should not be looked upon. It’s an existence that should not be allowed in this world.

Merely looking at it, beyond intimidation, it stirs the survival instincts deeply embedded in the core of life like mad. What kind of being is this?

It seemed like an embodiment of death itself.

Even the archmage, with his lofty spirit, felt his mind bend in an instant. What about the other mages?

“Ughhh…”

“Ahhh…”

He glanced around surreptitiously. Sure enough, his subordinates were either unconscious or lost in madness, screaming incoherently.

This was the price for looking upon something humans should not. Of course, with such a being present, the inspection team wouldn’t be safe either… The problem was that they had all lost consciousness due to the effects of this side’s hallucinatory barrier. The barrier had been lifted, but its aftermath could not remain.

It was a setback.

Naturally, as the magic of the other mages was deployed, the shared magic power diminished, and the force of the magic directed at Praha naturally weakened.

The momentum of the red hue that had surged was now ebbing away like a tide, losing the force that had once dyed everything around it.

But I cannot give up just like that.

If I give up prematurely upon facing an indescribable being, wouldn’t all the years I’ve lived, my life, be in vain?

I wanted to live, and even more, I wanted to delve deeper into the art of magic. I yearned to research higher forms of magic than this red wave I’ve unleashed, to reach the pinnacle of magic.

The instinct to live, merged with determination, blazed fiercely, leaving something within him.

Before he became the Tower Master, he was confident he could overcome any wall. But now, aged and weakened, he faced walls with despair.

His tampering with the forbidden was born from that frustration. Yet now, he had to overcome the wall by any means. To live.

His instincts, pushed to the extreme, his determination to see the end of magic, momentarily shattered his limits, allowing him to glimpse beyond the wall.

The crimson hue deepened. The once-fading tide of color surged back with a ferocious intensity, sweeping through the tower’s interior, staining everything around.

Eventually, the tower’s interior was shrouded in complete darkness. As if it were manifesting his current desires into reality.

What he desired was the annihilation of his foes. His magical power responded to his will.

Ssssssh-

The tower’s interior, now steeped in darkness, moved according to the Tower Master’s intent. Like a barrier imbued with power. But this was no simple barrier.

Precisely, it was not something to be merely called a barrier. It was a small world he had constructed.

The Tower Master felt his magic boiling within him. With this power, perhaps he could confront that being. Hope was rising.

The world he constructed, a world that moved at his will.

He felt as if he had become an omnipotent being. The spells that would have been impossible before were now naturally taking shape.

The world, darkened by shadows, moved at his gesture, advancing towards Praha.

-Oh.

Asti, witnessing this, let out a soft exclamation of admiration. Indeed. Had he transcended the wall at the brink of death? Asti had seen such cases quite often. The human survival instinct sometimes pushes one beyond their limits.

But of course… there is no power without a price.

If the Tower Master’s body had been young, he could have made that power entirely his own.

But he was old, and frail. When the human spirit transcends the body, usually…

“Cough!”

Yes. That’s what happens. The spirit and body must harmonize to wield complete power. His spirit glimpsed lofty heights, but his body was not a vessel fit for such mighty power.

Perhaps the Tower Master realized this too. That’s why he was obsessed with eternal life.

But… it was already too late.

-Pitiful.

Asti murmured thoughtlessly. How tragic humans can be.

* * *

Darkness approaches. In that brief moment, the Tower Master displayed a power that seemed to transcend the wall, a force of a different dimension. I, too, thanks to Asti’s rigorous training, have a considerable knowledge of magic, so I understood all too well what was happening before my eyes.

This was not a simple barrier or a pocket dimension.

Literally, it was a world he could control at will, a magic possible only for one who had surpassed the great sorcerers. Within it, the Tower Master would likely become a being close to omnipotent.

But still…

[Do not be afraid.]

Salus’s voice steadies me.

“…Yes.”

There’s no need to fear. The opponent has crossed the barrier. But I saw it with my own eyes. The body of the Tower Master is slowly crumbling. Probably, the power he wields is too much for his flesh to bear.

[At best, it’s just an imperfect world like the inner realm I created. Take up the sword, Praha.]

Salus takes my hand and guides it towards the sword.

[Cut through it. If you could even slice through the sky-cleaving sword, you can do this.]

Her words become my will, lingering in my hand. A sensation that starts from my fingertips sweeps through my body like a tidal wave. It feels as if my body has shed a layer, becoming lighter.

I grip Salus. The sound of clinking chains is heard.

Kwaah!

Even in that moment, the Tower Master’s magic was approaching me. It seemed as if the entire world was hostile, rushing towards me. Dark, murky ink was spreading, slowly enveloping the world.

Without hesitation, I recall a single sword strike etched in my mind.

The sword strike shown by the noble hero Bellator from within Salus.

Sky Splitter.

Suddenly, a strange sensation lingers in my hand. As if it’s telling me to follow suit. I knew why I felt this sensation.

Bellator’s soul, residing in Salus, was showing me the way.

I entrust my body to this sensation. As if I’ve repeated it thousands, tens of thousands of times, my body naturally assumes the stance. It’s different from the posture I usually take, but the sensation feels all too familiar.

Led by this feeling, I move the magical energy.

Wooong!

Salus in my hand and my body resonate, feeling as one.

[Now.]

Bellator’s voice echoes in my ear. Without hesitation, I swing the sword.

Not the greatly weakened Sky Splitter I faced in the inner realm, but the Sky Splitter of the distant past, as it would have been unleashed, unfolds from my sword.

The noise stops. The world that was gradually staining and overwhelming me blinks into black and white.

Light, color, sound. But amidst it all, there was something I could feel.

The sensation of cutting through something.

Sshhk.

Belatedly, the sound of something being sliced is heard, and all sensations return to normal.

I lift my head and look forward.

The Tower Master, split in half, lay dead without a final testament. His fallen body on the ground, in a way, resembled that of a stuffed beast.

Perhaps it’s the most fitting end for those who have strayed from the path of humanity.

With that thought, I looked around.

The interior of the magic tower, once speckled with color, was now a ghastly sight. Of course, thanks to Asti protecting the unconscious gratitude team, they were unharmed.

The other magicians of the tower… it seemed they had all perished, swept away by the tower master’s magic.

“…This is going to be a headache to clean up.”

“Well, that’s something your father will take care of.”

Asti, seemingly satisfied with my victory over the tower master, looked at me with a deep smile.

“Thank you for protecting everyone. It would have been a disaster without you.”

Considering the magicians of the tower had vanished without a trace, engulfed by the darkness, it’s likely they all would have died without Asti’s power.

“I’ll collect my dues for the hard work tonight.”

“I’m a bit worn out today.”

“I’m fine with tomorrow too.”

“Salus, you’ve worked hard as well.”

I glanced back and spoke to Salus.

At my words, she smiled faintly without a word.

[I had fun too, after a long time. I’d like to stay a bit longer, but I’ve used quite a bit of power… I need to rest a bit.]

“Alright.”

Her figure began to blur gradually. It seemed like her own way of resting.

“…Now, how am I going to explain this?”

Looking at the chaos inside, I felt a bit overwhelmed about how to report this situation to the gratitude team.

“Just tell it as it is, right? Honestly, I’m glad everyone was caught in the hallucinatory barrier.”

“Why?”

“Probably no one here could have remained sane after seeing Salus. Especially not your father.”

“…Ah.”

“I felt it when we dealt with that chimera magician before, but Salus is like an embodiment of ‘death’ itself. Ordinary people would be in danger just by encountering her. It’s fortunate they all fainted because of the hallucinatory barrier.”

“True. That makes sense. Anyway… I realized something while facing the tower master.”

“What’s that?”

“I think I’ve become incredibly strong.”

“That’s only natural after all the effort you’ve put in.”

“Though it’s thanks to Salus’s power…”

“Even that was your doing, Praha.”

“Well, that’s true.”

I laughed awkwardly.