Chapter 202
The ultimate goals of mages broadly fall into three categories.
The first is to seek the truth.
In this world, there exist rules established by the Creator, and countless incidents occur according to them. For certain mages, identifying those rules and elucidating the truth as defined by the Creator is the purpose of life.
The second is to create an entirely new dimension.
To comprehend everything about time, Space, and life, and then bring forth a new dimension—this too is the life goal for some mages.
The third is to create a perfect being, a god.
For some mages, life is spent researching what a god is, how one may become a god, and whether a god can be created, seeking to reach an unattainable realm.
And for most mages on this continent, it is the third goal that they dream of.
'A god—a being in which a transcendent body and a transcendent mind are perfectly balanced.'
At this point in time, that was the conclusion mages had reached.
A body and mind surpassing those of humans, perfectly balanced, would produce a god.
To achieve this, experiments such as Hyperhemia and the creation of refined minds were conducted.
'But all of them failed.'
Although there was Donovan, a single successful case, if the method could not be applied to other subjects, then the research was deemed a failure.
'I think the problem lies in creating the transcendent body and the transcendent mind separately. Perhaps a regular mind cannot keep up with a transcendent body, and an ordinary body cannot support a transcendent mind?'
Herote, too, had carried out experiments similar to those described above, but they all ended in failure.
She eventually concluded that the body and mind must transcend simultaneously.
'To achieve that, I need a vast amount of life force... and an exemplar.'
An exemplar.
In other words, a transcendent body and a transcendent mind worthy of emulation were needed.
And the place that could satisfy all those criteria was none other than Hernan Academy.
Eltima Cross, who possessed a transcendent mind.
Zeritz, who possessed a transcendent body.
Using them as exemplars, and utilizing the surplus life force produced by the students to create a perfect being:
That was Herote's purpose.
'Quite literally, the Magic of Ideals!'
The Magic of Ideals, to create an ideal being—
That was what she had dreamed of.
But even after decades, the Magic of Ideals was never completed.
'Something... something is missing.'
The life force was, in its own way, sufficient, and the exemplars were superb.
No one on this continent possessed a will as strong as Eltima's, and Zeritz was, quite literally, the continent's strongest.
'Could it be that there isn't enough life force?'
In the end, Herote concluded that the surplus life force from the students was not enough.
While she could gather life force from elsewhere, that would break her promise to Eltima.
Herote had no choice but to quietly accumulate surplus life force again and again.
'Someday, it'll work.'
She had even grown rather fond of her leisurely life at the academy.
It was during this time of casually collecting life force that she encountered Luca.
'So... fascinating.'
Even someone as discerning as she had to acknowledge his remarkable beauty.
And then there was his speech—world-weary, and incongruent with his appearance.
Next to him stood a mysterious creature as well.
Luca was, in every sense, an intriguing existence—not just himself, but everything happening around him.
'He's amusing, this child.'
It was only natural that someone who had devoted her life to research would be captivated by Luca's story.
Herote became obsessed with him and pursued his story.
She even embarked on adventures she would not have otherwise.
'Is this moment the result of those choices?'
If she had simply stayed at the academy, as usual, and only moved after Eltima arrived, would this crisis have come?
If she, and her companions, had been there, this predicament would never have arisen.
'For me to... be so powerless.'
It was the first time that Herote, a great mage of tier 10, had fallen into such a crisis.
Despairing in the face of this unprecedented danger, she heard Luca speak.
― Herote. I'll buy you some more time. So, accomplish your lifelong wish now.
'My... lifelong wish...?'
At those words, Herote immediately recalled it:
The Magic of Ideals.
'You want me to do it? Here?'
Just in case, she had brought the life force she'd been saving until now.
But she hadn't intended to use it for the Magic of Ideals; it was reserved for another use.
'The research is still unfinished—how...'
As she continued to agonize, Ravinia's shout resounded.
"Angel!"
At the same time, Ravinia succeeded in transcending using Waypoint's power.
With that, Herote was shocked.
'Is that... true transcendence...?'
It might not have been visible to the ordinary eye, but to Herote, it was starkly clear:
Ravinia's body and mind had reached a level of perfection she had never seen before.
She had thought that Eltima's mind and Zeritz's body were the consummate models of transcendence, but she was wrong.
There lay a realm even more profound.
It was only then that Herote understood—why her experiment had failed.
'Even they weren't perfect.'
A being made from Eltima's mind and Zeritz's body was unbalanced.
She couldn't say exactly which was superior, but either way, the balance was missing.
And even their attainments, compared to true transcendence, were low.
'... Is it even possible?'
Realizing the insignificance of everything she had known, Herote grew discouraged.
She wasn't even sure if the life force in her possession could bring about a state like Ravinia's transcendence.
'Besides, something is... still missing.'
Even after seeing the transcendent Ravinia, something was lacking.
Just a moment ago, she had believed she had witnessed true transcendence, yet suddenly, she realized even that fell short.
A truly ideal existence, nearly divine;
Ravinia did not feel like such an existence.
'Wait. In this situation... do I really need to succeed with the Magic of Ideals?'
Judging by the circumstances, Luca was on the verge of killing Agreas.
Even if she didn't use the Magic of Ideals, it looked as if victory was assured.
'... Hold on. Why does time feel like it's flowing more slowly?'
As she pondered, she saw Luca swinging his sword in slow motion.
For an instant, everything seemed to move sluggishly.
Though her thoughts raced, the situation remained unresolved.
At that moment, Herote realized:
'... Mental transcendence!'
She had entered a new realm.
While she had despaired briefly at this unfamiliar crisis, her acuity was not a lie.
Her genius, proven countless times throughout her life, had made Herote who she was now.
Not a fake prodigy molded by others, but the real thing—who reached tier 10 at the youngest age.
Because of her extraordinary talent, Herote unconsciously set foot into the world of a transcendent mind.
Having reached the great realm of tier 10 and finding herself stagnant for lack of new stimulus, Ravinia's transcendence had provided a fresh shock, and Herote, without realizing it, crossed over into this new boundary.
'That is...'
Within this slowed time, Herote caught a glimpse of Agreas's eyes.
Strange symbols flickered in Agreas's eyes.
'Don't tell me...'
The moment she sensed there was a problem, Luca's lightning finally struck Agreas.
Crack—
At the same time, the true Devil of Wisdom descended.
"!"
The moment she saw the real Devil of Wisdom, a flash shot through Herote's mind.
'That's it!'
Ironically, it was Agreas, in her true form as the Devil of Wisdom, who gave her the final inspiration she was missing.
The instant she saw that, the last fragment—what had been lacking even with transcendent Ravinia—fit into place.
'That is... the most ideal existence I've dreamed of...!'
A transcendent mind.
And a perfect body capable of accepting and controlling it.
Agreas was the perfect being Herote had envisioned as a 'god'.
'Ah... ahh...!'
Re-entering the world of the transcendent mind,
the fruition she had failed to achieve in decades was reconstructing itself in Herote's mind.
'So... that's how it was...!'
The light returned to Herote's eyes.
Vmmm!
"?"
A deep-blue magic circle appeared beneath Luca's feet.
Herote rose slowly.
Her pupils shone with a dark blue light.
"At last... I've discovered it."
"Herote...?"
Luca looked at her, his voice filled with surprise and anticipation.
Herote, wearing a confident smile as always, shouted:
"The ideal existence! I finally know what a transcendent being truly is!"
― Magic of Ideals
Tsss!
"!"
At that moment, Luca felt a distant sensation.
Elated? Excited? Joyful?
It was none of those things.
'This is...'
Luca looked down at his hands.
A subtle deep-blue light was swirling there.
The power contained within that blue light blended into Luca's aura as if it had always been there, with not even the slightest sense of incongruity.
And as he sensed all that energy, Luca could guess the nature of the feeling.
Detachment.
Even in the presence of the Devil of Wisdom, he felt detached from everything.
"Amazing. This is truly... the most beautiful blasphemy a human can perform!"
At that, Agreas shouted, her face alight with excitement.
At the same time, an incomparably stronger devilish power surged from her body.
"For a human to dare attempt such a feat! Incredible! Truly fascinating!"
What she'd shown before was nothing but a prelude; now, her devilish power rushed forward like a tidal wave.
Just a moment earlier, Luca might have felt nothing but utter despair under such overwhelming might.
But Luca remained detached.
― Different World
Fwoosh!
In an instant, the scenery changed.
Unlike before, when Different World had manifested Luca Traverse's mindscape, this time was different.
A dazzling sun shone in the endless sky.
Below it was...
the academy.
"Where is this...?"
What had been manifested within Different World was Hernan Academy.
To be precise, it was the central field.
Luca gripped his sword anew and spoke.
"This would be a good setting for our fight."
"You... you can use her technique?"
Agreas seemed slightly displeased, unlike before.
She seemed reminded of someone.
"Whose technique it is doesn't matter. What matters is..."
Luca's body slowly began to float in the air.
A power from his body, incomparable to anything before, surged forth into the sky.
And it gathered into shapes he had never seen before.
"This time, it's truly the end."
― Two Suns.
A new sun was created in the sky.
* * *
Having become a transcendent being through the Magic of Ideals, Luca entered the world of the transcendent mind and conversed with Whistle.
As a result, he learned that in this state, he could forcibly draw forth the full power of the sky.
Lightning, cloud, rain, wind, snow, sun, Space.
The seven powers of the sky.
Now able to wield them all flawlessly, Luca, as Whistle had said, came closest to a state of invincibility.
'It's the end.'
Agreas smiled faintly and raised both hands skyward.
Half the sky was dyed with darkness.
Darkness born of devilish power surged forward, as if to swallow even the full power of the sky.
The color of the sky that enshrouded Luca's body grew deeper.
The two suns blazed even brighter, but the shadow staining the sky did not recede easily.
'Indeed, worthy of the Devil of Wisdom.'
Luca murmured quietly.
Now, as a fully realized transcendent being thanks to the Magic of Ideals, able to use the power of the sky at will, seeing how Agreas overcame the natural disadvantage purely with strength of mind was astounding.
Hoo.
But Agreas seemed less composed than before, breathing lightly as she extended her hand toward Luca.
Vmmm! Vmmm! Vmmm!
A magic circle, woven tight as a spider's web.
Each one was composed of her unique blasphemous formulas.
Ordinarily, they would be weakened by the power of the sky, but now, with her mind suppressing the sky's power, they remained powerful.
As the Devil of Wisdom, Agreas knew this wouldn't be enough to kill Luca.
So she was already considering her next move.
Then—
Shlk!
"......"
The moment she thought she'd activated her magic, Luca's sword pierced Agreas's chest.
Agreas gazed at the blade embedded in her chest.
The blade, dyed in the color of the sky.
For devils, the power of the sky was like poison, and it was flowing through the blade into her body.
As the Devil of Wisdom, Agreas had done everything she could.
She lacked only one thing:
strength.
"... Heh, what a shame. I wanted to enjoy it a bit longer."
Agreas muttered, regretful, as she looked at Luca.
Vmmm!
With strange symbols appearing in her pupils, Agreas re-entered the world of the transcendent mind.
Luca followed her into that world.
"It was an entertaining story. This scenario you and the god of stories created—quite enjoyable."
"..."
"It seems nothing can surprise you anymore."
Given how Agreas was aware of the scenario, it would have been natural to be startled, but Luca remained indifferent.
"God and devil are two sides of the same coin."
"Heh. I always thought the Magic of Ideals was a mere fantasy. To see it realized is astonishing. Has the god of stories accepted even this kind of blasphemy?"
"They call it a hymn to humanity."
At Luca's words, Agreas burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha! A hymn to humanity? What a ridiculous story. Hmmm... yes... very well."
Agreas smiled faintly, as if satisfied with something.
"It's not the ending I wanted, but it's not bad. It was fun. As a reward, I'll tell you a secret."
Rustle.
Agreas's figure slowly crumbled.
Even the world of the transcendent mind could not halt the collapse of her body.
"I was restraining the others. For us to be fully revived, you humans must grow stronger. But now that there's no suppressor like me, the others will begin to move."
As she faded, Agreas spoke in a whisper, just before vanishing entirely.
"I hope your story finds an interesting ending."