Chapter 48

Chapter 48

“Huff... huff...”

Slamming open the door to her waiting room, Se-Hoon appeared, panting heavily. His body was drenched in sweat, and he looked like he might collapse at any moment. The sight caused Luize’s eyes to widen.

“You...”

Having never seen his exhausted appearance before, she was at a loss for words, wondering what had happened to him.

Ignoring her for now, Se-Hoon slowly scrutinized the room.

Is there... anything else...?

They would really be in danger if other traps had been set up as well. Confirming there were no other traps a few moments later, he sighed in relief and walked over to Luize.

Thud-

Now sitting on the floor, he looked at Luize, who was leaning against the wall.

“What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Are you trying to take a nap before the duel?”

“...Ugh!”

Finally realizing how she looked, she quickly sat up. Seeing her swift reaction, Se-Hoon chuckled and then asked, “There was a strange ringing in your ear earlier, right?”

“... How did you know?”

“I heard it too. It seems like those guys prepared it in advance, so I just smashed it on my way here.”

Her eyes widened at his explanation.

“It was a device that triggered the mana corrosion within the body, causing one to cast a mental curse on oneself by awakening their trauma. It gave me quite a hard time.”

“My trauma...”

Hearing his words, she realized why the bandage around her neck had been bothering her. So she had been experiencing seizures because she had been swept away by the curse.

The truth made her put on a bitter smile.

“So that was it...”

In the past, she would have been furious because of the interference, but right now, she didn’t feel much anger.

Her opponent’s scheme had forced her to face her trauma, but running away from it had been entirely her own choice.

“Do you think it’s pathetic?”

“What is?”

“To walk right into their tricks at such a crucial moment... and end up like this.”

Her hair was a mess from rolling on the ground, and the bandages around her neck were in disarray from her trying to strangle herself. Her left hand was also bleeding, likely because she had accidentally scratched herself.

She thought she had changed, but after seeing her own pathetic state, it turned out that she hadn’t changed at all. Her expression turned even more bitter.

“I know that this situation is exactly what they are aiming for... but I just can’t seem to get a grip on myself.”

The problem with confidence from self-suggestion was that once the built-up facade collapsed even once, the debris made it overwhelmingly difficult to stand up again.

Completely deflated, Luize sat there weakly, hugging her knees to her chest. Watching her from the side, Se-Hoon pondered for a moment before responding, “It does seem pathetic.”

“Right?”

“After all, getting so scared that you’re trembling before you even fight doesn’t exactly scream ‘impressive’, does it?”

“Yeah...”

“To be honest, it kind of breaks the illusion. You swore you wouldn’t cry until after you got your revenge, yet right now, you’re all deflated and gloomy.... Don’t you think your resolve is a bit shallow?”

“...”

“Well, you’re still young, so it’s understandable, but you should take responsibility for what you say, especially because you use Incantation Magic. Seeing you break so early on... sigh. Never mind. It must be tough on you too.”

Squeeze-

Listening to his harsh critique, Luize’s eyes twitched, and she bit her lower lip hard. Others would have stopped at the sight, but Se-Hoon just looked sympathetically at her and continued.

“But don’t be too disappointed. Unless you’re as physically and mentally developed as I am, it’s naturally going to be hard. Maybe that’s just the fate of a mediocre genius.”

“...Stop.”

“Don’t be upset about your efforts. No one’s going to criticize you for being unable to do something that impossible at the start, so just keep your chin up and—”

“Stop it, you annoying jerk!!!”

Whack!

Finally snapping from the endless nagging, she struck his forearm and charged at him.

“Who started all this genius talk in the first place?! Who was it that egged me on, saying a week would be enough for me to get prepared?! You were the one that set all of those expectations and pushed me forward, yet now you’re calling me pathetic??? I’m shallow??? I’m mediocre??? Are you playing with me?!!!”

She screamed out all the frustrations that arose because of the pressure she had been enduring.

“Do you even know how stressful it was every time you called me a genius? And that bizarre training too! If you just told me about Incantation Magic from the start, I would have worked hard from the beginning!!! Are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?! Huh?!”

“...”

“You always proceed without explaining, and then you look at me as if it’s obvious! Common sense dictates you explain things first, you clueless jerk!!!”

Thump! Whack!

Straddled on top of him, she hammered away at his chest and arms. And without a single sound, Se-Hoon just took the beating from her soft, noisy fists. Then, when her punches weakened to mere pats, Luize grabbed him by the collar with her trembling hands and exhaled roughly.

“Huff... huff... you damn... annoying jerk...”

Even in such a situation, he was simply looking up at her, his eyes questioning what the problem was. That infuriating look made her insides boil with rage. Every time she saw that expression, she always felt repulsed; it made her think that all this was her fault.

Why is it always me...

Why was she the only one feeling this way? Overwhelmed by the injustice, her emotions uncontrollable, she impulsively shouted, “If I lose... or if something goes wrong... it’s all your fault... all your fault!!”

Could she even say something more ungrateful to someone who had supported her in every way? Even now, as she screamed her feelings at him, she didn’t stop loathing herself. Her expression twisted.

“Yeah. It is my fault,” Se-Hoon said, agreeing readily.

“...What?”

“If you lose, it’s all my fault.”

Completely calm, he directly met Luize’s gaze and spoke matter-of-factly.

“After all, I’m the one who taught you Incantation Magic, forged your equipment, and sent you into this duel.”

“...”

“So, naturally, the responsibility lies with me. Why did you think it’s on you?”

Caught completely off guard by his question, she fumbled, trying to find words. A moment later, she barely managed to answer in a trembling voice. Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

“Because... this is the path I chose...”

“You’re wrong.” Se-Hoon cut off her words firmly.

“I made a promise, and all you did was accept it. There’s only one thing you need to be responsible for.”

Holding her hand, which was grabbing him by the collar, he looked up into her blue eyes.

“Just trust me to the end and do your best.”

“...”

“Anything else is my responsibility.”

With those words, the room became quiet and they simply stared at each other for quite some time.

Eventually, Luize’s trembling blue eyes slowly calmed down, and she slowly opened her tightly shut mouth.

“Don’t bullshit me. You would’ve made fun of me for losing to someone like him.”

“...Not really?”

“Talk is cheap.”

“What trickery is this...!”

“Over the past half year, I’ve lived only for this moment.”

Whether it was when she had seizures caused by nightmares, when she felt excruciating pain in her throat during rehabilitation, or even when she just wanted to give everything up and leave, she had managed to persevere with just a single thought in mind.

She wanted to tear apart the necks of those who had ruined her life, just as they had done to her.

Reaffirming the synesthetic mindscape that was more vividly imprinted within her mind than any magic spell, she lightly pressed the buckle on Vargr.

Immediately, a thin metal plate rose from the black choker, swiftly covering her mouth and snapping shut forcefully.

Clang!

Like those of a hound, the metal plate formed black teeth. The sight of the metal mask that appeared in the blink of an eye stirred the audience. Besides the novelty of the item, the audience had stirred because of the way Luize’s aura increased in ferocity the moment she equipped it.

If the mana had only been responding to her will before, it was now directly manifesting hostility toward Gerwin.

“Th-this is... impossible...”

Feeling as if he were inside the mouth of a giant beast, the indescribable discomfort and fear made his eyes tremble faintly.

There was something horribly wrong, but it was too late to turn back.

—Three.

With both sides ready, the countdown began.

Stroking the black teeth that covered her mouth, she looked at him with scattered bits of blue luminescence in her eyes.

—Two.

“I beg you.”

And with sincerity, she conveyed her true feelings to him.

—One.

“Please hold out for a long time.”

She promised herself that she would inflict him with pain tens of times more terrible than what she had received.

—Start!

“Kill her now!!!!!!”

The moment the protective barrier dividing the center of the arena was lifted, Gerwin, as if convulsing, swung Rest of the Dead and screamed.

With his command, the undead, breaking their meticulously formed ranks, raised their weapons and rushed madly toward her.

To him, who had already summoned all of his forces, while she hadn’t even started preparing any spells in advance, it was clear who seemed to have the upper hand.

“Set-”

But to her, that was not the case at all.

The incantation resounded throughout the arena. Her will, formed purely of mana and not tainted by her vocalization, seized control of the mana within the arena and recreated her synesthetic mindscape.

In an instant, magic arrays, each glowing red like a collar, appeared around the necks of the skeletons charging at her, the chimera that followed behind, and even the lumbering zombie golem.

“What...”

But before Gerwin could finish—

“Death Bite.”

Invisible teeth tore through everything.

Clang-!

With the sound of clashing steel, dozens of heads soared into the air before plummeting to the ground.

Thud! Bang!

The undead legion, which lost its balance as it charged, was now sprawled across the arena floor. Its initial grandiose momentum was completely gone, leaving a pitiful sight that made Gerwin’s eyes widen in disbelief in its place.

This is... impossible.

With a single spell, every undead had fallen. There was no elaborate casting or magic array, they had all fallen with just two words.

The sight before him was nearly impossible to believe, and in a moment of shock, he found himself stepping back. Realizing what he had done, he bit down hard.

No, it’s not over yet!

Ordinary summons might not be recoverable, but undead could be reanimated with his mana as many times as needed. With that thought, he immediately used Rest of the Dead to gather his mana again.

However, before he could gather his mana, another red magic array encircled his neck.

Clang-!

“Ugh!”

As if his neck were being severed, an incredible pain erupted.

He fell to the ground, the pain making him unable to do anything, and looked at his neck with a pale face.

“Huff... huff...”

Craaack-

The barrier created by his equipment, which easily blocked magic attacks from the third-year top-ranking student of the Department of Elements, had been destroyed by more than half with a single strike.

It hurts this much even though the barrier blocked her attack...

With that thought, he naturally began wondering what would have happened if he had been hit without any protection. His gaze turned to the decapitated undead, and an intense tremble shot throughout his body.

Something’s... not right.... This is strange...

No matter how he thought about it, this level of power was abnormal. And why was she completely unaffected despite Vier’s claim that she would be weakened?

Maybe this was all his plan from the beginning...

Perhaps Vier hadn’t come to help him, but to cut him off. The multitude of doubts that started blooming in Gerwin’s mind bewildered him.

“That barrier.”

Unnoticed to Gerwin who had been occupied by the pain and his thoughts, Luize had managed to approach him.

“It looks pretty sturdy.”

“Wait... hold on...”

“Set-”

But before he could finish speaking, dozens of red magic arrays densely covered his entire body. The terrifying sight made his eyes widen in shock, and he turned pleadingly toward her.

“Revenge Bite.”

Ignoring him, she twisted her lips and unleashed the incantation from behind the mask.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!!!

Dozens of invisible teeth savagely tore into him, shredding the barriers and equipment alike, only stopping when his entire body had been gruesomely chewed up.

Although his body was still intact, the tremendous amount of pressure had crushed his bones and pulverized his muscles and magic circuits.

Under normal circumstances, the duel would have been interrupted the moment he experienced such an impactful attack, but a “coincidental” malfunction in the power room had delayed the response by about a second.

Boom-!

When the arena’s protective system finally activated to block her magic—

“Cough... cough...”

There was only something barely alive lying in utter ruin atop the arena.

[Winner: Luize Valente]

The arena’s duel system declared the winner on the floating screen, but there wasn’t a single cheer. Everyone had been stunned speechless by the power and cruelty of her Incantation Magic, which was far beyond anything they knew.

Amidst that deafening silence, she silently faced the camera.

“If you want to pick a fight with me, just know that this is how you’re going to end up.”

It was a flawless comeback.