Chapter 86: Battle of Wits (1)
GgWuV89“It doesn’t seem like that, does it? What is this magic? It’s not like the teacher at all. We’ll all freeze to death if this continues.”25C
LguNade was equally puzzled. Hundreds of students were currently at this location. The thought of them enduring minus 20 degrees Celsius for long seemed unlikely. However, this blizzard effectively pressured Lucas, as the mitochondrial build’s effectiveness decreases with cooling of the body cells.fXnWxG
CKOP“Damn it! This is maddening!”BZ7Kn
Z0iwImIEspecially around Lucas, where the wind was blowing fiercely, the chilled wind made it feel even colder. Peripheral neuropathy was already setting in.BimvG
wVX3frThis was why expert ice mages typically start battles with a Blizzard. Although not highly lethal, this wide-range spell inflicts fixed damage from cooling, making it essential against swordsmen.8xIirn
9Lz“Anyway, mages are annoying.”BZ1SAA
vUg8VtLucas was exasperated by mages who tormented swordsmen with all sorts of strange magic. But it wasn’t time to give up yet. More importantly, her condition was far from normal.1qJJup
eJwhDluAs sharp spears of ice pierced through the blizzard towards him, Lucas hastily moved. However, due to the weakened mitochondrial build, he couldn’t fully evade and got grazed on the side.gbbqAN
Mqo7Q“Damn it!”GgBdR
JMMa2wNMost living creatures have reduced activity in cold temperatures. Moreover, swinging a sword in such cold was causing frostbite symptoms on his fingertips.TC8O7qF
74e‘It seems colder. Is she really trying to kill us all?’pHg9Jon
yAtIf a Schema user like Lucas is suffering from frostbite, the students should have been frozen dead by now. But, in reality, only Lucas was trapped in the blizzard. The snowstorm, which had narrowed its radius, was targeting him specifically.XwgjV
Q5OhtUnaware of this, Lucas confronted Siena, who had emerged from the blizzard, with a snarl.818eaCQ
kkwYxRQ“Are you crazy? How long will this damn blizzard last…?”VPa7
xByLucas stopped mid-sentence. Siena’s eyes still held nothing – no emotions, thoughts, or even self.iEnU
xBID“Could it be…?”JTX
vhBLucas shivered. It was as if her body remembered the magic, not her mind.l6LmMwP
TZwcyLiterally, a ‘meat brain’.zWkzWy
IRa6jJust as swordsmen master techniques through endless repetitive training, Siena had reached a state where she could implement specific brainwave patterns even with lost memory.T1xqw3k
UgGHRRepetition, again and again. She must have relentlessly pushed her mind to the brink of death since birth.zUYmOm
gBta‘How much has she trained?’4w8EcZg
8O5zq0jHis hair stood on end. Beyond her skills, the path of suffering she walked was vivid in his mind.DVN0
d1YN‘Damn! This isn’t just stepping in crap, this is a disaster.’tQwNAFE
mhKdBSIt was time to escape. No amount of gold was worth more than life. Lucas summoned all his remaining strength and fled. Once out of the blizzard, he thought he wouldn’t be pursued. But it was mere wishful thinking, and he paid dearly for turning his back on a Grade 6 Mage.nPcX
JPAvT3TWhen Siena pointed her finger at Lucas, he soon screamed and was buried in the snow.gzFxXF
dFIHI“Aaaaah!”n9eB
g4eAqThere was no pain. But, according to the Schema’s understanding of the human body, his legs were gone, as if cut by scissors. Lucas twisted his waist to check his legs. They were frozen solid, completely numb.Qsm9NPL
4KLlFgZ‘This can’t be real.’98P4
AFGVXPHe was facing Absolute Zero, the pinnacle of ice magic.oQcI
G2fThis magic, Preservation Condensation, at the zenith of ice magic, restricts particle activity to an extreme degree.ksnwQul
vVjkoSiena had reached the level of Absolute Zero, ascending to a Grade 6 Mage at only 20.w7Gx4ft
ywNvHowever, even she could only produce localized effects due to the immense mental power required.aj5M
W7rzP4B“Damn it! I thought this was just some crappy school… The students and teachers are all monsters!”nX9
Nn5o9Siena impassively began casting her next spell, Glacier Bombing, a high-level magic derived from Preservation Condensation. As huge blocks of ice formed in the sky, Lucas’s face turned pale. With his legs frozen, he had no way to escape. All he could do was leave his fate to the heavens.tLJbfY
dgjv9WNade and Yiruki rushed to the students. Although not a wide-area spell, the icebergs’ massive size still posed a danger. As several ice chunks split and collided, one almond-shaped iceberg began to fall towards the students.tqwitR
UMJLzQNade, rushing to Arin, grabbed her shoulder and knocked her to the ground.95ZT7
UQ6“Kyaa! What are you doing?”Tq34
LSx5“Evacuate the students! Otherwise, we’ll all die!”0xjVw
EbLO“It’s too late! We don’t have time!”eRO
zBJUFYiruki blocked the two, shouting urgently.0kPtRky
Xxba“I’ll do it!”NzCVmkf
h8Cymq5“How?”sTuAJW
8Qs0OYiruki, without a moment to spare, clenched his teeth. Could he really manage it? The iceberg weighed tens of tons. Even if he detonated it with Atomic Bomb, the splinters from dozens of fragments were a concern. Assuming the size of the iceberg, at least a thousand pieces were needed to avoid fatal injuries.kTrc
QyyupH‘I have no choice but to try…’4lJO
fnKPMomentum could be predicted mathematically. If he calculated the physical quantities of splitting and re-splitting the iceberg, he could detonate it before it fell.iXLDs
xD3“Here I gooo!”9kp
uauKvN1He dove into the center of the iceberg with a Deviate Form Spirit Zone. After initiating a series of Atomic Bombs, the iceberg shook and split into seven pieces.BDhUb
xlg9RKXYiruki activated his Double Spirit Zone and frantically fired Atomic Bombs, shattering the iceberg.c1DTXqR
B3cIEPop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, boom!UfRL
pso2bDThe ice bloomed like flowers. The iceberg burst into fragments, scattering like sparks.KQo9tPk
acbNade and Arin watched the chain explosions in the sky, stunned. Then, realizing the falling ice grains, they turned to the students. The small ice fragments rained down like hail, but no one was hurt.66WCcQI
mG8q6GnShock trembled in Arin’s eyes. Arcane always belittled the students of the Magic Academy. Students without a spirit of challenge or combat will, just passively accepting whatever is given, weak and feeble. But the level of the Magic Academy students she witnessed far exceeded her expectations.nB18EEN
Gdd‘So this is the Magic Academy. Huh?’ME86Y
Ee4TArin turned her head, realizing she was in the arms of a strange man. She impulsively pushed Nade away, shouting.eTex
c7I“Get off! What are you doing?”TR1H
QblJetNade, landing on his backside, blushed.RzlVma9
nok“What! I just helped you, and this is the thanks I get!”T5KPS3
BIw“Why are you helping me? We’re enemies!”JD9T
aot“Who says? Hurry up and lift your mind control! Are you really going to kill all these people? Are you in your right mind?”O2Gp7h
kOOpiArin bit her lip. She was ready to become the protagonist of a historical massacre, but she wasn’t afraid. If she hadn’t met Canis in Radum, her fate would have been far worse.wpMSm
ppYtax“It doesn’t matter. For Canis, I don’t care if the whole world dies.”fzuMFi
3HMNade saw the despair and cynicism in Arin’s eyes. What kind of life had she led to have such a gaze?iezx8Dd
Xy6wE1N“Alright.”D6Yu
fpgYiruki, seeing Siena collapsed in the snow, carried her on his back and then turned to Lucas. Does a sinner too have a god? Lucas, barely managing to stay a few meters away from the glaciers, was trapped. His jaw was dislocated, and his eyes showed only the whites, having lost both legs and unable to steal again. Just seven days after his escape, he was destined to return to the gloomy prison of Inferno.Ov81mnm
vKxBoom!7uCFfS
QiFA loud explosion from the forest made Nade and Yiruki turn their heads. A thick beam of light was piercing the sky.oJGKEb
tWQRQ“Wow. What’s that big thing?”6uc
ocV“It’s a Photon Cannon. Did he have an epiphany?”f3nV
drxdT7As the forest shook, Shirone burst out, looking as if he had just escaped a quagmire. Arin’s face brightened, indicating Canis had the upper hand.ZVV
kQooHowever, her assumption quickly crumbled.j4T
qgI3F2PHarvest emerged, toppling trees with his long arms, and Canis limped out. His condition was no better than Shirone’s, if not worse.2uO73Dt
FvI4Yiruki, in disbelief, said, “An even match…?”6SR
E6fxZ“No way. Shirone’s Photon Cannon evolved during the battle. And yet he couldnt win?”irxVUH
N46Shirone, supporting himself off the ground, said, “I cant win.”qiokD
J0MFjHis friends doubted their ears. Was this the first time they had heard such words from Shirone?eGw
WK4qcm“What, man? Dont talk weak.”0BxG1tb
xOpn2HY“It’s not about being weak. That guy… he’s really strong.”ZJF
EaRNPktShirone admitted it honestly. Knowing that Canis was the disciple of an Archmage would have been more convincing, but even without that knowledge, he could feel Canis’s will in each of his spells.nQQXiXR
vcyThe will to not lose. The will to destroy humanity. The will to prove that he was the best.1V8
l1QEven with Photon Cannon’s maximized power, Harvest, borrowing Canis’s mental strength, absorbed it.GV2U2
J7YEWhat followed was a melee. A war of attrition, exchanging Might of Darkness and Photon Cannon, cutting each other down.nuBpMww
jdPUltimately, Canis successfully countered, pushing Shirone out of the forest.oYwSK33
SyllhE‘Why would someone so strong… want to harm others?’aVN
QL7qWhatever the reason for choosing evil, it could be understandable. After all, everyone makes mistakes.jDs
BIZBut he couldn’t accept that evil was strong. Strength is the result of effort, not mistakes.O4I
pEmdRv“Why are you doing this? What have these students done to you?”UjG5
oZY“Are you just blabbering because you’re losing? That’s typical of weak nobles.”qdjW4
6ltCUsShirone wasn’t ruffled because it wasn’t true.K4urzz
o1wNL“Answer me. What you’re doing now will be recorded in history as a terrible act. I at least need to know why.”GPAB
6DgdJQQ“History? Who cares about that? The abandoned just struggle to survive each day. If I dont kill, I’ll be killed.”Zg9oAAX
kV95S6“Dont try to justify it with sophistry. No matter what life youve lived, everyone has their own unbearable pain.”E3FzxK
MzcYX“Have you ever eaten fallen excrement off the ground?”aE1bS
dYQpShirone was silent. A cold wind blew.zWnD
kazRWp‘Canis…’v2V
RbBwrSadness filled Arin’s eyes. Those who haven’t lived in Radum can never understand what it’s like.fn82F6V
u7fa1Radum was another world, isolated from society.gtdxe4r
4yeupCanis and Arin were abandoned there. Its unclear how long they had been together or why it was just the two of them.WfetPoS
ANISbVBut they had been there as long as they could remember, surviving while others died or were sold.MuZE
4UmCanis was clever from a young age. Though weak as a child, he showed how strong a person can become when talent meets venom.as8
nA6IaIn Radum, swarming with villains, Canis had only one desire.Aw5
QYHXkHTo protect Arin for the day.R9y
X2CmfNThere were no women in Radum. Precisely, no females past infancy.kCzAu
GWxxIn a place where food was scarce, powerless girls were consumed upon birth.lWm0
ipBT42sBut Arin survived in Radum until she was ten.eGab
zWU7ravThe only woman in Radum.8fogo50
BLN5vCanis was the one who preserved that eerie symbol.61m
UapOzHe was always like a mad dog. He would rush to death whenever enemies targeted Arin.KAluS
wrHjBeing with Arin meant they couldn’t join any organization. So they scrounged through trash bins to survive.xoLR
OaK0ZSZThe funny thing in Radum is even garbage has owners. They fought, not minding torn flesh, just to obtain leftovers others discarded.VqV
K6IUV7After fierce battles, Canis managed to secure half a piece of moldy bread.PGJnd
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