Chapter 31

Episode 31: Trans-Zone

The staircase connecting the second-floor seats to the first-floor seats in the cafeteria.

Hiding behind the handrail of that staircase, Shion witnessed an unexpected scene.

He had assumed that the intense battle with the Black Annihilation Dragon on the lower floor was being fought by numerous talented magic students, adventurers who arrived immediately after the commotion, guards, and knights.

But now, right before Shion’s eyes, the one engaging in a fierce battle with the black dragon was a single male student… Alphonse Fried.

“Aren’t you going to run?”

“No, there are still injured people who couldn’t escape…”

Alphonse, who had just been asked by Shion, answered like that and headed back toward the dragon.

And now, on the first floor of the school cafeteria, there wasn’t a single injured person in sight.

Though some bloodstains could be seen, there were no human corpses or anything resembling them.

Since it’s recorded that the Black Annihilation Dragon would burn people to death but never eat them, it’s unlikely that any students were devoured.

…Which means, in other words.

He protected them. All by himself.

While covered in wounds, he fought the Black Annihilation Dragon alone and managed to let many students escape.

“…What a guy.”

Despite being the same age as Shion, the feat he accomplished could only be described as heroic, and Shion couldn’t help but mutter those words in awe.

On the surface, it might sound condescending, but it was filled with the utmost respect from Shion.

Moreover, what surprised Shion about Alphonse wasn’t just the result of “letting the students escape.”

What shocked Shion the most was that Alphonse was holding his own against the legendary Black Annihilation Dragon, even fighting on equal terms.

When Shion came to check on the situation, Alphonse was initially faintly glowing, but now a shimmering golden light, like burning flames, enveloped his entire body.

As the light grew brighter, Alphonse’s power visibly increased, and the battle with the Black Annihilation Dragon became even more intense.

The sight of him fighting, leaving golden trails in the air, was like a scene straight out of the stories Shion had read countless times as a child.

“…Sieg Fried…”

The scene from the stories he read as a child was unfolding right before his eyes.

Thanks to the training of “Limit Acceleration,” Shion’s dynamic vision was extraordinary even under normal circumstances, but even he could barely keep up with the speed and intensity of this battle.

Alphonse leaped around, using not just the ground but also walls, pillars, and even the ceiling as footholds, maneuvering three-dimensionally against the massive Black Annihilation Dragon.

The aftermath of their battle was devastating, with the building exploding, shattering, and collapsing one after another.

The area near the staircase where Shion was hiding miraculously remained intact, but the second-floor seats where Shion had been eating earlier were almost completely destroyed.

But he didn’t cower in fear, thinking, “What if I had kept eating leisurely…”

Right now, he was solely focused on the miraculous battle unfolding before his eyes.

…And then, the moment finally arrived.

“Glory’s Radiance.”

In the midst of the fierce battle, Alphonse seized a tiny opening and unleashed a blade of light so large and dazzling it surpassed his own height.

A blinding flash and a tremendous shockwave spread across the area.

“Ugh!”

Shion crouched behind the staircase handrail, shielding himself from the shockwave and flying debris.

──Shion had an acquaintance who was an S-rank magician, the same rank as Alphonse as a magic student. He had seen the incredible magic of that S-rank acquaintance.

But from what Shion had seen, the technique Alphonse had unleashed clearly surpassed the S-rank framework and was undoubtedly the most powerful technique he had ever witnessed in his life.

The golden blade, shining brilliantly to strike down the great evil, was exactly like the legend of the great hero.

Perhaps Alphonse Fried had truly slain the Black Annihilation Dragon.

When the shockwave of “Glory’s Radiance” subsided, Shion raised his head to check the outcome.

And what he saw was a scene straight out of legend.

But it wasn’t the sight of the black dragon being defeated.

No, the legend wasn’t just about the great hero.

The black dragon, which had crushed people’s hopes, light, and prayers with overwhelming violence, was also a legendary being.

The Black Annihilation Dragon, unharmed even after taking Alphonse Fried’s full-powered strike, had grown even larger and was now enveloped in powerful magical energy, embodying pure despair.

And then, the black despair instantly crushed Alphonse, as if to extinguish all hope.

From a distance, Shion couldn’t even see the speed at which the Black Annihilation Dragon slammed Alphonse into the ground with enough force to embed him.

After just a brief moment, the Black Annihilation Dragon gathered a mass of black flames, aiming at the immobilized Alphonse.

──He’s going to die. Alphonse Fried. In the blink of an eye, mercilessly, brutally, he’s going to die.

…By the time Shion realized this, his body had already started moving without a second thought.

“Limit Acceleration.”

It was the highest-level magic Shion could wield, a superior high-level magic that accelerated the caster’s movements and all senses to an extraordinary degree, with only a handful of users in history.

Normally, Shion could only maintain “Limit Acceleration” for a dozen seconds, and the most he could do was walk.

…But now. In a world where the swirling dust hadn’t even settled, where the collapsing debris hung motionless in the air, as if time itself had stopped, Shion was the only one running through it.

──Human consciousness can, on rare occasions, enter a realm called the “Trans-Zone.”

Those who enter this realm are mostly in the midst of battle, and those who have experienced the “Trans-Zone” all say the same thing.

In the midst of a life-or-death fight, “it was as if the opponent’s movements had stopped.”

The “Trans-Zone” is a realm where consciousness accelerates to an incomparable degree, entered when concentration reaches its peak.

And now, Shion’s consciousness, driven by the intense desire to “save Alphonse Fried” and the extreme situation with no room for hesitation, had entered that “Trans-Zone.”

“(I have to make it…!)”

Normally, the higher the concentration, the more precise the magic becomes. However, it only allows for finer control and rarely affects the power.

But with “Limit Acceleration,” it’s different.

Requiring immense concentration to activate, “Limit Acceleration” was a magic Shion usually struggled to control while active. But now, having entered the “Trans-Zone,” its power had explosively increased.

To the point where Shion, who could barely walk while using “Limit Acceleration” under normal circumstances, could now run through it with ease.

And the magic Shion had diligently honed, combined with his strong will to “save Alphonse,” had rescued the descendant of a hero from the world’s strongest dragon.

Before the black flames that consumed everything could envelop Alphonse, Shion had saved him from the Black Annihilation Dragon in the blink of an eye.

A short distance behind the Black Annihilation Dragon, Shion gently laid the unconscious Alphonse on the ground.

…He had managed to save Alphonse from dire straits.

But this wasn’t the end.

The black dragon was still right behind them.

There was no severe backlash from using “Limit Acceleration” like usual, and he still had a bit of magical energy left.

But that didn’t mean Shion had the power to defeat the Black Annihilation Dragon.

In the face of the dragon’s overwhelming destructive power, there was no way Shion could protect Alphonse.

“(──Then, there’s only one thing I can do…)”

Shion focused magical energy into both his eyes.

“…Ugh.”

At that moment, his eyes met Alphonse’s, who seemed barely conscious.

Alphonse tried to say something, but he couldn’t even form words.

To such an Alphonse, Shion spoke gently.

“…You fought well.”

──Truly, you fought well.

──Even though you were battered and bruised, you protected everyone, all by yourself.

──This man will surely save hundreds, thousands of people in the future.

…That’s why,

“Leave the rest to me.”

──I can’t let him die here.

In this situation, the most Shion could do was buy some time.

Or perhaps, with his impractical, trick-like hand, he might not even be able to buy time against the Black Annihilation Dragon.

They might both be killed in an instant.

──But.

“(As long as I don’t give up this moment, hope will always lead forward.──Then I’ll just do my best.)”

──To save Alphonse Fried, I’ll buy as much time as I can, even if it’s just a second.

Shion didn’t falter in the slightest in the face of this hopeless situation.

He didn’t have the power to defeat the Black Annihilation Dragon. He didn’t have the means to block its attacks.

But he still had a bit of magical energy left.

He had the strength and will to stand up.

He had a mouth to speak.

“(…That’s enough to buy some time.)”

──The strategy Shion chose was pure talk.

…But. Even if he acted tough like usual, his opponent was the world’s strongest dragon.

No matter how much he bluffed, it wasn’t the type to be intimidated.

Then he needed to act like someone so extraordinary that even the Black Annihilation Dragon would be scared.

Literally, there was no one in the world who could defeat the world’s strongest Black Annihilation Dragon. There was no one in this world who could make this dragon cower.

But in history, there was one.

Four hundred years ago, the one who defeated the Black Annihilation Dragon and was granted the title of SSS-rank, the only one in history.

The great hero Sieg Fried himself.

To buy time against the Black Annihilation Dragon, there was no other way but to make it believe he was Sieg Fried.

But Shion was far too weak to impersonate Sieg Fried.

There was a high chance he would need to prove his strength, and if that happened, everything would fall apart.

Moreover, in front of the Black Annihilation Dragon, who had encountered Sieg Fried in the past, Shion’s appearance was far too different.

In such a situation, convincing the Black Annihilation Dragon that he was Sieg Fried would be incredibly difficult.

“(Just acting like the great hero isn’t enough.)”

“(Just pretending to be Sieg Fried isn’t enough.)”

If even a hint of pretense was exposed, he would be seen through in an instant.

“(Don’t give them any room to doubt. Make them believe I can only be the real deal.)”

“(Become him completely. Believe with all your heart that I have the power of Sieg Fried.)”

──Convince yourself that you’re SSS-rank.

…And then, Shion stood up and turned around.

He faced the Black Annihilation Dragon, who had been observing the two, and spoke in the language of the dragon race with a calm, golden-glowing gaze.

“〝It’s been a while.〟”

“(…Well, this is the biggest gamble of my life.)”

Once, people named the black dragon “Black Annihilation Dragon” with awe and fear, and that name stuck.

But in the entire world, only one person, Sieg Fried, called the black dragon by a different name.

““That black guy””───.

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