Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
In fact, Third had been familiar with the element of lightning since ancient times.
It wasn’t particularly a refined reason.
It was simply because, every time he lost consciousness during his experiments, that was how they chose to wake him up.
Anyone who felt the agony of electric shocks racing through their body, no matter how exhausted from various drugs and procedures, would inevitably open their eyes, wouldn’t they?
That sensation was a kind of pain that could never become familiar, no matter how many times you experienced it.
Despite that, Third still enjoyed the thunder on rainy days.
Sometimes, he even felt a sense of longing for it.
The only sound he could hear while trapped in a facility that was devoid of light was the thunderous sound echoing on rainy days.
Hearing that, he could easily imagine the sight of lightning striking down toward the ground from outside.
The pleasant thought that this lightning might strike this prison that confined him someday, allowing him to escape.
Eventually, that did happen.
After which, he had been quite busy running away.
To the point where he thought he wouldn’t care what happened to the lightning.
But even after escaping that facility and blending into society, the feeling that he “liked” lightning had not changed.
Of course, he certainly did not enjoy the unpleasant pain that woke him up while restrained on the experiment table.
Perhaps he simply liked the proud appearance of lightning showcasing itself with a loud cry in the vast sky, or maybe he was captivated by the form of that blue light swiftly racing through the sky like a dry twig.
No, it might even be something much simpler than that.
Is that why?
The sensation that came from fully embracing the lightning, which should have been unpleasant, felt remarkably intimate.
To explain, it was like a feeling of all senses being fully awakened.
As if peeling off a layer of suffocating skin, removing all the creaking joints, and feeling the cool breeze with a headache wide open.
It was a new realm of sensation that he had never experienced with any drug.
Third surrendered to that sensation and shot towards Luke.
And at some moment, Third felt a strangely good sense of peace.
It was a peace reminiscent of lying on a fluffy bed under a sunlit window, with a favorite song playing softly on the radio.
“I—lost consciousness… didn’t I?”
It made sense.
Even for himself, controlling such rampant magic wasn’t something easily achieved with sheer willpower.
It was undoubtedly an unfamiliar power to him.
But when did he lose consciousness?
He was sure he had been controlling the power, but was it simply an illusion?
The last thing he distinctly remembered from the chaotic black-and-white flickering vision was the figure of his master.
But what happened after that was a hazy memory.
“…Hmm.”
Third slowly opened his eyes.
As a result, the first thing he saw with vision as unclear as his mind was the darkening sky at sunset and the lush greenery around.
He naturally recalled lying in the middle of a forest, but the faint light shining in a corner of his vision allowed Third to correct the perception that this was an unnamed forest to that of a nearby park.
And…
“Oh, you finally woke up. Did you sleep well?”
Suddenly, the figure of a woman appeared right in Third’s line of sight.
Her name was Luke Irushi.
His magic master, and someone he had just desperately been fighting against moments ago.
“…Master?”
Third gazed quietly at her smiling face as she looked down at him, and at her large ears that perked up excitedly as if happily welcoming him.
Why was her face so close?
Was it an illusion caused by the aftereffects of the lightning?
What was this soft sensation felt at the back of his head, and what was this warm fluffiness tickling his neck?
With his judgment still clouded, Third continued to look up at Luke’s face in a daze.
Then, she furrowed her brow, murmuring in a concerned voice.
“Mm, it seems like that recovery from earlier isn’t complete yet…? Third, you’re awake, right?”
“….”
Third continued to stare at Luke’s wiggling ears and suddenly realized something.
He recognized what he was lying on and what was covering him.
Oh my, what he had thought were fluffy pillows and blankets were actually his master’s thigh and tail!
She had been quietly waiting for him to wake up, with his head resting on her lap while he was unconscious!
As soon as Third realized this, he shot up and screamed.
“I-I’m sorry! I caused great trouble for you, Master, by fainting!!”
Luke waved her hand with a shy smile.
“Ahaha… There’s no need to apologize that much. A master wouldn’t leave their fainted pupil lying on a hard floor, would they?”
“B-but…! I’m sure I troubled you in many ways….”
“Oh, I’m saying it’s fine, aren’t I? I’m just glad you woke up well.”
Luke was smiling and repeatedly saying it was okay as if trying not to burden him, but it was clear she must have had a hard time.
Third already knew that Luke was quite busy preparing for the fight with ‘that.’
So, the fact that she had postponed her schedule to sit on this bench and take care of him because he fainted meant a lot.
To see her foolish pupil fainting because he couldn’t control his own power.
Third eventually lowered his head and muttered helplessly, as if in shame.
“I’ve made quite a disgrace of myself.”
“No, not at all. The one who should feel ashamed is really me. You don’t need to feel ashamed.”
“….”
Third had no response to Luke’s words, which he shook his head at.
After all, even though he was her pupil, she had been lying in a park filled with quite a few people, with a man resting on her lap…
It was bound to be somewhat embarrassing for her as a woman.
Third covered his face with his hands and lamented.
“It’s solely because I couldn’t control my power that you were tied up like this, Master. So I won’t be stubborn any longer.”
Third knew very well.
A fool who couldn’t even control his own power couldn’t possibly be a strength.
Yet Luke cocked her head, as if asking what he was talking about.
“Wait a minute. Third, you really don’t remember?”
“Eh? What do you mean by I don’t remember…?”
At Third’s question, Luke stroked her chin and began to speak.
“You controlled that power surprisingly well. You couldn’t have fainted from that, right?”
“What? What does that….”
“Oh.”
Suddenly, memories came flooding back.
—
Luke had indeed been surprised by Third’s ‘enchantment,’ but it hadn’t directly led to Third’s victory.
“Sure, it got faster, but it seems that Third was also unable to control that speed.”
No matter how well one resonated with the element of lightning, it wouldn’t be possible to adapt to the sensation of containing lightning in a human body right away.
Though skillful for a first step, it was still just that—a first step.
Of course, while it was true that his speed had increased, making him difficult to respond to, Luke already had information about that technique, as well as Third’s movements. Therefore, even without a chance to counterattack, dodging was not a major issue.
If his steps were slower than his opponent, then taking one step faster simply solved that problem.
“Indeed, still straightforward.”
With this, predicting was simple.
Zzt-!
Thus, Luke avoided the projectile shot from Third by turning her body.
Third’s expression was stunned in disbelief at realizing this attack had even missed.
Third then attempted to penetrate Luke’s blind spots multiple times, but each time Luke anticipated and moved one step ahead, making it impossible to keep up.
“Why? Why can’t I even connect with this?”
Third gritted his teeth.
This time, it felt like he was certain he could reach her.
Every time he took a step, it felt as if the finish line was being stretched infinitely away, teasing him.
So, Third couldn’t help but ponder.
In terms of power and speed, he wouldn’t lose to anything.
Yet still, why was he losing?
And finally, Third realized the reason: “the difference in thought.”
He could confidently assert that in every aspect, she was superior to him.
After all, she was his master.
“Right, I had been under an illusion for a while.”
Enchanted by his master’s sweet words of “You are special,” he had come to believe he was special himself.
Even though the truly special being was right in front of him.
What he could do, his master could surely do with ease.
And whatever he could think of, she could naturally think of as well.
It was simple logic.
“Talent becomes ordinary in the face of superior talent.”
From the moment he stood before his master, he needed to think of himself as “an ordinary person.”
Having forgotten that and trying to win through ability and strategic advantages would obviously not work.
The premise was wrong.
The strategy he set up on the assumption that she wouldn’t know what he was thinking was fundamentally misaligned.
But what if he used the fact that his master “knew” him?
“Maybe, it might work.”
Determined, Third reconstructed his strategy.
He mixed up where his body would move and where his attacks would land.
New patterns, new movements got mixed in.
Thus, he began to increase his master’s options to respond.
For the current speed, he held a definite advantage, so there was no need to worry about retaliation with such bizarre movements.
And noticing this, Luke smiled faintly.
“Indeed, he has grown.”
During this time, Third had likely fought only in overwhelming battles.
This was a conclusion gained from observing his movements.
Third’s methods had always been desperate, just like his character; there had never been a gap in his attacks.
Thus, it was easier for others to predict and utilize.
That kind of self-centered approach always ended the same way.
Third needed composure.
For strong and rigid branches might break in a strong wind, but gentle branches bend and withstand it.
And now it seemed Third was beginning to notice that.
If he realized that without being taught, and they were able to understand through physical confrontation, that was undoubtedly incredible talent.
Much more than such an enchantment.
It was merely inherent talent in the body.
A mere aid to help grow a bit faster.
But true talent is about the mindset that goes beyond that…
If he could understand and respond to his opponent, rather than simply overwhelming them with power, he would certainly become a force.
In a life-and-death situation, he could utilize it without being diminished.
“Pass, Third.”
Though he couldn’t open his mouth to tell him, in his heart, Luke had already begun to give him a passing grade.
Thus, Luke gradually found herself being pushed back by the increasing movements and patterns of Third.
Yet, Third, already quite exhausted, felt impatience.
The lightning wrapping his body was gradually slowing down too.
Still, he hadn’t landed any effective hits yet, so if he ran out of strength like this, it was clear that his master wouldn’t acknowledge him.
So, Third decided to take a gamble.
Specifically, “multiple choice.”
He resolved to finally engage in psychological warfare by mixing the existing tendencies with opposite approaches in his attacks.
While it wasn’t a perfect plan, it was a method he couldn’t execute at any other time.
“At this moment, I’ll put all my last strength into it.”
Third clenched his teeth and stretched out his fist.
Naturally, Luke tried to react and evade.
However, Third wouldn’t let it end there.
With his final strength, Third changed the trajectory, moving fast enough to leave an afterimage in Luke’s vision.
Thus, Luke should have been unable to evade it…
But Luke, having somewhat anticipated, instinctively twisted her body.
However, that motion was not based on a judgment from her brain, but a reflexive reaction stemming from memories of her past life.
Thus, she overlooked one crucial fact.
A part that she didn’t have in her past life became a problem.
-Smlack-!
Luke’s tail touched the path of the lightning that had extended from Third’s punch.
“Ah!”
Luke yelped, kicking backward at that thrilling sensation stimulating her tail.
That was not a decision made from reason but purely an animalistic response.
Therefore, it completely failed to regulate the strength.
Originally, it was a typical attack that Third could have easily dodged, but already exhausted to the limit and having not accounted for this follow-up, Third was unable to evade that kick.
-Crack-!
“Gah–!”
“Ah…!”
Luke exclaimed in shock.
“Third! Are you okay?”
Well, considering the sensation of something deeply lodged beyond the heel of his shoe and the feeling of his insides breaking, there was only room for negative thoughts.
