Chapter 97

“I’m swimming through shadows.”

Yeah, I pulled off some ridiculous stunt.

Maybe that’s why Solvas’s face is all flustered on the other side of the shadow.

Of course it is.

Shadows aren’t like water.

If I had to elaborate, they’re more like paint.

But how am I swimming through them?

The answer was simple.

Magic Seal · Wind

With the wind attached to my arms and legs, I was floating around.

Sure, I can’t fly high in the sky, but I can definitely float in shadows.

Thanks to that, I could swim even within the shadows.

Splish splash splish!

In an instant, the distance between Solvas and me began to shrink.

I might look like a weirdo, but swimming is my specialty.

It’s a great workout that builds stamina without injury; I used to swim every single day.

“This is insane!”

Solvas was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.

He hurriedly sprinted on the waves.

At the same time, he formed a shadow bow in his hand.

Whoosh!

As he released the drawn bowstring, a shadow arrow swooshed through the air.

The arrow split into multiple shards, soon blossoming into hundreds.

It was a rain of arrows falling from the sky.

I quickly dove into the shadows.

The shadow arrows zipped past, slicing through the shadow waves.

However, I kept swimming within the shadows and managed to dodge all of them.

The strength of the waves was so overwhelming that the arrows couldn’t do much.

Beyond the shadows, Solvas’s expression twisted in disbelief.

He seemed to figure out that creating the shadow waves wasn’t a great idea.

Shadows tend to eat each other up.

In the shadow waves, even Solvas’s own shadow couldn’t dance.

Meanwhile, I closed the gap between us once more.

Splish splash splish!

As I swam at an incredible speed, Solvas looked horrified.

Being that freaked out is bound to sting a bit.

As a result, I decided to swim even harder.

Thanks to that, I was faster than Solvas running on the shadow waves.

“What, how are you not slowing down? Aren’t you tired?!”

Of course not.

This won’t tire me out.

A meager feat like that wouldn’t wear me down.

The hellish training with Aisha is still ongoing.

Plus, I ramped up the intensity for today.

Stamina is power.

Right now, I’m a destructive tank fueled by stamina.

Solvas frantically unleashed his shadow weapons.

I had evasion and a body of steel.

I believed in that and pressed closer without hesitation.

Eventually, there’s a limit to running away.

In the end, the distance between me and Solvas was closed.

My eyes sparkled.

It was an opportunity.

The light of the magic seal spread all over my soles.

Boom!

In an instant, my body shot up in a diving position along with the explosion of the magic seal.

Solvas was dumbfounded, staring up at me with a blank expression.

It was his fault for not expecting this.

My hand wrapped around Solvas’s shoulder, holding him down.

Solvas quickly braced himself with his legs.

“Ugh!”

But while Solvas was a genius in the shadows, I had the upper hand in strength.

Splash!

Overpowered by my immense strength, Solvas plummeted into the shadow waves.

In an instant, we both sank below the shadow waves.

Solvas squinted and his eyes lit up.

“This is a mistake.”

That’s what Solvas’s lips seemed to say.

Rumble rumble rumble!

At that moment, the shadow waves began to swell violently.

What appeared before my eyes were whirlpools churning in the shadow waves.

A massive whirlpool began to sweep away all the surrounding shadows.

As expected, it was the six stars.

Even upon second glance, it’s an insane scale.

But Solvas did not grasp one crucial fact.

My legs wrapped tightly around Solvas’s waist.

Simultaneously, my arm tightly constricted his neck.

As Hanon, I was much smaller than Solvas.

Burying my face in a guy’s chest is pretty gross.

But it was optimized for a snug fit.

“Get off me!”

Solvas thrashed around to throw me off.

After making a whirlpool, he was now trying to escape himself.

Solvas kept punching my body.

But that turned out to be a mistake.

Solvas’s face warped.

His fist, which struck me, was now bright red and swollen.

There was no way his fist would be fine after punching a hunk of steel.

So he’d never win a fistfight against me.

I wrapped around him even tighter.

Right now, I was a steel weight, not a person.

A weight that absolutely couldn’t be shaken off.

I increased the pressure even more.

Crack!

In that moment, I heard the sound of something breaking from Solvas’s body.

“Gah!”

Solvas groaned in pain but showed no signs of letting go.

I’m like a leech; once I cling on, I never let go.

That’s my only trump card.

The whirlpool began to grow even more ferocious.

At this rate, Solvas might get swept up in it too.

In the end, he had to make an extreme choice.

And that’s what I was waiting for.

Solvas clenched his fists tight.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the shadow waves forming around us crumbled and vanished.

Along with that, I felt a sudden lack of buoyancy.

The shadow waves that were holding us disappeared.

So we began to plummet to the ground.

My hair whipped through the air as a fierce wind rushed by.

I sensed the sensation of falling all over my body.

But Solvas didn’t have those six stars for nothing.

As soon as he retracted the shadow waves, he crafted shadow daggers in each hand.

With those shadow daggers held upside down, he struck down at me.

Just before a shadow dagger stabbed into my back—

Crack!

The shadow dagger shattered.

On my back, a bone armor had formed out of nowhere.

‘Grantoni.’

Grantoni, who had been watching from a distance, crafted the bone armor for me.

Solvas’s eyes widened.

At that moment, he realized my body was heating up.

My entire being started to glow with light.

As a result, Solvas’s eyes gradually grew wider.

“W-what’s glowing?”

“Well, I mean…”

I looked up at Solvas and grinned.

“Looks like I’m about to explode.”

When mystery and magic seals collide,

there’s a tendency for the power to double.

So I prepared for it.

Magic Seal Mega Explosion.

Solvas’s face turned pale.

However, his skin was painted black.

He wrapped himself in night shadows like armor.

That should protect him from the explosion.

But Grantoni’s support already indicated that another person was watching this situation.

Suddenly!

The night shadows that were meant to cover Solvas’s head halted right at his neck.

Solvas’s night shadows were an upgraded version of shadow magic.

Umbra is one of the few special families recognized for their mysteries in this world.

They’ve been acknowledged for their night shadow’s uniqueness and supported by special families like Whitewood Duke.

But just for a moment.

If it’s really just for a moment, shadow magic can halt night shadows.

Card’s shadow magic.

His spell briefly paused Solvas’s night shadows.

And that brief moment changed everything.

Solvas’s eyes, the only spot not covered by the night shadows, began to reflect light.

“……Damn.”

That was the last curse Solvas muttered lowly.

Boommmmmmm!

Suddenly, the forest skies were engulfed in a massive explosion.

* * *

After the explosion of the magic seal,

Solvas and I each fell down to the ground.

Even for me, the explosion from the magic seal was a burden.

So, I couldn’t do anything until I hit the ground.

Just as I was about to crash down,

Whoosh!

I felt something sticky and soft, barely managing to avoid kissing the ground.

Once I gathered my wits and looked around, I saw shadows wrapping around me.

“Wang Non!”

From a distance, Card waved his hand as he ran toward me.

Thankfully, thanks to Card’s shadow magic, I was able to avoid falling.

I slid down from the shadows.

“Hahaha! What a work of art!”

Just then, Grantoni strolled out from the woods, applauding the explosion as if it was a masterpiece.

“Still going wild, huh?”

Card chuckled when he saw me descend from the shadows.

As soon as Solvas unleashed his waves, it’s likely Card had been watching me the whole time.

So he must’ve witnessed exactly how I fought.

“You couldn’t win against an opponent without going wild.”

If Solvas had kept his distance well, it would have been a tough fight for me too.

I do have a trump card, but I can’t pull it out here.

“So what about Solvas?”

“He fell over there. I’d think about finishing him off, but his actual allies are probably gathered near.”

It’s uncertain whether he’s out or not. Is this the situation?

I had hoped he would drop out in the preliminary round, but going this far is too much.

I’m feeling a bit sore, probably from fighting a bit too recklessly.

‘Besides.’

I sensed ominous presences sneaking in through the woods.

After causing this much ruckus,

the preliminaries are like a jungle.

A place filled with beasts obsessed with making it through the first round.

Before heading over to Solvas, I’d better clear these guys out first.

“So how was it?”

I stretched as I asked Card.

Card paused for a moment, then lightly tapped my shoulder.

“It was the most refreshing day of my life.”

Card, who had just given his cruel boss a taste of his own medicine, looked more relieved than anyone else.

“Alright, then let’s get to work.”

Rustle—

Hyenas appeared from the woods.

They were a team just like us.

Among them were graduates from our academy’s magic arts department.

“Card, make them regret ever picking on me.”

That’s for a different reason.

As I glared at Card, who had some past grievances against me, he shrugged his shoulders.

Anyway.

“Let’s get through the preliminaries.”

From now on, I am going to be a destructive tank.

* * *

In the sanctuary of Olfram.

Within the arena structure built there,

there were people gazing at the command room.

They were professors from each academy.

“This generation really has a lot of talented kids.”

One of the professors exclaimed in admiration while watching the preliminaries.

True to his words, this generation produced quite a number of gifted individuals.

Heroes of humanity who would protect the magic academy.

Delightedly observing them, the professor suddenly noticed the unusual quietness around him.

Eventually, he realized that all the professors were staring at the same screen.

Curious, he looked in that direction and saw a boy swimming through the waves of shadows.

What’s he doing?

Is he swimming in a river or something?

While he was blankly watching that scene, he gradually began to realize one fact.

“…Isn’t that Solvas’s shadow?”

One of the six stars, Solvas Umbra.

His shadow was unmistakable.

“This is insane.”

Another professor expressed their disbelief.

Is it even possible to swim through shadows like that?

Yet the boy managed to swim right up to Solvas and dragged him out.

Then, in a final struggle, he self-destructed along with Solvas.

The professors wore dumbfounded expressions.

“He’s not holding back at all.”

“He seems to be wrapped in something special.”

“It’s tough to judge just by watching from here. What was that kid’s name again?”

The professors began whispering amongst themselves.

Their surprise was warranted; the boy’s combat was shocking.

Such an unpredictable fighting style.

There’s no one else crazier than that kind of lunatic.

“Hanon Irey.”

At that moment, someone blurted out the boy’s name.

The one who mentioned it was a female professor looking rather uncomfortable in her formal attire.

Indeed, a faint whiff of alcohol lingered around her.

And everyone recognized her.

From the generation of Azure dawn, the star player.

Veganon Mercia.

Veganon wore a huge grin.

“That’s my kid.”

She’s that foolish professor bragging about her student.