Chapter 45: Testing Candidates (2)

Magnus understood Basker's warning. Currently, Rokshaata was spinning around him at forty rotations per second, which was undeniably fast. He was pretty sure that if he used it solely as a weapon, it would outpace both Sylas and Syrna. However, right now he was using it as a defensive measure, keeping it close and letting it orbit his body.

That meant, even with Basker making its path unpredictable, the defense wasn't foolproof. The twins had already picked up on that from Syrna's first hit and were now observing Rokshaata's movements closely.

As for why Magnus was resorting to this in the first place rather than confronting the twins head-on, his body was simply too fragile. While he could definitely overpower any knight with his raw strength, his body's durability was a different story. A single hit from even an unranked knight could knock him out or even break his bones if he failed to dodge or activate [Self Body Puppetry] in time.

Sure, he might manage to avoid taking any hits from the twins if he pushed all of his abilities to their limits, but that was a gamble he preferred to avoid. Winning was all that mattered; who cared about the method, or if it seemed a little lazy? He could focus on making his fighting style more intricate once he was confident he could do so safely.

So, as Rokshaata continued its protective rotation around Magnus, the twins mirrored the motion, slowly circling him like sharks sensing blood in the water. From a distance, Luden watched with a look of sheer intrigue as the match unfolded. Things were just getting started, and surprisingly enough, it was Magnus who made the first move.

Raising his hands to his sides, blackish-grey strands of mana began to join together in ten separate spots outside the radius of his makeshift shield.

Besides, they say the best defense is a good offense, right? So why not do both?

With that thought, the ten mana spheres Magnus had conjured blasted off simultaneously, hurtling through the air like guided missiles. As soon as the twins caught sight of the mana spheres, they sprang into action, both of them breaking off and sprinting in opposite directions at an utterly superhuman speed, turning into blurs.

Magnus, in turn, controlled the mana spheres using his mind and sent them in pursuit of the twins. Seconds later, the field was rocked by violent explosions of mana, shaking the ground beneath them. Wherever a mana sphere landed, mana ripped through the earth just behind the twins' footsteps, only for another sphere to suddenly appear, following in its wake.

Sylas quickly leaped to his right before breaking back into a dash, narrowly escaping a mana sphere that dive-bombed the spot where he had just been standing, sending a shower of rocks and dirt flying into the air.

I've never heard of an unranked mage having the ability to do something like this. He's using two types of magic simultaneously and controlling multiple spells at once. Still... it doesn't look like he can control them completely individually.

Those were Sylas's thoughts as he stole a glance at his sister, who was adeptly evading the barrage of mana spheres chasing her. Although the spheres weren't all following the exact same trajectory, they moved in a somewhat synchronized fashion.

It would be more effective if each one's flight path was more randomized, attacking from all angles at once instead of one by one in succession. That can only mean he's got a limit...

With this realization, Sylas, who was sprinting at full speed, suddenly dropped down and skidded on the ground, executing a swift U-turn and charging directly toward Magnus. As he ran, he pulled back the arm, wielding his crescent blade.

Seeing this, Magnus instantly redirected his focus to Sylas.

It looks like he's planning something; I'll focus on him first.

The five mana spheres that had been tailing Syrna suddenly shifted direction, zooming towards Sylas from his right. At the same time, five new spheres formed right in front of Magnus and shot towards him as well. Spotting this, Sylas threw his crescent blade like a boomerang. It sliced through the air, targeting the closest mana sphere heading towards Sylas. Upon impact, there was an explosion that sent a cloud of dirt into the air, obscuring Magnus's vision.

Simultaneously, Syrna, whom Magnus had been forced to divide his focus from, took the chance to charge directly at Magnus from behind. Noticing her presence, Magnus acted without even turning around, concentrating to form a massive mana sphere directly behind him, dwarfing the approaching Syrna in size.

A look of surprise appeared on Syrna's face when she saw this, but a moment later, her expression became resolute as she charged forward undeterred.

I didn't expect him to react so fast. Being able to cast spells so quickly is insane, especially for an unranked mage. But still, that won't be enough to stop me!

The massive mana sphere appeared to move much slower than the smaller ones Magnus had used earlier, but it would definitely cause a lot of damage on impact. However, in the face of such an attack, Syrna's speed only increased. She wore a sly smirk as her entire body dropped to the ground in a mid-run slide. At that moment, she came face-to-face with the mana sphere and could almost feel the raw power radiating from it.

However, it never touched her. Instead, she slipped through the narrowest gap between the mana sphere and the ground, clearing it, stabilizing herself, and launching her attack.

At the same time, Sylas, who had disappeared in the cloud of dust, leaped into the air with his crescent blade ready. The mana spheres that had temporarily lost their target quickly ascended into the air and followed him, just as Syrna struck at Magnus.

Her strike with one of her crescent blades barely made it an inch into Magnus's shield's range before Rokshaata violently deflected it. All the force she had put into her strike seemed to disappear as the arm she attacked was blasted back.

Damn, that thing is strong! It looks like we won't be able to overpower it with pure brute strength.

The moment her attack failed, Syrna quickly retreated as the larger mana sphere she had just dodged seemed to dissipate into thin air, and in its place, Magnus created two mana spheres in front of him to target her.

Meanwhile, in the air, Sylas drew in a deep breath, his eyes sharpening with focus as he shouted.

"Astral Arts: Lunar Blitz!" In an instant, it seemed as if Sylas's arms—and the weapons they were holding—had multiplied. With one swift twist, he slashed through the air in every direction. These two actions together almost seemed illusory with how quickly they were done, and the pressure from each attack impacted each of the mana spheres that were flying at him.

At almost the same time, each sphere burst, unleashing waves of mana into the air as Sylas landed gracefully on the ground.

"Impressive," commented Magnus, though his masked face hid an intense focus that his calm voice didn't reflect.

"It's an Aura Style created through the generations of our family," Sylas responded plainly as he caught his breath. There was a null moment for just a second where all three of them were carefully observing one another.

The twins knew what they had to do.

With the speed Magnus's Rokshaata was moving, it would be impossible for them to actively find an opening. So, there was only one option for the two of them: strike until they came across an opening by accident.

The tension finally broke as Magnus's mind raced with visualizations and the twins suddenly tensed their bodies as if they were coils before shooting in different directions, but this time, the twins moved in perfect harmony, their attack patterns completely synchronized.

The two of them struck at his shield in an X-like pattern twice. The sound of the hardwood making up their crescent blades echoed as they struck Rokshaata again and again.

Magnus responded by generating dozens, if not over a hundred, mana spheres all at once, covering nearly the entire field of the Academy Arena. At that moment, figures were darting around at speeds that exceeded human perception. Dodging and weaving through a hail of projectiles that sent debris flying everywhere.

But amongst so much chaos, it was only a matter of time before an opportunity would present itself.

Dammit!

In the midst of dodging a mana sphere, Sylas was suddenly caught off guard as another quickly struck the ground at his feet. He didn't have a chance to dodge, as he was sent tumbling to the ground due to his momentum and quickly pounced upon by the other nearby mana spheres.

"Sylas!" Seeing what position her brother was in, Syrna quickly dashed over to him. But as she ran, she was being chased down by her own cluster of mana spheres. Watching this from afar, Magnus's gaze narrowed as he thought to himself.

If she tries to pick him up or protect him, she'll only end up getting them both trapped. I'm starting to feel the strain of keeping the Rokshaata visualization going for so long at such an intense speed, so I guess it's time to try and wrap things up.

But as Syrna ran towards her brother, she didn't slow down at all. Instead, she held out her hand, which Sylas quickly reacted to, doing the same. The moment they were close enough to one another, they grabbed each other's arms.

Using her speed as momentum, Syrna spun around as she pulled her brother out of the way of the mana spheres that had been closing in. Her eyes narrowed on Magnus's position while spinning as she and her brother let go of each other at the right moment, catapulting him in Magnus's direction.

With the additional speed, Sylas crossed the distance between them in seconds. Watching from behind, Syrna thought to herself.

At that speed, Sylas might actually have a chance of getting through that weird shield of his. He won't have a choice but to get rid of the ones near me he's already created and make new ones to defend himself. That will be our opening!

Sylas raised his crescent blade as he approached Magnus, pushing his focus to the limit while searching for the perfect chance to slip through. And after a moment, he found it. Twisting his body as he practically glided across the ground, he increased his speed even more by taking another solid step, preparing to strike.

I've got him this time!

However, as he drew closer, Sylas watched as the projectile half of Rokshaata abruptly halted in mid-orbit. The next instant, it launched itself directly at Sylas, moving at a speed close to that of sound.

Caught in his own forward momentum, Sylas realized there was no chance to stop or evade.

He can use that shield thing as a weapon!?

As this realization hit him, Sylas's mind raced for a solution, but he couldn't find one. The only thing he could do in this situation was raise his crescent blade in front of his face and try to absorb the impact. At the same time, Syrna, who had been expecting Magnus to scatter mana spheres around her to fend off her brother, was taken aback. The spheres around her didn't disappear; instead, they accelerated, moving even faster than before.

She had hardly had the time to take a step when they suddenly closed in around her, moving completely independently of one another, blocking off every escape route.

Shit! Don't tell me he was making them fly slower than their maximum speed on purpose!? He was just pretending like he couldn't control each sphere individually to trick us…

Just like her brother, Syrna was in a position where she couldn't dodge. So, she quickly raised her guard and mobilized all of her aura to defend her body as the mana spheres closed in on her. At that moment, both of the twins closed their eyes and braced for the inevitable impact.

However, after a few moments passed, all they were met with was silence.

Opening his eyes slowly, Sylas saw that he had managed to bring himself to a stop, and the small projectile that had been hurtling at him faster than he could react had suddenly stopped mere inches away from his face. Syrna opened her eyes next, finding herself still surrounded by mana spheres.

However, all of them had frozen when they came within a few feet of her.

"I think that's enough for a test, right?" Magnus yelled over to Luden, who had been carefully watching the entire fight. Without taking a moment to think, Luden nodded with a unique look on his face.

"Yes, I would believe so." At first, Luden was taken aback by Magnus's abilities, but his shock quickly vanished, replaced with a myriad of potential plans and ideas. He now saw Magnus in a greater light than ever before. As if he'd discovered a treasure trove of endless possibilities.

"Alright then." Turning his attention back to the twins, Magnus snapped his fingers, and the mana spheres encircling Syrna dissipated, while the projectile section of Rokshaata flew back over to Magnus. Seeing it was over, Syrna collapsed to the ground exactly where she stood, heaving an exhausted sigh mixed with frustration before yelling.

"Dammit, I really thought we would win! Where the hell did Luden find a monster like that?" After a few minutes to catch their breath, all four of them gathered on the edge of the field to talk. The first one to speak was Sylas, as he looked at Magnus with a conflicted expression.

"You've been tricking us all along, haven't you? Pretending you had to get rid of mana spheres before you could make more, acting like you couldn't create them if they were too far from you, and even pretending you couldn't control each one individually. You were just faking all those limitations, weren't you?" Sylas was right, of course.

In truth, the moment Rokshaata worked as a shield, Magnus had a surefire way of winning, and that was to bomb the entire field with mana spheres. As his mind was now, he could control thousands of them at once, let alone a few dozen, as he had through their match. The only reason he didn't was because Luden needed to evaluate the twins, not see them get blown up.

At the same time, Magnus wanted a chance to see just how impressive unranked knights are. Still, it wasn't like he could say any of that out loud, so he took a moment to think to himself.

Hmm, what would a silent, mysterious character say in this kind of situation?

A moment later, an idea struck him, and he replied.

"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when you are able to attack, you must seem unable, and when using your forces, you must appear inactive." Sylas's eyes widened a bit as he heard those words, and even Luden nodded slightly in agreement as he walked over to them.

"Words worth remembering. I have to admit, that was a lot more entertaining than I expected, more than enough for me to make my decision," Luden said, with the mention of the last part suddenly jogging the twins' memory.

They had lost the match. If not for Magnus holding back his attacks, both of them would likely have ended up seriously injured and unable to continue. Seeing their downcast expressions, Luden chuckled as he spoke to them.

"Why the long faces? This was just a test, not a real match. It didn't matter who won; I just needed to see what you could do." At his words, the twins exchanged looks.

"So you mean…" Syrna started, her voice trailing off as Luden nodded.

"Yes, you'll be members of my faction from this moment forward. I'll send the good news to the Moring Family first thing tomorrow morning, so no need to worry." A sense of relief washed over the twins' faces when they heard that, as Luden continued.

"For now, you two should get some rest before classes start tomorrow. My faction is still in the midst of construction, so focusing on your studies is best." The twins nodded, taking his advice to heart as they started to leave the Academy Arena. But before they left, Syrna turned to Magnus with a mischievous grin.

"I hope you're prepared, Cain. You got the best of us this time, but don't think we won't be preparing for a rematch." Sylas nodded in agreement with his sister.

"Yes, we're not ones to take a loss sitting down." With those words, the twins walked off and left the Academy Arena.

"You did a good job. They'll be even more motivated to improve now, thanks to you," Luden remarked, watching them go. To that, Magnus let out a tired sigh.

"But they also want to challenge me again, which I'm really not looking forward to. That was exhausting." Hearing him, Luden gave Magnus a skeptical look before speaking.

"Speaking of exhaustion, honestly, I was expecting you to run out of mana halfway through the test with how frequently you were using the Mana Sphere Spell, but you kept going. Tell me, just how much mana do you have in your mana core?" Magnus made an awkward sound, thinking to himself.

I mean, I don't actually have a mana core, but if I did, it would be infinite, right? But that's not something I can really say...

Seeing that Magnus had no response, Luden let out a laugh.

"Haha, well, I suppose I'll just make my own estimations for now. Instead, how about we discuss what you want from me this time instead?" Under his mask, Magnus couldn't hide his brief flash of surprise before it settled into resignation.

"You're really too good at that. I'm wearing a mask, but you could still tell," Magnus admitted. By now, he was half-convinced Luden could read minds.

"Of course, the ability to be able to read all kinds of people is an important ability, especially in my family's line of business. So what is it you want this time?" Luden asked, his gaze fixed intently on the masked face.

•

In one of the many towers of Takerth Academy, two figures stood in an office high above the ground.

Lazitha leaned against a desk that featured a built-in lectern. It was cluttered with an assortment of strange books, scrolls, and various objects. But compared to the rest of the room, the desk could almost be considered normal.

The rest of the office echoed a dreary theme. Tapestries adorned the walls, each depicting bizarre creatures and mysterious symbols. Inhuman skulls perched on the shelves of bookcases, and mysterious glass vials filled with different concoctions lined the shelves.

"So, what do you think?" Lazitha's voice filled the space as she glanced at Mulvin, who stood across from her. They both stared intently at a three-dimensional projection that hovered between them.

This projection was more limited than the one the Vice-Headmaster used previously to watch Magnus and Gerald. It could only view people who had Sigilbrands and the area around them, instead of having the freedom to observe the entire academy freely.

"It's strange, everything about his powers seems completely out of proportion. His mana core must be at least at the Adept level, if not higher. There's no other explanation for how his reserves and mana absorption could sustain a passive spell while simultaneously casting multiple active spells..." There was a pause in Mulvin's words as his gaze narrowed on Magnus, who was still talking to Luden. He replayed the battle he had just seen between Magnus and the twins in his mind before continuing.

"But, oddly enough, just as his report stated, he only seems to know a few spells based on two or so types of magic. Not including the uncategorized Mana Sphere Spell you taught him. So, when it comes to magical knowledge, he's still at the level of an unranked mage. Yet, the control he exhibits over his spells... it's at the Master level." Lazitha and Mulvin were both teachers at Takerth Academy, each with plenty of experience in magic. However, this was the first time they had encountered such a strange enigma.

"You're right; it's baffling. And we haven't even touched on the weirdest part—his magic doesn't seem to have a discernible source and can't be traced. It's like it's being conjured by the world itself. It makes you wonder if he's even a mage at all," Lazitha said, gesturing in the air with her right hand.

The image in front of her condensed into a ball of light and then soared into her palm. As she closed her hand, the light disappeared completely.

"Do you intend to keep this hidden from the Vice-Headmaster?" Mulvin inquired.

"As much as I'd like to keep studying his abilities discreetly, I doubt that'll last long. The Headmistress already has her eyes on him after all. But as long as she finds him intriguing, which I'm sure she does, she'll probably take a hands-off approach. And if she doesn't act, the Vice-Headmaster won't either."

Mulvin nodded, understanding her point.

"In that case, it seems everything comes down to the live examinations. Nearly all of the important figures within Takerth Academy will be there to watch, so his oddities will be witnessed by everyone. If anything is going to be done about him, it'll happen after that."