EP.105
It may seem redundant, but Claire Delphin Mascarena truly belongs in the category of a genius.
Throughout her life, Claire rarely experienced any difficulty in learning, mastering, and embodying something within herself.
Perhaps when she was around five years old, the thought that crossed Claire’s mind when she happened to watch her family’s magician using magic was simply, “This seems doable.”
In terms of Magic Path, within the Mascarena family, Claire’s talent was extraordinary, surpassing that of anyone else in the world.
While acquiring knowledge of magic and implementing that magic in reality involves a significant gap, to Claire, there didn’t seem to be much difference between the two.
Rather, to be more precise, Claire found it hard to understand why other magicians struggled with even such simple aspects.
Why is it that others cannot properly accomplish something so easy?
Are they having difficulty calculating mana’s formula? Struggling with coordinating their internal mana with their will, reconstructing its arrangement, and elevating it to a law?
Why is that? It’s not like they’re creating a spell on the spot in real-time; they are merely re-enacting a calculation process where the reasoning and the answers are already known.
Why do people view themselves through such a lens when mimicking someone else or imitating something to resemble the real thing is something even monkeys can do?
Well, even someone like Claire, not being a deity, did occasionally experience mishaps where her lack of skill led magic to go beyond her control during the process of implementing it in reality. However, she had never once felt any inadequacy in using magic itself.
Ultimately, it was after her enrollment in Nineveh that Claire became aware of her own superiority.
After entering Nineveh, a place where the best talents of the Empire gathered and encountering those labeled as ‘geniuses,’ she finally realized.
It wasn’t that the people of the world were foolish and dense; rather, it was she who was exceptionally outstanding.
In light of this, Claire never voiced it aloud, but secretly harbored the thought that she would never fall behind girls like Kaya or Altina, who were monstrous figures mastering at a teenage age.
No, how could mere sword-wielding fools possibly be her equals when she dealt with Magic Path?
Regardless of how marvelous the mastery level may be, its essence lies merely in the physical movements enacted by a sword gripped in hand.
However, she could synchronize with the world’s mana, induce various natural phenomena from her fingertips, and even bend the principles of the world, making the impossible possible through miracles.
Thus, there was no need to feel flustered by those two women by his side. She believed she was a woman who would never be outdone by them.
Yet—
Kwaaang!
Confronted with Altina, who had clearly reached the level of the Great Magician and relentlessly pressed her without a moment’s respite, Claire ultimately had to concede.
Those who had reached the pinnacle of mastery with nothing but a sword were far more monstrous than she had initially thought.
Claire was strong. She possessed unparalleled calculation abilities superior to any magician in existence, equipped with the ability to easily manifest newfound magic at her fingertips.
Furthermore, though she didn’t wish for it, Claire had the capabilities to claim the title of the strongest existing magician, receiving limited immortality and mana from the Dragon of End.
Basing her magic on what could only be described as an infinite well of mana, Claire unleashed spells with enough firepower to easily reduce a person to ashes, yet Altina effortlessly sliced through her magic.
No, it wasn’t something that could simply be described as “slicing through.”
The aura radiating from Altina’s sword not only disrupted the arrangement of mana constituting Claire’s spells but also ambushed her blind spots as if it were preordained knowledge of what magic Claire would employ.
EP.106
Moreover, Altina always targeted areas close to vital points.
The sharp tip of her sword aimed at Claire’s eyes, the keen trajectory of the blade sought to sever Claire’s wrist, and the wave of aura capable of slicing through anything rushed menacingly towards Claire’s tongue.
…However, this was simultaneously a rather perplexing act.
Why was Altina only aiming at such ambiguous areas?
She had clearly stated her intention to kill Claire. Wouldn’t it make more sense to attack her heart or head, which could decisively end her life, rather than her wrist, eyes, or tongue?
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I simply don’t think it’s worth it to kill you gently here,” Altina said.
“…What?”
“Do you know? I’ve been annoyed by you since the very beginning.”
In truth, it wasn’t merely annoyance. For reasons unknown, Altina had found the name Claire detestable since she was very young.
Consequently, seeing Claire act so brazenly before her was utterly nauseating.
Those eyes glaring at Jin with such intensity were irritating. That wrist carelessly brushing against Jin was revolting. That tongue whispering cunning words to Jin was infuriating.
So this was simply a venting of her frustration. After failing to recognize her own position and crawling toward him, Claire had become a mere clown rather than a help to him; her disgraceful state was what vented Altina’s anger.
“Therefore, if you harbored any hopes, you should be sorry. I intend to make sure I kill you here today…!”
Boom!
As Altina’s firearm erupted in flames, lightning shot forth from Claire’s hand.
In an instant, with fireworks painting the air, both of their bodies recoiled backward.
Objectively speaking, Altina was the stronger of the two in this moment, but given that Claire was also receiving infinite mana from the Dragon of End, their power levels were, in fact, nearly equal.
The distance between them was roughly around ten meters.
Yet, to beings so superhuman, that distance meant practically nothing.
And both contenders instinctively realized something.
If they continued to trade blows in this state, they would ultimately be unable to determine a clear victor.
Thus, there was but one method to resolve this standoff.
They needed to use their strongest abilities to take down the opponent before them!
Whoosh—
The aura wrapping around Altina’s sword began to ripple like a mirage.
This was not a result of her being unable to maintain the aura around her sword.
Altina was currently manipulating the aura enveloping her sword beyond its limits, and as a result, she was preparing to send the aura she couldn’t fully control forward into the future via “time interference.”
Whereas during her previous duel with Kaya, she had demonstrated a peak strike using “time distortion,” this time she intended to provide her maximum strike by overlapping auras across multiple dimensions.
The name of the technique was “Wrath of Heaven.”
In a scenario where it struck properly, the power of that sword could evaporate even a mountain. For Claire, lacking the proper honing of her magical skills reliant solely on innate talent, it was impossible to withstand this blow!
And in counterpoint, Claire began casting the most powerful spell she could currently manage.
“O flames that dwell at the very bottom of the abyss, fierce flames that even azure fire cannot scorch…”
“…Huh?”
And the moment Altina heard Claire’s incantation, her expression subtly shifted.
“The Spear of Coquitous? Are you seriously trying to use the Spear of Coquitous right now?”
In the next moment, without a change in her demeanor, Claire continued to cast magic while Altina growled ferociously at her.
“Are you out of your mind? You’ve spent so much time honing that spell, the very magic that harmed Jin? On top of that, you’re trying to use it here, where he’s risking his life to save you?”
“But at the same time, that magic also forged a bond between Jin and me.”
“…What?”
Claire’s calm words made Altina’s eyebrows twitch.
“You’re completely right. I am a puppet. The emotions I have are not something I desired, and my feelings for someone are nothing more than a sham from beginning to end. Even at this very moment, I can’t be certain whether I truly possess free will.”
“…But what does it matter that I’m merely a puppet, that I’m fake? If I’m fake, then does it mean that my feelings for Jin, the man I admire, are all artificial as well?”
Claire’s voice was quiet yet firm, and her gaze fixed on Altina without an ounce of hesitation.
“The Dragon of End said that my interest and affection for Jin were by design, that I am nothing more than a slave to the fate he decreed.”
“However, if we turn that around, wouldn’t it mean that aside from my interest in Jin and the unexpected affection I developed while caring for him, nothing else is predetermined?”
Magic began to swirl with fierce intensity in Claire’s hands. It had only been two months since their magic practicals, yet the perfection of her ‘Spear of Coquitous’ was incomparable to that time.
What did the ‘Spear of Coquitous’ mean to Claire?
What feelings had she harbored while refining the ‘Spear of Coquitous’ until now?
“Perhaps, as you say, the relationship between Jin and me might be filled with lies from beginning to end. But I can assure you that the feelings I hold at this moment are absolutely genuine. Ever since that day, I have devoted myself to honing the ‘Spear of Coquitous’ so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake again!”
“So this heart of mine belongs solely to me. Even if my body and soul are the possession of that Dragon, my heart is still my own!”
With all the sincerity she could muster, Claire shouted as if she were squeezing her very soul out.
And in response to her cry, the ‘Spear of Coquitous’ began to blaze even more fervently, glowing like a white-hot flame.
“So get lost in front of me, Altina! I must defeat you here and go to help Jin!”
Shouting with an intensity that suggested she could no longer yield anything, Claire unleashed the full power of the ‘Spear of Coquitous.’
At the very moment when Altina’s ‘Wrath of Heaven’ and Claire’s ‘Spear of Coquitous’ collided and the chamber was bathed in blinding white light—
[…Hmm?]
“…Huh?”
And in the next moment, everyone gathered in that chamber felt a decisive change taking place.
“It was quite a narrow escape, but it seems Altina succeeded after all.”
With a tired expression, Jin murmured, glancing over at the dragon facing him, which looked somewhat flustered as it glanced down at its own forepaw.
Originally, the wounds should have healed immediately upon injury. However, the regeneration that granted the dragon its immortality was no longer functioning.
And the clear conclusion derived from the situation was only one.
[You’ve meddled with my one and only Apostle. How cunningly you’ve used that girl!]
“Instead of calling it cunning, wouldn’t it be better to say I’m simply skilled in the art of strategy?”
With a smirk, Jin shrugged as he looked at the Dragon of End, which had lost its immortality and returned to being an ordinary lizard.
“Claire is no longer your puppet. Claire has escaped the shackles you placed on her through her own strength and has become a human being.”
At last, all conditions were met. Jin and the Dragon of End were now on equal footing, thus establishing a ‘fight’ between them. The final obstacle of immortality had also been sealed away.
In all nine previous turns, it was truly the first time that everything had gone so smoothly.
Although there had been significant struggles along the way, all conditions were now finally in place.
In the truest sense, all conditions necessary to hunt the ‘Dragon of End.’
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