#363
The two combined…
Endless outer space.
Countless twinkling stars and the Earth floating above my head.
Below, I was facing off against Raul Napoleon Bonaparte with Durandal in hand.
Szzzt!
Kwah-BOOM!
As our two Durandals intersected, a shockwave exploded around us.
The magical shockwave radiating from us shook both the universe and the imagined realm.
Heh.
Raul chuckled.
Just like the dark-haired handsome man from his past life shown in the animation, he spoke while wearing Black Armor.
“Partner! Use both the Black Flame and White Blaze at the same time! That’s the first step of the Heavenly Sword Technique!”
Raul’s left side was engulfed in pitch-black darkness, while the right was surrounded by white flames.
Hearing his words, I unleashed both the Black Flame Sword Technique and the White Blaze Sword Technique simultaneously.
Woom! Using two opposing skills at once sent the Magic Core into a wild frenzy.
Fwoosh!
Szzzt!
White flames and black darkness erupted from my body, wildly spreading everywhere.
Thump, thump.
My heart raced like crazy.
Wooooom!
The Black Stone in my chest began to glow like a furnace.
The opposing magical currents from the two skills ripped through my magic circuit.
“Kugh.”
I bit my lip.
My brow furrowed instinctively.
It hurt.
It hurt like hell.
Flames and darkness, white light and black fire.
Using two conflicting magical circulation methods made my whole body feel like it was about to explode.
I desperately tried to control the magic inside me, but it roared uncontrollably like a wild stallion.
Thank goodness this was the imagined realm; if it were reality, I would’ve already fainted and been rushed to the hospital.
“Partner. This noble Black Prince will help you.”
Raul withdrew his sword.
He turned behind me and placed a hand on my head.
“Synchronization.”
As Raul shouted, an overwhelming talent surged into my mind.
Synchronization.
The ability to summon the talents of the previous masters recorded in the ancestral weapon.
But right now, it wasn’t the ancestral weapon transmitting the talent.
It was Raul himself, now a spirit.
In that moment, as he conveyed his true talent, I naturally learned how to control the wild magic.
Overwhelming magical control.
This was a fragment of the talent possessed by the monster who held the title of the First Crown of Five.
“Partner. Don’t try to control the raging magic. Just let it be. Let it flow and load it with your belief. It’s the same principle as when using the imagined development. Give it a try.”
Just as Raul said, the Heavenly Sword Technique was a skill that could only be entered if one awakened to EX rank and imagined development.
If you don’t awaken, you can’t even make an entrance into the skill.
In other words, it was a skill you couldn’t learn until you reached EX rank.
“After all, we’re in the mental realm, so you won’t faint or explode. Don’t worry.”
Raul the Black Prince said with a serious expression.
Is he really saying that’s a good thing?
I deliberately gave up all magic control.
Patsutsutsutsut!
Whirr!
Black darkness and white flames swirled inside me alternately.
Due to the side effects of simultaneously circulating the contradictory magic, my magic circuits and Magic Core were overloaded and heating up.
If it weren’t for the Black Stone acting as a second Magic Core, I would have collapsed long ago.
“Grrrgh!”
A scream escaped unintentionally.
It hurt.
I felt like my heart was going to burst.
It was hard to endure, but I had to.
For the sake of everyone.
To return to the original world.
Suddenly, resentment welled up.
Why the hell did I possess this damned world?
Why the hell is that crazy bastard Messiah hell-bent on destroying the world, putting me through this torture?
What is the Protagonist supposed to do, who hasn’t even awakened a single mental manifestation yet?!
“Damn it.”
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
It felt a bit unfair too.
It’s not like I wanted to possess this body.
Honestly, it’s that RIN who slapped the reader’s head who should take the blame.
Of course, I had no intention of making excuses for what I did or running away from the consequences, but my feelings were separate from that.
I wanted to smash everything.
“This damn world can go to hell! You bastards!”
I really hated this world.
This kind, mushy world, where everyone acted like it was some cheesy Japanese anime, was really pissing me off.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
I screamed as I swung Durandal.
The moment I swung a single stroke, fueled by the desire to give that crazy Messiah, and this damned light novel world a piece of my mind, the air sliced cleanly.
Flash.
A flash appeared before my eyes.
Along with it, the pain washed away.
Something appeared over the mixed magic of white flames and black darkness.
It was a sword.
A sword made of darkness for the hilt and flaming white for the blade.
I already knew the name of that sword.
“Tenji Sword…”
The Tenji Sword.
A heart sword created by combining the magic of white flames and black light with the user’s belief.
Every sword technique based on the Tenji Sword was created on the premise of manifesting the Tenji Sword into reality.
The moment I awakened the Tenji Sword, naturally, the magic circulation of the Tenji Sword technique I created was engraved in my mind.
And I understood simultaneously.
Everyone’s beliefs and mental manifestations are all different.
Thus, the Tenji Sword symbolizing those beliefs must inevitably differ from person to person.
The Tenji Sword used by Olivia in the original story and the one used by the late Black Prince.
And now, the Tenji Sword I wielded bore the same name but was a different skill altogether.
I shot the Tenji Sword into the cosmos with my will.
Swaaaaaaaash!
Patsutsutsutsut!
The Tenji Sword wielded the contrasting black and white magic haphazardly, slicing through space like a cosmic battleship.
Flash!
The moment the black and white flashes burst before my eyes.
Kwah-kwah-kwah-BOOM!
A loud explosion resounded.
In that instant, I saw it.
The sight of stars sparkling as the universe was sliced apart.
The moment I witnessed the endless void beyond the torn universe…
The moment was witnessed.
“Ugh!”
Consciousness returned from the mindscape to reality.
Breath was ragged.
Sweat poured down my body like rain.
[Well done, partner. That was perfect.]
The Black Prince’s voice echoed in my head.
Zing.
A headache flared.
I got up from my seat and pressed my fingers against my temples.
[Don’t forget the sensations you experienced in the mindscape. Now you’re going to do it in reality.]
The Black Prince spoke.
Without saying a word, I used the Celestial Sword’s mana circulation method.
Patsutsutsutsut!
Whirrr!
Just like in the mindscape, two opposing mana currents began to clash violently within me.
The dark spark and the white flame briefly resisted each other before merging without further resistance.
Flash.
With a burst of light, a sword appeared in mid-air.
It was an impressive sword, similar to the one I’d seen in the mindscape, with a black hilt and a white flaming blade, which was now overlaying my hand-held Durandal.
One side of Durandal’s blade blazed white while the opposite side appeared eroded black.
A quiet yet overwhelming explosive power was condensed within this black-and-white bladed sword.
It was the Celestial Sword.
[If you swing this as is, the training room might get wrecked. For now, we should train inside the mindscape, right?]
The Black Prince spoke in my head.
For once, I agreed with him.
Swinging a sword with this much condensed power in a practice room could potentially demolish the whole building.
Put another way, it meant I wouldn’t stand a chance against the Messiah without at least this much strength.
Thinking this, I deactivated the Celestial Sword method.
The black-and-white blade vanished, returning Durandal to its original form.
The basics were now set.
The only thing left was to keep training until the day of the showdown.
*
At that same time.
Shuo Hero Academy, President’s Residence.
Inside the grand Western-style mansion of the President’s residence.
Grand Hall.
In the huge hall, large enough for a lavish party, two beautiful girls were present, dazzled by a magnificent chandelier.
“…”
One was a 15-year-old girl with striking golden eyes and an ivory bob, silently stirring melted chocolate while wearing a bright gothic lolita dress.
She was none other than Wilhelmina Heisenberg, once more famously known by the alias Undertaker.
Currently unable to publicly reveal her identity, Wilhelmina was residing at Seira’s house.
“Sis. You’re doing great.”
“…I’m not your sister.”
Suddenly, a silver-haired girl with red eyes, Yoshizaki Seira, popped up behind Wilhelmina, smiling.
Wilhelmina puffed up her cheeks at Seira’s words.
She didn’t like being called older sister.
Already struggling with age complexes, being called sister by someone as old as Seira was especially bothersome.
What would others, particularly Kim Deok-Sung, think of her…?
With that thought, Wilhelmina’s face turned bright red.
“Ugh…”
The reason she signed up to join Kim Deok-Sung’s harem was due to Seira’s suggestion.
[Sis. Honestly, if you keep missing marriage opportunities like this, you might never get married!]
[And you know Damian wanted you to get married too, right?]
Those words from Seira still lingered in Wilhelmina’s mind.
She had no argument against them.
Damian.
Just as Seira had mentioned, her beloved younger brother had said similar things to her.
As Seira said, her precious younger brother also told her such things.
[Sis. I hope you get married and live happily. Don’t just chase after work like you do now. So, please meet someone. It’ll make my life easier too.]
Wilhelmina recalled the words Damian used to say as he watched her come home late from the lab every night.
With her life skills barely exceeding zero, household chores and supporting herself fell to her younger brother, Damian.
Back then, she thought of it as nagging, but now, after her younger brother’s death, she found herself missing that nagging.
Of course, that didn’t mean she could just marry anyone.
To her, Kim Deok-Sung was her benefactor.
He revealed the truth to her when she was deceived, handed her the soul gem containing her brother’s spirit, and promised to help resurrect him.
For such a benefactor, marrying him or dedicating her life to him didn’t seem like a bad idea.
After all, she had promised to marry her brother.
She merely thought so.
“Ugh…”
Thud.
Thud, thud.
Wilhelmina’s heart raced sharply at the thought of Kim Deok-Sung.
She couldn’t understand the identity of this tightening feeling in her chest.
But she didn’t dislike it.
Every time she thought of him, this feeling welled up inside her—something she had never experienced before.
“…Chocolate…”
Wilhelmina looked at the chocolate she had been stirring, trying hard to forget this unfamiliar feeling.
Kim Deok-Sung’s face floated above the melted chocolate.
With her eyes tightly shut, Wilhelmina shook her head furiously.
“Ugh, no…”
Seira, seeing her sister behave like a teenage girl, laughed.
“Sis, you’re so cute.”
“No, I’m not…”
Just then, a thud echoed through the room as someone entered the Grand Hall.
“Nishishishi. Haru is here! Granny Seira and Granny Mina, what are you doing? Are you making chocolate according to my recipe? The sight of two grannies over 130 years old making chocolate is so hilarious. Super epic. Nishishishi.”
The cute girl with a side ponytail was Kurosawa Haru, another member of the Seira Mansion.
The atmosphere in the Grand Hall chilled with Haru’s words about their combined age of over 130.
“H, Haru…”
Seira, flustered, called out Haru’s name, while Wilhelmina lowered her head and muttered softly.
“Over 130 when combined with Seira…”
Over 130, huh?
I can’t accept that. I can’t accept it.
“I… I’m not a granny. I’m not over 130 when added with Seira… Ugh…”
Wilhelmina puffed her cheeks and turned away.
‘As expected… Young people… So picky…’
Haru was a tough one for her to deal with as well.
“Nishishishi. Haru brought more ingredients for chocolate. So now, super cute JK gyaru bride Haru will teach Granny Seira and Granny Mina how to make super cute JK homemade chocolates! Nishishishi.”
With a thud, Haru tossed a bag onto the table as she spoke.
Seira and Wilhelmina both turned their attention to Haru.
The preparations for a surprise Valentine’s Day for Kim Deok-Sung were still ongoing.
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