SWNOVELXO Chapter 106
Chapter 106. Outer Magic (2)
“〈Black Flame’s Annihilation〉.”
This was an outer magic that connected with the incredibly distant dimensions of outer space, evoking a black flame.
The black flame had greater firepower and a wider range than the traditional one.
Its effect of burning specific species had changed to targeting specific entities instead.
The black flame, further enhanced by its properties, seemed poised to completely melt Cernun…
“This is quite something.”
Cernun defended against the black flame with magic.
Barely controlling the air’s flow and slightly twisting the dimension, everything appeared refracted around him.
“You… What grudge do you have against me to unleash such powerful firepower like this? It’s been a while since I’ve felt such a chill down my spine.”
The black flame quickly subsided.
Instead of unleashing high-power across a broad area at once, the duration had become exceedingly short.
“Is it my turn now?”
Cernun’s eyes glowed a fiery crimson.
And in the next moment…
‘… Severed?’
My neck, waist, and legs were all cut without my awareness, sending my body tumbling to the ground.
‘The gap is indeed vast.’
I regenerated my body immediately through transformation.
“Oh… I cut you pretty cleanly, yet it’s easier for you to recover?”
Cernun spoke with interest, gesturing with his hand.
It was as if he eagerly anticipated my next attack.
‘When did he manipulate the magic beforehand?’
A very subtle distortion was visible.
Cernun was preemptively defending himself by subtly distorting space.
‘What are the constraints then? It’s not a casting speed issue, and he can use high-tier magic.’
Was there a limit to the number of uses?
As I pondered what limitations Cernun might be facing, I formed another hand seal.
“Deluge of Annihilation.”
Following the briefly blooming starlight, a torrent of liquid poured down.
Though it looked like a blue liquid, it wasn’t truly a liquid, sweeping over the surroundings.
“Another strange thing… Hmm?!”
Cernun’s expression turned to shock.
A mysterious stream that eroded even the distorted space he had established.
Even the air’s force couldn’t repel it, making his painstakingly set defenses useless.
“What have you dabbled with?”
Weren’t overwhelmed!
When I felt I had overwhelmed Cernun a bit, he suddenly appeared behind me.
In an instant that I didn’t even perceive, he transitioned through space.
He not only escaped the oncoming torrent unscathed but effortlessly got behind me.
“To think you’d completely ignore spatial magic. Such a thing shouldn’t be possible at your rank.”
“Thanks to some effort and a lot of favoritism.”
In the next moment, my body shattered like a broken plaster statue through Cernun’s magic.
Of course, I squirmed and rearranged the pieces of my body again.
“Mere separation of the body doesn’t seem to be very effective, does it?”
“I’m quite confident in my recovery ability.”
Reforming my body took a little time.
In truth, it was nearly my defeat already, but Cernun decided to engage a bit longer.
‘Is it still too early to aim for a victory against Cernun? But at least these outer magics… they do have some effect on him.’
Due to Cernun’s high-level spatial magic, I couldn’t land any valid hits.
‘However, if the restriction isn’t about the number of uses, one of my guesses might be true…’
There wasn’t a way to achieve a conditional victory against Cernun.
I steadied myself once more.
“From now on, I’ll unleash them rapidly instead of taking turns.”
I brought my fingers together to form a circular hand seal.
“〈Starstorm〉.”
Around me, starlight glimmered as a fierce wind swirled.
Cernun also conjured wind in response but immediately identified the issue.
“This isn’t really wind. Each element is similar yet distinctly different.”
Due to the difference in rank, the wind I stirred should have ordinarily been absorbed by Cernun’s magic.
However, this pseudo-wind whipped fiercely, throwing my body into the air.
Empowered by Gluttony, I charged, forming a seal.
“〈Planetary Resonance〉.”
RUMBLE!
A roaring noise akin to an earthquake, accompanied by tremors.
Ominously tainted rocks in various hues erupted from the ground.
These weren’t of this planet but rather of some sinister distant world.
“This muddles up mana…”
Cernun clicked his tongue, opting to teleport to avoid the erupting rocks.
However, with the storm in tow, I could freely change direction and target Cernun once more.
Cernun, instead of casting magic, pulled out a scroll in response.
〈Reflection Wall〉.
The stored magic in the scroll activated, bouncing me back.
“You excel at keeping me on edge. I was hoping not to draw attention.”
Cernun’s limitation.
It was the cooldown period.
‘I never had the chance to test it until now… Truly, the old man was crafty.’
To conceal the constraints imposed on himself, he guided the duel by exchanging blows individually.
“You said you have four outer magics, so is it over?”
“No. I’d appreciate it if you’d let me experiment with one more.”
“One more?”
I nodded, causing Cernun to look puzzled.
Among the four outer magics I had conceptualized and organized, there was one that emerged as if under a spell, an idea that seemed to flow naturally.
It was less like an inspiration and more like recalling something forgotten, forming my new trump card.
“Then, with your permission…”
I conjured three additional pairs of arms.
Upon seeing numerous arms forming seals simultaneously, Cernun’s eyes widened.
“Could it be…?!”
Each palm, now a mouth, invoked the magic.
“〈Black Flame of Annihilation〉.”
“〈Deluge of Annihilation〉.”
“〈Starstorm〉.”
“〈Planetary Resonance〉.”
Four outer magics activated simultaneously.
These outer magics represented the four elements of magic.
“Just as you guessed.”
As starlight twinkled, black flames engulfed everywhere.
The blue torrent followed, shrouding the black flames.
Entangled in the starlight wind, these joined forces with the rocks of that distant planet, becoming a whirlwind of chaos.
I formed a diamond shape with my fingers across my chest.
For magic elements weren’t just limited to four…
“〈Realization of Primordial Elements〉.”
I spoke the name of the fifth element constituting the universe.
“Akasha.”
KIIIING-!
A mystical and multicolored light gathered within the seal.
It was astonishing that the outer magics, calamitous in nature, could unite into such a radiant light.
“This is unbelievable…”
Even Cernun, unlike him, stared speechlessly.
But it didn’t conclude with merely creating this cluster of light.
‘Now, to sculpt it.’
The light began to shape according to my will and gestures.
As its size expanded, it formed a radiant hand made of starlight.
This didn’t stop there.
A connecting arm formed from the hand, soon creating shoulders and a chest.
Gradually, it started forming Akasha into a humanoid shape.
“Stop!”
However, Cernun abruptly interrupted the process.
“I concede defeat.”
“…?”
Cernun, trying desperately not to look at the humanoid Akasha I had crafted, shouted.
“Stop it now!”
I withdrew my mana, and Akasha dissipated, vanishing into the void.
“What on earth is the matter?”
“Your remarkable feat deserves praise. Had that been completed, I’d have to prepare for death to win against you now. But…!”
Cernun issued a stern warning, glaring at me.
“Once that was complete, this would no longer be a duel.”
“You mean you would’ve seriously attempted to kill me?”
“Yes. Do you know why? Did you not feel anything at all?”
When I nodded, Cernun sighed deeply.
“I was afraid.”
“Excuse me?”
I was caught off guard once more by the unexpected response.
“It was like witnessing the birth of a new life… a new entity before my eyes. At once an awe-inspiring event and an occurrence that shouldn’t have happened.”
I intended merely to give Akasha a form, thinking it a powerful puppet to wield.
However, it appeared that, as expected of a rank 5 mage, Cernun had observed more than I had.
“I understood you intended to create Akasha via the four elements, but even then, I wasn’t too concerned.”
Cernun immediately produced the four elements in his hand, synthesizing them to create a small Akasha.
“It’s feasible for a mage beyond the fourth rank to create Akasha by mastering the four elements. Though, neither applies to you. But no one ever wielded Akasha at will.”
“However, it seems quite straightforward to me?”
“Where did you acquire such knowledge?”
“It just… came naturally, like remembering how to swim when entering the water.”
Cernun let out a sound of exasperation.
“In any case, refrain from using that.”
Cernun appeared drained of energy.
“It’s not merely energy with form but seemed to become an independent entity as it took shape. In terms of analysis, no mage surpasses me, so my assessment is quite precise.”
“That wasn’t my intention, but…”
“Perhaps an odd being related to an Outer God intended to be born into this world through you. Given that it was created via outer magic, who knows what kind of entity it would be?”
I nodded in agreement with Cernun’s remark.
The battle puppet fashioned from the Akasha element was my ultimate trump, but as Cernun pointed out, the uncertain risk was far too significant.
‘I didn’t aim to create a new life form, so I guess I’ll have to seal it for now.’
After pondering a moment, Cernun spoke up.
“I suppose it’s appropriate to assign you a task. It was originally meant as a reward for this duel.”
“What is it?”
When Cernun retrieved a box from a subspace, Eldritch approached subtly.
“This… seems heavily sealed with magic.”
“It’s an item related to an Outer God. Frankly, it doesn’t seem to have any negative effects or emit any energy, yet… it feels unsettling.”
Within the box Cernun presented lay a dark green wooden shard.
“There’s nothing special. Isn’t this just wood?”
“I got it after slaying a creature in the wilderness. It’s certainly linked to an Outer God, and moreover…”
Cernun stared intently at the wooden piece.
“When asked by a potion maker, it turned out to be a completely unrecognized type of wood. They said it’s something similar to wood, straddling somewhere between rock and organism, with human blood found instead of sap.”
“Certainly not an ordinary tree.”
“Weren’t those people referred to as the Black Willow Cult? There must be a connection.”
I shook my head.
“The Black Willow Cult doesn’t actually propose any trees. People merely mistake the Cult of the Goddess of Darkness for that. It’s entirely unrelated to trees.”
“That’s strange as well.”
Cernun looked at me intently.
“In both magic and religion, the importance of ‘symbols’ is tremendously high. Rendering something ‘perceived’ through symbols is extremely crucial, whether for miracles or magic.”
“Is that so?”
“Mages don’t draw magic circles for nothing. Demons also bear a seal symbolizing themselves. Likewise, priests carry the emblem of their religion.”
Indeed, Cernun’s words resonated.
“In ancient records, there were attempts to neutralize Ancient Gods and Outer Gods by distorting their symbols into something else.”
“Was it effective?”
“The ones who tried died horribly.”
It seemed effective in an unintended manner.
“But a religious emblem completely unrelated to trees gets recognized as a tree, even bearing the name ‘Black Willow Cult’?”
Before I could pose a question, a bracelet fitted on Cernun’s wrist began to emit light.
“Tsk… This indicates an urgent matter, so I should be off. Anyway, I’m counting on you for the investigation.”
“Understood.”
“For matters regarding symbols, it’s best to consult the ‘Temple of Light and Knowledge’, though securing permission is notoriously challenging…”
I nearly let out a laugh.
Could it be coincidence or was Hayat urging me on?
“No need to worry.”
I declared, grasping the necklace given to me by Iris.
“I’ve already obtained permission.”