Archwizard K’s Journey In The Cultivation World

Case 119: Seal the world’s fate.

''Whew...''

Kierra softly sighed, her narrowed eyes glued on the stifling scene below. The once proud scale of gold, one that was the very manifestation of Eon's cynical ideology, was... still standing.

Despite the ocean severely boiling, raging, and sending massive waves in all directions, Eon remained unscathed, and the same went for its forces.

The archwizard had expected it, yet it was frustrating nonetheless. Who wouldn't? A mere newborn possessing this kind of power to then only misuse it. One could argue it was the law of nature, that it was how the thing was born, and Kierra would agree. But agreeing to one thing and complying with it was a different story.

Aiming her staff at the creature, Kierra began to construct several patterns of mana bullets and other spells.

Before fighting the enemy, one must know who the enemy is. So, it was only natural that she didn't go in recklessly. It was best that she found its weakness before attempting any serious finisher.

Of course, Kierra was confident enough that if she ever used [Astral Oblivion] again, Eon would be defeated in an instant. Yet, the conditions for that spell hadn't appeared and, realistically, wouldn't appear anytime soon. She would blow up this realm before even touching a hair on her enemy's head.

'Oh, I guess it doesn't have hair.'

Kierra bitterly smiled, keeping her magic firing as she kept a safe distance from her enemy.

Being a creature, Eon needed to adhere to the rules of the universe that it was in. Conservation of energy was a thing, and for creatures of divinity, once they ran out of energy, it would mean the end.

However, for better or worse, Eon was confidently blocking all of Kierra's attacks without stepping aside. Perhaps it was plainly stupid, or, more dangerously, it had so much energy to spare that it wouldn't bother dodging.

To test this further, Kierra started to ramp up her mana circles and increased her firepower. Around this time, Eon finally retaliated.

[I am curious, human mage.]

A swipe.

With a swipe of its finger, the colorful spells that had illuminated the sky in the stars' place disappeared, and half a moment later, the humanoid figure in a suit was floating in front of Kierra.

''...!''

[Why resist? It would lower your chance of survival.]

Even though she had teleported away the instance she was approached, she could still hear the voice ringing in her head—the synthesized, annoying voice.

The archwizard clicked her tongue.

[Why resist? When you can't win anyway?]

Knowing it could hear her even from afar, Kierra snapped back, ''Who decides that?''

[I do. I am stronger than you.]

It was irritating. So oblivious, so stubborn, and so irritating that she couldn't help but shove another horde of magic into its face. Each spell cast was no weaker than eight stars, and the rapid-fire made it look like a machine gun's bullets. 

''That's where you are wrong, little child. Learn your place.''

Gradually, Kierra was exhausting her mana reserve, and her opponent still appeared so relaxed. Nevertheless, it was at a level she could manage.

[...I see.]

There was resignation in its voice. 

It was at this moment that something about Eon finally changed. The flame that made up its head briefly went out, then, with unseen vigor—

————————!

It burst again.

Accompanying the immense divine power radiating from one entity was an ominous creaking sound; one played underneath the dazzling display of power as if enhancing the performance.

The scale had tilted to one side.

[Establish Order.]

Now, Eon's voice seemed to resonate around the globe, reaching every corner of this continent.

[Order is born through the enactment of hierarchical power. Power is acknowledged through the display of violence. And violence is best displayed through the act of battle.]

[Let it begin—the fight for this planet's eternal throne.]

The people—barely calmed down in the presence of national guards—now looked up at the sky once again. As though mesmerized, they couldn't turn away from the prominent silhouette projected atop one of the plates—a human. A vague, undistinctive figure reaching for the sky, yet undeniably a human.

There was a swelling sense of unity and hope. Somewhere, there was pride and, most certainly, determination.

They instinctively knew that it was what represented the creatures called humans—themselves, and on the side of the scale that had the plate lowered, their opponent materialized as... another balance scale.

''...Fool.''

Kierra held back a mocking laugh at Eon, who now wielded a bright, flaming lance.

Just as she strode forward with light steps as though walking on air, her enemy also slowly approached her.

The archwizard, now with a blank face, clutched the rim of her hat. With each tramp, her hearts screamed a louder thump than before, and with each passing second, the wizard was so intoxicated with her own mana that everything seemed almost distant.

A blue, vividly blazing heart.

A pink, decisively pulsing heart.

''Expand.''

With a click of her staff to the very fabric of space, the enormous amount of mana was shot straight into space, soon raining down as if a shower of ocean-colored meteors. Each of those meteor exploded into colossal spheres of pure mana, forming a wizard domain that enveloped the whole of Linoel.

And so, Kierra began to chant,

''This world is a false reality—merely a vision projected into our eyes,''

''At its apoapsis of infinity, the monotonous universe now overwrites our sense of values,''

''If an arrogant god is going to keep dominion over us at an imperceptible light speed, then—''

''I need be the only one being a miraculous,''

''Yet fatal minority.''

Rippling through space, the waves of nature's magical energy rapidly converged behind Kierra, albeit in a completely new form. Synchronized with her own magical frequency, yet covered the vast sky, it was—

[Heaven's Bane—11★]

A pair of invisible wings.

Nearly formless but tangible, and with a faint texture like that of the starry night sky, they extended far beyond usual limits.

''T-This is...!''

''The Mana-bound Aurora Borealis! I can't believe I'm getting to watch it!''

''It's the Crimson Wizard!''

Suddenly, a wave of excitement and relief spread across the continent. People who knew about the legends of the Crimson Wizard immediately recognized the mana-made aurora borealis that she first created back in the Great War era. 

The very first eleven-star spell she had used.

For the old Kierra, it was her trump card, but for the current Kierra, the spell was nothing but a platform for her to unleash the sleeping power within her body.

The wings that spanned endlessly were a method for the archwizard to activate magic within themselves without needing consideration for space coordination.

''Gratefully die.''

Which meant the whole sky could be filled with an unimaginable number of lightning spears that emerged one after another. 'A sea of glitter' would be someone's description of the scene.

In response, Eon raised its flaming lance and posed for a stance.

[...]

Its flame still burned too calmly.