Infinite Mage

Amyra, standing at the forefront, encouraged the students.

“The academy must fully disclose everything about this incident. Prosecuting Headmaster Alpheas is the only way to ensure the future of the Magic Academy!”

“Right! Alpheas, resign! Proceed with Shirone’s funeral!”

Their shouts echoed beyond the infirmary windows to where Amy and her group were. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Sharelle entered.

“Amy, it’s a mess!”

“What happened? Why are they suddenly like this?”

Amy’s confusion was natural. She thought the student council meeting was about to end, but suddenly they gathered, demanding Shirone’s funeral.

“The seniors are conspiring to accuse the Headmaster. I thought we could at least protect Shirone, but Fermi messed it up…”

Amy didn’t need to see to understand. Fermi was more than capable of such a thing. The student council seemed to be heading towards the Headmaster’s retirement. However, she couldn’t blame them. If the academy's head had moral flaws, moving on was better for the future.

But it was too extreme. That’s why Fermi’s behavior was irritating. The teachers’ lukewarm response had triggered the student council's anger, but Fermi was the one who lit the fuse.

“That bastard. He owes his life to Shirone too.”

“What should we do now, Amy?”

Amy bit her nails, deep in thought.

“What else? We have to endure.”

Alpheas had said to watch over Shirone for a while. That he had convinced the teachers to do even this much was a miracle.

Nade, looking out the window, turned to Yiruki with a sharp retort.

“Are you satisfied now? There’s a crowd out there thinking just like you. Shouldn’t you be out there with them?”

“Do you want me to join them?”

Yiruki snapped back. The tension between them had remained since their fight.

Sharelle frowned.

“Stop it, both of you. Fighting among ourselves won’t solve anything. We need to unite now.”

“Tch! You think Yiruki will cooperate? He’s heartless.”

“Enough. And Yiruki, you too. Be cautious. The situation has seriously escalated. One word could change public opinion, so stay here for now.”

“I had no plans to leave anyway.”

Yiruki buried his face in his hands, deep in thought. It had been five days since Shirone’s death. His prediction was taking much longer than expected.

‘If the student council is moving, the teachers won’t hold out for long. Maybe 48 hours left…’

The atmosphere in the infirmary turned cold. Everyone was overly sensitive from the ordeal.

Amy stroked Shirone’s forehead. Logically, he should be considered dead. But was clinging to hope in the current situation normal?

‘Please, come back, Shirone…’

Amy couldn’t be certain of Shirone’s return. But now, five days since his heart stopped, the realm of certainty had passed. It was now a matter of faith.

The woman watched the red light emanating from Shirone. Its high energy could vibrate particles and destroy any object.

“Shirone, don’t do this. That magic is too destructive. It doesn’t suit your nature.”

“I don’t want to fight either. But you intend to keep me here. I can’t allow that. I must return.”

“Do you think you can defeat me?”

Shirone shook his head. It was an honest feeling. This being, calling herself a god, possessed formidable powers. She was surely at a higher level than even Arcane.

Who exactly was this woman? And where was this place?

Shirone stopped his thoughts. He knew this was not where he belonged.

“Please tell me how to return to my original world.”

“Even if I tell you, it wouldn’t be possible. It would be an act leading you to death once again.”

“I still think I should try.”

The woman was not afraid of Shirone’s magic. But the power of the laser was not to be underestimated. She had to prevent the destruction of this world at all costs.

“Alright. I’ll let you do as you wish. But promise me, if you fail to return and come back here, then follow my will.”

“What’s the method to return?”

“Will you still do it, knowing there’s no room for negotiation?”

Shirone’s resolve didn’t change, regardless of the looming danger.

“Alright. But I’ll never give up.”

“Your life is yours. Use it as you wish.”

The woman created a glass orb in front of Shirone. Inside, dark shadows swirled.

“Shirone. To return to your original world, you must reverse the process you underwent to come here.”

“I see.”

“It’s not something to be taken lightly. Going from a pure spirit back to a human. Humanity is a collection of unpleasant elements. If you can’t accept it, you’ll become a strange being, neither human nor anything else.”

The woman was certain of Shirone’s failure.

“What you see now is a Spot that penetrates space-time. Commonly known as a black hole. Through it, you can return to your original world.”

As the orb vanished, a vast darkness appeared in front of Shirone.

“What should I do?”

“It’s simple. You just need to enter. It’s a Spot connected to your physical body.”

“Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.”

Shirone was sincere. Although hijacked, if not for her, he wouldn’t have had the chance to return to his original world.

“Don’t thank me prematurely. I never thought you would succeed. If you want to give up, just walk back this way.”

Would such a situation arise? It seemed unlikely he would return if he died, but Shirone didn’t jump to conclusions without experience.

“Then, I'll go now.”

The woman, with sleepy eyes, said,

“Have a good journey.”

Shirone stepped into the sphere. It felt similar to when he first entered the Spot. As expected, he couldn’t find the exit. No matter how much he walked, nothing changed.

Glancing back, Shirone was startled. The woman was still looking at him with sleepy eyes. Time wasn't passing. He was trapped in the event horizon, a phenomenon only occurring in extreme gravity.

‘I can’t escape. It’s absolutely impossible to leave this place.’

Shirone finally understood the woman's words. In a place where even time couldn’t escape, there was nothing he could do.

As smart as he was, he quickly faced reality. With a dejected heart, Shirone turned around. He had to go back to her. It was better to live among people than be trapped in darkness forever.

‘Wait. Maybe…’

Shirone stopped suddenly. In the event horizon, time was eternally trapped. But he had the ability to generate time. It was photonization magic.

Sub-light speed, near-light speed, light speed, super-light speed.

There were four speeds categorized by photon mages. According to Shirone’s calculations, to pass through the event horizon, he needed a speed faster than light - super-light speed.

‘Super-light speed... Can it be done?’

Shirone’s level was at best near-light speed. Adding the Particle of God, light speed seemed possible, but that was still far from super-light speed.

‘Let's think.’

Now that he had a plan, time wasn’t an issue. After much deliberation, his eyes lit up with resolve. It might be possible to achieve super-light speed in his current formless state.

‘Immortal Function.’

Even the speed of light is not fast enough to travel the vast universe. But the speed of infinite expansion is instantaneous. Perhaps the Immortal Function was the key to reaching super-light speed.

Regardless, his priority was to return. Shirone took a deep breath and simultaneously cast photonization magic and opened the Immortal Function.

The effect was immediate. The trembling of acceleration from sub-light speed, near-light speed, to light speed was strong enough to collapse the Spirit Zone.

“Ughhh…”

Yet, he didn’t reach super-light speed. As long as the concept of faster than time was incomprehensible, casting magic through willpower was impossible. What remained was the complete opening of the Immortal Function. Entering an unknown realm of potential annihilation, he expanded his consciousness to the whole.

Shirone’s form burst, disintegrating into particles. Finally, something faster than light crossed the event horizon and raced towards the light.

‘It worked!’

Shirone still maintained consciousness. Even with the Immortal Function fully open, no particles dispersed in the black hole. He saw the exit in the distance. His physical body was waiting there.

‘I’m going! Finally!’

Suddenly, his speed started to decrease. Meaningless particles began to stick between Shirone's particles. As they combined, creating meaning, they acted like voices, confusing Shirone’s mind.

-Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption.

-Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction.

As Shirone's eyes grew heavier, the exit seemed to move away. The particles intertwined complexly, evolving simple meanings into higher-dimensional concepts.

-Ah, birth, to the lowest of beings.

-I don’t want to die. The life of mortals.

Shirone realized this was the process of becoming human, as the woman mentioned. A being thrown into the world, embracing both desire and fear.

Perhaps every human heard such voices in their mother's womb?

“I won’t lose! I will return!”

-Where to? There’s nowhere welcoming you.

“To my world! Where my friends are waiting!”

-They will kill you. You’ll hinder consumption and reproduction. A journey of inevitable death awaits you, filled with collisions of desire and painful struggles.

“Ughhh! I can’t hear anything! Nothing can stop me!”

Shirone cried out desperately. But as the combination progressed, the drifting voices grew louder.

A human, in the end, is a being made of numerous voices. Like a solo buried in a chorus, Shirone eventually lost his own voice.

-Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption. Consumption.

-Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction. Reproduction.

Seven days since Shirone’s death.

The student council was still staging a sit-in. Specifically, it was the radicals following Amyra.

In contrast, conservative students blocked the entrance, preventing entry. With factions dividing even the moderates, the number of demonstrators had doubled.

Most of the student body was gathered in front of the building, protesting day and night. The friends protecting Shirone were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“Execute Shirone’s funeral!”

“Execute! Execute!”

“Alpheas, face the judgement of the Magic Association!”

“Face it! Face it!”

Sharelle covered her ears. Though the windows were closed, muffling the sound, she couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

“Isn’t this too much? Why are they so desperate to condemn Shirone?”

Amy, who had been dozing off on the auxiliary bed, raised her head at Sharelle’s words.

“Those kids have their reasons. Even students who usually disliked Shirone have joined in.”

“Is Shirone’s competence his fault? Because they’re narrow-minded?”

“That’s how humans are. If there are people who acknowledge Shirone, there are bound to be those who reject him.”

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