Infinite Mage

"Darn! Am I too late?"

Riding a carriage all night, Thadd arrived in Creas and immediately used Spatial Warp to reach the main gate. As expected, the guards were standing still, showing no reaction.

It was dark magic.

And of an incredibly high level.

'I need to find the headmaster first.'

Thadd turned towards the teachers' quarters. But before he could take ten steps, the distinctive sound of Spatial Warp echoed from the sky.

Alert, Thadd entered his Spirit Zone at the same moment Ethella descended in a flash of light.

"Teacher Ethella! What's the situation?"

Thadd, just back from a trip, seemed to know about the situation at the academy and questioned Ethella, who was surprised but quickly got to the point due to the urgency.

"It seems like dark magic. Everyone, students and teachers alike, have lost their memories."

Though he had anticipated it, Thadd was astounded when faced with reality. It was madness to attack Alpheas Magic Academy, one of the five prestigious institutions of the kingdom.

"We don't have time. Please tell me the situation."

"From my Spirit Zone search, it seems all the students are climbing the mountain. It looks like they're heading towards The Bridge That Cannot Be Crossed. There are three people leading them, and three others are tailing them. Among the teachers... it seems I'm the only one who managed to escape."

Ethella, a bishop of the Karsis Order, couldn't have been dominated by Arcane's dark magic. Thadd was relieved at least for that and explained what he knew.

"Let me brief you quickly. The perpetrator of this incident is Viltor Arcane, an archmage who caused chaos in the world 40 years ago."

"I've heard of him. But why would such a person target the magic academy...?"

Thadd bit his lip. It was a delicate personal matter of Headmaster Alpheas. However, Ethella was the only one he could rely on now, and he trusted her character to accept it without prejudice.

"Viltor Arcane is, well, the teacher of Headmaster Alpheas."

Ethella blinked, but as Thadd expected, she didn't imagine anything beyond what she heard.

"I see. But it doesn't seem like Arcane is among those taking the students. We don't know the reason, but we should first rescue the students."

"We can't do that. As you felt, the magic magic is hard to counter. Trying to save the students one by one will likely lead to a counterattack."

"But we can't just leave them either."

"You said there are three people following them. Any idea who they might be?"

"I couldn't confirm it for sure, but... it might be Shirone."

"Shirone?"

Hearing Ethella's words, Thadd also recalled. The timing of Arcane's magic would be around 24 hours ago. The only student likely to be outside the academy at that time was Shirone's group, who were on suspension.

"I didn't see their faces, but judging by the temperament, it seemed like Shirone, Nade, and Yiruki."

"It must be them. Those kids will be fine for now. They're smart enough to know what to do. Better leave it to them while you, Teacher Ethella, please find Arcane."

"What are you planning to do, Teacher Thadd?"

"I'll look for the headmaster. Finding the headmaster and lifting the dark magic is the priority."

Ethella nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'll look for Arcane."

Thadd looked over the mountain ridge. The vast grounds of the magic academy made it difficult to guess where Arcane might be.

"With hundreds affected at once, this grand-scale magic must have significantly drained his mental strength. He's likely hiding in a secluded area. Searching around the mountain would be faster. What's the radius of your Spirit Zone in Zoner mode?"

"About 2 kilometers in diameter."

Calculating roughly, Thadd nodded.

"Marking about five points should do. Please patrol starting from the training grounds. I'll head to the academy."

"Alright. After I capture Arcane, I'll rescue the students."

"Don't push yourself too hard. Arcane is..."

Thadd swallowed his words. Saying the opponent was strong would only fuel her sense of duty more. After all, who else to trust if not a bishop of the Karsis Order and a nationally recognized Zoner?

"No, thank you."

Feeling a sense of responsibility as a disciple of Alpheas, Thadd respectfully bowed his head. Ethella, slightly smiling, shook her head modestly.

"I may not know the full story, but I'm a teacher of this academy too. I'll do my best for the students."

"Yes. Then..."

Now it was a race against time.

Thadd cast Spatial Warp and flew towards the academy, while Ethella took a deep breath and focused her mind.

Sequence Method accelerated as her Spirit Zone expanded. Only Zoners could extend their zone like this, enveloping everything within a 2-kilometer radius in her synesthesia.

'First to Training Ground 26.'

Transforming into a beam of light, Ethella flew towards the mountain peak, covering 1 kilometer with a single Spatial Warp.

Canis and his group gathered those whose memories were blocked at the starting point of The Bridge That Cannot Be Crossed.

Arin, having completed her task, looked pale. Even though she was under the influence of Abyss Nova, controlling the minds of hundreds of people was an immense labor.

Nade, observing Canis's group from the bushes, spoke up.

"Why this place? It's just a bridge and a cliff."

"I'm not sure. Maybe they're waiting for someone?"

Yiruki, counting off on his fingers, suggested,

"Cliffs, mind control, villains. Considering these three elements, the answer seems obvious. They plan to throw them off the cliff."

"What? Why would they do such a crazy thing?"

"Logically, it doesn't make sense. Dropping students off the cliff gains them nothing. But what if it's an emotional issue? Like hatred or revenge."

Shirone thought it made sense. Moreover, if they really intended to do such a thing, simply waiting wasn't the best approach.

"We should intervene before that situation arises. We might even have to fight."

For 10 minutes, nothing happened. The students and teachers, under mind control, just stood there blankly, while Canis and Arin looked beyond the cliff, waiting for their teacher.

"Is it really okay, Canis? We searched the entire academy and still couldn't bring Alpheas."

"We can't help it. Teacher told us to be especially careful around Alpheas. We just have to do what we can."

"Still... I feel like we might get scolded."

Canis looked at Arin with annoyance.

"Arin. Our master is a good person. Don't worry; he won't scold us for this."

Hearing their conversation, Lucas started to get annoyed. He came along for the promise of a large sum, but didn't expect to conduct a terror attack on the entire magic academy.

Considering the mission's difficulty, even the advance payment he received was less. Moreover, Arcane was still nowhere to be seen, despite the promised time having passed long ago.

"Hey. When is your master coming? Did he run away, by any chance?"

It was a massive event, targeting one of the top five prestigious academies of the kingdom. Considering most students were from noble families, the aftermath of this incident would be immense, even if it ended without incident. Even an archmage might have fled in fear.

"Don't casually judge our teacher. He's not someone you should be talking about."

"Ah, what nonsense."

Lucas scratched his head in irritation. Then, suddenly, he raised his head and glared at Canis with a look in his eyes never seen before.

"Do I look that easy to you?"

As an overwhelming hostility surged, Arin, with her sensitive mental empathy, hastily retreated. In contrast, Canis remained calm. This kind of look was something he had experienced countless times in Radum.

'Serpent Eyes?'

A Schema technique that uses the gaze to target the brain and paralyze the central nervous system. It was a skill manifesting from practical experience and innate tendencies rather than training. The fact that Lucas could employ Serpent Eyes was indicative of the life he had led.

"No more kid gloves. From now on, you'd better watch your words. You talk about contracts, but it's you guys who are delaying things."

Canis couldn't refute this time. Why wasn't their master coming? It was strange for someone who had been eagerly waiting for this day to be late.

As Canis remained silent and withdrew his fighting spirit, Lucas also relaxed his Serpent Eyes. After all, they were still a team for now, and importantly, he had yet to receive the rest of his payment.

'I wasn't supposed to be part of this from the start.'

Lucas looked over those affected by Abyss Nova. Since their metabolism was normal, the time they could remain standing was running short. Those with weaker stamina would soon start collapsing, making things more complicated.

"Hey, why not just kill them now? It'll be troublesome if they faint. We can't pick them up and throw them off one by one."

Lucas was hired as a professional swordsman. While mages were suitable for reaping many lives, swordsmen were unmatched in dispatching survivors one by one. Eventually, as their stamina depleted, it would all fall to Lucas, so he wanted to reduce their numbers in advance.

"We can't do that until the teacher arrives. The core of the plan is to annihilate them all in front of Alpheas."

"Damn, then let's at least have some fun. They're all going to fall off the cliff anyway."

Canis glared at him in disgust, but in the current situation, there was no reason to stop him. Born in Radum, he knew how dangerous a person like Lucas could be. Ultimately, Lucas would do what he wanted. It was infuriating.

"Filthy man."

Lucas stopped in his tracks. He should have killed Canis at the first use of Serpent Eyes. The human brain adapts to shocks, so the effect diminishes with repeated use on the same target.

"Heh, you know why I hate you? You pretend to have some grand principle. You and I are just criminals. After today, you'll also be a mass murderer of hundreds."

"I don't maintain my principles to be great. I just find people like you repulsive."

"Ha? Really? Do you know what's truly repulsive? Weak people who only talk big. What will you do if I'm disgusted by you?"

Lucas turned to face the front and grabbed Siena by the throat. Lifting her distorted face with one hand, he walked briskly toward the edge of the cliff of The Bridge That Cannot Be Crossed.

"Once I kill one person, you'll realize. You're just the same garbage as me."

As Lucas extended his arm, Siena's legs dangled over the edge of the cliff. She kept making gasping sounds from her mouth.

"This woman isn't bad either. It's a shame to kill her, but well..."

Lucas released his grip, letting Siena fall. At the same moment, his eyes sparked. A sensation unique to Schema users, a thrill only felt in the Spirit Zone.

'Where is it?'

His sensitive nervous system pinpointed the focus of the Spirit Zone. As he leapt into the air, an explosion occurred where his right knee had been. If hit directly, the bone would have shattered.

Lucas landed and immediately rolled backward to gain distance. Even if he couldn't estimate the range of the Spirit Zone, it was standard practice to keep distance from a mage in a fight.

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