Chapter 19
The Final Mana
Fights between those who wield swords are intuitive and equal.
That was why the profession of gladiator still existed in Cerdes.
Because sword fights were intuitive, they were simple. Because they were simple, everything could be seen.
That made it entertaining to watch the combatants engage in battles of wits amid the clash.
The world of mages, however, was the exact opposite.
It was abstract, and the differences between combatants were painfully clear.
The problem was that the gap between Circles was far too obvious.
In the brutally honest and unfair world of mages, rising by even a single Circle tilted one’s chance of victory beyond ninety-five percent.
Even so, there were always irregulars who occupied the remaining five percent.
They possessed overwhelming talent capable of invalidating ten years of effort in a single day.
The man Marquis Burnell was watching now—Ferda Valdrova—was precisely such a person.
‘Magic Intercept?’
It was a technique that seized control of a spell manifested or launched by another mage and redirected it according to one’s own will.
It was among the most difficult techniques in magic combat and was rarely ever seen.
‘Is that not a technique used only by mages who have reached at least the Fifth Circle?’
Only mages who possessed a profound understanding of magic and had mastered the manipulation of mana—Fifth-Circle Master Mages—could use it.
That had always been the case.
Ferda, however, was merely a Second Circle, a level even Burnell could look down upon.
‘No, I did hear that a Second Circle could theoretically perform it.’
The Second Circle was known as the Spell Blower.
It was the stage at which a mage began to use proper spells, weaving magic through threads of mana.
However, their magic was crude, weak, and imprecise. The rank was disparaged with the claim that they merely “blew” spells rather than properly casting them.
‘But theory is only theory.’
There were countless things in the magical world that existed solely in theory.
‘And yet he is performing Magic Intercept? Truly?’
It was theoretically possible.
Yet no one had ever accomplished it.
If what Ferda was performing really was Magic Intercept, Burnell was witnessing the creation of an entirely new chapter in the history of magic.
***
Having attempted Magic Intercept for the first time since returning to the past, Ferda evaluated it as follows.
‘As expected, it is as simple as I imagined.’
If a Mana Walker mastered the concept of a point, then a Spell Blower mastered the concept of a line.
At that stage, one could use those lines to create a surface—in other words, weave a spell.
‘The only spell I know is Magic Shot.’
After becoming an Archmage, Ferda had forgotten the spells used at the Second Circle.
Even now, he had not bothered relearning them.
‘But that alone is everything I need.’
It was simple, but it was the spell most necessary in the present situation.
There was no need to transform mana into an element.
Pure mana alone was already sufficient.
At least, it was against monsters.
‘I have captured more monsters alive than I could ever count.’
Back when he had worked with Thessalos, the demon worshipper, the man had repeatedly demanded that Ferda capture monsters alive.
Killing them was simple.
Capturing them was difficult.
While exchanging knowledge with Thessalos, Ferda had also learned the various characteristics of monsters.
‘And eventually, we discovered the answer.’
It was an exceedingly simple conclusion.
When a human was continuously exposed to corrupted mana, that human either became corrupted or died.
Conversely, monsters—cancerous masses that consumed corrupted mana—found pure mana poisonous.
Ferda intended to inject that poison directly into the creature’s heart.
Once its emission of mana ceased and the poison spread through its body, the monster’s extraordinary regeneration and overwhelming strength would temporarily stop.
To put it simply, it was like jamming a piece of wood between endlessly turning gears.
‘The wood will eventually break, but it can halt them for a moment.’
Ferda launched the first sphere toward the bear monster’s face.
He fired it along a curved trajectory so the creature could not determine where the attack had come from, dropping it precisely onto the crown of its head.
Boom!
Had it struck an ordinary person, their head would have been reduced to pulp.
—Gwoooaar!
The bear monster merely roared and raised its head.
Mana poisoning had made its body exceptionally durable.
Its skull had been dented, but the damage was not meaningful.
Ferda instructed Burnell.
“Prepare a large one.”
“Yes!”
While Burnell shaped a large sphere, Ferda immediately prepared the second shot.
Once again, it followed a curved trajectory.
Rather than falling from above, it swept widely in from the side.
Boom!
The bear monster’s head snapped violently to one side.
—Gwoooaar!
Thoroughly enraged, the bear monster let out another roar.
It shifted its forelegs as it searched for its enemy.
Ferda did not miss the opportunity.
Four spheres formed over his fingers.
“Now.”
Burnell threw his sphere into Ferda’s line of fire, and Ferda caught it.
Together with the four spheres hovering over his fingers, he launched them in a straight line toward the bear monster’s chest.
Boom!
One Mana Shot exploded in midair.
The force of the blast propelled the remaining four spheres forward at an even greater speed.
The three smaller spheres Ferda had created spun in a spiral and struck the creature’s chest first.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three explosions erupted.
The consecutive blasts tore open the hide covering its chest and exposed the flesh beneath.
Then the large sphere Burnell had created struck the exposed tissue.
“Deeper.”
Its accumulated speed and rotational force bored into the creature’s body.
‘Deeper.’
At last, it detonated.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion swallowed the bear monster’s entire body.
“Huagh!”
Burnell let out an ugly cry and flinched in shock.
‘Did my mana sphere always possess this much explosive power?’
He knew the sphere that had detonated was the one he had thrown.
Yet if Burnell had launched it himself, he could never have produced such destructive force.
Ferda, a mere Second-Circle mage, had manipulated it as easily as though it were his own.
Ferda stared through the cloud of dust and earth.
‘Show yourself.’
His vision cleared, and the target came back into view.
As expected, the bear monster’s body was in a terrible state.
Its black hide had been stripped away, and its dark-purple flesh had been ravaged.
Its organs and bones were gruesomely exposed.
Ferda’s eyes located its heart.
‘It is still beating.’
That heart was the source of all its vitality.
It continued to pump powerfully.
With each heavy beat, the bear monster’s flesh gradually began to restore itself.
‘It even possesses exceptional regeneration.’
It was not merely more durable than other monsters.
Its recovery abilities also surpassed theirs.
‘This must be finished quickly.’
The creature was currently helpless, unable to move even a single finger.
However, if it regained its mobility, Ferda would lose.
‘I will have to be aggressive.’
Having reached his decision, Ferda formed more spheres over his fingers and shouted to Burnell.
“Burnell! Throw every sphere at me the moment you create it!”
Ferda unleashed a relentless barrage upon the heart.
—Ghh. Ghh.
The bear’s body twitched as direct hits struck its heart, and breath escaped from its lungs.
Ferda’s spheres repeatedly struck the heart, forcibly tearing apart the flesh each time it tried to close.
Which would run out first—Ferda’s mana or the bear’s regenerative power?
It was like a tug-of-war over a single hole.
‘Its body is too large. This is not working as effectively as it should.’
Victory was far from certain.
Had Ferda been a Fifth-Circle mage, he could have dealt with it effortlessly. However, with only the combined mana reserves of a Second Circle and a Third Circle, he could not predict the outcome.
Ferda found himself in a difficult position.
‘I feel sick.’
Burnell felt as though he was about to vomit.
His mind was growing hazy, as though he had been inhaling the stench of thick oil for far too long.
The sensation of mana draining from his body clouded his thoughts and shattered his concentration.
‘Have I ever used this much mana since becoming a scholar?’
He had not.
A scholar needed the ability to focus solely on what was necessary, and he had to devote himself entirely to that focus.
For that reason, Burnell had always kept more than half of his mana in reserve.
Ferda continued his fierce barrage, and Burnell extracted mana at a rapid pace to match his tempo.
Only around twenty percent of his mana remained.
After creating three more spheres, he would be completely depleted.
That same question extended to Ferda.
‘The Regent must have used a tremendous amount of mana as well. How is he still casting spells?’
Even at a glance, Ferda had launched more spheres than Burnell had.
Burnell raised his head and looked at him.
His eyes widened.
‘B-Blood is coming from his nose!’
The meaning of a mage suffering a nosebleed while casting spells was simple.
‘Overload!’
It was an abnormal reaction caused by pouring one’s entire mind into a single task.
It occurred when someone exerted far more power than their capabilities allowed.
‘If he keeps this up, he will suffer mana burnout…!’
In the worst case, it was an extremely dangerous condition that could leave a mage permanently incapable of performing magical calculations.
‘He came without even bringing a staff. Of course this would happen…’
A mage’s staff assisted in shaping mana.
Ferda was calculating everything solely with his mind, without any such support.
Overload was the natural consequence.
If he was already bleeding from the nose, Burnell had to stop him immediately.
“Burnell.”
Ferda calmly called his name.
“Y-Yes?”
“Concentrate.”
Burnell’s confusion vanished at the sound of that voice.
‘That is right. Calm down. How can someone with a Blue Circle lose his composure?’
It was truly absurd.
Ferda, who possessed a Red Circle, remained calm, while Burnell, who possessed a Blue Circle, was panicking.
‘I truly… was never prepared for anything.’
Burnell thought to himself.
He had refused to abandon his project, but had he ever prepared himself to risk his life for it?
‘No. I had not.’
He had merely believed that all he needed to do was conduct his research.
Someone else would procure the monsters, and he would study them to bring about peace.
Ferda was risking his life for Burnell’s research.
He was even willing to face burnout, a condition that could end a mage’s entire career.
‘I must risk something too…!’
Burnell confronted the image of himself cowering in fear.
Then he used that shame as a foothold and leaped forward.
“Guuugh!”
Burnell squeezed every last trace of mana from his body.
He converted his own vitality into mana.
“Regeeeent!”
He unleashed a valiant roar that no one would have expected from the timid Burnell.
“Please accept my final mana!”
A massive sphere flew toward Ferda.
“My thanks.”
Ferda seized control of that mana sphere as well and hurled it at the bear monster.
KABOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted from within the monster’s body.
Its movements and regeneration came to a complete halt.
‘The heart?’
If its heart had burst, everything they had done would have been meaningless.
Ferda focused intently on the creature’s chest.
‘It is still beating.’
The creature was barely clinging to life.
Its extraordinary regeneration had been successfully halted.
“Now! Sever its limbs and restrain it!”
Arwon and his subordinates charged forward and attacked the bear monster.
It was as easy as placing a spoon upon a fully prepared table.
In the end, they captured the monster alive without losing a single person.
While they worked, Ferda checked Burnell’s condition.
“Are you all right?”
Ferda asked.
Burnell was convulsing while blood streamed from his nose.
He had suffered mana burnout.
Despite what must have felt like his organs were being torn apart, he was smiling.
“Ha ha…”
Ferda replied coldly.
“What a foolish thing to do. You risked your life.”
“W-Well, when you were doing it, Regent, how could I…”
H-How was it? My… my sincerity?
He could not even finish speaking before losing consciousness.
Ferda carefully laid him down.
“Are you all right, Regent?”
“What about the monster’s restraints?”
“Yes. The monster’s condition is… stable. We will transport it to the castle as it is.”
“My thanks. Before that, let us deal with the urgent matter. Is there a mage in the territory?”
“Yes, there is.”
Ferda pointed at the young man lying at his feet.
“Take this foolish fellow and have mana infused into him. Our castle is too far away, so I must leave him in your care.”
Arwon placed a hand over his chest and nodded.
“Understood. But do you not require emergency treatment as well, Regent?”
“For what?”
Arwon pointed toward his own nose.
“Your nose is bleeding.”
“My nose?”
Ferda touched his nose.
The blood had already cooled, staining his fingers.
“I see.”
Ferda had been so focused that even he had failed to notice.
Arwon took out a handkerchief and offered it to him.
“I have heard that excessive use of magic can cause nosebleeds. If you feel dizzy or experience any other symptoms, should you not receive treatment immediately?”
“Ah, it is fine.”
Ferda wiped his nose with the handkerchief.
After lightly dabbing it a few times, the bleeding quickly stopped.
“I may be reckless, but I am not foolish enough to destroy my own body while fighting.”
He would take risks when necessary, but he would never wager his life without reason.
In truth, he still had enough mana to create approximately three more spheres.
“A pebble must have been sent flying when the mana exploded, and it seems to have struck me in the nose.”
Therefore, Ferda could only regard Burnell, who had pushed himself into overload and sacrificed his own body, as utterly pathetic.