Chapter 100. Prospects? Prospects Are Bullshit
It was right then that the Emperor realized something was wrong.
<Th-this… what!>
Baleful qi (邪氣) surged in a raging swirl.
Sweeping everything around like a vortex and then concentrating into a single point—something no one could endure easily.
Its roughness was like a razor-sharp treasured sword, and its impurity was on a level that couldn’t even be compared to the scattered baleful qi drifting around the area.
And that wasn’t all.
Kkudeudeuk, kkudeuk.
That pressure, gathering into a single point and compressing—like the water pressure at the deepest depths of the deep sea (深海).
‘But… why?’
The Emperor stared at Aster with eyes wide in shock.
That wretched state wasn’t normal.
He didn’t even have the strength to stand on his own, leaning defenselessly against the enemy’s shoulder.
His head hung low. Blackened, dead blood pouring down onto the ground like a waterfall.
Ssae-aek, ssaek—
If not for the faint sound of breathing, it would have been easy to mistake him for already dead.
And yet.
<This resistance… what is it supposed to be.>
Udeudeuk.
Bones crackled within the Emperor’s gathered grip.
If this grip fully closed, the monstrous baleful qi (邪氣) would annihilate the bastard.
But—
Kkigik, kkeuk.
The gap between his fingers slowly widened. He tried to press down with all his strength, but for some reason the gap didn’t shrink.
No, it only widened.
‘Is he enduring it? He should’ve already used all his strength.’
<…Fine. At least that willpower, I’ll acknowledge. A mind strong enough for overturning heaven (逆天) to choose as its master of this era… hmm?>
Rustle—
A sudden gentle breeze brushed past the Emperor’s nose. No—this wasn’t a breeze.
<This is…>
Without realizing it, the Emperor fixed his gaze on the strange current.
It was blue.
No—beyond blue, it was piercing.
As if purifying the baleful qi (邪氣) filling the surroundings, clearer than the sky on the crispest day, cleaner than the clearest water.
It was…
<…Mana (Mana)?>
Mana, called the origin of life.
Saarak, sak.
Where was it blowing in from? The blue current of mana increased, one by one.
The number quickly swelled beyond counting, and its flow was so soft, like a spring breeze.
And then—
Thuk.
A palm came down onto the Emperor’s shoulder.
<…?>
The Emperor stared blankly as Aster pushed himself upright, using the Emperor’s body for support.
Normally, the right move would be to loosen his gathered hands at once and shove that body away.
Even if it meant plunging back into close-quarters combat, crushing a wheezing opponent would be annoying, not difficult.
But the Emperor couldn’t move.
<What… is this, in the world?>
Across Aster’s entire body—just moments ago spitting deep-blue sparks—a spring breeze of mana gathered in.
Like mischievous fairies, it flitted over him here and there, tickling him.
As if it had its own will.
And then.
Sseureuk.
“……”
Aster stood, fully supporting himself on his own two feet.
What the Emperor saw was incomprehensible.
He hadn’t used any spell. And yet, a phenomenon was happening.
Tzuzuz—
Wounds knitting as if time had been rewound. Everywhere the spring breeze of mana brushed past, blackened dead flesh sprouted into new flesh, and bone fragments that had been eroded away by baleful qi re-formed into a complete shape from their remaining traces.
Like… yes.
Like the Brando family’s healing light—like the greatest healing magic said to be the best.
And that wasn’t all.
<Persistent bastard! Now just—khak!>
The moment the Emperor threw away the baleful qi he’d been gripping and tried to snap Aster’s neck—
Kwa-deuk!
His forearm twisted strangely. A forearm that had once been severed snapped again—thuk! ttu-duk!—breaking apart joint by joint, losing its shape.
It wasn’t that Aster did something with his hands.
It was just…
Hwi-ooooo—
Mana, strangely whipping like an enraged wild beast, simply split the space between Aster and the Emperor.
Without meaning to, the Emperor took two steps back.
<What in the world is this… what is happening. Overturning heaven (逆天), is it you? Again—is it you?>
It wasn’t overturning heaven. If overturning heaven could do something like this, it would have helped its master again and again during the fight.
The Emperor knew that too.
But the reason he couldn’t help suspecting overturning heaven was simple.
“……”
Aster looked down at his own hand without thinking.
From every direction, mana gathered into that grip and played over his skin.
The current of mana brushing his ear was like chanting a sweet song, and the current piercing his heart was like it had found its home.
<How can a human…>
In the ancient age the Emperor had lived in, there were legends handed down from even more distant antiquity.
Mana’s blessing.
A grace granted only to a few special beings.
Those who received it were different from mages who used mana as a medium to draw out phenomena.
They didn’t understand or gain insight into mana’s principles.
They simply…
Snap.
Aster stared at his hand and flicked his fingers.
<G-guuaaaaaak—!>
In an instant, the Emperor spewed a chilling scream at the flames that wrapped around his body.
Pas-seuk— pasak!
Baleful qi (邪氣) surged in at his will, trying to extinguish the flames, but why—
Hwa-reureuk—
The fire burned the Emperor’s body regardless.
“……”
With strangely wavering eyes, Aster stared at the Emperor. No—more precisely, at the flames swallowing him.
“…Azure Flame (靑火).”
A secret legacy of House Deculan. Flames that burn without end. One of the highest ultimate secrets among flame-attribute magics, burning the world for eternal ages.
It was truly bizarre.
Even within House Deculan, it was a secret art only direct bloodline members—and among them, only those with proper talent—could learn.
So how could Aster?
Even if Aster had learned the lower-grade Scarlet Flame (赤火) and possessed the Thousand Origin Art, the root of all Deculan secrets, bringing forth Azure Flame from those two was another matter entirely.
Parun or Henji—two geniuses like them could cling to it for a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be easy.
It wasn’t something you could “realize” just because you’d reached transcendence (超越).
<Kill you—! I’ll kill youuu—!>
The Emperor forced himself through the distant pain and charged. Baleful qi, savage beyond measure, rippling and scattering around him.
It was at that moment that the Azure Flame vanished without a trace.
Pah-ak—!
<…?! …Khak!>
Suddenly, sharp stone pillars erupted from the earth. Magic born from rotted ground, yet the energy within them was clear and pure. And that wasn’t all.
<Pathetic tricks…!>
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even as the Emperor—having lost reason—smashed down his fists, the pillars didn’t waver in the slightest.
“…Spear of the Earth.”
A secret legacy Chenbi had inherited from a nameless teacher.
There were only two people in the world who knew this secret art.
The wandering mage who passed it down to Chenbi, and Chenbi himself who received it.
So how, in the world?
And it wasn’t only that.
Urrrung—
Lightning struck from the sky, and a typhoon carrying flames raged. Ggeugeuk! The earth screamed as it split open, and hot lava flowed up from beneath.
<How… how can someone like you—! Someone like you have mana’s blessing—!>
Burning in pain, the Emperor screamed desperately.
He might have Destrow’s body that doesn’t die, but a powerless situation like this was hard to endure. No—more than just this situation.
Tzuz, tzuzuz—
As if it had met its master.
Mana currents circling around the bastard.
All mana listened for his will, as if telling him to say anything at all.
And when his will touched mana…
Bang!
Mana manifested that will as a phenomenon.
This was mana’s blessing.
A power said to be wielded only by beings from legend—now widely known by a name other than “mana’s blessing.”
It was…
Dragon Speech (龍言).
The language of dragons.
But unlike the Emperor’s state of mind, Aster’s eyes calmly assessed the situation.
“So in the end… a mimic?”
Azure Flame, Spear of the Earth. Not only those, but also the spells Paharen had poured onto him in the past. And the spells he’d seen in his previous life—he unleashed them all.
But to Aster, who had witnessed the real thing, the results were somehow unsatisfying.
His transcendence (超越) was… yes. The ability to handle all mana as he willed, but the phenomena lacked depth.
So what could he do?
<The outcome… the outcome won’t change. You have no prospects—khak!>
“Prospects?”
Gripping the nape of the Emperor’s neck as the beast charged, Aster smiled.
“Prospects are bullshit.”
That smile was supremely pleasant.
No—he couldn’t help but feel pleasant.
How should he put it.
Yes. It felt like he had climbed onto the pinnacle of magic he’d pursued his whole life.
Back when he had learned nothing, when he hadn’t even had the chance to learn—when secret arts were something he couldn’t even dream of. When all he could move at will was his miserable mana, so he walked that path.
Understanding. Understanding. Understanding. Understanding. Understanding… understanding repeated beyond counting.
That was why Aster dug into mana techniques. Aether, knights’ secret arts—why he researched anything and everything he could get his hands on.
No—he had no choice.
Because the only thing he had was that.
Of course, he’d never imagined his transcendence (超越), his awakening, would take this form…
But anyway, now that he’d climbed to the pinnacle—
Prospects?
“Why think about what comes after? Right now, just… yeah, just enjoy right now. Hm?”
A chilling smile bloomed at Aster’s lips.
In his mind, a single spell took shape.
Different from the hollow shells with no substance he’d been flinging around until now… the knowledge he’d honed his whole life, and the secret arts he’d gained—however insufficient—in this life.
They mixed in his mind.
Principles? Not needed.
Only meaning was needed.
“……”
The moment his gaze flashed once—
<A-ahhh! N-no…!>
Sensing something ominous, the Emperor struck Aster wildly. But it was meaningless. The mana circling around followed Aster’s will and blocked the attacks.
It was then that a mass of mana surged.
Hwi-oooooooo—!
A fierce storm of mana sweeping everything around. Kka-deuk! That flow, clawing across the earth, was truly fearsome.
And yet.
‘…Not enough.’
Aster felt it wasn’t enough.
Mana’s blessing—Destrow called it that, but this wasn’t some blessing.
Mana rippling around him. At a glance, it looked like it had its own will and was being led along, but in truth, mana had no will.
Aster’s will had summoned mana, so it was simply being dragged along by that will.
But.
‘A little more…’
He needed vast amounts of mana.
To manifest the spell he was thinking of, the mana he’d drawn in with willpower alone wasn’t enough. So how?
…Ah.
Then, an idea flickered through his mind.
Once… an idea he’d had while devising a mana formula. But because of the danger, a method he’d ultimately never tried.
But why—
“……”
Right now, it felt like he could do it.
Tzuzuz—
The moment he formed the will, mana in the air surged and gathered into his heart.
Not through breathing, but a flow of mana seeping in through his entire body.
Aster gathered it together and shaped it around his core.
That shape was…
Circle (Circle).
A band of mana orbiting the round core like a ring around a star. No—now it wasn’t mana. Perhaps because of the grimoire’s authority, mana transformed into mana power.
It was then that the core’s mana power began to rotate.
Tzuzuzuzuz—!
A band of mana power rotating in the opposite direction at the same time.
“Ghk…!”
With no small backlash from the conflicting flows, Aster forced down the blood surging up his throat.
Was it because the core’s momentum was added?
Gwooooo—!
Vast mana power poured in from every direction.
Realizing that flow, Aster fixed his gaze on the Emperor, who was thrashing uselessly.
“Try eating this too….”
In his grip, scorching flames surged up.
A pillar of fire violently shooting into the sky.
No—should it even be called fire? It was different. The flickering, hot burning looked like flame, but there was no proper “price.”
In the process of burning, it didn’t take in oxygen, and though it burned Destrow’s body, it didn’t use that as a medium.
This was Scarlet Flame (赤火).
Its final stage.
A complete flame that burned proudly on its own.
Living Flame (生火).
But that wasn’t all.
Collision Style, Interference Style, explosive annihilation, and the Thunder Body (雷身) used in the fierce battle with Destrow—along with dozens more mana techniques that didn’t even have names.
No principles, no distinctions.
Insight beyond understanding.
That insight went beyond mana power and gave will to mana (Mana), burning up toward one single purpose.
The will contained within it was…
Annihilation (絶滅).
The annihilation of a single existence.
<Guuuh… guuaaaaaaaaak—!>
Under the Emperor’s scream that shook the world, Aster’s eyes shone brilliantly.
Those eyes were walking that distant world of transcendence (超越).
