Ch. 93 - Maizen Tyren (2)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Merry Christmas everyone.
Hope you’re enjoying your holidays.
Happy reading!
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Hope you’re enjoying your holidays.
Happy reading!
Chapter 93: Maizen Tyren (2)
With the sudden appearance of the dark mage, the students started to retreat slowly.
Despite receiving education to face dark mages, there were hardly any students in the first year with practical combat experience.
Moreover, the opponent was a dark mage estimated to be at least Class 5 or 6. To make matters worse, it was a fallen dark mage who used to teach them.
"Professor, why?"
Looking at the trembling student, Maizen smiled faintly.
“Do I still look like a professor to you? What are you? Blind?"
Maizen slowly scanned the students with a penetrating gaze.
They were still young and weak, but in a few decades, or even a few years, they would surpass her achievements with their incredible talents.
Did that make sense?
'How much effort did I put in?'
She too polished her magic skills, studied, and trained every day.
However, despite her efforts, the ultimate achievement she could reach in terms of talent was around Class 4.
She aimed for higher grounds. She wanted to become someone superior and surpass everyone with overwhelming power.
That was why Maizen reluctantly chose the path of alchemy, as there were clear limits to magic.
She hoped to excel as an alchemist by solving the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique she was most confident in.
But even her talent in alchemy was mediocre at best.
It was fortunate in a way.
Maizen had a natural talent for the art of flattery, which reached a high level and could ingratiate her with those of high status and cater to the whims of those in power.
So Maizen managed to become a professor at Stella Academy based more on her connections than her skills.
Nonetheless, she considered herself a decent alchemist.
She had written remarkable papers, participated in significant research, and had become a professor at Stella, after all.
With her proficiency in both magic and alchemy, she had established herself as an authority in the Academy.
Wasn’t it okay to aim even higher?
That thought shattered into pieces shortly after entering Stella.
Eisel Morph, who showcased alchemy skills superior to her own, and Baek Yu-Seol, who had exceptional ideas, not to mention Alterisha, who always surpassed her in everything.
She couldn't understand.
Why did they have to be better?
She thought that she had studied diligently enough.
Why should she fall behind those younger individuals?
That sense of inferiority.
That jealousy.
All those emotions converged into one.
They made the current Maizen Tyren.
"Ha...."
Now it was fine.
In front of her, geniuses with the qualities of archmages were gathered.
There was no need to envy their talents anymore.
Wouldn’t it be easy to take it away and make it her own?
"Ugh!"
"Kugh...!"
The dark magic emanating from Maizen gradually turned the surrounding space black.
Perhaps it wouldn’t take long for all the beings present to be tainted by dark magic. The thought made Flame lick her dry lips with her tongue.
"We must stop this."
For a week, the space here would be sealed by an impenetrable barrier, which meant that no one could escape.
During that week, Maizen would leisurely hunt down the students.
It would undoubtedly be recorded as the most terrible slaughter in the history of Stella Academy, never to be repeated.
The most prominent talents in the world would be massacred here. Then, the future of this world would truly be filled with darkness.
Coincidentally, many key figures were gathered here.
Eisel, Ma Yu-Seong, Hong Bi-Yeon, and Baek Yu-Seol who was probably wandering around the fourth layer by now.
It was a pity that he was not there, but there was nothing Maizen could do. She couldn’t always hope for the presence of key figures.
"Princess!"
"Please escape! We'll hold them off!"
"Ahh..."
Hong Bi-Yeon looked at her faction members with tired eyes.
There were faction members who were pale and couldn't do anything. Some were already planning to escape and protect themselves, while some stood in front, deploying shields, claiming to protect her.
She looked at Arshuang, who lay unconscious on the ground.
‘For my sake…’
Barely a few moments had passed since she teetered on the verge of being consumed by dark magic. However, she completely became her own person after being rescued.
Furthermore, it seemed that ehr transformation had influenced the other faction members. They now completely sided with Hong Bi-Yeon.
She had to take advantage of this opportunity.
There was nowhere to run anyway.
They would die.
So she had to play the role of a brave leader who wouldn't retreat from this place.
She clenched her staff and stood up, pushing past the faction members and stepping forward.
"No. We fight. If we retreat, we'll eventually be hunted down one by one."
"P-Princess..."
"I'll fight at the forefront."
Even the faction members who were terrified by her words forced themselves to stand up, swallowing their saliva.
Most of the students here were her subordinates, so with her words, the battle formation was quickly established.
When Ma Yu-Seong, Eisel, and Flame joined forces with Hong Bi-Yeon, Maizen smirked confidently.
"If you had quietly given up and surrendered your mana, you could have lived the rest of your lives as ordinary people, but instead, you chose death willingly."
Saying that, she raised her right hand high. A dark mage didn’t need a staff as they drew energy from the realm.
As soon as she began casting, Flame shouted, "Block it!"
At the same time, Ma Yu-Seong leaped using power jump and swiftly descended upon Maizen, striking her with a massive spear made of a rock.
Boom!
However, a crimson shield blocked the attack, causing the spear to disappear in an instant.
Ma Yu-Seong didn't stop there and conjured dozens of pillars of flame from the ground, which enveloped Maizen’s body. He then created a rock barrier behind her, blocking her path of retreat.
Immediately after, a giant mass of flames descended from the sky.
Hong Bi-Yeon’s patented move, fire beam.
Kwaang!!!
The shield formed by Class 5 magic instantly cracked, and when Eisel’s lightning struck, it was completely destroyed.
"What?!"
Maizen’s pupils shook in surprise. It was the price she paid for underestimating the abilities of geniuses blessed with magic.
"Ugh!"
Flame unleashed a massive beam of light. Maizen's body, which had grown to nearly three meters in height, retreated backward from the impact.
It wasn't difficult to hit her in that state.
The Hong Bi-Yeon’s faction, who had finished their casting, also activated their magic and rained attacks on Maizen.
Up to this point, it seemed to be going smoothly.
But Flame knew that wasn't the case.
Maizen hadn't attacked yet. It wasn't that she couldn't, but rather that she chose not to.
To prepare for a powerful strike.
To test their strength.
Despite unleashing so much magic, Maizen’s casting continued without interruption.
"No... I can't stop it." Flame gritted her teeth and shouted. "Everyone, brace for impact!"
The students, who were already frightened by Maizen’s casting, halted their attacks and deployed their shields together.
Shield magic, in its original form, involved combining multiple small shield fragments to create a stronger defense.
Shields deployed by different mages lacked cohesion, but when so many Class 2 mages deployed their shields simultaneously, it provided a reasonably effective defense.
A massive blue magic circle appeared in front. Earth-attribute mages lifted the ground to create a defensive barrier, and Flame unfolded a shining shield specialized in dark magic protection.
And in an instant, they all shattered.
Not even a sound could be heard.
They only saw the massive dark flames shoot in their direction before their vision blurred.
"Kkuhh...!"
Despite trying to absorb the impact as much as possible, the students scattered in all directions, tumbling and falling.
Flame, too, grimaced and clutched her aching back. She suffered severe strain from colliding with a rock.
"Guh... Darn it..."
Forcing recovery magic onto her back, she struggled to stand up and tightly gripped her staff.
Despite seeing the students sprawled around, Maizen remained motionless with a relaxed demeanor.
"Hmm, this is quite impressive. I didn't know you could defend against it. Our first-year newcomers are certainly not ordinary, huh?" She laughed as if genuinely delighted. "I'm very pleased with the idea of absorbing that talent."
Thunk!
As soon as Maizen took a step forward, some students forcibly used their staffs to stand up.
Remarkably, even in the midst of all this, they were igniting the determination to resist, knowing that the enemy was still right in front of them.
"Hahaha... Indeed, no matter how young, Stella is Stella, huh?"
As she slowly scanned the students who were rising, Maizen's expression twisted.
“Kids these days. Why are they so earnest about irrelevant matters?"
Flame quickly confirmed Ma Yu-Seong's position. His academy uniform was disheveled, but he seemed relatively unharmed.
No, he wasn't just relatively unharmed.
Sparks were gradually emanating from his body, but it wasn't the typical blue and red mixture of magic.
It was pure black.
Ma Yu-Seong was attempting to use his inherent ability, [Dark Magic Domination].
However, the condition for that was extremely strict, requiring the complete release of [Dark Magic Form].
It was a formidable task for him in his current state.
Moreover, once he revealed his dark magic, he would no longer be able to stay at Stella Academy.
Knowing this, the decision to release it was a testament to the importance of navigating the current situation rather than the trivial academy.
But at that moment, Maizen approached Ma Yu-Seong, forcing him to reluctantly retreat and deploy a rock barrier.
Bang!
But Maizen effortlessly pierced through even the Class 3 barrier and charged forward.
Ma Yu-Seong desperately used a power jump to evade, but Maizen immediately pursued him.
"Ugh...!"
Unable to do anything, Ma Yu-Seong detonated flames in mid-air, forcefully propelling himself and crashing onto the ground, suffering significant impact.
Boom!
Maizen was about to strike him in that state, but the students, who had regained their composure just in time, launched their magic attacks, successfully preventing her from doing so.
Meanwhile, Ma Yu-Seong quickly tried to create distance, but Maizen, even with a hastily deployed shield, ignored everything else to chase him relentlessly, forcefully enduring some attacks.
"She noticed something!"
The [Dark Magic Domination] ability had a morale-boosting trait that could have some impact even on higher-level dark mages.
Maizen knew this from the beginning and forcefully pursued Ma Yu-Seong to prevent him from unleashing dark magic.
"You damn bitch!"
Flame summoned a whip of light to bind Maizen’s body. While her speed decreased slightly, it didn't have a significant effect.
Maizen tore it apart and continued advancing.
Meanwhile, magic struck Maizen.
However…
Even though Ma Yu-Seong was receiving Maizen’s attacks, she was still a dark mage with a power level over Class 5.
Against her, he demonstrated various senses to block or evade attacks and even counterattacked when the opportunity arose.
Rocks erupted, lightning struck, and walls of fire obstructed Maizen’s vision.
In other words, Ma Yu-Seong was excellently ‘tanking’ Maizen.
He was more impressive than they thought. Even though he was Ma Yu-Seong, the fact that he could withstand a Class 5 dark mage without unleashing his full power was quite remarkable.
Ma Yu-Seong was fulfilling his role as a knight.
As Maizen faced off against Ma Yu-Seong to restrain his abilities, the students cast the most powerful magic they could individually unleash.
Thanks to Ma Yu-Seong's excellent tanking, the casting was successfully completed.
Boom! Thud!
At the moment when various elemental magic poured down, Eisel finished chanting her spell in the corner.
"Crystal flower.”
It was her ultimate magic skill developed through collaboration with Baek Yu-Seol, showing effects equivalent to or greater than Class 4 magic in an instant.
However, it was magic she wouldn't use unless her back was against the wall. She would inevitably be exhausted after using it. However, there was no better time.
Crackle!!!
Giant ice flowers bloomed, and they immediately shattered into tiny petals, piercing through Maizen’s body.
Those ice bullets could penetrate even steel, freezing deep into the bones.
And then…
"Devour them."
Suddenly, a massive wave of flames engulfed the world.
It was a magic Hong Bi-Yeon developed after witnessing Eisel’s magic during the mock battle and pushing herself to the limit through training.
"Wave of flames."
The immense wave targeted only the designated targets without burning anything else in nature.
Rumble!
With a thunderous roar that could be compared to an explosion, Maizen’s screams echoed.
Without stopping there, Flame also unleashed the most powerful magic she could muster.
"Oh darkness, dissolve away."
A golden gate appeared in the air and spun around.
Creak!
The gate opened.
Beams of light poured out.
At first glance, it seemed like ordinary lighting with no apparent effect, but it was a purification magic that had a devastating effect on dark magic.
Fire exploded, ice shattered, and pillars of light illuminated the sky.
The genius girls who would be remembered in history created the greatest magic and beautiful works of art by burning all their mana. At that moment, they had become selfless, forgetting their own well-being.
If all their magic harmonized, they could undoubtedly deliver a meaningful blow to Maizen Tyren.
Crash!
"Huh?"
Creak!
Flame felt a sensation as if her heart had momentarily stopped. She clutched her chest and knelt on the ground, coughing up blood.
"Ugh, cough!"
All the mana within her body evaporated.
Mana dispersion. A phenomenon that occurred when magic was forcibly dispelled or canceled, causing all mana in the body to evaporate.
Tears streamed down her face from pain she had never felt before.
"Cough, ugh..."
She wasn't the only one.
Hong Bi-Yeon, Eisel, and other students also experienced the same thing. With their magic canceled, they collapsed to the ground, unable to even think about moving.
Some vomited blood and fainted, unable to continue the battle.
"Damn… it..."
Struggling to regain her fading consciousness, Flame gritted her teeth and managed to stand up with trembling legs.
Dizziness.
The world shook, and her body pleaded for sleep, to escape the continuous ordeal, but she couldn't afford to.
If she fell asleep here, she would lose everything.
Her life and the future of this world.
"I can't… I can't possibly..."
Exhausted, Flame gripped her staff and lifted her head.
Soon, her eyes became filled with despair.
Swish!
From Maizen’s fingertips, a magic circle emerged and began spinning.
It was the dark flame that all the students had barely managed to stop by pooling their strength.
"Haha... Truly impressive. To possess this level of magic at such a young age, the top 10 geniuses..."
Maizen chuckled and then hardened her expression, clutching the flame.
"I really can't help but want to take it away from you."
The dark flame had grown much larger than before.
Estimated level: Class 6.
Even if everyone was at their peak condition, they couldn't possibly stop it.
The sky turned dark as if reflecting their future.
Flame desperately tried to draw out her mana to emit a light attack, but she couldn't feel anything inside her anymore.
"Damn it..."
Flame suddenly looked around.
Ma Yu-Seong, huddled in a corner, struggled to stand up.
Just like Flame, he was supporting his weak body with a staff.
Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon also supported themselves on their staffs and forced themselves to rise.
The other students were unconscious or didn’t even have the ability to twitch.
They would all die.
The ones who were meant to change the future of the world.
They would all die there.
It was despairing and lamentable.
But if this was fate, there was nothing they could do.
Flame blankly gazed at Maizen’s approaching dark flame.
[The special function of the item 'Pendant of Marekan' is activated.]
[Marekan Shield]
[Once, it will unconditionally defend against magic of Class 6 or lower.]
A massive round shield with intricate machinery-like circuits unfolded before her.
Boom!
The dark flame completely vanished.
"Ah..."
In that fleeting moment, Flame could see it.
He was smaller and more petite than the boys of his age, but she felt like his presence was more solid and broad than anyone else.
The profile of a certain boy.
"He's damn late..."
With that, Flame closed her eyes.
As she lapsed into unconsciousness, she smiled, a look of relief on her face.