To Become a King and a Magician

A blinding light instantly enveloped Aoko and [Naoki]'s vision. The scorching brilliance burned their eyes, preventing them from seeing straight ahead.

The Mana in Aoko's body was rapidly depleting. Though her Mana regeneration speed far exceeded the average, sustaining maximum output like this was impossible. If they kept clashing—

(Twenty more seconds, and I won't hold up.)

Her Mana cannon, capable of piercing buildings, could be fired continuously for over twenty seconds, but in Magus terms, Aoko was already beyond standard. A normal Magus, even if theoretically capable, would burn out their magic circuits.

Yet against [Naoki], this output was still far from enough.

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

The sun-like light grew fiercer. The terrifying pressure bearing down on Aoko intensified, causing the ground beneath her to crack inch by inch, forming a crater.

Her feet sank deep into the earth, teeth clenched tightly, cold sweat pouring from her forehead, her arms trembling uncontrollably.

(No way… This output—does his Mana never run out?)

The thoughts of Aoko's past opponents surfaced in her mind. She now truly understood what it was like to face an enemy with near-infinite Mana.

If this continued, she'd be crushed!

"—!"

Suddenly, a tremor surged through Aoko's body. Instinctively, without thinking, she halted her Mana cannon's output.

Without resistance, the blinding sun-like light engulfed her figure, swallowing much of the surrounding space, rapidly disintegrating and vanishing in the searing glow!

Like scraping off most of a cake's surface.

As the light faded, the streets, buildings, and everything else had vanished, leaving only a massive meteor crater!

"Haah… haah…"

Panting, [Naoki] floated in the air, gazing at the destruction below. The strong thumping of his heart made him unable to resist curling his lips, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hahahahahahaha… What a beautiful sight. Dying without a trace after giving your all—there's no nobler death. Magician, you let me vent pretty well."

[Is it done?]

[Manaka]'s voice echoed in his consciousness. [Naoki] didn't even bother replying, merely pointing below, then a sensation of being scanned washed over him.

(Checking again, suspicious woman.)

[Yes, return. That space is about to collapse.]

"Hope next time you prepare a better punching bag. This one was decent."

Leaving harsh words, [Naoki] vanished into a magic circle behind him, abandoning the shattered, cracked space as it slowly crumbled.

But seconds after [Naoki] left, a hand suddenly emerged from the deep crater below.

*CRASH!*

Dirt flew everywhere. From the opened pit, a dust-covered Aoko looked skyward: "He's gone… That really saved my life. This Kouhai-kun is something else."

Aoko had known this for a while, but back when they fought side by side, she felt more relief at having such a reliable ally than shock at his power. Now, as enemies, that relief was gone, replaced by fear and respect.

Exaggeratedly, fighting Naoki was like warring against the world. The four elements forming the world were mere toys in his hands.

"Thankfully, I had this scabbard and this Magecraft." Aoko touched her chest, where a small flower emitted a faint glow.

What saved her from that destructive light was the scabbard Mordred gave her before she arrived. Being in a Bounded Field that isolated external interference, Aoko escaped unscathed.

The flower was a protective Magecraft left by Merry. Though not very useful and only serving as an illusion, it kept [Manaka] from detecting her.

Crawling out of the pit, Aoko surveyed the collapsing world around her: "As expected, a Bounded Field built on reality. Once this fully collapses, I'll return to the real world…"

As she spoke, the shattered streets began to be replaced by fragments of reality. Pedestrians reappeared one by one, and bright sunlight illuminated the apocalyptic road.

Reality was gradually returning.

Brushing dust off her body, Aoko blended into the crowd.

"Haaa, I just got here and already ran into this. Kouhai-kun with a drastic personality change… In the end, I still don't know what happened to him."

Initially, she could've distinguished with one Mana cannon shot, but [Naoki]'s power exceeded her expectations, making it impossible to clarify.

(That magic circle was suspicious too… And that strange look. Is Kouhai-kun like this because of the mastermind behind it all?)

Her initial unanswered questions now grew. For Aoko, used to solving problems with her fists, this was a bit torturous.

"Excuse me, are you troubled by something?"

Suddenly, a voice reached Aoko's ears. Turning, she saw a blue-haired girl leaning against a wall.

Aoko vaguely recalled her: "You… I remember the name [Ciel]… She's here?"

"Hmm? You know me?"

"No… it's… I just happen to know someone with the exact same name. Anyway, you called out to me? Can you answer my questions?"

"It's just a habit. I work part-time at the church, sometimes at the confessional, so I notice people like you with furrowed brows, troubled by something. Sorry if I offended."

The confessional?

Aoko recalled old memories from her time in Italy, then smiled: "Your eyes are sharp, then. I do have some things I want to know. Can you tell me?"

"Depends on the issue."

"I'm looking for someone named Natsukawa Naoki. Do you know where he is?"

"Of course, follow me."