Eps 185
Infinite Mage
Eps 185 Reversal of the law (6)
Godlock found the place he was looking for not too far away.
It was where the valley had sunk and fractures had occurred. There was a gap just wide enough for one person to enter, and a beam of light was coming down along that crack.
“Look here.”
Godlock said, pointing to the center of the flash. The light was concentrated only there. It looked fluffy like snowflakes, and upon closer observation, particles of light could be seen swirling around.
Shirone scratched his head as he looked into it. How should he explain it? By the nature of light, it's impossible for particles to naturally cluster together.
Of course, the Nors didn't think differently.
Godlock, emphasizing the unusual phenomenon, wrapped the particles of light with his hands and said.
"Do you see how light gathers here uniquely?"
"Yes. But how is this possible?"
“It’s called Rapport. The Rapport of light dwells here.”
"So… Are you saying that Rapport is gathering light?”
"No. The light has stayed here for a long time, so Rapport arose. Rapport can be found anywhere. It can dwell in the wind, water, and even thoughts. Of course, as long as those thoughts remain unchanged over a significant period."
Shirone thought it sounded similar to the concept of Magic Crystal.
It was a phenomenon where a certain quality became stagnant for a very long time and the concept of that property materialized.
"If Rapport resides in one place for a long time, it becomes a spirit. A spirit, then, is... a Rapport with activity. Moreover, it can contract with humans. Contracting with a spirit of light allows one to draw upon the power of light anytime, anywhere. However, finding one is as hard as plucking stars from the sky."
Shirone pointed at the Rapport and asked.
"Then, this light will eventually become a spirit?"
“Haha, perhaps. Maybe after about a thousand years? As long as it doesn't dissipate in the meantime."
A thousand years. A time span far longer than the lifespan allotted to humans. Perhaps the period for which a certain property becomes Rapport is similar. I understood the saying that finding a spirit was like picking a star in the sky. (천 년. 인간에게 주어진 시간보다 월등히 길었다. 아마도 어떤 성질이 정이 되는 기간도 비슷할 것이다. 정령을 구하기가 하늘의 별 따기라는 말이 이해가 되었다.)
"Anyway, we can use this place to get to the Nors Shelter. Everyone, gather around here."
"Isn't the space too cramped? Shouldn't some people go to the other side?"
"It's fine. It seems the magic of the Earth's nations isn't very wide-ranging. We can expand as much as we need if we have the essence of light. Like this."
Godlock grabbed the bundle of light. His fists turned golden and rose to his shoulders.
It seemed the entire body would soon be enveloped in light.
Since the power of nature is infinite, humans who borrow its power can increase the scale as much as they want.
However, it seemed to take quite a while.
Even after a long time, the light didn't move beyond his shoulder, causing Godlock's eyes to show a hint of confusion.
"That's strange. Why is it taking so long? Normally, 5 minutes is enough."
"Master, could the Rapport of light have weakened?"
"That's unlikely. It worked fine 3 days ago. For the Rapport's energy to change, it would take at least hundreds of years. Or is there some factor that is weakening the Rapport's energy?”
"But that can't be. Only one law exists here. That's why we also use it as a midpoint base."
Godlock realized something from Clove's words. It might have been a delusion, but searching for another factor while ignoring the only answer was an even greater delusion.
"Could it be...! But why?"
The Rapport of light began to waver. Following that, the ground, and eventually the entire valley, shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
"What's happening? What's gone wrong?"
"We need to get out of here fast! It's a Law Whirlwind Serpent! The Rapport is being disturbed!"
Because being crushed by a collapsing cliff meant certain death, Shirone and the group quickly escaped through the crevices of the valley.
Looking from the outside, the surrounding area was entirely trembling. Given the scale of the tremors, it was clear something or someone close by was causing it.
However, looking around, there was nothing resembling a snake in sight.
"Damn it! Where is it? Where is it coming from?"
Rian drew his greatsword, standing in front of Shirone.
The mages also formed a formation and entered a battle stance.
Tess concentrated her senses to scan the surroundings. The vibrations on the left and the right were different. It was rounding the corner on the right.
When the ground trembled so much that it was difficult for her to keep her balance, Tess finally felt something odd. Her senses and reality weren't matching up. With this level of tremor, it should've already appeared before them.
"O- Over there!"
Shirone pointed out in surprise.
A tiny, white creature resembling a salamander was lying on its belly on a rock about 3 meters away.
No, could this be considered a living creature?
It had no eyes, no nose, no mouth. It resembled a salamander in shape, but its surface was smooth as if carved from jade.
In their entire life, they had never seen such a white creature.
"What’s this? Is this the Whirling Serpent?”
"No, not there!"
At Godlock's shout, Shirone instinctively stepped back. As the view cleared, they finally saw it.
The shadow of the Whirling Serpent lay across the valley. Unbelievably, it was a shadow so large that it filled the entire cliff.
Shirone turned his gaze back to the rock. The creature that resembled a salamander was shining intensely.
The shadows are growing with the light emitted from the body.
By the time he realized that fact, the shadow that had protruded from the cliff was already flying towards them, tearing open the corner of its huge mouth.
The cloak of darkness cut off their view. The sheer size, beyond all comprehension, meant they couldn't even conceive they were under attack.
As Shirone and the party were engulfed in the pitch-black darkness, Godlock, who had been watching from a crevice in the valley, shouted out.
"It’s dangerous!"
Shirone's Photon Explosion burst forth.
In the moment the light spread, everyone realized how close the sharp shadow claws had come.
Had they been even slightly later, their flesh would have been torn away.
Kyaaaaaaa!
The Whirling Serpent that had been torn apart by Photon Explosion screamed.
It must be a device similar to a Harvester. Because a creature without a mouth couldn't possibly have a vocal organ.
When they came to their senses, everyone could see the shadow of the Whirling Serpent pushed out like a typhoon cloud.
It was fortunate they managed to block the first attack.
Most prey lose their lives to the first attack of the Whirling Serpent. This is because the victim cannot even see the attack coming because they are locked in darkness.
Amy asked, wiping away her cold sweat.
“What on earth is that? It's a living thing, isn't it? Is that salamander-looking creature controlling it?"
Godlock emerged from the crevice of the valley and explained.
"No, the true form of the Whirling Serpent is its shadow. It has no physical body. The creature standing on the rock is merely an 'incarnation' created by the shadow of the Whirling Serpent."
"How can something like that exist? There has to be a body for a shadow to exist!"
"I don't know either. We call this ‘Reversal of Law’. That creature is an extraterrestrial being. We don't know where it came from, but it's definitely not from a world we can imagine."
The Whirling Serpent hesitated to approach any closer. It had never encountered a being that emitted light among the humans it had preyed on before, so its caution was understandable.
As the incarnation glowed, the shadow grew larger. It was similar to how wild beasts display aggression in front of their enemies.
Shirone realized from this that this place might not be his grave after all.
"It seems similar to a wild beast. Maybe in its original world, it was a common predator? Like a cat or a mouse. If it was the apex predator of its pyramid, it wouldn't resort to such defensive tactics."
"A cat? A mouse? Are you joking right now?"
Canya represented what everyone wanted to say. But besides Shirone, there was one more person who realized that fact.
It was Canis.
He was watching the Whirling Serpent's every move with awe-struck eyes.
'So it truly exists, a world where darkness dominates light.'
Reversal of Law. What was written in Arcane's note was true.
"Shirone is right. If it's truly a world where the rules are inverted, all beings exist as shadows. If that's the case, the Whirling Serpent wouldn't necessarily be powerful. Of course, the situation is different here."
Godlock inspected the crevice of the valley.
As expected, the Law of Whirling Serpent had weakened the Rapport of light.
Escape was impossible in this state.
But it was not time to give up. This is because the wave of light shown by Shirone was powerful enough to make the Whirling Serpent retreat.
"Hey, we've overcome the crisis, but stay alert. The snake's weakness is light. That's why it doesn't move during the day. Although we don't know why the Law was distorted, using light magic could give us a chance."
Shirone recalled the previous battle with Harvest. The lesson from that fight was that shock wasn't crucial against darkness. The key was the total amount of energy.
When Shirone cast Photon Cannon, eight photons appeared in an irregular formation to the left and right.
All eight flashes of light were thrown into the Whirling Serpent. A terrible scream broke out.
Amy unleashed Fireball. Since flames contain light, it should be effective.
The shadow of the Whirling Serpent caught fire.
But it was only a shock equivalent to an ant climbing on an elephant and pinching its skin. To be honest, it was a shadow so large that she thought it was a cheat.
Canis couldn't even attempt his magic. He tried attacking with the Power of Darkness, but instead the power was absorbed.
The outcome of a battle between identical elements depends on brute force.
If he couldn't control the darkness bigger than the Whirling Serpent, he would be the one to be devoured.
Shirone separated from his friends. If they were to be enveloped by its shadow again, it might really become dangerous.
True to its name, the Whirling Serpent moved in a large swirling motion. Shirone hit its side with a Photon Cannon, causing it pain and driving it to chase after him.
As the Whirling Serpent changed direction sharply, its massive tail swung towards Amy and the group.
Clove grabbed his head and screamed.
"Ahhh! It's coming!"
Amy spread Fire Mist, which shielded everyone, but it wasn't enough to burn the tail.
At the moment when the tails were about to blow away the group as if sweeping with a broom, Amy additionally cast Fire Wall.
The tail caught fire. However, its trajectory didn't change.
Amy bit her lip and increased her firepower. She intended to keep this position even if she had to die.
The tail that had been flying towards Amy's body suddenly moved away and passed by her face. The Whirling Serpent, unable to withstand the pain of the fire, threw away its body.
"Shirone!"
Amy screamed without even having time to catch her breath.
The Whirling Serpent had opened its jaws to engulf Shirone, but at the same moment, his Photon Explosion detonated, ripping the snake's face apart.
A rapid fire of Photon Cannons ensued.
To Amy's calculation, it must have been two hundred shots per minute. This was a figure that Shirone, who set the academy's highest record in the speed gun test, could have easily achieved.
The rate of fire was getting faster. Then it became a flash of light and pushed the shadow all the way to the opposite wall.
This was by removing the mass from the photons.
Since the impact was zero, it couldn't tear through the shadow, but the flash gradually ate into the snake's body.
“What kind of magic is that? Nonsense! There's no way that should be possible!"
Although it was good that their side was winning, Clove couldn't accept the reality unfolding before his eyes.
Canis and Lena were equally astonished.
Unlike the Mecca, the Nors can generate great strength even on their own. But they have never seen anything like that, not even in Heaven.
The sight of Shirone fighting the Whirlwind Serpent alone and winning was awe-inspiring.
Above all, he was winning. Watching the Whirlwind Serpent thrash against the wall sent chills down their spines.
Shirone's light turned red.
From the Photon Cannon to photon output, if the energy level is further increased, it is compressed into a single wavelength laser.
Even as the Whirlwind Serpent tried to reclaim its shadow realm and pushed against the laser, it too dispersed in a chain of explosions.
Kyaaaaa!
It was a ferocious roar.
The Whirlwind Serpent was afraid.
Originally, in its own world, it was the lowest predator. Then, it passed through a strange tunnel to Heaven about 10,000 years ago.
Without predators here, evolution was impossible, and it had lived comfortably until now.
But now that comfort is about to be shattered. To the insignificant human it had torn apart for amusement.
|Note
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