Magical Glitches
"[Six-Element Multi-Spear Javelin]!"
Standing on a magical foothold, I relentlessly unleashed a barrage of spears toward Oswell, who had fallen to the ground.
With a thunderous roar, a massive cloud of dust enveloped the surroundings.
From within the dust, a massive, red-black mass of magical power came flying toward me.
It was Oswell's counterattack.
"...[Reflective Barrier]"
I summoned a translucent, grayish barrier in front of me, trying to deflect the mass of magic that collided with it.
"—!?"
However, the magic mass shattered the wall and continued toward me without slowing down.
I was taken aback, but thanks to my heightened reflexes and reaction time from the [Seal Release], I easily dodged the attack.
The [Reflective Barrier] can deflect nearly all attacks.
The only one it couldn’t reflect was the attack from Oliver that went berserk a year ago.
Which means that the magical mass from earlier had a power comparable to that.
"Hahahaha! You're going all out from the start, Dragon Slayer! But too bad. This little bit of power won't even come close to reaching me."
As the dust settled, there stood Oswell, grinning and completely unharmed.
(…It seems there’s no significant difference from elemental types after all.)
Some magical beasts exhibit differences in how attacks are received depending on their elemental type.
Right now, Oswell resembles a type of demon, similar to the one Gary became two months ago when he tried to kill Prince Lucila.
A demon is a human who has reflected the traits of a magical beast onto themselves.
Although I don't know which magical beast Oswell has bonded with, there was a possibility that elemental differences could affect him, so I used [Six-Element Multi-Spear Javelin] to test that.
Even just confirming that there’s no significant difference is a big win.
"My experiment has just begun! Don't die so easily, Dragon Slayer!"
As I pondered how to corner him, Oswell made his move.
Two magical dragons grew from Oswell's shoulders, opening their mouths and gathering immense magical power, which they then released as a breath attack.
The attack wasn’t very large, but the magical power contained within it was massive, and the speed was impressive.
However, it wasn't fast enough for me to not be able to react.
I moved out of the line of fire to dodge.
—But this attack seemed to be homing in on me, as its trajectory shifted toward my position.
"—[Fifth Form]!"
I switched from evasion to defense.
I transformed my magic sword into a magic shield, preparing to withstand the impact of his attack.
"Choosing to block with a shield instead of dodging immediately. How rational."
"—!?"
As I braced with the magic shield, I heard Oswell's voice coming from right behind me.
Despite my heightened senses, honed by [Seal Release], I didn't notice his approach until I heard him speak.
"Take this, for a little revenge!"
Oswell crossed his hands above his head and then swung them down at me.
I covered the top of the shield with the defensive barrier, but I used [Gravity Manipulation] to counter his downward swing, trying to slow him down.
However, I wasn't able to fully block the attack, and this time, I was slammed into the ground.
"Ugh!"
Immediately, I used [Quick Heal] to mitigate the damage to my body, when suddenly, countless ice pillars began raining down upon me.
I directed the magic shield above my head to shield myself from the hail of ice.
"Here it comes! Lightning and a tornado, too!"
Oswell said, delighting in himself, as multiple bolts of lightning and a massive tornado came rushing toward me.
Their power and scale far surpassed the advanced magic [Thunder Hammer - Mjölnir] and [Thousand-Blade Cyclone].
On top of that, huge fireballs began raining down, and the ground cracked open from a tremor—natural disasters that seemed to herald the end of the world surrounded me.
The sudden environmental change caused thick clouds to form in the sky, blocking out the sunlight.
"How do you like that, Dragon Slayer? This is the pinnacle of magic, having reached the critical point of the magical theory! A domain that mere mortals could never hope to reach in their lifetimes! Hahahahaha!"
As I continued dodging and deflecting the various attacks while considering countermeasures, I could hear Oswell’s self-satisfied voice and his loud laughter.
(The critical point of magical theory? Wait, that word... "magical theory"…)
I was struck by something odd when Oswell mentioned "magical theory."
I recalled hearing the term "magical theory" from my grandfather.
It was when I was still a child, learning magic from him.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Listen well, Orn. I will teach you magic from now on, but there is something you must understand first. That is the concept of magical theory."
"Magical theory...?"
"Yes. To put it simply, it’s the 'laws unique to this world.'"
"Magical theory... laws... Hmm..."
"Hoh-hoh-ho! At thirteen, you won’t understand it just yet. However, in the future, you will come into direct or indirect contact with this magical theory. By then, you will understand what I am about to explain. So for now, just try to keep it vaguely in the back of your mind."
"Okay! I got it, Grandpa!"
"Good response. Now, let’s talk about magic. First, in this world, magic is the technique that uses magical power to cause phenomena according to the principles of magical theory."
"According to the magical theory...? But don’t you build a magic formula, like a spell?"
"Strictly speaking, that’s not quite right, but 'following magical theory' can also be rephrased as 'building a magic formula.' The process of casting magic is divided into two stages: constructing the magic formula and channeling the magical power. It might sound complicated, but both of them can be done intuitively... just like breathing, without much thought."
"So, magic isn’t really that hard, then?"
"Only if you’re just casting it. However, that makes you just a regular mage. Since most people use magic instinctively, magic should be cast theoretically."
"...? What do you mean?"
"Because that gives you an advantage. A magic formula built instinctively will produce magic with consistent effects in any situation. In other words, it’s 'general-purpose magic.' On the other hand, if you build the formula theoretically, the same magic will be optimized for the specific situation. This can be called 'specialized magic.'"
"I see..."
"It’s self-evident that specialized magic, used under specific conditions, is superior to general-purpose magic. That’s why, Orn, I want you to learn not to use instinct but to build magic formulas theoretically, adapting them to the situation. Once you master that, you will even be able to develop original magic."
"Original magic!? I want to make some too! Magic that can defeat any enemy with one hit!"
"Hoh-hoh-ho! That would be quite a powerful spell. Well, to do that, you’ll need to deepen your understanding of magic."
"Okay! I’ll do my best!"
◇ ◇ ◇
I reminisced about the conversation I had with my grandfather back then, feeling nostalgic, but quickly snapped myself back to focus on the task at hand.
(This is the critical point of magical theory. The pinnacle of... magic, huh.)
I had understood that magic could potentially create natural disasters, but seeing it with my own eyes was still a shocking experience.
Facing this catastrophe without a plan would be reckless, and even with high-level magic, countering it would be difficult.
However, with the knowledge and experience I’ve gained so far, I can turn this situation around!
What I need for that is—
“Luna, can I talk to you for a moment?”
The connection via Selma’s ability, [Telepathic Communication], was still active.
Using this telepathic link, I spoke to Luna.
“Orn-san!? Are you okay!?”
“Yeah, for now. There's something I need your help with, Luna. Can I count on you?”
“If it's something I can do, I’ll help! The situation has calmed down quite a bit now that the magical beasts are no longer a threat, so I have some breathing room. What do you need me to do?”
Luna immediately responded to my request.
With [Twilight Moonbow] joining our forces, magical beasts were no longer a concern.
In fact, it was likely that the massive magical storm—this catastrophe—was now causing more fear among everyone than the magical beasts themselves.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. What I need you to do is gather spirits around me. If possible, I'd prefer wind spirits, but any elemental type is fine. Could you gather the spirits that are most abundant in this area around me?”
Oswell said this magical disaster was the critical point of magical theory, but I couldn’t help but think he was being sloppy.
Sure, this magic must have reached the critical point of magical theory, but that only means it’s the best magic formula in terms of magical theory...
The process of casting magic consists of two parts: constructing the magic formula and channeling the magical power.
The magic used in this disaster was based on regular magical power...
But if we used spirits, who are specialized in specific elements, to channel the magical power, we could further enhance the effectiveness of the magic.
That said, this was a necessary compromise.
Normally, humans can channel magical power into a magic formula, but they can’t sense it—a paradoxical trait.
Some with special abilities can sense magical power, but only Luna, who has the ability [Spirit Domination], can fully identify spirits.
Those who possess the "Spirit Eyes" ability might be able to do so as well, but...
Having traveled and fought alongside Luna for so long, I had learned to sense the density of magical power and tell whether spirits were present.
However, I couldn’t identify their specific elemental attributes.
That’s why Luna, who could not only identify the spirits but also control them freely, was the perfect person for this task.
“Understood. The most common spirits here are wind spirits. I’ll bring them to you right away, Orn-san!”
Fortunately, there were many wind spirits in the area.
"Yeah, I’m counting on you. Can you find my location?"
"Yes, I’ve already located you. I confirmed it with the help of Gnome through [Sensory Connection]."
[Sensory Connection], an expanded interpretation of [Spirit Domination].
Though Luna still couldn’t use it for long periods, its benefits were significant.
When considering that Luna, who builds combat strategies using magic, now had a range of vision comparable to Haruto’s, her importance in combat had increased exponentially.
By substituting spirits for magical power during the channeling process, even if the range of normal magic would be insufficient, she could forcefully extend the range and hit targets from a distance that would usually be unreachable.
This would allow them to attack unilaterally from extreme distances where no one else’s attacks could reach.
"Got it! I’ll leave it to you!"
After ending the telepathic communication with Luna, I could feel the magical power around me slowly becoming denser.
"Orn-san, I’ve gathered all the wind spirits in the area and brought them to you!"
"Thanks, Luna. I appreciate it!"
After expressing my gratitude to Luna through the telepathic link, I put my plan into motion.
"—[Rock Wall]"
First, I covered the area around me with a rock wall to shield myself from the effects of the natural disaster, even without using a magic shield.
The wall would only hold for about a minute, but that minute would be enough.
Next, I dispelled my magic shield and switched back to my usual black longsword—Schwarzhase, not the magic sword.
At the same time, I gathered the wind spirits around me, channeling their power to create concentrated wind spirit magic.
I then altered part of my original magic formula to adapt to the wind spirit’s concentrated magical power.
—It was magic specialized for this situation, a magic formula optimized for the circumstances.
"Hahaha! You’re not even going to put up a fight? Have you already died? This is so anticlimactic, Orn Doula!"
I could still hear Oswell’s triumphant laughter echoing from above.
He was getting cocky. Let him be.
◇
"…Did I make it in time?"
The cracks started appearing in the rock wall surrounding me, but my preparations were complete before the wall could be destroyed.
"With this, I should be able to cut through even that natural disaster. —[Magic Sword Fusion ]!!"
I channeled the concentrated magical power from the wind spirits into the altered formula of my original magic, triggering the spell.
In response to the activated magic, Schwarzhase transformed into magical power, which then shaped into a sword.
However, this was not like the usual magic sword.
Around the blade, black wind spirits swirled, and the shape of the sword had a curve, similar to Fuuka's beloved blade, the cursed katana Asanagi, with a slight bend to its form.
By witnessing the natural disaster magic, I was able to understand the critical point of the magical theory… and as a result, I had raised the formula for [Magic Sword Fusion] to the critical point of magical theory as well.
On top of that, the magical power was now flowing through the spirits.
This was the true pinnacle of magic.
I lowered my center of gravity and readied the magic sword.
"…The image is like Fuuka's Iaijutsu, the fastest strike. The slash should be like a kamaitachi, a wide-ranging cut that strikes in an instant."
I focused and articulated my image clearly through words.
Just before the rock wall around me was destroyed, I unleashed my strike.
"—Wind Blade, Fūma no Tachi."
I swung the magic sword at the speed of light.
The black wind-wrapped slash cut through the surroundings in an instant.
—But my attack didn’t end there.
I infused the slash with [Instantaneous Ability Boost Impact].
—[Instantaneous Ability Boost Impact].
My signature magic from the days of the [Golden Dawn Hero Party], which had saved me countless times from difficult situations.
This magic took advantage of flaws in the magical process.
A flaw, in short, means it doesn't follow the magical theory…
Despite being magic based on the world’s laws, this spell deviates from those laws—this is what makes [Instantaneous Ability Boost Impact] work.
Why this magic works, even though it doesn’t adhere to the theory, I don't fully understand.
Grandfather probably knew something about it, but he never told me.
What he did say was that [Instantaneous Ability Boost Impact] was a spell that could be used without issue.
Now, with a cutting strike from the highest-level magic, I added the deviated magic of [Instantaneous Ability Boost Impact] to it.
With this, there was nothing that couldn’t be cut.
Not even magic as powerful as a natural disaster.
The black slash cleaved through the storm, reaching Oswell.
"—Wha!?"
Oswell, trying to dodge the strike moving at an almost impossible speed, failed to completely avoid it, and his left arm was severed from his body.
The black slash then cleaved through the thick clouds overhead, revealing the blue sky once again.
"…For a trial run, that turned out too perfectly."
A smile slipped from my lips as I saw the results unfold exactly as I had imagined.
The magic sword, having fulfilled its role, returned to its normal longsword form.