I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life

part 29

‘If only I could use the Black Fragrance’s magic…’

Within the illusion’s fantasy, Zien wielded the Black Fragrance and slashed through the world.

[Anti-Magic]

A property that cuts through various powers such as magic, mana, and inner energy used in each district. However, the real Zien couldn’t use magic. It was because of the synchronization rate with the Black Fragrance.

97%

An unprecedented synchronization rate. Due to the experiences of his past life, the synchronization rate between Zien and the Black Fragrance was too high. The stronger the magic becomes with higher synchronization, naturally, the more mana it consumes.

With his current body, the mana was too low to use even the weakest magic.

‘Just once. If I could raise my mana just once, I might be able to break this barrier.’

“It seems I’ve given you enough time. What’s your answer?”

As Illusion touched the band on his wrist, the rapier surged again in the form of light.

‘Pocket?’

Zien slowly recalled his memory. The memory of watching the test footage to give feedback to Chris. At that time, Isabelle surely…

“Ah!”

Zien turned his head. On Isabelle’s wrist was a band like Illusion’s. A mass-produced pocket from the Tower of Magic. Despite the desperate situation, Zien saw potential in that band.

“Isabelle.”

Though injured, Isabelle had inadvertently saved mana thanks to Cloa’s artifact.

‘If I don’t make any mistakes… It’s a feasible plan.’

No. It will surely succeed.

“Do you have the artifact you used in the test?”

“You… plan to fight?”

Isabelle looked at Zien with a pained expression. Her body was wounded, and the mana she felt was depleted. In Isabelle’s eyes, there was no chance for Zien to win.

“Trust me.”

Zien showed Isabelle his phone.

[Use the magic on the wall. And…]

Although the phone was dead due to the barrier, it could still display the message.

“……”

Isabelle bit her lip and, instead of answering, touched the band. The light that poured from the band turned into a red gem. Isabelle handed the gem to Zien.

“You know the activation word, right?”

“Yes. We only have one chance.”

When their conversation ended, Illusion shook his head.

“Is that your choice?”

If Illusion used the skill engraved in his stigma, he could crush them both in an instant. He chose not to, purely because of the potential Jian had shown.

“Foolish.”

Suddenly, Illusion took stance with his rapier in hand. He intended to yield the first strike to Jian as a courtesy for withstanding his magic.

“Save such words for when it’s all over.”

Jian placed his hand on Isabelle’s jewel. It was no ordinary gem. The mystic-grade artifact [Squirrel]—its effect was…

“Buried Acorn.”

It transferred the mana gathered by the caster.

Sssshk.

The jewel shone, bestowing mana upon Jian. It wasn’t as much as when Isabelle had used it in the test, but it was enough for Jian.

“Here I go!”

Jian’s cry made the stigma glow.

“Ugh!”

Mana surged into the sword at an incredible speed. Yet, despite absorbing the mana, the sword remained tranquil.

“Is that your magic?”

Illusion asked, intrigued. Considering the exceptional nature Jian had shown so far, it was natural to be expectant.

“Yes.”

Jian answered shortly and lifted his sword. His target wasn’t Illusion, but the floor covered in a pitch-black barrier.

Thud!

Jian thrust his sword into the ground, and it was absorbed into the building’s floor as if melting away. A reverse summoning phenomenon due to a lack of mana. Not a speck of mana remained in Jian’s body.

“Isabelle! Now!”

“I’m ready!”

Clap!

Isabelle, who had gathered a great deal of mana, clapped her hands, and mana burst from her gloves. Her physical strength was the lowest, but her mana was unrivaled in the academy.

Boom!

A massive fireball shattered the wall, now devoid of the barrier. A joint operation executed in a flash. Below the gaping hole in the wall, the city’s nightscape shone.

“The barrier…! To cut through magic… with magic?”

Illusion’s face turned as pale as a blank sheet. The Black Fragrance’s magic wasn’t just about cutting mana. It had obliterated the entire building’s barrier.

A miracle born from a synchronization rate of 97%. Illusion stared at the wall of the building, now gaping open.

“This is…”

He touched the area where Gian’s magic device had made contact to measure mana. The amount of mana was at best, third-grade. However, the level of magical skill Gian displayed was on a different dimension from third-grade.

“You, what in the world…”

Illusion looked at Gian. He hadn’t reached the truth of a 97% synchronization rate, but he deduced it easily surpassed 80%.

“…Who are you?”

Illusion’s question pierced Gian precisely. And Gian’s answer was laden with much significance.

“I am Gian Russell.”

Gian wanted to fix all the regrets of his past life. But changing the past was impossible.

‘However.’

The future is different. It can change infinitely depending on the choices made now. Gian slung the injured Isabel over his shoulder.

“Yahat! Ticklish!”

Isabel rolled on his shoulder.

Gian, devoid of even a pinch of mana, ran to the wall purely on physical strength.

“Kuh! Where do you think you’re going!”

Illusion stomped his foot with a bang.

Shadows spewed from his shoes, spreading their jaws towards Gian and Isabel.

Grrroooar-!

But there was enough time.

Gian looked down beyond the wall. A truly dizzying view. The night wind slipping through his clothes was chillingly cool.

“Did I ever mention I have a fear of heights?”

Isabel, now off his shoulder, gulped down her saliva.

“I’ll listen to that next time.”

Thud.

Isabel and Gian fell over the wall. A reckless dive into the void. The air pressure choked them, and their ears rang with the sound of rushing wind. The city lights pierced through them in various colors. The vertigo was enough to lose consciousness. Isabel recalled Gian’s words.

[You only get one chance.]

‘Of course, it’s only once.’

Isabel clenched her teeth and focused. The freefall through the air, the city’s nightscape shattering mindlessly. The ground approached, and the sky receded. In that fleeting moment, Isabel drew up her mana. It was her turn to prove her talent.

‘Not yet, not just yet. A little more!’

She recalled a few lines written on her phone.

Channel mana into a single point. Think of it as ejecting it as lightly as possible.

‘It’s easier said than done!’

A dizzying sight. A dizzying speed.

Isabelle had no plans to dive from the sky, nor had she ever used mana so inefficiently. This experience would be the first and last in her life.

‘Now! Is it now?!’

Swoosh!

Isabelle gathered all the mana in her body into her hand and ejected it. It was the epitome of inefficiency, without any magical tools, skills, or form.

But the result was successful.

Boom!

Aiming at one spot and ejecting a tremendous amount of mana, it cushioned the impact of the fall. Isabelle and Zien tumbled messily over the asphalt road.

“Huh… Hahaha. We survived!”

Isabelle let out a strange laugh, a kind of ecstasy. Now, she was no longer in the hellish Twin Towers or 30 meters up in the air. Just the ground. Isabelle looked at Zien with eyes full of emotion.

“Hey, you’re still alive, right?”

“Yeah. Still alive.”

Mana depleted, bones fractured. Not to mention countless abrasions. But still alive. Zien smiled meaningfully.

‘This doesn’t add up.’

It was supposed to be a simple day’s work in the suburbs, but the content was too rich. Zien, a mess, looked at Isabelle.

“I’ll probably be bedridden for a few days. What do you think?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely repay this debt.”

Debt. A debt, indeed.

Unable to move a muscle but having incurred a debt to Isabelle wasn’t a bad deal. Well, it wasn’t intentional. Isabelle’s father, Yubel, was a powerful figure who even the Selfis trembled before, and Isabelle possessed the academy’s greatest mana.

‘It seems she intends to settle it with money.’

The next day, Isabelle would realize the weight of the words she had uttered. And wasn’t that band-type pocket she had seen before made by the Tower of Mages? Such a coincidence didn’t exist.

A top-tier party member and a pocket worth 75 million coins. Thinking of it that way, Zien found Isabelle even more charming.

“Don’t make it sound so burdensome… a debt. Just two small favors will suffice.”

With those words, Zien smiled.

Several days had passed since the incident.

On a breezy day, about 500 students in uniform lined up in the schoolyard. The most noticeable change was the appearance of the school. Most of the grounds, except for the sports field, were decorated like an outdoor party venue. Moreover, Yubel, the chairman, had designated today as a temporary holiday for this festival.

“With an event of this scale, I wonder how much money was spent… It’s really incredible.”

From the waiting room on the third floor, Jian gazed down at the school.

“Makeup for an award ceremony, really?”

Yet, unable to refuse the request of Selfis who had helped her through recent events, including the Bluema incident, Jian acquiesced.

“Well, ever since Yubel became the chairman, Arcana’s been far from financial worries. Jian, money talk is fine, but take a look at this article first!”

Kashen extended his phone towards her.

On the phone was a video titled [Desire! Their First Humiliation!].

“A current affairs program?”

“Yes, the most famous one from the leading broadcasting station.”

At Kashen’s excited urging, Jian pressed play. The popular program had a modest cast: one host and one expert. The host was just a female celebrity, and the invited expert was…

“Why is he here?”

It was Bluema.

A 6th-grade Saber, Bluema.

The video began with the host’s question.

“What exactly is Desire?”

Bluema’s explanation went like this:

Desire.

A brazen villain team that terrorized government agencies upon their appearance. Especially notorious after stealing hundreds of high-grade artifacts from the AIA artifact storage and Stels Bank, Desire’s infamy had peaked.

“The truly frightening thing about them is their elite few.”

Known as the Seven Evils.

So far, seven executives of Desire had been revealed. Three of whom had their abilities disclosed.

“Two 5th-grade, one 6th-grade. Truly shocking combat power.”

“So I’ve heard Desire recently suffered a humiliation?”

“Yes, that’s correct. They failed a mission for the first time at the Twin Towers of the Magic Tower.”

“And to think it was the students who achieved this. Truly commendable.”

Jian could see Bluema’s lips twitching with amusement in the video.

“Well, it is amusing.”

Apart from Jian, the five students had no real combat experience. In truth, Jian’s efforts were almost the sole factor. Bluema, with his intelligence network, would know this well.

“I’ve watched it, Professor Kashen. It seems the makeup is done too.”

“To accomplish such a feat and still remain so composed. Do you know what offer the 6th-grade Saber Bluema made to you?”

Kashen let out a loud sound and then continued.

“500 million a year.”