The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

54. Academy Demolition (2)

It was no accident that Ena bore the title of Cataclysm.

Land, sea, and sky. Each realm was a gift from primeval entities, a legacy since the dawn of humanity. To explore them was the sacred duty of those who walked the path of magic.

Thus spoke Glutt, the first mage.

And so, following his decree, only one mage per era could hold the epithet representing each domain. Sometimes, a position would remain vacant due to a lack of suitable talent, but thankfully, all three were currently occupied.

The mages who represented each realm were as follows:

Okgon (玉坤), the Sublime Geomancer, representing the land.

Haecheong (海靑), the Pure Hydromancer, representing the sea.

And Cataclysm (開闢), the Untamed Fulgurmage, representing the sky.

Traditionally, the Sky-representing mages were always Stellar Sages. The constellations dancing at their beck and call, the stellar flares erupting from their fingertips, always gifted wonder to the masses. Even fellow mages were captivated by the beautiful, brutal spectacle of those celestial displays.

That is, until everything was shattered by stark white lightning.

Few remain who remember that day.

Only a decade after the fall of the Mage Kingdom, the veritable rulers of the continent, the Great Race War erupted. A girl with an emotionless face, unleashed white lightning as she stalked the battlefields. Where she walked, the sky split asunder, and even the Stellar Sages’ vaunted constellations were pierced and repurposed into fuel for her own power, a monster defying the heavens.

Even planets obscuring the sky were rendered useless. Because regardless the sky state, that monster always conjured a clear sky.

Hence, Cataclysm. Drenched in blood, until even that blood turned to ash and was swept away. Sometime after, that was how she became known.

Now, it was a war relegated to historical records. Thanks to that, very few people truly understood the weight carried by the title “Cataclysm,” or why that mage garnered such notoriety.

But those who remembered always said this when speaking of Cataclysm:

Never, under any circumstances, make her an enemy.

The highest praise one could offer a former foe.

*

Out of the blue, a Whitefall. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, yet a sharp streak of lightning cleaved down from the clear blue expanse. The shockwave and the deafening boom rattled the very foundations of the main building, where class was in session, drawing the gaze of every Academy denizen, from the students to the staff.

“What’s with the sudden…?”

“Looks like it’s about to rain. But… the sky’s clear?”

“Sunshower, probably.”

“A sunshower with lightning?”

“Hey, hey, quiet. Professor’s gonna blow a fuse again.”

The same held true in the magical combat class. However, unlike elsewhere, the commotion didn’t spread quite so wildly. Professor Firenze, who’d erupt at the slightest peep during class, was planted firm at his lectern. Thanks to him, the students couldn’t even dare to steal a glance outside.

Presumably, Professor Firenze would continue teaching regardless of what was happening out there. They swallowed the sighs struggling to escape, and tightened their grip on the pens clutched in their hands.

“…Ah.”

But contrary to their expectations, Professor Firenze didn’t continue the lesson. Instead, as if utterly captivated by something, he approached the window and gazed out beyond it. The students tilted their heads, watching his back, but he paid them no mind whatsoever.

All his attention was focused on the pure white bolt of lightning connecting the sky and the earth.

“Magnificent.”

Lightning was, at its core, merely a fleeting flash of light. Its instantaneous destructive power and brilliance were nothing to scoff at, but its sustained duration was uniquely lacking compared to other natural phenomena. Naturally, this characteristic was reflected directly in electric-based spell formulas.

But… that lightning wasn’t fading away. On the contrary, it was growing larger, adding to its brilliance as if threatening to incinerate the sky and the earth in their entirety.

How could that be possible? What kind of image did it hold in its heart, what kind of uniqueness did it possess, to perform such a miracle?

Firenze knew instantly who the master of that lightning was. All the more reason he couldn’t contain his excitement.

The foundation of magical combat, his area of expertise, lay in war and subjugation. And the great figure who had experienced the history of that war was right there. The reason for his arrival here, the reason for suddenly casting magic – such things were irrelevant in the face of a mage’s curiosity and thirst for battle.

He wanted to see it firsthand. He wanted to feel it with his very being.

That greatness.

That power!

“Professor Firenze! We’re under attack! A strange monster is attacking the academy’s western mountains!”

The academy’s supply officer shouted as he burst through the classroom’s front door the very moment Firenze clenched his fist.

At the word “attack,” the students began to murmur restlessly. Some wondered whether to flee, while others considered fighting against the academy’s crisis. Even amidst all this, Professor Firenze remained silent. He stared at the ever-growing, pure white radiance and parted his lips.

“Professor Firenze!”

By then, the supply officer had reached Firenze’s side and grabbed his shoulder, shouting. He opened his mouth to tell Firenze that they had to evacuate immediately.

But Firenze was faster.

Still gazing out the window, he moved his lips slightly.

“A great mage is over there.”

“…What did you say?”

“Perhaps the very essence of all combat magic theories defined to this day, a living monster, is right there.”

“Professor Firenze. This isn’t a drill. I don’t know what you’re suddenly talking about but–”

“As a junior walking the same path of combat mage, how could I ignore such a thing?”

Florencia, disregarding the chattering supply officer beside him, threw the window wide open.

In that instant. A blinding white radiance exploded in the heavens. Soon, the light splintered into bolts, crashing towards the earth.

KWAhhh!!!

The world ignited. Blinded by the light exceeding all limits, his vision went momentarily black. A chilling malice and surge of electricity rode the air, expanding the senses throughout his body. The mere aftershocks of the rampant mana made his hands tremble.

He found it all exquisitely pleasing.

“‘The sky above the path she walked was endlessly clear, but the earth beneath was nothing but ash.’”

“What in the world are you–!”

“I understand the meaning of that phrase now. *Seonbae-nim*.”

Florencia stretched his lips into a wide grin and flung himself through the open window.

“I shall go and pay my respects, now.”

Whoosh!

The wind cradled his body.

*

Ena stood serenely in the sky, gazing down upon the earth. Behind her, a dance of white lightning writhed in response to her shifting gaze, incinerating and tearing apart trees and land. Destruction wrought not by any formal spell, but purely through the release of raw mana.

The mana consumption was exponentially higher this way, but Ena, innately blessed with an overflowing reservoir, hardly found it taxing.

“…Huu.”

The wind blowing past was cold. It had warmed up considerably, but the weather remained chilly. It seemed summer was still some time away. Although she’d long since become detached from the seasons, her preferred one remained.

‘When summer comes, maybe I’ll go to the beach with Asel.’

Ena smiled, giggling lightly as she considered this. Then, as if startled by herself, she covered her mouth with one hand.

Again. Again, just thinking of Asel had brought a spontaneous smile to her face. It had always been like this, but lately it felt more intense. And since a few days ago, she’d even found it difficult to look Asel directly in the eyes, and lengthy conversations made her heart flutter so much she could barely endure it.

‘What could be the reason?’

Ena pondered this for a moment, but found no answer. A sigh escaped her lips.

Well, no matter. It wasn’t the most pressing issue at hand anyway.

Ena narrowed her eyes and glared at the academy professors gathered at the foot of the mountain. They were too far away to be anything more than tiny specks, but she could clearly discern their hurried discussion, their anxious demeanor.

She could eavesdrop, but saw no reason to bother. Their idle chatter wouldn’t change the situation anyway.

She knew that this situation was a performance orchestrated by Freede and herself. That was why she refrained from excessive rage or destructive acts. She intended to unleash a controlled frenzy, then speak of Asel and depart.

Discussions with the Alliance were already concluded. The Chieftain, ready to march directly into the academy at any moment to ascertain the truth, had agreed to respect Ena’s wishes for now. But once she finished her business here, he would step in.

It was all the same to her. Preventing Norium was the academy’s responsibility, not hers to worry about.

“….”

Honestly, if you asked if I wasn’t angry, that’d be a lie. Just not to the point of losing reason and rampaging.

If Asel had died, or remained unconscious for a prolonged stretch, I would’ve erased the Academy from the map entirely. Never mind collateral damage; at the very least, all Academy personnel would’ve been roasted alive. Ena knew herself that well.

But there was no need for that now. Asel seemed keen on returning to the Academy, and a bargain had been struck with Friede, so indiscriminate acts of destruction were out of the question.

Of course, if you asked if Friede was proud of the situation, that’d be another lie. But as she had promised reasonable compensation, I would bide my time and join hands for now.

She had been granted a reprieve. Her future rested on the nature of her compensation, on her subsequent actions.

“…Haa.”

My thoughts had wandered far. Ena exhaled slowly, gradually drawing up mana.

My actions would be just enough to vent my frustration.

‘First, I should seal off this area.’

Ena thought as she slashed her hand downwards. In response, mana churned once, and the recklessly surging lightning coalesced into a form beneath Ena’s feet.

[Lightning Spear]

Kwarurururururu!!!

A massive spear of lightning revealed its imposing form. Even the chattering professors felt a chill as the mana pulsed, and Ena plunged it directly into the earth. The world flashed for a moment, and the ensuing roar deafened those nearby.

Those professors who failed to protect themselves crumpled in agony, and through their midst, Pirenche arrived on a gale-force wind.

Without slowing, he met Ena’s blue, glowing gaze and shouted.

“First move!”

“……”

“I beg you!”

From his feet, formless spikes of wind were launched at high speed. As it was magic employed by a seventh-circle Archmage, its power was, indeed, formidable.

But that was all it was. It fell far short of piercing Ena’s defenses.

Pajijijijik!!

Lightning erupted from Ena’s entire body, tearing and swallowing the wind. Without resistance, as if meeting a being it couldn’t even hope to defy, it vanished in an instant.

Pirenche’s attack dissipated so helplessly. But his face remained wreathed in a smile.

A wizard’s fighting spirit and curiosity relentlessly spurred him on. Only the first move. He had no intention of being satisfied with just this.

A battle where defeat was inevitable. So, to be defeated as spectacularly as possible, to pour everything into it.

To learn even one more thing.

To feel even one more thing.

To—

“Your moves are transparent.”

Ena said, gazing down at Pirenche.

“No intention of playing along, either.”

She extended a clenched fist towards him.

[White Radiance, Call to Death]

*Crackle! Sizzle! POP!*

From her outstretched hand, a sphere of pure white lightning erupted explosively, launching itself towards Firenze.

Too late to evade. The speed at which it hurtled forward defied imagination. Thus, he constructed a defensive spell as swiftly as possible, riding the wind to move as far as he could from the sphere of lightning.

But the thunderclap was faster than his escape from the magic’s range.

*KRA-KOOM!*

The shield he’d forged with every fiber of his being vanished without resistance. The wind he rode dissolved as if inverted the moment the sphere’s aftereffects touched it. The wind mage’s signature mobility was sealed in an instant, and at the same moment, the electric sphere reached Firenze, right before him.

“…Ah.”

A death rattle escaped his lips.

*Sizzle! Crackle! POP!*

Firenze’s body was enveloped in a white, incandescent light. He felt a pain as if his entire being was being torn apart, and he fell, plummeting earthward.

The difference between one who researches battle magic and one who creates it themselves was this stark.

Scholarly zeal and fighting spirit were nothing.

“Lady Ena!”

A familiar voice reached him through the foliage where the fallen Firenze lay. Ena cast her gaze in that direction, and there was Fernand, leaping towards her, his sword brimming with aura.

Before their eyes even met, he slashed the sword diagonally downward.

*Shriiiek!*

Fernand’s sword was blocked by Ena’s magic, pushed back into the air. But not a hint of regret showed on Fernand’s face.

It was only to be expected. He had no intention of harming Ena in the slightest.

He only wanted to deliver a message.

“Words from the Dean. Half of the personnel in this place support the Dean, and the other half are cronies of the corrupt faction. I’m on the support side. Anyway, the Dean’s faction, including myself, is prepared to die half-dead for Lady Ena, so don’t hesitate to attack with full force!”

“Is *he* with your group too?”

“No, Professor Firenze is neutral. If anything, you could call him a scholar obsessed with magic.”

“Is that so?”

That was the extent of her interest. Ena extinguished her attention on the mage laid low by her magic, and narrowed her eyes at Fernand.

“You said I could attack without hesitation.”

“Yes. Please, feel free to destroy this area as you please! I won’t be footing the bill for the repairs, anyway!”

“You. You knocked out one of my students during the entrance exam, didn’t you?”

“……Excuse me?”

The unexpected words tumbled from her lips. The moment Fernand echoed her query, Ena seized his blade with her bare hand, unleashing the spell directly.

“You too, shall faint today.”

[Thunderclap Fan]

Bzzzzzzzzz!

A fan-shaped arc of lightning engulfed Fernand’s upper body entirely.