-Chapter Nine-

A Raging Storm

Trinity members were substantially stronger than even the average student at Excel Academy. At least, in terms of combat power.

It was like the Academy was a military power, consolidating talent and nurturing it, and then deploying it.

Magicians had tiers. Levels, ranks, class, they can be called many different things.

Magic can be cast as long as the Magician knows their thesis.

This is the Awakened class.

Then the Magician will master their thesis. In turn, they will be able to access Hyperactive Magic, stepping into a new power level of Magic.

This is called the Revival class, and all Trinity Members are at least Revival class.

Above Revival class is when the Magician awakens a second thesis, and if they are able to master that, they reach Paladin class.

Finally, if a Magician is able to awaken and master three theses, they become Trinity class, and would be capable of transcending worldly laws.

So far in history, there have only been five Trinity class. Currently alive are also a small handful of Paladin class, roughly nine Magicians, including the Headmaster.

However, running alongside Paladin and Trinity was an alternative branch only Successors could take, a shortcut path.

Though little was known about Successors, it was generally accepted that Successor class sits above Revival class. Successor class evolves into Throne class, and the Successor succeeds, becoming a Magic King. A Successor can grasp two theses at the peak of their Successor Element. A Magic King can grasp three at the peak of their Throne class. Throne class thus becomes parallel to Trinity class.

The only difference between the two was, while many Magicians had been bottlenecked on transcending into Trinity class and awakening a third thesis, Successors are guaranteed to evolve with ease as long as they refine enough Mana.

And here, today, in Excel Magic Academy, two Successors were gathered.

Taylor had no doubt they would play a large part in the war.

Though it was only a few months ago he was in the normal world, and he wouldn’t have even dreamt of any of this being possible.

Yet here he was, a part of the Trinity.

The sun was yet to rise and it was still dark, but close to twenty members had consolidated out in front of the tac base, geared up and ready for battle.

“I think this is the first time the Trinity Council has seen such a large mobilisation,” Taylor heard someone say and glanced over to see Mercy standing with two other girls, talking.

She noticed him looking, before gesturing for him to join them.

Sighing, Taylor approached them.

“I don’t think you guys have spoken yet? This is a good opportunity to quickly introduce yourselves to one another!” Mercy beamed at her friends and him.

“Taylor’s been really busy training, so it’s been hard to get him into meeting the rest of the members.”

“I’m Piper,” one of the girls smiled and raised her hand out to him. She had green emerald eyes and long brown hair.

Taylor took her outstretched hand and shook it, smiling.

“I’m Taylor.”

The other girl, with short black hair covering her eyes, nervously waved at him.

“Hello. I’m Kana,” she gave him a small smile.

“Hello,” Taylor smiled back.

“Our teams will be moving separately, but that won’t mean there won’t be cooperation between us. You better not let us down, little Successor friend. If you’re anything like the others…” Piper chuckled.

“There’s others?” Taylor blinked.

“Ah… yeah, there’s another two Successors aside from Andrew and yourself here, who you’re yet to meet,” Mercy answered.

“Yeah…” Piper pouted. “One is Jason. He’s been missing for a good six months. Tch.”

“There, there,” Kana consoled Piper.

“The other, you also cannot meet. Her circumstances are… complicated, hehe,” Kana told Taylor, scratching her head.

“But there’s four Successors here?” Taylor asked.

“Well… sort of? Not exactly,” Piper shrugged. She quickly looked up, and Taylor turned to see Andrew and Aira arriving.

Aira placed her wand on the ground and began to chant.

“We’re moving!” Mercy exclaimed, and quickly latched onto Taylor’s hand.

“Aira is going to tactically send each team to different locations. We’re then going to carry out a pincer attack at sunrise from our directions,” Mercy nodded to Taylor. “So we can’t afford to get separated in the teleport.”

Taylor saw several other groups also link up.

“Very well. Commence operation,” Aira called.

One by one, each group was teleported out.

Taylor held onto Mercy’s hand, looking into Andrew’s eyes. The two young men gave each other a dead stare, and then light flashed up in Taylor’s face and he found himself with Mercy standing in leaves and bush.

“Let’s get to a good position, I have a map of the terrain here,” Mercy smiled to Tayor, summoning a map in the air in front of them.

The couple, by the time the sun was rising, had settled down on top of a mountain cliff, hiding in the foliage, looking out over into the plains.

“I can’t see anything,” Taylor whispered, squinting out over the darkness.

“When it comes into view, Aira will give her signal,” Mercy whispered in response.

Slowly, the sun rose overhead, casting it’s shade onto the land metre by metre.

Taylor’s eyes widened as the yellow was traversing across the green until it crossed onto something that wasn’t.

Something black and gray at the corners. A gigantic complex spanning from the ground to the air.

It wasn’t a still building or solid matter, but more a substance that seemed alive, morphing in and out of itself in the distance.

A flare suddenly shot up from in the middle of the bush in the flatland beneath them, turning the sky red and shrieking out with a shrill cry.

The so called ‘neutral element’ woke up at the sound, and Taylor saw red begin to run down it like veins.

“Let’s go. We let the others blast it with small scale spells while we cast something large scale. Andrew and Aira will use that chance to take it out for good. And then it’s a clean up session.”

Taylor nodded, following Mercy into the sky with the levitation / alleviation Magic they had precast.

He looked at the monstorious temple-like structure. It was a living being? No, not quite.

It’s origin was the non-space. The World Collapses which took place twice shattered the reality here, the dimension itself, from the eruption of the Mana.

Through that non-existence where death nor life did not exist… exists an entity called the neutral element.

Taylor found himself thinking it was quite disturbing.

The neutral element is a huge threat, because it was not only a principle, a law, it was also an organism. And sentient.

It only has one aim.

To consume each universe.

The fact that such a thing has been let loose onto Earth is unfathomable. The existence of such a thing as the neutral element, most people did not even know.

That was what sort of being they were waging war against right now.

Was Andrew right? Disaster after disaster will come after them, as if the universe itself wanted to kill them?

But they will never die. What sort of cursed fate is that?

The disasters will only take the lives of their loved ones?

Taylor clenched his fists.

He will not let this strange shadows get away with their games, he thought with determination.

“Try your best,” a taunting voice whispered in his ear, and he glanced at where it came from.

There was nothing.

Rather, it more sounded like it was in his head, than his ear.

He recalled Andrew’s words, that he was already in their grasp.

“Let’s go, Taylor! Blast that thing!” Mercy shouted, raising her small wand.

Taylor felt his Mana pool begin to whirl and churn within him as Mercy’s channel opened up to him.

“Summon high class metabolia rifle,” she cast and a white sniper rifle manifested in the air behind her. It was held up by a Magic circle which was drawn with cogs and gears. As they began to turn, the Rifle readied itself at the neutral element.

It’s chamber began to glow a strong mix of purple and light blue, and then Mercy pointed her wand forward.

The rifle let blast a mega beam at the neutral element, hitting it directly.

There was a flash of light and then the beam dissipated. The smoke settled for them all to see a decent sized crater in the mountain.

But the material that was gone, and the smouldering wound left behind, quickly began to regenerate until in a matter of seconds, it was back to full size again.

The mountain suddenly began to morph entirely until it’s outer layer had grown scales, appearing reinforced to withstand penetration blows.

“Great… My beam won’t work again,” Mercy sighed. “This really is as bad as the records say. What are we gonna do…”

“I need to think of a spell…” Taylor narrowed his eyes, looking at their enemy.

It was continuously absorbing the attacks coming at it, regenerating the wound and quickly adapting to develop a counter-defence to it.

It was something of an absorber, or a corruptor. What would happen if it swallowed a human being and had a brain to use?

Taylor thought in horror.

The only questionable thing was why it was absorbing each attack and countering each attack individually. Why not just absorb Mana, and develop a counter-immunity to Mana?

Is it just that it’s not possible, or is it that it cannot withstand pure Mana?

It hasn’t attacked yet either.

“Mercy, is that thing about to take pure Mana?” He asked her.

She stopped her spell, and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Theoretically speaking, the two should be incompatible by nature, as both are principles. If one comes into the other, well, it’d be like ice-cold water and scorching-hot oil mixing. That’s what I would think, at least,” Mercy told him.

“Wouldn’t that be perfect for Andrew and Aira to get rid of it in that time?” Taylor asked.

Mercy nodded.

“Let’s line up our spells. I will get in contact with them.”

Mercy quickly cast a communication spell and began to tell them about the plan.

Taylor noticed a large Magic circle appear at the ground in a bush far down below them.

“They said they need some time to ready the spell to take it out. You should also get your spell ready, so you can attack it as soon as they’re finished,” Mercy called to him.

“Got it!”

He began to gather the Mana both around and within him.

“Connect to the Invidia Atheneum.”

His grimoire morphed out of the air into his hand, bearing the sigil of Invidia on it.

“Black eyes.”

His vision penetrated through the neutral element’s large walls, and he spotted a ball of… not Mana, but some other form of energy, coloured a deep red in it’s centre.

They heard a screech suddenly erupt from the neutral element, shaking the terrain and almost bursting their eardrums.

Taylor saw red funnel out from the core to it’s skin, the outer layer of it. A large beam of red followed shortly afterward, lighting up the sky.

“Jesus!” Taylor exclaimed as it shot by.

“It’s finally started counter-attacking!” Mercy exclaimed. Her eyes darted around them.

One strike past them. It had shot another at the ground near Aira and Andrew.

“I’m not sure if we’d be able to block that,” Taylor said.

“If we use Mana, the two energies will mix and it will… well we’d just better be far away, I suppose. The neutral element, It was as if it got angered when the Mana began to gather, and you cast your vision spell on it,” Mercy reasoned.

“It’s sensitive to it, it seems. It’s squirming,” Taylor supposed.

“Keep going. Get the spell ready,” Mercy ushered him. “Don’t get distracted!”

“Okay, alright, alright. You’re the one distracting me though…” he mumbled and looked back at the red core.

If he could dump a bunch of Mana int that, like pouring water out of a bucket into a bowl, it would be perfect.

He began to scribe the spell into his grimoire.

Magic had various ways to be cast. This was his method. Through his grimoire, his medium.

Mercy’s was her rifle, which she uses her wand as a remote control for.

Aira’s is her staff.

Some others had blades, bows, various types.

“Metabolia Rifle, Moon Rising!” Mercy called.

Her Rifle let loose a bolt of light that shot forward at the neutral element, but never hit it.

Instead, it stopped midway and exploded into a huge white wall.

“That’ll cover us for a bit of time! I can do this all day! I have all the Mana in the world!” She remarked.

It was his Mana though. From the Successor element. He feels conflicted about it.

Not just himself using a power given to him by his oppressors for their amusement, but for his significant other to use it too.

“Tch. Are they still not ready yet?” He huffed.

“I’m- I’m not getting a response from them,” Mercy stammered, looking to Taylor, before they looked to the Magic circle on the grass.

It suddenly began to flicker, before it dissipated, dispelled.

“Aira!” Mercy cried, flying down toward them.

“No! Shit! No way!” Taylor followed her, his heart pounding with anxiousness. There’s no way Andrew and Aira would’ve failed.

Andrew rounded a tree trunk and shot a few bolts of Magic at the neutral element. All things were going according to plan.

That beam earlier was a bit worrying, it no doubt has more attacks it’s capable of.

But if Taylor’s plan was on the mark, they could get rid of it right here, right now without going through all that hassle.

Aira was busy preparing the spell, and they’ll be ready to go anytime.

He was to guard her while she was vulnerable. Reminds him of the past, though they do this often.

“How’s it coming along, Aira?” Andrew asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

“A-Andrew… I think…” he suddenly heard her voice stammer. He spun around and ran to her side with wide eyes.

“I think something’s wrong…” Aira uttered, her frail body shaking.

“What?”

Andrew quickly scanned her, and her spell died away overhead.

“This is…!” he looked down at his feet, but was far too late, seeing another Magic circle beneath their feet.

“This is a binding,” Aira stumbled, breathing harshly.

“This is a high level binding- Andrew, if it isn’t undone, we’re going to-!”

She could feel it a lot more, no doubt, as she wasn’t a Successor.

Andrew could see her numbers dropping. She was going to die at this rate. So was he, when he looked at his status.

“Who in the world is sabotaging…?-” Andrew heard footsteps and to see a group of a dozen figures emerge from the trees around them and approach them.

“You’re fucking dead!”

Andrew ran forward at them.

“Wow, a hot tempered youth,” the figure leading them remarked. “Now, now, don’t be so hasty. Did you forget, you can’t use Magic right now?”

The figure raised a barrel at Andrew’s leg.

“Let’s get rid of some of that arrogance of yours.”

“Ha! You think this is enough to take out a Successor?” Andrew scoffed. “Connect to the Superbia Archive!”

“What is he doing?”

“I don’t know…”

“Launch Awakening Status. Release First Dimensional Gate,” Andrew chanted.

Mana erupted from out of his body.

“Entering Imperial Statuts,” a voice announced from the blue light surging around him.

“Throne status - negative.”

Andrew took a step forward.

“It seems you don’t know much about me,” he growled. “My thesis is Control. I am immune to all restrictions, because I am an authority.”

Andrew waved his hand the ground erupted in several blasts at his enemies’ feet.

There were several cries and shouts as their bodies were blown away like paper, but the formation restricting Aira still had not dispelled.

“What… the fuck…” Andrew looked around him, and found a single soul still barely breathing.

He dashed up onto it, and grabbed the remaining man by the neck.

With a menacing growl, he roared, “How do I undo the spell!?”

The man took a cough before he started to laugh.

A low, mocking huff that came out broken and angst, befitting of a man on death’s door.

He glanced up with only one unharmed eye still open and gave Andrew an eerie beaming smile.

“It’s Paladin-class Magic. Quick-acting spec, too. Cast by our Paladin. He’s very far away from here right now… kekeke…” the man’s voice died away as Andrew glared at him.

The man seemed to notice his legs and an arm was missing, and his laugh turned to cries and wails.

Andrew, in one raging punch, smashed the survivor’s head into bits like a melon, up against the tree trunk he had been leaning up against.

“Fuck!”

Andrew returned to Aira, who was barely holding up on her knees.

“This is a meticulous trap,” she managed to joke, before she winced again, and turned her focus back to resisting the formation.

“It’s Paladin Magic. I heard,” Aira chuckled. “A bit of a crisis. Ahh, if only I had managed to awaken my second thesis a little sooner.”

Andrew put one arm around her, his eyes narrowed at the ground sternly.

“It’s my fault. Once again, I’m too weak. If I had a Throne… If I just had a Throne, we wouldn’t fall victim to bullshit like this.”

Andrew took a deep breath.

“I have no choice. They’re forcing me into a stalemate.”

“What do you mean?” Aira asked him.

“I have to advance my class. If I fail… well, I don’t want to think about it,” Andrew chuckled.

“N-no… don’t do that, Andrew-” Aira tried to call out to him after she realised what he meant.

With a small smile he sent her way, he turned around and made his spot a few metres away.

Aira could only watch on and struggle as a floating book manifested before Andrew and he began to connect to the Superbia Atheneum.

The time to do or die has come.

Andrew never expected for outsiders to show up. He thought the neutral element was trouble enough, yet now they also had some unknown assaulters.

Antithese.

What could they have been doing here?

The last time, it was them who attacked him too.

No matter how one looks at it, it seems the Six and Antithese have something going on between them.

As though Antithese were the limbs which acted out the will of the Six.

Andrew knew how much was at stake in this moment. The Six had forced him into another gamble. Hopefully he wins it?