I do not stay with Luna for every single training session. If I were by her side all the time, it would only pressure her more. She also told me, "Do not worry only about me. I want you to focus on your own tasks too, Orun." So, I am taking her at her word.
When I am not there, Shion or Oliver accompanies her instead.
That is why right now I can focus on my own training.
"I will borrow your strength, Kiryu," I said as I readied my wooden sword.
Kiryu's lips curved up slightly, and he lowered his stance smoothly.
"Yes, no need to hold back. Come at me from anywhere you like."
I dashed forward and closed the distance, but I had no intention of simply swinging at him. Before I stepped into Kiryu's range, I activated a spell and deployed a Reflective Wall on the ground. Without slowing down or using any preparatory motion, I leaped into the air.
I positioned myself between the sun and Kiryu, casting a shadow over his head. I immediately recreated Shadow Manipulation and launched a surprise attack from below.
Kiryu never let me out of his sight for even a moment. Yet he calmly evaded the shadow with movements that still looked relaxed.
"…So, you dodged it after all."
I was surprised, but I had expected it. I instantly activated Shift Transfer.
In the next moment, my figure vanished, and the blocked sunlight poured down on Kiryu. The flash acted as a distraction and broke his line of sight for a brief instant.
I transferred into his blind spot and swung my wooden sword without missing the chance.
The moment I thought it would connect; another wooden sword appeared right in front of me.
It was Kiryu's.
It stopped just short of hitting me.
But there was no doubt that his sword had reached me before mine could reach him.
"…I concede."
I lowered my sword and gave a bitter smile without thinking. So, this is what they call taking the initiative after the opponent's move.
Kiryu pulled back his sword and looked at me with clear, calm eyes.
"Your sword and magic were both well thought out. However, your eyes give away too much."
My eyes give away too much. In other words, he had predicted my actions from my gaze. If even the slightest flicker of impatience or desire could be read, then neither sword nor magic would reach him. It was a complete defeat.
Kiryu moved his wooden sword behind his back and gave a gentle smile.
"…Did you gain anything from this?"
"Yes. A lot."
When I answered, he nodded with satisfaction.
"That is good to hear. However…"
His voice remained relaxed, yet it carried a sharp edge as he continued.
"Why did you not use a wide-area magical attack? If you are facing someone like me who can only use a blade, the best solution should be to attack one-sidedly from a place my sword cannot reach, correct?"
He was right. That was certainly true.
But I shook my head.
"I thought you would have ways to deal with that too. Besides, this is not real combat but a practice match. That is why I wanted to fight in the field you are best at."
"Hmm…"
"My strength lies in being able to fight in many different ways without leaning too much on anyone. But precisely because of that, I wanted to experience a truly polished strength that I do not possess. So, I can fight in a way that surpasses it."
Kiryu stayed silent for a moment, then laughed brightly.
"Fufu… I see. Now I understand what you are after, Orun. You are the kind of opponent I would not want to face in a real battle."
His joking tone made me smile bitterly as I gripped my wooden sword again.
The pinnacle of martial arts is still far away. But I will definitely reach it.
"May I have another round?"
"Yes. I will keep you company as many times as you wish."
◇
After finishing my training with Kiryu, I headed to the Phoenix Shrine.
The large crystal enshrined in the main hall emitted a pale blue light.
Countless spell formulas floated up from it like the spread wings of a firebird, filling the entire space of the shrine. Symbols and lines overlapped, forming patterns written in a script different from normal magic formulas. They moved quietly yet with clear purpose.
I read through part of them.
"Just as Chris predicted…"
The moment I muttered that, the space seemed to tremble.
'You are here again, Orun.'
Titania's voice gently entered my mind. It was soft, yet the words reached me directly without interrupting my thoughts.
"Yes. I need to decipher the principles as quickly as possible."
I compared the flowing characters in the air with the notes I had written on parchment as I replied to Titania.
I had only managed to decipher about half of the text. While some parts resembled normal magic formulas, most of it was an entirely different system. The analysis was painstaking work.
'…I see. So? Did you find anything useful?'
"Yes. I have only deciphered a small portion so far, but I have identified the key sections I want to investigate first. I can finally see what I was looking for."
Titania paused briefly before asking, 'What you were looking for?' I sensed curiosity mixed into the telepathy.
"The effect that long-distance transfer has on the world."
The air in the shrine seemed to tighten as I spoke the words.
I traced part of the formula with my finger.
"There is a transfer sorcery called Space Leap. It allows instant movement to any chosen location, but the maximum distance is only around a hundred meters. However, the long-distance transfers used by Amuntsars and the Cyclamen Cult completely ignore that limit. Although there are some restrictions, it clearly deviates from the normal system of sorcery."
'In other words… it is closer to magic?'
"Exactly. Chris has long suspected that the cult has been working for years to raise the magic density, in other words, to increase the toxin level. Higher magic density puts more strain on the principles. His guess was that long-distance transfer is helping raise that density."
'And that guess was correct?'
"Yes. Part of the formulas here records the remnants of transfer traces. They show that every long-distance transfer carves tiny cracks into the principles. It is the same phenomenon that occurs when a Transcendent uses magic."
'Then does that mean magic itself is bad?'
"Not exactly. The holes opened by Transcendents close up almost immediately. Yet the holes created by the cult's long-distance transfers take much longer to close."
Titania's telepathy fell silent for a moment. Then she urged, 'So, how far has it progressed at this stage?'
"This is speculation from here on, but since the cult has begun moving in earnest, we can assume the magic density has already reached the critical level. If long-distance transfers continue to be abused in this state, the wall of principles could tear open all at once, like a balloon that has been overfilled with air."
'That is different from the end you are hoping for.'
"Yes. Our ultimate goal is to break the wall, but only after we have made proper preparations. If the wall breaks before we are ready, it will mean the extinction of humanity."
Titania's telepathy sank into a long silence at my words.
Eventually she asked, 'That would be the worst-case scenario. What do you plan to do?'
"First, I will rewrite the principles and seal off long-distance transfer itself."
'Understood. Then I will lend you a hand.'
The serious tone in her telepathy made me let out a deep breath.
"Thank you. I appreciate it, Titania."
'I decided to stop being a mere observer and cooperate with you. Even in my current state, I can at least help with this much.'
Her voice was gentle yet filled with unshakable resolve.
Formulas surged from the crystal, drawing complex circles that filled the space.
'Let us begin. I will stabilize the flow, so focus on the rewriting, Orun.'
"Got it."
I raised my palm and interfered with the ring of formulas overflowing from the crystal.
Titania's magic power danced as particles of light, calming the turbulent flow.
In that opening, I rewrote the chain of symbols.
With a faint vibration, the circles rearranged themselves silently.
Eventually the torrent of formulas grew quiet, and they were gradually drawn back into the crystal.
'…With this, long-distance transfer can no longer be used.'
"Thanks to you, Titania."
'You are welcome.'
I lowered my gaze to the now-still crystal.
I still had not grasped the full picture of the principles, but the highest-priority task was now complete.
"Right. Next."
'Next? You still have more to do?'
"Yes. Next is the preparation to grant resistance to outside magic power to every human living in this world."
'…Can you really do something like that? Even August, who understood magic power more deeply than anyone, could not achieve it.'
Titania's telepathy carried clear doubt. Her question was reasonable.
"If I were in the same conditions as August, I probably could not have done it either. But there is a decisive difference between his time and now."
'A decisive difference?'
Titania echoed.
"It is that every human living in this world right now was born in this world. The details are complicated so I will skip them, but the point is that current humans are connected to the principles. And sorcery, which is a technology unique to the structured world, can even interfere with a person's ki and genes."
'I understand the ki part. The six basic support sorceries work by affecting ki. But interfering with genes? I have never heard of—'
Titania's telepathy cut off. After a short pause, she let out a small sound as if she had realized something.
'…Ah, Oliver.'
She seemed to have found the example.
I nodded quietly.
Oliver and I are cousins. He is the son of my mother's older brother, which means he is also a descendant of August.
About twenty years ago, a radical faction within Amuntsars grew impatient with the cult's growing power and came up with a terrible idea. To defeat the evil gods, they decided to create designer babies engineered to artificially awaken as descendants of the heroes from the fairy tales, along with the artificial ability called Magic Convergence.
The one born from that was Oliver.
The gene manipulation sorcery was theorized by Grandfather and completed by Father. It was performed by Father while Oliver was still in his mother's womb.
The miscalculation for Amuntsars was that right after Oliver was born, I, a natural descendant, was born as well.
As a side note, the sealing sorcery applied to me in childhood was an application of that same gene manipulation sorcery. It had been prepared in case they needed to suppress Oliver after he was born. My parents applied it to me on their own judgment.
I respect both my parents and Grandfather, but I cannot approve of everything they did. Even so, I cannot blame them either.
"You understand what I am trying to do, right, Titania?"
'…You are going to use the connection between the principles and humans to plant Demon Breaking in everyone.'
"Correct. By manipulating the principles, I can change the structure of the world. And humans are included in that 'world.'"
'…You have come up with something outrageous.'
Her telepathy carried both surprise and caution.
"I think so too. Of course, I intend to be extremely thorough before doing this. First, I will test it on myself."
I moved my gaze and lightly pressed a hand to my chest.
"It is convenient, since I have been wanting to gain control over youki. Youki is sealed by a mechanism engraved into the genes. I will look for a way to neutralize that mechanism."
The light from the crystal grew still, and the air in the shrine calmed once more.
There is anxiety about the unknown. But I cannot stop.
I believe this step will become the foundation that connects us to the outside world.