Akatsuki Translations

The destination to which Mirage and his companions had been transported by teleportation magic was a desolate wilderness, extending as far as the eye could see. Not a single object obstructed the view, not even a blade of grass was to be found.

The only distinguishing feature of the barren landscape was the countless marks that seemed to have gouged out the ground deeply. It was as if a massive rain of meteorites had fallen, or divine hammers of judgment had been brought down. The scale was so immense, it was unthinkable that it had been created by the hands of men.

“This was where a monster called the Wicked Dragon once wreaked havoc. As you can see, not a single plant has survived. It’s the perfect place for us to go all out, isn’t it?” -Mirage

“Ah, I remember hearing rumors about such a monster not long ago. Our village doesn’t get much information from the outside, so I don’t know the details. However, it seems like it was quite a monster, being able to alter the terrain to this extent. Well, at least we won’t be bothering anyone here.” – Louveteau

“Yes, because the effects of the Wicked Dragon are still present, there are no demons living in this area either. We can exert our power as much as we want.” -Mirage

“…” -Astarte

Mirage easily explained the lay of the land, and Louveteau continued the conversation as if he were recalling it. However, Astarte shot Mirage a piercing gaze, seemingly wanting to say something.

From Mirage’s explanation, it would seem that the Wicked Dragon alone was the cause of the altered terrain here, but that was not entirely true. Astarte, who knew this well, probably wanted to reprimand Mirage for playing dumb, but she probably thought it wasn’t appropriate to pour cold water on the situation before their duel.

“Well then, shall we begin our sparring? The match is over when one of us admits defeat or becomes unable to fight, right? I said I wanted to see Boss’s power, but I’ll be going all out too.” -Louveteau

“I don’t mind, Louveteau-san. But I’m not good at holding back, so please be careful not to die.” -Mirage

Mirage made a seemingly provocative statement, but he was genuinely serious. Mirage’s condition was near its worst, and it was difficult for him to gauge his opponent’s strength while observing over time.

To reassure Louveteau, Mirage needed to show him the overwhelming difference in their power. Therefore, he needed to launch an attack that left Louveteau unable to do anything.

So, Mirage intended to go all out from the beginning for a quick battle, but there might be a problem with his approach.

Astarte, perhaps sensing something unpleasant, distanced herself from Mirage and Louveteau. Louveteau, who didn’t seem to think Mirage was the type to cheaply provoke, responded with a bared-teeth smile, although his expression seemed slightly strained.

“Now, let the duel between Mirage-sama and Louveteau-san begin. Both of you, face each other……. Begin!” -Astarte

“ORAAAAAAH!” -Louveteau

At Astarte’s signal, Louveteau, taking advantage of his innate explosive power, closed in on Mirage.

The Wolf Demon Tribe, using lupinization magic, use their flexible leg muscles, and sharp claws for tearing flesh, with their powerful arms as thick as logs. Louveteau, who was already enhanced by lupinization and enhancement magic, appeared to have incredible power.

Mirage, too, used reinforcement magic to skillfully fend off attacks with his scythe, although it seemed he was on the defensive.

Against a magician like Mirage, it would be a disadvantage to keep a distance. Louveteau’s aim was probably to keep pushing with his strength and speed without giving Mirage the chance to build up magical power.

“Kuh! As expected… of the Wolf Demon Tribe’s chief. Just parrying… is all… I can do.” -Mirage

“Despite… saying that… you seem to have enough leisure to talk, Boss!” -Louveteau

Each time Louveteau’s claws and Mirage’s scythe clashed, a dull sound echoed, like two pieces of metal colliding. The noise was so loud it seemed to reach across the wilderness, clearly demonstrating the intensity of their clashing powers.

Mirage, wanting to bring the duel to a quick conclusion, was trying to push Louveteau back and unleash a major attack, but he was not getting the chance.

Even if Mirage tried to use teleportation magic, the incessant attacks from Louveteau didn’t allow him to set the coordinates for the gate.

Feeling he had no choice but to use a method he really didn’t want to, Mirage released magical power from his entire body.

Instantly, Louveteau seemed to sense some sort of danger and leapt back to distance himself from Mirage.

“Hey, hey, Boss, what’s that ominous thing you’ve got there? It made all the hairs on my body stand on end.” -Louveteau

Magical power is the source of magic, but it can’t be seen with the eye. It’s only perceived sensibly, and only manifests visually when it causes some phenomenon as magic.

However, a black mist or smoke-like substance was billowing from Mirage’s entire body, emitting an immense sense of dread. Mirage, cloaked in something that caused Louveteau to create distance, looked like a messenger from the depths of hell, with his scythe and mask.

“Let’s… skip the explanation. I can’t maintain this state for long, so I’ll finish this quickly.” -Mirage

With an elegant fluidity, Mirage adopted a battle stance, channeling dark energy from his arm to the blade of his scythe. Swinging it with force in Louveteau’s direction, he launched an attack.

The technique of channeling magical energy into a weapon to unleash an attack is a derivative of enhancement magic. It’s not uncommon for those who have reached a level of mastery to have this skill in their repertoire.

Louveteau, who had been present in the arena, had also initially suffused his claws with magical energy. If he wished, he could have launched an attack from a distance.

However, the power of an attack when the magical energy simply envelopes the claws is typically reduced, making it a mere distraction against an opponent of equal or greater strength.

Moreover, controlling a launched attack is incredibly difficult without significant training. It may not even go in the desired direction without such preparation.

The technique has its benefits, though. For a swordsman, whose reach is limited, it provides the means to attack a distant adversary, and it’s possible to unleash an invisible attack.

However, the attack Mirage launched was visible. It took the form of a black blade, flying straight towards Louveteau.

The real issue, if there was one, was the sheer speed at which the blade was closing in on Louveteau.

In what could not even be called a split second, Louveteau would hardly have had time to think of a response to an attack that moved with such breathtaking speed.

Louveteau just barely managed to evade the attack in a move that spoke of his desperation. He lost his balance and was forced to one knee.

The black blade that Mirage had launched flew past Louveteau and continued on its path, digging into the ground with a thunderous noise, as if it were a giant shovel.

Louveteau and Astarte could only gape in stunned silence at the power Mirage had demonstrated, which had left a large furrow in the ground.

“I can still launch a ton of these. What will you do?” -Mirage

“I… you… dumbass! No way I can dodge that ridiculous attack multiple times! I surrender, I surrender, boss. Miss, please, quickly declare my defeat!” -Louveteau

“Eh… ah, yes. So… since Louveteau-san has admitted defeat, Mirage-sama is declared the victor of this match,” Astarte announced, somewhat taken aback.

Louveteau had hastily signaled his surrender to Mirage’s nonchalant query and then called out to Astarte to declare the outcome. Astarte, who had been dumbfounded by the devastation caused by Mirage’s black blade, managed to declare the victor despite her confusion.

Mirage, having heard the declaration, deactivated the dark aura that had enveloped him and began to walk slowly toward Louveteau.

“I believed that you would be able to dodge it, Louveteau-san.” -Mirage

“I… I understand how terrifying you are more than enough, Boss. So, you were just observing me at first. But what was that black thing?” -Louveteau

As Mirage extended his hand to help Louveteau up, Louveteau, while reverting from his beastly form, expressed his thoughts on the duel. It was evident that he was curious about the black energy that Mirage had manifested.

Astarte, who had been officiating the duel from a little distance away, also approached them, clearly interested in hearing more about Mirage’s technique.

“Well, to put it simply, it’s a magic that’s similar to enhancement magic. Ordinary enhancement magic enhances your body by circulating magical energy within it and can let you perform attacks with a power beyond the ordinary by enveloping your weapon with magical energy. If you’re proficient enough, you can even launch attacks. The black haze I was using is something I call ‘magic armor.’ In principle, it’s just that I’m enveloping my entire body and weapon with magic that has been refined to the point of being visible. It seems like my explanation might be a bit complex, is it hard to understand?” -Mirage

When it came to theories of magic, there was none to surpass Mirage. His mastery over the subject was unparalleled, but his approach was arduously complex. He had a knack for breaking down the most intricate of concepts into digestible bites, yet his theories often veered into the realm of the unorthodox, which likely explained the strained expression on Louveteau’s face.

Noticing this, Mirage paused in his lecture to ask if something was amiss, to which Louveteau responded with a question of his own.

“I… I understand the principles, but I’m having trouble grasping the notion of refining magic to the point of visualization. Magic is visible because it uses magical power to create phenomena, but verifying the magical power itself is more of a sensory thing, isn’t it? How can something naturally invisible become visible?” -Louveteau

Louveteau’s question was a reasonable one. In common understanding, magical power was invisible. For this reason, individuals capable of sensing magical power were highly valued, as they could detect invisible magical traps. The act of refining magical power was something every magic user did, and the more potent the magic, the more time was spent in its refinement. But no matter how much magical power was refined in the process of casting a powerful spell, it could not become visible. Magic could only be seen when it was cast, otherwise it could only be detected by those with the ability to sense magical power. Mirage’s casual mention of visualization was not something one would typically hear.

“Magical power is invisible, yes, that’s correct, but just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean it’s necessarily colorless and transparent. Take water or glass for example: they are mostly transparent, but if a river or lake is deep, you can’t see the bottom. Likewise, if you stack dozens of panes of glass, the other side becomes blurry. Similarly, magical power is simply nearly transparent. Of course, to refine it to the point of visualization requires a considerable amount of magical power, the ability to release it in an instant, and extremely precise control over it.” -Mirage

Magical power was, as the name suggested, the amount of magic an individual possessed and the amount consumed when casting spells. If it was depleted, one would no longer be able to cast spells. To recover, one could rest and naturally recharge, or speed up the process by drinking a mana potion, which was water mixed with magical power. The instantaneous magical power output was the amount of magical power that could be released at once—or more precisely, per unit time. If, for example, there were two magicians, one with a magical power of 100 and the other of 10, and the former could release one unit of magical power at a time while the latter could release five, the former would take five times as long to cast a spell that required 10 units of magical power. Then there was the power control, which was needed when refining magical power. It could be seen as the ability to convert 10 units of magical power into 10 units of magic without waste. This was a crucial skill as it affected how quickly spells could be cast and how efficiently magical power could be conserved.

“Ah, so in other words, it’s impossible unless you’re a monster like you with an absurd amount of magical power who can release a ridiculous amount at once and have control over it like a teleportation mage.” -Louveteau

“In a nutshell, yes.” -Mirage

“I get it, I get it. I understand your monster-like power. If a monster like you is by my daughter’s… Roux’s side, she’ll be fine.” -Louveteau

While Mirage found being called a monster rather unfair, he was relieved that he had been able to reassure Louveteau. The attack Mirage had demonstrated earlier could easily wipe out a city or two with its overwhelming power. In fact, the very existence of his condensed magical power, capable of visualization, was a weapon in itself. If Louveteau had rashly attacked Mirage, it could have damaged his magic gate, the outlet for releasing magical power, causing intense pain in his hands or arms. The damage to the magic gate often occurred when trying to forcibly release more magical power than one’s limit, and Mirage’s magic armor could cause such damage.

“I’ve only revealed my true identity and magic armor to you, Louveteau-san. I’m glad you seem to understand. Well then, Tart-chan and I have something to report to the Demon Lord, so I’m sorry, but we’ll send Louveteau-san back to the village first.” -Mirage

“Ah, right. You guys have a lot on your plate too. Just let me know whenever you need me. I’ll explain things to the villagers, so don’t worry. And I’m counting on you to take care of my daughter. With you on our side, the future of the Wolf Demon Tribe is secure!” -Louveteau

With a cheerful voice and a broad smile, Louveteau watched as Mirage cast a teleportation spell. In an instant, Louveteau disappeared from the spot, leaving only Mirage and Astarte in the wilderness. Mirage collapsed onto the ground, seemingly drained of all energy.

“Mirage-sama!” -Astarte

In a state of panic, Astarte ran towards Mirage, a worried look on her face.