Episode 156: The Limits of Magic

(What a fool, there’s no other way to put it, Count Kreving.)

Ignas unleashed spell after spell in rapid succession. Each one was something that ordinary mages couldn’t hope to handle. Even those called first-rate would require lengthy chants to activate such grand techniques.

But he compressed the chanting time to its absolute limit, deploying them one after another without pause.

“Pour down, fragments of red light bearing karma, Xyros Rezelta Philos. —Crimson Flower Meteor, Solis Fractus.”

Once again, flame masses resembling shards of the sun appeared in the sky. This time, however, their target wasn’t Siegfried alone.

Half headed toward him, while the rest assaulted the Kirchhen soldiers hiding in the shadows of the buildings, intent on incinerating them.

“Eek…!”

The Kirchhen soldiers let out screams.

“Overflow, raging torrent of life, Berios Nakuru Sereva—Blood Vortex Burial, Vortex Cruoris.”

In response to the chant, vortices of blood erupted from the ground at Siegfried’s feet and near the Kirchhen soldiers.

They swallowed the flame masses, extinguishing them completely.

“Heh… Ahaha!”

A mocking laugh escaped Ignas’s lips.

(Ah… What a fool! Fool, fool, fool! Why protect those without the sparkle of talent… those ordinary people? —Ah, I see… He plans to win them over and use them to overthrow His Majesty Luverios.)

It was clear that Siegfried ultimately intended to defeat Luverios. By earning the favor of the Kirchhen soldiers, he aimed to use them in an attack on the palace—that’s what Ignas concluded.

(Even so, it’s utterly foolish! Gaining ordinary allies won’t make much difference at all.)

While inwardly ridiculing Siegfried, he activated the next spell.

“Rampage wildly, flashing fire of the violent storm, Ruzal Neriva Freid—Flame Light Annihilation, Spira Fulgia.”

Sparks burst forth, and a torrent of plasma enveloped Ignas’s entire body. It transformed into a vortex of scorching light that evaporated everything in its path, unleashed chaotically in all directions.

The cobblestones touched by the plasma melted, and the outer walls of surrounding buildings evaporated silently.

There was no aiming anymore—just indiscriminate destruction, a torrent bent on incinerating everything.

“L-Lord Ignas! Please, stop this!”

One of the Kirchhen soldiers couldn’t help but cry out.

“This… Why are you doing this…!”

“You’re being annoying… I’m in the middle of something good here, so could you please be quiet?”

Ignas narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, his gaze tinged with irritation.

“B-But…!”

The Kirchhen soldier persisted nonetheless.

“My little sister works in one of the mansions around here! Please, don’t destroy this area any further!”

The royal capital was currently under martial law. In principle, residents were forbidden from going outdoors.

And—living in the mansions of this noble district weren’t just the nobles. The servants who worked in those mansions were all staying indoors as well.

If the destruction continued, it could even claim their lives.

But Ignas responded with a cold tone that contrasted sharply with the scorching spells he was unleashing.

“So what? If a few ordinary people die—who cares?”

Ignas felt no pain at the death of those without talent.

Even if nobles got caught in the crossfire, he could just pin the blame on Siegfried.

(Anyway, I plan to kill all witnesses except Joseph and the others. I can fabricate whatever story I want afterward.)

He treated even nobles this lightly. So—commoners without talent or status? It didn’t matter how many died.

(More importantly… it’s Siegfried.)

Ignas directed his gaze toward the silver-haired young man.

He was activating further spells, neutralizing the plasma Ignas had released one after another.

(Still so fixated on protecting the surroundings… You’re truly a fool.)

As long as Siegfried prioritized protecting the area, he couldn’t shift to offense.

Bound always to defense, he couldn’t seize the initiative.

—That opening allowed Ignas to attack as much as he pleased.

(Come now… Pay the price for your folly.)

“Pour down, blazing stars of flame, Nora Di Faradie—Flame Star Fall, Meteor Blaze.”

A massive mass of flame created in the sky plummeted toward Siegfried with a thunderous roar.

“Tear apart, crimson blade, Rigurias Sangre Yagna—Crimson Blade Rending Heaven, Falx Sanguinis.”

In response, Siegfried immediately deployed his spell.

A slash of blood that appeared in midair cleaved the flame mass in two, dispersing it into mist—at that very moment.

“Joseph!”

Ignas’s shout echoed. Reacting instantly to the voice, Joseph, who had been waiting for an opportunity from a distance, released his magic along with his subordinates.

“Now’s the time, all of you!”

At Joseph’s command, the court mages placed their hands on the ground. They poured magic into the magic circle drawn on the cobblestones.

“Fufufu… Ahahahaha!”

Through the medium of the magic circle, their magic flowed into Ignas’s body.

This was magic transfer—a technique to directly supply the court mages’ magic to Ignas’s body.

Though they couldn’t match Ignas by any means, the court mages were elite sorcerers gathered from across the kingdom.

With twenty of them combining their power—the amount of magic swelled to a level that ordinary casters could never handle.

“Come from the divine realm, imperial spear of amber flame, Serian Arug=Fal Igria—Flame Spear Divine Strike, Ignis Impetus!”

In response to Ignas’s chant, a massive flame spear manifested.

Cloaked in an ominous divine might, it plunged straight toward Siegfried.

It would shatter magical barriers in an instant, reducing the pierced to ashes—a strike capable of incinerating even an immortal body.

(Come now… It’s over. Burn to nothing!)

This was Ignas’s strongest spell.

Normally, its activation required intense concentration and a lengthy chant.

However… thanks to the magic supplied by Joseph and the others, those were compressed to their limits, enabling instantaneous activation.

(But you have no leeway to chant a large-scale spell. —This is the end!)

The divine spear of flame assaulted Siegfried with a roar.

But—faced with this symbol of death, Siegfried smiled.

Then, he lightly flicked his finger. In that instant, from just in front of his chest—a spear like fresh blood appeared.

It pierced Ignas’s flame spear head-on, extinguishing it completely.

And without losing momentum… it closed in on Ignas.

“Wha…!”

Ignas hurriedly increased the output of his magical barrier, deploying a semi-transparent wall of light.

The wall of light collided with the blood spear, shattering into pieces like broken glass.

Fragments of the scattered spear grazed Ignas’s cheek, a vivid line of blood trailing down.

(Wh-What is this…!)

In shock and confusion, Ignas stared at Siegfried in a daze, forgetting even to wipe the blood from his cheek.

The power that had extinguished his trump card, the Flame Spear Divine Strike Ignis Impetus, and even destroyed the barrier.

But—what was truly terrifying wasn’t that power.

“What was that!? What did you do!?”

“What do you mean by ‘what’?”

At Ignas’s question, Siegfried tilted his head.

“Don’t play dumb! Just now… you didn’t chant! What kind of trick is…”

“There’s no trick. Or rather… chanting isn’t necessary to begin with.”

“Wh-What…?”

“Chanting is merely preparation to converge magic and assist in constructing the spell formula. In other words, with sufficient concentration and magic control ability, there’s no need to rely on it.”

“D… Don’t joke around! Does that logic even hold!?”

Certainly, for low-level spells, omitting the chant was possible. However—.

“I-It’s impossible…! Activating high-level spells absolutely requires chant-based magic convergence!”

“Don’t misunderstand, Ignas. That’s your limit, not the world’s limit.”

“…It’s a lie. There must be some trick. Besides, throughout our battle, you’ve been chanting. That proves chanting is essential!”

Ignas hurled his words, laced with anger and panic.

“Y-Yes… If you claim chanting isn’t needed, then why did you use it in the battle up until now!? Explain that…”

“It ‘looks the part,’ doesn’t it?”

“Huh…?”

“Activating spells after chanting… gives a sense of intimidation, making it seem more villain-like.”

Siegfried smiled faintly.

“But the performance time is over. From now on—I’ll go without chanting.”