C160
Now the students have become more serious. Everyone was staring intently at Sienna.
"But for that person to die, they would have to spend a night with me."
The faces of the male students turned red.
“Te- Teacher, that example is a bit….”
"There's no need to be embarrassed. Because I would never do such a thing. You gain powerful abilities by setting a price on something you absolutely do not want to do. It's equivalent exchange. Revealing the price can also be a price, but what is important is that the person that eats the rule really believes that. They are injecting their own very personal omniscience into others through the power of omnipotence."
The students finally understood.
An 'Rule Eater' was a type of person whose way of thinking was completely twisted compared to ordinary people.
"Just because you learn it doesn't mean you can do it. The peculiarity of the mind manifested through obsession and bias. 'Rule Eater' can be said to be the most frightening existence to a mage."
This was all Shirone knew about Rule Eater. At the time, he thought he had understood, but when he actually encountered it, it was the height of confusion.
Above all, he couldn't figure out why his Spirit Zone suddenly disappeared. Since when? Even if it was triggered by constraints and costs, Shirone hadn't done anything to her.
'No, there was! I definitely did...'
Shirone suddenly remembered the situation from a little while ago.
- You can kill me.
It was this very moment. A magic that only Marsha and him know.
The moment she uttered those words, Marsha's omnipotence penetrated his mind and activated the rule.
His heart pounded. He got caught by Rule Eater. What was going to happen to him now? He couldn't predict anything.
‘Let’s stay calm. My Spirit Zone just disappeared. If I just stay sharp, I can get out of this crisis.'
Rule Eater was like weighing the value of the possible and the impossible on a scale Therefore, the cost that had to be borne was inevitably as strange as the ability itself.
Perhaps when she said, 'You can kill me,' she had to risk being defenseless for quite a long time. If he had attacked her then, Marsha would be dead.
But why hadn't he attacked? Is it because of Yuna? No, Yuna is safe.
His thoughts weren't connecting. What on earth was happening to him right now?
'From the beginning. From the moment I met Marsha, I had already fallen into a trap.'
The moment Shirone realized that every event was scripted under Marsha's direction, he got chills.
Everything from taking him to the tavern, to provoking him using Yuna, to not harming Yuna.
"All for this moment?"
Marsha laughed cheerfully, as if she could see through Shirone’s thoughts. Seeing him so bewildered made her go crazy with joy.
“Hohoho! Of course, it is. Ah, meeting you was a coincidence. I'm a person who turns coincidences into fate. In any situation, there is no harm in laying down the groundwork. Maybe this thoroughness is my charm?”
Shirone had no choice but to admit it.
It wasn't that she had targeted him from the start. She had been laying plans for everyone she met throughout her life. Just on the small assumption that they might meet again someday.
This meticulousness was exactly why Marsha had been able to escape the Magic Association's encirclement.
“Then, shall we begin? I'm not sure what I can do."
Marsha approached Shirone with a confident smile. On the other hand, Shirone could not help but feel intimidated. He tried to cast Teleportation, but it still wouldn't activate.
Certainly, this condition will not last forever. However, the concept of stealing someone's mental strength was an exceedingly foreign rule to Shirone.
'This can't be. Where in the world does such magic exist?'
Shirone felt the greatest crisis of his life. Marsha's Rule Eater was clearly dangerous. This was because the Immortal Function itself, which could be said to be his last bastion, was sealed.
"Hoho! I'll gladly take your mental strength."
The mental strength Shirone was about to use for teleportation all flowed into Marsha. Using that power, Marsha fired Sound Cannon again.
“Keuk!”
Shirone turned and ran away. It was a shocking sight to see a mage running in such a situation, but if he had been hit by Sound Cannon while unable to use magic, he could have lost his life.
"Hehe, I'll give you credit for abandoning your pride. But the fight's already over. Now that you're caught in my Deprivation, that is."
Rule Eater Deprivation.
She can deprive others of possession and steal. Among them, the magic she cast on Shirone was known as Plunder, capable of stealing the mental strength of the Spirit Zone.
Shirone got as far away as possible. He had to buy time somehow.
The calculation was that if one's mental power is taken away simply for not following the words, 'You can kill me,' there would inevitably be a time limit when considering equivalent exchange.
'It’s working!'
As expected, the plundering was released, and his mental strength returned. Shirone, unable to assess the situation behind him, immediately cast Photon Explosion the moment he turned around.
Thunder boomed as if striking repeatedly, and light flashed in all directions.
Let alone the effectiveness of the wide range Photon Explosion cast in an open area, the effect was beyond imagination.
"Fwuu, that's cool. Really amazing."
Shirone glared at Marsha. Seeing that she wasn't even approaching, it was clear she was looking down on him as if he were insignificant.
Anyway, if there was a time constraint, there was no longer any need to fear being plundered again. Because there was no fool who would get caught in the same trick twice.
"Here I come!"
Shirone cast Teleportation and rushed towards Marsha. But Marsha was still full of leisure. And the moment Shirone entered her Spirit Zone, she reached out her hand and murmured.
“Rule Eater. Exortion."
At the same time, Shirone's Teleportation was undone. Shirone fell to the ground following inertia and slid several meters.
“Keueuk! What?"
His magic was undone once again. Had his mental strength been taken away again this time? However, his Spirit Zone was still maintained.
"Uh? Huh?"
Shirone couldn't believe it. Such magic shouldn't exist in this world. He didn't feel like what was happening to him was real.
Tess, who was watching Shirone's panic, turned to Amy and asked.
"What's going on? Did something happen to Shirone?"
"I don't know. His Spirit Zone hasn't disappeared. But the fact that Teleportation was undone..."
At that moment, Amy shuddered with realization.
No, it couldn't be. That shouldn't be allowed. Isn't that too harsh? How much effort had Shirone put in to reach that level?
Amy's ominous premonition became a reality. Shirone, in disbelief, muttered while checking his own body.
"I can't cast magic."
“Huhu, that’s it. The Extortion of Rule Eater is only possible if you are caught in Plunder. Of course, there's the restriction that you must directly see the opponent's magic."
Marcia smiled and explained kindly. Of course, she gave no more information than necessary, certainly not more than a mockery of her opponent.
Shirone shook his head. It didn't make sense. Even if there were such restrictions, the idea of unconditionally snatching away the opponent's magic was absolutely impossible according to the principle of equivalent exchange.
"Wow, to think such a wonderful magic exists. I'm so happy. Sound Magic sucks. Thank you, Shirone. You are such a good little brother.”
Before Marsha, spheres of light gathered. It was the magic of imparting mass to light, Photon Cannon.
Shirone hastily flung his body to the side. At the same time, a heavy burst of light struck the spot where Shirone had been.
Fragments of the ground peppered Shirone's face, stinging him. The feeling of being subjected to his own magic was truly terrifying.
“Whoa, this consumes a lot of mental power, doesn’t it? How did you handle it? You are truly amazing, Shirone."
Shirone got up and glared at Marsha.
He couldn't hold back his anger this time. No, it was more than that—it was an injustice. The frustration of having all his magic stolen made his body tremble.
"But it's impressive. The ability of an Unlocker."
Marsha, who looked happy, even showed Laser with the intention of making Shirone even more annoyed.
Even as the laser scraped across the ground towards him, Shirone was unable to respond. He had been stripped of even his Teleportation.
At that moment, Amy ran over, grabbed Shirone, and executed Teleportation. She also was low on mental strength, so they couldn't move a great distance. Rian and Tess rushed over to shield the two.
Marsha watched them mockingly.
The knight was in disarray, and Amy had a hard time even casting Teleportation. Even worse, Shirone, their only hope, was stripped of his magic and turned into an ordinary boy.
"That's what I said, didn't I? You can't win against me."
It was certainly a miserable situation. In particular, the psychological shock Shirone received was enormous. If he were a normal person, he would have cursed Marsha, cried and thrown a tantrum until they fainted.
"Shirone, come to your senses. The fight isn't over yet."
"But my magic, my... magic."
Shirone's voice trembled.
Amy understood. If it had been her, she might have collapsed from a fit of rage.
To a mage, their magic means everything. Just the thought of handing it all over to someone else was enough to send shivers down her spine.
"Shirone! Get up! We have to keep fighting!"
Staggering, Shirone still managed to stand up.
The thought that he should not give up, as befits his strong mentality, emerged like an instinct. But the emotional wound was too deep.
"How on earth? How am I supposed to fight?"
"Think logically! Where in the world is there a magic that can so easily steal magic? There is definitely a huge risk involved according to the principle of equivalent exchange.”
Shirone snapped back to his senses. What she said made sense. He had been so preoccupied with the fact that his magic had been stolen that he hadn't noticed, but Marsha's Extortion couldn't possibly be activated just like that.
First, one has to be caught in Plunder. Then, you have to see the magic you want to steal with your own eyes. It was definitely a difficult condition, but Marsha's Rule Eater was so overpowering that it made no sense even with these two constraint.
Amy desperately tried to convince Shirone.
"If it was taken easily, it can be retrieved easily. Or rather, it should be much easier to retrieve than it was to take. That's equivalent exchange. So never give up."
"Alright. I'll try.".”
Shirone regained his courage. Not that a specific plan had come to mind, but he couldn't just sit back and weep.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, but..."
Rian, who had been just listening until now, chimed in.
If she steals what she sees, then magic she hasn't seen can be used, right? Like that Wind Cutter you showed at home."
"Ah, right."
At that moment, a strong idea entered Shirone's mind. Right. Strictly speaking, being on the receiving end, Extortion might be better than Plunder. This is because at least the Spirit Zone can be operated.
"I se. The only way is to try it out with your own body. Thank you, Rian.”
Amy whispered, wrapping her arms around Shirone's waist.
"I'll get you close with Teleportation. From there, try to do something with Wind Cutter."
Amy cast Teleportation with all her might. As the two of them simultaneously emitted light and sliced through the air, Marsha also teleported away.
Since the Extortion only replicates the opponent's omniscience as is, it's impossible to apply it beyond its original principles without knowing the activation mechanism.
Therefore, even Marsha, who stole Shirone's Teleportation, could not attempt Patrol techniques or Rainbow Drops.
Amy dug into that part persistently. She approached Marsha with dazzling movements and then hurled Shirone at her.
Shirone held out his hand towards Marsha and executed the Wind Cutter. Since it wasn't his specialty, it was difficult to hit her without getting close.
However, such shortcomings actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. This was because Marsha had retreated much further than expected.
'What?'
Marsha's movements were strange. Even if she was not familiar with the magic, she could have tried something like Photon Cannon or Photon Explosion in response to the Wind Cutter.
However, she chose to retreat. And quite far, at that.
"Could the constraints of Extortion be...?"
A possibility dawned on Shirone's mind.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)