When a realm reaches its extreme, it ironically becomes childish. The pinnacle of magic and the pinnacle of ki manipulation rampaged, blocking each other's unblockable attacks. What abilities are the two using? Who knows. Just think of it as two elephants body-slamming each other; it's the same thing. In the sense that if you get swept up in it, you die.
There's no question of interfering. As soon as the Demon King's Unique Magic Domain unfolded, I immediately ran away. Fortunately, Shey, the Blue Tower Master, the Green Tower Master, and the others were nearby, so I brought them along.
Behind me as I covered my head and fled, rays of light flashed and a slash grazed my toes. The meteorite that once threatened this land is tragically shattered, caught up in the fight of the two absolute beings. See, you should have just kept enjoying your solitude in space, why fall to the ground and suffer such a harsh fate? Serves you right.
...Not the time to be saying that. Damn it.
A deflected Absolute Velocity Bullet fell nearby. Before I could even let out an "Ah," a massive explosion erupted. The Absolute Velocity Bullet, like a meteorite falling onto a meteorite, left a large crater and vanished.
An explosion of this magnitude even at a distance far from the Demon King's Unique Magic Domain? If I were hit inside there, not even my bones would be left. And what about the Sword Saint who blocked that?
My relief at surviving was short-lived. I felt the meteorite gradually tilting. I barely managed to hold on and stand, but the Green Tower Master, who had lost an arm, couldn't keep her balance and slipped. She was just about to fall off the edge.
"Gravity Control."
The Blue Tower Master grabbed the entire meteorite with the Universal Apple. Once gravity was canceled out, the meteorite finally stabilized and stopped vibrating.
Phew, I'm alive.
"Is everyone okay?"
As I asked, straightening myself up, the Blue Tower Master looked around with a flustered face.
"He was right there until a moment ago...?"
"I brought him here. Let's stop the Green Tower Master's bleeding first. Shey too, I don't know why ki practitioners like cutting off arms so much. Did you all develop a group fetish or something?"
Shey scowled.
"That's not it. If you cut off an arm, anyone is neutralized, and if you cut it cleanly, it's easy to reattach."
"Easy to reattach?"
"...By ki practitioner standards, that is."
While I was stopping the bleeding of the Green Tower Master's arm stump, she clenched her teeth against the pain and spoke with difficulty.
"...King of Humanity. You can use other people's Unique Magic Domains, right?"
Oh my, I'm found out.
"What? What do you mean? The meaning of Unique Magic Domain is 'unique,' how could I use it?"
"I've been suspicious since you blocked my One-Way Traffic last time, and it was confirmed when you escaped the Master's domain just now. You moved freely by yourself in the Master's space. Isn't that right?"
"You observed well even while losing an arm."
While everyone was slowed down, I did steal the Demon King's Unique Magic Domain to move. To think she was watching me in the midst of all that.
"Stealing and using the power of others. Is that the authority of the King of Humanity?"
Well, that's...
"Are you an idiot? How can you use someone else's Unique Magic Domain? If that were possible, Hui would already be the strongest in the world."
It was Lankart, who had stayed far away by himself while everyone else was fighting. He was nonchalant, as if the fight inside was none of his business.
"Hui has merely perfectly understood the Unique Magic Domains of others."
"Understood?"
"Yes. Understand. If he could use other people's Unique Magic Domains, he would still be utilizing the Demon King's power right now. But Hui can only use that power within the Unique Magic Domain. It's possible because he fully understands the operating principles of the Unique Magic Domain."
Why the confident expression? Don't feel superior just because you guessed something close to the right answer.
The Green Tower Master shook off my hand and stopped the bleeding of her arm with her Unique Magic Domain. The wall of One-Way Traffic served as a more perfect tourniquet than anything. The Green Tower Master struggled to her feet and said to me.
"There's no time to stop the bleeding... King of Humanity. Please help my Master."
"Huh? Me, help the Demon King? Setting aside whether I have the ability to help, is there even a need to help? That Unique Magic Domain is the most powerful one I've seen in my life, close to that of the Magic God. I don't think he would lose even if his opponent is the Sword Saint."
"The Master would have won. If only he hadn't been ambushed."
Very realistic, apart from her overflowing faith in the Demon King. She's seeing it accurately.
If there were glasses that could measure combat power and express it as a number, the Demon King's would definitely be higher. He's only still at the Unique Magic Domain level because he's too 'special'; otherwise, he would have become a Magic God long ago. The scale of his power is on a different dimension.
But the opponent is the pinnacle of ki manipulation. The extreme limit of human potential. The magnitude of the power he wields is small, but it is as sharp and lethal as a blade. No matter how slender the gap, he will cut through it and reach her.
Moreover, the Demon King, whose body has been severed, is using considerable concentration to postpone his death. If it weren't for that, he could have withdrawn or knocked the Sword Saint far away, but at this point...
"Ki manipulation... that power has no rules or laws. At best, it'll be a mutual destruction."
I agree. Ki manipulation turns any fight into a slugfest. If a Unique Magic Domain changes the rules of the board, ki manipulation flips the board and fights with fists.
"But since his waist has already been severed, isn't he as good as dead? Then shouldn't we rather expect mutual destruction?"
"The flow of the Master's time is different! If only he can defeat the Sword Saint now...! For several years...! We can serve him...!"
The Demon King's Unique Magic Domain is Absolute Velocity Control. Velocity is the value of the distance moved divided by the time taken, but if the absolute velocity is fixed, a different standard is applied to time as well.
No wonder the Demon King, who is historically an old mage over 100 years old, looks so youthful.
"The Master has never wasted even a few hours. He is always teaching mages, researching, developing magic, and moving the Floating Castle. And when he has nothing to do for a moment, he stops his own time and watches. He is dedicating himself solely for the magic and knowledge of this world.
Regardless of status, he taught anyone who was truly talented and passionate."
Hmm. That's true.
The reason the chosen people are selected is only one. They are smart and talented in magic. No other standards are needed. I paid attention to those who were abandoned, but those chosen by the Demon King would also have been abandoned in another society.
The Green Tower Master pleaded with me earnestly.
"Please. Save him. The Master, who has contributed to humanity his entire life, deserves to be rewarded."
"I don't think of that as contributing... But even if it is, I can't defeat the Sword Saint. No matter what method I use. Well, unless it's 'Sister'."
Unfortunately, I am not omnipotent. I can only push their backs so they can achieve their wishes, but I cannot make everyone's wishes come true.
But you must achieve your own wish.
"But we can drive him out. I can't do it, but you can. Blue Tower Master."
"Yeah."
"The Demon King's power is mighty, but still, the Magic God is the Principia. There is a reason for that. If light is the same from all perspectives, then gravity must be the same."
The Green Tower Master didn't understand what that meant. But the Blue Tower Master was different.
She climbed the Tower of Babel with me and solved the problems the Demon King posed. Afterward, she encountered the Magic God and learned by experiencing the Demon King's Unique Magic Domain. The realization that had been flickering in a blurry form until now took a clear shape with my words.
"Gravity wasn't simply attractive force. This too was a force that interfered with space."
"Yes. Gravity is the result of the distortion of space. The Demon King has been constantly trying to convey this to us."
The Magic God realized it but couldn't pass it down to future generations. Because he was killed in a sneak attack. The Demon King also grasped the Magic God's insights, but with the language and mathematics of this world, he couldn't forge that realization into knowledge.
Perhaps the Demon King and the Magic God went too far ahead. Humanity has barely caught up to them only upon reaching this point.
"Gravity is not simply a pulling force. It deals with space and inertia. There are no absolutes, and laws act equally from all perspectives. It's the final piece that proves it."
"...It's difficult. No matter how much I hear it explained in words, it's nothing more than a figurative expression. To truly understand, we need another method."
"Draw both gravity magic and acceleration magic as magic circles, and then overlay them as a composite magic circle. You'll notice a slight difference between the two circles."
The Blue Tower Master drew the two magic circles in her mind. True to her title as a Tower Master of the Magic Federation, she vividly recalled the complex magic circles even without paper or pen.
"Can you feel the difference between the two?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Actually, that difference doesn't exist. The two are different expressions but equal phenomena. The distortion between the composite magic circles is essentially zero. Keep that in mind and treat the geometric structures as equal. That will be the easiest way to understand."
The Blue Tower Master immediately put the tip I gave her into practice. Even if she had given up in the middle, she had learned about space and gravity from the Demon King. Recalling what she had learned so far, the Blue Tower Master gradually approached a very fundamental question.
"How could they have discovered this over a hundred years ago? This can't be written with the magic and rules of that era. You need background knowledge of three-dimensional magic circles."
"That's right. Both the Demon King and the Magic God. They were geniuses counted on one hand in the world. They were so smart that no one at the time could understand them. Moreover, the Magic God, who was attacked by someone, was attacked before he could even unravel the realization he had attained."
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Intellect is power. Even if ten million people gather and rack their brains, they cannot reach a single genius. If it's solely for the sake of scholarship, one genius might be better than ten million fools.
"But they also want to be understood."
"I wonder about that. The Master must be superior to all of us combined."
"No. He must receive understanding. The Demon King said so too. Knowledge is great because it is universal to everyone. That's also the reason he can't tolerate black magic."
Black mages cannot understand each other and share knowledge, but white mages can. Therefore, the Demon King's actions are rational. Even if he went too far ahead.
"The Demon King gathering many talented people in the Floating Castle and teaching them was also for that. He grew tired of searching for someone who could understand this, and sought to create them with his own hands."
"That's us."
"Yes. The greatest reward for a disciple is to surpass their master. The Demon King also wished for that, which is why he didn't stop you no matter what actions you took."
The Demon King wanted to be understood. The truth found by his master. He wanted to let everyone know that knowledge, which seemed simple when explained in words but held an immense truth within.
But what happened? He was not understood. Not for any particular reason. Simply because he was too outstanding. Living a lonely and solitary life, he eventually gave up on being understood at some point. He tried to leave all foolishness on the ground and keep only brilliance in the world.
Because in a world where everyone is brilliant, he could be understood.
"Teach them. To the Demon King, and to the Sword Saint. That we are never weak. That even those absolute beings are beasts that can be wounded."
The Blue Tower Master nodded.
What she rules now is not gravity. It is space. Above the bizarrely distorted meteorite. The Demon King and the Sword Saint, still fighting.
Wielding the Magic God, the Blue Tower Master took aim at those flaunting absolute authority within the inviolable domain.
"Crawling Slash."
An invisible slash moved slowly along the meteorite. It seems the Sword Saint did something again. The slash split into five branches as it rode the meteorite, aiming for the ground where the Demon King stood.
"Time Loss."
However, the moment it approached the Demon King, the slash gradually slowed down and disappeared weakly at some point. The slash had exhausted all the energy it possessed within the delayed time.
"Absolute Velocity Control. Length Expansion."
The Demon King snatched a fallen meteorite fragment and gently pushed it. The tiny fragment stretched out long like a ray of light and pierced the Sword Saint's shoulder. A clear effective hit. Blood spurted from the Sword Saint's shoulder. The first wound he received since coming here today.
"You bleed too."
That brief complacency from landing a strike. The Sword Saint caught that opening he had intentionally created. The lowered sword coiled around the long, stretched meteorite fragment. The Sword Saint thrust his opposite arm out.
"Upstream Slash."
"Hup!"
The slash flowed backwards. The distance is quite far, but as long as they are connected, it doesn't matter. His sword rode the medium and traced back, slashing the Demon King's hand.
His middle finger flew off, and a spiral-shaped scar formed on his hand. Blood does not flow yet. It seems he is controlling time. But that is clearly an opening.
The moment the Sword Saint tried to move, aiming for that.
"Gravity Field Control..."
Space distorts. Front, back, left, and right of the Sword Saint. Capturing him surrounded by Absolute Velocity Control, the Blue Tower Master controls the distortion of space.
Gravity is the distortion of space created by this massive planet. She reproduces it in a simplified form. The meteorite clumps beneath the Sword Saint's feet. Crunch, crunch. Twisting and absorbing each other, the meteorite repeatedly self-digests and turns into a single, small, pitch-black point.
'This is dangerous.'
Instantly, the Blue Tower Master, having realized something, flinches.
Dangerous. That is dangerous. Dangerous to whom? The Blue Tower Master? No. The Sword Saint? Neither.
The conclusion reached at the end of her understanding is ringing an alarm bell in her mind.
'The world is in danger. If I make even a single mistake, the world...'
"You can do it."
I gripped the Blue Tower Master's trembling shoulders tightly. She is endlessly weak and frail compared to the power she wields. But I cannot lessen that burden for her. I can only cheer her on.
"I believe you can do it."
Along with my words, the black point began to take shape.
'This is...'
Power surges. The Sword Saint grasped the origin of that power with the ki manipulation he had scattered in all directions. The Sword Saint instantly lowered his stance and looked this way.
'I must kill him, even if it means breaking the precepts.'
Ah, our eyes met. Damn it.
The Sword Saint grasped his sword. Even though he must be under the influence of Absolute Velocity Control, his slash was as fast as a ray of light.
"One-Layer Slash."
A slash that transcends space and cuts away a single layer. That was aimed right at the Blue Tower Master. I couldn't let it be stopped here. I stepped in front of the Blue Tower Master, and...
Slash.
At the same time, my body was fiercely lashed by the slash.
It is a strike that reaches the realm of Principle. A single layer is cleanly sliced off my body. Here, a single layer does not mean a layer of skin or a layer of paper. It means a single layer from the Sword Saint's perspective. Since I blocked the Blue Tower Master, my entire body would be cut.
"One-Layer Slash, huh. Then does that mean you can't cut two layers?"
But it's not like there's no way out. Principle is a compulsion that twists the world to make things happen, but because it is a compulsion, it is tied to the Sword Saint's consciousness.
For example.
"What if. I raise my arm precisely and block your slash vertically."
The slash cut from the tip of my left finger to my elbow. I can see it cut even in my vision. My arm splits completely in two, and terrible pain sears through me.
But my body was fine. I gripped my split left hand tightly with my right hand. The flowing blood returned, and my left arm went back to its original state as if nothing had happened.
"My body is safe, right? Curiosity satisfied."
'It's minutely faster than before. Did he hide his strength? Even in the midst of that?'
The Sword Saint tried to assume a stance right after, but right now he is within Absolute Velocity Control. He cannot unleash transcendental speed through ki manipulation.
And the Demon King wasn't going to just watch that happen.
"Absolute Velocity Control. Perpetuity."
The speed slows down even further. Even for the Sword Saint, in that world, it's no different from swimming in concrete. And the Blue Tower Master's calculation was faster than that.
"Gravity Field Reversal."
The black point glows white and swells. The moment it reached its extreme, a flashing light struck the Sword Saint at a tremendous speed. Even in the midst of that, it seemed the Sword Saint had cut something, but that power had no effect whatsoever.
"Get out of here, uninvited guest."
'This is...!'
It was an instant. The very space surrounding the Sword Saint soared into the sky. I thought I saw his form for a brief moment, but before I knew it, the Sword Saint's figure had disappeared beyond the sky.