Hard.
It was something he felt anew, but magic was truly difficult.
The 4th Circle had been difficult enough, and though he had completed it only after repeated failures, the 5th Circle seemed twice as hard.
- That is only natural. You are learning magic easily thanks to the power of that genius trait of yours. No one can learn it as quickly and easily as you do.
The combined effect of the trait “Genius of Mana Sensitivity” and “Everything Is Doubled.”
A genius was not called a genius for nothing. One called someone with talent far beyond others a genius—and then that talent was doubled?
This was not an effect that could be explained with something as simple as, “Wow, twice the talent!”
- In short, you have been learning magic through that overwhelming talent of yours, with little study, forcing it through by something close to brute force. That is why, even for the magic you had been able to learn easily until now, I explained each detail and made you understand it perfectly before moving on. Had that process not existed, you would have been completely stuck here.
In particular, Blink was a spell that moved one through a short distance as if flickering through space.
Even with just a little thought, there was clearly more than one or two things to study.
Necropolis, the underground paradise where the undead’s chilly cold blew pleasantly.
A pitiful place where those already dead had been tainted by the Abyss, and even their souls had died once more.
Under the ironclad escort of those Abyss undead, it took an entire day just to move to the main castle where the Conqueror would be.
During that day, even though he pored over the grimoire, groaned, received Purnel’s advice, and practiced this way and that, he still had not managed to realize the Blink spell.
‘Still, I’ve almost got the feel for it. Rather than spatial movement, it’s closer to distortion and resummoning.’
After countless failures, the concept had taken shape.
It was the result of staring at the grimoire and attempting the spell on the hell hound’s back until his eyes were bloodshot red.
However, no matter how sincere Hio was about magic, it was time to put the grimoire away.
They had arrived at the entrance of the main castle where the Conqueror would be.
‘I really feel like I’d get it if I tried just a few more times…… Tsk, what a shame.’
- I know that feeling well. The completion of a spell is right before your eyes, yet you must do something else. How can one endure that?
In fact, even his Endurance stat rose slightly, so the regret was indescribable.
But no matter how regretful it was, now that they had reached the castle, what could he do? He had to focus, since there was no knowing what variables might occur.
There were no traces of battle nearby.
That meant the Awakened led by Antipus had either not arrived yet, or they were on the opposite side.
Judging by the presences he sensed nearby, it was most likely the latter.
“Seriously…… it’s enormous.”
“I’d believe it if someone said it was an island, not a castle.”
“……To think I would see a castle this vast in my lifetime.”
The knights, who had grown quite accustomed to being with the undead, looked up at the castle and let out brief exclamations of admiration.
Their attitude had changed markedly compared to a day ago.
If before they had looked like soldiers right before a war, with their tension heightened, now they simply looked like ordinary middle-aged men sightseeing in a foreign country.
Over those knights’ heads, Vitalianus’s solemn command fell.
“Stay alert. Once we enter the castle, we do not know what variables may appear.”
Necropolis, sunk into the abyss and turned into a complete mess.
The undead that should have been inside the castle and the undead outside had already become jumbled together, but even so, there were bound to be stronger monsters in the main castle.
“The reason we were able to come this far comfortably is purely thanks to the mage’s ability. Do not get full of yourselves. Maintain your vigilance.”
As he spoke while stroking the back of the hell hound’s head, the Sword Saint’s voice carried weight.
And his words were also an undeniable truth.
At the boundary, where one could clearly tell the extent of the domain of domination, the undead were still locked in fierce battle with one another.
If one climbed the stairs leading to the entrance of the main castle and looked down from the high ground, it was plainly visible.
Every direction within sight was nothing but black waves.
Thousands, tens of thousands of those red and ominous lights were all directed toward this place.
If not for Hio’s magic, they would have had to break through all of that to get here.
Only then did tension appear in the knights’ eyes once more.
“We enter.”
Under the escort of the Abyss undead, the Empire’s elite expedition entered the castle where the Conqueror would be.
* * *
The interior of the castle was exactly as one would imagine from seeing the outside.
Pillars made from the bones of some creature so enormous it defied estimation.
The air inside was filled with an energy not merely dreary, but oppressive.
The strong knights firmly held on to their minds, and the priests offered prayers, striving not to be eroded by that energy.
With the endlessly high central ceiling as the axis, there were staircases in four directions. After a quick discussion, they concluded that they would move all together without dividing their forces.
They could have divided the troops around Vitalianus and Hio, but for now, Hio’s domination was still working well on the monsters, so the purpose was to avoid taking unnecessary damage—and it was the correct answer.
The higher they climbed, the more Abyss undead with powerful energies appeared one after another on each floor. Had they divided the troops, differences in movement speed would have arisen.
There was an undead in the form of a giant bird that looked strong at a glance.
Headless knights, Dullahans, and the like also appeared, ceaselessly spewing Abyss energy.
Unlike the form passed down in stories, the Dullahan’s appearance had been twisted by Abyss energy; its horse and body had fused together, and its head dangled grotesquely between the horse’s legs. Even so, its renowned strength was surely no exaggeration.
However, they could not confirm that strength because even those mid-boss-like Abyss undead were unable to inflict any harm on the Empire’s expedition.
After all, their origin was still undead composed of death energy.
The intellect that might have resisted that had long since sunk into the Abyss and been destroyed, so under Hio’s domination, they had no choice but to lose control over their death energy.
The higher they climbed, the more the undead accompanying the expedition were filled with monsters of higher quality and greater strength.
Thus, it went smoothly.
The only thing that changed was that instead of walking on level ground, they were now continuously climbing stairs.
Even that was being done by the hell hound, so it was not truly tiring.
Whether outside the castle or inside, his domination worked properly, so he gradually grew more at ease.
Being at ease meant having more time to think.
Having more time to think meant that the Blink spell, right on the verge of completion, kept flickering through his mind.
‘This is such a shame… Should I secretly try it now?’
- Endure it a little. I understand how you feel, but would it not be enough to complete it after the raid is finished?
‘That’s true, but…….’
Was this not the first spell of the 5th Circle, the realm called that of a magus?
Since he had almost grasped the feel for it, the desire to try it at once boiled within him, but this was not a playful atmosphere.
The knights’ faces were clearly tense as well.
The undead that had looked somewhat easy had disappeared, and in their place, mid-boss-class Abyss undead had begun moving with them.
Since those vicious-looking things like Dullahans could suddenly attack at any moment, they were on edge.
Of course, that tension existed because they did not know those creatures had no intellect capable of resisting Hio’s domination.
In that state, they climbed the stairs toward the top of the castle for roughly two hours.
Even though they had only silently climbed without a single battle, that much time had passed, so one could guess just how enormous the castle was.
“I see the end.”
Those were the words that came from Vitalianus’s mouth as he had only been quietly climbing toward the top.
The ceiling of the castle, which had felt impossibly far away, came into view.
The end of the staircase appeared. They had reached the final floor of the castle.
That meant they would soon be able to meet the Conqueror.
The master of this Necropolis, and an unfortunate being who, by virtue of its mighty power, had inevitably been chosen as the Conqueror of the Floor of Conquest.
“……Strong.”
The moment they reached the final floor, a massive door appeared at the end of the corridor, and an immense presence could be felt from within.
Inside was the master of the castle, designated as the Conqueror.
As such a being, its strength went without saying.
“So all we have to do is defeat that existence beyond the door.”
The one the floor’s Conqueror had to face was the great Sword Saint.
Vitalianus Mahel, one of the strongest on the continent.
“All the more reason to remain alert. Carelessness is not permitted until the very end.”
With that warning, Vitalianus moved.
Yet on his lips hung a deep smile.
Athaolf’s death, the Abyss’s movements, and other recent events had kept him quiet, but one of Vitalianus’s defining traits was his terribly, terribly fierce competitive spirit.
He was enjoying himself.
Coming here comfortably while surrounded by countless enemies beyond counting had been somewhat dull, though it was good that there had been no casualties.
There had been a lot of them, but in the end, they were only weak monsters clustered together. They were not enough to rouse his desire to fight.
But the being beyond that door was different.
So Vitalianus kept his gaze fixed on the massive door and spoke to Hio.
“I have one request, mage. If possible, could you refrain from stepping in?”
He asked him not to intervene.
“I know well enough that you alone would be sufficient, but if that were the case, I would feel far too sorry. I should at least earn my keep like this.”
“You don’t just want to fight it alone?”
“Of course, it is not as though that reason is entirely absent.”
At the sight of Vitalianus speaking so shamelessly, Hio chuckled and nodded.
From Hio’s perspective, there was no reason not to accept the proposal.
No, he was actually grateful.
There was no need to say that Vitalianus had more than enough ability to face the Conqueror.
It was truly perfect auto-hunting from start to finish.
“If you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. I’ll stay quietly in a corner, so handle it yourself.”
“Thank you. I will repay this kindness with a sparring match once we return to the imperial palace.”
“……No, that’s all right.”
Vitalianus walked toward the door without hesitation.
* * *
Kwaaaang—!
The sound of collision rang loudly through the spacious chamber.
The master of the castle and the ruler who had governed Necropolis.
The true identity of the being that was the target of the Abyss’s 52nd floor raid was a knight returned from death.
A Death Knight.
Billowing death aura.
The unpleasant power, where pure death energy and the cursed energy of the Abyss mingled and spewed forth, was so strong that it became visible to the eye.
Kwaang—!
On top of that, the curse of the Abyss had been added, making that power even more grotesque and stronger.
Compared to an ordinary Death Knight, Theordo, it was several meters taller, with black thorns sprouting all over its body like a beast.
Its oppressive presence was at least several ranks above Theordo’s.
Kwaaaang—!
A crystallization of death and abyss intertwined.
Facing such an existence was a radiant golden aura.
Vitalianus’s aura, which had stood unshaken for decades as a symbol of heroism, was overwhelming the Death Knight from all sides and pushing it back.
“Wow…….”
“Good heavens, how can he move like that there?”
“As expected of Sir Vitalianus!”
As agreed in advance, the other knights did not step in at all. They kept their distance and watched the battle without blinking even once.
After all, it was extremely rare to see Vitalianus swing his sword with such earnestness.
Since they were knights of high attainment, there would surely be much for them to gain.
In one corner, a little farther away than those knights.
Hio tilted his head.
“Hmm. Is that about it?”
Amid the battle between the Sword Saint and the lord of the floor, Hio was also gaining a great deal.
Of course, it was not about the sword.
- That about it? Is that not obvious! Why on earth are you trying to put the same amount of power into the distortion and summoning patterns?
As for the battle, Vitalianus would take care of it just fine, so Hio had crouched down by one wall and was spurring on the completion of the Blink spell.
The framework had been firmly established.
With only the realization of the spell remaining, he was going through countless trials and errors, gradually approaching the correct answer.
“Distortion and summoning. Both are main components, but you’re saying to put more power into the distortion?”
- Correct.
He no longer needed the grimoire.
Only repeated experimentation remained, so he had to keep trying until he reached the answer.
Completion was just before his eyes, but this was the final stage, where if he grasped the core even slightly wrong, he might fail to succeed for days.
“Good.”
He gripped his staff and stared forward.
He transmitted mana to the hundreds of patterns spread out like stars and borrowed power from them.
The major branches of patterns used in a single Blink spell alone numbered more than ten.
He poured mana of the proper amount into each of those patterns, and in response, the patterns gave him power equal to that amount. All of it began tangling into one.
Hio’s eyes, focused to the extreme, snapped open.
“Blink!”
A bright light flashed briefly from the tip of his staff. Along with a large mana reaction, the scenery in his vision abruptly drew closer.
And what that meant was—
「You have succeeded in casting Common Magic - ‘Blink.’」
「Would you like to register Common Magic - ‘Blink’ as a skill?」
It meant his first spell as a 5th-Circle magus had succeeded.
「Common Magic - ‘Blink’ has been registered as a skill.」
「Skill: Blink」
「Teleport a short distance within the range of your visual perception.」
「Caution. If you are subjected to mana interference during casting, it may result in severe internal injury.」
The moment Hio succeeded in casting Blink was exceptionally well-timed.
Kwaaaaang—!
It was the moment the Sword Saint Vitalianus’s golden sword pierced the Death Knight from the crown of its head all the way to the floor. The moment the knight of death, several meters tall, sank to its knees and ended its pitiful existence.
The red light in its eyes gradually faded, and its gaze, desolate, remained turned toward the sky.
Thus, the battle came to an end.
The castle’s Conqueror fell to the Sword Saint’s blade.
It meant the floor’s raid was over.
「You have succeeded in conquering the Abyss.」
At the same time, in the direction of the wide-open door, the entrance to the Conqueror’s chamber began to grow noisy.
Familiar faces had arrived.
“What in the……?”
An expedition made up of possessors.
Sirbert and Daphne, with dumbfounded expressions.
And even Antipus, whose face he knew well.
“……Supreme Heavenly Demon!”
For reasons unknown, Antipus’s expression was coldly hardened, as if in anger.
Whatever the case, happiness came first, so Hio tried to move to their side with a faint smile on his face.
「The -52nd floor sinks into the deepest abyss.」
「The floor is collapsing.」
But the raid had already ended, and a message rang out that the Abyss would soon close.
Before the floor collapsed, Hio immediately activated his skill, hoping to speak with them even briefly.
「Skill - ‘Blink’ has been activated.」
Everyone present was overwhelmed by that effect.
「Moving to the original location.」