Ch. 166: The Calamity and the Wizard

Igni: “.......UGH?!”

Igni gritted his teeth hard feeling <the weight> of Fram’s flames.

Igni: (........what is this?!)

The Black Flames were now spreading over both his arms, and though he wanted to try and brush the flames off, his arms hung limply due to the weight.

Igni: (It’s wrapping around both my arms like sludge……!!)

Fram: “..........HA–HAHAHA! What’s wrong, Igni?! How is my [STAG-NA-TION]?! My Black Flames is a <H-Y-B-R-I-D> between the [Stagnation] I use for fueling the Curse and my Spell! It requires very little Magic, and the power exponentially increases!!”

Igni continued to put out the fire, but the Flames consumed both his arms and began creeping up towards his body whenーー

“[Wind, cut through] : [Ventos] {Sequa}!”

<BAZU!!> (*sfx slice)

A blade of wind came from behind and cut off Ign’s arms.

Igni: “.......! Thanks, Alicia! You saved me!!”

The Black Flames that wrapped around Igni’s arms turned the arms to coal and ash and disappeared once it consumed everything.

But Fram spat out blood once and slowly stood up.

Fram: “HA……..! It’s….too late…..! Forget about <the negotiation>......! I’m going to kill everyone in this stupid Capital!!”

Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition}!”

Fram: “You’re way too late….! I’ve already <initiated my Magic>......!!”

And the world turned dark.

Igni instinctively looked up into the sky, and there, there was another black sphere similar to the sun lying right next to it ー a gaping hole that suddenly appeared in the air.

Fram: “.........do you know about my Magic, Igni?” Igni: “No clue.”

Igni looked straight up as he let out a sigh.

The sphere was located at least a few thousand kilometers (~a few thousand miles) above.

But because the sphere was <so gigantic>, Igni was unable to accurately judge the distance.

Fram: “I’ll tell you. I’d feel bad if you were to die without knowing anything.”

Fram’s body was suddenly lifted up forcefully as if being pulled by something, and he continued to rise into the air. And he was being pulled in the direction of the Black Sphere.

Fram: “After igniting the [Stagnation of Humanity], I compressed and condensed the Black Flames to a single point. Once I compress that ball of energy even further, after exceeding a certain point, it becomes zero. No, actually, to be accurate, it falls into a negative dimension.”

Fram’s voice grew smaller as he continued to rise.

His body was also disappearing into the distance.

Fram: “My Spell I cast <inside of the phenomenon> will now create infinite gravity within itself, and transform into a condensed point of energy with the infinite negative dimension. It will twist time and space and even swallow light itself. My <Magic> holds absolute destructive power.”

Igni: “..........ha, that’s some <Magic>.”

Igni did not understand half of what Fram said, but that would have been the same if he explained to Fram about his own <Magic>, so Igni simply laughed and moved on.

Others do not need to understand your <Magic>.

In the end, only one person needs to understand the <Magic> ー the strong.

Fram: “My <Magic> is similar in nature to when a star dies, and it has much more destructive power. I call it the <Miracle of Calamity>. Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?”

And Fram looked to have shifted directions before he was pulled upwards with incredible speed!!

Yoori: “IーIgni! Isn’t that really bad if we don’t stop it?!”

Igni: “Yeah, it would be bad.”

Igni’s instincts were screaming out.

That <Magic> would not just stop at blowing up the Imperial Capital.

Worst case scenario, that <Magic> could evaporate the entire continent.

But he can’t reach that black dot from here.

That’s why he would rely on her.

Igni: “.........Alicia.” Alicia: “Leave it to me.”

Alicia gracefully stepped next to Igni’s side in her dress.

Alicia: “Sebastian.”

Sebastian: “My Lady.” And Sebastian appeared out of nowhere to hand Alicia her broom.

Igni: “I’m counting on you.”

Alicia: “Who do you think I am?”

Igni: “......you’re right.”

Igni sat behind Alicia who placed the broom between her legs.

Alicia: “Hold on tight!”

Igni: “Okay!”

Alicia: “[Wind] : {Ventos}!!”

A gale suddenly blew at them, and Igni and Alicia’s body was lifted upwards!!

Alicia: “How close do we need to be?!”

Igni: “..........1,000 meters. If it were possible, about 500 meters.”

Alicia: “Easy enough.”

Alicia’s lips curled up in a confident smile.

It was not the same smile as the fake one she used during the parade in front of all those people.

It was Alicia’s distinct, beast-like smile.

But to Igni, that suited Alicia so well……..and thought it was so beautiful.

Alicia: “[Might Gale] : {Tempest}!!”

<DOHU!!!> (*sfx gale)

The broom screeched from the sudden pressure, and Igni had difficulty keeping both eyes open as their bodies were being blasted up into the sky!!

As if in response, Fram’s black sphere began shrinking at incredible speed.

Alicia: “.......the <Magic>.....” Alicia quietly cried out.

As soon as that giant body of Black Flame shrunk to zero, Fram will blast the <Magic> into the Imperial Capital. If he did, everything would turn to ash. Hence, Igni had to turn the table before that could happen.”

Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition} : [Complete Incineration] {Full Burst}!!”

Something twisted and rotated inside Igni as his Magic was expelled into his hand and another universe was born. It was his universe. A universe meant only for him.

The absolute <Miracle> which creates something from complete nothing.

Igni: “[Stop].”

As soon as he saw that the Black Sphere was in range, Igni initiated his <Magic>. He planned to stop time around Fram’s <Magic> and put a stop to his plan!

But even though Igni’s <Magic> reached and swallowed Fram’s Black Sphere, it continued to shrink.

Igni: “.........! No!!”

Alicia: “What’s wrong?!”

Igni: “.......the gravity in the center of that sphere is already messed up! I can’t stop it!!”

Time and gravity are closely related to one another.

Igni’s <Magic> which can stop time only works under normal gravity.

But the Black Sphere which achieved infinite Gravity through Fram’s <Magic> isーー

Alicia: “ThーThen…….” Alicia began to panic.

But Igni had already stretched out his hand for the next move.

Igni: “No, I can still negate it!”

Igni dispersed his <Magic>.

He felt Sara’s concentrated Magic thickly pump into him.

As he thanked Sara in his head, Igni manipulated the Magic within him.

Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition} : [Complete Incineration] {Full Burst}!!”

Countering infinite energy requires infinite energy.

Igni: “[Ultra Sphere Surface] {Tesea}!”

A 4-dimensional {Fireball} was dropped into 3-dimensions, and by doing so, a {Fireball} will infinite energy inside was born.

Igni: “[Wipe it out] {Fire}!!”

Igni’s <Magic> flew straight upwards as if to rebel against the heavens, and collided with the Black Sphere.

<splash> (*sfx)

And the Black Sphere seemingly swallowed Igni’s <Magic> whole.

The world was enveloped in light.