Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV.
The first place I was going to attack was the Bureau of Magic, where the Divine Visionaries were located—extremely powerful and truly influential people in the kingdom. But something else interested me even more than the Visionaries' magic.
The Wand of Beginnings.
It is literally the equivalent of the Elder Wand of this world. The most powerful wand in existence, it granted its wielder a tremendous power boost. Currently, it resides within the Bureau of Magic and is used as a trophy for the annual selection of Divine Visionaries.
Infiltrating the Bureau of Magic was ridiculously easy. Aria covered me with her invisibility, and the other defenses prevented me from being tracked by anything else. I passed by many people without a second thought.
The hard part was finding the wand. But with a little Legilimency and some compulsions on the Bureau of Magic employees, I finally found my way. I dispelled all the defenses before reaching the wand.
I saw the magic that would alert everyone in the Bureau that the wand had been stolen, and I simply took it, activating the magic as I became visible. Cia came out of my pocket and looked at the wand in my hand, then grabbed it and began to bite it, tearing off several pieces as she chewed with a satisfied smile.
I shook my head playfully. I moved my hand and created a permanent replica of the wand. It was almost indistinguishable from the original. Before I could put it back, I created a shield on my back, deflecting the sand spear that tried to hit me.
"You're in a forbidden place, stealing a relic of the kingdom. You're condemned to death. Surrender, and I'll grant you the mercy of death," Orter Madl said. I laughed, stowed my wand, and turned away. I'd decided to wear the La Verita de Magia Baiser outfit. It was rather revealing, but it wasn't like I cared.
"Orter Madl. You're the first to arrive." I said with a broad smile, moving my hand toward Cia, who had finished eating the Wand of Beginnings. Then it transformed into my wand, and I gently held it between my fingers. I could feel the surge of power the new wand had given me. Truly impressive.
I moved my head, dodging another sand spear, and smiled broadly before moving my staff.
"You're not much of a talker, I see," I said playfully, as fire began to erupt from my wand. The combination of Hati and demonic fire surged forth with force, consuming the sand around me. A portion of it remained around me like a serpent coiling around my body, defending me and absorbing all attacks, while a massive fire dragon formed to attack Orter Madl.
To my surprise, he dodged the attack by surfing on his own sand before his wand transformed into a staff with an hourglass at the end. The entire floor of the room turned into sand, and enormous pillars of compacted sand tried to attack my fire and me.
The concentrated sand was effective enough to strike my fire for a few moments and shatter its form before the fire began to consume it and grow. Once again, Orter Madl adapted quickly, ceasing his attacks on my fire and focusing on me. I moved swiftly to dodge his attacks while controlling my own flames.
The room was large enough for the fight, but my fire was consuming his magic and growing even faster, easily filling a huge portion of the room. That was before I felt a wave of cold and everything froze, including my fire.
"It's so cold, so very cold. Why does it have to be so cold? Ortel, why didn't you finish off this criminal faster?" Tsurara Halestone said as she entered, shivering, followed by the other Divine Visionaries: Rayne Ames, Ryoh Grantz, Sophina Biblia, Renatus Revol, and Agito Tyrone.
Starting with Ortel, he possessed sand magic. Tsurara had ice magic. Rayne had Partisan magic, which allows him to create and manipulate swords. Ryoh has Light magic. Sophina has word magic. Renatus has undead magic. And Agito has dragon magic.
"Well, well, it seems almost everyone is here," I said with a broad smile as I twirled my wand between my fingers.
"Ortel! Who is she?! " Renatus Revol asked, almost with a look of contempt.
"I don't know. She wanted to steal the Wand of Beginnings. She's a criminal; that's all that matters to me, not her name," Ortel Madl said coldly.
"Well, you weren't doing a very good job," Renatus said mockingly.
"Ah, ah, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I've arrived, I, Ryoh Grantz! Let me take care of this threat! " Ryoh Grantz said as he posed and his body emitted light.
"Do whatever you want. I see you have everything sorted out; I'll be back first." Sophina Biblia said, hugging her book.
"Its fire consumes magic and grows stronger the more we fight," Orter Madl said, immediately stopping them all. Then they looked at me suspiciously. I just smiled, and to prove my point, my frozen fire began to melt the ice I was trapped in. In a few seconds, it had consumed all the ice and grew even larger.
"Who are you? And what are you looking for? " Sophina asked, frowning.
"You can call me Baiser," I said, introducing myself easily. " And I'm here simply... out of curiosity. I'm a scholar, and the wand of Beginnings was interesting, so I was just passing by. But since you're here, I'm really curious to know how powerful the Visionaries are, so... would you be so kind as to entertain me?" I asked playfully.
"A scholar, you say... and you're here, stealing the Wand of Beginnings?" Rayne asked dryly. "A couple of hours ago, Innocent Zero freed several criminals from Hecatrice. Too much of a coincidence that a 'Scholar' is here just 'passing through.'" Rayne said dangerously. I snorted, almost offended.
"Please, don't associate me with that riffraff. Innocent Zero is just another idiot. I'll make sure to rip their hearts out when I find them." I sneered contemptuously.
"I guess we're not getting anywhere." Sophia sighed as she opened her book. "You should watch your tongue, lest you regret your words. Words are— mmmhmh!" Sophia panicked as her mouth vanished from her face, anxiously bringing her fingers to where her mouth should have been. The few words she had uttered were more than enough for my Reality Marble to register her magic.
"Trying to use magic, I—" I jumped to the side to dodge a huge sword, a dragon that appeared behind me, dozens of sand spears, and a pillar of ice. "I see you don't mess around." I said playfully, pushing more magic into my fire and letting it consume everything around it.
"Summon, Ares, God of War!" Rayne exclaimed. A huge black sword made of magic appeared and cut my fire in half, and in the process, the entire room, leaving a hole in the ceiling.
Partisan's magic registered with ease, and along with it, his Summon, Ares. It was simply incredible. It wasn't godlike magic, not divine magic at all, but it was a way to push magic to a whole new level.
It was about taking magic and pushing it to the next level of power. It was about the quality of the magic, rather than the quantity of magic power that could be added to increase its destructive power. The two differed qualitatively.
And most importantly… if I could use that magic in any of my spells… could I create a Summon for each of my spells? For each Mystery within my Reality Marble? I needed more data. I needed to copy more Thirds and Summons.
I grinned broadly, then dodged a massive dragon that appeared beneath me. The space had become too small, so I flew through the hole in the ceiling Rayne had created and hovered above the Magic Bureau building. The Visionaries quickly followed and stared at me.
Then they all moved at once. I easily dodged the Visionaries' incoming attacks as I flew around the magic kingdom, getting farther and farther away from the city. I used my fire to cover and protect myself from their attacks while moving side to side until we finally passed through the city walls.
"I don't know if you're an idiot, or just incredibly brave to lure us here, where we can unleash our full power," Rayne said as he landed in front of Mijo along with the other Visionaries. I chuckled.
"Why don't you find out?" I asked playfully before leaping back as two giant undead hands tried to crush me. Then I flicked my wand to create a shield, preventing the concentrated sand from hitting me. My fire surrounding me exploded and crashed into the incoming wave of ice, and I grinned before unleashing hundreds of solar blasts that destroyed every magic sword aimed at me.
After their initial attack, none of the Visionaries seemed idle; they were already moving for their next move. A massive dragon filled my vision, but a web of darkness clung to the dragon, halting it abruptly and preventing its jaws from closing.
I jumped back only to find Rayne and Renatus standing in front of me. Rayne was trying to hit me with his spear while Renatus tried with his bare hands.
I easily dodged Rayne's attack, striking the side of Rayne's spear with my bare fist, deflecting it before a burst of fire could hit it and knock it back. Then I dodged Renatus's initial attack and sliced him in half.
Renatus was immortal, so my attack didn't stop him; it only propelled him further toward me. My eyes flickered, and I smiled slightly. I let the sand grip my wrist, preventing me from dodging Renatus's attack, which left a few small scratches on my arm. Renatus grinned broadly and sadistically before plunging his hand into his chest.
"Summon, Thanatos, God of Death! Undeath Thirds: Thanatos Inclination!" Renatus exclaimed with a grin. I could see my blood transform into black chains, and a massive, skull-covered entity appeared above us. "Your blood has made a pact with death!" Renatus exclaimed. I grinned widely as I registered a new Thirds in my Reality Marble—the only reason I'd let it hit me in the first place.
Then I created a Ruler Breaker and slammed it against the chains. Thanatos's pact vanished, shattering the chains. I could see Renatus's eyes widen; I took advantage of his surprise, and my fire consumed his Thirds. The magic only made it grow stronger, my fire roaring before unleashing itself upon the others like a storm.
Ice magic froze my fire again before a massive wave of sand engulfed everything, trying to smother my frozen flames. My fire, more powerful than ever, instantly consumed the ice before roaring and battling through tons of sand, consuming more and more of it.
The enormous dragon emerged from underground again. I twisted my body to dodge its jaws, then kicked the dragon with all my might, sending the creature, which weighed tons, flying away from me. Then I looked up to see hundreds of giant swords heading my way.
Rho Aias. The seven-petaled flower shield appeared before me, stopping the swords. The first three shields shattered, but I didn't get any further. I was about to attack when I sensed a hidden surge of magic.
I turned my eyes and saw Sophina emerge from the arena. To my surprise, she had cut the skin that kept her mouth closed and was glaring at me. Her book was open, and she wrote as she spoke. She finished her spell, and I felt the compulsion trying to control me, forcing me to move, but my defenses easily repelled it and broke the spell.
Sophiana's eyes opened, and I sealed her mouth again. I smiled mockingly as she glared at me. Then I dodged dozens of high-speed sand attacks trying to hit me.
I chuckled softly before my fire consumed everything once more. I raised my wand slightly and controlled my fire so that it began to gather and compress into a small sphere at the tip of my wand.
The enormous, colossal flames that had grown as they consumed all the magic from the fight swirled around my wand. Then I pushed my solar energy onto the fire. The fire became truly dangerous; I could see the ground beginning to melt rapidly. I saw all the Visionaries go on guard.
"And so, the mysterious wand thief has cornered our heroic Divine Visionaries, preparing to launch a truly terrifying attack. What will become of them? "
"But don't worry, because here it is, THE GREATEST CREATION OF ALL HUMANITY! THE DIVINE VISIONARY, RYOH GRANTZ!! " Ryoh said grandiloquently as he descended in the battle shift.
"You're late! What the hell were you doing?!" Renatus shouted furiously. Ryoh just shook his bangs while posing.
"Ha, just what you expected of me. I was protecting the population." Ryoh said, smiling. Somehow, his smile really shone. "Although… it wasn't really necessary, was it? " Ryoh asked, walking in my direction. "You know, I prepared myself for these idiots and you to unleash your full power on the city. I, the impeccable Ryoh, was going to use my magic to ensure that casualties were kept to a minimum."
"But it was a real surprise when none of the attacks, both ours and yours, affected any civilians. And in fact, there was protective magic shielding them from any of our attacks."
"And then, you simply moved away from the city, preventing any harm from being done to the population. And most importantly, so far, you haven't seriously attacked any of my comrades, even though you had plenty of opportunities to hurt or even kill them. Truly impressive. And that makes me wonder… you really are a scholar, aren't you? " Ryoh asked playfully. That surprised the Visionaries, who stared at me.
"I had no reason to lie," I said, shrugging. Ryoh laughed cheerfully.
"I see, a truly curious woman. And I suppose the handsome, intelligent, and lady-killer-like Ryon Grantz—that is, me— " Ryoh struck another pose, glowing. "I couldn't convince you to leave quietly, could I? The Wand of Beginnings is in its place, nothing else has been stolen from the Bureau, and your… 'curiosity' should have been satisfied by now." Ryoh asked easily, looking at me.
" Mmm, you could." I hummed softly, the sphere of fire at the tip of my wand evaporating into sparks that vanished into thin air. "Though you're mistaken. My curiosity about them is satiated. My curiosity about you… not really. So, Ryoh Granz, the greatest creation of all humankind, will you show me what you're capable of? " I asked playfully. Ryoh chuckled before bowing.
"If you ask me in such a way, how could I, Ryoh Granz the Great, possibly refuse?" Ryoh said with a sigh. I chuckled before shaking my head as a beam of light tried to hit me. Ryoh grinned broadly, his wand raised, before continuing to unleash bursts of light.
I easily dodged from side to side, then raised my wand and launched Meltdowner in his direction. The sheer speed seemed to surprise Ryoh slightly before he grinned and used his beams of light to collide with my Meltdowners.
We continued exchanging burst after burst. His light attacks were faster than my Meltdowners, so he could easily keep up. I smiled slightly before the mist surrounding my body grew and began creating portals.
Ryoh looked confused before a Meltdowner appeared near him. He moved his head to dodge the attack before raising his hands; dozens of lights appeared around him, and dozens of beams of light were launched at my attacks. To my surprise, some were headed toward the Meltdowners emerging from the portals, but instead of colliding, the beams of light were deflected and entered the portals.
I stared at him, impressed. I think he was the first person to try and deflect an attack from me using my portals and actually succeed. A dozen beams of light appeared near me, and I simply created more portals with my mist and sent them back at Ryoh. He merely waved his wand and deflected his own attacks to the ground, rendering them useless.
"You might as well use it. We'll be fine all day otherwise." I said easily. Ryoh just hummed.
"Very well. I will grant you the pleasure of seeing my glorious form," Ryoh said with a smile. "Summon, Hyperion, God of Light!" Ryoh exclaimed, and his wand transformed into an enormous staff. "Lights Thirds: Hyperion Inclination! " The massive, multi-armed entity began charging a huge sphere of light in its hands. "Try not to die from the greatest attack of the most powerful wizard in the world," Ryoh said with a wide grin. "Genesis Crisis!!"
A massive, colossal ball of light hurtled toward me, obliterating everything in its path. I raised my wand with a smile before creating a huge sphere of destructive power and hurling it at Ryoh's attack.
Both attacks collided with force, each trying to overpower the other before they consumed each other and exploded on the spot. They canceled each other out and vanished, leaving the battlefield silent. Ryoh wore a slight smile, though I could see he was slightly tired, even though he tried not to show it. I simply bowed slightly.
"Thank you for your demonstration, Ryoh Grantz. I am satisfied; I will leave now." I said easily, just to be surrounded by the other Divine Visionaries.
"You think we'd just let you go?" Rayne growled, pointing his spear at me. I hummed, glancing at Sophina, who was there too. She'd cut her skin again; she was really stubborn and dedicated. I'd give it to her. I used a little magic to return it to normal, surprising her.
Then, I let all my magic and power crush them. They all immediately bowed down and gritted their teeth. I was truly surprised they didn't fall to their knees right away.
"I wasn't asking for your permission. My curiosity has been satisfied. I doubt we'll ever meet again, but... perhaps I'll leave you a gift before I depart the kingdom." I said easily before dispelling my magic and then appearing far away from them.
I appeared in the sky, completely invisible, and watched the Visionaries immediately recover. I just smiled slightly.
This had been a good collection. Now, let's see… Easton Academy, or Innocent Zero? … maybe Walkis Academy.