As promised. Also, give ya boy some proper reviews, been a hot minute since I got ANY reviews. We crossed 100k words a good while back. (ToT)
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Magi were insane.
That was a truth known to all, from those who'd just begun dabbling in magecraft, to those who came from the oldest of lineages and ruled their world. There was no morality to be found, no argument to be made, they were all people who had abandoned everything towards the relentless pursuit of mysticism, of that distant desire they all shared.
Yet, there were limits. There had to be limits. Insanity wasn't meant to be a metaphor for lack of reasoning, or lack of thought. If they lacked those, then they were no different from beasts, or the commoners they looked down upon.
A magus was to pick their conflicts, create favourable circumstances, have back-up plans and then back-up plans for those back-up plans, force favours, be underhanded, and avoid violence entirely. They were noble scholars, not brutes.
However, it was also true that those who reached greatness were entirely removed from even that notion. True madmen. People whose minds couldn't be rationalised, even by those standards to which all magi held themselves.
Waver felt then that those sentiments had never rung louder for him than they did now. As he watched a newcomer challenge a Grand with not a hint of fear where even the Twelve Lords failed.
Touko Aozaki. A Grand. Not just any Grand, but one that had been stuck with a Sealing Designation since before he even joined the Clock Tower. A veritable death sentence, so to say. She slaughtered her pursuers, the highest calibre of magi, for decades.
A monstrous woman who'd become a Grand at a mere 20 years old by reviving a dead system of magecraft from the Age of Gods and then deciphered a set of Primordial Runes held only by the God King Odin of the Nords, then the Witch of Dun Scaith. Words that commanded the very world.
"I know I don't get to say this, being a magus..." Reines murmured, eyes wide in an unusual display of emotion for the head of the El-Melloi. Yet, none could hold that against her. "But, against a Grand? Has he lost all reason?"
Waver glanced at her before holding a hand against his chin.
This was the kind of enemy even Flat would turn and flee from at the drop of a hat. He'd always thought Henry was a lot smarter than that idiot. No, he definitely was.
"He thinks he can win..."
As his teacher, Waver was unable to decide whether he was supposed to cry or laugh at the absurdity of the realisation.
Gray took a step forward, a hand pressed against her dark cape. She intended to join the battle. Waver put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. When she looked back at him, confusion and questions writ all over her face, he could only shake his head.
"But Professor. We need to-"
"Trust your classmate."
"Quite the faith, Lord El-Melloi II." Inorai said suddenly, a thin smile crossing her wrinkled lips. "I suppose that is why your students adore you so much."
He stared at her from the corner of his eye. "And what about you, my lady? Will you not intervene? I thought the Trambelio Faction was open to taking him in."
Inorai gave a soft shrug, "I tried as best I could. You heard them too. Besides, this will be a good chance to tell whether that is a worthwhile endeavour."
Waver repressed a scowl.
So that was her angle.
"As expected then."
By letting the two battle, she meant to gauge where her 'investment' stood. If he died or was gravely injured, she'd just shrug again and decide it was a waste. If he managed to accomplish something, then the complete undivided attention of the Twelve Lords would fall on him. Something like a Sealing Designation wouldn't be out of the question under some baseless reasoning. Then, she'd swoop in and offer an 'easy' way out, indebting him completely... or perhaps, 'enslaving' was a better term for what awaited him.
Truly, as expected of one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.
"They're starting." Byron tapped his cane against the tiled floor.
Until now, the two exceptional magi had just been staring at one another. No, that wasn't right. There was... something around Henry. For confirmation, he called upon one with far superior senses.
"Do you see it, Gray?"
His apprentice nodded thoughtfully, "There's something around him, Professor. But I can't tell what it is."
Suddenly, Reines clutched her eyes. The usual blue replaced by a burning crimson. She let out a pained moan, and buckled.
"Her Mystic Eyes are reacting?" Waver noted as Gray moved to help his 'sister'. "Some high-level magecraft. A Bounded Field? That's not..."
Oddly, Touko Aozaki fished a cigarette from her coat and lit it with a snap of her fingers before putting it to her lips. She took a long drag, and then pointed the cigarette at Henry... no, she wrote something in the air with the smoke.
A moment passed. Nothing happened.
Henry grinned.
"You just tried to stop my heart, didn't you? Too bad."
"You're... versed in Elder Futhark?" The Grand questioned curiously.
Elder Futhark. The oldest runic script. A long-dead form of rune magecraft. Touko Aozaki was the one to uncover and then revive it. The discovery was a massive contribution to her achievement of Grand. A practitioner better versed than her was impossible to find in the modern era.
"Wrong. But I gotta say, I was expecting better. This code is primitive and limited. You're basically stringing together meanings-"
His student committed the greatest of taboos. He began dismantling his opponent's magecraft.
"...Still, I'll be taking it for myself. Changing function through associated meaning is pretty interesting."
Touko smiled softly, then, she whispered two words, "Ansuz Keraunios."
Ansuz - Power, God. Keraunios - Of Thunder.
The latter part of the spell was Greek and normally, conflicting with runes. Yet, it was exactly like a Grand to seamlessly blend two different systems together to create a spell.
A massive stream of lightning, far more intense than anything Atrum had put out, erupted from the air around her. Henry swiped a hand through the air, still grinning.
"Isa."
A surge of magical energy. The lightning stopped in place, as if some invisible force had suddenly gripped it.
"That's..."
"The Rune you just combined with Mannaz for the spell to stop my heart. Yep."
"You read the flow of my mana when casting? And you're not even using the Thaumauturgical Foundation to cast." Touko matched his excitement, looking ready to jump like a child. It became clear that her prior annoyance was nothing but a facade. "The spell is the foundation. It's supposed to be inefficient but you're wasting even less mana than I do. Simply incredible. You natural monsters are always on a different level."
Waver wanted to run into a wall, headfirst.
Both of them failed to notice the excitement with which Inorai was observing their exchange. The way she was gripping her folding fan, or the way she was leaning ever so unnoticeably.
With her words of affirmation, Touko was building Henry a coffin, plank by plank.
"Then how about this?"
She wrote a number of runes with her cigarette. Runes that multiplied upon themselves until the very air around them was filled to the brim, ready to choke any that dared intrude. The Grand snapped her fingers and the world exploded in light.
When it cleared, nothing remained of the lobby except charred, smoking earth. The walls shook under the force, the chandeliers broke loose and fell, the puppets stumbled and lost their rhythm. It was only by Inorai's quick thinking that they were saved from becoming collateral damage.
A wall of sand, only one grain thick, protected them. Once its job was done, the sand easily floated back into a small purse tied at Inorai's waist. It had not extended to Henry. Yet, he still stood there. Untouched. Unharmed.
"Huh. That was supposed to easily break through a Bounded Field."
At that, the conflict picked up.
Henry appeared behind her and kicked her in the side of the head, far faster than anyone was able to keep up, even the Grand. She moved to counter him, writing something in the air, but he grabbed her hand before she finished and smashed a knee into the forearm, snapping it out of place at an unnatural angle.
"He's faster than her..."
The realisation settled in quickly.
How?
"That's not... reinforcement, is it? You're enhancing your movement with the same spell you're using to coat your blows." Touko noticed, seemingly unfazed by the harm he'd inflicted upon her body. "It's like... hmm. What an interesting use of the Ima-"
Smartly, Henry shoved her palm against her mouth and swiped her leg from under her with a foot to slam her against the earth with enough 'force' to make the ground tremble. Then, he stood over her and just... watched.
The Grand coughed, but her expression remained unchanged, unbothered.
"It's a secret, is it? Alright, it's safe with me."
Henry responded by holding out two fingers against her heart. Slowly, a small red orb began to form. The world shifted unnaturally around it, as if everything was desperately trying to avoid coming into contact with whatever it was. A deep dread began seeping into Waver's heart at the very sight.
What was that spell?
"What is that...?" Reines clutched her eyes. "My eyes... feel like they're about to... burst."
Inorai answered for him, "I can't tell. I can't tell at all. Yet, I know it's dangerous... I don't think I might be able to resist it."
The easy admission from a member of the Twelve Lords was a damning statement.
"Do something, woman! This is making me feel like a fucking bully." Henry shouted at the smiling Grand under him. The orb floating just above his fingertips riled and began to snap, releasing crimson flashes. "You're a Grand. Mess me up."
"Well..." Touko Aozaki simply smiled. "I'm sorry, kid. I can't really do much with this body. If you want to see something actually interesting, you'll have to kill me."
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
"You deciphered the runes. And you dismantled my first spell before it even finished. You thought I couldn't tell? So yes, I lose. It's still annoying. Leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. That's about it though. You learn to live with things as you get older. I'll be sure to tear you to pieces next time. It's a promise."
Waver realised... that there was something wrong with her head. There was something equally wrong with Henry's head too.
"This was a disappointment then."
Henry casually fished his aviators out of his pockets. Then, he just as easily lifted his hand to the side and the orb shot forth at a blinding speed. It decimated everything in its trajectory. The force that followed then shattered everything in the general direction. Mirrors exploded. The concrete buckled and crumpled in on itself. The lobby became unrecognisable. A great gust of wind threatened to lift them off their feet and smash them against the walls. Again, Inorai protected them.
The one responsible just let out a sigh and walked their way.
Waver almost stepped back, afraid of those eyes.
His student's growth was... unprecedented. The destruction he so casually unleashed reminded him of that war he participated in nearly a decade ago. The perpetrators then had been heroic spirits borne of legend.
This was supposed to be a magus.
Touko Aozaki sat up with a satisfied smile, and put a cigarette to her red lips, taking a deep breath.
"You have a pretty interesting student, Lord El-Melloi II. I didn't think I'd lose to anyone at this point, even with this body."
"Come now, Touko. You could have done a lot more." Inorai chided with a pout that did not suit a woman of her advanced age.
"It wouldn't have mattered. No, that damn brat definitely planned on stealing everything I have if I kept going." She stared at Henry's back. "Isn't that right?"
"I also wanted to kick the shit out of you."
"How inconsiderate. You should be nicer to a lady."
"You're over 40. Aren't you ashamed to call yourself a lady, you hag?"
The Grand magus pursed her lips, inhaling deeply, "I'll beat the shit out of you."
Waver disregarded their casual smack-talk in favour of eying his student. Whatever the situation, Henry had just triumphed over a Grand by the latter's own admission. That didn't necessarily make him a Grand candidate, since the Clock Tower was a place of learning above all else, but it did at least put him at the same level when it came to martial prowess.
As if that weren't enough, Touko had easily revealed in passing comment that he excelled at spell analysis
He hoped that Inorai realised that fact as well, and refrained from scheming against his student. But, that was a pipe dream. They needed to have a long talk once the matter of Reines' accusation was settled.
"Did he just... beat a Grand?" Reines said, her words slow from disbelief.
Waver facepalmed. "In front of so many people, no less. Why must he be like this? Why does this boy love showing off so much?"
"If I can't flex, making these spells wasn't worth it."
Henry snickered, only to be met by withering glares from both of them. Apparently, he just didn't care who found out about what New Ager with no backing could accomplish.
The most shocked of them all, namely Atrum and Byron, were still reeling, unable to speak.
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Hope you enjoyed.
If you're curious about why she couldn't beat him and admitted her loss, it's got something to do with how she keeps saying 'this body' and tells him to kill her for something actually worth fighting. It'll be made VERY clear in the upcoming chapters so think of it as a bit of a mystery. It was also because she's just very smart. The chapter should've made it evident but she realised he was far better than her at spell analysis and was stealing her life's work. As already established, it just isn't worth it to lose that by continuing a fight she essentially started to study HIM. The more guarded magecraft is kept, the better.
Also, I just really wanted to write a hard and fast battle between two geniuses that actually use their heads. Er, one of them does, at least.
If you take any issue, please be sure to comment. Comment your thoughts and ideas... Just comment, I'm on my knees.
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You can find SWARTHY chapters ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
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