When time returned to normal, Shirone and the others looked up at the sky in disbelief. Even the clouds had vanished, revealing a pale moon.
What kind of magic was that?
It wasn't a destructive force like Photon Cannon or a sustained defense like Shining. It was designed to release the purest, most concentrated light in an instant.
Arcane's expression twisted.
"Alpheas…"
"That was Big Bang magic," Alpheas explained. "Maybe it doesn't meet the Association's standards, but I think it works well enough as a farewell gift."
"You really didn't spend forty years just running away…"
Arcane finally understood. This wasn't about countering dark magic, or redeeming himself. Alpheas had devoted four decades perfecting a single spell—for this very moment.
"You did well… for you."
Arcane collapsed to his knees, brain functions damaged by the Abyss Memory.
"Well done, Alpheas. You've won. You've earned your fame. Will you finally become the archmage you always dreamed of?"
Alpheas shook his head. Even now, Arcane clung to status. That very obsession had made him who he was today.
"I'm no archmage anymore. That was fifty years ago. By now, even a novice could have reached my level. Our time is over. The world has changed, and I'm too old to chase ambition. Can't you see that?"
A vein pulsed on Arcane's temple. He was defeated, but not diminished.
"You arrogant fool, Alpheas. Do you really think you're a victim of misfortune? Let me tell you something—you were never a genius. Just a pathetic mage running from fate."
Arcane rose with effort.
"Old? I became an archmage at your age. Face it—you just don't have it anymore. You're making excuses because you can't keep climbing."
"It's not just about climbing," Alpheas said. "With age comes reflection. But you—you're still that same boy, chasing dreams without restraint."
Arcane laughed bitterly.
"Still so foolish. Step back and see the bigger picture. There are no absolute rules in this world!"
A terrifying aura erupted from his body again. Alpheas gasped—Arcane had triggered Abyss Memory again. His mind could barely survive the first. A second attempt meant certain death.
"You idiot! You're going to die!"
Arcane grinned and cast dark magic. Shadows extended across the basin, lifting the amnesiac students into the air and sending them hurtling toward a cliff.
Even Alpheas couldn't hide his fear now.
"Stop! There's no point in this senseless killing! What will you gain from it?"
"The winner's satisfaction," Arcane said with finality.
"You're still chasing victory at your age? You'll never grow up…"
"You foolish Alpheas. Listen closely." Arcane smiled as his life faded.
"Mages… are forever boys."
Four hundred students soared through the air like water scooped with a ladle. Alpheas couldn't comprehend it. Arcane had used his final reserves of mental power—for this?
What drove him? What did this twisted conviction achieve?
But there was no time to reflect.
"Save the students!" Alpheas shouted.
Thaad shot forward in a flash. Shirone followed, with Neid and Iruki teleporting after them. Four hundred students were falling. It was impossible to save them all—but even thinking that was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Thaad reached the cliff and conjured a wall of air magic. It spanned over 50 square meters, but it was thin. Too thin.
A weak point gave way. Students began to fall.
Below, Iruki and Neid scrambled to catch them. But it was too late. Brilliant students—children and seniors alike—were plummeting.
"Damn it! Damn it all!" Neid shouted, his eyes filling with tears.
Iruki stared up at the night sky through his blurred vision. The stars shimmered softly above, and then—suddenly—a brilliant flash of light shot straight down from the heavens.
"Shirone!"
The flash didn't stop at Iruki. It continued downward, hurtling toward the earth. Through the rushing wind, Shirone spotted a girl with striking red hair.
"Amy!"
At the sound of his voice, Amy turned her head slightly. It was a reaction that should have been impossible under the effects of Abyss Nova. Still, Shirone clung to hope and called out again.
"Amy! Wake up!"
'Mental?'
Humans are thinking beings. It's harder not to think than to think. But when trapped by Abyss Nova—which severs access to memory, the very source of thought—thinking becomes impossible.
"Amy! Amy!"
But Amy could think.
Because she was Amy of the Karmis family.
"Amy! Snap out of it!"
'So annoying… Please stop.'
"It's me! Shirone!"
'Shirone?'
What did that mean? The name sounded unfamiliar. Yet, the three syllables echoed inside her mind, tickling something deep within.
'What is it? What was it? Why does it bother me so much?'
Amy kept thinking. Electrical signals sparked across her cerebral cortex as she searched for the source of that name. Suddenly, a flash of recognition surged through her. The pieces came together.
'That's right. Shirone! His name is Shirone!'
Amy gasped as if coming up for air after nearly drowning. Her eyes flared crimson—her unique ability awakening. The grip of Abyss Nova shattered in an instant, and her memories came flooding back.
'Ugh! What a fool I am! What was I even doing?'
Her greatest weapon was her red eyes—an ability tied to self-image memory.
For the Karmis family, this power allowed them to restore their condition to a specific moment in time whenever their red eyes were activated.
They could, for example, save the motion of swinging a sword and repeat that exact move endlessly without error. And because the power worked like a mental schema, any mistake could be corrected instantly.
The Karmis motto said it all:
"One mistake is the foundation of growth. Two mistakes bring shame to the family."
It was more than a saying—it was their pride.
'Wait… What condition am I in right now?'
Drawing on her self-image memory, Amy analyzed her current state down to the neural level. She was caught in the pull of gravitational acceleration. Her center of gravity was tilted at 87.6 degrees, and her heart rate was 1.6 times its normal pace.
'I'm falling.'
Oddly, she didn't feel afraid. Not anymore.
Because she saw him.
Shirone—descending toward her in a radiant beam of light.
She remembered everything.
How could she have ever forgotten him?
"I was such an idiot... so stupid..."
Amy clenched her eyes shut, trying to block out the regretful memories. He had come to her first, and she had offered him coffee—but he had turned away coldly. She couldn't bear it anymore. With all her strength, she shouted:
"Shirone!"
Shirone smiled gently. He was relieved—Amy had recovered her memories. At least now, in his final moments, he would remain in someone's heart.
"Thank you, Amy."
His tears fell silently, landing on her cheeks.
Why is Shirone crying?
Amy's heart filled with unease. Something was wrong. And then she saw it—the light in Shirone's eyes, the will to live, slowly fading away.
"Shirone! No!"
"I'm sorry… I couldn't keep my promise."
Shirone embraced her tightly and activated his Immortal Function to its fullest. His consciousness expanded into infinity, and his sense of self began to dissolve like water.
Goodbye… everyone...
His father, mother, the members of the Ogent family, and all his friends at school—Shirone smiled, knowing he had been truly loved.
A brilliant light engulfed the bottom of the cliff. The falling students—Iruki, Neid, Thaad—all were swept away by the radiant wave and vanished.
Then, a massive flash of light shot up into the sky.
It was a large-scale mass teleportation—over 400 people moved at once.
Lying on the ground, Arcane watched the light beam split into dozens of trails as it rose beyond the cliff. Only in his final moment did he fully understand—where he was, and how meaningful his life had been.
A playground I'll regret leaving for the rest of eternity... isn't that right, Alpheas?
The legendary archmage who once ruled the world... faded into death.
"Master?"
Canis stood frozen before Arcane's lifeless body. Wasn't he still just a disciple? His master had left without a word, pursuing his own desires to the end.
"Was it all meaningless? Were we just tools to him?"
Canis grabbed Arcane's robes and shook them in anguish.
"Wake up! How could you leave like this?! I'd rather die! Why did you abandon me?!"
Arin approached quietly, sorrow in her eyes. In her menarche vision, Canis's figure resembled a man made of sludge—shifting, unstable, barely holding a form.
"No, Canis. This isn't your fault. He used us. He was the villain of this world."
A raspy voice answered them.
"Heh… So you finally figured it out."
It was Harvest.
"Yes, Canis. Everything died because of you. Arcane is dead. Arin will die one day. And eventually, so will you."
Arin turned quickly to Canis, concerned. Just as she feared, his body lost shape, liquefying and collapsing to the floor like muddy water.
"Why...? What did I do wrong? Was it living in Radum? Is it because I'm cursed?"
"Because you're weak."
Harvest's answer was blunt.
"How long will you keep living, hoping someone will validate your existence? There's no rule for how to live or how to die. Arcane just followed his own will."
Arcane had traded his life for his twisted beliefs. Harvest, bound by his magical contract, had chosen even self-destruction to fulfill it.
But me... what did I want to die for?
Canis couldn't find an answer. He was like a blindfolded colt, lost in a world built from empty shells.
"Like Master..."
"Yes. And like that boy."
Shirone lay among the 400 rescued students. He had said he wouldn't hurt anyone—and he held to that until the very end.
Canis walked over to Harvest and assessed him.
"How are you?"
"If you're asking me that… I'm dying," Harvest replied. "I can't survive without a host to attach to."
Arin spoke up, "You could form a master-servant contract with me. Canis's mind is too exhausted—he won't last."
Harvest shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry. I can't."
"What? Why not?! If you don't, you'll die!"
"Because my master… is Canis."
The words struck deep. It was time for Canis to decide his path. Would he live? Could he live?
"Harvest... I accept you as my vassal. But know this—if you betray me again, I won't forgive you."
"Heh... you know me well, Master."
"Canis! No, it's too dangerous! If something goes wrong—!"
Arin stopped mid-sentence. She watched as the muddy water surrounding Canis began to harden. His once formless body now took shape—solidifying, stabilizing.
Will he one day have a heart that cannot be shaken?
Just like Shirone, whom she had admired through her menarche vision.
Canis placed his hand on Harvest. As the subjugation contract progressed, Harvest began to absorb the last remnants of life energy. Canis's eyes fluttered shut as his consciousness faded into darkness.
Far from the others, Alpheas stood alone, sorrow etched on his face. He had saved the students—but at a terrible cost.
"Principal…"
Ethela's voice was soft. She shared his pain. From this day on, the magic school would change. The students, now burdened with recovered memories, would struggle to cope. And the mistake Alpheas made 40 years ago would finally come to light.
"Ethela," Alpheas said quietly, "I am a sinner."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. If making mistakes is a sin, then just being human would be unforgivable."
Alpheas shook his head. Mistakes were a part of life—but they came with consequences. Like Arcane, he had no intention of avoiding responsibility.
"He was the one who elevated dark magic to the status of great magic. Harvest was a groundbreaking advancement in memory transfer. And Abyss Nova will surely be recognized as official magic by the Magic Association."
Standing before Arcane's lifeless body, Alpheas clasped his hands in a solemn gesture of mourning.
"Arcane, the Archmage who always kept the heart of a boy... The path of magic you forged will live on through future generations."
He opened his eyes, a trace of relief washing over his face. Ethela, however, still looked uneasy. After all, this wasn't just some internal school matter—her entire school and everyone in it had been put at risk.
"Principal, what will you do now?" she asked.
"What else can I do? I need treatment like everyone else. Let's leave the punishment to those in authority and instead focus on celebrating today's hero."
As he spoke, Alpheas scanned the area, searching for Shirone. That boy never failed to surprise him. Moving 400 people at once? Even he wasn't sure he could have managed it.
Then a cry broke through the crowd.
"I'm in trouble!"
Amy was kneeling where Shirone had collapsed, tears streaming down her face.
Sensing something was wrong, Alpheas and Ethela rushed over. Iruki and Neid came running from the distance.
Before anyone could reach her, Amy screamed out—
"Shirone's not breathing!"