Most of the students nodded. Even if they weren't sure, mourning was easier than clinging to denial.
"We all miss Shirone and we're all grateful. But let's be honest. Is there anyone here who really thinks he's still alive?"
Seriel understood Fermi's tactic. By separating emotion from logic, he was clearing the fog of guilt—and forcing the council to face reality.
"No one here is being cruel," Fermi added. "We're just thinking clearly. And yet the teachers still claim Shirone is alive. It's like some kind of cult."
Seriel slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet.
"That's not true! There's something strange about Shirone's condition!"
"What's so strange? I've read the reports on immortal functions. They don't prove anything related to magic or death. And we also know Shirone's body has already been embalmed."
"W-what...?"
That information was supposed to be classified—part of Alpheas' plan to preserve Shirone's body in case his mind somehow survived. Yet somehow, Fermi knew.
Amira narrowed her eyes. "Embalmed? Student Fermi, is that true?"
Seriel glared at Fermi, his innocent smile only making her angrier.
You little snake. You don't even care about any of this—you just want to stir up trouble.
"Student Seriel," Amira said sharply. "Please confirm."
Seriel let out a long breath. Her opportunity had slipped away in a single moment.
"I'll exercise my right to remain silent. If you want further answers, I suggest holding a formal hearing."
Her silence was as good as an admission. It left room for doubt, but also opened the door for the council to draw their own conclusions.
Amira didn't hesitate. With momentum on her side, she brought the meeting to a close.
"Then let's proceed with the secret ballot."
The result was exactly what Seriel had feared.
Outside the school's medical office, a crowd of nearly a hundred students who had taken part in the vote stood in protest, holding picket signs high.
"Alpheas must resign! Let the Inspection Department investigate!"
"Hold Shirone's funeral! It's not a teacher's job to play with the dead!"
Their voices rang out loud and clear.
At the front of the protest, Amira raised her voice to rally the students.
"The school must tell the full truth about what happened! Only by holding Principal Alpheas accountable can the Magic School move forward!"
"That's right! Alpheas must step down! Hold Shirone's funeral now!"
The chants outside carried through the infirmary window and reached Amy's ears. A moment later, the door burst open and Seriel rushed in.
"Amy, something big is happening!"
"What's going on? Why are they suddenly acting like this?"
Amy's reaction was only natural—just when she thought the student gathering was winding down, it suddenly turned into a demand for Shirone's funeral.
"The seniors are pushing hard to charge the principal. I really thought I could protect Shirone, but Fermi… that bastard stirred everything up."
Amy didn't need to look to understand the situation. If Fermi was involved, that alone explained it. It seemed the student council had decided to force Principal Alpheas to resign. Still, she couldn't entirely blame them. If the head of the school truly had a moral failing, exposing it might be the right step for the future.
But it had gone too far. That's what frustrated her about Fermi. While it was the teachers' indecisive response that sparked the outrage, it was Fermi who lit the fire.
"That ungrateful jerk… He's only alive because of Shirone."
"What do we do now, Amy?"
Amy chewed on her nails in frustration.
"What else can we do? We have to hold on."
Principal Alpheas had told her to watch over Shirone for the time being. The fact that he, the one overseeing the entire situation, had managed to persuade the other teachers was already a miracle.
Meanwhile, Neid, who had been watching the scene outside through the window, turned to Iruki and snapped at him.
"Happy now? Looks like there are plenty of kids who think like you. Shouldn't you be out there too?"
"I will if I feel like it," Iruki replied coolly. The tension between them hadn't faded since their last fight.
"Stop it," Seriel said, frowning. "Fighting among ourselves won't help. Right now, we need to stand together."
"Yeah, right! Like this guy would ever cooperate," Neid scoffed. "He's got no heart at all."
"Cut it out," Amy interjected. "And Iruki, stop acting so aloof. Things are getting serious. You know how easily public opinion can be swayed. I came to warn you."
"I wasn't planning on leaving anyway."
Iruki slumped over the table and sank into thought. It had been five days since Shirone's heart stopped. Longer than he'd expected.
'Now that the student council is taking action, the teachers won't be able to hold out much longer. Maybe 48 hours, at most…'
The mood in the infirmary grew heavier. Everyone was tense, tired, and on edge.
Amy gently touched Shirone's forehead. By all logic, she should have accepted that he was gone. But was it really normal to keep clinging to hope like this?
'Please… Shirone… come back to us.'
Amy didn't know if Shirone would survive. After five days without a heartbeat, hope had passed beyond reason. All that remained was faith.
A woman studied the red light pulsing from Shirone's body. The energy he emitted was dangerously destructive—it vibrated with power intense enough to obliterate anything it touched.
"Shirone, stop this. That kind of magic is too destructive. It doesn't suit who you are."
"I don't want to fight either. But you won't let me go. I can't stay here—I have to go back."
"You think you can defeat me?"
Shirone shook his head. He was being honest. Even if she existed in the same dimension as him, she was incredibly powerful—so much so that she called herself a god. No matter how strong he had become, she was a level beyond even Arcane.
Who was this woman? And where was this place?
Shirone pushed aside his questions. One thing was clear—this wasn't where he was meant to be.
"Then teach me. Teach me how to return to my world."
"Even if I did, it wouldn't work. Trying would only kill you all over again."
"Even so… I have to try."
The woman wasn't afraid of Shirone's magic. Still, the power of the laser couldn't be taken lightly. The destruction of the world had to be prevented no matter what.
"Fine. I'll do as you ask. But promise me—if you come back and fail to return to your original world, then you must follow my will."
"How do I get back?" Shirone asked.
"I can't offer any more help. Will you still go through with it?"
No matter how frightening the path ahead, Shirone's resolve didn't waver.
"All right. But I will never give up."
"Your life is yours. Use it however you choose."
In front of Shirone, the woman conjured a glass sphere. Inside it, a swirling darkness churned.
"Shirone, to return to your original world, you must reverse the process that brought you here."
"I understand," he replied.
"It's not something to take lightly. You'll have to transform from pure spirit back into a human. And humans are a mix of all kinds of unpleasant emotions and instincts. If you can't accept that, you'll end up becoming something that's neither human nor anything else."
She clearly didn't believe Shirone could succeed.
"This darkness you see now pierces through space and time. It's what people call a black hole. You can return through this."
As the glass sphere vanished, a massive void opened before Shirone.
"What should I do?" he asked.
"It's simple. Step into it. This point is connected to your body."
"Thank you. I won't forget your grace."
Shirone meant it. She may have taken him captive, but without her, he wouldn't have had the chance to go home.
"Don't thank me yet," she said. "I never believed you'd actually succeed. If you want to give up, just walk back this way."
Would that happen? If he died, he died. There was no coming back—but since he hadn't experienced it yet, Shirone chose not to decide in advance.
"Then I'll go."
The woman narrowed her eyes as if sleepy.
"Safe travels."
Shirone stepped into the sphere. The sensation was the same as when he first entered. As expected, he couldn't see an exit. No matter how far he moved, nothing changed.
He turned around—and was startled.
The woman was still there, gazing at him with drowsy eyes. Time wasn't passing. He was trapped in the event horizon, where even time was frozen by extreme gravity.
'I can't escape. It's completely impossible to get out of here.'
Now he understood her warning. In a place where time itself was frozen, there was nothing he could do.
But Shirone wasn't one to deny reality. He accepted it quickly, even if it was grim. He turned around with a heavy heart. He had to return. Better to live among people than to be locked away in eternal darkness.
'Wait a minute… maybe…'
Shirone stopped walking. Time here was stuck at the horizon of events—but he could generate time.
Photonization magic.
Quasi-light speed. Sub-light. Light speed. Super-light.
Photon wizards classified their speed in four stages. According to Shirone's calculations, he needed to surpass the speed of light to escape the event horizon.
'Super-light… Is it even possible?'
His current level only reached sub-light speed. Even with the help of God Particles, he fell short of super-light.
'Think. Just think.'
Time wasn't a problem—he just needed the method. After long contemplation, his eyes sharpened. He could do this. Without a physical body, maybe he could reach super-light speed.
Immortal Function.
Even traveling at the speed of light wouldn't get him across the universe. But infinite expansion was instantaneous. Maybe the key to surpassing light speed was the Immortal Function.
One thing was clear—he had to try. Shirone took a deep breath and simultaneously activated both the Immortal Function and photonization magic.
Immediately, tremors surged through him, accelerating to quasi-light, sub-light, and light speed. The shockwaves threatened to collapse the Spirit Zone.
"Ughhhhh…!"
Still, he couldn't reach light speed. Unless his mind fully grasped the concept of faster than time, he couldn't cast the magic completely. His last hope was to fully open the Immortal Function.
It was unknown territory. He might vanish again. But without hesitation, Shirone expanded his consciousness across the whole.
His form exploded, scattering into fine particles. Then, something faster than light passed through the event horizon and began rushing toward the light.
'I did it!'