Chapter 350
‘What is this?’
Chris almost instinctively reached for his magic energy.
The sense of danger was so intense it made him move without thinking.
He heard the crackling sound of magic.
‘It’s white magic.’
A familiar spell.
The Lightning Spear—a five-star white magic spell.
Countless white mages favored it, and Chris had witnessed it countless times himself.
But was the spell flying toward him now really the same as the ones he’d known?
The lightning’s force wasn’t overwhelming.
In fact, it was fairly ordinary.
Yet somehow, it felt like it was tearing the sky apart.
Because of the meaning embedded within.
Ordinary white mages couldn’t even begin to imagine the significance packed into that spell.
‘I can’t dodge it. Blocking is my best option.’
If he raised a shield, maybe he could somehow stop it.
Chris’s skill level was no longer average, after all.
But he shook his head.
‘That would be boring.’
Boredom.
This wasn’t the time for such thoughts, but Chris found himself intrigued by the situation.
More precisely, he wanted to show the ‘opponent’ who cast this spell just how impressive he was.
‘Trying to test me, huh? Then I’ll show you what I’m really capable of.’
Chris stretched out his hand.
An identical Lightning Spear formed.
Compared to the usual versions cast by ordinary white mages, his was far more intense—but still paled in comparison to the lightning spear slicing through the air toward him.
It would be shattered in an instant.
[What are you doing? Raise your shield immediately!]
A strange voice spoke.
It seemed to be the opponent who had cast the spell.
As expected, it didn’t sound like they truly intended to harm Chris; despite the surprise attack, the voice carried a hint of concern.
[My spell is beyond what your white magic can handle. Use all your strength to protect yourself!]
But Chris just smirked.
‘Sure, my white magic skill is lacking.’
As mentioned before, white magic was his weakest area.
And judging by the opponent, they were no match for his white magic level.
Still.
‘Watch this.’
Flash!
Chris’s Lightning Spear shot straight at the opponent’s.
The opponent’s lightning split Chris’s spear in two at once—but then something unexpected happened.
Chris’s spear didn’t scatter; instead, it wrapped around the opponent’s lightning like a net.
[!!]
He could sense the opponent’s surprise.
This wasn’t a simple net.
It was a tightly woven mesh studded with barbs, biting into the opponent’s lightning and steadily eroding it.
The opponent’s lightning gradually weakened and vanished before reaching Chris.
[…What?]
He could feel the opponent’s confusion.
The Lightning Spear was a spell designed solely to pierce the enemy.
To transform it like this, imbuing it with an entirely different meaning, was essentially creating a new spell altogether.
Only Chris could pull off something like this.
“Is that all you’ve got to surprise me?”
[!!]
“Surely this isn’t the end? That would be disappointing.”
After a brief silence, a low voice returned.
[Fine. I’ll show you just how formidable you really are.]
A tingling energy began to surge.
The opponent was preparing to unleash their full power.
A great wall of fire erupted in the air.
Inferno March.
A seven-star white magic spell that marched like an army of flames, burning everything in its path.
It was imbued with multiple magical properties, ignoring defenses and immune to cancellation by other spells.
The only way to survive was to escape before the flames fully descended.
‘Of course, if I used dark magic energy, I could block it easily.’
But now, Chris had to rely solely on the power of his saint’s aura—specifically, white magic.
That was the only way to humble his opponent.
[If you lack confidence, then flee now!]
The opponent’s warning came again.
Their voice sounded genuinely concerned for Chris’s safety, which made him chuckle.
“You’re quite talkative. You can stop worrying about me.”
Chris twisted the corner of his mouth.
“The one who’s going to suffer isn’t me—it’s you.”
[!!]
He felt the opponent’s displeasure.
[Fine. Don’t regret this! I’ll teach you a lesson for your arrogance!]
With a thunderous roar like an army beginning its march, the flames surged forward.
The others in the training hall gasped in shock.
“W-what magic is that? Could it be… his?”
“Get out of the way! Even a hero couldn’t withstand that spell!”
But Chris didn’t back down.
Flash.
An ice spear appeared.
Water magic against fire magic.
A classic counter.
The problem was the level of magic Chris summoned.
Ice Lance.
A mere three-star basic spell.
Pathetic compared to the massive Inferno March, but Chris thrust his hand forward.
Flash!
The Ice Lance flew toward the Inferno.
The result was exactly as expected.
It melted away without leaving a scratch.
[Foolish. It’s not too late! Give up now!]
But.
“I don’t think you’re the one who should be so relaxed.”
[!!]
Chris swung his hand broadly.
Another Ice Lance appeared in the air.
Not just one.
Two, three, four… five… ten… In an instant, the sky filled with Ice Lances.
The white mages watching the duel gasped.
“Unbelievable! Even for basic spells, simultaneous casting like that is unheard of!”
Casting multiple simple spells at once was a skill any high-level white mage could manage.
But there were limits.
And this was clearly over a hundred.
It was like splitting one’s mind into a hundred parts to calculate and control them all simultaneously.
But that wasn’t all.
“That’s not an ordinary Ice Lance!”
One white mage shouted in disbelief.
“Each of those Ice Lances carries its own will!”
Exactly.
Chris had imbued every Ice Lance with the intent to ‘suppress.’
Of course, compared to the opponent’s ‘Immortal Flame’ property within Inferno March, it was insignificant.
But still.
‘Let’s see who wins.’
As Chris smirked, the Ice Lances rained down on the Inferno March.
As expected, the ice spears melted upon contact with the flames, but both Chris and his opponent felt it.
Chris’s will was shaking the magical properties embedded in the opponent’s spell.
‘I can pour out as many of these three-star spells as I want.’
As one Ice Lance vanished, another was created and launched without pause.
Moreover, Chris’s Ice Lances struck precisely at the core of the Inferno March.
He had analyzed the structure of the opponent’s spell perfectly.
Soon, part of the Inferno March began to collapse.
[!!]
The spell wasn’t completely destroyed.
The ‘Immortal Flame’ property quickly began to fill the gaps.
But Chris didn’t miss the faint opening.
Flash!
A magic circle appeared around him.
This time, a powerful energy surged forth.
A six-star mental magic: Wave of Frenzy.
True to its name, a fierce wave of water magic swept violently around him.
Still inferior to Inferno March, but magic’s effects vary wildly depending on how it’s used.
Flash!
The wave Chris summoned crashed into the Inferno March.
Most evaporated under the intense heat, but some penetrated inside.
Because of Chris’s earlier strike, the core of the Inferno March had been damaged.
‘This is the end.’
He directed the wave inward, sweeping through the flames.
The ‘Immortal Flame’ property began to crumble.
Then—
Rumble.
With the sound of something collapsing, the flames started to scatter.
[!!]
He felt the opponent’s shock.
“Now it’s my turn. Don’t dodge so cowardly—take this head-on.”
Chris stretched his hand toward the opponent.
A wind mixed with flames began to howl.
Fire Wind.
A four-star white magic combining fire and wind elements.
A simple spell, not very powerful, but Chris was telling his opponent to face it head-on.
In other words, he was challenging them to a duel of skill using the same spell.
Considering who his opponent was, there was no way they could refuse.
[…Hah. How dare you challenge me.]
As expected, the opponent sneered and cast Fire Wind as well.
They showed not a shred of doubt about winning.
Their Fire Wind was far more refined and perfect than Chris’s.
But the opponent overlooked one thing.
Fire Wind, a combination of fire and wind, demands more finesse than any other spell.
Of course, the opponent’s skill was unmatched—among the best in the entire continent.
The problem was Chris.
His technique and intuition.
Even a Demon Lord or Saint wouldn’t surpass him in this regard.
Flash!!
The two fiery winds collided and danced in the air.
Like beasts trying to tear each other apart, they thrashed violently, producing an unpredictable outcome.
Chris’s fire wind nullified the opponent’s and then surged forward to engulf them.
[W-wait!!]
The opponent, hidden in stealth, was caught in the flames.
They hastily raised a shield, but it was too late.
‘Boom.’
As Chris whispered the incantation, the fire exploded right before the opponent’s face.
When the flames cleared, the opponent’s form was finally revealed.
A stern expression.
A monocle.
A sharply tailored suit.
He looked less like a reclusive wizard tucked away in some cramped room and more like a dashing middle-aged nobleman from the heart of the city. But there was a problem.
The beard, which was clearly groomed with great care and sophistication, was now charred black—scorched by the magic Chris had just unleashed.
His face flushed bright red, perhaps from embarrassment. The face was familiar.
“Pleased to meet you.”
He smiled slyly and then spoke the name of his counterpart.
“Duke Dumas.”
The head of a prestigious magical family.
This was Chris’s first encounter with Dumas, the second-in-command archmage of the Allied White Magic Council.
They moved to the professor’s office.
“That’s a bit much, isn’t it? I was only trying to gauge your skill, and you go and burn my beard! Do you know how long it took me to grow this? The ladies who admire me will be terribly disappointed. You’ve committed a grave offense against all the noblewomen in the world.”
Dumas grumbled irritably, but Chris just shook his head.
‘Same as in my previous life.’
Despite the reverent title of archmage, Dumas was a notorious playboy in the Allied social scene.
Though head of a noble house, he remained unmarried and had declared that his heir would be a nephew, all while indulging freely in casual romances.