I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 95
Maizen Tyren (3)When Baek Yu-Seol arrived at the scene, it was already a battlefield.
All the students had collapsed, and the female protagonists were drained of mana, utterly exhausted.
Ma Yu-Seong was injured and barely managed to stand.
Still, it was fortunate that no one had died.
Perhaps Maizen had deliberately kept them alive to extract their blood and mana, enabling him to absorb their power more effectively.
"The only person who can fight right now is..."
Just one person.
Ma Yu-Seong alone remained standing, his consciousness unbroken.
Yet something about him seemed... off.
His body was covered in wounds, yet it was strange that he hadn't collapsed immediately.
Of course, an ordinary human would be unable to move in that condition.
But Ma Yu-Seong could.
He had truly numerous abilities at his disposal.
[Indomitable], which grew stronger with every injury.
[Healing Factor], which steadily and automatically repaired his wounds.
[Price of Pain], which heightened his mana in response to suffering.
[Wind of Regeneration], which consumed mana to fully heal his body when facing fatal injuries.
[Mana Restoration Physique], which burns stamina to replenish mana when depleted.
One by one, these countless abilities were working to keep Ma Yu-Seong alive.
"Hey, are you okay…?"
Baek Yu-Seol was about to ask, but he stopped when he saw the mechanical look in Ma Yu-Seong’s eyes.
‘He’s lost it.’
One of his strongest traits was [Dark Magic Form]. This allowed him to switch between human and dark mage, granting him powerful magic and control in situations like this.
But activating that power required a conscious decision.
If he sustained grave injuries and lost consciousness, dark mana would seep out on its own, completely beyond his control.
Unlike other dark mana users, the whites of Ma Yu-Seong’s eyes were tainted black, and his irises were instead unnaturally white.
Those alien and eerie eyes gave a weird impression, but perhaps Ma Yu-Seong was still maintaining his sanity. It seemed he had merely discarded all emotion.
"Baek Yu-Seol."
"Yeah...?"
"I can’t take her down with my firepower. Can you do it?"
Without a doubt, his former gentle and considerate tone was nowhere to be found, and it was replaced by a cold machine-like voice.
"I can. If given a chance. Just one chance."
“Alright. I'll believe you."
The conversation ended there.
Ma Yu-Seong looked ahead, and soon the fog parted, revealing Maizen Tyren approaching them.
She had grown to almost four meters tall, surrounded by numerous black crystal tendrils.
‘Covered in wounds…’
For a student of Stella Academy, inflicting such grievous injuries on the renowned Maizen was no small feat.
With wounds like those, if he could strike her just once with the vengeance branch, it would mean instant death.
Three months. Three whole months of accumulated resentment.
Maizen wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Ah. So it was you who blocked my magic attack, Baek Yu-Seol?"
Maizen drew closer, her voice laced with amusement.
It echoed like the unsettling screech of nails clawing against a chalkboard.
She seemed almost giddy, her expression gleeful as she addressed Baek Yu-Seol.
"Even here... you’re still meddling in my affairs?"
"Yes, well... It’s turned out that way."
"Hehe... That's interesting. It's better this way. The first mage I wanted to kill after obtaining this power..."
Flash!
Maizen’s eyes turned pitch-black, and in an instant, the countless tendrils wrapped around her surged forward like spears.
"... Was you, Baek Yu-Seol!"
Crack!
But before they could reach him, Ma Yu-Seong leaped in and unleashed dark lightning, scattering the tendrils in all directions.
Seizing the opening, Baek Yu-Seol sprinted to the side and activated Flash, slipping into Maizen’s blind spot.
"Damn, this is intense..."
He knew exactly what those dark stems were. They were manifestations of Maizen’s body as part of her dark magic, akin to phase 2 in a game.
Unlike phase 1, which simply dispersed magic, phase 2 mainly relied on attacks utilizing those stems.
‘Facing this alone is crazy, but…’
He caught a glimpse of Ma Yu-Seong scattering dark lightning all over his body.
Right now, his power rivaled that of a formidable Class 4 mage, bolstered by his numerous abilities.
Perhaps he could even draw out something stronger.
However, Maizen was at least a Class 5 mage, if not a Class 6.
Ma Yu-Seong couldn't overpower her alone, even with [Dark Magic Form].
At best, he could momentarily halt her movements.
However, that brief moment would soon be Baek Yu-Seol’s opportunity.
If he could land just one attack, their victory would be assured.
[Flash]
While the dark stems restrained Ma Yu-Seong, a few of them rushed towards Baek Yu-Seol.
He knew he couldn’t engage in direct combat with Maizen.
With his current instincts and body vision, completely dodging all of Maizen’s stems was nearly impossible. He could only do his best to evade them.
Thwack!
Three dark stems twisted unnaturally, whipping through the air as they flew toward his upper body.
Their movements, like writhing whips, sent a chill down his spine.
But it wasn’t to the point where Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t avoid them.
However, he couldn't utilize his specialty, parrying.
Whenever he swung the Teripon sword, it shattered upon contact with the stems.
‘Is this... a Class 6 dark mage?’
Baek Yu-Seol couldn't even block a simple attack.
Frustrated by his inadequacies, he was forced to adopt a different approach.
‘Summon Unknown Dagger’
The ring on his left hand gleamed, conjuring a magic dagger.
Its strength and power were fixed, unaffected by his abilities, yet its effectiveness in combat far outshone the fragile Teripon sword.
Clang!
As expected, the unknown dagger was able to fend off the stems to some extent. It could endure a few more strikes before shattering and would need time to recharge, but for the moment, it provided a vital means of defense.
Boom!
Meanwhile, Ma Yu-Seong, lightning crackling over his body, charged at Maizen.
It looked like a fierce clash, but leaving Ma Yu-Seong alone in that fight would be reckless.
At any moment, he could be gravely injured.
Baek Yu-Seol quickly opened the alchemical bag at his waist and retrieved an item.
Clang!
"Kuk!"
In the midst of dodging the flying stems, Baek Yu-Seol accidentally dropped a few items, but he quickly utilized the ones that he managed to grab.
Whoosh!
The gas thickened, spreading rapidly, but Maizen didn’t even flinch.
These were slightly enhanced versions of the tools he’d used against the second-year senior, but he didn’t expect them to be as effective this time.
Against a true dark mage, they were little more than consumables… supplementary tactics rather than decisive weapons.
They lacked the killing power necessary to take her down.
But they could buy him time.
"Hmph, useless tricks..."
Maizen swung her stems like whips, slicing through the obscuring gas with ease.
Baek Yu-Seol activated Flash to evade and hurled a red bead at the ground.
Poof!
In an instant, the gas ignited, causing a massive explosion.
"Kuk...!"
Maizen’s skin blistered slightly as she flinched.
But it was only superficial damage.
With the regenerative abilities of a dark mage, it wouldn’t take long for her to heal completely.
It wasn’t a significant blow, but it was enough to be a nuisance.
'Now, to get behind her...'
Seizing the brief opening, Baek Yu-Seol turned and sprinted. Even without using Flash, his full running speed surpassed that of any Olympic athlete on Earth.
Yet, despite focusing on Ma Yu-Seong, Maizen didn’t ignore his approach.
Swish!
Dark stems pierced through trees and rocks, shattering the natural cover that blocked her view.
Baek Yu-Seol narrowly dodged most of them, tilting his head or deflecting them with the dagger in his left hand.
But there were moments when he had no choice but to rely on Flash.
Whoosh!
"Urgh!"
Even so, it was as if Maizen had anticipated the exact spot he would reappear. Another thorn-covered stem came surging toward him.
Baek Yu-Seol had no option but to burn through another Flash to avoid it.
"Hng, huff..."
He knew full well… using Flash required precise distance control. Without sharp focus on timing and positioning, reckless use of Flash could leave him vulnerable or, worse, dead.
The Flash he had just executed was pure luck.
If there had been any obstacles in his path, he would already be writhing in pain.
"Damn it... It's still difficult."
Even closing the distance between them proved a monumental task.
Still, as he circled Maizen, he managed to scatter various items around her.
These devices were designed to activate automatically after a set period, eliminating the need for manual triggers.
“Your combat style is annoying.”
When Baek Yu-Seol successfully avoided the barrage of stems, Maizen scowled in frustration.
She unleashed a shockwave, sending debris flying as she charged directly toward him.
Crack! Crackle!
Arcs of lightning erupted, forming a barrier that blocked her advance and disrupted her movements.
“So annoying…”
The ground rumbled and caved in. Explosions of light flashed, obscuring the battlefield.
Ropes of powerful magic emerged and thorns sprouted from the ground.
None of these traps were lethal.
But they were more than capable of interfering with her movements.
Despite the efforts put into developing them, Maizen mostly ignored the items and traps, relentlessly pursuing Baek Yu-Seol.
The scattered items provided just enough of a reprieve to slightly reduce the cooldown on Flash.
However, the moment he attempted to counterattack, Maizen surged forward, overwhelming him once again.
Swipe!
Baek Yu-Seol narrowly dodged a stem that grazed his cheek, rolling forward with every ounce of strength he had.
"How long do you plan on running?!"
As expected, with Maizen fixated on him, there was no chance he could face her head-on.
His injuries were piling up.
What started as minor scratches had quickly escalated into deeper wounds that demanded immediate hemostasis.
Despite having superhuman physical abilities and reaction speed compared to ordinary people, he couldn't naturally create shields on his body, so even light attacks resulted in wounds.
His wounds steadily drained his stamina, and his movements began to slow.
‘I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!’
Just when it seemed like things were going to take a turn for the worse...
Boom!
A massive bolt of black lightning crashed down from the sky.
Or more accurately, a human engulfed in lightning was propelled towards Maizen.
"Argh...!"
The shockwave was so intense that Baek Yu-Seol had to roll on the ground several times before he finally regained his footing.
And then, a calm darkness enveloped the area. It wasn’t like Maizen’s destructive and ominous dark magic.
Instead, it felt calm, like the frigid stillness of a massive iceberg.
"Ma Yu-Seong...!"
Baek Yu-Seol heard Maizen’s startled voice. Slowly, he turned his head toward the source of the dark magic.
There, Ma Yu-Seong, clad in sparks of black, had Maizen’s neck in his grip.
His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.
Crack! Zap!
"Hahaha...!"
A brief touch.
The current Ma Yu-Seong’s only condition to activate [Dark Magic Domination].
The result was immediate.
Maizen writhed in his grasp, her magic faltering as she struggled to release it.
'An opportunity.'
There was no more time to hesitate.
Maizen’s level was far higher, and her dark magic was already pushing back.
Gripping the vengeance branch tightly in his right hand, Baek Yu-Seol sprinted forward without looking back.
Pain flared in his thigh and ankle, sharp and unrelenting.
But he clenched his teeth and pressed on.
One step, two steps.
He advanced toward Maizen.
Crackle!
Ma Yu-Seong gritted his teeth and forcefully withstood Maizen’s powerful dark magic.
It was as if he knew there would be no chance to kill her if not now.
Swoosh!
Even while restrained, Maizen instinctively sensed that she couldn’t let Baek Yu-Seol get any closer.
She extended stems and thorns, lashing out in a desperate attempt to stop him.
Still, perhaps due to the influence of [Dark Magic Domination], her attack pattern was monotonous and her speed was slow.
Baek Yu-Seol leaped over while tumbling, slid past the whip aiming for his waist, evaded the thorns of the three stems blocking his path with a Flash, and prepared for the final leap.
Bang!
At that moment, Maizen broke free from Ma Yu-Seong’s grip and drove him into the ground with brutal force.
Crash!
The impact sent Ma Yu-Seong plummeting with a shockwave so violent that it would have torn an ordinary human apart.
However, there was no time to worry about him.
Maizen, now freed from his control, turned all her focus toward Baek Yu-Seol.
The distance was 25 meters.
Dozens of stems and thorns surged towards him.
Baek Yu-Seol had no choice but to use a skill he never wanted to use.
[Breath of the Spirit, Form III.]
Ma Yu-Seong was prepared to be consumed by darkness.
Now, Baek Yu-Seol had to do the same.
[Senses Enhanced by 147%]
[Spirit corruption level increases.]
[Effect significantly amplified due to the influence of the location.]
[Divine Assimilation greatly increases.]
“Ugh!”
The environment amplified both the effect and the corruption level, but it was manageable.
In an instant, Baek Yu-Seol’s senses were elevated to the level of a Class 5.
The duration would be a mere 15 seconds. However, during that time, both his sixth sense and cognitive acceleration would be enhanced to abnormal levels.
It felt as if the world around him was flowing in slow motion.
Fluttering leaves seemed to freeze, and he could discern each individual grain of sand swirling in the air.
Even the slight tremor in Maizen’s pupils.
Every attack that surged towards his head, shoulders, feet, waist, and abdomen seemed to play out in slow motion.
In the slowed-down world, Baek Yu-Seol twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the stems.
With a slight tilt of his head, he dodged the thorns aimed at his neck.
Grabbing hold of the stems lunging toward his waist, he used them as leverage to propel himself forward.
Using Flash amid so many obstacles would have been suicide.
But now, it felt effortless.
'I can do it. Find the opening.'
In this slowed-down reality, his sharpened gaze pierced through the chaos, spotting gaps between the countless stems Maizen had unleashed.
Baek Yu-Seol dove toward an opening Maizen herself had failed to notice, throwing his entire body into the motion.
"...!"
Maizen appeared greatly bewildered as if she couldn't believe Baek Yu-Seol would attempt such a reckless act.
Yet, to her, it seemed like a suicidal move. As Baek Yu-Seol charged headlong into the mass of stems, they converged on him from all directions.
Maizen clenched her fists as if sealing his fate.
At that moment when all the stems were surging towards Baek Yu-Seol.
Distance: 12m.
[Flash]
Slipping past the stems in an instant, Baek Yu-Seol drove the vengeance branch into Maizen’s chest with all his might.
Thunk!
[Contact with the target of vengeance has been made.]
[The maximum value of Vengeance unfurls.]
"... Ah?"
Maizen stumbled back, a look of disbelief frozen on her face.
All the stems of dark magic came to a halt, and no more thorns sprouted. Her hands trembled as she touched her body, panic creeping into her expression. She clenched her teeth and desperately tried to summon more dark magic.
However...
Crash!
The motionless crystal stems began to shatter into pieces and scatter to the ground.
Maizen stared in horror at the disintegrating crystals, her eyes wild with rage and fear.
Her trembling right hand stretched toward Baek Yu-Seol.
"Y-You, you, you... This..."
Thud!
But before she could do anything, her right arm melted away.
"Huh?"
Next, her shoulders melted, her legs collapsed, and her waist disintegrated, unable to support her upper body any longer.
"Ah, a-a... Aaahhh...!!!"
Maizen let out a chilling, inhuman scream as she flailed her remaining arm toward Baek Yu-Seol.
However, unable to even cast magic anymore, she couldn't reach him.
"You, you...! I-I'll kill you... kill you...! I'll kill you~!!"
Thud!
She shrieked, her voice laced with hatred, fury, and desperation.
All those complex emotions swirled and shot toward Baek Yu-Seol. However, none of those emotions reached him, shattering into pieces immediately.
Thud!
As the last remaining arm melted away, she moaned, "Ah… Aaahh... I... don't want to die..."
And just like that—
Maizen Tyren met her end, consumed by bitterness and rage until the very last moment.
[Episodes 7-8 'Familiar Contract Ceremony and Dark Magic Corruption’ have been completed!]
[To you, who led the story in the most ideal direction, the Constellation Project promises additional rewards.]
Sigh.
Slumping down against a nearby rock, Baek Yu-Seol tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
Perhaps it was the strain of the recent events, but drowsiness washed over him.
Nevertheless, regardless of what happened, he had overcome the most fearsome and dangerous adversary and managed to save everyone.
It seemed like he could finally get some peaceful rest.