Chapter 29: To Defeat Magic with Magic
Watching Shaya’s receding figure in the mental light screen, everyone secretly hoped he would pull out a trump card at the last moment and make a complete comeback.
Even though confronting dozens of arsonists, including a Third Ring, alone seemed like a fantasy, this was everyone’s silent wish.
However, nothing of the sort happened.
The solitary figure within the light screen simply walked to the side of the pitch-black altar.
As he approached, the altar seemed to be provoked. A much more potent and profound darkflame surged out, more intense than when it was attacked before.
The pitch-black flames erupted, swirling and dancing around Shaya with a ravenous hunger, as if he were a rare delicacy.
Tendrils of darkflame licked at Shaya’s body, burning his skin.
The elite students from the student union had been severely injured and fallen unconscious after merely touching these darkflames. Yet, in a far more perilous situation, Shaya’s expression remained calm. He ignored the darkflames and continued to walk. Soon, the slender figure vanished into the altar shrouded by the pitch-black flames.
The darkflame surged and blazed, not only blocking the eye demon’s detection but also obscuring the vision of the arsonists present.
…
“Is Shaya… going to die?” someone from the student crowd couldn’t help but ask.
No one answered. They all watched in silence as everything unfolded on the light screen. However, the screen showed nothing but the pitch-black crown of flames. Faintly, the sound of a girl sobbing could be heard.
After a moment of silence, a solemn voice rang out.
“You have fought the good fight… You have finished the race… You have kept the faith…”
A professor, likely a follower of the Holy See, took out a pure silver scale from his pocket. It was the symbol of the Goddess of Justice and Judgment within the Dawn Holy See. He gently bowed, holding the silver scale over his chest and making the sign of the cross.
“Shaya Egut. Henceforth, the crown of righteousness shall be yours…”
…
Everything that happened in the fire scene was naturally noticed by the three Fourth Ring masters fighting in the distance.
“Haha!”
“Sieg, Kahn…”
“I must truly thank you.”
Although the lava giant below him was being pushed back, with half of its volcanic rock shoulders and head shattered, and its left arm torn off by Lieutenant Colonel Sieg’s giant bear, the patriarch of the Ash Cult couldn’t suppress a triumphant smile on his grim face as he watched Shaya walk into the altar of darkflame without resistance. As long as this fire sacrifice was completed, it would be worth it, even if all the Ash Cult members who went to the Freista Empire’s Imperial Capital were annihilated.
On the other side, Professor Kahn and Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, who held the absolute advantage, wore heavy expressions, showing no signs of impending victory.
“Righteousness, bravery, fearlessness…”
“It is a pity that such talent has fallen before he could grow. In time, he might have reached the titles of Legend… and become a pillar of the Empire’s future.”
Next to the earth-yellow Great Earth Bear King, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg’s expression was equally grim. From a purely results-based perspective, sacrificing one person to ensure the safety of hundreds of students was an undeniable merit. When he returned to the military and reported this incident, he might even receive commendation.
However, from the overall perspective of the Empire… hundreds of mediocrities could not compare to a single seed with the potential to become a Legend.
A Legendary Beast Tamer—that was the ceiling of the entire Western Continent. Due to the rarity of Legends, every Legend on the Western Continent was the focus of all major forces. Even a slight indication of their stance could shake the entire continental structure. Any force, no matter how small, could be elevated to the top tier of the Western Continent simply by producing one Legend. This was also why transcendent organizations like the Dawn Holy See, the Freista Empire, the Cretaceous Tower, and the Shadow Council held such supreme positions—they had always had Legends, and the Dawn Holy See and the Empire often had more than one.
“Indeed, Shaya’s talent as a Beast Tamer is unparalleled in my many years of teaching,” Professor Kahn’s eyes also showed undisguised regret. Unlike other teachers and students, he understood Shaya quite well. In his first year, Shaya often approached him for advice, seemingly wanting to use alchemy knowledge to craft some kind of explosive talisman, leaving a deep impression on him.
“Shaya?” Lieutenant Colonel Sieg paused when he heard the name. “Isn’t his name Shaya Egut?”
“That’s right, Shaya Egut. What’s the matter?” Professor Kahn nodded, looking at him with some confusion.
“It’s nothing.” Lieutenant Colonel Sieg seemed to recall something, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. “Shaya Egut… I see, no wonder His Highness’s contingency plan has never been activated. Perhaps some surprises are yet to come…” he said, turning his gaze back to the main battlefield.
…
“Why does it feel like someone’s cursing me to die?”
“And judging by the frequency, it’s not just one or two people.”
Shaya sneezed, his face darkening slightly. He was deep within the pitch-black altar, the scorching darkflame around him growing more intense. Shaya’s soul strength was naturally incomparable to those from the student union, but even so, he felt a burning sensation that reached directly into the depths of his soul. If this continued, his soul, along with his body, would soon be burned to ashes, becoming the offering mentioned by those arsonists.
“Ridiculous. I’ve seen an Evil God in true sealed state; do you think I’d be afraid of a mere finger bone you’ve conjured?” Shaya sneered, taking out a mithril box from his spatial pocket. It was the Twilight Pollutant he had seized in Lesa City. Originally, the pollutant had completely depleted its aura and spirituality after the Historical Echo of the Ancient Azure Court was opened. However, while pacifying the out-of-control Sylvia with illusion in the Historical Echo, he had also taken the opportunity to replenish its aura and spirituality, which were of the same origin, and reseal it in the mithril box.
As expected, the moment the mithril box was opened, the darkflame, which had been greedily licking at Shaya, wanting to burn his body and soul together, paused. Then, like a beast whose territory had been invaded, it completely abandoned Shaya and surged towards the stone carving within the mithril box.
*Sizzle—*
The yellowish and pitch-black halos continuously collided, corroding each other, emitting a scorching sound. Of course, compared to the dominant darkflame, the yellowish halo was clearly inferior in volume. It soon dwindled, and within seconds, it would be completely consumed. However, this bought Shaya a few seconds.
“As expected, one must use magic to defeat magic.”
The torrential darkflame, along with the pain of burning his soul, disappeared. Simultaneously, Shaya saw the shriveled, gaunt, and un-human-like giant knuckle at the deepest part of the altar.
And the informational prompt flashed in his mind.
[Ash King’s Left Finger Bone]
[Type: Pollutant | Transcendent Material]
[Rank: Sixth Order]
[Attribute: Fire | Darkness | Curse]
[Description: No blood, No bone, No ash]
…
[Detected Source of Fire matching the nascent skill ‘Amaterasu’ held by Silver. Do you wish to complete the nascent skill?]
