Chapter: 76. High Concentration Magic Power (3k4)
Magic power and abilities both stem from the existence of the “soul.”
The cracks and voids in the soul caused by sorrow, anger, and obsession are filled by magic power to compensate for the “emptiness.” The larger the cracks and voids, the stronger the magic power possessed.
As for “abilities,” they are the tangible representation of “soul cracks” or “psychic voids” in reality.
If we compare magic power to a “spring” that continuously gushes from the “cracks,” then “abilities” would be the “pipes” through which the magic flows, resulting in various forms of gushing water.
Abilities transform “magic power” into various capacities.
If pain further expands the cracks or voids, the abilities possessed will also change according to the “expanded” form—this is the principle of “second awakening.”
Because everyone’s soul is unique, even if their abilities may be highly similar, there are still essential differences.
The ability “Light Forging Truth” that Nagi awakened in her previous life was also because part of her soul split into fragments and dispersed along with the power of the end, causing the “soul”—that is, the “shape of the pipe”—to change, ultimately rendering her unable to use “Light Forging Truth.”
She could only rely on “magic power” that sometimes coincidentally passed through the remaining part of the “pipe” to manifest as the “Domain of Angels.”
An incomplete soul leads to magic power being unable to find the correct “output method,” resulting in the inability of both the “self” and “others,” even “instruments,” to sense the existence of magic power in the soul, as if they were just “ordinary people” who have not yet awakened their abilities.
Nagi is currently facing such a situation.
Even though she successfully recovered the “fragments of the end” remaining in the souls of seven X-level ability users during the Island Battle of the Star Conference, it was still not enough to fully restore her soul.
When she stepped forward and stood in front of the testing device, briefly introducing herself to the two examiners, she could feel their slightly hesitant gazes.
It was understandable—among the crowd of students waiting in line for testing, she appeared particularly special.
Because the two examiners could not perceive any magic fluctuations from her, it would be easy to misinterpret whether she had queued incorrectly or was simply there to accompany the previous student for testing.
However, unlike the confused instructors, the surrounding students looked excited.
Their gazes were almost entirely focused on Nagi.
“… So she is the legendary Kamikage Ayane? Such a slender waist matched with such magnificent proportions… It seems she’s the only one in the Star Academy…”
“I feel like… she is even more beautiful in person than in the photos…”
“Oh no, she’s just walking normally… but that sway… I can’t take my eyes off her!”
“So beautiful~ That smooth black hair… I really want to touch it…”
“… Is our academy’s uniform really that good-looking? And the pairing with black stockings… simply perfect!!!”
“I can’t take it anymore… This beautiful face combined with such a hot body… It’s unfair! Completely unfair!”
…
The onlookers whispered among themselves, their murmurs rising and falling.
Yet their attention was almost entirely drawn to Nagi’s near-perfect appearance, completely unaware of her lack of magic fluctuations.
“This way, please.”
After Nagi completed her brief introduction, the bald instructor, who usually exuded a cold and tough impression, surprisingly extended his hand to guide her, signaling her to stand in front of the crystal ball.
This action contrasted sharply with his previous attitude towards other students.
However, the surrounding students did not find this unusual.
After all, an ace-level ability user is still a normal person, especially a man; when faced with such a beautiful girl, he would instinctively show his “gentleman” side.
Many boys present even thought, if it were them in the instructor’s position, they might find it hard to stay calm, and might even unconsciously want to take her hand and personally lead her to the crystal ball.
However—
The bald instructor’s inner thoughts were entirely different from the speculations of these students.
He was already mentally prepared for being misunderstood as operating under “unwritten rules.”
Since it was a direct command from Hoshikage, and the target was one of the potential candidates for the upcoming “Double King Plan”—
Even if this girl turned out to be just a “flower vase,” she was still a “puppet” personally chosen by Hoshikage.
In any case, he had to ensure she passed the magic test smoothly today, as well as the practical assessment that would follow.
As Nagi stood before the crystal ball, the bald instructor quietly gathered the magic power within him.
He placed his hands behind his back, seemingly casual, yet secretly adjusting the orientation of his palms, targeting the lower part of the crystal ball.
He planned to quietly release a burst of magic power the moment Nagi placed her hand on the crystal ball—using a long-distance injection method to “light up” that crystal ball for her.
However, he could clearly sense the adjacent female instructor casting skeptical glances at him.
The latter had obviously noticed his subtle actions and might be mulling over whether he had any illicit relationship with the beautiful girl before him—or that she might be his illegitimate daughter.
…Her gaze was piercing.
Fortunately, the surrounding students were all focused on Nagi, and no one noticed his unusual behavior.
In fact, he had considered simply “destroying” the crystal ball and using “instrument malfunction” as an excuse to let this girl skip the test.
But he knew all too well that his magic power alone was far from sufficient to “burst” this extraordinary item.
If he damaged it through “external” physical means, the traces left would be impossible to explain…
Sigh, if only he had been asked by Hoshikage to participate in the second half as a practical instructor and lose to this girl, it would have been much easier—though it doesn’t seem easy after all. How does one make an “ordinary person” pass the “practical assessment”? Mr. Hoshikage’s task this time is unreasonably difficult…
“Let’s begin.”
Perhaps noticing that the bald instructor had not spoken for a while, the female instructor standing to the side took on the role of host and calmly said to Nagi.
To be honest, she had no expectations for this student at all.
At that moment, her only thought was to hope that the guy next to her wouldn’t make it too obvious.
“Okay.”
Nagi nodded gently.
As soon as she spoke,
The next second—
Crack.
A clear and piercing sound of shattering resonated throughout the venue.
The crystal ball before her suddenly cracked like glass—
Spider web-like cracks rapidly spread across its transparent surface, almost instantaneously covering the entire interior of the sphere.
In that instant.
All the watched students froze, as if they hadn’t realized what had just happened.
The female instructor standing beside her let out a slight sigh of relief.
—It seems that guy did well, even catching himself off guard; now there’s no need to worry about the students noticing any flaws…
—Wait, no…
The female instructor’s gaze fell on the bald instructor’s face.
She soon realized that he was also wearing a face of bewilderment and surprise at that moment.
Then the female instructor realized that the magic power that had originally been gathered behind him hadn’t dissipated or, in other words, hadn’t been released at all.
In other words—what just happened was not his doing?
A chill ran through the female instructor’s heart.
So then… what exactly just happened?
She quickly retracted her thoughts and refocused her gaze on the girl standing in front of the crystal ball.
Nagi showed a somewhat embarrassed smile, slightly bowed her head, and gently lowered her slender arms, saying:
“I’m sorry… I accidentally broke it.”
—Broke it?
The female instructor took a moment to process.
From the expression and reaction of the girl, it was clear that she had done all of this…
But how on earth did she manage to—
There were no signs of any external damage at the scene, indicating that it had been “burst from within.”
However, one should know that this was a “magic detection device”; even if she herself exerted all her magic, it wouldn’t necessarily be able to “burst” it.
Moreover, this girl had not released even a trace of magic power throughout.
No… wait.
The female instructor recalled the scene from just a moment ago.
Because her attention had been fully on the bald instructor, she had subconsciously overlooked the “flicker” of magic fluctuations that had passed by.
It was very brief, almost less than a fraction of a second—so weak it was nearly imperceptible.
At the time, the female instructor had instinctively dismissed that fluctuation, mistakenly believing it to be interference from the adjacent detection point.
But now, thinking back—
—Could it have been that fleeting moment?
Before she could sort her thoughts, she was suddenly interrupted by the gasp of students erupting in surprise.
As the stunned crowd reacted to the unexpected development, they couldn’t help but exclaim loudly.
“… Wh-what just happened?”
“I didn’t see clearly… Did the testing device really break?”
“Is it true that this thing can actually shatter?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen the detection device break…”
…
The onlooking students couldn’t suppress their shock and curiosity and began discussing it enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, among the crowd, Shirase cast a helpless yet teasing smile at Nagi, as if to say, “If you had this trick up your sleeve, you could have told me earlier—!!!”
…
…
The magic detection device.
It was a supernatural item that Nagi had personally crafted when she was still the “Elemental Sovereign,” so she naturally understood its strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.
For instance—it could hold a massive amount of magic power, yet it was nearly incapable of withstanding the instantaneous impact of “high concentration” magic power.
Magic concentration control.
Is a high-level technique that only advanced ability users can master.
For example, if an ability user were to release 100% of their magic power normally, it would take 100 seconds, releasing 1% of their magic per second—
Then, if they first “compressed” that 100% of the magic power into just 1% within their body before instantly releasing it—
They could release the equivalent of 100% power in just one second as “high concentration magic power.”
In this way, even the “magic detection device” would be completely overwhelmed in an instant.
Of course, in practical combat, this method of “high concentration magic release” is generally only applicable to specific combat situations that require quick resolutions, as it places a tremendous burden on the body, and controlling magic is demanding, often regarded as a double-edged sword.
Otherwise, simply releasing “100% of magic” in batches to maintain the ability would be much more stable and practical.
What Nagi used just now was precisely this “extremely high concentration magic.”
She condensed the “spring water” from the cracks of her soul into “a drop,” then instantly released it through the “damaged pipe,” directly piercing through the boundaries of the magic detection device.
And the outcome did not disappoint her.
The astonishment on the faces of the two examiners, combined with the students’ gasps and discussions, indicated that her grand entrance had been highly successful.
This was not the time to act low-key.
If she wanted to thus rightfully become an X-level ability user, she needed to present herself in the most ostentatious manner, making it clear to the people of the Star Academy that she was a rare “genius,” even a “monster.”
—Now she could smoothly advance to the “practical assessment” segment, right?
Just as Nagi pretended to be at a loss while secretly feeling pleased with herself.
The female instructor’s icy voice rang out, her expression unchanged as she added,
“Deliberately damaging school property will require compensation at its market price.”
“Eh!?”
Nagi froze, her mouth twitching.
—This was not in the plan!?
