Simon blinked. "The most important function?"
"Yes. Focus on the ring on your finger, and press your left foot firmly on the ground."
Following Gellen's instructions, Simon pressed his foot into the dirt. It felt like stepping on a button. A transparent magic circle materialized around his foot.
"Now, a virtual magic circle will become visible to you," Gellen continued. "Activate it by channeling your Jet-Black."
'Activate it? How?'
Though puzzled, Simon channeled a small amount of Jet-Black into the circle.
A black flame ignited in one corner, bringing the entire construct to life.
'So that's how it works.'
The process was surprisingly simple. The virtual magic circle formed on its own, powered by his Jet-Black.
"This state is called 'Set Mode'," Gellen explained. "If your left foot leaves the ground, Set Mode will be released."
Simon lifted his foot, and just as Gellen had said, the magic circle vanished as if melting into thin air. He planted his foot again, summoned his Jet-Black, and the circle reappeared, returning him to 'Set Mode'.
'Amazing!' A childlike grin spread across Simon's face.
"Now, what you can do in Set Mode is simple," Gellen declared. "The caster can open up to six Subspace gates simultaneously."
Simon's jaw dropped. "Six at the same time?"
"Yes. Please, look around you."
Six transparent magic circles now hovered in the air around him.
"Without any other settings, the Subspace gates will open at the locations of these virtual magic circles, which are only visible to you. Execution is simple. Just think the activation phrase 'Open Gate.' You can also say it aloud."
Simon nodded, his focus sharpening. Once again, he created a virtual target in the air, preparing to have the Overlord unleash a focused assault.
"Open Gate!"
Six portals tore open in the air. From within, six tentacles erupted as if they had been waiting, piercing through the empty space with lethal speed.
An involuntary gasp of admiration escaped Simon's lips. "Whoa!"
Beside him, Benya clapped, her eyes wide with wonder.
Simon whirled around to face Gellen. "Gellen! You're a genius! How did you create a Subspace like this?!"
"Ahaha! This was originally a shelved project intended to open multiple Subspace gates," Gellen admitted. "Fate brought us together, and I was able to modify it into a dedicated magic circle for the Overlord. It was a rewarding endeavor for me as well."
He held up his index finger. "But as I mentioned, since this Subspace is being used for a purpose different from its original design..."
"You said there might be a risk," Simon finished for him.
"Haha! Yes, that's right. Can you feel it?"
Simon glanced at the ring on his left hand. "The ring has gotten hot."
"Precisely. If you open many gates at once, or open them too frequently, the Subspace will gradually get overloaded."
Simon looked puzzled. For a device that could open six gates simultaneously, a slightly hot ring seemed like a negligible risk.
"In a real battle, there will be times when you must continuously open the gates. If you keep overusing it even when the ring becomes hot enough to burn your skin, then finally..." Gellen made a popping sound with his mouth.
"In the worst-case scenario, it will explode. Your finger might be blown right off."
"...Oh." Just the thought sent a phantom ache through his hand.
"Of course, as long as you don't overdo it, there will be no problem at all," Gellen reassured him. "All you need is a little common sense and self-control. Stop using it when the ring grows too hot, and have the patience to wait until it cools down. I can assure you that if you just follow those two rules, you will have no issues."
'So, no overusing it.' Simon nodded in understanding.
"And to prevent frequent overloading, I recommend using an average of four gates rather than all six. It would be best to save the full six as a trump card for worst-case scenarios."
Having finished his explanation, Gellen bowed his head. "That is all. Do you have any other questions?"
"I have a ton! First of all..."
As if he had been waiting for the chance, Simon unleashed a flood of questions. At the same time, his mind was already racing, formulating new strategies to operate the Overlord with maximum efficiency.
'With this,' he thought, a surge of confidence rising within him. 'With this, I can win on my own.'
That night, in the first-year boys' dormitory, "Finally, it's the weekend tomorrow!" Dick shouted, throwing himself onto his bed. "Simon! Want to ask Meirin and the others to hang out?"
"Sorry," Simon replied. "I've already scheduled special training."
The Duel Evaluation against Malcolm was right after the weekend. He had to master controlling the Overlord with the new Subspace by then, no matter what.
"Well, it's for the Malcolm fight, so I guess it can't be helped." Dick propped his chin on his pillow with a disappointed look, but he understood.
The next day, the hellish training truly began.
"Didn't I tell you?" Aaron's voice was stern. "You may have started this on your own terms, but it ends on mine."
Aaron had even come to Kizen on the weekend to oversee Simon's training. This time, the drill was to keep the Overlord in its Subspace and use its limbs to block the bones Aaron hurled at him. The intensity was so high that any onlooker would have thought he was trying to kill him. Simon pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion, willingly absorbing every lesson. The grueling session gave him a rough sense of how much use would cause the ring to overheat.
[Hmph! That Kizen professor thinks too much like a necromancer!] Pier's voice echoed in his mind, burning with a strange rivalry toward Aaron. [Training without a complete understanding of the undead is meaningless!]
Pier summoned Simon to the ruins. Though he was already drained from Aaron's session, Simon wasn't one to refuse an offer to practice.
[Even if you attack through a Subspace, the essence doesn't change!] Pier commanded. [Read the Overlord's consciousness and execute the most effective attack!]
"Yes, sir!"
After his training with Pier, he returned to Kizen and stopped by the 'Mutant' clubroom. Just as Simon had run himself ragged, the Overlord had also been pushed to its limits.
"Simon!" Toto called out.
"You're here," Fitzgerald grunted.
"Oh, hey, you two."
Even though it was the weekend, Toto and Fitzgerald were in the clubroom, assembling a skeleton together.
Simon grinned. "You two have gotten pretty close."
Toto scratched his head. "Huh? You think so? Haha."
"Shut up and help us with this," Fitzgerald retorted.
"Alright. When we're done, you can help me with mine."
Once the skeleton was finished, Simon summoned the Overlord from its Subspace. The other two helped him apply a chemical treatment to the dry parts of its body.
"Wait a second," Fitzgerald said, standing up to stroke one of the Overlord's limbs.
"Be careful!" Simon yelped. "It's dangerous to touch it recklessly—!"
"Only this limb feels... strange." Fitzgerald stared intently at it.
Simon shrugged. "You think so? They all look the same to me."
"You said the creator of this Undead is dead, right?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm." After a moment of thought, Fitzgerald looked at Simon. "I think the creator put more effort into this limb. Connect to the Overlord's consciousness and try to extend it further."
"Further?"
"Yeah. Like you're unfolding it."
Fitzgerald was an eccentric, but Simon trusted he had a reason for saying it. Simon closed his eyes and extended the limb to its maximum length. Then, holding it steady, he gave the command.
'Unfold!'
The Overlord's reaction was peculiar. The limb trembled for a moment before going limp. Considering the Overlord usually just ignored impossible commands, this was strange. It felt less like it 'couldn't' do it and more like it had simply failed.
'One more time...!'
Simon issued the command again. The limb trembled violently, and a faint creaking sound echoed from its joints.
'Keep going! Don't give up!'
He pressed the command, and the bones—which he'd thought were fused solid—began to elongate, stretching out like a coiled spring being released. When fully extended, the limb was one and a half times longer than the others.
"See? I was right," Fitzgerald said with a triumphant smirk. "He probably tried to add this function to the other limbs, failed, and just fused them all together. It seems only this one can extend."
Simon shot to his feet and grabbed his hand. "Thanks, Fitz!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"You've given me a really important hint!" Simon's eyes shone. This new variable was huge. It could be the key to forging a powerful, undeniable path to victory.
The weekend ended, and the morning of the Duel Evaluation dawned.
Kizen had significantly expanded the invitation for external observers. Officials from the kingdom, representatives from various institutions, and scouts from across the continent had flocked to Roc Island for the public event.
"The arena is this way!"
"Please follow the directions!"
The ones suffering the most were the servants tasked with managing the nobles. Lena, a veteran dorm manager of four years, had been assigned to crowd control, and it was pure hell.
"Hmph! Do you have any idea who this is?"
"Can't we just speak with the students for a moment?"
"You cannot! That is strictly forbidden!" Lena forced a smile, but inwardly, she was screaming.
'Gods! These old fools should know better, but they're so damn disobedient!'
The nobles were haughty, disdaining the instructions of mere servants. They constantly flaunted their status and wealth, and if they felt they weren't being treated with sufficient deference, they would whine until her ears bled. She would rather manage a horde of unruly students.
Just then, she saw a middle-aged man stroking his mustache attempting to slip out of the line. Lena spread her arms, blocking his path.
"You can't go in there! It is strictly forbidden for civilians to visit areas outside the arena!"
"Hmph, don't you know me? I am Count Sorio. I just want to see my son's face for a—"
"I'm afraid that's not possible, my lord! Please use the official procedures for visitation!"
"My, my, must you be so rigid?" Count Sorio slyly produced a pouch of gold coins and tried to press it into her hands.
"I can't accept this! P-Please don't do this, my lord!"
"Hmph. Just take it, come on."
While they were bickering, the Count subtly gave a signal with his eyes.
Two of his attendants darted past them, sprinting toward the first-year campus.
"Here they go!"
"Stop them!"
The servants and TAs gave chase in a panic. But the men were no ordinary attendants; they instantly activated their cores, their bodies shifting into an ethereal spirit state. The TAs' grasping hands passed right through them, clutching at empty air.
'They're necromancers!'
If they got through, all hell would break loose. The TAs shouted and pursued them, but the two spirit-forms didn't slow down.
Just as they reached the entrance of the first-year campus—
Chains shot out from thin air, wrapping around the two men's bodies.
'H-How is this possible? We're in spirit form!'
There was no time to wonder. The chains swung them in a wide arc through the air before slamming them into the ground right behind Count Sorio.
A thick cloud of dust erupted. A moment later, the two men, their heads buried in the dirt, twitched their legs and then went limp.
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. The other nobles either snickered behind their fans or smirked openly.
Count Sorio's face flushed crimson. "How dare you do this to my retainers! Wh-Who is it?!"
"It is I."
Every TA and servant present snapped to attention, their expressions tense as they parted to form a path. A woman walked through the opening they created.
Her sharply cut bob and cold, purple eyes exuded an aura of solemn authority.
'K-Kizen's Vice-Principal, Jane Olivia...!'
She strode forward and stopped directly in front of Sorio. "You need not worry, we are taking good care of your son. Attempts at contact like this are troublesome."
It was the first time he had been this close to such a legendary necromancer. Sorio trembled but managed to speak. "Is-Is it so wrong for me to see my own son?!"
"Once enrolled, he is a necromancer of Kizen first, and the Count's son second. And..." She opened her palm, and two potions levitated from the unconscious attendants' pockets.
Count Sorio's face went pale.
"Giving these to your son now will not change the outcome of the match," Jane stated coolly. "Since you've taken the time to visit our school, I hope you have a pleasant stay."
She turned and walked away, leaving Count Sorio to hang his head in resignation.
Just then, a young woman in a fine dress waved her hand energetically. "Jane! Jane!"
"Oh, Your Highness." Jane's stern expression softened into a warm smile as she approached her. "You're here."
"Of course! Attending Kizen events is the joy of my life! Oh," she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "I heard this year's Special Admission No. 1 is an all-time legend. What's he like?"
Jane gave a wry smile. "Shouldn't you at least ask about your brother's well-being out of courtesy?"
"I don't know anyone by that name!" the princess scoffed. "A prince, of all people, creating some ridiculous faction called 'Noble'! Pfft, he hasn't changed a bit from when he was at the palace."
She grumbled for a moment before looking at Jane again. "So, do you think that Special Admission No. 1 will perform well? Today's the only Duel Evaluation between special admissions! I'm so excited."
"Yes, you can look forward to it," Jane replied with a faint, knowing smile. "He is a student under my guidance, after all."
"What?"
"Now then, I must take my leave for my duties." Jane bowed her head and walked away.
The princess covered her mouth, giggling. "Jane acknowledging something like that is out of the ordinary."
'Just what kind of power does this student wield?' she wondered, her heart pounding with anticipation as she headed toward the arena.

Comments

Loading...