REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 376
Two girls were clashing in the arena, engulfed in flames and black smoke.
Boooom! Bang!
Serene's Dark Flares fell indiscriminately from the sky.
Amidst the ashes, Meilyn frantically ran across the arena, her faded hair fluttering behind her.
"Gasp!"
Leaping into the air to dodge a ball of fire that barely passed under her feet, she reached out with her finger and aimed it at Serene.
{Bounce}
Her fingertip was pushed back from the recoil, and a wispy curse shot out with a flash.
"Hmph."
Serene smirked before reaching forward with her own finger too.
The flying curse was sucked into Serene's finger like a lightning rod and began swirling around it.
After humming and wagging her finger back and forth, Serene pointed to the side.
Pew!
Immediately, the curse flew in the direction she pointed, creating a dent in the arena wall.
"Your specialty, elemental jet-black, doesn't work on me. So what makes you think an unrefined curse would be any different?"
"…Ugh!"
"It's my turn again now."
Dark Flares continued to rain down from the sky. Massive explosions erupted in every direction Meilyn ran, black smoke clouding her vision.
"Kyahahahaha!"
Serene's villainous laughter echoed throughout the arena.
It was one-sided violence. Overwhelming power.
"…I-I can't watch this."
The soft-hearted Camibarez covered her face and turned away. Rick, similarly concerned, leaned in closer as he smacked his lips and scratched his head.
"How in the world is she supposed to… Huh? Where's Simon?"
"Simon?"
The two looked around belatedly. Simon, who had been with them in the audience, was gone.
Thud!!
Meanwhile, Meilyn had been driven to the corner of the arena, dodging incoming Dark Flares.
"Kuhugh!"
Blood spurted from her mouth. Now, even jet-black reflux was beginning to take hold after overusing her core.
[Serene Aindark: 100%]
[Meilyn Villenne: 4%]
"Pant… Pant…"
She was at her limit.
Her vision wavered and blurred, and even the figure of Serene, whom she so desperately wanted to defeat, was becoming faint.
Serene was disgustingly strong.
Meilyn couldn't even hope to reach her.
The reason why the elders chose her as their successor, why they even changed the laws of the tower to make it happen.
Even Meilyn had to acknowledge it.
Her spirit born of anger ebbed, and strength slowly left Meilyn's body.
"Meilyn!!"
It was then.
An intense shout, piercing her ears, jolted Meilyn back to her senses.
Above her, in the audience seat, Simon was panting.
"S-Simon! Your match…!"
"Don't worry about stuff like that! More importantly…!"
Simon glanced at Serene warily and shouted as loudly as he could.
"Think about what you're good at!"
"…Wh-What?"
"You're too focused on your opponent. At this rate, you'll just keep being played with! Think about what you've learned until now! Think about what you're good at!"
Meilyn stammered,
"B-But! Can’t you see? The arena is a sea of fire. What’s the point in using ice magic here…?"
If Meilyn took this message as simply fire versus ice, she would never change.
Simon's eyes flashed.
"Didn't you say you'll become stronger than anyone?"
The day she first used the jet-black ice magic after enrolling in Kizen was surprisingly during a Combat Dark Magic class.
A joint class with Class C. They played a ball game similar to dodgeball. Meilyn used the jet-black ice magic for the first time to trip Serene and said,
"I didn't change my mind. I'll become stronger than anyone else, and I'll defeat you before I graduate from Kizen. But in getting stronger, there's no need for me to be tied down to just you."
Meilyn had clearly said that herself. Since that day, she started focussing on her ice magic, and her potential exploded.
"Remember. Defeating Serene and winning this duel?"
Simon concluded,
"It's all just another stepping stone to being the best."
"Oh my~"
At that moment, Serene laughed while holding a hand obnoxiously over her mouth. Simon and Meilyn flinched and looked at her.
"For Simon to say so much for a student of our Ivory Tower! I’m so very happy~"
As she raised her finger, the Dark Flare magic circles in the air began to shake violently.
"But if you drag this out any longer, it might become dangerous, you know?"
Fwooooooooooosh!
Dozens of Dark Flares flew in without any gaps to dodge.
'…'
But Meilyn looked them head on.
She watched as the blazing flames approached, attempting to swallow her whole.
'What I've learned.'
Meilyn steadied herself on trembling legs.
She let her remaining specs of jet-black swirl through her body.
'What I'm good at.'
Shiing! Shiing!
A magic circle spread out under her feet.
'Defeating Serene and winning this duel is just another step.'
Her brilliant sapphire eyes sparkled.
One eye, which was so blank that she could not be told apart from a corpse, was now razor sharp.
And her both arms, which were previously tense enough that even from the audience they looked rigid, had now become a little bit more relaxed.
"Whatever…"
At long last, a carefree smile appeared on her lips.
"I don't care anymore!!"
Kabooooooooom!
Poooooooooooow!
The Dark Flares crashed against the floor and walls in succession and exploded. Simon, who was still behind the barrier for the audience, backed away against the harsh winds.
Even with the protective barrier, the front seats were melting from the intense heat.
The audience all stood up to get a closer look, eyes wide.
"Is it… over?"
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
"Wait, look over there!"
Far from where the wave of fireballs had landed, Meilyn was crouching, completely unharmed.
The audience was in uproar.
"Teleportation?!"
"Did she suddenly teleport or something?"
However, Simon and a few sharp-eyed audiences saw through it. A line of melted ice was trailing across the floor, showing the path she had moved through.
Swish.
Meilyn raised her head.
{Ice road}
Sliiiiiiiiiiide!
Her feet seemed to float ever so slightly off the ground as ice so pure and thin it was practically invisible helped her begin rapidly moving across the ground, building her path as she went.
Serene immediately fired more fireballs, but Meilyn didn't just stand around and take it.
She barreled across the floor, soon reaching the walls which she glided across without any regard for gravity and eventually moved freely across the arena ceiling.
It was impossible for Serene to hit her.
Woooaaah!
The audience cheered at the sudden turn of events.
In this arena dominated by Serene, ice spells melted within seconds. They were useless as projectiles or cover.
However…
'This Ice Road, which I am constantly creating in front of me, doesn't care!'
Sliiiiiiiide!
Meilyn's technique, curving around fireballs in beautiful arcs or impossibly sharp turns, was astonishing to anyone watching. It was like watching a perfectly rehearsed dance.
High speed.
And precise control.
The ashes in the air that had landed on her blew away in the wind, and her sky-blue hair regained its shine, fluttering freely.
Her eyes were fixed on Serene.
'Don't be bound by rules and tradition! Think freely!'
Meilyn formed a magic circle on her palm.
'Like this Ice Road, find a way to use my specialty of ice to counter this fire!'
She then began altering the formulas and circuits of standardized spells at will.
Magic circle alteration.
It was a dangerous task she would never normally attempt, but she had to try.
'Remember everything you've learned in Kizen!'
Countless formulas and runes she had seen in various textbooks lined up in her mind.
"Look at our Meilyn, dodging so well~?"
Fwoosh!
Serene predicted Meilyn's movement, launching a surprise Dark Flare from her palm.
But Meilyn was ready. She moved her open hand toward the incoming fireball.
{Ice Cannon}
A large projectile of ice fired with a bang, but melted away the moment it touched the overwhelmingly hot fireball.
"Using ice? Forcing it isn't a good idea."
Then, Serene's eyes widened. The water that had formed from the collision between jet-black fire and ice was rippling and churning.
Splash!
The melted water shot forward like a gun, grazing down Serene's arms and legs.
For the first time, a red light appeared on her barrier gauge.
Wooooaaaah!
The audience went wild at Meilyn's first successful counterattack.
"She hit her! What? How did she do that?!"
Gasped Rick.
"She altered the formula for her spell!"
Camibarez' voice was trembling.
Normally, the basic formula for jet-black ice would enhance its cold temperature, strength, and propulsion, but Meilyn lowered all these values to the minimum.
Leaving the temperature right below the melting point allowed it to function as ice, but she controlled the ejection function to trigger when it turned into water.
Rick chuckled.
"Is it possible to make such modifications in such a short time? Without the magic circle exploding?"
"Yes! After all, Meilyn is a genius!'
Shouted Camibarez.
"Turning jet-black ice spells into jet-black water spells! Wouldn't that give her a strong advantage?"
"That's not true."
Said Simon, who had returned to his seat, panting from exhaustion and a slight heat stroke.
"Simon!"
"Preparing and using jet-black water spells from the start is different from imitating them with melted ice."
Simon knew this better than anyone, having seen Fantasus—the student council president. That man was a monster among monsters when given access to jet-black water spells.
Rick nodded.
"So Meilyn's situation is that bad."
"Yes. Still, creating an opportunity to counter Serene is amazing!"
Having found her path to victory, Meilyn was actively pulling the initiative back into her favor. She deliberately collided ice with incoming flames, using the melted water to attack Serene unpredictably.
"Are we having a water gun fight like those kids from that small town~?"
Laughed Serene.
"Don't you have a more serious attack, Mei-Mei?"
"Shut your mouth!!"
Meilyn was pushing Serene hard, to the point where Serene starting to pant for breath.
Meanwhile, Meilyn fought on, dodging with her Ice Road and fighting back with freshly melted water in a careful balance between attack and defense.
"I won't be a toy for you to play with anymore!"
She brought her arms high above her head. Then, all the water in the arena shot up into the air like a geyser.
And in the air, a magic circle Meilyn had set up began to form.
The moment the large amount of water passed through the magic circle…
Scrrrrrick!
It turned into a giant ice spike. It was the largest block of ice Meilyn had wielded in this duel.
{Meilyn Original - Glacier}
"She froze the water again!!"
"Smash it down on her!"
Now fully immersed in the duel, the entire audience was shouting in euphoric excitement.
Serene frowned and reached her arm out.
{Dark Flare}
Fwoosh!
The ball of flame that flew from Serene's palm seemed to swallow the glacier in the blink of an eye.
Until…
"I am not just a candidate for succession! Nor am I the second best of the Ivory Tower! Nor am I Serene's subordinate!"
Using all her remaining strength, Meilyn swung her arms down.
"I am… Meilyn Villenne!!"
Craaaaaaaaaaaaaash!
The flames were split in half, and Meilyn's Glacier pierced through the fire as it descended.
While Serene was awash with shock, the ice struck her barrier.
"…!"
"The duel is over!"
At that moment, the referee, watching the barrier gauges on the screen, reached out his arm.
[Serene Aindark: 71%]
[Meilyn Villenne: 0%]
"Winner! Serene Aindark!"
Due to the intense heat across the arena, Meilyn's barrier gauge had dropped to 0.
But the atmosphere in the arena wasn't that of Meilyn being defeated.
Meilyn clenched her fists and shouted triumphantly with all her might,
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Everyone who heard that cry shivered.
The audience responded by clenching their fists and cheering back.
"Wooooooooaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A battle before many seniors and peers.
It was a match that firmly engraved the name Meilyn Villenne in their heads, a name that had been previously overshadowed by the great Serene of the Ivory Tower.
No longer was she second place.
——
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