I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 368

After her brief encounter with Full Frame, Twilight of August (Cheonhwangjeong Palwol) used the relic provided by Returned October (Hoegong Siwol) to move to another dimension, completely isolated from reality.

This place was one of her favorites.

The sky was entirely painted in shades of violet, with countless stars glittering above. Time seemed to flow quickly just by watching the mesmerizing view.

At the center of this strange space stood a massive round table. Both the table and its surrounding chairs floated in midair, inaccessible by conventional means.

Low-tier flight or gravity magic, typically used by mages, wouldn’t suffice to even approach the table. Only beings as omnipotent as the Twelve Moons could freely move and exist here.

As she gracefully made her way to the table, Twilight of August glanced around.

"Hmm..."

This space wasn’t just an empty void. Countless fragments of objects drifted weightlessly around.

Broken statues, half-destroyed buildings, a rusted yet majestic fortress, and even fragments of what appeared to be fountains—all floated like remnants of a long-forgotten civilization.

The ruins, seemingly of a destroyed city, added an air of mystery to the space.

Twilight of August knew nothing about this city. She wondered if such a civilization, destroyed in this manner, had ever existed on the continent of Aether in its thousand-year history.

Or perhaps this city had been created within this mysterious dimension from the beginning.

"That can’t be right."

After all, how could a city be built in a place devoid of proper materials? Unless there was magic capable of "creating" matter, such a thing was impossible.

Even if she had such magic, she wouldn’t waste it on something as useless as this.

Her interest in the city wasn’t particularly profound.

What truly intrigued her was an object atop the highest point of what appeared to be a grand, ruined palace.

It was a statue—a creature with wings resembling those of a demon. It had four pairs of horns on its forehead and a lizard-like snout that seemed ready to let out a roar.

"A dragon?"

A mythical creature from legend, said to be so rare that even the Twelve Moons had neither seen nor heard of it.

However, this wasn’t a real dragon. The lifelike appearance of the statue made it seem as though it could move at any moment, but it was, regrettably, just a sculpture.

"A dragon..."

She thought back. Had dragons ever truly existed in this world? Human records spoke of them, but these accounts were likely misunderstandings or exaggerations of other creatures.

"Dragons in this world... ridiculous."

She turned her gaze away, unable to shake an uneasy feeling as she looked at the statue.

Twilight of August finally took a seat at the floating table. Moments later, Returned October materialized before her.

His arms crossed and eyes closed, he appeared as though he had been waiting for her arrival.

"Waiting for me?"

"Yes."

"My, how unusual."

"There’s been an incident in your absence."

"An incident? What kind of incident?"

Returned October’s calm gaze bore into Twilight of August.

Even without speaking, she could feel the intense anger emanating from him.

"Wow... What on earth happened?"

It was rare for Returned October, who seldom showed emotion, to be this upset. Twilight of August decided to tread carefully.

However, Returned October quickly composed himself, leaning back in his seat with closed eyes.

"Jeokhayuwol has been defeated."

"Defeated? What do you mean by that?"

"Baek Yuseol has overwhelmed him."

"What?!"

Twilight of August’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

She found it impossible to accept that one of the Twelve Moons had been defeated by a mere human.

"A human... defeated us?"

"Don’t make me repeat myself. And stop using ‘mere human’ to describe Baek Yuseol."

"But it doesn’t make sense! Whether or not I respect him, a human shouldn’t be able to defeat one of us..."

"Twilight of August. Even the First Mage, who created us, was human. Humans are a species of limitless potential."

"That was... an exceptional case. There won’t ever be another mage like him."

"Won’t there? Who decided that?"

Returned October’s tone grew sharper, frustration evident.

Already upset by Jeokhayuwol’s fall, he was further irritated by Twilight of August’s narrow perspective.

"Listen carefully, Twilight of August."

"...Okay."

"You know why you and I exist as so-called ‘great beings’? It’s entirely thanks to humans. Without them, you’d be nothing—a worthless speck among the trash heap of existence."

"That’s..."

Twilight of August wanted to argue that his words were too harsh. Even she wasn’t immune to feeling hurt. But Returned October’s somber expression silenced her.

"Humans, and the other sentient beings of this world, are the ones who keep its stories moving forward. Not a single one of them is useless. But as for us?"

"We’re important too, aren’t we?"

"No. You’re wrong."

Returned October shook his head.

"You and I contribute nothing to the stories this world desires."

"Stories? What are you talking about? I don’t understand."

"You don’t need to. Just follow my orders."

Despite being equals as members of the Twelve Moons, Returned October’s immense power often allowed him to act as their de facto leader.

Twilight of August resented his superiority but had no choice but to comply for now. Her ambitions required his cooperation, and opposing him would undoubtedly provoke a reaction she wasn’t prepared to handle.

As she sat in silence, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

"—Oh great eye of wisdom."

It was Grand Duke Sulparam of the Northern Ice Mountain Range, one of the few individuals under her mental control.

"What is it?"

"—Oh great eye of wisdom, forgive me for disturbing you. I seek your counsel on an unusual matter."

Twilight of August let out a small sigh, composing herself before responding.

"Speak, my servant."

While the grandiose title and response felt ridiculous, she knew maintaining this charade was necessary. Sulparam, like others under her influence, believed her to be a goddess.

"—A strange incident has occurred in the northern region of the Ice Mountain Range."

"Explain."

"—At dawn yesterday, a group clad in black garments was spotted moving at incredible speed, leaping over mountain peaks with ease. Their abilities were beyond what we’ve ever encountered."

"Black garments?"

"—Yes. While the distance made it difficult to confirm, their appearance resembled humanoids. But humans cannot move at such speeds or perform such feats without magic to enhance their bodies."

Twilight of August narrowed her eyes.

"Black Shades," she muttered.

"—Most likely."

"But why would they venture into the northern wastelands?"

The northern region of the Ice Mountain Range was a desolate land, deemed uninhabitable even by humans. Its treacherous conditions had long earned it the status of a forbidden zone.

Yet now, Black Shades had appeared there?

"What are those pests planning?"

"—Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Keep watching and report back."

Twilight of August severed the connection, her expression dark.

"I’ll take care of it myself," she muttered, rising to leave.

Returned October stopped her.

"Twilight of August."

"...What?"

"Don’t do anything foolish."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Your actions mean nothing. Remember that."

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

With that, Returned October vanished as silently as he had appeared.

Twilight of August clenched her fists, trembling with frustration.

"What arrogance... acting like he’s some kind of ruler. If I’d been the one blessed with spatial magic..."

Grinding her teeth, she turned toward the exit created by Returned October.

"Fine. Time to crush those pests in the north. Maybe I’ll relieve some stress."

Humming a tune, she activated her warp magic, heading toward the Northern Ice Mountain Range, oblivious to the unexpected encounter awaiting her there.

***

Baek Yuseol gazed at the massive crimson pillar connecting the heavens and the earth, unable to suppress his admiration.

"Is that... Jeokhayuwol’s will?"

"It is. That pillar embodies his soul, his will, or perhaps his convictions. For all his brutishness, he was still one of the Twelve Moons. Even he harbored some ambition."

They were standing within Hong Biyeon’s mental realm.

Baek Yuseol remained there to watch over her as she absorbed Jeokhayuwol’s power.

"Can she really handle such a massive flame?"

"She must. If she cannot, she’ll die."

The Silver Eleven Moons paused before adding, "Did I phrase that too harshly? Regardless, as you can see, the girl is holding up remarkably well."

True to his words, Hong Biyeon stood amidst the raging flames without so much as a flinch.

Even though Baek Yuseol stood far from the scene to avoid the sparks, he could still feel the searing heat radiating from the flames. He couldn’t begin to imagine the pain she was enduring to withstand such a trial.

"Well, haven’t you experienced burning before?"

Silver Eleven Moons was aware of Baek Yuseol’s countless deaths through his many regressions and spoke nonchalantly.

"Uh... I suppose," Baek Yuseol replied awkwardly.

His mind briefly flashed back to when he had burned his finger on a lighter as a child. The searing pain and heat had made him leap away in shock. Even now, the memory made him shudder.

"As I mentioned before, she cannot fully absorb all the flames at once. Most of the power she receives will be stored with us. When she is ready, we’ll gradually return it to her as she processes it."

"You’re saying I’ll receive the flames?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think you can handle it alone? We—the Twelve Moons—will divide and store it."

"Ah, like an external hard drive," Baek Yuseol said absentmindedly.

"An... external what?"

"External Cast Load Staff. My mistake."

"Ah, the magic wands used to pre-store spells. Strange to hear you mix up terms like that."

"Yeah, well," Baek Yuseol muttered, brushing it off.

They continued to wait for several hours as Hong Biyeon endured the flames. Baek Yuseol’s worry grew as he watched her unwavering figure. Just as he contemplated approaching her, the flames suddenly extinguished.

Without hesitation, he bolted toward Hong Biyeon, prompting Silver Eleven Moons to click his tongue.

"Foolish move."

As predicted, before Baek Yuseol could reach her, the mental realm began to collapse.

It wasn’t a sign of catastrophe. If something catastrophic had occurred, cracks would have formed and a dissolution of the realm would follow. Instead, it felt like curtains being drawn, signaling the end of a stage.

This meant only one thing:

Hong Biyeon had absorbed all of Jeokhayuwol’s power and had completely lost consciousness.

"What? What’s going on?"

Baek Yuseol was abruptly ejected from the mental realm, unable to maintain his balance as he was flung out.

"Gah!"

When he opened his eyes, a familiar doctor startled him.

"Baek Yuseol, are you alright?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"You suddenly declared you’d enter the princess’s mental realm and then collapsed unconscious!"

"...Ah."

Looking around, Baek Yuseol noticed the corpses of two trolls nearby. Knights stationed around the carriage and cliff were maintaining a vigilant watch, while medics and nurses bustled about.

As he tried to stand, the doctors rushed to stop him.

"Your leg is completely shattered! For an ordinary person, this would mean permanent disability. Please don’t move!"

"I’ll heal soon enough."

Ignoring their protests, Baek Yuseol pushed past them, crawling toward Hong Biyeon on one leg.

"Haa..."

Hong Biyeon lay there, exhaling hot breaths through slightly parted lips. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and when Baek Yuseol touched her, her skin burned with a feverish heat.

Silver Eleven Moons reassured him.

"It’s a good sign. She has successfully absorbed a fragment of Jeokhayuwol’s flames."

Baek Yuseol finally allowed himself to relax, slumping against the carriage as he closed his eyes. His physical and mental exhaustion caught up with him, dragging him toward unconsciousness.

Even so, he kept his eyes on Hong Biyeon, determined to stay awake and guard her. Silver Eleven Moons and Bronze Twelve Moons finally spoke up.

"Rest for a moment."

"We’ll watch over her."

Reluctantly, Baek Yuseol closed his eyes, trusting their words. The Twelve Moons couldn’t help but marvel at his unyielding resolve.

"A truly stubborn soul," they muttered.