novelraw Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25. Elimination of the “Magic Pathways”!
The surrounding space suddenly turned pitch-black.
The barrier made entirely of the Wall of Sighs—both prison and shield—protected those within it.
Crack!
In the dead silence, a faint sound of something splitting echoed sharply.
That noise was piercingly loud against the quiet.
Cidy’s eyes widened as she turned toward the pitch-black wall that seemed capable of devouring even light itself.
“No way!?”
In the next instant—before her disbelieving eyes—that wall, which even the gods were said to sigh before, began to crack.
Then—
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Inside the sealed space made up of six enclosing walls, the cracks multiplied and widened, one after another. Gradually, sunlight began streaming through the gaps.
The scattered rays refracted in everyone’s vision.
Finally… the wall could no longer withstand the pressure and—Boom!—it shattered apart!
Black dust scattered through the air like ashes carried by the wind.
“The Wall of Sighs… b-broke apart?!” Cidy’s pupils shrank as she murmured in disbelief.
The wall that was said to separate hell from the world of the living—impossible for anyone short of a god to destroy—had been shattered!!
A chill of terror crept into Cidy’s heart.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly put away her earlier sense of superiority.
At that level of destructive power… if a few more of those attacks came, she wouldn’t be able to manifest another Wall of Sighs every time!
“You started off by blowing yourself up! Were you trying to kill us all!? If that happened, the game would’ve just ended right there!” Cidy shouted, unable to contain her frustration.
“If I hadn’t manifested the Wall of Sighs—”
“Hey, hey, don’t make it sound like I forced you into that choice. You could’ve just done nothing, right? But—”
Yan’s tone paused.
“Ending the game in just one move would’ve been lame and boring, don’t you think? I made a reasonable assumption—you’d definitely stop it.” Yan said with a light chuckle.
‘At that distance, if either of us took the hit, both would’ve been eliminated!’
‘If that happened, the game would lose all meaning. Both sides would be losers with nothing gained.’
These thoughts flashed through Cidy’s mind as she puffed her cheeks slightly in annoyance.
Starting off with something that extreme! Honestly—! Ahh! That smug smile of his was even more annoying… and yet somehow, she liked it!
Feeling the thrill of encountering something completely unknown, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Yes, deep down, she was enjoying herself.
Discovering mysteries, uncovering new things—that feeling wasn’t bad at all.
“Then I won’t hold back anymore!” Cidy declared seriously.
“...That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll make sure you won’t find it boring. —Magic Pathways!”
Snap! Yan snapped his fingers, slowly pronouncing the new word—just before the 30-second limit was up.
The familiar phrase froze Cidy’s once-serious expression in an instant.
“Eh…!?”
“W–wait… M–Magic Pathways!?” she cried in panic.
Rule Two of the game: if something that already exists is spoken, it will disappear.
Bzzzz—! With a low hum, both Cidy and Yan instantly felt their Magic Pathways vanish.
It was as if that very part of their being had been erased from existence.
“T–This… this is no different from tearing out someone’s organs! That’s cheating! Totally cheating!!” Cidy shouted in dismay.
Her biggest advantage in this match had been her powerful magic.
Now that even her Magic Pathways were gone, how was she supposed to use magic at all!?
Ugh!! So frustrating!
If she’d known, she would’ve just blasted him with magic right from the start!
“That wasn’t cheating. It just means we can’t use Magic Pathways anymore. Other than that, there’s no side effect. If I had said Body Fluids instead—something that would kill us instantly—then that word simply wouldn’t have been realized.” Yan said casually, sipping his tea.
In this otherworld, the words Magic Pathways and Body Fluids shared the same starting sound as the ending syllable of Wall of Sighs in the Divine Era Language.
Yan had originally been wondering how to trick her into letting him say Magic Pathways out loud—but she had practically handed him the opportunity herself.
Looked like today really was his lucky day!
“Well, that was… quite the surprise,” Cidy muttered, clearly unsettled.
Her greatest advantage as a mage had just been erased. For the first time ever, she felt a flicker of doubt—could she actually lose?
Yan, still wearing his same faint smile, quietly watched her—enjoying the sight of her flustered yet adorable face.
Cidy: “Since that’s the case, words that are materialized can also be used as attacks, right!? Then I’ll just use words instead of magic! —‘Cross Storm!’”
BOOM!!! A violent gust of wind suddenly roared up from beneath her feet, swirling straight toward Yan.
—A high-rank wind spell.
Inside Yan’s mind, the 【Simulated Star-Creation Map】 began eagerly analyzing.
Even within this world of consciousness, the power of the 【Simulated Star-Creation Map】 could neither be suppressed nor limited.
“Great Wall!”
Rumble! A magnificent wall—grand and ancient—rose up before him, blocking the raging storm.
“Are you trying to drag yourself into it, too? Planning to die together?” Yan gave her a strange look.
At this distance, that storm would’ve easily swallowed her as well.
“You’re the last one qualified to say that.” Cidy shot back with a playful smile, winking at him.
Is this payback? For the Hydrogen Bomb earlier? Yan wondered as he looked over—only to find Cidy mesmerized by the sheer grandeur of the Great Wall.
“I’ve never seen a structure like this before!” she exclaimed. For the first time, she started to believe that Yan truly possessed the knowledge of forty thousand books from another world.
Then—
The two of them entered a lively round of word-chaining.
One bizarre creation after another manifested into existence; at times, Cidy even conjured high-ranking magic attacks against him.
Yan, though unable to use advanced spells himself, greedily absorbed every bit of magical theory embedded within her attacks.
The【Simulated Star-Creation Map】 worked furiously, analyzing nonstop—
While planes, cannons, tanks, and warships—symbols of humanity’s malice—emerged and rained destruction upon Cidy.
Before long, the entire area became cratered and blasted—like a land ravaged by a meteor shower.
…
“Desert!” Cidy gasped as she called out the next word, and in an instant, the world around them transformed into endless yellow sands.
They had completely shifted to a new battlefield.
After such a long clash with Yan, she no longer dared to underestimate him.
This boy’s mind was on a monster’s level—what on earth was inside that head of his!?
“Desert, huh?” Yan suddenly froze.
This time, unlike before, he didn’t immediately or confidently respond.
Cidy tilted her head in confusion—why wasn’t he answering?
The ending sound of Desert wasn’t uncommon in this continent’s language, so what was he planning?
Then Yan suddenly spoke: “Cidy, did you know?”
“!?”
“In this world’s language, the final sound of Desert… is the same as that of Magic Pathways.”
Cidy’s eyes lit up, her expression shifting between suspicion and shock.
“You—”