novelraw Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Chapter 27. Yan — “Correction, That Wasn’t My Trump Card!”
“In another world, a magician is the term used for humans who wield Mystery in battle. You can think of them as equivalent to our mages,” Yan said.
“Outstanding magicians excel at drawing mana from the world itself. Much like a filter, they treat their own bodies as conversion circuits—absorbing mana from the outside and converting it into a form humans can use. This conversion circuit is what they call a Magic Circuit.”
As Yan spoke those words, it was as if his voice opened a door to an entirely new world in Cidy’s mind.
“How… astonishing…” The girl’s face flushed red. In the end, all she could squeeze out was that simple phrase.
Her gaze burned intensely toward Yan, her heart pounding.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of any words worthy of praising this “door” he had shown her.
In the end, she gave up.
“If the mana within the human body is the ‘small source,’ then the mana contained within the world is the ‘great source.’ Naturally, the great source far surpasses the small. Skilled magicians use their Magic Circuits to draw mana from the outside world for battle. In practical use, there’s no difference between a Magic Circuit and a Magic Pathway.”
“However—” Yan paused mid-sentence.
“However, what?!” Cidy quickly asked. She lunged toward Yan, only for him to calmly press a hand against her cheek to hold her back. Her adorable face puffed out and squished against his palm.
“Mmmph! Hmph, hurry and tahl me [tell me] already!” Even so, the girl still tried to inch closer to him, her lips twitching with an impatient grin—almost like a wolf spotting its prey.
“Just stay where you are and listen! You don’t have to get that close!” Yan said helplessly.
The way she leaned toward him, hanging on his every word, made her look completely like a lovestruck fool.
“By the way… aren’t you going to follow up with your next word? Your 30 seconds are almost up.”
“Ah!” Startled, Cidy straightened her posture instantly.
The duel began anew.
“Great Tree!” Cidy declared. The initial sound of Great Tree matched the ending sound of Magic Circuit in the otherworld’s language.
Rumble!!! The desert, once endless sand, suddenly sprouted into a vast forest of towering trees at her word.
“Trace—on! Projection Begin!”
The moment the trees rose, Yan spoke again.
This time, instead of continuing the word chain, he began to circulate the mana within his body.
Through observing the world and recalling the theories of “magic” from his original world—
Yan reconstructed his Magic Circuits.
By that same logic—
If Magic Circuits worked, then—
…Projection Magic should also be possible.
Yan, who had always dreamed of becoming a close-combat mage—a so-called Nuke Sword Immortal—was now eager to try.
Yan, who’d never given up on the dream of becoming a close-combat mage — a so-called ‘Nuke Sword Immortal’ — still wanted to try the ‘Crane-Wing 21-Strike’ someday.
(T/N): Nuke = Nuclear
Recalling everything he knew about Projection Magic, he began the process.
「────Projection Begin」
Analyze the creation concept;
Define the basic structure;
Duplicate the composition material;
Imitate the crafting technique.
In this very moment—manifest the sword woven from fantasy—!
Grr… crackle… hiss—ahhhh—!
Arcs of lightning sparked around Yan as he raised his right arm high.
When Cidy’s eyes turned toward him, what she saw left her speechless—a chain of pitch-black blades, dark as iron sand, materialized out of thin air.
“This is… magic!?”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
As Yan swung his hand downward, the countless blades launched forward, shooting straight toward Cidy.
They pierced through several giant trees that stood between them—
Boom!!! Each sword exploded upon impact, sending dust and smoke billowing through the forest.
“Ah—!” Giselle, watching from the side, let out a cry of alarm.
She quickly turned toward the direction of the explosion.
In the dust and sand swirling at the center of the blast, it was impossible to see what had happened.
“Bwother—did you win!?”
“If I had, we’d already be out of here,” Yan replied calmly. His eyes flickered as he smiled faintly at the silhouette emerging through the haze.
So it worked after all…
Though he wasn’t sure how effective it was.
If it could’ve just taken her out directly, it would’ve saved him a lot of trouble.
Suddenly—sensing something—Yan’s face dimmed slightly.
“My, my… disappointed, are you, boy?”
Cidy’s voice echoed as the smoke cleared. She stood there, perfectly unharmed, protected within a shimmering mana barrier.
“Even if this was my first time using something called a ‘Magic Circuit,’ simply controlling mana—I can still do that much. I am a mage, after all.”
“Figures… she’s not that easy to beat,” Yan murmured.
“Looks like you’re the one who slipped up,” Cidy said lightly as she stepped out from the smoke with a smile.
“First, you nullified my Magic Pathway, cutting off my magic. Then you materialized a system I wasn’t familiar with—Magic Circuits.
Unfortunately for you, that doesn’t work on someone who has transcended herself and grasped the world’s truths.
As long as I can still access mana, even this ‘Magic Circuit’ is enough for me to reconstruct combat-ready spell formulas in a short time.”
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and calculation as she spoke.
“Now then—allow me to claim the final victory.”
In moments, Cidy had constructed a spell for flight.
She lifted off, hovering high above, looking down at Yan with a predatory gaze—the same dangerously sharp look she had when they first met in the library.
On the battlefield, one should fight with the resolve to kill the opponent.
And in this game, Cidy had unknowingly slipped into the mindset of a mage’s duel—regarding Yan as a worthy opponent worthy of respect.
Now, she released her full pressure—completely, without restraint.
Cidy’s expression turned solemn and determined as she extended her palm toward him, locking onto his position.
“This game was quite fun. But—this is the end!”
Her soft voice carried, and a vortex of intense flames began to spin in her palm.
It was a mage-style recreation of a high-level fire spell—Scorching Jet.
And Yan, unable to fly, stood grounded like a target among the trees.
The flames would sweep through the entire forest in an instant.
With her high vantage point, there was nowhere for him to hide.
“Yes… it’s over,” Yan said quietly, his face calm and unreadable.
He didn’t look worried in the slightest.
On the sidelines, Giselle and Restia clenched their small hands in anxiety.
Yan, however, finally rose to his feet—unhurriedly.
It just so happened—it was his turn again.
“Reality Marble—Unlimited Blade Works.”
The initial and final syllables matched.
Word-chain rule—success.
Rule Two: that which does not exist—if spoken—shall be made real.
Then Yan looked toward Cidy and said softly, “Just to clarify, I never intended to defeat you with that earlier Projection Magic… I only wanted to try it out. Didn’t expect it to actually work.”
“Wha—” Cidy’s expression faltered in confusion. Before she could ask anything—
suddenly—
The world before her eyes shifted once again.
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(T/N): Damn, manifesting the Archer in Fate/Stay Night haha