Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#18 Let Any Dissenter Step Forth

-Wooo!!!

“…It certainly is large. And…grand,”

Jane gazed up at the colossal dragon that had pierced through the ceiling.

Clicking her tongue in mild annoyance.

“Still, ain’t it just somethin’ we can smash? It’s just gotten bigger, right?”

“Do you feel that way? By all means, try it.”

“Think I can’t?”

Jane moved her hand again.

Somehow, the moisture lingering in the air was no longer controllable.

Inevitably, she extracted a portion of the liquid that formed her body, transforming it into a massive spear and hurling it at the dragon.

The spear, upon contacting the dragon’s body, shattered with an almost laughable ease.

– *Crack!*

– *Shhh…*

“…Absorption?”

“The countermeasures are already complete.”

Enoch, leaving Jane’s bewildered expression behind, gazed up at End.

The reason her magic was no longer effective.

In truth, it was simple. Just moments before, Jane’s magic, imbued with the chain harmony from the fusion materials, had been incorporated as well.

*’Huang Financial Fusion doesn’t differentiate between friend and foe. I used my items as a medium, then added Jane’s magic to it. In essence, it’s water-attribute resistance.’*

The mechanical dragon currently manifested was in a state enhanced by Jane’s magic.

A being imbued with a mid-to-low-grade water attribute from a Boundary-class mage.

Considering that, perhaps the mechanical dragon’s full name would be something along the lines of ‘End Dragon Cluster.’

– *Fzzzzzzzz!!!*

– *KWAANG!*

In that instant, End launched a counterattack.

A vast amount of energy gathered in its maw.

Blue lightning, erupting from the three heads, struck Jane all at once.

– *KWA-BOOM!!!*

– *Shhh…*

“…Tch.”

Jane’s body crumbled in an instant.

However, a moment later, it was restored to its original state.

Clothing included, there wasn’t any particular damage.

A Boundary-class mage’s very existence is already closer to magic than to human.

Physical impact alone could not harm them.

Not usually.

“…You, just what sort of sorcery are you weaving?”

“…”

“You just absorbed the liquid composing my body. What kind of thieving magic is that?”

Jane scrunched her face in disbelief, utterly flabbergasted.

In that brief moment between collapse and resurrection, the liquid composing her form had noticeably diminished.

“What choice did I have? I couldn’t very well just let your regeneration proceed unhindered.”

Enoch replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The instant Jane’s form began to crumble, he’d wrested partial control over her liquid composition through Chain Harmony.

That was what slowed her regeneration.

Of course, it was merely a stopgap measure.

When it came to manipulating the fundamental elements, he couldn’t compare to the Archmages themselves.

Except for End, already fully assimilated, the others would swiftly return to their former state given time.

*But they don’t know that.*

And Enoch had no intention of telling them.

He’d prefer they speculate wildly and interpret everything as they saw fit.

Feeling thus, Enoch held his tongue.

Instead, he voiced something else.

“Shall we continue like this, then?”

“You son of a…!”

“It makes no difference to me.”

Enoch shrugged.

Jane gritted her teeth.

As if declaring an end to all games, she unleashed a torrent of mana from her entire being.

Seeing that, the Archmages collectively frowned.

Surely she wouldn’t trigger a tidal wave right here and sweep the entire central continent away in an instant—

“Enough, that’s quite enough, Jane.”

It was Vergo, the Lightning Archmage, who intervened with urgency.

He transformed into lightning, instantly interposing himself between Enoch and Jane.

“What in the world, move aside already?”

“You too, enough is enough. Beyond this, it won’t be a game anymore.”

“That b*stard keeps getting on my nerves!”

“It’s your short fuse to begin with… No, never mind. Just stop it already.”

Vergo sighed, as if weary.

Then he spoke to Enoch.

“I implore you to cease as well. What good would come of provoking the Master of the Magic Tower? To face her full power is to contend with the entirety of this planet’s oceans. Could you truly accomplish such a feat?”

Vergo’s words held a subtle warning.

A small caution that pushing further would bring no benefit.

Enoch conceded that his words were not incorrect.

However, they were not entirely correct either.

Because, in truth, Enoch could very well contend with the entirety of the oceans.

“I appreciate the advice. Though, I cannot fully agree.”

“…Are you implying? That you are capable of facing Jayne?”

Could his magic truly affect the entire continent?

Surely not.

Vergo glanced up at the mechanical dragon.

“It is not a phenomenon, but a singular entity. It hardly seems capable of such a thing.”

Enoch’s magic seemed solely to summon entities.

The mechanical dragon before him was indeed quite powerful, but not capable of endangering the entire continent.

That was the meaning behind Vergo’s words.

Enoch listened carefully, then spoke directly.

“Master of the Tower. I believe you are mistaken about several things.”

“Mistaken?”

“Would you observe the rain of treasure currently falling?”

At the suggestion, Vergo lifted his gaze.

The rain of objects that had been falling for some time now.

Come to think of it, how long would this continue?

“…You use space as a warehouse? You certainly have many possessions. But, what is the meaning of this?”

“Master of the Tower. I can open these portals anywhere on the continent, as much as I desire. And, I have never once stated that I can only control a single one.”

“!”

Belatedly, Vergo’s eyes widened, just a fraction.

The objects scattered about them had already formed a small hill.

At a glance, it seemed to number not just thousands, but approached tens of thousands.

And Enoch’s magic… it transformed objects into the form of beasts.

‘If… if he could truly open a space across the entire continent…’

How was that different from a beast threatening the continent itself?

“If a wave washes ashore, I will simply respond in kind. A wave of mass, rather than water.”

“…”

“I am curious, truly, to see what will come of it. Regardless of the outcome, the Empire will be laid low.”

Enoch spoke with a placidness that felt like driving a wedge.

You are not the only ones with such power.

I, too, can scour the continent clean.

A blatant threat, imbued with such meaning.

It was almost pointless to say the other Mages of the Towers wouldn’t stand idly by.

The very fact that conflict would arise amongst them was, in itself, a crisis for the entire Empire.

“Honestly… been quiet for years, hasn’t he.”

In the end, Vergo raised the white flag.

He exhaled a deep sigh, laced with disbelief.

“Just as the monsters come swarming, so do these… singular individuals emerge. Is this the power of the age the Time Mage spoke of? This feeling of a later tide pushing back the former…”

“A tide of monsters, though, is a bit absurd, isn’t it?”

“Rascelin, keep your voice down.”

Vergo snapped at Rascelin, who had interjected.

Then, he turned his gaze towards the Guild Master.

“Rosita. What are we to do now? It seems there is no further point in this council.”

“…”

Rosita did not immediately answer.

First, she looked towards the two figures who had been engaged in a ‘minor’ skirmish.

“…”

“…”

Enoch, nor Jane, moved a muscle.

They seemed to tacitly understand that stepping further would ignite true war.

‘I want to resign.’

Rosita felt an unreasonable ache in her stomach.

For what earthly glory was she sitting in this seat?

He clutching his stinging chest, Rosita checked on Nordilla beside him.

For some reason, the Ice Magic Tower Master was chuckling, head bowed.

‘Blackmail, is it? An uncharacteristic act.’

Nordilla knew a sliver of Enoch’s true intentions.

He knew he wanted to enroll his beloved disciple into the academy.

Would such a man dare gamble with the empire as his stakes, venturing into dangerous waters?

Surely not.

The meaning of his laughter was that of an observer who alone knew the truth.

Ironically, however, his behavior granted Guild Master Rosita a certain conviction.

‘Nordilla has at least some connection to this Enoch. If he were truly a dangerous man, he would have stepped forward to stop him. Or at least offered a warning.’

But Nordilla had not.

The fact he hadn’t meant Enoch wasn’t that kind of man in the first place.

Rosita settled her mind there.

From the moment he stood against Jane, a Boundary-Class mage, his fate had already been decided.

“Attention.”

-…?

“I will now announce the results of the meeting.”

Rosita rose from his seat and cleared his throat.

All eyes turned to him, including Enoch, Jane, and the Magic Tower Masters.

“From this moment on, the mage known as Enoch will be granted certification. His rank will be Boundary-Class. I will not entertain any objections.”

-……

“However, he cannot receive the same treatment as other Boundary-Class mages. He is neither the master who built a Magic Tower, nor an imperial official who appoints to a position. Yet, we cannot simply ignore a mage of his caliber. In that sense, I will exercise my authority as Guild Master, granted by His Imperial Majesty, to create a new rank.”

A new rank.

The eyes of the mages widened at those words.

“The name of the new rank shall be 『Extracurricular』. I believe it is the most fitting title for someone as peculiar as him, an anomaly not meant to be included in the society of mages.”

Rosita, belatedly, turned her gaze upon Enoch.

Then swept her eyes across the entire assembly.

“Enoch will await the Guild’s envoy, soon to arrive. The other mages will show him due respect as a Beyond-Rank.”

-Thump, thump, thump.

Rosita struck the gavel three times.

“Thus concludes the Pankratos. Any insolent b*stard with complaints may step forth now. I shall personally and directly cross-examine them.”

A chilling threat reverberated through the hall.

Not a soul came forward.