Ops…
I just make a mistake. I'm planning to show a bit of my power by defeating everyone here, but it goes awry. That's because I grabbed the wrong swords…
I'm planning to use the one with red ribbon as it indicates the sword that's made from fire magic stone. There's a thing that's called affinity in this world, you see?
It's means a compatibility of someone's magic when they used it. Different people, different affinity. It's happen because of the mana that has stored inside your body, in a sense could be called as 'mana bank', reacted to the body and changed its effect accordingly to the person. If one's have a higher affinity towards fire magic, then the mana he'll have will be shining in a reddish color. How thick is the red, meaning how high the affinity is. So what if someone with red mana uses water magic or wind magic? It'll be slower, reduced efficiency, consumed a higher amount of mana than how its usually is, and harder to control. There's a lot of mana colors in this world, but those that's considered as a pure colored mana is only six. Red, blue, brown, green, white and purple. It represents fire, water, earth, wind, light and dark.
There's also people whose mana was a mix between two, red-blue, blue-brown, brown-green, e.g.. Those are people who can use dual element.
There's no three mix of color, but there is something called an advanced mana. For example, yellow colored mana. It represents thunder. So, by having this mana, the host will be able to use light, water, wind and fire.
To generate a lightning or thunder, you would need a natural factors of how water being crystallized by low air temperature within a cloud. The collisions then created an electrical charges, which make a thundercloud. When the lightning strikes, it'll cause a fire. And light. Thus someone who has a basic mana of yellow, can use fire, light, water and air magic efficiently. But those principle are only plausible if you have a mana that consist of thunder mana. For those with dual element mana, the mana itself has separated into two so there's no way to mix/combine them. As they had a different amount of atomic counts of neutrons, electrons and protons.
But thunder mana already consisted of the four atomic element of the four (fire, water, light and wind).
In short, thunder can occurs if there's water and wind. The collisions between it created lightning. When lightning are created, it can burn and light up. The cause and effect. Thus, those with lightning can use the four element mentioned before.
There's also more type of mana, but let's take a stop for this boring tour of lessons for now.
So, my mana, is something that has yet to be explained in this world.
It's black, and absolutely black without any distinctive color. Just black, all the way… It's also feel denser and thick. When I first releasing it, the mana suffocates me. It feels as if the mana engulfed everything. Not even leaving a single atom left in it. Be it air, water, anything. It feels similar to black hole, actually.
For a mana, its quite weird. If neutral mana is colorless, then what is black mana means? I only know when I tried learning magic. The efficiency of magic of each element I had are higher than normal, with the lowest being light, then followed by thunder and finally fire.
The problem is those with lower efficiency are easier for me to control.
With dark element being the strongest, followed by earth, water and then wind. So, in order for me to show a bit of my power, I planned to grab the swords with fire attributes. But I make a mistake as I don't take a look first before grabbing one and unsheathed it without thinking even a bit. How stupid.
The result is something I wanted, of course. I succeeded in showing my strength. But it was too much. Too much for now…
*****
The darkness engulfed everything within the coliseum. It reach as far as an eye can see. The skies, are not exception. It's all blackness. It's a scenery that the blind person usually see. Darkness… from each end to another. Just, emptiness…
Then, after a brief moment, that very darkness cracked. Like an eggshells. Its ruptured into pieces of glass and dissipated into the air. The suffocating stopped. And everyone can breath normally again.
"WH… WHAT WAS THAT?!!"
Scream the announcer in high note. Everyone is panicking and there's also a few that collapsed. Some just lose their consciousness while on their seats, but some are laying down in the floor.
Screams of shock and panic has turn on and soon, it became such an uproar.
Fears, confusion, cries…
*****
Its not my wrong if my magic gone awry. It can't be helped. My mana has high response toward hostility. The thing is, that's what I used right now. A small scale magic that used to cause negative debuff to the surrounding enemies. In games, this is a skill that usually a pack with raid bosses, or tanker-role. A magic with the name, "Intimidation".
It was supposed to be a skill that gave negative feeling of fear the all the enemies around the area of effect. And it's only effective toward those with lower mana.
It's supposed to be like that… Yes… My bad. I tampered with this magic before. Instead of causing fear, it would manipulate your brain to make illusion of your worst nightmare. To spread what true fears is.
I'm only aiming to use it on the participants, though… Also my bad. I grabbed the wrong sword after all. My sword, which is a special made by me to efficiently use magic of each element. And right now, I'm holding the one that was made from an amethyst. It's a darkness attributes sword… And what funny is, Intimidation are counted as a debuff skills of darkness category. Well, sh*t.
It's not my fault. Not my fault at all. I keep apologizing to all the people that got caught up by my magic, inside my head…
I must think of something quick and resolve this situation, right now! Quick, my super brain, wake up and work!
*****
The situation at the coliseum is going awry right now. And its even worst inside the arena stages.
Some lay unconscious while their eyes open and white. Some are seen to try to hide in the corner while holding their body and shivering as if its winter right now. Darius eyes rolled back and left it with only the white, while kneeling down with head to the upward, looking at empty sky. His mouth opens wide, and he just stay there like that. For about 5 minutes already…
Jeanne fell down on the ground while trying to pull herself together and stand on her last bit of strength. But, instead of standing straight, it looks like an old lady in her mid 80s holding her walking stick to support her fragile body.
Lucille are unable to even stand at all. She already tries like, three times. But every times, her hand and leg, along with her body, lose the strength she muster and force herself to get back to the cold ground. Laying hopelessly.
Geheim uses a grand scale magic to show his might after being looked down by Prince Alexei. That's what people thought. But, instead of a grand scale magic, it's just a small and low leveled skills called Intimidation. His magic just looked like a grand magic because of that massive amount of mana that used to activate this magic. Because his dark mana responded to the dark attribute sword in light speed, an absurdly large amount mana were used to invoke a small scale debuff skill. Which made it look like a grand scale instead. Maximum efficiency on dark magic, with mana of high density that it's almost physically touchable. Used on a sword with dark attribute. A complete package.
Now, it looks more like they just witnessed the arrival of demon lord from the legend, than just being intimidated by that skill. Its absurd to think that a human are capable of using such a magic. Without any artifacts or ultra rare magical items. Its just possible for him. He has it, a weapon that will be classified as national treasure, maybe the most powerful one at that. Even his clothes can compare itself with the most expensive magical armor available in this world, and still winning at efficiency on defensive capability and the anti-element part.
Of course he realize that, with those items with him, he's basically… no, literally a walking disaster. But that's what he's aiming for. So, he just accepted that facts without putting anymore thought on his mad idea.
Now that it has come to this, he could only play along as if it's all according to his plan, and quickly find a way to fix the situation. When he's in his deep thought, his eye accidentally met with Lucille. Then he remember the match Lucille's having with three mobs participant. Suddenly, a massive surge of information and ideas are coming to his head.
Lucille Sanctia. Her unique sword arts. Her sister Jeanne Sanctia. Overshadowed. Tournament. Proofing herself. Winning. Training. Joining. Shadow. Mystery. Strength.
Use her…
That last think that his information gave, has opened his way to properly finish this play of the Mysterious Man In Black.
Yes. Right now, he just had a good idea to plot in this play. To make a perfect ending that he wanted. When looking at Lucille, his only hope to fix the situation, he put on a small smile, that's only enough for Lucille to see it. Then, operation Sudden Plan B, commence!
*****
"You…"
I called for Lucille in a cool way.
"You have a beautiful swords art."
Lucille is responding to it. For now, it's looking good. Her face is a bit red, though. Why is it? Embarrassment? Oh no, what have I done. A girl, down in the ground. Looking up to a man. How embarrassing it is. How ungentlemanly.
"I'm looking for someone like you. Someone, who strives in their own way to bother and created their own art just to defeat other. Someone, who strive to create the best sword arts, in the world. Follow me. I'll give you what you wanted."
So I said while offering my hands toward her. Come, take it! You must accept it!
Here it comes! She's trying to reach my hand.
As someone who born from a family of dukedom, I thought of her as someone who lived an easy, beauty-first lifestyle. That thought immediately came like a punishment for me to think like that, because I can feel it within her hand. Rough, with hilt marks. I can feel that hand was used to wield sword to the limit. Shame on me to thought of her that way before.
Then as a service of saving me from this messed up situation, I used a healing magic to her.
It'll heal any physical and psychological wound within someone. Well, mainly because 'heal' in this world is a bit different from earth. The term is used only to physically visible wound. While they still have things called 'purify' to nullify negative effect such as petrification, paralyses, poisoned, etc..
But the term for heal in earth is used on any kind of physical or psychological wound. That's why the heal I used have different effects from the heal that people of this world used.
Just like how they understand the world. For them there's no outer space at all. They though the stars are only lights of the eye of angel that watched the night sky from evil beings.
For me, it's constellation. Outer space. Stars are planet and sun from far away. For them, the moon is the land of magic, where every celestial and supreme beings live. For me, it's a satellite of this world. Different understanding causes a different effects for magic.
Though, I don't know why her eyes turn red when I used the 'heal' magic to her. Well, whatever. I'm just happy now that she accepted the invitation even though it's a bit sudden.
I sheathed my sword back to the scabbard and is about to leave the arena, but, Jeanne stopped my by blocking the way to the resting area for participants.
"What is the meaning behind your action, Jeanne Sanctia?"
"Wha… What did you do to Lucille?!"
Huh? Isn't it just some healing magic? I spread my mana all around her body and performed healing magic in and outside of her. It's to completely heal all abnormalities from her body. Isn't that how it's work?
"I don't see any obligation for me to answer your question."
"YOU!"
I glared at her, using a bit of my mana to create the so-called pressure to intimidate her. It's a bit overkill, huh.
She just stopped all of a sudden. Well, whatever.
"Let's go."
I said it to make sure Lucille's following me. The two of us walked out of arena and it seems I forgot something. Ahh, why don't I heal all of those people that got the "Fear" effect from my magic earlier? Well, okay.
I spurted out some mana from the tip of my hand, and it explode in the sky. Everyone looked at the dark sparks and is showing… A bit of a weird face. It's a face of people in bliss…
Now that everyone has their fear subsided, I'll just continue my plan.
*****
The committee member are panicking over the situation in the arena right now. It's not supposed to be like that. What did they do to get this mock battle royale goes awry like this?
It's all a mistake when they let Geheim Nisubelschatt join the mock battle royale. No… It's already a mistake when they let him joined this tournament. A lot of questions are being slapped to their face by nobles, commoners, foreigners alike. They want information about that man clad in black. Who is he? Or, what is he? Human are not that strong anymore in this world because of the treaty about three years ago. A lot of magic was forbidden and forgotten, because they believe that this era is more of a swordsmanship than magical. Magic is only used to support swordsmen/women in their battle nowadays. But what Geheim just show them is something they never seen in a match between magic swordsman/woman before.
It's so mysterious that they think he's not someone from this era of the world. But the committee don't give them anything. Or, they don't have any information to give them, to be exact. They thought of Geheim Nisubelschatt just as someone important from outside of empire, who get here as a representative. That's all. They never thought he'll be that strong and would cause such a scene. This is super bad for their heart. But deep within it, they get excited. All this time they took to prepare the tournament, most of them already think of the winner for this year. Jeanne Sanctia. But now a black horse appears and sweep everything in his way without doing much. So, instead of getting headache about it, they'll just let it flow like a water currents. Yes. That man clad in black smelled like gold. Many of gold. This is a good thing. So they think…
A lot of rumors are spread already in just a few hours after the match is over. Now, all the participants will go back because of the incidents and the committee decided to postpone the rest of today tournament matches.
"He's someone from Herrlichkeit."
"He's a prince."
"No, he's a king."
"Nay, it's a hero from other continent. Just like how Ester is in our continent."
"He's here to test our strength."
"A representative to measure the military power of our Empire."
"I heard he took in Lucille Sanctia."
"Maybe Duke Sanctia know something about this man."
"Is he trying to create a coup d'état?"
"A coup? I don't think so. He's not hostile toward our empire. I see it more like they're thinking of negotiations with us."
In the last few hours, that's basically what everyone talk about. A mysterious man in black joined the tournament and show his might by defeating the favorites.
Newspaper are quickly made and printed from that limited information they had about the man, and everyone all over the entire empire, are buying one. The scale of this incidents has reach the entire empire in just a few hours. It's horrific. In this era, information gathering are not easily done. They don't have things like radio. Television. Or internet. All the information are gathered based on newspaper and through mouth to mouth interactions.
But right now, this incidents has heard all over the empire. In just about 4 hours after the incidents… How terrifyingly quick does it spread, just imagine.
*****
"That is what we could gather about him. All based on rumors, but some may content a truth inside them. We just can't sort it out."
"What a troublesome task… Your majesty, you really shouldn't keep bothering me with this kind of stuff every once in a while."
"There's no other people who would be wiser than you, Elder Grand Wizard, Raust-sama."
There's like seats of ten, with all very important-looking person. The one who sat to face all the other personnel is the emperor Jules the Third.
While the person he mentioned, Raust Grandart (ラスト・グランドアート), is a person appointed by the emperor as the head of magic research because of his achievements. He has followed the emperor since his young days and is considered as a few people that the emperor think of as a real friend.
"Alright. Give me a moment first. I'll try to come with a solution after I read all this information using my wisdom. Though it didn't mean I'm saying facts."
"It's fine, take your time. We'll be waiting here until you finish with it."
The emperor smiled when he said it. A polite smile. But Raust know that's not a polite smile. The meaning deep inside it… Is that the emperor will not leave until he finish it and give them what they want. Seeing that, he could only felt anger, but quickly started to read all the information on those letter. There, written everything about Geheim Nisubelschatt that the government gathered from rumors, latest movement of Geheim, and newspaper.
To be continued…