Now the students have become more serious. Everyone stared fixedly at Siena.
"But for that person to die, they'd have to spend a night with me."
The faces of the male students turned red.
"P-Professor, that example is a bit…"
"No need to be embarrassed. Because I would never do such a thing. You gain powerful abilities by setting a price on something you don't want to do at all. It's an equivalent exchange. Revealing the price might also be a price, but the important thing is that the person who devours the rule truly believes it. They're injecting their own personal omniscience into others through the power of omnipotence."
The students finally understood.
A 'Rule Eater' was a type of person whose way of thinking was completely twisted compared to ordinary people.
"Just learning it doesn't mean you can do it. The peculiarity of the mind manifests through obsession and bias. A 'Rule Eater' can be said to be the most terrifying existence for a mage."
This was all Shirone knew about Rule Eater. At that moment, he thought he understood it, but when he really encountered it, it was the height of confusion.
Above all, he couldn't understand why his Spiritual Zone suddenly disappeared. Since when? Even if it was caused by limitations and costs, Shirone hadn't done anything to deserve it.
'No, there was! I definitely did…'
Shirone suddenly remembered the situation from a while ago.
["You can kill me."]
It was this very moment. A magic that only Marsha and he knew.
The moment he uttered those words, Marsha's omnipotence penetrated his mind and activated the rule.
His heart pounded fiercely. He was caught by the Rule Eater. What was going to happen to him now? He couldn't predict anything.
'Keep calm. My Spiritual Zone simply vanished. If I stay alert, I can get out of this crisis.'
Rule Eater was like weighing the value of what was possible and impossible on a scale. Therefore, the cost to bear was inevitably as strange as the ability itself.
Perhaps when he said, 'You can kill me,' he had to risk remaining defenseless for quite some time. If he had attacked her then, Marsha would be dead.
But why hadn't he attacked? Was it because of Yuna? No, Yuna was safe.
His thoughts didn't connect. What the hell was happening to him right now?
'From the start. From the moment I met Marsha, I had already fallen into a trap.'
The moment Shirone realized that every event was scripted under Marsha's direction, he felt chills.
Everything, from leading him to the tavern, to provoking him using Yuna, to not harming Yuna.
"All for this moment?"
Marsha laughed joyfully, as if she could see through Shirone's thoughts. Seeing him so bewildered made her crazily joyful.
"Of course it is. Ah, meeting you was a coincidence. I'm a person who turns coincidences into fate. In any situation, there's nothing wrong with laying the groundwork. Perhaps this thoroughness is my charm?"
Shirone had no choice but to admit it.
It wasn't that she had attacked him from the start. She had been making plans for every person he had met throughout his life. Just with the slight assumption that they might meet again someday.
This thoroughness was precisely why Marsha had managed to escape the Magical Association's siege.
"So, shall we begin? I'm not sure what I can do."
Marsha approached Shirone with a confident smile. On the other hand, Shirone couldn't help but feel intimidated. He tried to cast Teleportation, but it still didn't activate.
Certainly, this condition wouldn't last forever. However, the concept of stealing someone's mental strength was an extremely strange rule for Shirone.
'This can't be. Where in the world does such magic exist?'
Shirone felt the greatest crisis of his life. Marsha's Rule Eater was clearly dangerous. This was because the Immortal Function itself, which could be said to be his last bastion, was sealed.
"Ah! I'll gladly take your mental strength."
The mental strength Shirone was about to use to teleport flowed to Marsha. Using that power, Marsha fired Sound Cannon again.
"Ugh!"
Shirone turned around and ran. It was a shocking sight to see a mage running in such a situation, but if he had been hit by Sound Cannon without being able to use magic, he might have lost his life.
"Hehe, I'll give you credit for abandoning your pride. But the fight is already over. Now that you're trapped in my deprivation, of course."
Deprivation by the Rule Eater.
She could deprive others of possession and steal. Among them, the magic she cast on Shirone was known as Plunder, capable of stealing the mental strength of the Spiritual Zone.
Shirone distanced himself as much as possible. He had to buy time somehow.
The calculation was that if someone loses their mental power simply by not following the words "You can kill me," the person might eventually kill him; there would inevitably be a time limit to consider the equivalent exchange.
"It's working!"
As expected, the plunder was released, and his mental strength recovered. Unable to assess the situation behind him, Shirone immediately launched Photon Explosion the moment he turned around.
Thunder rumbled as if striking repeatedly, and light shone in all directions.
Not to mention the effectiveness of the wide-range Photon Explosion launched in an open area, the effect was beyond imagination.
"Wow, that's cool. Truly surprising."
Shirone looked at Marsha. Seeing that she didn't even come closer, it was evident she was looking at him as if he were insignificant.
Anyway, if there was a time limit, there was no need to fear being plundered again. Because there was no fool who would fall for the same trick twice.
"Here I come!"
Shirone used Teleportation and rushed towards Marsha. But Marsha still had plenty of free time. And the moment Shirone entered her Spiritual Zone, she extended her hand and murmured.
"Rule Eater. Exorcism."
At that moment, Shirone's teleportation came undone. He fell to the ground due to inertia and slid several meters.
"Keueuk! What?"
His magic was undone once more. Had his mental strength been taken away from him again this time? However, his Spiritual Zone still remained.
"Eh? Eh?"
Shirone couldn't believe it. That magic shouldn't exist in this world. It didn't feel like what was happening to him was real.
Tess, watching Shirone's panic, turned to Amy and asked.
"What's happening? Did something happen to Shirone?"
"I don't know. His Spiritual Zone hasn't disappeared. But the fact that the teleportation came undone…"
At that moment, Amy shuddered as she realized.
No, it can't be. That shouldn't be allowed. Isn't this too harsh? How much effort had Shirone put in to reach that level?
Amy's sinister premonition became a reality. Shirone, incredulous, murmured while checking his own body.
"I can't cast magic."
"Haha, that's it. Extortion from Rule Eater is only possible if you're trapped in Plunder. Of course, there's the restriction that you must directly see the opponent's magic."
Marsha smiled and kindly explained. She didn't provide more information than necessary, certainly not more than a taunt at her opponent.
Shirone shook his head. It made no sense. Even if such restrictions existed, the idea of unconditionally snatching the opponent's magic was absolutely impossible according to the principle of equivalent exchange.
"Wow, to think such a wonderful magic exists. I'm very happy. Sound magic sucks. Thanks, Shirone. You're such a good little brother."
Spheres of light gathered around Marsha. It was the magic of imparting mass to light, Photon Cannon.
Shirone quickly threw his body to the side. At the same time, a strong burst of light struck the spot where Shirone had been.
Fragments of the ground splattered Shirone's face and stung him. The feeling of being subjected to his own magic was truly terrifying.
"Wow, this consumes a lot of mental power, doesn't it? How did you manage it? You're really amazing, Shirone."
Shirone stood up and looked at Marsha.
This time he couldn't contain his anger. No, it was more than that: it was injustice. The frustration of having all his magic stolen made his body tremble.
"But it's impressive. The ability of an Unlocker."
Marsha, who seemed happy, even displayed Laser with the intention of further provoking Shirone.
Even when the laser pierced the ground towards him, Shirone couldn't respond. He had been stripped of his teleportation too.
At that moment, Amy ran, grabbed Shirone, and executed the teleportation. She too had little mental strength, so they couldn't move a great distance. Rian and Tess hurried to protect them.
Marsha looked at them mockingly.
The knight was in disarray, and Amy had difficulties even casting Teleportation. Worse still, Shirone, their only hope, had been stripped of his magic and turned into an ordinary guy.
"That's what I said, right? You can't beat me."
It was indeed a miserable situation. Particularly, the psychological shock Shirone received was immense. If he were a normal person, he might have cursed Marsha, cried, and thrown a tantrum until he passed out.
"Shirone, snap out of it. The fight isn't over yet."
"But my magic, my… magic."
Shirone's voice trembled.
Amy understood. If it had been her, she might have collapsed from an outburst of anger.
For a wizard, their magic is everything. The mere idea of giving it all away to another person was enough to send chills down their spine.
"Shirone! Get up! We have to keep fighting!"
Surprised, Shirone managed to stand up.
The notion that he mustn't give up, as befitting his strong mindset, emerged as an instinct. But the emotional wound was too deep.
"How the heck? How am I supposed to fight?"
"Think logically! Where in the world does a magic exist that can steal magic so easily? There's definitely a huge risk according to the principle of equivalent exchange."
Shirone came to his senses again. What she said made sense. He had been so worried about having his magic stolen that he hadn't realized, but Marsha's Extortion couldn't just be activated like that.
First, one had to be trapped in Plunder. Then, one had to see with their own eyes the magic they wanted to steal. It was definitely a difficult condition, but Marsha's Rule Eater was so overwhelming that it didn't make sense even with these two limitations.
Amy desperately tried to convince Shirone.
"If it was taken easily, it can be retrieved easily. Or rather, it should be much easier to get it back than to catch it. That's an equivalent exchange. So never give up."
"All right. I'll try."
Shirone regained courage. It's not that he had come up with a specific plan, but he couldn't just sit and cry.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, but…"
Rian, who had been listening until now, intervened.
"If it steals what it sees, then you can use magic it hasn't seen, right? Like that Wind Cutter you showed at home."
"Ah, right."
At that moment, a strong idea entered Shirone's mind. Right. Strictly speaking, being on the receiving end, Extortion might be better than Plunder. This was because at least the Spiritual Zone could be operated.
"I see. The only way is to try it with your own body. Thanks, Rian."
Amy whispered, wrapping her arms around Shirone's waist.
"I'll teleport you closer. From there, try doing something with Wind Cutter."
Amy used Teleportation with all her might. As the two emitted light simultaneously and cut through the air , Marsha also teleported.
Since Extortion only replicates the opponent's omniscience as it is, it's impossible to apply it beyond its original principles without understanding the activation mechanism.
Therefore, even Marsha, who stole Shirone's Teleportation, couldn't attempt techniques like Patroller or Rainbow Drops.
Amy persisted in that part. She approached Marsha with dazzling movements and then threw Shirone at her.
Shirone extended his hand towards Marsha and executed the Wind Cutter. As it wasn't his specialty, it was difficult to hit her without getting closer.
However, such deficiencies turned out to be a blessing in disguise. This was because Marsha retreated much further than expected.
"What?"
Marsha's movements were strange. Even if she wasn't familiar with the magic, she could have tried something like Photon Cannon or Photon Explosion in response to the Wind Cutter.
However, she decided to retreat. And quite far, too.
"Could the limitations of extortion be...?"
A possibility arose in Shirone's mind.