Chapter 248 - Infinite Mage

No matter what anyone might witness, they would never criticize Shirone. Even if it stemmed from a malicious intent directed towards him. “Where is this...?” Yet, she couldn’t perceive anything. What lay before her was not raw emotion, but the meticulously sorted flow of history, arranged into categories. The spinal knowledge that Shirone had once spoken of. When she had first heard about it, she imagined it as a vague blueprint, but upon seeing it, she realized that he truly accomplished a remarkable feat. To have the spinal knowledge engraved at the fifth stage meant that not a single piece of information was handled carelessly. Understanding was impossible without linking the causal relationships of all acquired knowledge. Shirone achieved that. It made him vividly aware of the immense effort Shirone put into matching the intellectual abilities of the students at the magic school. Armin, like Arius, whom he had stayed with recently, quickly grasped the characteristics. The categories of information, neatly filed on the shelves, were organized so that any section could be independently understood. 'Just what is this child...' Above all, this place was the realm of unconsciousness. There exists lifelong information that one never forgets. People call it primordial knowledge. Shirone had brought forth the spinal knowledge into the state of primordial knowledge. As Armin wandered the library, repeatedly marveling inside, he stumbled upon a section in disarray. Books lay torn to shreds, and shelves were destroyed. “They must have been here.” Seeing the devastated shelves, Amy felt her heart sink. Knowing better than anyone the sentiment with which Shirone had completed the spinal knowledge, she was overwhelmed with resentment towards them. “Those bastards. Do they even know what this is...” Collecting the scattered papers from the floor, Amy couldn’t hold back her tears. She couldn’t forgive Zion. He would pay the price, somehow. “Please wait a moment.” Armin cautioned. The collapsed shelf began regenerating as if it were a living creature healing. With astonished eyes, Amy watched the process unfold. “How is this possible?” “Typically, it's impossible. However, complementary knowledge bases form a net structure. Even if one path is blocked, it immediately reroutes to establish a new path. Soon, the spinal knowledge will be restored to its former glory.” Reina inquired. “So then why destroy it? Arius would have known. He’s an expert.” “Because he’s an expert.” Reina tilted her head in confusion. But Armin’s explanation stopped there. It wasn’t beneficial to praise the enemy amidst a soon-to-be battle. Zion destroyed it, and Arius possibly resisted. No other scenario came to mind. Viewed by the world as grave robbers, yet with strong intellectual pride. Having seen Shirone's unconsciousness, the impression must have been profound. It was like how invaders wouldn't wish to desecrate foreign artifacts. Secrets of the Abyss (Part 2) “Nevertheless, this is truly astonishing.” Shirone had perfectly categorized his unconscious mind. It was beyond surprising; it felt outside the realm of human capability. As Armin and the others turned at the sound of footsteps from the entrance, Shirone, looking more worn out than before, approached while breathing heavily. “I’ve recovered a bit. Let’s go down quickly.” Wiping her eyes, Amy approached Shirone. “Are you okay? Let me help you.” “Stay away. I don’t want your help.” “But we have to go anyway. Come on.” Despite his strong resistance, Amy didn’t pay heed and supported Shirone. Shirone, too weak to continue resisting, had no choice but to accept the assistance. Reina watched and offered a bitter smile. ‘So that’s what it was.’ Initially, she hadn’t understood how they could maintain friendships while overlooking each other's emotions. But now she understood. The two were bound by a trust that surpassed emotions. ‘I... can never take that place.’ “You are an incredible girl.” Armin came to stand beside Reina. He also acknowledged Amy’s resilience. The intensity of incarnation’s animosity conveyed pure emotion, making its trustworthiness full scale. Yet willingly sacrificing for Shirone was not something just any girl could do. Finally, a light and unburdened smile graced Reina’s lips. “She’s been holding out for a year.” *** Shirone's mental stage three. A world of extreme cold. In the midst of a chill that seemed capable of freezing one's very blood, Shirone and his companions crossed a frozen sea with hunched shoulders. There was no sun, but the ground reflected the moonlight, allowing them to sight their way. However, ahead lay nothing but a boundless darkness. Amy imagined this as the night of the Arctic. So cold and desolate, and yet somehow mysterious, a freezing resting place. From the extremely short visibility range, occasionally passing by were crystals as tall as a person. Each differed in color, exuding a gentle light as if they were inanimate life forms. “Love. Friendship. Desire.” Armin remarked. “These are likely gemstones containing such primordial emotions. As long as we don’t directly interact, reviewing them is impossible. He handles the unconsciousness as if it were consciousness. There’s no need for concern.” Amy let out a sigh of relief. Having not delved into his inner emotions, it wouldn’t be embarrassing to face Shirone again. Provided, of course, they made it out of here alive. Delving deeper, Armin felt he understood Shirone less and less. Stage three alone was a landscape impossible without independently organizing and defining all his inner elements. ‘Just how profound is this child's insight?’ As such thoughts crossed his mind, the lights of the crystals began to extinguish one by one, and Shirone, appearing almost at death’s door, grew increasingly haggard. Amy didn’t turn to look at Shirone. Because he wouldn’t want her to see. They only pressed forward, unable to even wipe away the tears that flowed. The weight of incarnation had become incredibly light, no longer fitting to call human. ‘Just a little longer, Shirone, just hold on a little longer…’ Despite struggling with each step, Shirone focused his gaze on the darkness. Finally, the veil of shadows parted, revealing a small cabin with a light flickering inside. “There it is. Level 2 of the subconscious.” Now everyone understood. Armin rapidly moved his frozen legs, explaining, “We’re traversing the mental world through the shortest path. By now, we might have caught up with Arius. Be prepared for any situation.” It was a call to get ready for battle. From that moment, Amy mentally prepared herself with a sequence of incantations. Reina, pulling out an arrow encrusted with frost from the cold, pressed her back against the wall next to the door. Armin swiftly opened the door and surveyed the interior of the cabin. Although he wasn’t Jona, his visual perception, devoid of directional bias, allowed him to scan the surroundings faster than most people. Following him, Reina deftly entered the cabin, bow aimed, covering all angles as she accompanied Armin. No enemies were visible. When Armin signaled the area was clear, Amy brought Shirone inside. The warmth of the cabin melted their wind-battered, blue-tinged skin. Once the door closed, the howling wind fell silent, as if it never existed. “Over there...” Shirone pointed with a trembling hand to the living room sofa. Once Amy guided him over, he collapsed onto it like a puppet with its strings cut. “I just… want to rest a bit.” “That sounds wise,” Armin agreed after assessing Shirone’s condition. Then, Reina stepped in with urgency, “We don’t have time to waste. Arius isn’t here, which means he’s already descended to level 1.” “Even if he discovers Ataraxia, extracting it will take time. Even if we can stop Arius, if we can’t imprint something here, Shirone will die.” “Oh…” Reina recalled their reality. Xenoger's blade hovered to sever Shirone’s neck. With the deepest levels reached, they needed a solution. “Level 1 is Shirone’s most distant memory. It’s called the primal consciousness, occurring in the womb, where it’s impossible to implant clear concepts.” “So this place is essentially Shirone’s treasure trove.” Reina looked around. The cherished place Shirone chose was the cozy home of his family, a testament to the warmth he felt with them. Amy tossed dry logs into the fireplace and cast Ignite. Damned Ignite. She thought to herself as she extended her hands toward the flame's warmth, then turned to the others. “It’s not only about the method; where do we record this?” “It varies for each person. Based on what I’ve seen, perhaps it's in the form of a book. Let's head to the library.” The three of them moved towards the library. Shirone’s thoughts throughout his life were classified in book form. There were even books with names as their titles. Vincent, Olina, and, intriguingly, Reina and Armin were also present. Scanning through the names of magic school students, Amy’s eyes locked onto one book. Karmis Amy. It had a red cover. Everything is in that book. What Shirone thought of her. The emotions with which he viewed her. As if bewitched, Amy withdrew the book and tenderly ran her fingers over the leather-bound hard cover. Armin and Reina watched from behind. “I won’t stop you, Amy. If this satisfies you.” “You’ve led Shirone well up to this point. You deserve it,” Armin concurred. Reina looked at Armin, surprised. While she understood and permitted it as a woman, acknowledging an act that might be inappropriate, she didn’t expect Armin to agree as well. A thought dawned on her. ‘Is the probability we face much lower than anticipated?’ Armin was planning for the worst-case scenario. If they couldn’t find a way to save Shirone, then this might be Amy's final memory with him, allowing her at least to know his heart before saying goodbye. “No, I won’t.” Amy examined only the book’s cover before slotting it back onto the shelf. Nothing was over yet. Shirone would definitely survive. He would continue to compete with her as a magician. “It seems there isn’t a way to imprint anything into Shirone here. Let’s check elsewhere.” Amy left the study with resolve, causing Armin and Reina to exchange knowing smiles. Locking eyes with Shirone’s unyielding stare, Amy now felt unfazed. “Fine, hate me all you want. I’ll give you a good thrashing when we return to reality.” “I really dislike you. Honestly.” “Hmph! Suit yourself. I don’t like you either! Bleh!” As Amy stuck her tongue out, Shirone coughed. When a mouthful of blood spilled out, Amy’s face went pale, and she rushed to him. “Shirone! Are you okay?” Even as the mental landscape crumbled, his gaze remained focused; now, however, his eyes began to lose their light. The manifestation of his will had become so feeble that it was lighter than a whisper. Struggling to lift his quivering eyelids, Shirone spoke. “Why... do I… dislike you…” “Okay, okay. So stay with me.” “… No.” Shirone whispered in a voice dying away. “Seeing you dance with someone else… I just… hate it.” Amy felt as if she’d been struck with a hammer. She had assumed it was disappointment for not being able to save her. The thought that it was because she danced with Zion hadn’t crossed her mind. “That’s… you know, Shirone…” It was an unavoidable event. Or was it really? Was she truly honest in the face of Shirone’s discontent? “You fool, it’s not like that.” Amy’s voice quivered with emotion. In truth, she knew it would hurt Shirone. Yet she couldn’t face it. It was too terrifying. “Really, it wasn’t like that. I… I…” With a voice that was barely more than a whisper, Shirone managed to speak. “Run... take everyone... get out of here. I can't go... we'll all die.”