Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 102

#102. The Place Reached Against the Current (4)

 

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“Capturing them would be better than killing them, right?”

The boy seemed like someone whose sense of urgency and tension had completely evaporated.

It wouldn’t have been strange if his line had been replaced with something like a restaurant waiter asking, *‘Would you like it well-done or medium?’*

“Uh, uh… Y-yes.”

Though the response slipped out in bewilderment, it wasn’t an incorrect agreement.

Capturing enemies alive allowed for interrogation or prisoner exchange.

Having received the “order,” Ray shifted his gaze between the alley entrance and the rooftop above.

The magic wielded by the enemies consisted of various elemental properties.

Elements were as numerous as the stars in the night sky, and magic could be described as the process of combining them to manifest the unreal in the world.

Among the countless elements, the one that determined a spell’s nature and classification was the *primary element.*

…And among these primary elements, the ones known for their high destructive power and transformative capabilities were fire (火), electricity (電), and ice (氷)—the elements of nature.

Right now, the magic in the enemies’ hands was all based on these natural elements.

A sinister, violet-hued current.

A chillingly sharp ice spike.

A flame capable of incinerating anything.

Lethal spells, capable of ending a life in a single strike, flew toward Ray.

*‘All of them are first-circle mages.’*

Time seemed to flow sluggishly as the boy assessed the situation.

If it had been before, he would have considered this situation a serious threat.

But not anymore.

His current stage was second-circle.

With his once-incomplete circle now fully formed, the amount of refined mana he could wield had drastically increased.

An increase in available mana meant he could now do things that had been impossible before.

For example—

*Wooooong—!*

Three streams of mana burst forth from the boy’s entire body, streaking toward the incoming spells like hunting dogs.

Each mana stream contained a different elemental property.

The stream targeting the fireball contained water-element mana.

The stream targeting the electric surge contained earth-element mana.

The stream targeting the ice spike contained electricity-element mana.

Each one utilized an element with an inherent advantage over its target.

*Wooooong—!*

With precise control, the three streams of mana burrowed between the bonded elements of the enemy spells.

In an instant, the elemental bonds began to snap apart.

Confirming this, the boy focused his mind—

*Paht.*

—and dismantled the spells.

Perhaps *ripped apart* would be a more fitting description.

The elements that had formed the spells shattered into pieces and scattered into the air.

Of course, this entire process was only visible to Ray.

To Collin and the three men from Murcred’s organization, the spells had simply vanished into thin air.

*What the hell just…?*

*……!*

Though the enemies said nothing, their expressions conveyed their emotions clearly.

Utter shock and confusion.

They had executed countless missions and accumulated vast combat experience.

Yet they had never seen or even heard of magic simply disappearing after being cast.

*……!*

*…….*

A tense silence hung in the air as they exchanged quick glances.

*─Could that kid really have done that?*

*─There’s no way an activated spell can be destroyed.*

*─Some kind of unknown trick…?*

Quickly reaching their own conclusions, the enemies conjured and fired another wave of magic.

Certain that the same *coincidence* wouldn’t happen again.

However—

*Paht.*

Once again, their spells vanished with a mere flick of the boy’s hand.

A shiver crawled down their spines as they realized—this was no coincidence.

*Paht.*

For Ray, it wasn’t anything particularly difficult.

*Paht.*

Just like when he had unraveled the shackles of Michael’s summoning magic, all he had to do was dismantle the elemental bonds composing the spells.

*Paht. Paht.*

The only difference was that this time, the enemies’ spells were of lower complexity, meaning their elemental bonds were tighter.

As a result, a bit of preliminary work was needed—sending out mana imbued with countering elements.

“I-I-I…!”

“S-Shit! What the hell is this?! What *is* that bastard?!”

The enemies finally let out screams of frustration.

They desperately drew mana from their mana-charged stones, firing spell after spell—but none even grazed the boy’s clothing before vanishing into nothingness.

A suffocating fear took hold of their minds.

A mage’s strength naturally came from their magic.

But now, unable to use magic, they felt as though their limbs had been cut off.

Had they ever imagined such a scenario?

That they, who once inspired terror, would be the ones trembling in fear?

“R-Run…!”

“We need to warn Allager…!”

The enemies tried to flee, but their legs gave out beneath them, sending them collapsing to the ground.

*Step— Step—*

From their fallen vantage point, they saw the boy’s figure approaching, growing closer and closer.

“A-Ah… Ahhh….”

Their bodies trembled with fear.

The boy’s emotionless face, streaked with tears, looked more terrifying than anything they had ever seen.

***
**
*

Ray released one of the three captured mages.

Like with the Brook gang before, he had attached a faint trace of an element to the escapee.

Focusing his mind, he sensed multiple signals moving toward a specific location within the sector.

*‘Tracking magic would leave a trace of mana, potentially alerting the enemy. This is an alternative.’*

It was a method only Ray, who could sense and differentiate mana at the elemental level, could use.

Alongside a now-recovered Collin, Ray left the alley.

Moving toward a location where two *special* signals were gathered, they regrouped with their allies.

“Ray! Oh…?”

“Uh, um… Who are *they*…?”

Seeing the three men bound and floating in the air behind Ray, the two approaching figures hesitated.

“I caught them.”

“You *caught* them…?”

Was it just their imagination, or did he sound as casual as someone saying, *‘Oh, I picked them up on the way.’*

Philip and Veronica cautiously approached the captives, examining them.

Ray spoke.

“Two are from Murcred’s organization. The other is from Nisoha’s group.”

*”Murcred.”*

At that name, the two instinctively took a step back.

“Uh… H-hello? N-Nice weather, isn’t it? Being upside down like that must be good for your circulation… Uh….”

Philip, locking eyes with one of the captives, panicked and spouted nonsense.

“…R-Ray, their eyes look *weird*.”

Veronica clung to Ray’s side, trembling.

Indeed, the Murcred men exuded an entirely different aura from typical gang members.

Their half-unfocused gazes were reminiscent of drug addicts, but the deep-seated madness gleaming in their eyes was something far more unsettling.

It was a madness that could explode into uncontrollable violence with the smallest provocation.

“It’s probably because of *this*.”

Ray pulled out two small red gemstones from his pocket—taken from the captives.

They were identical to the red gemstones found in Walter’s underground chamber.

Despite close examination, their only apparent function remained that of a mana-charging stone.

“Mana addiction…?”

“Most likely.”

Even if the charging stones were of high quality, they still contained raw, unrefined mana.

Watching Veronica’s face twist in pity as she observed the captives, Ray suddenly found himself being stared at.

“Ray. You must *never* use that. *Never, ever, ever, EVER.*”

“…Got it.”

Probably. Depending on the situation.

***

# **Outskirts of Street 16, First Floor of an Abandoned Building**

*Creak—*

As the door opened, the men inside immediately sprang to their feet.

“Big brother!”

“Collin! You’re alive!”

“Of course! There’s no way Collin wouldn’t have made it out!”

In the bare concrete space, the men, overwhelmed with emotion, erupted in relief—until they spotted the group standing behind Collin.

“And those kids are…?”

“They saved my life. The short version is—they’re mages.”

“……!”

**Mage.**

At that single word, the men stiffened, their expressions turning wary as they instinctively took a defensive stance.

The automatic rifles and shotguns in their hands looked quite menacing.

However, when a certain *someone’s* name was suddenly mentioned, an even greater shock and confusion spread through the room.

“—Niles’… uh, well.”

“N-Niles?!”

“Huh…?”

Collin found himself at a loss for words.

He would explain the details later, but at this moment, he struggled to find a term that accurately summarized the relationship between the young boy and their *big brother.*

“…Could they be his secret children?”

“But their hair colors are all different. And they seem a bit too old for that.”

“I mean, if he had them in his late teens, it’s *technically* possible….”

“Not like our big brother was the type to stick with just one woman.”

“You think he knocked someone up when he was young and just never told us?”

The men, reeling from the sheer absurdity of the situation, blurted out whatever came to mind.

It wasn’t that they truly believed what they were saying—it was just that the situation was so *unbelievable* that their brains scrambled to find any explanation.

As their speculation spiraled toward disaster, Collin shot a pleading look at Ray for help.

“…Benefactor.”

Silence fell over the room.

“I’m not the benefactor. *Niles* is. In Sector 50, he helped us a lot.”

“…Right. Benefactor. *Why* didn’t I think of that word?”

“S-Sector 50?”

“You’re saying… Niles isn’t actually dead?!”

“We’ll explain everything later, but for now—can we deal with those outside first?”

Collin gestured toward the still-open doorway.

Outside, their captured enemies hovered helplessly in midair, limbs restrained.

“Lucas!”

“That *bastard*…!”

“And the other two…?”

“They’re mages. Outsiders Brook brought in.”

“……!”

The prisoners were swiftly secured.

Lucas, a member of Brook’s gang, was simply tied to a chair.

But the two mercenaries from Mercred’s group?

They received *far* harsher treatment.

Blindfolded. Gagged. Limbs bound behind their backs.

Then—stuffed inside steel drums, *sealed shut.*

As if that weren’t enough, several men stood watch with their guns aimed directly at the barrels.

Even the *grandfather* of all mages wouldn’t be able to escape from that.

Noticing the group’s reactions, Collin offered a bitter explanation.

“We don’t know much about magic. We’ve always been at its mercy. One moment, a guy’s standing next to you—the next? He’s melting in a fireball.”

They had no understanding of countermeasures.

So they did the only thing they *could* do—prepare in the most extreme way possible.

###

After securing the prisoners, Collin led the group deeper inside.

They passed a few concrete pillars.

Their destination was a makeshift office, sectioned off by thin partition walls.

A large map of the sector lay spread across a table in the center—suggesting the space doubled as a war room.

“Our real base wasn’t always this run-down. But… after losing so many battles, we kept getting pushed back….”

Collin spoke as he hastily cleared seats for the newcomers, sounding almost apologetic.

It wasn’t that he cared much about appearances.

It was just…

*Here they were, revealing the fractured state of their organization to the very boy Niles had given his life to protect.*

*And on top of that, they had to show him this miserable excuse for a stronghold?*

“Anyway, take a seat so we can discuss everything in—”

*Ugh…*

*Hrrgh…*

Low groans suddenly echoed from the far side of the room.

They came from behind a long curtain on the right.

A faint medicinal scent lingered in the air.

This was a war-torn sector.

It didn’t take much imagination to guess what lay beyond that curtain.

“That’s our infirmary. We don’t have proper materials, so we just separated the space with a curtain. Sorry about the lack of privacy—maybe we should move somewhere el—”

“No.”

Ray interrupted as Collin stood up.

Then, turning to Veronica—who had been staring at the curtain, unable to look away—he reassured her.

“It’s okay.”

“…It is?”

“Yeah. It is.”

The girl felt grateful that he had spoken first.

She clutched her hands together, taking in a deep breath.

Then, gathering her resolve—she walked toward the curtain.

Ray turned back to Collin.

“Would it be alright?”

“Huh? What do you—ah!”

Collin suddenly remembered something.

*”If Veronica heals you again, you’ll recover much faster.”*

Back when Ray had treated his wounds, he had *specifically* mentioned her name.

And during their brief introductions, the girl’s name *had* been Veronica.

“Of course, if she’s willing to use healing magic, we’d be *incredibly* grateful. But… everyone behind that curtain is in critical condition. These aren’t just minor wounds like mine—these are *life-or-death* injuries….”

“We’ll see.”

*Scraaape—*

At that moment, the curtain was pulled wide open.

Ray, in the middle of speaking, added one last remark.

“You might want to close your eyes.”

“Huh? Wait, wha—”

And then—

A blinding surge of light filled the entire room.

 

 

 

 

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