Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 166

**#166. Melting Point (2)**

—

A flash engulfed the inside of the tower.

───────.

In that world of white, the boy felt as if time had come to a halt.

*─Beautiful.*

There was no room for rational judgment in that instinctive reaction which stirred both body and soul.

It was simply beautiful.

The enormous storm of mana raging before his eyes.

**[Woooooooooo───!]**

The storm was originally composed of resplendent mana of every hue that made up the magic circle.

It was expanding rapidly, absorbing the mana in the surrounding air.

It spun, it charged, it screamed, it burned, it burst into laughter, and it danced.

And at the center of that vortex, which at a glance resembled a festive celebration—

**[Crackle──!]**

—was the circles of Binjin, cracking and breaking apart.

It felt different from the element of destruction that had burrowed into it and shattered it from within in silence.

This was the circle breaking purely due to external pressure.

**[Crack─!]**

**[Crackle─!]**

The circle was in a precarious state.

The storm, unable to escape, violently assaulted the circle trapped within its bounds.

Especially vicious were the deep navy emotions of the victims once pooled on the magic circle, now part of the storm itself—as if seeking revenge, they tore mercilessly at Binjin’s circle.

Not just the circle.

Even Binjin’s body, through which a trickle of mana still flowed, became a target.

**[Snap─!]**

The circle shattered.

The mana it contained spilled out and began to condense into a single point at the center of the storm.

It was, without a doubt, the culmination of Binjin’s lifetime of time and effort.

That small point turned into a sphere the size of a fist, and when neither the circle nor Binjin’s body had a single trace of mana left—

**[─────!]**

—a galactic river surged from below.

**Boom──!**

The ground shattered, concrete fragments flew in every direction, dust filled the air, and time—which had slowed for the boy—returned to its normal flow.

“……”

The boy stared at the river of stars that rose from the floor.

It was a snake.

Like the mechanical devices seen on the streets, it had mana flowing through its entire body.

Its scales were a yellow hue.

Its eyes were blue.

The vividly colored creature, far larger than any large vehicle, stood out starkly against the drab interior of the tower.

The boy’s lips parted as if mesmerized.

“A spirit…?”

The knowledge and memories of Binjin, absorbed through the fountain pen, swirled in his mind like debris caught in the storm.

The first word that surfaced in connection with the snake before him was *spirit*.

Then, the snake lowered its head stiffly and looked at the boy.

And slowly blinked.

“……”

The boy could sense it—that the snake was greeting him.

It wasn’t from Binjin’s memories. It was instinctive.

He blinked back, slowly.

And the colors of the snake’s friendly emotions, contained in its vessel, deepened.

“Are you full?”

The mana sphere was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the boy saw mana of the same dark navy hue spreading beneath the snake’s scales.

In response to his question, the snake blinked a little differently than before.

It was as if it had understood and was replying.

Ray gave a slight nod.

“That’s good. But I haven’t finished sorting out the memories that entered my head yet, so—where are you from—”

“Laqria!”

At that moment, a furious scream came from behind the snake.

“Bite him! Swallow him! Devour him! Leave not even a trace of his form in this world! *Cough!*”

As the dust cleared, Binjin appeared in a corner of the magic circle.

He was flattened against the ground, barely propping up his upper body with his arms.

Bloodshot eyes.

Unceasing ragged breaths.

A convulsing, blood-covered body.

…Even left alone, it seemed he would die any moment.

*‘Still alive, huh.’*

Ray had no intention of leaving him be.

**Fwoosh!**

He immediately conjured a fireball and hurled it at the unwelcome survivor.

But mana from the snake’s body burst out and formed a thick barrier around Binjin.

**Boom──!**

The fireball was stopped cold by the shield.

“Khaha! *Cough!* Yes! That’s it! Laqria! Protect me! *Cough!* Swallow that bastard immediately!”

Binjin shouted triumphantly, coughing up blood.

“It may be unrefined, but that’s fine too! What’s in the box was prepared for you as well! *Cough!* Go, Laqria! The power you’ve always desired! This is your chance to expand it!”

The snake called Laqria tilted its upper body in visible distress, as if resisting the command.

*A summoning spell?*

Ray quickly realized it wasn’t.

There were no violet chains linking Binjin and Laqria.

*‘The only method I know for controlling other beings is summoning magic, but if that’s not it…’*

Then a single word sprang to mind.

*‘…Contract?’*

It came from the memories he’d absorbed from Binjin.

Scenes that seemed related flashed across his mind.

But the chaotic jumble of memories made it hard to grasp the situation’s full scope.

“Laqria! What are you doing?! Quickly! Quickly! *Cough!* Swallow him now!”

The more Binjin shouted, the more violently Laqria twisted its body.

Ray focused his attacks on the shield protecting Binjin, intending to eliminate the one giving commands.

But—

*‘That shield’s durability is no joke.’*

**Boom─! Boom─!**

Even the most destructive fire-based explosion magic from the elemental branch had no effect.

Worse—

**Crackle!**

The lightning magic channeled through the jewel not only failed to work—it was neatly absorbed.

The shield Laqria produced glowed the same yellow as its scales.

*‘The electric elements surrounding its surface are neutralizing similar elements. So this is another way they can be used…’*

Ray gained a new insight and ceased his magic attacks.

Not just because they were ineffective—

**Hsssshh—! Hsssssssshh—!**

—but because Laqria had stopped struggling and was now rapidly approaching.

Unbelievably fast, considering its massive body.

Its huge tongue, capable of wrapping around an adult male, flicked out.

*‘It’s having a hard time resisting Binjin’s command.’*

Ray stirred the mana in front of Laqria’s eyes, but it didn’t react—it just charged straight at him.

A pang of disappointment hit him.

Meeting the “Galactic Creature” had been something he’d looked forward to.

And though they’d finally come face to face, they’d barely shared a moment before Binjin ruined it.

*‘But the snake’s friendly emotions haven’t changed at all.’*

It was merely following orders—it wasn’t truly an enemy.

Still—

**Vmmmmm──!**

—that didn’t mean Ray would let himself be restrained.

He fired back-to-back spells of two different elements from his hands.

**Boom─!**

The fireball had no effect on Laqria’s scales.

**Crackle─!**

The lightning was absorbed by the electric elements covering the scales—and even seemed to accelerate Laqria’s movement.

**Whoosh──!**

The yellow mass closed the distance like lightning and surged upward.

In that instant—

As Ray looked up, he found a fanged black cave already looming close before his eyes.

**Boom──!**

The snake’s scale-covered head slammed into the ground, sending concrete and dust flying.

Binjin laughed maniacally at the sight.

“Good! *Cough!* Laqria! That’s it! Your body, immune to magic, is a wizard’s worst nightmare! Kuhuhu! That bastard will be shattered without a trace—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because as the dust cleared, there was nothing to be seen.

**Tap tap tap tap tap──!**

Footsteps rang in his ears.

Turning his head, Binjin saw Ray dashing toward the wooden box on the other side of the magic circle.

“H-he’s alive! Laqria! After him! *Cough!* He’s after your food!”

Laqria began to move again.

Hearing the slithering scales behind him, Ray organized his thoughts.

*‘First, magic doesn’t work on the Galaxy’s scales or barrier.’*

Even magic powered by the mana in the ring couldn’t deal significant damage.

And the lightning-element mana from the jewel actually amplified the Galaxy’s power.

*‘For now, I need to buy time and sort through Binjin’s memories.’*

*Contract.*

He had a gut feeling that this short word held the clue to resolving the situation.

But before that—

*‘There’s something I need to do.’*

**Tap!**

Ray stopped in front of the wooden box, lifted its bottom, and dumped out the contents.

**Roll, roll.**

Ayla tumbled out.

“Dead?”

**Clink.**

“Nope.”

She seemed to have drunk something like a sleeping potion and fallen into a deep sleep.

Ray knelt on one knee and shook Ayla awake.

“Wake up. Now’s not the time to be sleeping.”

“D-dictionary… don’t hit me. My head… it’s precious…”

Ayla muttered in her sleep but didn’t open her eyes.

Ray conjured ice-cold water and dumped it over her face.

“Waaah…!”

Ayla bolted upright.

But seeing Ray covered in blood, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed again like a puppet with its strings cut.

**Thud.**

“……”

Ray poured another bucket of cold water over her.

“*Blrgh…!*”

“Pull yourself together. Or you’ll die.”

“You…! B-blood…! Why—why are you so hurt…?”

She hadn’t blinked an eye at her own injuries, but clearly had no tolerance for seeing someone else hurt.

“I fought.”

“W-who?”

“Your master.”

“Master…? Ah…!”

Still foggy from the sleeping potion, Ayla looked dazed.

But she seemed to be grasping the situation.

“I-I’m alive…?”

“You are. And if you want to stay that way, you have to move. Or you’ll be eaten.”

“Eaten…?”

Ray pointed behind her with a finger.

“……?”

Ayla turned her head.

And saw Laqria writhing violently, resisting Binjin’s commands.

Then their eyes met.

**Hissssssssss──!**

“……”

**Thud.**

Ray poured more cold water on the fainted Ayla.

“*Blrgh…! Blrgh blrgh…!*”

“If you want to live, you have to move.”

“I’m up…! *Blrgh…!*”

“Philip said humans must keep moving to live. Otherwise, it’s no different from being dead.”

“I said I’m up…! *Blrgh…!*”

To prove she wasn’t unconscious, Ayla leapt up and stood on her feet.

Ray asked—

Looking up at the girl’s blue eyes, fully awake, her hair dripping with water.

“Why did you come back?”

“……”

“You’re not dumb enough to fall for a sleeping potion, are you?”

“……”

“If you’d wanted to, you could’ve escaped using what I told you.”

After a long pause, Ayla finally spoke.

“…Because if I sacrifice myself, my brother can live.”

The same words as before.

He still didn’t understand.

“Well, Ayla, even if Binjin succeeds in extracting high-quality mana from you, do you think he’ll stop there?”

“……”

“He’ll go after your fellow disciples one by one. That’s what he brought you all to the mansion for in the first place.”

“……”

“You know that, don’t you?”

After hesitating, Ayla replied.

“What I can do… Even if it’s just that…”

“Then fight Binjin. No—*you have to.* If we don’t stop that snake here, the mansion where your brother is might be in danger too.”

Fight Binjin.

That was the reason Ray was speaking with Ayla now.

Of everyone in the mansion, she was the most skilled second-circle mage.

If they could join forces, it was only natural that it would greatly help in overcoming the situation.

“F-Fight against my master? H-How could I…?”

“You’re not even angry?”

“I…”

“You’re beaten every day, living in constant fear for your life and your brorther’s.”

“That’s…”

“Normally, in a situation like this, you’d feel intense rage and hatred.”

“……”

“Not keep sacrificing yourself, just hoping the other person would finally stop.”

The more Ray pressed, the more the colors of rage and hatred toward Binjin deepened in the vessel that was Alya.

But in the end—

“…I’m fine.”

That’s what Alya said.

And with those words—

─────.

The icy plate of mana beneath the vessel, as blue and cold as frost, gleamed with a powerful light.

Anger, hatred, sadness,

Joy, hope, inspiration—

Countless emotions from who knows when, past or present,

Froze over.

They simply flickered faintly,

Unmoving, as if dead.

“……”

And at that moment—

Ray felt as if he’d been struck hard on the head with a hammer.

*“I’m fine?”*

He had certainly heard those words from Alya’s mouth several times before.

But this time, when she said it, the words came with an inexplicable resonance and a powerful sense of déjà vu.

All the countless observations he had made of Alya up until now overlapped into one,

And finally, her true nature began to reveal itself.

—*Thump.*

His heart began to pound violently.

───.

The viscosity of the mana orbiting to form the third circle accelerated, leaving a searing pain behind.

But the boy had no room to focus on the changes happening within his body.

Because—

*“I’m fine.” I’ve heard those exact words somewhere else too. It wasn’t just from Alya… Where?*

Right now, his mind was entirely consumed by that one thought—tracing the origin of those words.

It felt like it was right there, just out of reach.

A surge of intense excitement swept through his whole body.

He had a feeling—if he could just figure this out, he might be able to strip away the mask that had shrouded the mystery of the blue mana.

Just then, Binjin’s voice rang out.

“Ooooh! Alya! My most cherished disciple! Stay right there! Your master will send you off to the Tower!”

Alya flinched.

Binjin’s eyes and voice were filled with madness.

*Shhhk—!*

Laqria was once again rapidly crawling this way.

It was at that moment that a memory surfaced in Ray’s mind.

*“To observe the change in Alya’s ice plate, we’ll probably need a stronger stimulus.”*

A strong stimulus.

A change in the ice plate.

Perhaps he could obtain something useful from it.

And there was no situation more perfect than now for such a stimulus.

Ray opened his mouth.

“Alya, listen closely.”

—

 

 

 

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