SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"Looks like this'll be a bit troublesome…"

Aloe Vida leaked out a small smile as a bead of sweat dropped from her forehead down her face.

Her brimming eyes showed nothing but glowing light as she analyzed the target, and she instantly realized she would be in for a challenge.

Her opponent—previously a sickly-looking old man who was pale from top to bottom—had now taken on a different form.

Right before her eyes, he now assumed a misty state of darkness.

Black energy swirled around him, with slivers of purple radiation shimmering forth from his fog-like state.

It felt like he was the very personification of darkness, and the fact that he was now incorporeal made it even more difficult for her.

'My Original Magic won't affect him…' Her thoughts echoed.

She assumed that his current state was his Original Magic, and it directly canceled hers out.

'Who is his Constellation backer?' Aloe asked deep within her thoughts.

She wasn't talking to herself, though.

~Pisces. That makes this a very tricky opponent to deal with.~

Pisces had the Representation of Life and Death. A serious strike from this target could kill her—permanently—and he was virtually immortal as long as he had the Representative of Life active.

~Fortunately, as a limitation, a Host can't use both at the same time.~

That meant the dark mist, as Aloe now dubbed the enemy, could only use one at a time.

'That's a relief.'

That didn't make her situation any better, though.

She was currently facing an incorporeal embodiment of darkness; making it lack any physical attribute to affect.

'[Aurora Vidalis: Lightless World] allows me so much speed and invincibility in a world shrouded in darkness. But…' She took a glance at her opponent.

'If my opponent is already darkness personified, not only would my Magic not work on him, it would be pointless as well.'

Darkness existed in a space without light.

By ridding the world of light, Vida had a sneaking suspicion that her opponent's advantage would go up.

'With the Representation of Death on his side, it'll be game over if he gets too close to me.'

Activating Original Magic would ensure he had more reach than ever.

'Guess I have no choice, then…' Vida's thoughts trailed.

~Ready to go?~

As Libra's question echoed in her mind, Vida found her smile widening a little more.

'Well, I've reached a deadlock here, so it would be best to—"

~ZUUUUUUMMMMM!!!~

Before she could conclude her words, the dark mist lunged at Aloe.

The space around vibrated as the darkness warbled with every distance it covered.

It felt almost instant with the way it was able to reach Vida; its dark hands now reaching for her, threatening to swallow her whole.

"I don't think so." Vida's voice echoed right after she made her move.

~FWISH!~

She vanished from her previous vicinity, flashes of light trailing behind her as an afterimage.

The moment this happened, however, the dark trail continued, moving to her new location within a moment.

Aloe moved once more, her speed resembling a disappearing act—though the enemy was keeping up with it.

They both raced across the worlds that surrounded them, almost in seconds, lashing out through space as everything around them shook as a result of the mere pressure they exerted.

It felt like a devastating cosmic storm was brewing in the vastness of space—all due to their speeding momentum.

'Hold on, Libra… I want to try something first.' Aloe smiled, glancing behind her to see the embodiment of darkness closing in.

Not only was it right behind her, it happened to split and reappear in front of her and by her two sides as well.

With her flanks, rear and frontal region all shrouded by darkness, the creature of the dark aimed at swallowing her whole.

Once he did so, that would mark her end.

… Or so it would seem.

"[Inverse Original Magic: Vidalis Aurora]"

With this, everything changed.

~WHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!~

Searing brightness, enough to dwarf even the brightest star—surged forth from Aloe.

It filled the space around her, instantly vaporizing everything in her vicinity with the sudden exposure to such a sheer amount of power.

Thanks to the speed by which it was moving, the light's effects were almost instantaneous to its immediate vicinity—including the darkness that had surrounded it.

At that single moment, everything except Aloe was covered in bright light.

The result was as one would expect.

~WHOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!~

The annihilation of the darkness that surrounded her—up to its most minute fragment.

As soon as this was done, the intense light slowly dulled and everything returned to its source.

The world slowly darkened, and Aloe stood at the center of everything with a faint glow of light coursing through her.

"Haaa…"

Opening her eyes, she could see that her opponent had been extinguished.

Not a trace of the dark fiend could be found. It was absolutely extinguished.

However, that wasn't enough.

~SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~

Somehow, its soul survived, finding the present darkness to latch onto.

With [Vidalis Aurora] gone, the dark embrace of space served as the perfect breeding ground for the enemy to regenerate.

"Looks like I can't kill it on my own. I'll need your assistance now, Libra." Aloe murmured, watching as the darkness reformed at a rapid pace.

It slowly took on the form of a massive giant.

Aloe found her head rising more and more as she tried to comprehend its new height.

~Very well.~

With the arrangement already solidified, Aloe stretched forth her hand, pointing a finger towards the giant darkness.

"Representation of Death and Life, huh? I wonder…"

Suddenly, a beam of energy seeped out of her finger and darted in the direction of the massive figure of darkness.

~WHUUUUUSSSSHHHH!!!~

Right before Aloe's eyes, it instantly transformed.

The dark entity suddenly turned into a being made of pure light—courtesy of Libra's [Balance] Representation.

'Now then, let's begin the finishing blow!'

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Crazy to think that this was once that insignificant staff in Ainzlark, right?