[48] Limitless (7)
Shirone's mind expanded like a supernova, spreading outward without end. A perfect opening. Beyond modular limits, it felt as if every number in the world had been compressed into a single point and shoved inward.
Paf-paf-paf-paf—BOOM!
Targeting speed suddenly skyrocketed. Two beams of light shot out from Shirone's Spirit Zone at the same time.
"Senpai, you're double too!"
"No—double is impossible unless it's Servant Syndrome. That's not what's happening."
Seriel couldn't believe the sight before her. The flashes multiplied: ten, twenty, a hundred.
Shirone felt absolute liberation. A sensation of seeping into every corner of the world. The stronger it became, the thinner his thoughts grew. He could think of nothing; only sensation reached and touched everything.
The Spirit Zone grew without bound. Once it passed eighty meters in diameter, the flashes all merged and the Spirit Zone was suffused with light. It was nothing but a vast mass of photons—Shirone's form itself swallowed by brightness.
As the targets appeared and detonated, the rate at which the step count rose accelerated amazingly fast.
'Ahh... ahhh...'
Shirone felt his presence thinning and tears fell from his eyes. He had transcended numbers. Everything. The end. All that remained was to seep into the world.
'Grrr! It's not over yet!'
Iruki gritted his teeth. He saw Shirone's score climbing with terrifying speed, but that didn't matter. If Shirone sped up, he would simply run faster.
"A servant's calculations have no limit! Whether it's a trillion or a thousand trillion, I'll compute them all! I'll show you the end of every number that exists!"
Iruki's Spirit Zone moved at a pace the human eye couldn't follow. He would win. He could win! Time left: one second! 0.9! 0.85! Damn it—why is time moving so slowly!
Beep!
The minute that had felt like an eternity ended. The targets scattered like illusions and Shirone and Iruki collapsed at the same time.
Iruki panted, but Shirone didn't move. He had already lost consciousness.
Iruki lifted his head and checked his score.
1,247 points.
An unprecedented record in the history of the Magic Academy. Two hundred sixty points above Amy's previous high.
'Did I win? Why is it so quiet? What is Shirone doing?'
When Iruki turned, Shirone was kneeling with his face buried in his chest, motionless. He seemed to be breathing, but there was a hollow emptiness to it—no sign of life.
Iruki glanced at Shirone's scoreboard.
1,253 points.
"Se-senpai! Shirone-senpai—!"
"Shirone won!"
Seriel cut off Mark and ran forward. Even she had been given goosebumps by Iruki's skill, but Shirone had prevailed. She felt like planting a kiss on Shirone's cheek on Amy's behalf.
The other underclassmen flocked to the Image Zone as well, shouting congratulations and shaking Shirone.
"Ughhh!"
Shirone, coming to his senses, opened his eyes wide and drew in a breath. The mind that had been buried in meaninglessness recomposed itself; names and emotions settled back in.
While everyone swarmed Shirone, no one approached Iruki. Only Nade rested a hand on his shoulder.
"In the end you lost. But it was a splendid match."
"That doesn't do much to comfort me. A match is meant to be won."
Nade snorted and looked toward Shirone. It was an extraordinary talent. To most it might have been a simple targeting test, but knowing Iruki's ability, he couldn't begin to imagine how vast the realization inside Shirone must be.
'Congratulations, Shirone.'
Surrounded by students, Shirone didn't look joyful despite the victory; his face was sad.
Etella watched him with a grave expression, lost in thought.
The score difference between Shirone and Iruki was only six points. But measured by the mind's speed, six points was a colossal gulf.
'Shirone. Could it be...'
In the Speed Gun's final scene, Shirone's Spirit Zone had been filled entirely with light. That was impossible by photon output alone. But there was one exception.
'Has he transcended numbers?'
Numbers have no end. Even if Iruki computed sequences for ten thousand years, he'd still be bound to the number line's origin.
'Shirone, since when did you know?'
Number sequences unfold numbers to strengthen the mind. If the mind transcends numbers, what happens to it?
It expands into infinity.
Mages called this phenomenon the "immortal function," but Etella, a monk, knew another name.
'Nirvana.'
At the Magic Academy's level, it was not a concept to teach. Infinity sits opposite finitude; the moment one enters it, the individual's existence dissolves.
Tears rose in Etella's eyes.
'Shirone. You mustn't. No matter how radiant it looks, however dazzling, the moment you enter infinity you will...'
Vanish.
High monks, through long ascetic practice, realize the world's impermanence and enter Nirvana having let everything go.
But Shirone was different. He was an eighteen-year-old boy who still needed to learn about the world and chase his dreams—Infinity was too dangerous for him.
'If it only ended in fainting, then it wasn't complete. But if he truly entered...'
Etella wiped her tears and approached Shirone. His sorrowful face said it all.
"Shirone, you—"
"I'm sorry, teacher."
"When did this start?"
"A very long... journey."
It sounded like a monk's koan. Probably only Shirone knew the truth.
Etella could offer no counsel. Shirone had attained his understanding and stopped on his own; the choice rightly belonged to him.
"Don't worry, Shirone. I truly didn't expect this."
All Etella could do was look at him with kind eyes and say,
"Shirone. I love you."
The students' eyes went wide and they made shocked noises.
"Whaaaat?"
A teacher confessing love to a student was absurd, and the timing made it stranger still.
Shirone bowed his head deeply with reverence. The depth of meaning in Etella's words sank into his chest.
"Te-teacher! Did you just say you love us? How many of the teacher's personal guards are there at this school? If you betray us like this—!"
Etella tilted her head.
"Personal guards? What are those? And I love all of you."
"Wha— is that it? Haha! I do too! I love you, teacher~!"
"I love you too, teacherrrr!"
The boys began competing to profess their love. Etella didn't seem displeased and patted them affectionately.
"Now, let's finish the exam. Everyone, gather."
The students lined up in front of the Image Zone. Having given their all, they looked relieved regardless of the results.
"Good work. Still, it's nice that test days finish early, right? Get plenty of rest and come back to training with enthusiasm. Well done, everyone."
Etella bowed in the monks' greeting; the students followed half in jest, half in respect.
"Good work, teacher!"
Etella descended the mountain first to report the results to the school. The students lingered, savoring the afterglow of the tremendous duel.
"Shirone! That's amazing! Amy will definitely be happy. Or—will she be mad her record was broken? Who cares! Your boyfriend won! Hohoho!"
Shirone endured Seriel's chatter with a tired look. He felt he would do anything to make her stop.
As if by miracle, Seriel fell silent and looked over.
Iruki was approaching.
The students watched with interest, curious how the arrogant genius would act now. But Iruki's words were unexpectedly subdued.
"I lost. It was a complete defeat."
Shirone shook his head.
"No. I don't think so."
"You don't have to be modest about it. Especially when hearing a genius like me declare defeat."
"I really don't feel like I won. This test was a targeting evaluation. But the spell I cast at the end hit every space."
"Heh. So old-fashioned. It's still targeting. You just raised the photon output and wiped them out at once. You won, so don't worry about it."
"By that logic, the same could be said of you. If you maximized an explosion, you could have a similar effect."
Iruki clutched his stomach and snickered.
"That method's possible. But to trigger an explosion of that scale takes a lot of time. Though I was desperate earlier and may have shortened the reaction sequence, I still wouldn't have produced such a result."
Shirone accepted that. But Iruki's unusually gentle tone left him at a loss for words. If he could persuade like this, why had he provoked Shirone in the first place?
"Did you do it on purpose? To goad me?"
Iruki blinked as if the idea amused him, then brought up something surprising.
"I research explosions. To use your phrase, explosions that could wipe out the people of a city."
Shirone's brow furrowed.
"But Shirone, you're misunderstanding. An explosion isn't a violent phenomenon. Violence carries intent to harm. An explosion has no intent. It's simply energy far beyond human standards."
"Just because it has no intent doesn't mean people won't be harmed. People handle that energy."
"Exactly. That's why I define an explosion like this: uncontrolled energy. But listen, Shirone. Energy is life force. So if humans could perfectly control an explosion, what then?"
Iruki spread his arms to indicate vastness.
"A new era would open. Explosions powerful enough to level a city contain energy that could feed a hundred thousand people. If you could control that, there'd be no need for war to steal others' goods, and everyone could live in abundance."
A gentle hope softened Shirone's face.
"You should've said that from the start. There would have been no reason to fight."
Iruki gave a bitter smile.
"I told you. Ideals remain ideals. One mage can't change the world. Even if I controlled explosions, someone would use them to kill thousands. But Shirone, I'll do it anyway. Someone has to."
"You mustn't. I understand the idea, but that choice would make you miserable too."
"Ha! Right! That's exactly why I'm telling you!"
Iruki sank down and stared at the sky.
"Maybe I should just quit. Mess around in Class Five for a while, and if that's boring, dive into a dungeon or something. Maybe someone like me shouldn't have been born."
Shirone looked at Iruki with mixed feelings. What was this boy? An idealist, a realist, or some kind of untamable oddball?
"So from now on, you'll take responsibility for me."
"Huh? Responsibility?"
"You can stop me when I run wild. If someday the path I pursue brings tragedy..."
Iruki spoke with earnestness.
"If you judge my existence has no value in this world, take my life with your own hands."
Iruki's thinking was cold. But that coldness came with a clear sight of the light and darkness of what he pursued.
If someone had to do it, Shirone thought, then Iruki was the right person.
"Okay. I'll stop you. No—I'll make sure you never make a terrible mistake."
Nade trembled as if moved, hugged the two of them, and led them down the mountain.
"Aaaah! I really like you guys! Let's work hard from now on!"
Caught by Nade, Shirone and Iruki looked at each other and laughed. The Class Five trio had been formed that day.
(End of Volume 2)