[186] 4. Reversal of the Law (7)
The whirlpool snake split its shadow into dozens of strands and attacked Shirone.
Shirone was defenseless against the tentacle strikes coming from all directions.
At that moment the lasers scattered and fanned out into multiple beams.
The tactic of dispersing energy and destroying each strand one by one was an excellent choice. Still, the damage per second inevitably dropped.
Shadows thicker than a giant's thigh surged closer to Shirone.
The onlookers screamed. It felt as if Shirone would be torn to pieces any moment.
One tentacle couldn't withstand the energy buildup and blew apart. Then all the tentacles detonated in rapid succession.
The chain of explosions pushed inward toward the core body.
The whirlpool snake extended new tentacles, but Shirone now understood this: it took longer for a tentacle to reach the target than for the energy to reach saturation.
Because as Shirone's energy was dispersed, the whirlpool snake's durability had to be dispersed as well.
What followed was a clash of light and shadow.
Like two fleets afloat on a sea keeping their distance while trading brutal bombardments, every time dozens of tentacles left afterimages, Shirone's flashes trailed them and detonated them.
The tempo of attack and defense was so fast the eye couldn't track the shadows' motion.
Shirone fired lasers relying on seventy percent of his senses, the Spirit Zone lending him a sort of synesthesia.
There were dozens of emission points; three-dimensional streaks of light dominated the space.
Now it came down to who would tire first.
Shirone sensed he might lose. The tension made him feel like crying, but his concentration would not allow even a change of expression.
As Shirone's consciousness began to blur, the whirlpool snake howled. It too was using everything it had left.
That thought brought a strange kinship.
The snake thrashed as if sensing death, but there was no room left in its shadows to absorb energy.
The lasers shook the whirlpool snake through and through.
A massive explosion ripped the body apart, scattering fragments of shadow.
The lasers, which had been thinning, dissolved in front of Shirone like droplets.
The crowd watched the scene without moving.
Shirone forced himself not to collapse and stared down the snake's avatar.
Light faded from the salamander-like body, returning it to the same white-onyx texture as at the start. Its saturation dimmed, and then it seemed to blend into the air and vanish.
"D-dead?" Tess whispered.
No one could answer.
This creature, which had lived here for ten thousand years, had been dissected by countless subjects and heretics, but death remained an unknown. No subject had ever killed—or even driven—the whirlpool snake to the brink.
Rian swept his sword through the spot where the salamander had been.
Gardrak inspected the crevice. The light spirit, having recovered, glowed with renewed vigor.
Gardrak spoke with certainty.
"It's dead. No—at least, it's not here."
Only then did Shirone slump down. The others looked at him in stunned silence.
A human from the land had erased the Law.
Kanya and Rena, Gardrak and Clove—all of them understood what this result meant.
That boy is dangerous.
Because it could not be destroyed, it was the Law. Divine will could only be altered by a god. Shirone had trespassed into an inviolable domain no one was supposed to change.
"What—what are you? What was that magic? How did you learn something like that?" someone demanded.
The party fell silent.
The truth was none of them knew. Though the principles of magic were the same, Shirone's magic could not be imitated.
Innate magics born from divine particles have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Lasers have potential to subdue strong foes but struggle against fast-moving targets. Berserk-type spells depend on timing, and the photon cannon consumes a staggering amount of mental energy for a basic spell.
But Shirone had compensated: light scattering, diamond-like endurance, and the infinite mental stamina drawn from his Immortal Function made up for those weaknesses.
In his current state Shirone could not be classified as any usual kind of mage—he occupied a unique position.
Gardrak realized why the magical world called unlockers "Uniques."
It didn't end with simply opening an Immortal Function. What mattered was how harmoniously one could rebalance through their innate Revelation.
In that sense, Shirone was becoming a Unique.
Clove looked at Shirone with mixed feelings.
He didn't want to bear a grudge—after all, Shirone had saved their lives—but if Shirone joined Nor society, what would happen?
They must never be ruled by an impostor.
And since they couldn't beat him by force, the only option was to intimidate him from the start.
"You don't need to make a show of it. If the teacher hadn't been injured, we could've gotten away. Even heretics know it's dangerous to mess with the Law recklessly. Now that the whirlpool snake's gone, new Laws will take its place, and it can no longer guide people here. Consider yourself lucky this time, but watch your actions going forward."
Shirone wasn't listening. He was staring at something that had fallen from the sky.
A gem, transparent and gleaming like a droplet, lay on the ground.
"Hey! Can't you hear me? Are you ignoring me?" Clove snapped.
Shirone turned and pointed to the three gems at his feet.
"What's that? They fell when the whirlpool snake exploded, didn't they?"
"Oh? Th-that—!"
Clove's eyes widened.
White Elixirs.
He'd first seen a White Elixir at the Nor shop in the mainland's big community.
Back then, a droplet spirit—expected to fetch the highest price—was up for auction, and a self-contained Nor group outside the community had bought it for twenty-three White Elixirs.
Unlike water spirits, droplet spirits were hard to acquire. Seas and rivers steadily give birth to water spirits, but droplets don't form regularly.
Magically, they were weaker than water spirits.
Still, contracting with a droplet spirit smoothed the skin, prevented aging, and granted minor healing—very popular with women.
As far as he knew, a droplet spirit's value was roughly four thousand six hundred Red Elixirs or about six hundred seventy Green Elixirs.
To get such an item, you'd have to hunt some seven thousand monoceros—so for one to cost only twenty-three elixirs was astonishing.
"White! White Elixir!" Clove cried, lunging like a flying squirrel to grab it.
As he reached, Shirone scraped the ground and snatched them up.
Clove scowled at the feeling of the earth being stolen and looked away.
Of course, since Shirone had claimed them, they belonged to him. But other people's things always look bigger—he couldn't give up easily.
Besides, Shirone didn't even know the value of White Elixirs, did he?
"Ahem, why are you staring? I was just going to have a look."
"What are these?"
"Just—elixirs. Heretics use them for trade. To judge their value you need to inspect them closely—can I take a quick look?"
"Fine. Here."
Shirone handed one over without hesitation. Clove snatched it up, worried Shirone might change his mind.
Kanya strode forward, eyes blazing.
"Hey! Why are you taking that? Even heretics have rules. Don't you know the hunter gets the elixir?"
"W-what did I do? We hunted together, didn't we?"
"What did you do? The only one here entitled to an elixir is Shirone. Give it back."
"Tch! You were fighting earlier and now you're all cozy? Elixirs make no respect for impostor or subject, huh? Don't pretend you're not trying to get crumbs."
"You're ridiculous! Subjects don't need elixirs! And Shirone, if you're going to live among the Nor people, learn this: elixirs are food and water, air and life. White Elixirs are especially valuable. Don't give them away recklessly."
"It's fine. I said I'd just look."
"What if you run off with it? Then what?"
Shirone pushed himself up, hands on the ground.
"Haha! How would you stop me?"
"How would I stop you? Of course—" Kanya started, then blinked.
Come to think of it, what could she do? She'd snatched a White Elixir without the skill to back it up—what then?
Shirone's friends standing behind watched Gardrak's every move calmly. None of them looked worried.
They all knew that if Shirone wanted to, subduing Clove would take less than a second.
Clove realized this and looked flustered. His greed had clouded his judgment. That he hadn't fully revealed his intentions was, perhaps, fortunate.
Gardrak looked at him with disgust.
"Clove, give it back. It's not for you."
Clove's face flushed and he handed the elixir over.
"I was just going to look. Here—thanks for the show."
Shirone took the elixir. Tossing it in his palm, he watched the way it caught the sun and then asked Gardrak,
"What is this used for? You said elixir, right?"
Gardrak checked how much the light spirit had recovered. Judging by the rapidly brightening glow, they could probably depart in five minutes.
"You can't survive Purgatory on human strength alone. The environment is harsh and food is scarce. Some places are plagued by disease, some have sulfur fires that burn the air so you can't breathe. Elixirs let humans live in those conditions. There are five colors—none is inherently better. Each is necessary. They're ranked only by rarity. White Elixirs are the second-rarest. Because of their regenerative and purifying properties, they're used in devices that make breathable air and in medicines that heal wounds."
"I see. Can you buy things with them?"
"Of course. There are merchants at the Nor shelter we're heading to, so you can buy what you need. For a White Elixir you'll probably have to go to a Nor shop. It's the most active market on the mainland."
Shirone had one more question.
Three elixirs taken from the whirlpool snake.
If such items circulated, someone must be hunting creatures of a similar rank to the whirlpool snake.
Gardrak acknowledged the implication without hesitation.
"Purgatory is vast. Immensely vast. The Nor people built an independent society, but communities have sprung up everywhere. The place we're heading is only the closest to Heaven. Beyond that, people don't dare travel. White Elixirs come from beyond that boundary—from those who can journey much farther than we can."
Hoping there'd be many merchants at the Nor shelter, Shirone tucked the elixirs into his clothes.
Even in the original world, money is just metal unless you can trade it for goods. No matter how rare a White Elixir is, unless you plan to settle in Purgatory it's better to buy what you need when you can.
As people gathered in the valley's fissure, Gardrak gripped the light spirit. His body shone, and when the ancient spell Elyzer activated, a white radiance spread along the crevice.
As the blade-like border of scattering light weakened, the original landscape reappeared.
Where people had stood, a hush of wind slipped through.
5. Nor's Shelter (1)
Ruins lay half-buried in the fields. A shallow stream flowed, and wildflowers bloomed along its banks.
The timeworn ruins felt more cozy than desolate. Butterflies fluttered between leaning arches, and three or four people rested nearby.
Arriving at the Nor shelter, Shirone took in the place.
Light descended like a spotlight. On closer inspection, light spirits flew along pillars of light.
The ancient spell Elyzer seemed to be a magic that moves from light to light.