Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent
Chapter 81: The Blessing of Illusion.

Chapter 81 – The Blessing of Illusion.

─The tenth stage begins.

(Flan’s PoV)

The five minutes given as a break had passed, and until the moment the tenth stage started, there was complete silence.

I broke the silence.

“I won’t interfere in any way in the tenth stage.”

I took out the score sheet from my pocket and slowly scanned it from top to bottom.

“If the total number of deductions for your group exceeds 100, we will forfeit. And.”

It was simple.

If you want to advance to the finals, finish the tenth stage without getting any deductions.

“You have been deducted 99 times so far.”

As soon as I announced that fact.

“…”

Ella suddenly opened her mouth quietly.

“The other three…”

“Huh?”

“Target the other three.”

She seemed to be still in shock, as her voice was severely low.

Cassel asked.

“Wh, what about Flan?”

“Ignore Flan. Just pretend he doesn’t exist and go after the other three.”

“Ignore him…?”

“Ignore him if I say so─! He’s not even participating anyway!”

Ella shouted angrily. Her trembling body looked both furious and terrified.

“Flan. Flan… Don’t worry about Flan. Never, ever worry about Flan…”

Eventually, Ella took the lead and Igor and Cassel rushed at the magicians, excluding me.

“Hmm.”

I bought some time.

The tenth stage monster was fixed as the Illusion Tree, but it was not clear when it would appear.

“Not bad.”

I just picked up the score sheet.

Since I hadn’t scored the ‘human-to-human’ part yet, this would be a great test for me…

◈

Kwaang─!

Igor’s greatsword hit the ground.

At the same time, Cassel summoned knight clones.

They ran threateningly towards Becky and Louis.

The two magicians quickly scattered and avoided them.

Bang─! Bang─! Bang─!

Numerous sword strikes rained down on the ice wall.

“I’ll handle the defense!”

Becky focused on the strength of the wall and shouted.

Louis nodded and immediately counterattacked.

Louis’s flash was fast and heavy.

He calmly took out the clones one by one.

At the same time, something blue covered the whole sight.

Hwaruk─!

Blue flames.

They swept the knights like a wave.

Ella’s scythe followed belatedly. But it was noticeably slower.

They all easily avoided it.

With a faint smile on his lips, Louis looked at the three siblings.

“You guys, you don’t look so good, do you?”

Compared to when the preliminaries started, the expressions of the three siblings had changed noticeably.

Their confidence was gone and now they just looked impatient.

Even the second sibling, Wendy, was in a panic and couldn’t even join the fight.

“You won’t be able to break through Becky’s ice like this, will you?”

“…”

Even at Louis’s blatant provocation, the three siblings only bit their lips.

They couldn’t answer the representatives of the magic department with their voices or the swords in their hands.

Thud!

Then, giant roots sprouted from the ground.

The monster finally showed itself.

It was the Illusion Tree, a giant tree that reminded one of the world trees of the great forest.

At the same time, the three siblings slammed the ground again.

Louis quickly retreated out of range, and the remaining attacks naturally headed towards Becky.

Becky quickly spread the ice into a shield shape.

“Oh…”

But the defense was easier than expected.

As Louis said, the three siblings couldn’t break through Becky’s ice wall at all.

Becky muttered without knowing.

“…Are you, are you going easy on me?”

“…?”

“N-no, I don’t have any bad intentions. I-I mean, weren’t you always very strong?”

“Urrraaaah─!”

Igor swung his greatsword with all his might, but it made no difference.

Becky could see every movement of his sword clearly.

Now, She was not only able to protect herself, but also her comrades with ease.

“Trixie!”

Becky shouted excitedly.

“Just attack. Attack as much as you can! I’m covering you!”

But there was no reply.

She glanced sideways and saw Trixie standing still, staring blankly.

“Hey, what are you doing…?”

Before she could finish her sentence, a root and a sword came crashing down.

She blocked them with frustration.

“Hey! Do something!”

“…I saw it.”

Trixie finally muttered.

At the same time, the mana around them started to glow with intense heat.

The whole view was distorted by the heat waves.

To be honest, she was a bit startled.

“…Did I go too far? A-are you angry?”

Trixie didn’t answer, but unleashed a blast of fire.

The blue flames sent the sword flying and split the root in half.

It didn’t take long for Trixie to be sure.

She was doubtful at first, but now she was certain.

Even in this desperate situation, even when she couldn’t see an inch ahead… Trixie was strangely calm.

No, she knew what was ahead.

“I definitely saw it.”

One of the many paintings she had seen at the fairground in Saphora.

She was standing proudly in the knight academy’s arena, holding the victory in her hands.

She had seen this scene clearly.

And the next one too.

Boom─!

The sensation of fire was more vivid than ever.

She had reached a level of growth beyond her training in the illusionary world.

She was not afraid of anything in this state…

Trixie took a deep breath.

All the mana in the fire converged, and the girl began to swing it.

With all her power.

◈

“Hmm.”

I was engrossed in grading when I suddenly frowned.

A root burst out of the ground behind me.

Snap─!

I flicked my finger.

The root stopped in its tracks.

I paralyzed it completely.

The giant root that froze in mid-air became a protective barrier.

It blocked the other roots that were swinging at me, and I resumed my grading.

“…Not bad.”

The three magicians began to fight with vigor.

Every element they manifested hit the knights.

Bonus points for accuracy.

None of the attacks were fatal or powerful, but they were still a huge blow to the three siblings.

At the same time, giant roots swirled and surged towards them.

The three magicians quickly moved away.

Bonus points for evasion.

But the knights who had to engage in close combat were not so lucky.

One, two, three, four… In no time, the roots filled the area around the siblings.

Bang- Bang- Bang-

The phantom beast lived up to its stage value.

The bulky Igor was swept away by a single root.

He flew far away and crashed into a wall, then he was immediately teleported back.

Cassel was also struggling.

His clones were bounced off by the roots as soon as they were created, and Cassel was practically sealed off from his unique ability.

Louis took advantage of the gap and pierced him with a light arrow.

Blood spewed from Cassel’s mouth, and he too was teleported to the healing station.

“Haa… Haa…”

Ella was left alone, breathing heavily.

Blood dripped from her lower lip that she bit.

The swordsmen who lost their momentum and the magicians who gained it.

There was no need to ask about which side had the upper hand.

“…”

Ella gripped her sword in reverse, as if she had made a decision. Her hand was shaking badly.

Ella looked at me silently with her eyes closed.

And as she muttered something.

Puff-

She pierced her own wrist with her sword.

“…!” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The eyes of the three representatives of the magic department widened.

Suicide by teleportation was a clear violation of the rules, and the victory of the magic department was confirmed, but this was not the time to celebrate.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the phantom beast.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

It was still sprouting countless roots from the ground into the air.

If they didn’t kill that thing, the magic department wouldn’t pass the preliminaries in the first place.

“Well, fine.”

I put the score sheet in my pocket.

I checked the results I wanted to check, and I graded everything I wanted to grade, so I was willing to face the phantom beast myself.

My mana was low.

It was inevitable.

I interfered with the structure of the arena, used pure flames to manipulate the fire ring, and even fought against Ella’s sword.

But.

“It’s more than enough.”

I had a feeling I knew why this huge tree remained a beast instead of being called a world tree.

‘Because it’s a summoned creature after all.’

I put my hand on the still-hardened root.

I could see the structure clearly.

Weaknesses, circuits, mixtures, ingredients, principles… What should I do now?

There was no reason to hesitate.

I issued a dismantling command without any error.

Kugugugugugu-

The next moment, the phantom beast began to scatter like particles.

It turned into glittering dust and shimmered in the air.

Small gems fell slowly.

Each of these dusts contained illusion components.

Of course, I could delete them too… But I left them on purpose.

A small reward for their hard work.

Louis looked up at the sky quietly. His lips were a mix of smile and admiration.

“…This is the illusion blessing I’ve only heard of, it’s no joke.”

“…”

Trixie also looked up at the sky and immersed herself in the sight.

The small gems falling softly were enough to captivate her eyes.

Louis slowly sat down and closed his eyelids.

Trixie soon fell to the ground and slept like a child.

But I was fine.

I couldn’t be affected even if I wanted to.

It was because this illusion dust couldn’t surpass my mental power.

Meanwhile, Becky moved around playfully.

And then she fell and leaned on me.

I just accepted her.

I could count this childishness as a one point deduction.

‘Then… A total of 100 points deduction.’

As I thought that, the arena returned to its original state.

The ceiling was the same.

Finally, the audience seats were revealed.

Thousands of eyes were looking at me.

◈

The space was filled with sparkling illusion dust.

In the scenery that felt like a baptism, Becky felt her mind growing hazy.

Fantasy blessing.

She had heard of it.

When the fantasy beasts fell, they left behind a dust of illusion that gave humans an incomparable happy fantasy.

This ‘fantasy blessing’ was a joke among the students that it was the real reward for the winners of the preliminary round of the hunting competition.

She soon felt drowsy.

The sleepiness was stronger than she expected. It didn’t take long for her to lose her balance.

It’ll be fine.

She quietly closed her eyes.

The preliminaries were over anyway.

It was hard to believe, but the magic department had won. So now she could rest a little.

“…”

Becky’s body leaned against something with a thud.

It was solid but strangely reassuring. Becky slowly opened her eyes.

“…?”

When she realized that it was Flan’s embrace, her face stiffened for a moment.

It was an absurd situation.

But she soon accepted it.

…Yeah, this is a fantasy blessing.

She felt a sense of familiarity that she couldn’t explain, as if she and Flan were the only ones left.

She soon understood why.

In the magic labyrinth, when they were endlessly falling underground, she was also with Flan.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed like a good memory.

She couldn’t move anymore.

She couldn’t open her eyes, and she couldn’t resist the sleepiness.

Becky just clutched Flan’s clothes.

A huge fantasy.

And at the same time.

A small gift for herself.

Sᴇarch the NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.