A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special - Chapter 90

Episode 90. Between Summer and Winter (4)

[Sea Blast.]

Dezir’s Computation was far more precise and swift. In terms of sheer calculation speed, no one could match him.

[Water Strike.]

But in raw magical power, Kelт, a fourth-Circle mage, held the advantage.
Boom!
The exchange continued.
With each spell the two unleashed, the Arena crumbled further, its structure steadily compromised.
‘So the rumors were exaggerated after all.’
Truth be told, when Kelт heard that Dezir had defeated an ancient demon, he’d grown wary of the Returner’s magical prowess. But now, locked in combat, it didn’t seem nearly as formidable as he’d feared.
Dezir’s magic was indeed precise and swift in its Computation, but the raw power behind it lacked punch. It fell short of what Kelт had expected.
‘But his true strength lies not in Computation, but in Reverse Calculation…….’
Dezir hadn’t yet invoked Reverse Calculation. Kelт reasoned that perhaps he was still in a probing phase, testing his opponent without committing his full strength. With that calculation, Kelт decided to play a bolder hand.

[Splash.]

In an instant, Kelт’s body shimmered with a bluish hue, then liquefied entirely. Dezir’s spell passed through empty air with a hollow whistle.
Dezir scanned the surroundings. From the spells they’d already exchanged, the arena floor was already slick with water. Pinpointing Kelт’s location in this state was impossible.

[Fire Bolt.]

Boom!
Water sprayed outward, steam billowed upward.
But there was no hit.
‘His only option now would be an area-effect spell.’
Casting area-effect magic required considerable time.
And during the casting, there would inevitably be a moment of vulnerability—a gap that opened in the caster’s defenses. That was the moment Kelт was waiting for.
Hum…
Dezir’s Computation began. Observing the structure taking shape, Kelт confirmed his suspicion—it was an area-effect spell, just as he’d predicted.
Since he dared not reveal himself prematurely, Kelт deployed magic that required no incantation.
The water pooling across the ground transformed into blade-like shapes, surrounding Dezir from all directions.
And in the moment those blades converged to pierce him from every angle——
“I’ll admit, with Splash magic, you can certainly dictate the timing of your attacks, but…….”
Click.
Dezir’s Computation halted. Or rather, it had already been complete.
“There’s a flaw: you can’t defend in that form.”
‘It wasn’t an area-effect spell……?’
That was the moment Kelт realized the entire sequence had been Dezir’s feint.

[Summon Lightning.]

Crackle!
A lance of electricity erupted in a violent shower of sparks, homing in precisely on Kelт’s location.
Kelт swiftly dispelled the Splash magic and hastily erected a defensive barrier.

[Create Water.]

Magic that conjures pure water.
A spherical membrane of crystalline liquid formed before Kelт. Pure water is an insulator—electricity cannot pass through it. When the lightning struck, the barrier burst like a punctured balloon.
Kelт staggered backward several paces from the concussive force. Had he retreated even three steps further, he would have crossed the Arena boundary and been disqualified.
“So you’re well-versed in countering lightning magic. I thought you were unfamiliar with it, given how recklessly you deployed Splash.”
Sparks crackled and hissed across the water pooling on the arena floor, filling the space with an electric drone.
“……All right, I have a sense of your level now.”
Kelт clenched his fists.
“I won’t hold back anymore.”
Kelт had assumed his own caution was the only reason for the exchange—after all, Dezir Armang operated at a lower Circle than his own, and hadn’t deployed magic anywhere near as formidable. Now he was done taking it easy.
He spread his hands before him, and vast arrays of calculations unfurled across the space ahead. His intent to fight at full strength was palpable.

[Create Water.]
[Create Water.]
[Create Water.]
[Create Water.]

The water that had merely dampened the Arena floor suddenly surged, swelling until it reached ankle-depth. Given the Arena’s vast dimensions, it was an staggering volume.
At Kelт’s gesture, the water rose like a tidal wave and crashed toward Dezir Armang.
Dezir Armang’s eyes immediately traced the water’s trajectory.
‘To the right.’

[Gravity Control.]

The waves rushing toward Dezir Armang were halted by the gravitational force, unable to reach him.
But this was only a temporary measure. As long as the water covering the entire floor remained, Kelт’s assault would continue unabated.
‘Deploying fire magic to evaporate it—that’s not an option.’
The sheer volume was overwhelming. Even if he managed a partial evaporation with third-Circle magic, Kelт, a fourth-Circle mage, could conjure the water anew in moments.
To truly counter him, Dezir Armang would need to evaporate all of it at once—which demanded enough power to rival Kelт’s fourth-Circle capacity.
Boom!
“Can’t handle this, then?”
The water remained under Kelт’s meticulous control, pressing against Dezir Armang with the force of a tsunami.
Dezir Armang focused on nothing but defense, blocking each assault. He couldn’t resolve the situation at its root, yet he held his ground. His mind raced through calculations, searching for a way forward.
‘Then perhaps…… Ugh!’
His thoughts were suddenly shattered. A wave surged in without warning, sweeping him off his feet. He managed to steady himself before tumbling out of the Arena, but the impact of the water pressure left him reeling.
‘The distance was closer than I expected.’
Dezir Armang bit his lip.
The attack had come from his left—a blind spot ever since his battle with Dadeynuof had cost him sight in that eye.
‘I need to adapt to this handicap quickly.’
Since losing vision in one eye, Dezir Armang had struggled with distance perception. In a duel where a single misstep could decide everything, it was a fatal weakness.
‘Not a trap, it seems.’
Kelт hadn’t noticed it at first, but through several exchanges, he’d detected a troubling pattern: Dezir Armang was unusually vulnerable to attacks from a specific direction.
Kelт was puzzled. Dezir Armang, whom he’d now faced directly, was undeniably a formidable mage—not quite living up to the rumors, perhaps, but possessing considerable computational skill and, above all, striking experience in magical combat.
Yet his response to attacks from the left was consistently slow.
‘This is my chance……!’
He had to press the advantage.

[Aqua Tornado.]

A third-Circle spell.
In conditions where water saturated the entire field, it unleashed the destructive power of fourth-Circle magic.
Rumble.
Water began spiraling and converging, forming a towering column.
The aquatic tornados multiplied exponentially, devouring everything in the Arena. The stone floor was torn away relentlessly.
Dezir Armang was not content to merely endure.

[Liquid Oxygen.]

A viscous liquid exhaled a desolate vapor, spreading in a dense cloud. Radiating outward from Dezir Armang’s position, it froze everything it touched.
The water began to crystallize.
‘Ngh!’
As the water covering the floor solidified, it slipped progressively beyond Kelт’s control.
The tremendous spinning column of water, caught by the liquid Dezir Armang had created, froze solid in an instant—reduced to a useless pillar of ice.
Dezir Armang fixed his gaze on Kelт and spoke.
“I believe you’ll find you can’t cast anymore.”
“…….”
Kelт was silent. Or rather, he was holding back laughter.
“So this is the countermeasure you came up with?”
He gestured all around him.
“Look around you. Your magic spreads across the entire Arena to freeze water. Which means the same applies to your surroundings.”
Liquid pooled in every direction. Everything it touched was freezing over. The only place untouched by the liquid was the narrow patch of ground where Dezir Armang stood.
“In other words, you can no longer evade my magic either.”
“But you won’t be able to deploy magic anymore, will you?”
“You’ll see.”
Kelт raised his hand toward the sky. Shadow began to spread across the Arena from all sides.
Mana stirred. It was Mana on the scale of a Fourth Circle.
The moment Dezir Armang looked up, rain began to fall—but only within the Arena. He grasped its nature at once.
‘The range is narrow, and without pressure adjustment, its duration will be short. But this is clearly…….’
“Weather Control Magic.”
Kelт spoke.
Weather control.
Magic that interferes with the atmosphere itself to manipulate weather. Ordinarily it ranks among the higher-order spells of Fifth Circle wide-range magic, but Kelт had condensed and deployed it here.
Patter.
What began as a few drops quickly intensified into a downpour.
Magic arrayed before Kelт. The raindrops then plummeted with vicious speed.
Each drop, accelerating as it fell, carried force equivalent to a First Circle spell.
This was the full power that Kelт could unleash.
Ting! Ting-ting-ting!
Dezir Armang drew out his Closeline and held it overhead. The defensive coat sang out without respite.
At this rate, he wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.
“You’d better surrender before your Closeline breaks.”
Kelт said.
Dezir Armang lowered the Closeline slightly and replied.
“At your age, that level of skill is certainly impressive.”
“What?”
Dezir Armang suddenly clapped his hands together.
And what happened next was explosive. Without warning, the Arena erupted.
“Kuh—gahhhh!?”
A cry. Simultaneously, white smoke surged upward.
Kelт’s body was hurled out of the Arena. It happened so fast there was no time to respond.
Because he wore the Closeline, he suffered no wounds. As he slowly rose, his expression showed complete bewilderment at his situation.
“What just—how……?”
“The magic I deployed to prevent the flooding water across the Arena was a spell that expels Liquid Oxygen.”
Dezir Armang kicked at the ice shards on the ground.
“I vaporized the Liquid Oxygen that had frozen along with the water and triggered the explosion. With that volume, throwing you out of the Arena is no difficult matter.”
Kelт stared blankly as the ice before him vaporized in an instant. He’d thought it was merely simple ice magic, never suspecting another layer of strategy concealed beneath.
“I lost, then.”
He smiled bitterly.
“I never even got to see your specialty—Reverse Calculation.”
…….
Dezir Armang held his tongue, thinking that if Kelт discovered he’d deliberately held back his full power just to witness Kelт’s skill, the man’s pride would be deeply wounded.
“Fine. I concede defeat.”
Kelт nodded, his smile genuinely warm.

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