My mind couldn't keep pace with the sudden turn of events.
No, seriously—what was going on?
For some reason, my stomach had been impaled, I was suspended in midair, and the cityscape stretching out beneath me was a place I didn't recognize in the slightest.
But the most jarring sight of all was the left hand entering my field of vision.
My left hand shouldn't be this large.
It wasn't just my hand, either. My entire body had grown—or rather, it had matured.
A short distance away stood a young man who bore the unmistakable likeness of my best friend. Wings, claws, and tails formed from golden mana radiated from his silhouette.
That mana was, without a doubt...
"...Oliver, is that you?"
"............"
Oliver gave no response to my question.
I couldn't quite grasp the situation, but had my consciousness suddenly leaped into the future?
No—wait, was it the other way around? Had my consciousness alone been regressed to the past?
If that were the case... well, it wasn't entirely impossible to accept. Though I couldn't see any conceivable merit in my future self being replaced by the version of me from several years ago.
Regardless, I knew that no matter how much I puzzled over it, I wouldn't find an answer here. I had no choice but to accept my reality.
If my hypothesis was correct, then my future self had almost certainly been locked in combat with Oliver. And that look in Oliver’s eyes—it had to be the rampage of power my father had warned us about.
Which meant I was the only one who could stop him.
The Sealing Magic my father developed had been intended for this very moment. And yet, because my heart had been weak back then, it had ended up being used on me instead.
"Oliver, I'm sorry. I was weak, and I let all this burden fall on you..."
"............"
Once again, Oliver failed to react to my words.
Did he have no sense of self left? I had to assume his consciousness had been swallowed by his own power. This was a development my father and the others hadn't even predicted.
They had always told me: Since the Sealing Magic is gone, the only way to stop Oliver once he rampages is to kill him.
But that was based on the assumption that Oliver could never master his own strength. If there was even a slim chance he could control it once he regained his senses, then I would start by beating him awake.
I didn't want to kill Oliver. If he could learn to master that power, there would be no need for him to die. In fact, that would be the ideal outcome.
As I solidified my resolve, Oliver shifted above me as if sensing my intent. He prepared to swing down the claws wreathed around his right hand.
"He's slow... Oli—!?"
I tried to parry Oliver’s "slow" attack with my left hand, but my body felt far heavier than I expected. I didn't make it in time.
Oliver’s strike landed flush, slamming me toward the earth.
What?! What is this?!
Bewildered, I healed my injuries mid-fall and steadied my posture. The ground was rushing up to meet me; at the moment of impact, I swung the black sword in my right hand to kill the momentum.
"That was close..."
Standing on the ground, I immediately identified the source of my sluggishness. The reason was simple: the Sealing Magic was still active.
"Was my future self fighting a rampaging Oliver while still sealed? Why? Wait... has the Sealing Magic been tampered with?"
As someone still studying magic, I couldn't fully decipher a complex spell formula, but I had the original one memorized. The Sealing Magic currently binding me was a different beast entirely from the one I knew.
"My body is heavy, but I can still move... Is it because only the physical restrictions were loosened?"
I had no idea what my future self was thinking. However, even with my limited knowledge, I could tell that a staggering amount of effort must have gone into altering the formula just to loosen those specific physical binds.
"I've been trying to ignore it, but this headache is definitely coming from the seal..."
Complaining wouldn't get me anywhere. For now, I would return the Sealing Magic's formula to its original state. As I did, I felt my body grow even heavier.
"I don't know what my future self was trying to achieve, but I'm going to do this my way."
I gave a mental disclaimer to my future counterpart, circulated Ki through my entire system, and spoke.
"—【Culmination】."
I released the Sealing Magic.
As the Kotodama imbued with Ki took hold, I felt the invisible shackles binding me dissolve. The throbbing headache that had been pestering me gradually faded away.
Next, I wrapped mana around the blade of the black sword—a weapon that was clearly a masterwork. This transformed it from a lethal cutting edge into an improvised blunt instrument.
My goal was to beat Oliver back to his senses. If I cut him with a blade like this, there was a chance his healing wouldn't be able to keep up.
Combat preparations complete, I looked up to find Oliver about to fly off toward the city. I immediately triggered 【Explode】, detonating the air in his path to forcibly halt his progress.
"Where do you think you're going!"
I closed the distance instantly, appearing directly in front of Oliver to swing my sword. Wings of golden mana enveloped him, forming a shield that blocked my strike.
He’s tough...
The wings were incredibly dense. My blow only managed to spiderweb the surface with cracks; it didn't reach Oliver himself. In moments like this, I truly wished I had an ability that could boost my output, even if only for a split second.
Oliver blocked the strike and flared his wings outward with enough force to break my posture. He followed up with a relentless barrage—claws from the front, and three tails sprouting from his lower back lashing out from the sides and rear.
I recovered my balance instantly, weaving through Oliver’s attacks with ease. After focusing purely on evasion for a few moments, I caught a sliver of an opening and delivered a sweeping blow.
Thanks to the mana wreathed around the blade, the strike sent Oliver tumbling backward without cleaving him in two.
"—【Bind】."
Once I had put enough distance between us, I activated my magic. Chains of jet-black mana manifested from the void, coiling around Oliver’s limbs and tails to pin him in place.
"—【Shot】."
As he hung suspended in the air, dozens of black mana masses materialized around him. They fired simultaneously.
I hammered him with multiple projectiles—each one equivalent to a special-grade spell—and a thunderous roar echoed as smoke swallowed Oliver whole.
...He’s still increasing the density? It makes sense, but Oliver’s 【Mana Convergence】 has clearly evolved over the years.
As the smoke cleared, Oliver remained, his golden wings shattered and cracked but still serving as an effective shield.
If I push the power any higher, I might actually kill him. In that case...
I swung the black sword down, launching a black slash.
Still bound by the chains, Oliver desperately repaired his wings to withstand the incoming projectile. Against that slash alone, his defense likely would have held. However...
"—【Shift】."
I teleported directly in front of Oliver and pressed my left hand against the golden wings. I channeled a mix of my Ability and Ki, striking with the force of a Hakei palm.
The golden wings and jet-black chains shattered like delicate glasswork.
I blinked away from the impact zone just as my own black slash arrived, striking Oliver directly. Five golden slashes came screaming out of the resulting smoke cloud in retaliation.
"—【Bound】."
A geometric pattern, distinct from a standard magic circle, flickered into existence before me. The moment the golden slashes touched it, they reversed direction and hurtled back toward Oliver.
He had taken a black slash followed by his own reflected attacks; he should have been reeling. Yet Oliver seemed entirely unfazed, charging forward to force a close-quarters brawl.
"—【Blast】."
I intercepted him with suppressed jet-black mana bullets. They collided with him, triggering a massive explosion.
I closed the gap to Oliver—enveloped in smoke for the third time—to find him turtling behind his wings again.
Becoming a bit one-dimensional, aren't we?
I channeled Ki and mana via 【Mana Convergence】 into my left fist and punched the golden wings. The force, focused entirely into a single point, pierced through his defense and slammed into Oliver’s face.
I used the momentum to spin, delivering a follow-up kick that sent him flying.
Despite the mounting damage, he showed no signs of stopping or regaining consciousness.
...Next.
I felt a pang of guilt at the one-sided beating I was delivering to my best friend, but I hardened my heart.
From that point on, I continued to systematically break him down.
When he tried to create distance, I hammered him with 【Shot】 and advanced magic; when he drew close, I met him with my sword and martial arts. But with no sign of a breakthrough, I decided to shift strategies.
"—【Shift】."
As Oliver closed in for a claw strike, I activated the spell, teleporting both of us far beyond the city walls.
We reappeared dozens of meters apart. As I began constructing a new formula, I looked down to see a chaotic battle between magic beasts and humans.
Why are there so many magic beasts on the surface? Well, whatever. I’ll clear them out while I’m at it.
"—【Shift】. 【Meteor】!"
First, I teleported the humans to the safety of the city gates and moved the magic beasts directly beneath Oliver. Then, I triggered special-grade earth magic. A colossus of rock manifested above Oliver, plummeting toward him under the weight of gravity.
Oliver tried to bank away, but he couldn't escape the rock’s localized gravitational pull. He was dragged down with it, and they struck the earth together with a roar that carved a massive crater into the landscape.
Normally, an impact of that magnitude would have sent a lethal shockwave through the surrounding area, but the gravitational pull of the rock neutralized the blast. No unnecessary damage would reach the city.
That much mass should have dealt significant damage.
I descended to the crater floor. The people I’d moved to the gate were shouting something, but I didn't have time to deal with them. They might be acquaintances of my future self, but if I spoke to them, I’d likely just expose my confusion. Right now, Oliver was my only priority.
The massive rock at the center of the crater suddenly detonated.
Oliver’s doing, no doubt. He still hadn't lost consciousness.
A few magic beasts that had miraculously survived the 【Meteor】 came charging at me. I sprinted toward the center of the crater, cutting down the stragglers as I went.
As expected, Oliver was standing at the center, bleeding from several wounds. The damage was finally taking its toll; his wings and tails were flickering, unable to maintain their shape.
I immediately cast a healing spell on him, then leaped above him to swing my sword. I intended to knock him out with this final blow, but he still had strength in reserve—his claws caught my blade, stopping it inches from his head.
"Tch... —【Bind】."
I pinned him to the ground with chains. I leaped back while constructing the next formula and unleashed it.
"【Explode Chain】."
A primary explosion detonated in front of Oliver, followed by a cascading series of secondary blasts that tore into him. Exhausted and unable to even maintain his mana form, he had no way to withstand the chain reaction.
Yet, when the fire died down, Oliver was still standing.
He’s still on his feet...
I found his tenacity admirable, but it broke my heart to know I had to keep hurting him.
I took a deep breath, reset my focus, and readied my sword—and then, finally, Oliver collapsed.
"...Is it over? No, I can't let my guard down yet. There's no guarantee he won't lose control the moment he wakes up."
I began treating Oliver’s wounds while scanning our surroundings. Once I spotted a suitable location, I activated 【Shift】, disappearing from the battlefield along with my unconscious, chain-bound friend.