After concluding our exchange, my subordinates filed out of the room.
I locked the door and reinforced it with a heavy Barrier. It would be disastrous if the aftereffects of the Forbidden Magic leaked outside; there was no telling what kind of collateral damage it might cause.
While I believed I had accounted for every variable, I was about to activate a spell of my own design—one that had never been tested. I had to remain wary of potential malfunctions or unintended consequences. Caution was paramount.
"Well then..."
Once alone, I settled back into my chair. I confirmed my link to the Magic Formula inscribed on the floor and performed a final visual inspection of the surroundings. Everything was in order; the spell seemed ready to activate without a hitch.
In the silence of the room, I shifted my neck slightly.
(It’s only natural to feel some trepidation.)
Despite the confident facade I maintained for my subordinates, I was not without my own anxieties. My concern wasn't whether I could break the Beast's Art—I had already steeled my resolve for that. Rather, I hesitated to peer into my own Mental World.
Activating the Forbidden Magic would cause my consciousness to sink into that realm. What would I find there? To enter one’s Mental World was synonymous with coming face-to-face with the raw contents of one’s own heart. It was only natural to have complex feelings about it.
Historical records contained no accounts of Mages successfully entering the Mental World. Those who had attempted it in the past met only failure and a gruesome end.
Succubi possessed a similar racial ability: Dream Intrusion. However, I had heard their power was limited to the surface level of the target's Dream World and never reached the Mental Depths. To venture that far meant risking the inability to return to the Real World, leaving one to be pulverized by the target's unconscious mind.
According to Luciana, Dream Intrusion was an act fraught with peril. Even for a Succubus, it was an ability they fundamentally preferred to avoid. This Forbidden Magic was a spell designed to plunge into that very danger zone.
(...It is time.)
These stray thoughts helped me maintain a measure of composure. In the execution of Forbidden Magic, agitation and impatience are lethal enemies; any crack in one’s mental state invites failure. It had been years since I’d had to consciously steady my nerves like this, but given the stakes, it was a necessary precaution.
I focused on the Magic Power within me. It circulated smoothly, without a hint of instability. I had grown accustomed to the agonizing deterioration of my body over the last five days; it wasn't enough to break my concentration now.
With a calm mind, I activated the Forbidden Magic.
Immediately, the Magic Formulas etched across my body began to pulse with light. The glow propagated to the arrays throughout the room. The very surfaces of the floor, walls, and ceiling seemed to peel away, leaving only the Formulas to spin suspended in midair. The Magic Power I channeled swelled boundlessly.
"Nngh...!"
I ground my teeth to stifle a scream. A mind-shattering agony tore through me. My skeletal body began to gradually crumble, starting from the extremities.
Fighting through the pain, I focused entirely on maintaining my ego and controlling the Magic Power. Whenever a circuit threatened to fray, I forcibly bound it back together to prevent the ritual from collapsing. I couldn't afford to care about my physical vessel anymore. Every shred of my being was dedicated solely to sustaining the spell.
I remained in that state of agony for some time.
Eventually, a sensation of being violently pulled into my own interior took hold. It was an irresistible, crushing force. As the pain reached its zenith, my body finally underwent a total physical collapse.
In that final moment, my vision went pitch black, and my consciousness plummeted into the abyss.