I knew it. He was a reincarnated person.
As tension bead sweat upon my brow, I glared at the Sorcerer standing amidst the swirling dust.
"No... No way. Are you Japanese too?"
The words that spilled from the Sorcerer’s mouth weren't in the language of this world. They were Japanese.
There was no longer any doubt. This man’s true identity was that of a Japanese person.
(Another reincarnator... So he really does possess a special power.)
His ability to manipulate sand, which he had been flaunting since the start of our fight, was a miraculous force driven by a mechanism distinct from magic. Just like my own infinite mana, it was likely the result of some divine blessing or protection.
"Why? Why is a fellow Japanese person getting in my way? Why are you standing against me as an enemy?"
"‘Why’ is my line," I countered. "Why is a Japanese person kidnapping demi-humans and using them to attack the Aiwood Kingdom?"
"Don't tell me... are you one of Gascoigne's cronies? A member of the Council of Sages?"
The Sorcerer’s face twisted with pure loathing.
As the sand settled, his features became clear. He was unexpectedly young—probably around my age, in his late teens. Though his gloomy expression made him seem mature at first glance, his features were boyish enough that he might have even been younger than me.
"Gascoigne... Leonardo Gascoigne," I muttered.
The man known as the Heavenly Emperor—the world’s greatest magician. I had met him once before; he was a man who had done nothing but talk over me before vanishing as quickly as he had appeared.
(Judging by his tone, this guy is hostile toward the Council of Sages. He’s a reincarnated person with a unique power, just like the Queen Dowager.)
Gascoigne, the Academy Director, the Queen Dowager... The fragments of information I had gathered from them finally clicked together, revealing the true nature of the man before me.
"Takfir Kahen...!" I whispered.
A group of reincarnated people who wished for the end of the world. A secret society. Believing that their unfair deaths in their previous lives were the fault of this world’s gods, they were Apostles of Evil consumed by the fires of revenge.
The Queen Dowager—Shoko Sanada—had been involved with them, though she had dismissed them as nothing more than a "bunch of chunibyo."
"So you know our name... You really are a dog of the Council of Sages!"
"!"
"Die! King of Sand, kill hIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!"
The Sorcerer’s rage boiled over instantly, and he unleashed his power. The sand transformed into countless blades, surging toward me.
"You fool, conforming to a world like this! You’re just a pathetic dog who forgot his grudge against God and surrendered! Begone! Begone, begone, begone! Begonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegonebegone OOOOOOOOOOH!"
"What is wrong with this guy? He just completely snapped!"
Attacks rained down on me from every direction. Blades and bullets of sand flew from the walls, while jagged stakes thrust up from the floor.
It was absolute chaos, but the sheer volume of the assault was staggering. I was only managing to hold my ground because of my magic; any ordinary mage would have been shredded into mincemeat within seconds.
"PERIIIIIIIIIIISH!"
"Like I’d just die because you told me to. Sorry, but... you’re the one who’s finished."
I stole a quick glance behind me. Professor Dieble was gone. The cells had been torn open, and the demi-human children who had been trapped inside were nowhere to be found. It seemed that while I was keeping the Sorcerer occupied, the Professor had rescued the hostages and made his escape.
(I knew I could count on him. That’s Professor Dieble for you.)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"I don't think I'm going to get any more answers out of you, even though I had plenty of questions."
I had wanted to know his reasons for starting this war. I wanted to know about his connection to the Empire and the details of that mysterious chunibyo society. If possible, I had hoped to gather that intelligence through conversation.
(But looking at him now, talk is useless. And he's too powerful to hold back and try to take alive.)
"...It’s a pity. Setting the information aside, I would have liked to actually talk to you."
We were fellow reincarnated people. Unlike Shoko Sanada, who had been nothing more than a residual thought, we had both been given a second chance at life. I would have preferred to find some common ground through words, but since things had come to this, there was only one path forward.
"Goodbye."
I unleashed my magic.
Amidst the raging sandstorm, a blue, fist-sized sphere flew through the air.
"Watatsumi no Kami!"
In the next instant, the sphere popped like a balloon pricked by a needle.
The tiny sphere, which had been held together by high-pressure Barrier Arts, shattered. Tens of tons of water that had been compressed inside erupted outward with the force of a massive explosion.