At that moment, at the Academy.
"He's not coming."
McDowell stood high up, watching the rebels in front of him.
They seemed ready to attack at any moment, but they were not making a direct move yet.
"Is this a diversion...?"
Still, he couldn't afford to underestimate them.
The moment he lowered his guard, the rebels might launch a full-scale attack, potentially causing significant damage.
Therefore, he had to be ready for battle at all times.
After all, even the rebels couldn't keep their soldiers moving indefinitely.
Being human, they too would tire.
They couldn't keep up the appearance of imminent attack for long.
So, until then, he had to maintain vigilance.
The problem was...
He had no information about the situation in the Persia territory.
He had expected some form of communication, but nothing had come through.
Whether they were too busy fighting or the rebels were blocking the information...
Regardless of the situation, it was clear it wasn't good.
If victory had been certain, they would have already informed him.
"But it's not like we can offer help in our current situation."
For ordinary soldiers to reach the Persia territory, even on horseback, would take 4 to 5 hours.
A knight with enhanced physical abilities could get there faster, but they wouldn't be fit for battle upon arrival.
Thus, the only one who could quickly move to the Persia territory and continue the fight was Ian Astria, a user of spatial magic.
However, his duty was as the commander of the Royal army.
The commander couldn't leave his post, especially where the main enemy forces were concentrated.
Therefore, McDowell had to think of another strategy.
A way to help without going to Persia.
McDowell pondered this while intently watching the rebels.
Then, a thought struck him.
"Is anyone there?"
"Yes, Principal."
At McDowell's call, a soldier bowed his head.
"Go down and call the commander of the Royal army, Robert, and Mcguire. Tell them I've asked for them; they will come."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Space and time.
In some ways, these were entirely different realms, yet in others, they were deeply connected.
Just a while ago, he had physically felt it.
When Aryandor used time magic, some change occurred in the spatial realm.
It was a dire situation, so he hadn't seen it clearly, but he understood that space and time were somehow interconnected.
Now, the problem was what to do next.
How to counter his time magic.
No.
First, it was his swordsmanship that was the problem.
"Royal swordsmanship..."
"Khuh..."
I twisted my body, dodging Aryandor's sword energy, and retreated a good distance.
From Northern swordsmanship to Royal swordsmanship.
And other techniques from prestigious families and various useful skills mercenaries employed.
Judging by his appearance, Aryandor seemed to be in his early thirties.
Ian's skills were no different from Aryandor's.
For someone his age, the sheer amount of techniques he used was unbelievable.
Of course, the problem was not only the variety of techniques, but also his use of time magic.
I was dumbfounded.
Even those called geniuses only learn one of the techniques Aryandor used.
Although their proficiency might be superior, Aryandor could use those techniques to a similar extent.
Being able to use a variety of techniques to such a degree of completion was inconceivable.
Especially if done alone.
I wasn't sure how far he could take the application of time magic, but as far as I knew, it only allowed for a slight reversal of time or foreseeing the future.
It was implausible to think he learned all those techniques just by seeing into the future.
If it were that easy, everyone would simply watch and mimic others' swordsmanship.
There is a law to secret techniques.
They involve certain methods passed down through generations, learned based on those methods.
So, Aryandor must have known that method to have reached such a level.
This raised a question.
Who helped Aryandor?
Someone who knew all those sword techniques.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Someone who could help him learn them quickly.
Someone with an incredible skill like time magic.
Whether it was the same person or different people, I couldn't tell.
I was just listing the necessary elements.
But, knowing this now was pointless.
Survival was the priority.
"Priscilla."
With her silver fur fluttering, Priscilla appeared.
As soon as she appeared, Priscilla grumbled at me.
"The stench of decay is overwhelming."
She seemed to be referring to the beings resurrected through necromancy.
Being a elemental in the form of a wolf, Priscilla had a sensitive sense of smell.
"For now, there's no time to grumble."
I spoke to Priscilla and then looked back at Aryandor.
At that moment, Aryandor's expression hardened.
"...An ice elemental?"
He seemed shocked.
As if he saw something he shouldn't have.
Priscilla and Aryandor?
They seemed unrelated.
I looked at Priscilla.
"Hey, do you know him?"
"...I've never seen him before."
Priscilla hadn't appeared when the rebels attacked.
Because I was in my future body, there was no chance for the current Priscilla to appear.
So, it was natural for Aryandor and her not to know each other...
That's when a thought flashed through my mind.
The connection between Priscilla in the future and Astina's death.
I clearly remember hearing that Priscilla made a mistake when Astina died in the future.
I turned to look at Priscilla.
"...What's wrong?"
If Astina died because of Priscilla's mistake, then not making that mistake meant Astina could be saved.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I didn't know what that mistake was, but it implied there was a possibility.
"Hey, Priscilla."
I lightly tapped Priscilla's paw.
"I trust you."
"What are you talking about?"
After saying that, I turned my gaze back to Aryandor.
Aryandor looked flustered upon seeing Priscilla.
I immediately charged at him.
"Kuk..."
Aryandor stumbled backward as I approached rapidly.
I seized the opportunity.
Mana surged into my fist.
Boom!!!!!!
"Kuk!"
My mana-infused punch hit Aryandor, who tried to block it with his sword.
But he faltered.
Although he managed to block my punch with his sword, his body was still within the blast radius of the mana explosion.
Aryandor sustained minor injuries and retreated.
"Gravity."
Astina continued the attack.
Despite being injured, Astina could still use magic from behind.
Stones around Aryandor levitated under Astina's spell, aiming at him.
Priscilla joined in.
Ice formed around them.
Rocks and ice shards flew towards Aryandor.
"Northern swordsmanship."
Aryandor, enveloped in blue sword energy, sliced through the incoming projectiles.
However, Aryandor was already shaken.
There is a flow to every attack.
Aryandor, once unsettled, could only block some of the attacks.
Most of them grazed past his body.
Small cuts appeared on Aryandor's body.
I aimed to continue this momentum.
"Hellfire."
Dark magic.
Black flames gathered around Aryandor.
Now, Aryandor had one thing to do.
Reverse the situation with time magic.
But my prediction was off.
"…Ha!"
Aryandor, surrounded by sword energy, looked at me and laughed.
Before the dark magic could activate, he swung his sword broadly.
His sword traced a large arc above his head.
Following its trajectory, a blue sword energy appeared.
"Blue Half Moon."
Blue sword energy erupted around Aryandor.
The blue energy swallowed the black flames I had created.
It not only consumed the flames but also incinerated everything else flying towards him.
Aryandor walked out from within the blue flames, wiping the blood on his face with his sleeve, looking at me with cold eyes.
"Where did that elemental come from?"
I responded to his question with another question.
"Where did you learn those sword techniques?"
Upon my question, Aryandor remained silent.
Seeing Aryandor's attitude, I smirked slightly.
His demeanor gave me some certainty.
Priscilla is the key.
She has some connection with Aryandor.
And then there's the time magic.
Aryandor clearly had the opportunity to use time magic but chose a different way out.
He left his wounds as they were.
Not using time magic to that extent ignited a determination in me.
I'll make him use time magic.
It wasn't an easy task, but that was okay.
I walked towards Aryandor.
Aryandor was strong.
A magic swordsman who used various sword techniques and even time magic.
In the past, I would have resorted to tricks.
Either relying on someone's help or planning a strategy in advance.
But now, I was different from before.
I had grown a lot.
I had faced death threats and fought many stronger opponents.
I had studied magic extensively and acquired various abilities.
I even created magical tools specifically for myself.
I had almost completed all the preparations I could.
So, I said, "I'll make you use your time magic at least once."
I looked at Aryandor and smirked.
I gathered as much mana as possible into my fist.
There were no traps or strategies.
Without any gimmicks.
Just pure strength.
Mana gathered, and a blue aura formed around my fist.
The aura grew larger.
From the size of a fist to the size of a human head, then to the size of a human body, and even larger.
It kept growing.
"Try taking this."
The blue mana that had gathered in my fist.
A pure concentration of mana.
No other applications were involved.
Still, I was confident.
The mana vibrated loudly, resonating around me.
Looking at the mana, I smiled and said, "If you can't take it, use your time magic."
I then thrust my mana-filled fist forward.
Boom!!!!!!!!
"Huh..."
Aryandor looked at the scene incredulously.
Pure mana was tearing everything around it apart.
Aryandor raised his sword to block the attack, but then lowered it.
And just as the mana was about to reach Aryandor.
"…Time… Back."
Aryandor used his time magic.
