A Genius Boy Who Was Exiled From His Family Home for “Not Being Able To Use Magic” Becomes a Witch’s Apprentice and Masters All Magic in the Right Way. This Is How You Use Your Magic, You Know?

Chapter 53. Clash Of Wills

“GGGGGGGROOOOOAAAAR!!”

Cerberus attacks.

Its movements remain a threat. Despite the significant damage from the last strike, there’s no sign of it weakening.

Is its mental strength exceptionally high, or is this damage insignificant to this monster?

Probably both.

“──There.”

But now, we have a weapon. Not just a scratch, but a blade that truly reaches it.

[Laevateinn]. A magic he created to defeat this monster.

Its nature is extreme firepower. No special effects, just pure destructive force. But that’s why it can threaten this monstrously strong creature.

However, Hermes can’t use other magic while wielding it, and controlling the greatsword demands so much focus that his movements are slower than before.

He can still fight thanks to the predictive movements honed in battle, and──

“──I won’t let you!”

Katia’s precise control of ghost soldiers disrupts and limits Cerberus’s movements.

“…Are you alright, Lady Katia?”

I ask during a brief moment of respite.

Of course, attacking would be better, but I noticed her condition.

Katia’s face is pale, her limbs trembling──classic signs of approaching magical exhaustion.

“No matter how efficient [Soteira Trivia] is, fighting this long──”

“…I’m fine!”

She responds firmly.

“Thanks to you and Sara protecting me, I can still fight. I’ll fight to the end. You prepared such powerful magic… I must do at least this much!”

“──Understood.”

If that’s her resolve, I’ll say no more.

Indeed, without her support, we might have been overwhelmed. Defeating the monster quickly is for her sake too.

I refocus entirely on Cerberus.

Hermes grips the greatsword and leaps head-on.

“…Amazing…”

Sara watches the battle from afar, her honest impression escaping her lips.

Sara’s bloodline magic isn’t as efficient as Katia’s. Her magic is depleted, and the damage from the shattered light prison prevents her from moving.

All she can do is watch. Though frustrated, she’s entranced by the battle before her.

Behind her, a voice speaks.

“What the hell… is that…?”

Similarly fallen soldiers. They’re all captivated by the battle.

“Incredible magic… better than the Prince’s.”

“But isn’t it said to be forbidden──”

“It doesn’t matter, if they fall, we’re finished!”

“But… a flawed noble and a failure defeating a monster the Prince couldn’t, such──”

Though they hope for victory, they’re confused by the unprecedented event.

Sara addresses them.

“…You all understand by now, don’t you?”

She looks ahead again, watching the fight.

With noble determination and commensurate power. Courageously facing a fearsome foe that threatens people’s lives.

The ideal of nobility was taught to everyone once. The embodiment of that ideal is clear in the two fighting now.

The scene speaks louder than any words.

“Which of us was wrong? Who was the impostor? Who ignored the truly important things with a warped sense of values?”

She says as if convincing herself, glancing right.

Aster lies there, conscious but stunned, watching the battle soullessly.

He probably didn’t hear her words. She averts her gaze, looking ahead again.

“Some of you can still move… I’m not asking you to fight. I don’t think I can intervene either.”

She’s not stopping them from fighting, but none of the able soldiers rise.

──That’s their limit now.

She speaks, her voice tinged with slight regret.

“Then at least, let’s watch until the end. See the strength and conclusion of those who believed in their own will despite their doubts.”

Hermes’s greatsword slashes Cerberus again.

“ROAAR!”

He swiftly avoids the retaliating hind leg with a backstep. Regaining posture, he cautiously seeks another opening.

Cerberus is covered in countless cuts. [Laevateinn]’s flames worsen its injuries, hastening its weariness.

Cerberus can probably heal but doesn’t attempt to. Likely because it would take too much magic, and more importantly──it would be struck with more damage during the healing.

Indeed, that’s his plan. To strike its head off the moment it shows any magic.

Sensing this, Cerberus hesitates to act.

If they continue landing sure hits, it will eventually fall──

“…Damn… it…”

──And the same goes for Hermes and his team.

“When… will it… fall…!”

Hermes gasps, swearing.

He doesn’t know about Cerberus, but Hermes has a clear limit──his physical endurance.

Sara is no longer easing that limit, and the earlier lightning strike brings him closer to exhaustion.

Not just Hermes. Katia, continuously deploying ghost soldiers, could also run out of magic at any moment.

Though they want to end it quickly, Cerberus won’t allow a decisive strike.

Despite the damage, it shows no signs of falling, giving the impression of invincibility.

“GGGGROOOAAARR…”

Perhaps Cerberus feels the same.

Despite being repeatedly struck down, it rises stronger each time. The humans, now wielding a weapon that could kill it, must be a formidable threat.

Its three heads pant heavily, resilient yet not immortal.

They’re evenly matched. No longer in a stalemate where neither can land a blow, but in the final stage where both are draining each other’s remaining life and strength.

──From here, it’s a battle of wills.

“──!”

“GROAR!!”

Exchanging sharp breaths and roars, they clash countless times.

Slash. Clash. Swing. Deflect. Dodge. Graze.

Countless exchanges. A clash of souls. A collision of wishes and murderous intent, an intense dialogue of what they refuse to yield.

It seemed eternal──or eternally possible.

This miraculous balance in the close-quarters combat lasted longer than anyone expected.

The strength of his wish and Cerberus’s murderous intent might have been equally strong.

Thus, the balance was finally broken.

“──Woof!?”

A slightly deeper cut from the flaming blade.

Cerberus, sensing something off, stepped back a little, but the unease didn’t end there.

Gradually, yet unmistakably. His swordsmanship was growing sharper.

The answer to this mystery came from none other than himself.

“…Ah.”

A strained sigh, yet one that suggested he had grasped something.

“…I finally understand how to use it.”

Shivers ran down Cerberus’s spine.

He had.

In this extreme situation, where he should have focused solely on repetitive, ingrained movements──which was exactly what Cerberus was doing, as it was the only thing he could do.

And yet, he didn’t stop thinking.

Through trial and error, he refined it. His newly acquired magic was sharper and more efficient.

Learning and evolving.

His essence. His strength. Not stopping from the beginning to the end of the battle. That might have been one of the reasons he made it this far.

“…Let’s finish this.”

He moved, swaying.

──At this rate, I’ll lose.

Instinctively realizing this, Cerberus──leaped.

“!? ”

A sudden, massive jump backward. Hermes was surprised but puzzled. If he had that much energy, why hadn’t he used it before──

“No, that’s not it.”

He had no such reserve. In fact, Cerberus collapsed where he landed, unable to move a step.

It was clear the movement had been forced. If Hermes pursued now, it would be over. What could he possibly want to achieve by this──

──The answer became clear immediately.

“──Aoooo■■■■■────n”

One head, with golden eyes, howled.

“…I see.”

He understood instantly.

If they continued wearing each other down, he would lose. Realizing this in a split second, Cerberus had forcefully created distance, mustering his last strength.

To end it with his ultimate strike, a lightning spell.

“Fine.”

Hermes decided to accept the challenge without hesitation.

Dodging was impossible. The spell would cover a wide area and come from above; in his current state, he couldn’t run or hide.

This was truly the final showdown.

Pouring all his remaining strength into his stance, waiting for the lightning.

Clutching his sword──at that moment.

──Crack.

“…What?”

An ominous sound echoed.

He looked instinctively at the source. His right-hand sword. Though crude, it had been the most effective weapon against Cerberus.

──A crack had formed in the blade.

(This is bad──)

It was indeed a potential problem.

Hermes had crafted this spell on the spot. Improvised, untested──a literal makeshift weapon.

The risk of it breaking was always there, but of all times, now.

There was no time to fix it. Forcing mana into it to prevent collapse──would backfire. If it were a solid, well-crafted spell, maybe, but this unstable spell would shatter under such strain.

Meanwhile, the mana above Cerberus was growing denser.

This was really bad. Even at full strength, defeating that spell would be uncertain, and now he couldn’t even muster full strength.

What to do. No ideas came to mind. Unlike previous battles, he had no room for error. He had bet everything on this spell.

Now that it was breaking, there was nothing Hermes could do. The lightning above was about to fire. This was truly the end──

──At that moment, several things happened.

First, something warm flowed into his right hand.

It looked like a purple mist. Judging by the color and the feel, it came from──Katia.

She had turned her ghost soldiers into mana clumps and wrapped them around Hermes’s sword. This would hasten the sword’s collapse──but it didn’t.

Because one of the core elements of Hermes’s [Laevateinn] was indeed mana clumps made from [Soteira Trivia]. In a way, Katia’s support perfectly complemented Hermes’s sword, and she recognized this and sent her final strength to him.

She collapsed after expending her mana, but in return, Hermes’s sword shone brighter. Bright enough to rival the incoming lightning.

Next, another change.──A cage of light enveloped the sword. It seemed to ‘reinforce’ it.

The one responsible for this was undoubtedly Sara.

Even after leaving the battlefield, she had been watching the fight.

She had kept thinking. She couldn’t return to the front lines, but──desperately wondered if there was still a way she could be useful.

The result was this phenomenon. Applying her [Theur Gy], typically used for defense, for reinforcement for the first time. Inspired by Hermes’ way, she had achieved her own evolution.

A small piece, but now the most crucial. This allowed him one more full-power swing.

Finally, the lightning above.

If Hermes wasn’t mistaken…for a brief moment, it seemed to delay its strike.

Not by their will. So then──it could only be by Cerberus’s will.

Absurd, maybe a misunderstanding. Perhaps Cerberus was simply faltering.

But Hermes felt it. A slight understanding born from countless clashes of blades and fangs.

──He was waiting. Refusing a one-sided conclusion, demanding Hermes strike with his full power.

Katia’s understanding, Sara’s evolution, and Cerberus’s will.

All slightly pushing him forward. The stage for a head-on clash was set.

“──”

Hermes raised his sword. Vertically before him, like a knight’s salute, as if paying respect to something.

Then, he swung it back. The mana above shone even brighter in response.

“──Oooooooooh!!”

“──Haaaah!!”

A piercing roar and his first displayed battle cry.

The lightning crashed, and the inferno was unleashed. They collided midway, raged, and clashed fiercely.

Their wills. Their burdens. Their cultivated powers.

All exploded, engulfed, devoured each other, and then.

“…Ah.”

The flame burned even the lightning.

It ascended skyward, dissipating into a vibrant blue sky.

“A beautiful magic.”

He offered the highest praise for the clashing magic.

Then, he dashed forward. Gripping his nearly broken sword, spurred on by the final task.

Towards the beast, to conclude the battle.

One question lingered.

Why hadn’t Cerberus tried to flee?

He must have understood his life was at risk and that someone capable of ending it was before him.

And his physical abilities far surpassed theirs. If he had dedicated himself to escape, they had neither the means nor the will to pursue. He could have survived, as any wild animal would instinctively choose.

Why didn’t he?

──The answer became clear through the battle and the brief hesitation before the final clash.

Cerberus couldn’t move. Yet, his three heads remained high, gazing at the approaching Hermes.

In those six eyes, the same as at the beginning.

Cold, cruel──yet pure murderous intent.

I will take everything from you. Surpassing all your power and means, devouring everything.

Such a ghastly, terrifying, yet not repulsive, intense will.

Naturally, it couldn’t be accepted.

But, as one who understood the power of will, he felt it should be acknowledged, and wanted to acknowledge it.

Finally reaching Cerberus, wary of any counterattack, he raised his sword.

Despite facing death, Cerberus showed no resistance.

In those eyes, unending murderous intent──and something pure.

“…Cerberus.”

For the first time, he called his adversary’s name.

The sword pierced his heart.

“A terrifying, beautiful creature of murderous intent.──My sincere gratitude and respect to you.”

Hearing Hermes’s genuine words, its six eyes finally closed.

The battle curtain fell.