Infinite Mage - Remake

Shirone and Canis kept track of each other's movements, even in the dense, difficult terrain of the forest. Their approach was cautious rather than aggressive, and the battle had turned into a psychological game rather than a direct confrontation. The contrast between light and darkness created a fragile balance, and one wrong move could tip the scales instantly. The question now was: who would strike first?

Canis, feeling the pressure more, knew that dark magic worked best when responding with counterattacks. But Shirone never left an opening, maintaining tension with calculated, tactical moves. Through a mental connection, Harvest’s voice came through.

– "It's fine. There's no way anyone can stay this calm in battle." – "Should we pretend to fall for it and close in? We need to create some unpredictability. I can't keep up like this." – "Hmm, it’s like a mirrored chess match." The strategy was simple: mirror the opponent’s moves to keep the power gap close. In the middle of the fight, the difference in strength wouldn’t be noticeable, but one mistake could easily create an opening. However, if the fight continued without mistakes, the one who struck first would likely suffer in the end.

‘He’s not even showing the slightest sign of weakness. If we keep this up, we could be in serious trouble.’

Canis believed it was better to make the first move. He communicated his decision through the mental link.

– "Harvest, what do you think?" – "Hmm? Oh, right. If this drags on, we’ll be at a disadvantage. Let’s take the initiative." Canis sensed that the thoughts from Harvest were slower than usual, so he widened the distance with the Dark Fort and asked.

– "What’s going on?" – "I felt seismic waves a little while ago. They're coming from about two kilometers away." Harvest, with his highly developed sense of vibration, could perceive and interpret the waves of energy in great detail.

– "Seismic waves?" – "They’re still coming. Only Arcane’s power could cause a disturbance like this. He must have used Dark Fellowship." – "Master? But the Dark Fellowship is a secret weapon. What does this mean?" – "It could mean either one of two things. The good news is that it could be a sign of Arcane being in a highly energized state. The bad news is, we’re probably up against someone strong enough to trigger the Dark Fellowship." – "If it’s a strong opponent... Could it be Alpheas?" – "For now, that seems the most likely. Either way, we have to move quickly. If Arcane found Alpheas, we need to finish up here too." – "Got it. Let’s go."

Canis closed the gap and moved in. To his surprise, Shirone met him head-on, maintaining the initiative through instinctive feedback and swift adjustments.

Canis cast a dark magic attack, shaping a shadow into a double-edged saw blade designed for offense. Shirone responded by firing Photon Cannons continuously, cutting through the darkness like a rock being battered by wind and waves. Despite light being the natural counter to darkness, Canis was fully committed to dark magic. Though capable of using all basic spells from his series, his magic was not suited for small, quick attacks.

‘Stay steady. I can’t keep up this level of magic forever. If I can just hold on, the tide will turn.’

As Canis had predicted, Shirone’s mental strain grew with every passing moment. Even though Shirone had the advantage in attributes, the defensive power of dark magic was not easily overcome.

‘I need more power.’

To keep up the assault, Shirone compressed the photons faster than they were being lost, creating a more powerful and condensed sphere of light. Though this drained his mental energy, the strength of the photons grew, and the light orb grew larger.

Canis immediately sensed the change.

– "What’s happening?" – "His power has increased. I’ll take care of it."

Harvest, blocking Canis’s path, braced himself as the photon cannon slammed into him, striking both of his hands and shattering the photons. However, the impact didn’t crush the photon—it sent Harvest flying through the forest with a hollow sound.

Canis, shocked, called out.

– "Harvest, are you okay?" – "So-so. That was... incredibly heavy. It’s a deadly weapon."

Shirone raised the photon cannon above his head. More photons appeared on both shoulders, and as the three photon cannons swayed, Harvest stretched out his arms, determined not to be overpowered.

"Kiki Kiki! This tickles! Is that your final move?"

"No, this is just practice for now."

"..."

Harvest fell silent as Shirone fired the photon cannon again. This blast, twice as powerful as the previous one, tore through the trees in its path. Canis’s thoughts raced as he struggled to keep up with the intensity of the battle.

– "Canis, we need to dodge this!" – "If we start dodging, we’ll lose the initiative. We can’t back down now." – "I don’t think I can stop it!" – "I can stop it. Absorb my power."

Reluctantly, Canis absorbed Harvest’s energy. As a result, Harvest’s body swelled dramatically, and the shadow around him turned into a massive beast’s jaws, roaring at the three beams of light.

"Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Light collided with darkness.

Creas, a warm southern city, was currently experiencing summer, but at the top of an impassable bridge, a fierce snowstorm was raging.

Iruki and Neid tightened their collars as the blizzard reduced visibility, making it hard to see Siana and Lucas.

"Brr, it’s so cold. What’s going on? Why would Siana-sensei cast magic?"

"Maybe she’s regained her senses? She could have awakened after falling off the cliff."

"Don’t you think so? What kind of magic is this? It’s nothing like a teacher’s spell! At this rate, everyone will freeze to death." Neid was just as confused. There were hundreds of students here, and he didn’t think they could survive long in this cold—minus 20 degrees. But the pressure on Lucas was clearly working. When body cells cool down, the effectiveness of mitochondria is reduced.

"Damn it! This is driving me crazy!" Lucas was especially affected by the strong wind where he stood, making the temperature feel even colder. Necrosis was spreading from his peripheral nerves. This was one of the reasons why high-level freezing mages often used Blizzard magic. While not the most powerful, its wide range and constant cold made it a reliable method, especially for taking down swordsmen.

"Anyway, I’m so annoyed by these mages." Lucas was frustrated. Mages always harassed swordsmen with strange magic. But it wasn’t time to give up. More importantly, she wasn’t acting normally.

An ice spear shot through the blizzard, and Lucas quickly tried to dodge. However, his weakened condition made it difficult, and the spear grazed his side.

"Damn it!" At low temperatures, most organisms become sluggish. As he fought through the cold, Lucas was already showing signs of frostbite on his fingertips.

‘I think the temperature dropped even more. Are they really trying to kill everyone?’ If the other schema users were suffering from frostbite, the students should have already frozen to death. But in reality, only Lucas was trapped in the Blizzard. Then, he noticed that a more concentrated Blizzard was following him.

Completely unaware of this, Lucas gritted his teeth as Siana appeared through the storm. "Are you crazy? How long are you going to keep this miserable blizzard up…?"

Lucas stopped mid-sentence. There was no emotion in Siana’s eyes—nothing but emptiness.

"No way..." Lucas’ shoulders trembled. He remembered the magic with his body, not his mind—literally, his brain. Just like how prosecutors hone their skills through repetition, Siana had reached a level where she could replicate specific brainwave patterns even in situations where memories or poetry were lost. She must have pushed herself relentlessly from birth.

‘How long has she been training?’ The hair on Lucas’ neck stood on end. Regardless of her abilities, he could sense the darkness in her—her mind was determined.

‘Shit! This is no simple opponent.’ He had to get out of there. No matter how much the gold coins were worth, they were nothing compared to his life.

He gathered all his strength and tried to run, knowing that if he escaped the Blizzard, she wouldn’t catch him. But that was just a desperate thought, and he soon paid the price for turning his back on a certified 6th-class mage.

Siana raised a finger and pointed at Lucas. Moments later, Lucas screamed, buried in snow.

"Quaaaaaa!" There was no pain, but his legs were gone—cut off as if by scissors. He twisted his back to look at his frozen legs, but he couldn’t feel anything.

‘No, that’s impossible.’

This was absolute zero—something he had only heard of in rumors. Freezing magic, when pushed to the limits, can restrict the activity of particles to such an extent that it becomes almost impossible to move. By mastering this technique, Siana became a certified 6th-class mage at just 20 years old. But even she could only produce localized effects due to the mental strain it required.

‘Damn it! This crappy school… everyone here is a monster!’

Siana calmly cast her next spell: Glacier Bombing, an advanced magic derived from the freezing technique. As dozens of massive ice blocks formed in the sky, Lucas could only watch in horror. With his legs frozen and no way to escape, he resigned himself to death.

Meanwhile, Neid and Iruki rushed toward the students. While the magic wasn’t wide-area, the size of the glaciers made it impossible to be completely at ease. Massive chunks of ice began to fall toward the students, slowly pushing each other with their heavy mass.

Neid grabbed Arin by the shoulder and knocked her to the ground.

"Kyaaak! What are you doing?"

"Evacuate the students! Otherwise, everyone will die!"

"No! We don’t have time!" Iruki interrupted, shouting.

"I’ll handle it!"

"What are you going to do?"

Iruki gritted his teeth, knowing they were up against a glacier weighing tons. Even if it was hit with an atomic bomb, breaking it into manageable pieces was impossible. It wasn’t just a matter of splitting the glacier once; it would take extreme precision and power to shatter it before it fell.

‘I have no choice but to try…’

He calculated the forces involved and used his powers to break the glacier apart. The Breakaway Spirit Zone focused its energy at the center, and with a massive explosion, the glacier shattered into seven pieces. Iruki activated Double Spirit Zone, firing even more energy, causing the chunks to explode.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The glacier was destroyed, scattering ice like fireworks.

Neid and Arin watched in awe as the chain of explosions unfolded. The ice fragments fell like hail, but luckily, no one was hurt.

Arin couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Arcane always looked down on magic school students, calling them weak for accepting whatever magic was given to them. But the magic school students she had just seen surpassed her expectations.

‘This is a magic school?’ she thought in disbelief.

As Neid helped Arin, she screamed, pushing him away. "Go away! What are you doing?"

Neid flushed red as he stumbled. "What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m just trying to help!"

"Why are you helping me? We’re enemies!"

"Who says we are? You need to release the mind control! Are you really going to kill all these people? Are you still sane?"

Arin bit her lip. She knew she was about to be part of a massacre that would go down in history, but she didn’t fear it. If she hadn’t met Canis in Radum, she would have been doomed.

"I don’t care. If it’s for Canis, I would let the whole world die."

Neid saw the emptiness and pain in Arin’s eyes. What kind of life had she lived to become like this?

Iruki carried Siana on his back, and turned to look at Lucas, who was wedged between glaciers. He had lost both legs and couldn’t move. In the end, he would return to the dark prison of Inferno after a failed escape attempt.

Suddenly, the forest shook, and a thick beam of light shot through the trees.

"Wow. What was that?" Neid asked, in awe.

"It’s a photon cannon. You had an epiphany, didn’t you?"

From the forest, Shirone emerged, as if pushing through the trees. Arin’s face flushed red when she saw him. It was clear that Canis had won. But her hopes were dashed when Harvest, who had used his long arms to clear the trees, limped out, looking worse than Shirone.

Iruki was stunned. "Is that…?"

"Impossible," Neid muttered. "Shirone’s photon cannon evolved during the battle. Still can’t win?"

Shirone, standing up, said plainly, "I can’t win."

Everyone was stunned. This was the first time they had heard Shirone admit such a thing.

"What? Don’t talk like that."

"It’s not weakness," Shirone said. "That kid... he’s really strong."

Shirone knew that Canis was a disciple of the Archmage. Even if he hadn’t known, the sheer will behind Canis’ magic was undeniable. It wasn’t just a will to win—it was a will to destroy.

The Photon Cannon was powerful, but Canis, tapping into Harvest’s spiritual energy, absorbed it.

The battle became a contest of attrition, with the forces of Darkness and the Photon Cannon clashing repeatedly.

In the end, Canis managed to overpower Shirone and push him out of the forest.

‘So strong… why does he want to hurt people?’ Shirone thought.

If you choose to be evil for any reason, that's your decision. After all, everyone makes mistakes. But he couldn’t accept that evil was a source of strength. Strength comes from hard work, not from mistakes.

"Why are you doing this? What did the students do to you?"
"Are you running your mouth because you’re powerless? Typical behavior from weak nobles."

Since what was said wasn’t true, Shirone didn’t get angry.

"Answer me. What you’re about to do is so terrible, it will be remembered in history. At least tell me why."
"History? Who cares about that? The abandoned ones are just hanging on to survive. If I don’t kill someone, I’ll be the one to die."
"Don’t try to justify it with empty arguments. Everyone has hardships in life. No one escapes the pain. Everyone must endure their own suffering."
"Have you ever eaten the feces that fell on the ground?"

Shirone fell silent. A cold wind blew through.

‘Canis...’

Arin’s eyes were full of sadness. Those who haven’t lived in Radum could never understand what it was like there. It was a world completely separate from the rest of the world.

Canis and Arin had been abandoned in Radum. They couldn’t remember when they had been together or why they were the only two there. But from the moment they could think for themselves, they were always together, surviving even when others died or were sold off.

Canis was intelligent from a young age. Despite being a powerless child, he demonstrated the strength a human can develop when talent and determination align.

In Radum, which was full of criminals and dangers, Canis only had one goal: to protect Arin.

Women didn’t exist in Radum, or rather, they didn’t survive infancy. In a place where food was extremely scarce, helpless girls were quickly eaten. But Arin survived there until she turned ten. She was the only girl in Radum.

It was Canis who protected her, the eerie symbol of hope.

He fought like a mad dog whenever anyone tried to harm Arin. He would throw himself at the enemy, ready to die for her.

They couldn’t join any groups, so they survived by scavenging through trash cans every day.

What was truly absurd was that even the trash in Radum had an owner. Canis fought to the bitter end to avoid tearing himself apart just to get the scraps others had discarded.

After one such brutal battle, Canis managed to get half a moldy piece of bread.

Arin had been starving for three days. And because she hadn’t eaten, Canis had gone without food for twenty days.

“Oh my god! I got it! I really got it! I got bread!”

Canis sprinted down the alley, looking back to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Once she was out of sight, she leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Her mind felt hazy, and all she could focus on was the emptiness in her stomach. She could barely remember just how hungry she was.

Then, something caught her eye—a piece of bread.

Canis' eyes, filled with desperation, locked onto it. She swallowed hard, her body aching for food.

I need to eat this. I can do this for Arin. If I eat this, Arin will survive for a few more days. She can make it.

The thought made sense to her in that moment. It seemed like a practical solution. After eating, they could gather enough energy to find more food. It seemed like the right plan.

Canis opened her mouth and brought the bread closer. Her hands shook as she fought back the urge to devour it immediately.

I have to hold on. I don’t need strength. But if my mind breaks, everything is over.

She glanced around wildly, feeling like she might lose control. In her desperation, she almost considered eating a stone.

Then, she crawled toward some waste thrown in the alley. Without thinking, she reached out and put it in her mouth.

What am I doing?

Her body rejected it—every part of her fought against it—but Canis forced herself to swallow.

Better than stone.

After what felt like forever, she staggered back to her hiding place, still nauseous but somehow more stable. When she saw Arin, she brightened up and held out the bread with a forced smile.

“Arin, look! I found this!”

“Oh, is it real? That’s amazing!”

“I knew how to get it. There will be more. Eat quickly.”

Arin looked at the bread with sadness in her eyes. She wanted to go out and find food together, but as a woman in Radum, it was too dangerous. She had never spoken to anyone besides Canis and, as a result, had developed a sort of antisocial disorder. But at least she hadn’t been eaten by anyone.

“Let’s eat, Canis.”

“I’m fine. I’ve already eaten. I walked around and found some things. There was a big centipede earlier, so I got some energy from it. You can’t eat that, so you should eat this.”

“Why do you always treat me like a child? I can eat too.”

Canis gave Arin a playful look and put her hand on her shoulder.

“Arin, I know you’re strong. But it can’t be like this. Do you understand? The only reason I can survive here in Radum is because I can feed you. If you end up like me, you might go mad. So, eat it.”

She had said this many times before. Each time, Arin reluctantly took the bread, pretending to accept it. But today was different.

Arin stared at Canis’ mouth with wide, fearful eyes. Something was there, and it didn’t smell right.

“Canis, what did you eat?”

Canis froze, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“Huh? Oh, haha! This is just a cake. Some cream spilled, and I... I licked it off. I’m sorry, I didn’t mention it. I’m just so hungry!”

Smack!

Arin slapped Canis harder than ever before. Canis had been hit many times, but this was different. This was the first time it had hurt so much.

“Arin…?”

Arin’s face was filled with anger, a look Canis had never seen before.

“Why would you do this to me? Am I some animal? Are you trying to make me eat this? What am I to you?”

“It’s not like that! It’s my punishment! It has nothing to do with you!”

“I don’t want any of this! I don’t want it!”

Arin grabbed the bread and threw it to the ground. Canis looked away, her expression darkening.

“Damn it! How did I even get this…?”

But Arin didn’t stop there. She grabbed Canis by the face and kissed her. As she did, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she tasted the remnants of the bread on Canis’ lips.

It wasn’t a sweet kiss. It wasn’t a beautiful moment. It was an act of raw sympathy, born out of two souls intertwined in their shared suffering.

Only then did Canis realize what she had eaten. Tears began to flow—tears she had never shed before. The weight of everything she had endured overwhelmed her, and she finally let it all out.

“Huh! Whoa!”

“Don’t ever do this again. If you do, I can’t be with you anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Arin. Please don’t leave me. You’re the only family I have. You’re the reason I’m still alive.”

“Okay. We’ll live, Canis. We have to survive.”

Canis could only nod in silence, her heart heavy with grief. But Arin didn’t let her go. That night, Canis ate the bread that had fallen to the ground, forcing herself to swallow it.

As she did, Canis spoke quietly, as though recounting someone else’s life.

“We lived in hell. But Master saved us. He gave me food, the strength to protect Arin, and even gave me Harvest—the essence of dark magic.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Harvest. Usually, it was quite talkative, but today, it was silent.

“Alright,” Shirone said quietly.

“What kind of life have you lived? But that doesn't excuse killing people. Just because you've had a harder life than others doesn't mean that wrong things become right.”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not defending you; I’m trying to teach you something. You believe in a fragile sense of justice, and you live in a world full of pretensions. What saved Arin and me wasn't the kind of justice you pride yourself on. I’m just doing what I believe in.”

“There's nothing to gain from hurting others. Your past will never be healed unless you first try to understand the other person.”

“Consolation? You’re just talking nonsense. Do you even see what's happening? Master is going to destroy the whole school, and that includes your friends.”

“No. You can’t hurt anyone but yourself.” As Shirone levitated a photon in his hand, Harvest spread her palm wide to shield Canis. But that wasn’t enough—she reached out with her other arm, wrapping it around him as well. “What are you doing, Harvest? There’s no need to be this afraid.”

“It’s dangerous. His temperament is off.” Canis scoffed. The fight in the forest had already shown him Shirone's abilities. He was a decent magic school student, but still, just a flower in a greenhouse. “Whatever... for me, it’s…” Canis’s expression went blank. The photon cannon floating in Shirone’s hand was vibrating at an alarming speed, far stronger than the one used in the forest. But judging by Canis’s injuries, it was clear he was hiding his full strength. ‘What’s going on? With this ability...’ Canis and Harvest’s analysis was mostly right. However, they overlooked one critical fact: Shirone was an Unlocker who had opened the infinite realm.

“This is your last chance. Release the mind control.” Canis frowned. The fact that he could no longer underestimate Shirone stung his pride.

“That’s funny. Even if I die, I’ll follow Master’s will. You can’t break my convictions.” Shirone’s eyes turned cold. The Photon Cannon, now enhanced by the Immortal Function, was far more powerful than before. “I don’t want to kill anyone. But if you’re going to hurt the students, I have no other choice.”

“Return everyone’s memories. Otherwise…” The photon cannon flared, bursting with light, before turning into a sphere of cold, white light.

“I’ll have no choice but to hurt you.”