I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 416

About five minutes earlier, just before the blue lightning struck Eijel.

“This is bad!”

At the pilot’s shout, Baek Yuseol, his face pale, yelled back.

“What now?”

“Damn it, even an experienced pilot like me makes mistakes. The engine’s overheating! Mana is leaking!”

“What? But this airship is brand new!”

“It’s not a new car; it’s a new airship.”

“Does that really matter?”

Apparently, it mattered a lot to the pilot, given his serious expression. Baek Yuseol hurriedly leaned forward to check the instrument panel.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t make sense of the gauges, and the Sparrow Glasses weren’t equipped to analyze that kind of information. Figuring anything out seemed impossible...

[...Synchronization complete.]

[Baek Yuseol’s trait ‘???’ has been combined with the item ‘Sparrow Glasses.’]

[Analyzing the instrument panel of the Flying Pig airship begins.]

[3, 2, 1.]

[Analysis complete.]

“Huh?”

At the exact moment he thought he couldn’t understand anything, the information from the instrument panel appeared right before his eyes.

But something was off.

He wasn’t even wearing the Sparrow Glasses.

“What... What is this...?”

Regardless, Baek Yuseol quickly understood the engine was on the verge of breaking down and the airship was in danger of crashing.

“Damn it, are we going to die?”

“Haha, no way. Airships always come with parachutes.”

“Damn it, we don’t have time for this...”

“Lucky for you, kid, we’ve already arrived at our destination!”

And indeed, they had.

As the thick white clouds parted, revealing what was ahead.

A massive dome of dark clouds rose before them, with a colossal whirlpool spiraling upward in its center.

The overwhelming sight rendered Baek Yuseol speechless, while the veteran pilot, unfazed, remarked casually.

“Hmm, what a fantastic view to take in before dying.”

“Didn’t you say we’d be fine because of the parachutes?”

“Just a figure of speech. Now, get ready, kid. We’re making an emergency exit.”

“What? Wait, give me a signal—urk?!”

Thud!

And then, silence.

To be precise, the deafening wind drowned out all sound, making it impossible to hear anything.

“Unbelievable, what kind of maniac...!”

Above him, the pilot floated with his parachute deployed, giving a thumbs-up as he laughed heartily.

Grinding his teeth, Baek Yuseol reached for the strap to deploy his own parachute. But then, he looked down.

[The blessing of Spring's Crimson March, 'Hyperfocus,' is activated.]

[The blessing of Silver Eleventh Moon, 'Momentary Time,' is activated.]

Immediately, the illusion of slowed time took over, allowing him to grasp the situation below at a glance.

‘...There are so many of them.’

—Human curiosity truly knows no bounds.

Silver Eleventh Moon echoed his thoughts as Baek Yuseol observed the hundreds of ships gathered on the ocean below.

If Cheoncheong Haeowol so much as changed his mind, every one of those ships could be capsized, yet people still came to take photos and conduct magical research.

‘Still... if the whirlpool collapses suddenly, Admiral Halysveil should be able to contain it.’

For someone like Halysveil, controlling a whirlpool like that would be child’s play. The problem was the hostages trapped inside; otherwise, he would have already intervened.

Even if the whirlpool could be controlled, if the interior churned and capsized the fleet, there wouldn’t be much even an admiral of Halysveil’s caliber could do.

‘I need to find Eijel first.’

There was still some time.

Now that the whirlpool’s existence was known to the world, Cheoncheong Haeowol wouldn’t give them much longer.

Though it was said they had about two months left, with Eijel now present and so many eyes on the scene, there was no reason for him to delay further.

He could shorten the grace period at any moment.

But...

‘Eijel, where are you?’

Baek Yuseol used the telescope function of the Sparrow Glasses to scan every ship floating below, but Eijel was nowhere to be found.

—Ah, there are Flame and Hong Biyeon.

Closest to the whirlpool stood the Flying Ascension, Halysveil’s flagship, where Flame and Hong Biyeon were on the deck, staring intently in one direction. Naturally, Baek Yuseol followed their gaze.

And what he saw made his heart sink.

‘...This is insane.’

It was enough to throw his mind into chaos.

Eijel, without waiting for Baek Yuseol to arrive, had decided to sacrifice herself.

She must have thought there was no way out even if he arrived. She didn’t want to burden him with guilt.

If she waited until he arrived to make her decision, Baek Yuseol would blame himself for failing to do anything, believing she had been forced into that choice.

That’s what Eijel must have been thinking.

‘You fool...’

Thanks to the blessing of Silver Eleventh Moon, Baek Yuseol’s thought process accelerated, making his descent feel agonizingly slow.

But he couldn’t fly, and reaching Eijel, who was hovering just beyond the whirlpool, seemed impossible.

Left with no choice...

He had to use [Heavenly Harmony].

In an instant, nature’s mana began surging, swirling violently inside Baek Yuseol’s body.

All this happened in less than a second in real time.

With the help of countless blessings from the Twelve Moons, the usual long preparation time for Heavenly Harmony was almost completely eliminated.

On top of that, thanks to his training with Scarlet, his Heavenly Harmony had grown to a point where he could now leap through the air, albeit briefly.

While walking in midair like on solid ground was still impossible, being able to leap even once was significant.

[Teleport.]

The "Momentary Time" blessing only worked while his body was stationary, so the moment he teleported, it was deactivated. Yet, time still seemed to move at a crawl.

That’s how fast Baek Yuseol’s consecutive teleports were.

The distance between him and Eijel was considerable, so there was no need to measure the teleportation range. He pushed to the maximum range repeatedly, and in an instant, he reached the spot just above her hovering form.

However...

—Damn it, he’s noticed you!

In the brief moment it took Baek Yuseol to approach with consecutive teleports, numerous streams of water shot out from the whirlpool, wrapping around Eijel’s body.

“Damn it!”

He had hoped Cheoncheong Haeowol wouldn’t notice him because of the clouds masking his presence, but that hope was in vain.

—There’s no other way. Cut through those streams! You can do it!

At Bronze Twelfth Moon’s cry, Baek Yuseol, without needing further prompting, drew [Cheongpung Myeongwol].

This sword, only usable during Heavenly Harmony, could always detect and cut through an opponent’s weakness—a terrifyingly powerful ability.

Countless weak points in the streams came into view before Baek Yuseol. Cutting through them would be no trouble at all for him now.

"Just three seconds."

Three seconds were enough. Enough time to cut through all those streams of water.

However.

Cheoncheong Haeowol wasn’t a fool.

He already knew Baek Yuseol could sever the streams, so of course, he would respond accordingly.

“What?”

A shiver.

A chilling sensation ran down Baek Yuseol’s spine, causing him to momentarily pause. Activating "Momentary Time," he raised his gaze.

The dark clouds.

Tiny droplets of water had swelled and condensed heavily.

If someone could control each of these countless droplets individually, and deliberately create a massive voltage difference between the clouds...

...Flash—!!!

It meant they could form an immensely powerful lightning bolt, even within such a confined space.

“Insane.”

Baek Yuseol stared at the bolt of lightning shooting straight at him. It wasn’t artificial lightning composed of mana, so he couldn’t even think about cutting through it.

“This... is the power of the Twelve Celestial Moons...?”

The level of application was utterly unbelievable.

But there was no time for admiration.

He had to escape.

Yet.

"Where to?"

Every space within the range of his teleportation was surrounded by lightning.

"A trap."

By the time he realized it, it was too late. There seemed to be no way to escape the sea of blue currents that enveloped him.

If he were a seventh-class mage, perhaps.

A shield could have easily deflected such lightning.

But for Baek Yuseol, that was impossible.

Fortunately.

—We will help.

—All you need to do is trust us and move forward.

The blessings of the Twelve Celestial Moons were always with him.

—I will lend you my authority temporarily. But your body will not withstand it, so you must reach Eijel and transfer my power to her.

“...How much time do I have?”

—Three seconds.

Under normal circumstances, three seconds would have been sufficient, but for Baek Yuseol at that moment, it felt overwhelmingly difficult.

However, he wasn’t alone.

—Three seconds are enough. Go!

[The blessing of Silver Eleventh Moon, ‘Stillness of Flowing Time,’ is activated.]

[For the next 10 seconds, time will feel like it flows at 1/20th speed.]

Baek Yuseol’s eyes glowed blue and silver as the world came to a halt.

Everything was frozen in place. Even the lightning advancing toward him seemed to slow to a crawl, yet Baek Yuseol could still move.

At that moment.

Crackle...!

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

A sound reminiscent of lightning freezing echoed as the approaching bolts paused momentarily.

But it was only a fleeting instant.

The lightning soon resumed its advance, unimpeded, targeting Baek Yuseol. Unfazed, he evaded them and sprinted toward Eijel.

However...

—Just now, was that...?

—Could it be...?

The two Celestial Moons watching the scene couldn’t believe what they had witnessed. An event that defied even the laws of nature.

Baek Yuseol, now using the lightning itself as stepping stones, propelled himself toward Eijel. As they observed his movements, the two Celestial Moons pondered.

Could this phenomenon...

Was it part of the "miracle" foretold long ago by the founding mage? The event said to occur when all Twelve Celestial Moons align?

The simultaneous activation of two blessings had somehow created this extraordinary effect.

Flash—!!

Cutting through the lightning bolts, Baek Yuseol dashed along the currents, reaching Eijel effortlessly.

At that moment, the "Stillness of Flowing Time" deactivated, and Eijel’s eyes widened.

To her, who hadn’t experienced the slowed time, Baek Yuseol seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as if he had descended with the lightning.

“What?!”

“Hey there.”

He greeted her casually, as if meeting an old friend on the street.

And then...

He pulled Eijel into a tight embrace.

At that instant, her focus shattered, and her icy wings crumbled into shards. But now, those wings were no longer needed.

Crack...!

The entire world.

No, the entire Eastern Sea, including its raging whirlpools, began to freeze solid in an instant.

Simultaneously, Eijel felt a piercing cold coursing through her body, but thanks to Baek Yuseol’s firm embrace, she was able to resist the chill.

“Ah...”

Finally understanding the situation, Eijel raised her trembling hands and embraced him in return.

No matter how incredible Baek Yuseol was.

She had thought it was impossible this time. That was why she had decided to sacrifice herself alone, so he wouldn’t carry the burden of guilt.

But in the end, he hadn’t given up. Even at the very last moment, when there seemed to be no way, he had come to her like a flash of light, bringing warmth.

Eijel buried her face into his chest.

Baek Yuseol, who had grown significantly taller and broader, now had a comforting warmth that was enough to hide her face.

She knew just how much of a mess her expression must have been.

As the whirlpool froze, and even the approaching lightning seemed to stop as if by a miracle.

A single ray of light broke through the dark clouds, shining down on them. In that moment, Baek Yuseol whispered softly to her.

“I’m sorry...”

“No.”

Baek Yuseol corrected her.

She was wrong.

His words made her want to laugh, but instead, tears flowed uncontrollably.

“...Thank you.”

Finally, as if it were the right answer, Baek Yuseol placed his hand gently on Eijel’s head.

Crack...!

Amidst a world frozen solid, Eijel was finally able to close her eyes in peace.

It was like a dreamlike day.