Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 91: Eyes Clear as Crystal
Three Alchemical Artifacts? This junior, Merlin, is seriously loaded.
Alpha’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment. He knew that his previous assault, executed at full speed, would have been impossible for an ordinary student to withstand. His confidence in his own speed was absolute—he would strike down a mage before they could even finish chanting their spell.
But this junior before him was no ordinary student. He didn’t need to chant a single spell. Merlin relied entirely on his alchemical equipment to release magic directly. Thankfully, Alpha reminded himself, alchemical gear had a cooldown period after each spell activation. And now, Merlin had already expended three of his artifacts’ charges. Alpha’s grin widened. With the cooldown in effect, he could finally strike—and this time, there would be no escape.
A plan formed instantly in Alpha’s mind as he gazed at the sturdy earthen wall before him. He would amplify his magical output, and strike Merlin during the cooldown window, decisively ending this duel.
“Pity,” Alpha murmured, his voice low and resonant, carrying an edge of undeniable power, “this defense is still not enough to stop me.”
His sword gleamed more fiercely than before, as if it were absorbing and condensing immense magical energy.
“Slash!”
In an instant, the blade transformed. No longer mere steel, it became a radiant beam of light, crackling with raw magical energy. The very air around it rippled visibly, waves of power distorting space as though reality itself were bending.
Alpha’s blade, a sharp rift through space itself, descended with unstoppable force. The glowing arc collided with Merlin’s earthen wall, slicing it cleanly in two. A thunderous crack echoed through the arena as the wall shattered into fragments.
“Merlin, you—Wait, what the hell?!”
Alpha had expected to see Merlin cowering behind the wall, panicked and cornered. But the sight that met his eyes left him utterly dumbfounded. Seven or eight fireballs streaked toward him like a meteor shower, each one blazing with lethal intent.
His heart skipped a beat. Sword in hand, magical aura flaring, Alpha reacted instinctively. He twisted his body, narrowly evading the onslaught, and swung his sword to release a wave of energy, attempting to intercept the fireballs.
But the speed was terrifying. The fiery spheres barreled forward with unrelenting force, leaving blazing arcs of heat in their wake.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The successive impacts of fireballs against Alpha’s swordwave sent shockwaves rippling through the arena. He was hurled backward by the explosions, his face etched with both surprise and disbelief.
I didn’t hear any chanting… Alpha’s mind raced. This guy is using offensive alchemical gear too?
Merlin’s counterattack had taken him completely off guard. The heat radiating from the fireballs was suffocating, a danger Alpha had never anticipated.
Merlin, meanwhile, realized Alpha had reacted with near-perfect timing, even defending while countering. He adjusted the dial on his alchemical ring—a ring capable of casting fireball spells in three power settings. Since a second-level fireball had failed to harm Alpha, he had no choice but to unleash its full potential: the third-tier fireball.
“Senior Alpha,” Merlin called over the roar of the flames, his voice ringing with confidence and challenge, “ready to face my flames?”
“Merlin, your fireballs pose no threat to me,” Alpha said, tightening his grip on his sword. Magic shimmered along his armor, forming a protective barrier. He believed the second-level fireballs would shatter harmlessly against his magical armor—but he had no idea Merlin had cranked the ring to its maximum, and what came next would be far deadlier.
“Don’t get too confident, Senior Alpha.”
Merlin’s fingers spun the ring’s dial, and instantly a brilliant flame erupted from the artifact, scorching the air with intense heat.
The third-tier fireball concentrated in his palm, blazing like a miniature sun, radiating heat that could suffocate.
“Take this!” Merlin bellowed, hurling the massive orb at Alpha.
“What…?” Alpha’s expression changed sharply. The intense heat of the fireball hit him, far stronger than the second-tier magic he had anticipated. The fiery sphere traced a dazzling arc in the air, as if it intended to consume everything in its path.
“Damn it… I can’t meet it head-on!” Alpha injected magic into his legs, preparing to dodge the fireball.
But his movement faltered. Looking down, he realized his feet had sunk into a swampy mire.
A swamp spell? Alpha’s eyes shot up. Beyond the massive fireball, he saw Merlin raising his hand, using his alchemical gear—Earth Circle—to unleash the swamp.
Too late.
Alpha poured every ounce of magical energy into his armor and sword, fortifying both to their limits. He roared and slashed at the incoming fireball.
“Boom!”
A third-tier fireball? No—this was a third-and-a-half-tier fireball, just a step below fourth-level magic. It was far beyond anything Alpha could cut.
The fireball collided with his magical armor, triggering a violent explosion. Flames scattered in all directions, heatwaves rolled through the arena, and first-year students in the front rows stumbled backward, awestruck.
Alpha was flung backward by the force, his armor shattered under the impact. Every bone in his body felt as though it might crack, his magical veins thrumming violently. Though he struggled to maintain balance, pressure mounted in his mind. He hadn’t expected Merlin’s fireball magic to be this devastating.
Damn, a third-tier fireball? Are you sure this isn’t fourth-level magic? Alpha cursed inwardly, enduring searing pain as he forced himself to stand. Gripping his sword, he scanned the arena for Merlin.
He knew Merlin had only just stepped into third-level magic. Repeated use of alchemical gear must have drained his mana, especially the final fireball. Alpha understood that if he could just rise, he would have one final opportunity to turn the tide.
With a roar of sheer will, Alpha forced himself upright. Pain wracked his body, but his fighting spirit burned brighter than ever. His legs trembled as he struggled for balance. As a second-year prodigy of the magic sword discipline, he refused to lose.
“Arrghhh!”
Alpha’s gaze locked onto Merlin. The junior must be nearly depleted of mana. All he needed to do was—
Wait.
On the battlefield, Merlin calmly drank a potion specifically designed to restore magical energy. In his other hand, he gripped a staff, concentrating to cast a third-tier Gale Blade spell directly at Alpha.
Alpha’s eyes cleared instantly. Glancing skyward, he saw Rachel, the supervising instructor, raising a hand in a signal: “Professor, I surrender! Let me go already!”