The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 286

“Lucy, if you want to leave the mansion, you can be honest with me.”

She suddenly remembered the sight of that man sitting on the mansion roof and looking up at the starry sky. It was the day Lucy had run away from the maids and been found asleep there.

Such strange timing. Why did that have to come to Lucy’s mind right then, of all times? As soon as Lucy gathered magic power in her hands, Yennekar quickly grabbed her wand and gathered her own magic power.

Lucy and Yennekar both knew each other’s fighting styles well. If you fought Yennekar, you could never afford to turn it into a battle of attrition. And Lucy was already limited in how much magic power she could use.

Meanwhile, Yennekar had already unleashed her spirit army with Velbrok’s heart in her grasp. If she couldn’t defeat Yennekar, who was summoning those spirits, it would be Lucy’s loss. Lucy was well aware of that fact.

And Yennekar, who was familiar with Lucy, recognized that as well.

“Sometimes I have this thought. Even though it’s for the sake of protecting you here at this mansion because you lost your magic power, I wonder if you are too tied down. Thinking about it, you’ve always been a girl who flies across the world and jumps on roofs rather than ever being tied down to one place.”

The advanced explosion spell Destruction shot from Lucy’s hand toward Yennekar. The blast thundered through the area as smoke rose everywhere, but Yennekar swept it all away with a single swing of her wand.

The mid-rank wind spirit Ludex, which had a strangely twisted appearance, spread its large wings. Yennekar stood tall on top of that massive pterodactyl-shaped spirit, looking like a powerful queen.

Ed’s wand was the ‘thousand-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning.’ It was the same wand that Yennekar used. However, the minor modifications, alterations, and spiritual skills attached to it were completely different. That was because the Spiritual Skills that Ed and Yennekar primarily used were very different.

However, Yennekar was a genius who was capable of properly utilizing any type of spiritual skill. As long as it’s a spiritual skill of an Elementalist, Yennekar would be able to use its power. That was why, even though it was a wand modified for Ed, it wasn’t hard for Yennekar to use.

As soon as Lucy gathered magic power for her next spell, a reddish magic power spread out above Yennekar’s hair as another pair of wings unfolded.

Spiritual Skill, Explosion.

It was an explosion triggered by a pre-imbued spiritual skill. The real problem was its power. Borrowing Yennekar’s strength, the blast was almost equivalent to advanced explosion magic.

The explosion erupted at Lucy’s feet. Lucy’s small body was sent flying by the rising heat and loud noise.

“I was just thinking that maybe I’ve been a little too self-centered. Sometimes I think back to the past. I don’t know if I’m mistaken, but Lucy… It doesn’t feel like you’re tied to life. It’s just that, it wouldn’t seem strange if you were to suddenly disappear one day.”

Lucy successfully cast defensive magic, but she ended up using too much magic power. If she used too much magic power, she wouldn’t have enough to return to her original world.

The pressure weighed down on her chest, but Yennekar had no plans to stop attacking. As Lucy leaned against the altar, she suddenly realized something strange.

Water. There was water that reached her ankles even though they were at the top of a mountain. At that moment, a new magic power began to gather behind Lucy.

Spiritual Skill, Manifestation of a Water Source.

The mid-ranking water spirit Lacia jumped out from the water, opening her mouth wide and biting Lucy’s right arm.

Lucy quickly reacted, casting several Ice Spears into Lacia. She then cast wind magic to create space from her, followed by the advanced light magic Sword Grip of Light. Several swords fell down from the sky as they stabbed through Lacia, completely defeating her.

It all took place in just a few seconds. However, those few seconds were enough for Yennekar to make her next move.

High above, a giant whale covered the sky over Acken Island. While Lucy was fighting off a mid-ranking spirit, the massive whale had completely made its way to Right Mountain. The ultimate water spirit, Friede. It let out a loud vibration once more as it looked towards the top of Right Mountain.

Fwoosh!

Then, the ceremonial dagger that had caused the Explosion from before flew through the air into the hands of Yennekar.

A wand in one hand and a dagger in the other. She stood tall in her old, worn robe, as if looking down on the world. Then, the massive whale—which looked as if it could devour the entire world—looked down at Lucy.

It was impossible to face that ultimate-rank spirit while trying to save her magic power. No matter how strong Lucy might have been, to face an enemy of that size, she would need to fight seriously. But if she did that…it would be at least a few more years before she could return to her original world.

In a hellish world without Ed, she would have to exist in solitude for years and years to come, searching for a way to go back. Could she confidently say she wouldn’t regret her decision? Lucy couldn’t say for sure.

But back then, Ed had told Lucy something important.

“Aside from me, there are going to be a lot more reasons for you to keep on living. That’s how life is. So, just tell me if you’re having a hard time. Just like you helped me, I will do my best to help you, too.”

Lucy clenched her teeth. She gathered all of the magic power she could, covering her body with it. Even if years passed, he would continue to look for Lucy. Certain of that fact, she continued to gather her magic power.

Lucy’s Magic Power, which slowly covered the sky, was comparable to her prime. Lucy’s massive amount of magic power used to be well respected by the highest faculty in Silvenia Academy. It was enough to rule the world. In terms of pure magic power, no one could match Lucy aside from the legendary Great Sage Silvenia.

Fwooosh!

The Ultimate Explosive Magic, Moment of Genesis.

It was the same explosive magic that even made the Evil God Mebula retreat. The massive magic circle that covered the sky was unbelievable. Even someone unfamiliar with magic could recognize its strength.

Still standing on the spirit’s head, Yennekar looked up at the sky. She then slowly closed her eyes. She had witnessed Lucy’s determination.

“You… You’re very different from the Lucy Mayreel I used to know.” Her lips trembled as she struggled to say those words, as if she were enduring an unforgettable pain.

“You must have been influenced by many different things.”

After saying that, the entire world was covered with massive flashes of light.

* * *

Boom! Booom!

Fwooosh!

The massive explosion that covered the sky over Acken Island succeeded in temporarily subduing Friede. Even for an ultimate-rank spirit, if Lucy was attacking seriously, it was impossible to come out of it unscathed.

Nevertheless, Friede covered Acken Island with Magic Power despite getting injured. The waters all around the island began to swirl, shooting into the skies… The thousands of spirits that followed Friede began to take control of the sky like a military air force.

Nevertheless, Lucy never let go of the magic power in her control. She continued to destroy the countess spirits that came her way, quickly chasing after Yennekar through the air.

But Yennekar continued to distance herself from Lucy while riding on top of a spirit. The most effective way to defeat an Elementalist was to attack them, not their spirits. That fact would never change. But to avoid Lucy’s range, Yennekar constantly made sure to widen the distance and turn it into a battle of attrition.

Lucy continued to defeat thousands of spirits in her way…and before she knew it, the battlefield had moved from the top of Right Mountain all the way over to the Eastern Side of the island where Silvenia Academy was located.

Lucy continued to gather magic power, constantly chasing after Yennekar. The aftermath of their battle… It could be clearly seen from across Acken Island. Clevius, who lay in a bloody mess in the middle of the forest. Elvira, who had collapsed by the cliffside with no energy to spare. They could both watch the ongoing fight.

At the entrance of Soul Library, Lortel looked up at the sky. She closed her eyes gently, heading back inside. She held the hands of the remaining survivors, praying.

Please, I pray that you will survive.

Those prayers and faith put into Lucy were her reason to continue to fight.

Booom! Fwooosh!

Lucy finally caught up to the spirit Yennekar was riding on, piercing it with an Ice Spear. The spirit screamed as it fell through the night sky, plunging toward the commercial district of the ruined Silvenia Academy.

Boom! Crash!

Yennekar quickly gathered her magic power to help break her fall as she crashed into the dirt floor, rolling on the ground. The commercial district’s square was filled with destroyed buildings and weeds poking through the cracked marble floors. The huge fountain in the center was in pieces. The depressing appearance only added to the eerie atmosphere of the empty square.

Yennekar quickly pulled herself up trying to grab ahold of her wand. Before she could do that, Lucy quickly cast the Celestial Magic Space Leap. Lucy suddenly appeared in front of the wand, kicking it away. She gathered her magic power, quickly reaching her hand out towards Yennekar.

But Yennekar just sat there on the floor, looking up at Lucy quietly. Lucy was already exhausted, struggling to hold herself together. She had even been struck by several of Yennekar’s attacks. Nevertheless, Lucy was able to continue to push forward with the determination to stop Yennekar.

Yennekar had her head lowered for some time as she quietly asked Lucy, who stood still, “Why aren’t you finishing me off?”

Lucy was in a state of disarray. She couldn’t bring herself to finish Yennekar. That was because of Yennekar’s feelings… She completely understood them. Because of that, how could she ever persuade her?

Lucy Mayreel hadn’t lost Ed, unlike Yennekar Palerover. So whatever she said, it would never reach her heart. She could spout clichés, saying Ed wouldn’t want it, but there was no point in saying such things. No matter what she said… What was the point?

After all, when Lucy herself had thought that she lost Ed, didn’t she also completely wreak havoc on Silvenia Academy as well? She fully understood the pain and sadness Yennekar felt. So how could Lucy ever persuade Yennekar otherwise?

In the end, to stop Yennekar Palerover, the only choice was to defeat her…but Lucy couldn’t finish her off.

“…Lucy, I can continue to fight.” As if recognizing Lucy’s feelings, Yennekar quietly spoke. “Velbrok’s heart continues to fill me with magic power. If I gather its power once more, I will be able to call on another ultimate-spirit, again and again…”

Lucy remained silent.

“But with my wand out of my reach right now, this is your last and only chance. You’re also nearly out of magic power, right?”

Why would she let Lucy know that? But the moment she looked at Yennekar’s eyes, Lucy understood the reason. Tears were streaming down Yennekar’s cheeks, dripping from her face. For Yennekar right now, seeing Lucy here was an indescribable pain.

“I…I miss Ed…” Yennekar said.

She couldn’t say anything in response. Even if Yennekar was able to overcome her grief, she no longer had the will to do anything left in this world. Everything had become meaningless to her… She had nothing left.

Words would never be able to convince Yennekar otherwise. Thus, the only way to stop her way was through force.

Which also meant Yennekar’s death.

Lucy bit her lower hip. She closed her eyes as she gathered her Celestial Magic Power.

“Still…” Lucy gathered all the strength she had left, forcing herself to open her mouth. “We still have to survive.”

No matter how meaningless and worthless your life may seem, you could never take it. That was the value Lucy had learned from that boy. Lucy slowly covered Yennekar in her Celestial Magic Power. Yennekar looked up at the sky as she slowly closed her eyes.

Celestial Magic, Time Prison.

In a way, it may be nothing more than the postponement of her death… but for Lucy, it was the best option she could come up with. As she slowly watched Yennekar’s time come to a stop, she continued to pour out her remaining magic power.

At least that way, the girl’s death could be delayed as long as possible. At the very least, it could give her a few years of rest. Like that…Yennekar quietly closed her eyes.

Thud.

Lucy fell down onto the ground, exhausted. The square in the commercial district was silent. She looked up at the moon high in the sky that looked down on Yennekar, who had fallen into a long sleep.

“When you open your eyes…” Lucy whispered to Yennekar, “…I hope there is at least some reason, no matter how small, for you to live.”

Lucy stood back up. The fleeting wind brushed against her body. She no longer had magic power. In that gray and dark world, the only thing she could do now was wait, for a long, long time.

Someday…just until the recoil of the phoenix ring passed, and her magic power was restored. Only then would she be able to send a rescue signal to Ed.

Continuing to pray that Ed will never give up on looking for her… That was the only thing Lucy could now do.

It was then that another flow of Magic Power slowly spread across the floor of the square. In the empty and ruined square under the moonlight… It was like a small vision of a person appeared.

There was a figure of a girl standing on top of the fountain, moving as if she were an agile and swift cat. It was as if she was waiting for Yennekar to be defeated… As the image of her slowly took shape, her face was familiar.

Lucy’s eyes widened as she looked up at the top of the fountain. The girl’s skirt fluttered in the gentle night breeze. She had a small body and a large witch hat. She looked up at the moon with her back turned towards Lucy.

She continued to look up at the sky for some time as if she were reminiscing on a memory… She then quietly turned her head towards Lucy. Of course, she looked familiar.

A worn-out uniform. A large witch hat. White hair that glowed softly under the starlight. Bluish eyes.

And a blank expression. The girl looked much too similar to herself. Lucy was left speechless.

“Magic Power must have an innate reaction with something else. So, given the fact that there shouldn’t be anything in that world that can react with our world’s magic power, nothing can occur.”

That was what Zellan had said. She said it was theoretically impossible for two worlds to connect due to the innate nature of Magic Power. The only way for one to move to another world is if there was another person, from another world, who went to observe your own. That way, the magic power between the two worlds would be able to react to each other.

But for that to happen, it would require not only an incredible amount of magic power but also a fundamental understanding of Celestial Magic Power. Such a person…there were barely any in the world that existed.

But now, it was clear who had brought Lucy to this world. The girl who stood at the top of the fountain with her back against the moon slowly opened her mouth.

“Now, it’s all over.”

Of course, it was a familiar voice.

* * *

She couldn’t figure out why the Lucy of this world had brought her here, and what she was thinking. Or how things would turn out from there… She couldn’t figure out a single thing.

The situation… Lucy was completely out of magic power and was unable to do anything given the state of her body. Whatever the other Lucy tried to do to her…she couldn’t fight back.

However, her opponent was still herself. Because of that fact, she could still roughly predict what she was thinking about or what she might try and do. She just had to think about what she would do herself.

Despite that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure it out. Ed was an absolutely indispensable aspect of Lucy’s life. She could never imagine a world without him. So the fact that Lucy had lost Ed… She couldn’t fathom what she might be thinking.

Why did she hide the fact she was alive, and what had she been doing on Acken Island? More than anything, why did she bring her here from a faraway world? What was she trying to accomplish… She didn’t have any idea.

Fwooosh!

Watching the other Lucy jump from the fountain onto the ground, Lucy continued to think it over. She couldn’t even figure out if she should be on guard or not. But… What was even the point of trying to find that out?

Either way, she was at a point where she could no longer fight back. She had no choice but to watch and follow along with whatever happened. Watching the other Lucy trudge towards her, Lucy slowly lowered her gaze.

The girl that stood in front of her continued to have an expressionless look on her face. She stood there looking down at her for a while as if she was going to say something. Even though they were both Lucy… They were extremely different from each other.

The Lucy who hadn’t lost Ed was injured and completely out of magic power, yet she still had the will to survive. She wondered if that desire to survive was also in the eyes of the Lucy in that world…

Then, The other Lucy slowly opened her mouth, saying “Yeah. I see.”

She made eye contact with her one more time…and that was when Lucy realized. Those eyes, Lucy had seen them somewhere before.

Before she came to that world, she had seen that empty look in someone else. A magician who wanted to observe another world where she had never slaughtered the non-humans.

Amputator Zellan.

Like a butterfly flying high in the sky, she wanted to grab something that was always going to be out of her reach. Even if she could never reach such a future… Just being able to confirm that it existed. That would be enough to make her feel as if her life had been saved.

Just the possibility of what could have been…the possibility that a version of you was out there in another world, smiling… The eyes of a magician who finally found comfort in the reality they live in. It overlapped with that world’s Lucy…

Neither of them said a word. Just seeing a version of herself that had an overwhelming will to survive, there was no need for further explanation… She slowly fell into Lucy’s arms.

And then, the girl slowly began to cry tears that came from the solitude and hardships of the life she experienced.

As for Lucy, all she could do was hug her.