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Chapter 161: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and Magician of the Tower (8)

They continued their journey.

After several days had passed and they were nearing their destination,

Baker spoke to Ketal.

“Let’s spar.”

“Spar?”

“Huh?”

Both Ketal and Aquaz looked puzzled at the sudden suggestion.

Baker, with a serious expression, explained.

“We’ll soon arrive at our destination. Once there, we’ll assess the situation and move to resolve the problem.”

In the process, they would face a clash.

The existence of the Forbidden Land.

The primates living and breathing in the depths of the ocean.

“We don’t know how strong they are.”

If the beings of the Forbidden Land were truly entrenched there, their strength was an unknown variable.

Given that contact with the city of mermaids had been completely severed, it implied they had enough power to control an entire city.

There was a high probability that at least superhuman-level strength would be needed.

“While we’re grateful for you joining us to help… from this point on, we won’t be able to protect you.”

Hence, there was a need to gauge Ketal’s strength.

“Prove it to me. Show me that you’re a strong warrior who doesn’t need our help.”

Baker declared.

At first, Aquaz tried to dissuade him, but then she held her tongue.

Baker’s words were reasonable.

Although she knew Ketal’s strength, Baker did not.

With the unknown dangers ahead, it was necessary to understand the nature and quality of his power.

There was ample justification.

“What will you do?”

Baker smiled grimly.

The reason he proposed the sparring was partly due to what he had said, but there was a larger reason behind it.

He wanted to see that barbarian flustered or frightened.

He wanted to see that relaxed expression crumble and hear him stammer.

Baker had no doubt he would win.

Because he was a superhuman-level magician.

There was no way a barbarian who couldn’t wield magic could win.

Even if he had divine power, relying solely on holy relics was meaningless.

Even if they started the sparring in close quarters, he was confident he could toy with him from start to finish.

Of course, there were many oddities that made it hard to believe he was just a weak barbarian who didn’t know magic….

But in his current state, Baker couldn’t think that far.

The thought of somehow denting Ketal’s pride dominated his mind.

‘I must seem disgustingly petty, even to myself.’

Baker gave a bitter smile.

He was a magician.

A person who could make objective judgments.

Therefore, he knew better than anyone how petty his actions were.

Yet, he found it hard to stop.

He desperately wanted to confirm that he was superior to this barbarian.

“You can refuse. If you do, you’ll just be excluded from the battle. It’s not a bad thing; you’ll be safe.”

Baker thought Ketal would refuse.

Common sense dictated he wouldn’t accept.

And he would be satisfied with that.

He wanted to see the barbarian’s fluster and confirm that this barbarian wasn’t perfect.

That was why he proposed the sparring.

But Ketal had no reason to refuse.

“A sparring match? That sounds great! I’ll accept.”

“…Huh?”

Baker stammered, his grim expression giving way to surprise.

“You’ll accept?”

“Of course!”

Having the opportunity to spar with a superhuman-level magician from the Magic Tower wasn’t something Ketal would refuse.

He was grateful that something he had secretly wished for was being offered to him directly.

“So, what about the rules? Is it until one side admits defeat?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Good. Then let’s prepare right away. I saw an open space along the way. We can do it there.”

Ketal moved with a cheerful smile.

Watching his retreating figure, Baker mumbled stupidly.

“…What?”

* * *

Ketal and Baker stood apart, with an open space between them.

Baker, having regained his composure, gathered his mana.

‘Alright.’

Though things had taken an unexpected turn, this wasn’t bad.

He would just need to show his overwhelming strength and make him admit defeat.

Aquaz approached Baker with a worried expression.

“Mr. Baker, are you sure about this?”

Baker smiled.

“Don’t worry, Aquaz. I’ll control my strength.”

“No…”

I’m worried about you.

Aquaz swallowed her words with difficulty.

She sighed softly and stepped back to give them space.

“The rules are simple. If you feel you’ve lost, declare defeat. We’ll stop the battle immediately.”

“Understood.”

“…You’re really doing this? Seriously?”

“I said, understood.”

Ketal smiled broadly.

There wasn’t a hint of anxiety or tension in his expression.

Baker was bewildered by his overly relaxed attitude.

Ketal didn’t seem like someone who was ignorant of the difference in their power.

‘…Does he have some hidden trick?’

He started to feel increasingly uneasy.

Aquaz announced,

“Then, begin.”

“Hup!”

Baker swung his hand forcefully.

The school of magic he belonged to was the Starrail School, which looked to the stars.

Among those stars, this continent was also included.

Rumble!

The trees on the outskirts of the clearing were uprooted and flew towards Ketal.

Ketal clenched his fist.

“Veil of Light, surround me.”

With a short prayer, a golden veil spread out from Ketal.

A great divine barrier that blocked external attacks.

It unfolded in the barbarian’s hand.

Baker bared his teeth.

“That’s not enough!”

Rumble!

The trees violently struck the divine barrier.

Cracks quickly spread across it.

Unable to withstand the assault, the barrier shattered.

Crash!

Ketal leapt to evade.

Baker swung his hand again.

The trees slammed into the ground, cutting off Ketal’s retreat.

Baker stomped his foot.

The ground around Ketal began to collapse, pulling him into the earth as if it were a sand trap.

“Hah!”

Baker smiled confidently.

As expected, the barbarian’s strength was nothing special.

There was no need for him to worry.

Before long, Ketal’s lower body was swallowed by the ground.

Baker planned to show off his power and then stop.

His goal was to demonstrate the gap in their strength.

He had no intention of injuring him.

“Hmm.”

Then Ketal clenched his fist.

“It seems the holy power of a relic is insufficient to block a superhuman-level attack.”

He slammed his fist into the sinking ground.

Boom!

A tremendous roar erupted.

Debris flew in all directions.

Baker, startled, protected himself with a magical barrier.

Rumble….

As the debris settled, Baker couldn’t believe his eyes.

“…Huh?”

A gigantic hole had formed in the ground.

It was much larger than the one he had been creating, large enough to be called a small lake.

“You wield a fascinating power.”

Ketal smiled broadly as he looked at Baker.

Shivers ran down Baker’s spine.

He hastily swung his hand again.

“Source of the star buried deep in the earth! Rise!”

Clang!

Metal that had been buried deep in the ground pierced through to the surface, aiming to bind Ketal’s entire body like wire.

“Oh! You can do this too!”

Ketal swung his arms in amazement.

The wires snapped and shattered like twigs.

“D-Damn it!”

Baker kept trying to overwhelm Ketal.

But all his efforts and attempts were easily thwarted by simple punches.

Aquaz watched with a knowing expression.

She had expected this.

There was no way Ketal, who had even overpowered the Demon of Gravitas, would struggle against such straightforward attacks.

Rumble!

Baker felt like he was losing his mind.

His great magic was being effortlessly destroyed in front of the barbarian.

As Ketal shattered the whirling wind bullets, he waved his hand.

“Hmm. Is this all you’ve got?”

Ketal looked at Baker.

In that moment, Baker genuinely felt threatened.

It was like a ravenous beast drooling right in front of him.

He shouted,

[Oh stars beyond, I open a space here for your realm to take root!]

“Huh?”

Aquaz, who had been watching quietly, was shocked.

A massive power was gathering in Baker.

It was clear to anyone that this was beyond a simple sparring match.

“Wait a minute!”

She hurriedly tried to stop him, but Baker wasn’t in a state to listen.

[Let the harsh environment descend upon this star!]

And space opened up.

Crack.

The space began to freeze.

Frost formed in the air, and the wind solidified and fell.

It was an extreme cold.

A temperature close to absolute zero.

The environment of a frozen star somewhere far beyond rushed towards Ketal.

“This is bad!”

No matter how strong Ketal was, a direct hit from that force could be dangerous.

Aquaz hurriedly tried to intervene and drew her mace.

“Impressive!”

Ketal stepped forward with a smile.

He tensed his arms and swung them.

Boom!

A blast of wind erupted from his punch.

It ruthlessly dispersed the extreme cold from the distant star.

“Huh?”

“…Huh?”

Aquaz’s eyes widened in surprise.

Baker muttered dumbfoundedly.

At the same time, Ketal grabbed his head.

Bang!

Baker’s body was slammed into the ground.

Aquaz was horrified.

“K-Ketal!”

“Hmm?”

It was Ketal, the attacker, who looked surprised.

“Why couldn’t the magician dodge this?”

The magicians Ketal had encountered so far had all responded to this speed.

Of course, it wasn’t the magician themselves but the power of reaction magic, but from Ketal’s perspective, it was still surprising.

Although he had reflexively held back his strength at the last moment, rendering Baker unconscious but not seriously injured.

Aquaz was relieved that the sparring match had ended without major issues.

“Ketal is the winner.”

“Hmm. Sorry about that. I didn’t expect him to be unable to react.”

“I don’t think a magician can react at that speed… But it seems he’s not seriously injured, so we just need to wait for him to wake up. It looks like we’ll have to stay here for tonight.”

They cleared the damaged forest and set up their camp.

Sitting on a blanket, Aquaz looked at Ketal with awe.

“You are incredibly strong.”

Given that he had toyed with the Demon of Gravitas, it was a foregone conclusion that Ketal would overwhelm Baker.

Aquaz was once again amazed by his strength.

Where are this barbarian’s limits?

And Ketal was equally astonished.

“The Starrail School, huh. Does it require a lot of preparation for the incantations?”

“Yes. Since it involves bringing the power of an external star, the magical preparation is quite extensive. It’s broad in scope and highly powerful.”

“An external star.”

Ketal muttered with a curious expression.

An external star, meaning those that shine beyond the sky.

The magic Baker had used opened a space and summoned the environment of a star somewhere in the universe to this place.

‘Is such a thing possible?’

Summoning the environment of a star at an immeasurable distance.

As a modern man, Ketal understood how extraordinary that was.

What is magic?

Where are its limits?

He felt an intense fascination and curiosity about magic.

‘Maybe I should visit the Magic Tower next time.’

They had said that with artifacts, he could handle magic.

Ketal laughed joyfully.

This world truly brought him joy.

Aquaz, looking at the unconscious Baker, muttered.

“…I feel somewhat sorry. Please don’t hold too much against him. He probably just wanted to impress me.”

“Is there any reason to hate him?”

A magician who left the Magic Tower for the first time, in love, doing anything to make a good impression.

It was amusing to Ketal, as it was the first time he had seen such a case.

To Ketal, it was rather endearing.

“Love is also something that must exist in stories. To be the protagonist of such passionate feelings, you must feel good.”

“I appreciate his affection, but I cannot accept his feelings.”

Aquaz spoke with a sigh.

It wasn’t about liking or disliking him.

“I am a follower of the Sun God. My remaining life belongs entirely to Him.”

Love or affection held no value for her.

And Ketal looked at her with a peculiar expression.

“You’ve dedicated your remaining life to the Sun God?”

“Yes.”

Aquaz spoke calmly.

“I am the property of the Sun God. My own emotions or thoughts are of no importance.”

“Is that so?”

Ketal smiled.

He noticed the contradiction in her words but chose not to point it out.

“Believe in whatever brings you peace.”

That too would be a source of enjoyment for Ketal.

And a few hours later, Baker woke up.

Ketal apologized to the dazed man who had just regained consciousness.

“Sorry. I didn’t control my strength properly.”

“…Did I lose?”

“Indeed.”

“…I see.”

Baker hung his head in gloom.

* * *

After that, Baker was completely deflated.

He followed them silently, with a depressed look on his face.

Aquaz looked at him with pity.

Their journey continued without any major issues.

Baker, perhaps having fully acknowledged Ketal, said nothing more.

Finally, they arrived at the coastal city.

“Wow.”

Ketal marveled.

A vast sea stretched to the horizon.

It was a magnificent sight.

But the sea was very quiet.

Despite the sun being high in the sky, not a single ship was in sight, and there were no fish to be seen.

Only small boats could be seen from a distance at the dock.

A silent fantasy sea spread out before him.