Chapter 521: Metamorphosis (9)

‘Loved by mana.’

Something deep within Sienna’s chest resonated heavily with these words.

Of course, Sienna had already realized that her true nature was something extremely special. She possessed a talent for magic that had left even the elves in amazement. Sienna had already been able to unconsciously sense and manipulate mana from a very young age.

‘That’s right. It can’t just be a coincidence that I was led to this forest,’

Sienna realized.

Although it was absurd that her parents would come all the way to this forest just to abandon their child, it was also equally unusual for a newborn child to have survived being abandoned in this rainforest in the first place. The forest was full of barbarians and monsters, but before she was rescued by the elves, Sienna had been perfectly....

‘It must have been because I was loved by mana even then,’

Sienna thought to herself.

With her fists clenched tightly in excitement, Sienna walked over to the Sage.

—Let us discuss your ascension to the Divine Throne of Magic together.

Those words left Sienna with a sweet sense of anticipation. In the current era, there wasn’t even a single wizard who could claim to be Sienna’s equal, let alone any wizards superior to Sienna. Although she had gathered together a group of Archwizards to research her divine ascension collectively, it was Sienna who ultimately stood at the forefront and center of the study.

This left Sienna with a thirst that couldn’t be quenched. She wanted to be able to discuss magic with someone at an equal level. Especially after seeing Eugene spar with Molon and devote himself to his training, Sienna’s thirst couldn’t help but gradually grow stronger and stronger.

The woman in front of her was Vishur Laviola, Sage of the Ivory Tower. She was the former Goddess of Magic who had ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic during the Age of Myth. The throne that she had ascended to was something that Sienna desperately aspired to reach. Sienna quickly adjusted her expression as she drew closer to the Sage. Depending on the content of their discussion, Sienna thought that she might just be willing to address the Sage as her Senior.

“Your skill in magic is truly impressive, Junior,” the Sage said to the approaching Sienna. “Despite previously only delving into inferior forms of magic, you have managed to get past the seal I placed in my Mary and touched on the magic that will lead you to the realm of divine ascension.”

“What?” Sienna, who had been eagerly approaching with a happy expression, suddenly came to a screeching halt.

However, the Sage didn’t pay any notice to Sienna’s reaction and just kept speaking, “But the latest magic that you’ve researched on your own before coming here is also worthy of some praise, Junior. It’s so advanced that it might no longer even need to be considered an inferior form of magic. It’s truly amazing that it has already reached such a level despite still being incomplete.”

“Whaaat?” Sienna repeated herself, her face darkening.

“I’m referring to the magic you used to suppress that Ancient Demon’s, the Demon King of Incarceration’s, dark power. Even if that wasn’t the true form of the Ancient Demon, the dark power that had contaminated my dear Mary was extremely powerful. Nevertheless, Junior, your magic was able to successfully suppress that Ancient Demon’s dark power,” the Sage nodded in approval.

What on earth was this old hag even trying to say? That was the only thought currently going through Sienna’s mind.

The Sage frowned and said, “However, Junior, while I truly do admire your magic, at the same time, I am concerned about its prospects. The reason for my concern is that your magic will ultimately hit its limits due to its innate inferiority.”

Sienna couldn’t hold it in any longer.

In the end, as the veins on her neck swelled in anger, Sienna let out a loud shout, “Hey!”

Having predicted that Sienna was about to explode due to their familiarity with her personality, Eugene and Kristina had already quietly backed away and weren’t surprised in the slightest by the loud outburst.

“I’ve been patiently trying to listen to you, but what are you even talking about?! What’s wrong with my magic?!” Sienna angrily demanded.

“Hmm?” The Sage’s eyes widened into circles as she stared at Sienna in surprise. After examining Sienna’s expression for a few moments, the Sage belatedly understood why Sienna might be feeling enraged and nodded to herself before saying, “Aaaah, I see. Junior, allow me to apologize. It seems that the way I said it has caused a significant misunderstanding.”

Sienna growled, “What do you mean, misunderstanding!”

Sienna had never received such an insulting evaluation in all of her life. Calling her magic inferior? The magic of none other than the Wise Sienna had actually been labeled inferior? Sienna’s hair menacingly rose up in response to the intense emotions she was feeling.

“You!” Sienna snarled. “I know you might have been an exceptional wizard once upon a time! But that doesn’t give you the right to evaluate my magic as inferior! I—”

The Sage interrupted her, “Stop, stop. Junior, calm down. Didn’t I already say that my manner of speech was the cause of this misunderstanding? As such, shouldn’t you give me a chance to clear up this confusion?”

Unlike Sienna, who seemed full of anger, the Sage’s expression was extraordinarily calm. But instead of soothing her emotions, this calm just seemed to spur Sienna’s anger even more. Unlike before, when the Sage’s beautiful voice had seemed so soothing, it now sounded completely aggravating.

As Sienna struggled to calm her anger, the Sage muttered to herself with a helpless expression, “Hmm, indeed, I suppose that it can’t have been helped. The magic of today is founded on extremely different principles to the magic used during the Age of Myth.”

After thinking it over for a few moments, the Sage lifted Mary aloft.

“First of all, allow me to answer a few of the questions you may have had, Junior,” the Sage persuaded. “Since these answers have something to do with the misunderstanding that lies between us.”

“My questions?” Sienna repeated doubtfully.

“About the magic contained within Mary’s seal. And also about the magic of the elves as well as Draconic Incantations,” the Sage muttered as she lifted Mary into the air. “In regards to the similarities between all three different types of magic, you’ve managed to find the correct answer, Junior. None of them make use of formulas.”

This also applied to miracles, prayers, and wishes.

“These types of magic are powered solely by will, with mana itself responding to the caster’s desires,” the Sage explained. “Causing something that you desire to happen is the very essence of this type of magic. Because of that, such magic is both arcane and infinite in nature.”

Whoosh!

Mary’s petals shook, and a river of mana flowed off of the flower like a visible scent trail that drifted through Sienna’s line of sight.

At some point, the anger had faded from Sienna’s face. Sienna stared at the flow of mana, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest.

The Sage recounted, “The race known as the elves have always been loved by both the spirits and mana. However, the love they receive isn’t infinite. That is why elven magic has its limits.”

“And what about the dragons?” Sienna asked.

“Ahahaha, that race is also one that is loved by mana. However, their magic doesn’t draw on the world for its infinite supply of mana. The hearts they are born with supply them with all the mana that they need. That is why a dragon’s magic is so strong. But since the mana provided is completely self-supplied, without needing to ask anyone else to fulfill their desires, the resulting magic is both overly arrogant and shallow.” The Sage’s lips drew an amused curve as she added, “In contrast, human magic is just trivial.”

Fwooosh!

The stream of mana that the Sage had drawn out through the air flowed towards Sienna. Sienna hesitated for a few moments before lifting Frost in response. Then she tried to draw on the mana in the air like the Sage had just done.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Do you understand now, Junior?” the Sage asked, her smile deepening.

However, Sienna didn’t have time to smile back. Instead, she chewed her lips in concentration, sparing no attention to how the rest of her face had hardened into a stiff expression.

The Sage continued her lesson, “Humans aren’t as loved by mana as the elves or the dragons. Humans cannot draw any responses just by offering up a prayer to mana. Because of that, humans created formulas. Thus, they managed to trap the mana, which could have been used to power the most arcane and infinite magics, within their trivial little calculations.”

It wouldn’t mix. The mana that Sienna had managed to extract from the atmosphere refused to mix with the Sage’s mana, even in the slightest. Yet despite that, the Sage’s mana was able to easily overpower and consume Sienna’s mana in turn, as if it was only natural for it to do so.

The Sage said with a sigh, “I know that is something that can’t be helped. At one point, I was like that as well. Most other wizards from the Age of Myth were idiots who were obsessed with their trivial designs. However, you, my Junior, cannot allow yourself to fall into the same trap. Will you allow yourself to remain just another petty wizard, Junior? If that is the case, you can stubbornly stick to your current inferior form of magic.”

Sienna was the founder of the Circle Magic Formula. Since the introduction of the Circle Magic Formula, magic had become simultaneously more advanced and easier to learn than it was three hundred years ago. As such, Sienna took great pride in her achievements.

But that was also why she felt the Sage’s words struck so keenly. Sienna had already realized that there were limitations to her Circle magic. The Circle Magic Formula would ultimately hit its limits at the Ninth Circle. Although, in Sienna’s case, she was able to far surpass the power of the Ninth Circle through her Eternal Hole—

“Junior, is your magic truly infinite?” the Sage softly whispered. “No, it isn’t. I truly do think that your magic is amazing, Junior. When I was still a human, I couldn't control my magic as finely as you obviously have. However, Junior, the magic you’ve come up with as a solution to your limitations is ultimately still only within the bounds of human magic. If you want to ascend to the Divine Throne of Magic, you must transcend the heights of humanity.”

“How do I do that?” Sienna asked, her chest feeling tight.

The Sage’s mana began to guide the flow of Sienna’s mana. The flow of mana was so powerful that Sienna couldn’t even begin to resist its lead. Would she be able to put up some resistance if she were to use her Absolute Decree?

‘I should be able to put up a bit of a fight,’

Sienna thought to herself.

However, she told herself that she shouldn’t do that. What was there to gain by using her Absolute Decree to reject the Sage’s guidance? Would it repair some of her damaged self-esteem? There was no way that Sienna could be satisfied with just that, could she?

“Junior. I should have already said this enough times, but you truly are loved by mana.” The Sage smiled as she softly whispered, “Elven magic isn’t meant to be used by humans. That is because humans aren’t as loved by mana as the elves. It is also because elven magic was only ever designed to be used by elves. However, you... you’ve even mastered elven magic, haven’t you?”

“I... I didn’t manage to learn everything,” Sienna shamefacedly admitted. “Only a small portion of it....”

“Hahaha! Junior, that was back when you were still immature. What about if you were to try now?” The Sage’s laugher grew louder as she continued speaking, “Junior, you are no longer just a toddler. You are a wizard who has grown into her full maturity and is on the verge of transcendence. You are the one whose magical resonance was so loud that it even summoned an echo of me, Vishur Laviola, after I had died and left only a few traces of mana behind in my magical workings.”

Her sonorous voice seemed to resonate throughout Sienna’s entire being. Sienna’s breathless panting slowly began to stabilize. She was no longer feeling as agitated as she had been before.

“Close your eyes,” the Sage instructed. “Close your eyes and listen with your ears. Feel the mana that flows through all things. Hear the voice of the mana. Recognize the love that it bestows upon you like an infinite blessing.”

Sienna slowly closed her eyes.

“Incantations and formulas are just compromises made by the inferior out of their desire to use magic. But you, Junior, you don’t need to do that. There is no need for you to compromise for your magic. Don’t think of it as being overly arrogant. For someone who has reached the very verge of transcendence, such arrogance is only natural,” the Sage reassured her.

Sienna unconsciously knelt down on the spot. She leaned her body forward, resting her weight against the staff she was holding with both hands.

This wasn’t reality but the spiritual side of the World Tree. It was a place created by the Sage and the believers who had once worshiped her. It was also a place where countless souls had entered the cycle of reincarnation.

“Focus your will on your desires,” the Sage said as she let go of Mary.

Mary didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, the ancient staff began to shine with a beautiful light as it slowly floated over to Sienna. The flow of mana that Mary was controlling suddenly enveloped Sienna and harmonized with Sienna’s internal mana.

“Give your desires to the mana,” the Sage pronounced in her clear and sonorous voice.

Her voice seemed like it could permeate and reverberate through everything in existence.

‘Aaaah,’

Sienna silently sighed.

She had finally realized something. The Sage’s voice didn’t simply feel like it was permeating through everything. It truly was permeating and resonating through all forms of matter existing in this place. She, the Sage, had been using the mana that existed in everything to speak in that beautiful voice of hers from the very beginning.

“How amazing,” Sienna murmured, her voice feeling strangely distant from herself.

Her body also seemed to have faded into the distance. When she looked down at herself, she realized that she had turned into a pure mental body.

Sienna lifted her head and turned to look behind herself.

She saw a huge circle hanging in the air, and contained within that circle were hundreds and thousands of other smaller circles. Countless circles were trapped within that one large circle. Infinite circles that were creating an infinite amount of mana; with all of the circles splitting apart, combining with each other, then scattering into pieces, then they would split apart, combine together, and scatter once more....

This was her Eternal Hole.

It was a long time since Sienna had first made this particular piece of magic. This was, in Sienna’s opinion, the ultimate development of the Circle Magic Formula. Sienna had even thought that, after creating this, she must have at least touched upon the truth that lay at the core of all magic. She had been confident that the infinite transformations of these circles held infinite possibilities.

“Ahaha,” Sienna couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at the magic she had developed in her immature youth.

She was so embarrassed and mortified by her naivety that she couldn’t stop laughing.

“But what’s this?” Sienna muttered, her voice still laden with amusement, as she approached the Eternal Hole.

Behind the Eternal Hole, an entire universe was unfolding.

This was the magic that Sienna had only recently developed, her Absolute Decree. Fortunately, she could tell that her Absolute Decree was at least much more polished than her Eternal Hole. Seeing it like this... Sienna didn’t feel mortified or embarrassed by the sight.

However, what she did feel was disappointment. Although it might claim to be Absolute, it was far from actually being absolute. It might appear as a universe, but it wasn’t actually as complex as a universe. It was large enough to incorporate the Eternal Hole, but it was still far from being infinite in scope. Sienna strode forward, reaching her hand out towards her Eternal Hole.

Crack!

Cracks spread across the circles that made up the Eternal Hole. Soon, the circles that had once dared to make a claim of being truly infinite shattered into pieces. The spread of this collapse wasn’t just restricted to the Eternal Hole; it also propagated to the universe behind it.

The world began to collapse around Sienna. The collapse of this world was a metaphor that existed solely for Sienna to see. Her system of magic, which she had been cultivating her entire life, had now collapsed around her. However, Sienna didn’t feel even the slightest regret.

“Thank you,” Sienna whispered softly.

It was these pieces of magic that had made Sienna what she was today. Throughout her life, Sienna had always cherished the magic she had learned and pursued its development.

However, these now had to be destroyed. But even though they had collapsed, they wouldn’t completely disappear. All of this rubble lying around would eventually become a part of Sienna and would move forward with her.

In the midst of this collapsing world, Sienna calmly closed her eyes. At first, slowly, then quickly, she grew smaller. Sienna soon became so small that she couldn’t even be compared to a speck of dust. She had become smaller than everything else in this world. As she shrunk, she reached a dimension where the flow of time became meaningless. A place where the past, present, and future all coexisted at the same point in time.

When she opened her eyes once more, Sienna saw the very essence of mana. Within this infinitesimally small world, Sienna’s existence was even smaller than the mote of mana in front of her. However, she wasn’t engulfed by it.

Instead, she understood it. Sienna could feel the mana’s love for her and the fate that she had been bestowed with as a result of that. It was just as the Sage had said.

“I would have eventually reached this place somehow,” Sienna softly muttered.

She had been born as a human. So, for Sienna to say this could be seen as extremely arrogant of her. However, Sienna herself didn’t think that she was being arrogant. For her, making a bold claim like this wasn’t arrogant in the slightest.

It was a completely natural result of who she was.

Sienna smiled brightly as she embraced the mote of mana.

All of the mana in existence hugged Sienna back in the same fashion.

***

“Haaaah...,” the Sage let out a long sigh as she sat down.

She propped her chin onto one hand as she stared at the spot in front of her.

To think that Sienna would be able to reach the infinitesimal world of mana as soon as she finished receiving the Sage’s advice.

The Sage clicked her tongue and shook her head in disbelief, saying, “Her comprehension is so rapid that it’s hard to believe.”

“Isn’t that just thanks to the guidance you gave her?” Eugene asked as he approached the Sage.

Sienna’s figure was nowhere to be seen. In the spot where Sienna had been kneeling, the only thing left was a large, unopened flower bud. This magical flower bud had been created by the fusion of Mary and Sienna’s mana. Eugene channeled some energy into his eyes as he tried to peek inside the bud, but he wasn’t able to see anything within.

“If I could instantly make someone ascend to divinity and reach the Divine Realm just by giving them some guidance, wouldn’t that be enough for them to give me the title of the One True God?” the Sage said with a snort as she looked up at Eugene. “I simply taught her the method and pointed out the path. But this outrageous Junior of mine was able to immediately grasp the method that I taught her and run in the direction that I pointed out.”

“Can I do what she’s doing?” Eugene muttered as he tilted his head curiously.

He might fall quite some distance short of Sienna and the Sage when it came to magic, but Eugene had also obtained some mastery of magic. In fact, the reason Eugene seemed to fall so short was that the targets of comparison were just that amazing; Eugene was actually one of the greatest Archwizards among all of humankind.

“Hey now,” the Sage said with a chuckle. “Just like how humans have their own individual characteristics, gods also have their appropriate divine characteristics. Agaroth, the divine characteristics that you qualify for wouldn’t be compatible with the ones that my Junior and I have obtained.”

“If she becomes the Goddess of Magic, wouldn’t I still be able to become the God of Magic?” Eugene said in a joking manner.

However, the Sage just glared at Eugene with a straight expression before sighing, “You... how can you say something so truly thoughtless?”

Eugene decided just to keep his mouth shut and didn’t say anything further.