Beeep!
Before fighting Albino, Luca talked with Whistle.
"Whistle. How exactly am I supposed to use the power of Space?"
"Space isn't like lightning or cloud—there's no need to consciously try to feel it. Because it's everything."
"There's no need to consciously feel it?"
He could use lightning imdiately, so he let that slide.
The power of cloud had taken considerable training just to sense.
But apparently, Space did not require that kind of process.
"To begin with, master can't freely use the 'power of Space' right now. It's too imnse a force."
"And what's that supposed to an?"
Luca frowned.
Whistle again spoke words hard to understand.
Sensing his irritation, Whistle quickly said,
"You can use the accepting function of Space! It's just that drawing out true power from Space is impossible right now!"
"True power?"
"To put it simply, master, you can pour water into the sea or scoop up water from it, but you can't cause a tidal wave to inundate the land just yet."
Only then did Luca nod in understanding, then furrowed his brow.
"If you can put it that simply, why do you keep talking weirdly?"
"I... only said what I was told."
To Luca's grumbling, Whistle answered in a sowhat hazy tone.
'Said what she was told.'
Luca glanced sidelong at Whistle.
Eyes unfocused, as if recalling sothing.
It seed another hazy mory had surfaced.
"Well, understood. So how do I use this accepting function?"
"... Hm? Ah, it's simple."
Looking spaced out, Whistle snapped back to her senses at Luca's question, shook her beak, and spread one wing.
Srrrrk.
"!"
"Just imagine that a part of your body is touching the empty sky."
Whistle's wing shimred in mysterious hues, like the universe itself.
* * *
― Space.
The mont Luca touched Okota's outstretched hand.
The palm of Luca's hand beca colored like the cosmos.
"What, what is this?!"
At that mont, the White Noise covering Okota's hand began to get sucked in.
Okota hurriedly jumped back.
But White Noise was already being absorbed into Luca's miniature universe.
"Ugh...my White Noise...!"
Okota, now backpedaling, tried desperately to retrieve the White Noise, but the absorption of Space was stronger.
Whiiik! Bam!
"!"
At that mont, a hamr struck where Luca had been standing.
Sensing the killing intent, Luca rolled aside and avoided the hamr.
However, perhaps because his concentration was broken, Space was released and the absorption stopped.
"Huff...huff... T-thanks, bro...!"
Gasping for breath, Okota looked at Vasco, who was stepping forward.
Vasco glared fiercely at Luca.
"So you can absorb White Noise? Without any side effects?"
"!"
At Vasco's words, Okota looked at Luca with startled eyes.
Now that he thought about it, even after absorbing White Noise, Luca's color had not changed.
"Hm..."
Luca eyed his palm with a subtle expression.
'So I can't use it right away just by absorbing it?'
He'd thought that if he absorbed other forces, they would imdiately be converted to sky's power through Space.
But he didn't feel any particular strengthening of the sky's power.
― It'll surely take so ti to digest.
― The sky accepts all things.
― That makes sense. If you drop a drop of water into the ocean, it just becos part of the ocean. It's like that.
'... Co to think of it, Whistle never actually said I'd be able to use it right after absorbing it with the power of Space.'
Reflecting, Luca realized that Whistle had only said Space could accept anything, not that he could imdiately use what was absorbed.
In fact, just earlier, she had explicitly stated that he couldn't draw power from Space.
'Tsk. I thought it was so double experience event. Guess not.'
Luca clicked his tongue and glanced at Vasco and Okota.
The two were now secretly conversing through White Noise.
― Okota. Get ready to run.
― You serious, bro?
― You got so of your White Noise taken, didn't you?
-... Yeah.
― He's soone who can take our power. Our best move is to report this danger back at headquarters and return with reinforcents to take care of it.
― Tsk. Got it.
Although Okota didn't like Vasco's proposal, he knew it was the right call, so he didn't object.
"Are you thinking of running?"
"!"
As if reading their thoughts, Luca casually uttered the words.
Lightning flickered at the corners of his eyes.
'There's so kind of link between them.'
By boosting his vision with lightning power, he'd realized they were communicating through White Noise.
Vasco, while retrieving his hamr with White Noise, declared,
"Okota. I'll handle things here, you run."
"What? But bro, what about you?"
"Given what we just observed, it seems that guy can only absorb White Noise if it's manifested outside. Usually, you and I are evenly matched, but as long as I don't pull out my White Noise, I have the upper hand. It makes sense I handle this."
Srrrk!
Vasco gripped his hamr and hid his White Noise within his body.
Vasco's eyes glimred nacingly.
"And I don't want to leave the guy who killed Montana behind."
"... Tsk, for soone who always acts so composed, you get so emotional at a mont like this."
Okota clicked his tongue and stood up.
Then, as if to run away, he stepped back a little.
At that, Luca smirked.
"You really think you can escape?"
"I know there's no one else around here. You alone won't be able to stop and also chase after Okota escaping."
Clench!
Vasco gripped his hamr even tighter, getting ready to charge.
Luca only shrugged in response.
"You really think I was waiting here alone for you?"
"?"
"Whistle."
Tsstsstss.
From nowhere, clouds suddenly ford and began to part.
From within the clouds erged Whistle draped in mist, Bella wielding a dagger, and other friends of Luca, all ard with their weapons.
"!"
"I doubt I can properly absorb the life force of White Noise anyway, so I don't need to conserve my strength."
Crackle!
Luca unleashed his hidden lightning power.
With White Noise's power unable to be absorbed, there was no need to save lighting energy.
Luca pointed his blue-lightning-charged sword at them.
"Now, I'll go all-out."
Krrrboom!
Lightning struck the ruined Bizen.
* * *
"What...is this power...?"
Luca's Space swallowed White Noise, and his lightning burned White Noise away.
In other words, White Noise could neither attack nor defend against Luca.
Luca had beco a perfect counter to Albino.
While fighting him, Vasco and Okota's underlings had already been wiped out.
Both n themselves had lost most of the White Noise within their bodies as well.
When their inexhaustible power disappeared, Okota and Vasco collapsed from exhaustion.
Luca stood before them.
"Where's your bravado from the start gone?"
"..."
"Don't even have the strength to answer?"
Luca smirked and raised his sword.
Snap, a spark snapped from the blade.
"Then I'll finish this now."
At this, Vasco spoke with a blank expression.
"What are you?"
"An agent of God sent to wipe out Albino."
Luca's sarcasm t Vasco's blazing glare.
"If there is a God, why is he punishing us?"
"Because you did wrong."
"We were abandoned by humans! That's why we seek revenge! Is that so wrong?!"
Most of Albino's officers had unhappy pasts.
After all, Ravinia, who created Albino, was herself a prostitute's illegitimate child.
"Do you have any idea what we've suffered? Any sense of the sorrow we endured?!"
Vasco, too, must have had a tragic past. Surely he'd gone through heartbreaking tis.
Luca knew that as well.
But that was all.
"There are those who didn't beco like you."
Luca coldly denied his words with an indifferent look.
No matter what past they had, the things they'd done could not be forgiven.
"Sure, there are heroes who overca misery and achieved great things! But not everyone is as strong as the heroes of old tales! Forcing noble choices on everyone broken by reality is hypocrisy!"
Vasco shouted then.
His grief. The thoughts of one who belonged to Albino.
"You're mistaken. I never demanded you make noble choices. I just refuted the vile idea that suffering entitles you to inflict suffering on others."
But Luca's face remained unmoved.
Sensing the situation had reached its worst, Okota beside him frantically spoke up.
"H-hey! How about a deal?"
"A deal?"
"Yes! If you just let us live..."
CRACKK!
Just then, lightning struck from the sky.
The bolt incinerated Vasco.
Okota, right next to him, shrieked and toppled over.
Ssssh—
Vasco crumbled to dust.
Okota swallowed dryly; Luca spoke flatly.
"I have no intention of letting you live. But I didn't plan to kill you in the first place."
"Uh...?"
"Go back to Albino and tell them. That God's apostle has co to judge you."
Not fully understanding the situation, Okota fell silent.
Luca sheathed his sword and said,
"Do you need to help you up?"
"... No, I'm good."
Embarrassed, Okota got himself to his feet, then started edging away toward another direction as he watched Luca.
As he left, Luca called out after him.
"One more thing. I'll co to your base myself soon, so be ready to et ."
"...."
Without replying, Okota left Bizen completely.
Bella approached, her face full of concern.
"Are you sure you'll be alright, young master?"
"You saw how their powers couldn't touch ."
"But... what if they hire other strong people?"
Indeed, Luca's power was overwhelming against White Noise, but if they used other rcenaries who didn't rely on it, things could get tricky.
Luca gave a little laugh and answered,
"Don't worry. I already took that into account."
"If young master says so..."
Though Bella remained a little apprehensive, she nodded.
Luca shrugged and glanced at his phone.
[Alert: A completed hint is available.]
'Finally!'
Notification that a hint was complete.
Suppressing excitent, Luca opened the hint app.
[The Eccentric Alchemist, Bern Doyner]
― et with Bern Doyner's disciples. (○)
― et him directly together with the disciples. (○)
― Earn Bern Doyner's trust. (○)
― Help Bern Doyner overco his trauma. (○)
― Protect the village of Potro. (○)
* Hint Completion Reward: 〈The Eccentric Alchemist, Bern Doyner〉 exclusive effect, 50 exclusive effect points, 6th grade info search pass.
[Exclusive Effect]
― If you complete a main hint, you obtain a corresponding exclusive effect.
― Total accumulated exclusive effect points: 150pt
― Number of currently activable exclusive effects: 1
― Current active exclusive effect: The Darkness Cast Over the Academy
― Accumulating more points increases the number of exclusive effects that can be active.
[Exclusive Effect: The Eccentric Alchemist, Bern Doyner]
― The effects of alchemical potions are increased when used.
― Your understanding of research relating to life force is improved.
― You deal increased damage to beings created from research on life force.
'... This is more disappointing than I expected.'
Luca twisted his lips.
Though the mid-quest rewards had been appealing, this one felt secondary—and even accounting for that, it was underwhelming.
'Still only one exclusive effect at a ti, and the info search pass is just 6th grade? Even this so-called exclusive effect doesn't even look that great.'
It was an effect so abstract he couldn't tell what it really did at a glance.
Luca wore a disappointed expression.
Just then, his phone buzzed again.
Bzz bzz!
[You have fulfilled a condition: A new hint has been added]
[White Calamity, Albino]
-(Special condition fulfilled; this step has been skipped.)
-(Special condition fulfilled; this step has been skipped.)
-(Special condition fulfilled; this step has been skipped.)
― Contact Ravinia Way. (X)
-???
-???
"Oh-ho."
Sothing much more interesting had appeared instead.
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