When Hoshino reached the tenth level of the Mage class, she unlocked her third skill, [Magical Affinity].

  This was the skill that truly defined a mage’s future. No matter how well they grasped the theory, or how well they understood mana, a mage with no affinities would never be anything more than mediocre.

  The mage towers of the continent were very clear when it came to identifying magical prowess.

  Untalented mages possessed no affinities.

  Average mages possessed one or two Minor affinities.

  Promising mages possessed at least one Greater affinity.

  Geniuses possessed at least two Greater affinities.

  And those with the potential to become Archmages received three Greater affinities or more. Of course, this all became meaningless when aberrant elements were included, as not all elements were equal, but since they were rare, it still served as a decent metric.

  Hoshino’s affinities were: Minor - Wind, a common element, Greater - Light, an aberrant element, and….

  Greater - [???].

  That last one was something that shocked even her master, the greatest mage of the continent, and left him at a loss for words. He had never seen such a thing before. That day, as he had turned away to search for information through his great library, Hoshino’s mouth had opened on its own.

  “Come forth, reveal yourself before me and swallow the light that taints this world - [█████]”

  This was the first spell she had chanted after reaching level ten. She had not done so consciously, but rather the words had come out on their own. As a result, the room had instantly grown sinister, infinitely more ominous and an entity was born from the darkness.

  For reasons Hoshino could not explain, that entity seemed to want nothing more than to tear her apart. It took had taken hers and her master’s best efforts to seal it inside of her.

  And now, she was setting it free again.

  “Haha…. You are free, come out – You vile creature.”

  The words rolled off her tongue almost too easily and a grotesque hybrid of tentacles and fingers sprouted from her chest. It was as though they were forcing a set of invisible doors open, struggling to break free.

  In the next moment, an entity stood before Hoshino and she coughed a mouthful of blood.

  Its figure was neither human nor alien. Describing it was difficult as it had close to no discernible features. What it did have, however, was a simple white opening on the top part of its body that may have resembled a smile if one looked closely.

  It turned its head– or what looked like its head, toward Hoshino, and its entire body took the form of an abyssal void ready to swallow her whole. It was finally free, and it would ensure it would never be trapped again.

  But when it took a good look at her, it froze.

  Hoshino scoffed. “Yes… I’m aware, I look terrible…,” She said.

  The entity stirred. It could not speak, but Hoshino grasped the meaning. “Yes… I’ll die even if you do nothing…”

  Her veins had turned purple, pulsing dangerously and visible through her skin. Though she looked in the direction of the entity, she had also gone mostly blind already due to the strain on her brain.

  She might have lived had she not cast this last spell, but now, her days were numbered. She coughed. “Not very satisfying…right?” She chuckled. “Now you can’t do it yourself… how unfortunate.…”

  She then pointed to Bel, who was still meditating. “Who’s fault do you think that is…?”

  The entity made of impenetrable darkness returned to its half-humanoid form, and it seemed to turn its head toward Bel.

  It stirred furiously, its figure barely holding together.

  And then it stopped, its gaze landing on the forest.

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  Hoshino scoffed again. “Yeah, I know… You cannot kill him…No matter how enraged you are…” She placed her hand on her chest. “You were born from me…after all…”

  Hoshino seemed to be nothing but defeated. However, her broken eyes suddenly gleamed with a fiery spark, and her hand tightened around her wand. “...But I can…No, we can.”

  The darkness stirred.

  “Do you not want…this thief… to pay?” She continued. “To pay for stealing…your prey…?” She scoffed. “...Ha.. Or are you only big and scary in front of me…?”

  The entity stirred again. What seemed like a smile on its face narrowed, and then turned upside down.

  Hoshino’s meaning had been conveyed. In the first place, words had never been necessary.

  They were one.

  Bel sensed the danger and clicked his tongue. He was not finished, but what he had accomplished had to do. He had finally managed to rid himself of Midnight’s curse which had dampened his power until now, but his remaining core was still somewhat unstable.

  Still, he rose to his feet. “I have more than enough power to deal with this pitiful last attempt at survival.”

  Bel raised his hand to slash at the entity, but the darkness swirled around it and enveloped him whole.

  The entity knew it would not be able to consume Bel. The power gap was too great, but it could at least hold him in place for Hoshino, and so that's what it did.

  It tightened its tendrils around the demon’s body and made sure he would not be able to move for the next few moments.

  Bel frowned. “What kind of…tch…Lacerate.”

  The darkness stirred, but it endured.

  At the same time, Hoshino rose, and she began her march toward Bel, leaning on her wand for support.

  The demon looked at her and sneered. “Ha! What can you do?” He spat. “You are as good as a corpse, and I can feel that this strange spell of yours will not last much lon–”

  “Do you know of stars…demon?”

  Bel raised an eyebrow as he increased the power of Lacerate. “What nonsense are you—”

  Hoshino smirked. “They guide our path, bring light to the darkness, and fill our minds with dreams…. Yet… they forever remain out of reach…Untouchable.”

  Bel ignored her, focused on freeing himself from this annoying darkness enveloping him. He could feel that it would not take much longer.

  Hoshino continued, taking a few more steps forward. “...Still, they do die. They are not immortal…. For every moment that they shine in the night sky, that very light is a sign of their life burning away…. Slowly, inescapably… ” More blood flowed from her mouth as she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, but Hoshino took another step.

  “...But it is their very deaths that make them so wondrous… A star’s final moments are also her greatest…Her pinnacle…!!”

  Hoshino’s body began to glow. Soft at first, but growing brighter with every second.

  She took another step, nearing the demon even more.

  Suddenly, Bel’s eyes widened, and his face contorted. “You…How is this possible…You crazy Mage!!”

  The glow grew brighter and brighter, the heat emanating scorching both Hoshino’s and Bel’s skins. “Consider yourself lucky, demon…for you will see the end of a Star…”

  She finally reached Bel and using sheer willpower, she moved her body once more, placing both hands on her wand.

  “Dying star…

  From the heart of the void...

  Where the suns are born and die…

  Devour the sky…

  Scar the abyss…–”

  The demon, in a panic, breaks one of his teeth and spits it at Hoshino, but it is blocked by a trembling tentacle of darkness.

  Bel is enraged, and screams.

  He sensed the threat of complete annihilation.

  Her Gaze on the entity of darkness, Hoshino smiles. It could have decided to run away, but here it was, helping her, despite the reason being far from noble.

  Perhaps if she’d had more time… They might even have gotten along one day.

  ‘There’s no light without darkness, huh….Oh, now that I think about it… This one doesn’t really have a name, does it?’

  She scoffed. Naming this spell was the easiest thing she’d ever had to do.

  “Condense…Ignite…Erase

  Final Magic

  Supernova.”

  Bel cried out. “YOU FILTHY THING!! NOOOOO!!!! STOP IT!!”

  The world was engulfed in light. Nothing was left untouched.

  From the gates of Plamodel, a young boy squinted. “Big sister!! Did you see that!!?”

  His older sister grabbed his hand. “Did I not tell you not to yell? It’s late!” She looked at the sky. “Besides...I’m sure it was nothing.”

  That night, a star met its end.

  [You have assisted in slaying an enemy.]

  [You have leveled up.]

  [You have overcome a challenge where you faced hopeless odds.]

  [You have gained experience toward your class.]

  [Your class has leveled up.]

  Tears streamed down Verity’s face. He had heard everything, seen everything, but within the invisible barrier of Vera’s Ring, he could do nothing.

  At least not until his treatment was over.

  The barrier finally dissolved, he could sense it.

  Verity would have ran to Hoshino’s corpse, but there was nothing to run to. Hers, Marco’s, Felicia’s, Midnight’s, Jerin’s and even Bel’s had all been erased by the light.

  And so had everything around him.

  He would never be able to bury them, and he would never see them again.

  He clutched his hair, on the precipice of madness.

  “AAAHHHH!!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING??!! WHYYY!!??!”

  He screamed, punched the scorched earth, clawed at his own skin. He also cried, cried so much that every last drop in his body was exhausted.

  Felicia, who was always ready for a fight.

  Marco, who’s personality no longer matched the size of his body.

  Hoshino, who made sure there was never a dull moment.

  And Midnight, who was finally able to move on from Ash.

  He did not know any of them that well, but how could he not despair? They had given their life, and he had lived. They would never see tomorrow, and he would.

  For what?

  There was nothing that made him special. Nothing that made his life more precious than theirs. If anything, he should have been the one to die.

  “AHHHH!!” He cried out again.

  He had been completely healed by the now broken ring, but his heart burned. It burned so much it was unbearable. He wanted to tear it out, to break it into pieces and throw it away.

  It was then that the air chilled. Verity became indescribably cold.

  “To think he would lose to a bunch of humans. He deserved to die.”

  Verity turned around immediately, his nerves tensing.

  But—

  “Die”

  His body exploded into crimson mist.

  That is how Verity died for the one hundredth and fifth time.

  ***

  is still somewhat of a regression novel!