Why did Downs use an [Electromagnetic Gun], while Lein used an [Electromagnetic Cannon]?
Why was the [Tesla coil] harmless to humans and animals, while the [Tesla Tower] could blast a White Dragon to pieces?
Why could an ordinary convex lens do little more than light a cigarette, while a giant convex lens could sweep away a whole army of devils?
There was only one answer to all three questions—
The difference between them was a beauty called [strength]!
Heavens knew, Lein genuinely had no idea that a poorly made convex lens could produce a less focused beam while still refracting sunlight accurately enough to split it into seven colors. And if those seven-colored rays were powerful enough, they became a spell called [Light of Heaven].
Well, that was that.
After Lein read the system's full description of what had happened, he was utterly speechless.
[Light of Heaven] had originally been only a level-three spell, also known in this world as a third-circle spell.
In practice, [Elemental Land] had increased its power by one circle, while the school's Defense Department had activated some kind of [Fortification Mode], adding another circle.
That was already outrageous enough. But [Light of Heaven] also had a special property: it dealt extra damage to undead creatures. Against light-fearing undead creatures and evil extraplanar creatures, that extra damage was doubled! Devils happened to be evil extraplanar creatures. Add in the 50% damage bonus from Lein's [Spell Power] metamagic feat, and the damage of this thing had been forcibly boosted to that of a seventh-circle spell.
In theory, magic in the Chaos World only went up to the ninth circle. Once you reached the ninth circle, you were talking about ridiculous spells like [Major Planar Collapse].
Even at seventh-circle power, this was already the kind of spell only a standard legendary archmage would dare to use.
But who could have guessed that Lein had achieved this power by relying on "physics" as his core, along with bonuses from the system and this bizarre academy property?
The problem was, the other side had no idea!
Somewhere in Baator Hell, a female half-devil with pale red skin sat in her palace, watching over and over through a black crystal ball as [Light of Heaven] poured down. She wore a luxurious, form-fitting suit of armor, and her horns were studded with golden rings.
At that moment, a hulking devil, a full three stories tall, stepped forward. "My lady, I can't help feeling that this so-called archmage's methods are all show and no substance. How could a mage make proper use of the God of Light's divine magic? Let me lead the troops and drag that arrogant fool before you, my lady."
The voluptuous she-devil smiled wickedly. Rather than answering, she asked in a sultry voice, "Kaster, how old are you?"
"I... I'm over eighty."
"Then you're still just a baby."
Her judgment immediately set the other high-ranking devils laughing. "Hahahaha!"
Eighty years old was still a child among devils. There was nothing strange about that.
The she-devil chuckled. "Before the Age of the End of Dharma, those pesky archmages loved using all sorts of magic to exploit their enemies' weaknesses. Since this gentleman has already hung a White Dragon's head by his gate and plastered his walls with devil flesh, I'll provisionally accept his [neutrality]."
The devils under her command all looked indignant, but there was nothing they could do.
[Neutral] wasn't a word just anyone could claim.
If some weakling declared himself neutral, the very idea was laughable.
With so many ravenous predators around, wouldn't it be much nicer to invite you to dinner, pour you a drink, behead you, and keep you as a dog?
If they could enslave you, they certainly wouldn't waste time arguing.
Did you think the devils ran a charity?
The same principle applied on Earth. Everyone knew that Switzerland was neutral, but why could it call itself a neutral country? Wasn't it because, over the centuries, the Swiss had beaten the Habsburgs—the family that had produced so many Holy Roman Emperors—until they were thoroughly crushed? Switzerland was also a rugged, impoverished place full of unruly locals, so other countries had eventually acknowledged its "neutrality."
Now, someone hiding in Vulture Dragon Mountain was starting to give off the same vibe.
There was never just one Dragon's Nest in Vulture Dragon Mountain.
Sending in a large force risked provoking other dragons.
The most powerful legendary dragons could even go toe-to-toe with the gods.
A large force would be too costly, while a small one couldn't deal with that "Legendary Archmage."
So they could only leave him alone.
Meanwhile, after Downs had once again witnessed his master's might firsthand, his state of mind had long since shifted from utter shock and wide-eyed amazement to numb acceptance.
"Ah! So this is what you meant by 'keeping your feet on the ground,' Master! The devil flesh melted away and even leveled the road!"
Lein: Should I say what I'm thinking, or not?
He was starting to think that his big mouth might actually be cursed.
It was true that the army of devils had been reduced to ashes by [Light of Heaven]. But the remaining devil flesh first turned into a large pile of powder rich in spiritual power, then drifted down along the road they'd come by, filling almost every crack in the ground.
Purified by the holy rays, the flesh no longer felt evil, gave off no aura of fear, and even carried a warm, sacred air.
Yet any strong person could tell what it had originally been.
The message was far too clear: this was a warning to others!
Interestingly, Earl Ramanque and the people of the Barbarossa Empire were also keeping an eye on Vulture Dragon Mountain. When their reports reached home, a king and an emperor both fell into thought, then issued similar orders:
"Keep watching. Then find a way to approach him in a friendly manner, without provoking him."
As for plastering the walls with devil flesh... If Lein hadn't been the one responsible, even he would almost have believed that whoever did it was a cruel monster.
Heavens knew, before he'd transmigrated, he hadn't even killed a chicken!
Now he was twice, thrice over unable to explain himself.
What bothered Lein most was that, not even two days later, the system gave him another notification.
[Congratulations, Host. News of your instantaneous annihilation of an army of devils has reached the Bottomless Abyss, where it has become well known among the Dark Elves (Drow). Your Legendary Fame in the Bottomless Abyss has increased by 1.]
Next, rumors about him began spreading among the Dwarves and Halflings, too.
After a few days of spreading, it seemed—maybe—just possibly—that Lein had become quite famous.
The one thing he could be grateful for was that the system hadn't told him that his spectacular slaughter of the devils had attracted the attention of some god-level big shot.
No, the real question was whether there were any gods left in this world at all.
Thinking of that made Lein feel just a little anxious.
But for now, the priority was to keep training his apprentice. After all, the stronger Downs became, the stronger Lein became as his master. More importantly, Downs could serve as a role model and help bring him more apprentices.
This business of living off the land, raising apprentices, and then living off the apprentices gave Lein the strange impression that he was running a pyramid scheme.
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