Second Magic Prelude - A Boasting Contest

What if he didn't meet Shiki, what then?

He'd have to participate in the Holy Grail War, right? Scathach would still want to be summoned, wouldn't she? And he'd still need to practice Magecraft, wouldn't he?

None of that could bypass the Root. He'd be discovered sooner or later!

Li Mo suddenly felt a bit anxious. Was he going to have to hide forever, only to cause trouble when the Incineration of Humanity happened in 2014?

Pfft, what do you mean 'cause trouble'? That's called 'making waves'... or is that not right either?

However, this matter might be more serious than he imagined... It would be fine if Brishisan knew, and it would be fine if the Jeweled Sword Zelretch and Kishua knew. But if the Root found out, it could cause major problems.

Even though the Root didn't have self-awareness, the Roots of all worldlines were connected. What if it automatically corrected things when it found something wrong?

Li Mo's head throbbed. But this was a problem he would have to face sooner or later.

Kanbuchi City, should he go or not?

"I'll go!" Li Mo gritted his teeth and said fiercely. At worst, he'd just avoid Ryougi Shiki!

Before he could figure out a solution, it was best not to come into contact with the Root at all. Even the Throne of Heroes in the Reverse World was off-limits!

"Let's go, let's go. Are we taking the train?"

With that thought, Li Mo helplessly called out to Kirie Sakuragi. The two bid farewell to Touki Sakuragi and left the Sakuragi clan's territory.

What Li Mo never expected was that something he thought would take a long time to resolve would actually present a solution within half an hour...

Here's how it happened...

"Mō-san, when we were at the Einzbern castle, what exactly did that person say to you?"

On the train, Kirie Sakuragi held a magazine, looking at Li Mo with a face full of curiosity, hesitating to speak.

When Kishua arrived, he had dragged Li Mo into another space. After Li Mo came out, he let the Einzbern go. Kirie was very curious about what they had talked about.

Hearing this, Li Mo's heart "boomed," and it suddenly exploded.

Damn it, I forgot about Second Magic... I got it but didn't even look at it!

That's Second Magic, am I an idiot?

It must be Sakuragi's fault. Because I was so focused on helping them solve their problems, I lost my head!

"Hmph!" Li Mo glanced proudly and pulled out a book from his personal space. It was the Second Magic that Kishua had given him.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"

Alright, alright, you're the big shot, I can't afford to offend you... Sakuragi muttered to himself and turned back to the magazine to pass the time.

No choice. Smoking had already been banned on trains in Japan in 1987, and smoking wasn't even allowed in the gaps between train cars, so I could only read magazines.

Pfft, who knows how old this magazine is!

So boring!

Li Mo chuckled, leaned against the window, and prepared to flip through the magic book Kishua gave him, basking in the sunlight.

As for that book, "A Brief History of Time"?

Let it crawl away as far as it can. Damn it, Hawking's book wasn't even published until 1988. Who knows how Kishua got his hands on it...

If this question is really delved into, it would be quite awkward. Does the Grand Marshal not care about his reputation?

First Avalon, then A Brief History of Time. Tsk, tsk, Second Magic truly lives up to its name as Magic.

"The world calls the realization of things impossible through Magecraft or scientific technology 'Magic.' And Second Magic is called Magic because it allows a mortal to walk through time and space, breaking through realms unattainable by humans. By mastering Second Magic, one can observe and restore the world of existence, which I call Parallel Worlds, and freely traverse them. This is the first."

"The second is that time is a river and I am a fish, my body becoming eternal, immortal, and indestructible."

Upon reading this, Li Mo suddenly had a flash of insight.

Of the five Magicians, why were the other four dead, while only the Second Magician, Kishua, remained alive?

At first, Li Mo thought it was due to becoming a Dead Apostle, a bite from Crimson Moon during Kishua's battle with her back then. But after reading this, he understood. It was because of Second Magic!

But of course, it made sense. Someone who commanded the authority of time, who could freely traverse time and space, would die of old age? How ridiculous!

Of course, Li Mo also understood the principle of "gain comes with loss." Since Second Magic was so powerful in this regard, it must be inferior to other Magics in certain aspects.

"To cultivate Second Magic, one must pass through three trials of the void. The first trial is time. What is time? Birth, aging, sickness, death, the decay of all things, the birth and death of the universe. Someone once spoke of spatial dimensions, where one dimension is a point, two dimensions are a plane, three dimensions are three-dimensional, and four dimensions are time. However, I do not agree with this theory. Time and space should be yin and yang; this is the origin of the universe."

"The second trial is space. Those who know Second Magic all know of my theory of Parallel Worlds. But do Parallel Worlds contain beings like us? Yes!

If one cultivates Second Magic, they will know the vastness of the world and the wonders of the universe, reflecting the Eastern saying, 'There is always someone better.' But if we step into a Parallel World and encounter another 'us,' is that possible? No!

If both sides meet, one must perish. I call this the Parallel Paradox."

"The third trial is oneself. Oneself is energy. Energy is Magic. Since Second Magic can traverse time and step into space, does it require energy?

Yes! The world says that those who wield Second Magic have infinite energy. Can energy be generated from nothing?

No!"

Could the rumor that Second Magic has infinite energy... be false? Li Mo suddenly felt a mix of amusement and despair.

Regardless of what others thought, as far as Li Mo knew, like the Jeweled Sword passed down in the Tohsaka family among the Three Great Families, or the five-star Servants in a certain pay-to-win, grind-heavy game in the main world, weren't they all representatives of infinite ability... Had Mushroom changed the lore again later?

Well, regardless of what was said before, the Second Magician is now speaking for himself.

However, these three trials looked like trying to make a calf fly. Could he really learn Second Magic?

With no time to think, Li Mo turned the page and continued reading.

"To overcome the three difficulties, the first two have no proper path. The meaning of time must be understood by oneself. The paradox of space can only be broken by me who communicates with all realms. As for the difficulty of one's own energy, I stepped through various times and finally found a world that provided a solution. This world is devoid of all things, but is an aggregation of energy. The first two difficulties were overcome, and a path was opened in this world, allowing for unlimited magical power."

"Here, Magecraft can be achieved, unchangeable through a thousand difficulties, unbreakable through ten thousand tribulations, transcending the mortal and being unrestricted."

Closing the book, this was the end of the beginning. Li Mo planned to find time to read the rest later.

It was too frustrating to read... besides a few key points, the beginning was all just bragging!

What do you mean unchangeable through a thousand difficulties and unbreakable through ten thousand tribulations? Where were you when Gaeia was incinerating the world? Where were you when the Alien God invaded?

You were just a lazy bum!

And what about the three difficulties you mentioned? Are they really that difficult? Time is the easiest thing to understand; everything is experiencing it, so what's so hard about it?

And the spatial paradox later on, what does that have to do with me, Li Mo? Spatial paradox, you say? No matter how many Parallel Worlds you have, do they have me, Li Mo?

Sorry, I'm a transmigrator!

Even the last part about one's own energy, Li Mo really didn't want to complain anymore.

That world Kishua discovered, no matter how pure the energy was, was it really okay to just let something foreign pass through one's own body?

I don't even know how much energy my body stores, and I have a hundred percent control over it. Who would care about foreign energy!

I, Li Mo, will never say "it's surprisingly good"!