Volume 7 Chapter 39 Well, I Guess The Spirit King Can't Be Captured After All
In fire, there is Ifrit. In water, Undine. And above them all stands a being known as the Spirit King — a ruler who governs the essence of each element.
While sightings and reports have been recorded across the world, much like the Elements themselves, the truth behind their nature remains a mystery. No one fully understands how they appear, or what kind of existence they lead.
According to scattered legends, there are eight Spirit Kings in the world. The name itself comes from ancient poems passed down by humans — a placeholder, really. But oddly enough, the beings known as Spirit Kings sometimes respond to those names, as if they remember them.
That alone suggests they might have names — and possibly, memories.
If these beings carry memory or even self-awareness, understanding what they inherit could be the key to unlocking the secrets of their existence.
— Excerpt from "Considerations on the Spirit Realm"
Author: Leia Cyruswood
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Darkness gathered, swirling and shifting until it formed a towering humanoid figure cloaked in a robe. Its face was hidden deep within the hood, and even its limbs were impossible to see — the inside of the robe was hollow. Not empty, but filled with a darkness deeper than shadow. It seemed to drink in all light around it, blurring the edges of its form. Even its size was hard to measure.
Leia stared at the creature, her breath caught in her throat.
"The Dark Spirit King... Shade..."
But before the weight of her words could settle—
"You never pull a winning ticket when it counts," Luke said with a shrug.
"I can't believe I actually got one!" Randy grinned.
The two boys chatted without a hint of tension, their mood light and casual. Leia blinked, confused.
"Winning ticket?"
Randy gestured toward Shade. "When Elements mix and change shape like that, we call it a 'winning ticket.'"
The towering shade-like being turned toward them — or so it seemed. It had no eyes, no face, no way to tell where it was truly looking.
"Change shape...?" Leia echoed.
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "Sometimes they just get bigger. But every now and then, they morph into something different. We don't know why it happens, though."
The two had seen it before — countless times. Whenever the Elements combined and reacted just right, something new would be born. They called those moments "winning tickets."
Leia frowned.
"Ridiculous... The Spirit King shouldn't be— No, there have been reports of Element combinations... It's even been proposed as a theory..."
She mumbled rapidly to herself, processing the implications. Luke and Randy exchanged glances and gave small shrugs.
"Anyway," Randy continued, "after they combine, they usually settle down for a bit."
Students nearby watched him, then turned to Shade, their faces uncertain. Confused.
"Huh?" Randy tilted his head.
Leia sighed. "It's no use."
She looked directly at Shade.
"As its name suggests, the Dark Spirit King—Shade—rules over darkness. He absorbs all light. He reflects nothing."
Shade slowly swayed, its presence heavy and silent. But the students weren't watching him. Their eyes were blank, unfocused.
"In short," Leia said, "none of you can see him."
A collective nod followed.
Catherine and Cecilia, however, stared straight at Shade.
"That creepy guy in the hood?" Catherine asked.
"I see... something like a black hole," said Cecilia.
Their descriptions were accurate.
Leia looked at them with newfound respect.
"Evans and Hartfield... They've seen their share of battles."
She explained that those who could see Shade were attuned to magical energy — able to detect the Spirit King's influence on the environment. Shade distorted the magic around them, and those with enough sensitivity could recognize the disturbance as a shape.
It was the same kind of presence-detection Randy and Luke had refined through experience. Countless fights had sharpened their senses to even the slightest ripple.
By contrast, those who couldn't see Shade were likely... under-leveled.
"What the hell?" Randy muttered. "If they can't see him, how are they supposed to know if it's dangerous?"
He scratched his head, annoyed, and stared into the space where Shade stood.
(Should I just punch them? But if I can't even see the target... Nah, that feels wrong. And this one's dangerous...)
While he was deep in thought, Ellie stepped up beside him.
"Is just being able to see him enough?" she asked.
"Huh? You can fix that?"
She grinned.
"Who do you think I am?"
With a snap of her fingers, ripples of magic burst outward from her, like waves on a pond. The air shimmered, and gasps echoed from the students.
"What... is that?"
"The shadow... It's floating?"
"No... Is that... a hole?"
They were seeing Shade. Clearly. Their form stood visible now — to everyone.
Only Leia remained frozen in place, staring at Ellie in disbelief.
"That magic... It's not just magic interference. What did you do...?"
Ellie laughed. "As expected from a magic theory teacher."
Leia didn't know the truth — that the girl before her had once been called a "great magician" in a forgotten age.
"To put it simply," Ellie said with a smile, "I twisted the core waves of magic essence and shifted them into the visible spectrum. Simple enough, right?"
Liz gave a quiet nod of understanding. Cecilia and Catherine were stunned. Randy looked confused, a floating question mark practically over his head. Leia, meanwhile, stood in awe.
Just a finger snap. That's all it took. The sheer precision of the technique made it clear how skilled Ellie truly was.
Ellie tilted her head. "Glad you're impressed, but... that was forced interference. He knows."
She pointed at Shade. Their robe swirled wildly, agitated.
Leia's eyes narrowed. "This is bad. Evans, use Holy Magic to calm them—"
Before she could finish, a black mist burst from Shade's core.
Dark Mist. A mid-level dark-element spell that engulfs its target in fog, cutting off their senses completely.
In moments, the mist spread across the underground chamber. But the students remained safe — Ellie and Liz had already deployed a protective barrier. Leia quickly cast her own shield.
Only Randy, standing outside the barrier, was caught in the spreading gloom.
"Liz, Ellie. Get everyone to safety—"
At Randy's command, Liz and Ellie nodded once and quickly teleported everyone—including Leia—out of the old school building.
"As I thought... I can't fight them in here."
After confirming the others were gone, Randy turned his back to Shade and dashed up the stairs. They had crossed paths before, but those times were always with backup—Luke, Harrison, and the rest.
Randy had grown stronger since then. Strong enough to stand alone. But even so, fighting this 'special variant' in the basement would collapse the entire school. He needed more space. Somewhere open.
Like the sports field.
Of course, that assumed Shade would follow him out into the sunlight.
Randy sprinted down the dim hallway. Behind him, he could feel it—thick, choking malice. Shade was chasing him. Despite the sunlight filtering through the windows, the dark aura around Shade never wavered. He moved like a shadow brought to life, cloaked in pitch black.
Occasionally, Shade fired off bursts of magic—Dark Bolts—without warning. Randy dodged them easily. They weren't a threat.
"Heh... over here, Mr. Demon."
Randy didn't just evade—he taunted. Drawing Shade in further, tempting him with his voice. Shade's tattered robe whipped in the wind, black energy distorting its shape as it closed the distance.
Taking a sharp turn, Randy made his way toward the building's entrance, keeping just ahead of Shade's attacks and staying in control of the gap between them. Step by step, bolt by bolt, he led Shade away from the collapsing interior.
Finally, as he neared the exit, he whispered under his breath.
"It's time."
"Everyone, move aside!"
At his shout, the students near the entrance scrambled back. A blur of red and black tore past them—Randy leading the charge, a huge dark mass following close behind.
Randy hit the open field first.
The moment his boots touched the ground, the darkness surged forward.
Shade's magic spilled out around them, thick black fog engulfing the sports ground. Mist churned outward like it had a mind of its own, surrounding the area and blotting out the sunlight.
Randy's silhouette vanished within the dark veil.
"Is he okay...?" someone muttered, staring into the mist.
A few seconds later, the fog started to thin. As if something had forcibly torn through it from within.
What emerged wasn't what they expected.
Randy, jacket flapping, arms swinging wide, stood at the center of the field, looking perfectly fine.
"Huh?"
Leia blinked. She rubbed her eyes. No way... right?
He had physically scattered the dark magic. Fog or not, most wouldn't even think of doing that.
But Randy didn't hesitate. He tore through Shade's mist with nothing but brute force and wild momentum. To Leia, that made perfect sense.
Having lost the cover of their fog, Shade now saw only one thing—Randy.
And behind Randy, thanks to Ellie's magic, the students could see it too: the swirling void that had taken shape beneath them.
An abyss.
From within that darkness, Shade drew more power. Magic welled up from the void itself, forming fresh attacks.
Dark Bolts rained down again, filling the air with streaks of shadow.
Randy didn't flinch.
He stepped forward, weaving through the storm of magic. Unlike before, the attacks came harder, faster, more desperate. Shade wasn't holding back.
The moment Randy got too close, his foot sank.
The ground had turned into a dark swamp.
He paused, stuck. Shade raised their arm and fired again.
Randy slammed his palms onto the ground.
"You're one nasty piece of work."
He kicked upward—handstand.
Twisting in mid-air, Randy spun like a propeller. His legs whipped through the storm, scattering the dark bolts like leaves in the wind.
Shade didn't wait. They launched their next spell.
A Dark Scythe—huge, spinning, cutting the air itself.
It missed.
Then another appeared. And another. Two, three, four—scythes slashed in all directions, their paths unpredictable, deadly.
Still, none touched Randy.
He twisted past each one, then finally muttered, "I'm done with this."
With a burst of movement, Randy shattered the spinning blades mid-air, breaking their momentum and scattering the fragments into light.
That's when Shade snapped.
They gripped their robe and pulled it shut.
The air grew heavier.
Then, they opened it.
From within, a swirling mass of darkness surged out. A true abyss—a high-level spell known as the Abyss Gate. Its gravity alone could pull souls from the dead. Now, it threatened to drag Randy in.
Even with his strength, Randy was being pulled toward the gate. Shade's expression remained empty, but for a moment... it almost looked like they were smiling.
Randy frowned.
"You sure you want to suck me in? What if I get closer?"
Shade didn't react.
But Randy moved.
Using the very force that tried to consume him, he closed the gap in an instant. His leg muscles tightened—then exploded with power.
He reappeared directly in front of Shade.
"Disappear."
Randy's fist struck.
The impact hit dead center—where Shade's face should've been.
A sound like thunder cracked through the air.
The darkness twisted, then shattered. Shade's form broke apart, scattered into sparkling fragments, and vanished into the sky.
Their presence disappeared completely.
Randy let out a slow breath and tightened his fist.
"...Looks like I really am stronger now."
He remembered the last time they fought Shade. Back in the Beast Forest, with Luke and Harrison. Back then, it took all of them to win.
Now, he'd won alone. Clean.
He nodded, satisfied.
But then—
"Mr. Randolph! Weren't you supposed to catch Element?!"
Noah's voice echoed from the edge of the field.
"Ah—right!!"
Randy scrambled, pulling a bug net out of his magic bag and wildly swinging it through the empty air where Shade had vanished.
Under the clear daylight, on the wide training ground, a tall red-haired man waving a bug net at nothing—
The scene drew laughter from everyone watching.
"I—I couldn't catch them!"
"Of course not..."
Ellie sighed. Liz blinked in disbelief. But in the end, both gave Randy a quiet smile.
And Randy, after chasing the wind Element through the forest and fighting off the darkness, finally returned to the group.
Notes:
• Leia - An elf instructor specializing in magic theory. She is knowledgeable about magical creatures and will accompany Randy's group as a fieldwork security officer for elemental.
• Shade - Genderless. The Dark Spirit King, a being composed of dark Elements. It appears as a large humanoid draped in a robe, with an obscured face and hollow interior. Its power is darkness, absorbing all light. It is a formidable opponent, capable of using various dark magics, including Dark Bolts, Dark Scythe, and Abyss Gate.
• Noah - The President of the Magic Tool Research Club.
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