Starting the Strategy from Frieren

As the dust settled, only Serie remained standing in the massive crater, gazing upward.

"For someone who has only recently started learning magic, there's no way you could beat me..."

"Sore wa dou kana (We'll see about that)."

A familiar voice shattered Serie's triumphant moment. Ivan, who was supposedly obliterated and buried in the ground, appeared once again at the edge of the crater, his clothes completely intact.

"Isn't it a bit too soon to declare this over?"

"Hmm?" Serie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I distinctly remember binding you with my magic and hitting you squarely."

"Villains always die from talking too much. If you want to know how I did it, maybe later," Ivan smirked.

From the moment he summoned the Winged Dragon, Ivan had been preparing a life-saving spell. After stalling just long enough, he finally managed to activate it. Confident in his safety, it was time to unleash something more potent.

Although his college years had dulled his understanding of advanced scientific concepts like 2D foils, neutron cannons, antimatter, and quantum superposition—making them impossible to replicate magically—one principle remained forever etched in his memory: nuclear fission.

"Let us split, Uranium-235."

Under the influence of his magic, a neutron collided with a Uranium-235 nucleus, initiating nuclear fission. The nucleus tore apart as if an invisible force had split it, releasing several neutrons and a massive burst of energy.

The released neutrons sped outward, colliding with nearby Uranium-235 nuclei and triggering a chain reaction. The process snowballed rapidly, with each fission releasing more neutrons and energy, intensifying the reaction violently.

The energy manifested as gamma rays and intense heat. Gamma rays—at the highest frequency and energy in the electromagnetic spectrum—spread at the speed of light, carrying the immense energy produced by the fission. Meanwhile, the surrounding material reached temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius due to the heat.

In the center of the ancient battlefield, a mushroom cloud—a symbol of humanity's ultimate weapon—bloomed. For Serie, who stood at the epicenter of the explosion, the sensation defied human comprehension.

But she felt no fear. Instead, she erupted into ecstatic laughter.

"This is it! This is the attack magic I've been dreaming of—"

Her words, however, failed to reach Ivan as her figure was engulfed in an endless wave of light and heat.

"Did I win?"

As the dust settled, Ivan descended into the massive crater left behind. The ground had turned to glass from the extreme heat, and the air was thick with radiation, stinging his skin painfully. He couldn't imagine anyone surviving the center of the blast. Yet, the fact that the battle hadn't ended meant Serie was still capable of fighting.

"I thought this was going to be a boring fight, but you've managed to surprise me quite a lot, Ivan. You've successfully caught my attention."

A hand landed on Ivan's shoulder. He turned to find Serie standing there, completely unscathed, her face glowing with a bright smile.

"If I hadn't prepared an alternate dimensional space beforehand, I might have lost. But you, on the other hand, don't seem to have moved to an alternate dimension. You're more like...a projection? I didn't expect you to use magic normally reserved for gods."

"You figured that out?"

Ivan was shocked by Serie's insight. His true body resided in a higher-dimensional space, with the figure before her being nothing more than a projection—a two-dimensional shadow of a three-dimensional object, akin to the silhouette of a sphere on paper. No matter what happened to the shadow, the original would remain untouched.

In essence, Ivan hadn't fully transformed into a higher-dimensional being but was merely situated in a higher-dimensional space. Even so, it was enough to earn Serie's respect.

"A nuclear explosion is the most powerful attack I can muster," Ivan proposed. "Anything beyond, like a Big Bang, is clearly out of my league. And you can't harm me either. How about we call this fight a draw?"

Serie smiled gracefully.

"You think I can't hurt you? That might not be entirely true. Did you forget something? When I placed my hand on your shoulder earlier, it wasn't just a friendly gesture. You've underestimated me, Ivan. I've survived since the mythical era—how could I not have countermeasures against such tricks? It may not work against a god, but for you? It's more than enough."

[Illusion Magic: Ephemeral Dreams]

A field of vibrant blue flowers blossomed amidst the ruins, their pollen shimmering under the glow of nuclear radiation, creating an ethereal, dreamlike scene.

"Ivan! Wake up! You're about to take your college entrance exams, and you're sleeping in class?! Get to the back of the room and stand there!"

A piece of chalk struck Ivan's head with precision, jolting him awake. His bleary eyes adjusted to the sight of his homeroom teacher scowling in exasperation.

Reflexively grabbing his textbook amid the snickers of his classmates, Ivan shuffled to the back of the classroom, where he stared blankly at the chalkboard ahead.

It was the rainy season, and the crowded classroom felt stuffy and humid. Standing near the window in the corner, however, provided a slight breeze, making it almost comfortable enough for Ivan to drift off again.

The transition between spring and summer often brought vivid dreams, and Ivan sometimes revisited fragments of the past in his sleep.

In some dreams, it was a quiet afternoon on campus, cicadas' relentless chirping forming a backdrop. Around him were figures in blue-and-white school uniforms, scattered petals, and dappled sunlight on the road after school.

In others, it was a narrow alley bathed in the orange glow of dusk, with telephone poles casting long shadows. He'd fantasize about finishing homework quickly to play near the dolphin-shaped fountain, while the scent of cooking lingered in the air.

But dreams inevitably ended. The lunch bell blared like a rallying bugle, and the clatter of footsteps filled the hallways, snapping Ivan back to reality.

In his groggy state, Ivan felt as though he'd forgotten something important. Shaking it off, he muttered to himself, "Right, time to grab lunch. Hope the cafeteria ladies are in a good mood today and keep their hands steady while serving."

Suppressing a vague sense of unease, he prepared to leave the classroom. Just as he reached the door, he noticed a girl sitting quietly in the corner, engrossed in a book.

Her slender fingers flipped the pages with a delicate touch, the soft rustle audible even amidst the noise outside. The most striking thing about her, though, was her silky golden hair—a rare sight in their small-town high school.

Since when did we have a foreign exchange student in our class?

Shrugging it off, Ivan decided food was the priority and left without a second thought, not bothering to invite her to join him.

Navigating the chaotic rush to the cafeteria, Ivan expertly claimed a seat, picked the shortest line for food, and piled his tray high with fried pork cutlets and crispy fish fillets. Savoring his indulgent meal, he later made a detour to the snack shop to buy mineral water and gum to cut through the heavy, oily aftertaste.

For some inexplicable reason, the image of the golden-haired girl reading in the corner lingered in his mind. Acting on impulse, he grabbed an extra bottle of water and a piece of bread.

If she doesn't take it, I'll just save it for a midnight snack, Ivan rationalized, convincing himself it wasn't a big deal.

"Is this for me?"

When Ivan handed the water and bread to her, the girl finally looked up from her book. Her golden eyes met his brown ones, sparkling with mischief.

"Thank you. I can really feel your filial piety, Ivan~ I'll make sure to enjoy this thoroughly."