Chapter 186: A Special Thank You (1)
Referndi tried to soar into the air to avoid the white spheres flying silently towards her. However, as if not allowing her escape, many of the spheres changed direction in the air, drawing sharp angles. White diagonal lines were etched into the air.
“Protection field form force!”
Referndi’s clear voice rang out. A barrier that protected against all kinds of force appeared in front of her, tinged with a pale blue.
Aila scoffed.
“You hag, do you think you can block my strongest attack with that level of magic?”
Spitting out the worst insult a female magician could receive, her hands moved dazzlingly like a maestro conducting an orchestra. The white spheres flying towards Referndi changed direction again, as if bending.
The spheres of light, scattering in all directions, stretched out, avoiding the barrier Referndi had created. Aila’s hands moved even more dazzlingly. The spheres of light drew angles again and flew towards Referndi, having already bypassed the magical barrier.
“Blink!”
Just before the spheres directly hit the Red Witch’s body, her form seemed to disappear. In the space she had vanished from, countless spheres of light collided with each other, and with an intense light, they exploded…… and then stopped.
“Huh?”
A meaningless gasp escaped my lips.
As if water droplets colliding in mid-air had frozen, the numerous spheres of light, having collided and burst, stopped just like that.
Looking at Aila, she was lightly licking her lips with her red tongue.
“Clumsy.”
I turned my head again. Spheres began to shoot out again from the mass of light that had stopped mid-explosion.
Come to think of it…… the words she muttered included the word ‘unlimited.’ Is this what it meant? That it wouldn’t stop until it destroyed its target?
Referndi seemed to have realized it as well. She began to fly in a trajectory that no bird could ever draw in the air, to avoid the dozens of spheres flying towards her in a straight line.
Just by looking, it seemed like she was being chased.
“Fundamental Magicians are powerful. But did you not know that because they handle the difficult element of Fundamental Elements, their casting time is longer? 100 Mental Power spheres that physically blow away 1 meter around upon impact. Try blocking it. You crazy bitch, coming here without Artshever.”
Aila muttered to herself as if speaking to Referndi. Even as she did so, her fingers and hands continued to whip through the air, drawing curves and straight lines.
Referndi, mounted on her staff, flew through the barrage of terrifying Mental Power spheres. It would be impossible to cast even simple magic while performing such movements.
As if a red curve would be drawn in the air, her movements were fast and incredibly complex. However, the will of destruction, chasing her in lines that bent rather than curved, pressured her with overwhelmingly superior numbers.
And as if thinking Referndi might try to fly away, about 30% of the spheres spread out in all directions, blocking her path.
Referndi was forced to wander around the airspace in a frenzy.
Meanwhile, the Security Forces arrived, and I quickly ordered them to evacuate the surrounding residents. While Aila bought us time, the citizens and the Security Forces would be able to cooperate and quickly escape this area.
At the same time, I ordered them to tell the magicians at the castle to prepare the Anti-Magic barrier and to contact Lucy. If they sent an urgent message to the Association, it would reach Lucy soon. I could only hope she would teleport here.
About 20 minutes passed like that.
There was no one left in the surrounding area except for us, and no more groans or commotion could be heard.
I turned my head towards the sky again. As I was following Referndi, still being chased by the white spheres, I faintly heard the sound of water droplets falling.
Drip…… Drip…… Drip……
The sound of water droplets falling on leather. It reminded me of the sound of glistening dew falling on my armor from the trees when I used to sleep outdoors. Strange. Where is that sound coming from?
I turned my head around and was startled to see Aila.
“Aila!”
“I’m okay. It’s just a bit mentally draining, this.”
“Oh my god……!”
Levidian’s breathless voice. It was no wonder she was so shocked.
The enormous amount of blood flowing from Aila’s nose, past her lips and chin, staining her chest crimson, clearly showed how much mental power she was expending.
Even though bright red blood was flowing down, soaking her mouth, chin, and chest, Aila continued to wave her hand, controlling the Mental Power spheres.
Just in case, I looked up at the sky. I could see the spheres of light, their speed and momentum reduced compared to before.
“Ugh…… Suffocating. Ugh!”
Aila spat out a liquid that I couldn’t tell if it was saliva or blood. By now, her throat and mouth must be covered in blood.
I had overlooked it. No matter how outstanding Aila’s ability was, it would be difficult to overwhelm Referndi. I wasn’t belittling Aila, but I knew Referndi’s capabilities.
But if Aila was overwhelming Referndi? There could only be one answer. She was pushing herself too hard!
Kwang!
An explosion sounded from the air. It sounded like fireworks going off.
I turned my head and saw white light powder scattering from near Referndi. The Red Witch’s movements momentarily faltered, but it didn’t seem like she had suffered any significant damage.
Did Aila intentionally spread it? Or did it explode because she couldn’t hold on any longer?
The answer came quickly.
Kwang! Bang! Kwaang!
The white streaks of light chasing the red trajectory began to dissipate weakly in mid-air.
“Aila!”
“Ugh……! Just a little more……!”
“Aila, stop it! You’ll die!”
“No, I can’t stop! I can’t just stand by and watch that bitch anymore!”
I felt it instinctively. I couldn’t stop her.
Perhaps she was seeing an illusion of Artshever overlapping with Referndi. That’s why she was pushing herself so hard, something she would never normally do.
I discarded all the possible ways to stop her from my mind. And I thought of an alternative.
What should I do?
She was currently harming herself while fighting Referndi, so……
“Hyung-nim-!”
We needed a healer!
“Joey, over here!”
We were on the roof of a building. It was relatively higher than the surrounding buildings, so we had a clear view below. And it would have been easy for those below to see us as well.
It took a while, but you came just in time!
I saw the white cloth fluttering on Joey’s shoulders. The High Priest of Lynin, with his red hair fluttering, was approaching us.
“Levidian, get Namia!”
“Understood.”
Levidian seemed to immediately understand what I was thinking. She quickly jumped down to the next building and ran towards Joey on the shortest route.
“Haah……!”
Meanwhile, I hugged Aila’s waist as she staggered. If I couldn’t stop my friend from overexerting herself, I would at least be her support!
“Aila, hang in there. Namia is here. Can you hold on?”
“Uh-huh……! I can hold on……”
However, the number of Mental Power spheres exploding as they approached Referndi did not decrease.
She had been struggling for almost 30 minutes. I didn’t know how high-level the superpower she was using was. But my shoulders were trembling violently.
That’s how much she couldn’t stand to see Referndi, the spitting image of Artshever.
Alright! Keep going if you want to!
If you collapse, I’ll take care of you!
I’ll never let you overexert yourself alone!
“Risel, I brought her!”
“Namia! Hurry!”
Namia approached Aila’s side with a grim expression. She bowed her head and began to pray, making the sign of the cross. The High Priest’s clear voice echoed.
“The warmth of the benevolent light embraces all beings……”
“Cough!”
Aila coughed up blood. I didn’t know if it was blood that had flowed into her nasal passages or if her internal organs were damaged.
One thing was certain: Aila was under immense strain.
Namia, hurry! The person who needed God’s grace more than anyone else was right here!
“Oh Light! Share your grace with us! Ru Ikellainin!”
White light flowed into Aila’s body. A more transparent, warm light, like a mother’s touch.
Her trembling stopped. Her breathing stabilized, and her tired arms regained their vitality. Finally, when the warmth of the light faded, Aila exhaled.
“Haaah! Thank you, Namia.”
“You’re welcome.”
Aila regained her usual voice. She spoke cheerfully.
“Now, since everyone’s gathered, shall we see this through? But Risel, stop hugging me, it’s embarrassing. Don’t you think so? I don’t dislike bold men, but…… this is something we should do when we’re alone. Right?”
“Are you trying to kill me right now?”
I quickly removed the hand that was hugging her waist. Levidian was making a very uncomfortable expression.
Perhaps our ability to maintain our composure even in the midst of battle was our strength.
Aila, whose strength had recovered, vigorously wiped under her nose and raised her right hand.
“Since the numbers have decreased, shall we go lightly? Velocity Up! Exotic Action!”
At her command, the Mental Power spheres, which had been moving in straight lines, changed their movements as if countless swarms of insects were flying. At the same time, their speed increased.
The countless spheres, rotating, spreading, and gathering, reached Referndi’s tail as she desperately tried to escape.
Aila kept her right hand raised and quietly observed the scene. Then, at some point, she snapped her fingers.
“Explosion!”
Kwaang!
Several of the spheres of light near Referndi exploded simultaneously.
Even though they couldn’t inflict direct damage from the explosion, I could feel the air shaking even from here. The impact would be even greater on the Red Witch who was nearby.
Referndi temporarily increased her speed, but the swarm of light soon flew towards her. And Aila’s will, which had reached close to her, exploded.
Kwaang! Kwaga-gang!
The sky vibrated like thunder, and white light powder exploded in all directions. The booming sound made my heart tremble.
Kwaang!
Finally, when the last sphere of light exploded, Referndi’s body swayed greatly and began to fall towards the debris of the building just 30 meters away from where we were.
I shouted in exhilaration.
“We did it!”
“No, we don’t know yet.”
Aila, in a calm tone, checked my haste. At that moment, the Red Witch finally crashed, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was a height that would surely kill an ordinary person.
At that moment, Kun climbed onto the roof.
“Risel, I brought it.”
“Thanks. Where’s Joey?”
“He seems unable to climb up.”
“Well, he’s heavy.”
As soon as I received the Dragon Dagger, my shoulders and right hand felt heavy. Ugh. The effect was certainly real.
I slowly moved forward and stood at the forefront, holding out Brandione in my left hand. If Referndi was alive, she would surely unleash a terrifying rage.
The dust cloud slowly settled, and finally, a shadow began to appear within it. The shadow, which initially only showed a faint outline, gradually gained clarity and color.
At the same time, lightning struck. As expected!
Kwajajajaja!
“Brandione!”
I quickly brought the dagger in my left hand to the longsword in my right hand. The longsword then began to glow gold, and the Dragon Dagger burrowed into the longsword.
The fusion ended in an instant. In the center of the longsword’s guard, the black jewel that had been embedded in the dagger rose as if opening its eyes.
I held out the true Dragon Sword, Brandione, towards the lightning bolt as thick as a house.
The black jewel, the Shadow Stone, emitted a white light.
Shhhhhhh!
The lightning scattered before even reaching the tip of Brandione. Only the wind brought by the lightning brushed past me.
The Dragon Dagger wasn’t just needed to communicate with Brandiego.
The black jewel embedded in its center was the Shadow Stone, the stone of Absolute Anti-Magic Defense that had lifted Levidian’s curse.
The Guard called it Ker’or’tak.
“It’s definitely working!”
I exclaimed confidently. As long as I had this mysterious stone that defended against and dispelled ‘all’ magic, Referndi’s magic was useless!
Conversely, the magic on my armor and weapons wouldn’t work while I was holding Brandione, but this was a risk I had to take.
I smiled triumphantly and looked forward. Where the dust cloud had been torn apart by the lightning, the Red Witch stood, revealing a vivid rage that seemed to engulf her entire body in flames.
Blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and her clothes seemed to be torn in several places.
She looked quite pathetic.
“Referndi, did you get caught because you were too overconfident?”
“You……! Shut up! How dare you……!”
“Hey, the target of your grudge is over there.”
I pointed at Aila as I slung the sword over my shoulder.
Aila, who was wiping the remaining blood from her nose with a handkerchief, looked around blankly, as if she didn’t understand why the attention was suddenly on her.
“Huh? What? Why? What did I do?”
I guarantee, this was an act. An act intended to completely upset Referndi.
“You……!”
As expected, Referndi was so enraged that she was the epitome of someone who couldn’t do anything. She glared at Aila with a face flushed red, then wiped her mouth and took a deep breath.
“Hmph, as expected of Als’ daughter. Amazing. I never thought I would be pushed this far. It wouldn’t have turned out like this if we had fought one-on-one.”
“Sorry, but I’m not a dog. That bastard is not my father.”
“That attitude…… Just as Als said.”
She made a cold expression and raised her staff. I quickly pushed my sword forward. However, her magic wasn’t an attack spell.
“Recovery!”
“Oh no……!”
I heard a regretful voice from beside me. And I understood why Aila was regretful. Not only had Referndi’s wounds disappeared, but also the unsightly parts of her clothes and the dirt had vanished.
Ugh! Did she manipulate the Fundamental Elements? As if the wounds and the damage to her clothes had never existed?
“This is why I hate Fundamental Magic. It’s difficult to understand, so it’s hard to counter.”
Aila muttered under her breath, and I nodded. I hadn’t expected this method. There was a reason why Referndi had calmed down.
The Red Calamity looked at me, at us, with her appearance as neat as it had been at the beginning.
“Hmm, where is Kersilla Creon?”
“Do I have an obligation to tell you that?”
“Can you say that after seeing the hostage I have?”
“Hostage?”
She leaned on her staff and puffed out her chest. She spoke confidently.
“This city. Have you already forgotten who did this?”
Leave a Reply