The altar crumbled and the ground around it split open.
"Huh..."
Jefrin looked on with a disbelieving expression.
The space she had enchanted with her magic was not small.
It was large enough to encompass an entire corner of the forest.
Jefrin had engraved magic into the ground of that vast area.
Now, Astina was destroying it all.
Jefrin's spell wasn't an illusion.
It was a spell that caused every living being in the area to suffer the same damage if someone attacked her.
A magic circle created with the help of necromancy.
She had added the illusion of cold to confuse her opponents.
Her plan was to force them into a desperate situation, making them kill her and die alongside.
Of course, this wasn't her only preparation.
She had anticipated that if the opponents remained calm, they might dispel the magic in this area.
Therefore, she had used various tricks to deceive them.
But all that was futile against overwhelming power.
Even though she had prepared multiple contingencies to prevent the dispelling of her magic, destroying the very ground where the magic was inscribed left her no room to maneuver.
'I can’t let it end like this…'
Jefrin controlled her mana.
She began to release the time magic Aryandor had cast on her.
The time magic had made her younger in exchange for continuously consuming her mana.
That was why Jefrin, once a great wizard, couldn't exert her full power.
As Jefrin slightly released the time magic, she appeared more mature than her current form.
If the original Jefrin was a teenage girl, now she looked more like a woman in her thirties.
'The mana is returning.'
Feeling the increase in her mana, Jefrin immediately directed it towards Astina.
Flames formed around and flew towards Astina.
However, the attack didn’t reach its target.
"Priscilla."
At Rudy's command, Priscilla stepped forward.
Priscilla created an ice wall, shielding them.
Jefrin's magic was effortlessly blocked by Priscilla’s simple action.
But Jefrin did not give up.
"You brats..."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Jefrin moved her body directly.
She surrounded herself with illusion magic, splitting into dozens of figures.
Then, she rushed towards them.
Rudy watched Jefrin's approach and casually gestured.
Following his cue, Priscilla created ice spears that flew towards the charging Jefrin.
Even though she had split into dozens, Priscilla targeted all the approaching figures.
"Argh...!"
Jefrin twisted her body to dodge the ice spears.
The illusions she created with her magic also moved as much as they could, but not all could evade.
The illusions hit by the ice spears vanished with a blur of smoke.
The dozens of illusions were now reduced to half, and as Priscilla moved again, another half disappeared.
"Invisible..."
This time, Jefrin used an invisibility spell.
Jefrin blurred her form, hiding her presence.
Then Rudy closed his eyes.
'What's happening?'
Jefrin looked puzzled as Rudy suddenly closed his eyes.
She attempted to rush at Rudy.
"Priscilla, over there."
As Jefrin prepared to charge, Rudy accurately pointed to her location.
Priscilla launched ice towards where Rudy pointed.
'How did he know?'
Despite being invisible, Rudy had precisely located her.
Jefrin gritted her teeth and dodged the incoming ice spears.
She couldn't approach.
Nor did her magic seem effective.
The fact that Astina and Rudy were holding hands was also a problem.
She couldn’t create confusion by making them fight each other.
To deceive with illusion magic, the environment had to be right, but the environment she had prepared was already destroyed by Astina.
Using instant illusion magic at this point would only momentarily deceive the opponents without being truly effective.
'Beaten by mere brats...'
Jefrin's appearance began to change.
From a woman in her 30s to her 40s, then to her 50s.
Wrinkles deepened on her face, and her back bent.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})She was reverting to her original appearance.
The mana had returned, but her movements became more difficult.
"You... brats..."
Jefrin shouted with all her might, but her voice was frail and cracked.
She gasped for air and collapsed to the ground.
The surroundings were a mess.
The altar where Jefrin stood had crumbled, and the ground was split, making it hard to find a solid footing.
"Hoo…"
As the situation seemed to conclude, Astina stopped her magic.
Rudy, still holding Astina's hand, walked forward.
"That's enough, Jefrin. Surrender, and we can spare your life."
"...My life?"
Jefrin laughed hollowly at Rudy's words.
"If you spare me, what will you do? Ask about the rebels?"
Rudy didn’t respond directly.
Jefrin had lived as long as she could.
She had far exceeded the average lifespan.
Of course, she feared death.
More precisely, she feared what would happen after death.
Jefrin's first life, as a wizard, was a failure.
Far from surpassing Levian, she ended up alone and abandoned by the empire.
Although praised as a great wizard, it was a life devoid of meaning.
But Jefrin's second life was different.
She lived to the fullest as a rebel, helping Aryandor.
This life was much more valuable than her decades as the empire's wizard.
Following the rebels' ideology, she killed corrupt nobles and helped the commoners beneath them.
She had taken many lives, but she also saved many.
She witnessed those saved by her actions.
Their lives became peaceful and prosperous.
Gratitude filled the air, ringing in her ears with heartfelt thanks.
The sincere appreciation of the people resonated deeply within Jefrin, giving her a new purpose.
‘It's a pity I won't see such a world.’
It was a world she had longed to see.
But, what truly frightened her was not missing out on that world, but the possibility of it never coming to pass.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Jefrin had seen people striving to create that world, reminiscent of how she had once strived to surpass Levian.
Having failed once, she knew too well the weight of their potential failure.
“There are things scarier than death.”
At her words, Rudy and Astina's expressions hardened.
Jefrin laughed at Rudy's face, manipulating her mana.
Her body aged rapidly.
“Urgh…”
Rudy's eyes widened in shock.
“Priscilla! Block it!”
Priscilla moved swiftly, trying to freeze Jefrin in her tracks.
Jefrin began to freeze from her toes upwards, yet she laughed.
“Such things... cannot stop me. Urgh…”
Blood spilled from Jefrin's mouth.
Her mana became tumultuous.
Not self-aware, but she let go of the controlled mana, letting it rage wildly.
Rudy recognized the phenomenon.
A mana explosion from black magic.
A phenomenon where magic fails and mana becomes uncontrollable.
Jefrin had deliberately triggered this event.
Rudy moved his mana, knowing he had to act.
“Finger of the Demon.”
Thud─
“Ah…”
Rudy's magic pierced Jefrin's abdomen.
It didn't kill her instantly.
Jefrin looked at the spike that had pierced her, then laughed.
Rumble─
A black circle formed around Jefrin.
It grew larger, engulfing its surroundings.
Quickly, it approached Rudy and Astina.
“We need to escape…”
The speed was too fast to react.
“Hold on tight, Rudy!”
Astina firmly grasped Rudy's hand as they were swept into the black orb.
After being engulfed by the black orb, Rudy opened his eyes.
He saw nothing but darkness.
His body, his hands, even Astina, who was swept away with him, were invisible.
Rudy felt something was wrong and spoke.
‘What's happening?’
His voice didn't reach his ears.
“...?”
No sense was perceptible.
Smell, touch, taste, sight, hearing.
Nothing felt alive.
Rudy pondered slowly.
Jefrin's last actions.
She had deliberately caused her mana to explode.
The only mana rampage I knew of was caused by dark magic, so I had no idea how this one had been triggered.
However, having witnessed Luna's rampage before, I knew what it felt like.
So, what exactly had happened now?
It seemed like magic that blocked senses had been activated, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what kind of magic it was.
A blockage of the senses...
No.
Was it something that caused confusion in the senses?
Hallucination magic interfered with a person's senses.
Such magic was indeed possible.
'The problem is how to resolve this...'
I tried to think calmly, but a strange feeling began to overwhelm me.
Not feeling any senses at all was enough to make one anxious.
Just a few hours in this state could drive a person mad.
Being able to think meant... could I still use magic?
I tried to mobilize mana.
I felt the flow of mana within my body.
Feeling the movement of mana calmed me a bit, as I had felt nothing else.
'My physical senses are blocked, but my mana isn't...'
I was certain that this phenomenon was caused by hallucination magic.
Hallucination magic interfered with senses, not mana.
The question now was how to escape from here.
I recalled the situation where I was engulfed in a black sphere.
Astina had grabbed my hand and wrapped us in a circle.
So, was I still holding hands with Astina?
I read the flow of mana.
A massive flow of mana was right beside me.
'Astina...'
It seemed like we were lying down together.
'Fortunately, it looks like there's no problem yet...'
Astina's mana was still stable.
She appeared to be calmly assessing the situation.
But that didn't mean I could relax.
'If this is hallucination magic, then it must have a core.'
Escaping hallucination magic involved either breaking or touching its core.
However, that core was likely Jefrin's body.
I slowly expanded my area of mana reading.
As I widened the range, I sensed two mana sources.
One was probably Jefrin, and the other seemed like Priscilla.
'Is the fluctuating mana... Jefrin...?'
One was stable, while the other's mana flow was in disarray.
So, I had to attack the disrupted one.
But I had no way to attack.
The magic I used mostly involved directing it in a specific way.
However, currently, I was lying down, and it wasn't easy to determine that direction.
Normally, I would extend my hand in one direction or visually confirm the exact location before using magic.
If I got the coordinates wrong, I couldn't predict where the magic would go.
Misusing magic could also engulf our bodies in its wake.
'Then...'
I concentrated and quietly said,
'Priscilla.'
At that, Priscilla's voice echoed.
"Rudy, are you okay? I can't feel anything. How about you?"
"Yeah, I can't feel anything either."
Being able to communicate with Priscilla brought me a sense of stability.
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Is there a way to solve this?"
"Yes, there's something you need to do."
It was about handling spirits, something I had practiced with Serina.
What we practiced was sharing mental strength.
To share mental strength, I needed to have a proper connection with Priscilla.
Sharing each other's minds.
We could already communicate through thoughts, but we practiced sharing more than that.
We trained to transfer images or information in our heads, but I had never successfully done it before.
However, now it felt like it might work.
With all senses blocked, I felt more connected to Priscilla.
"Transferring information..."
I passed on my thoughts to Priscilla, with whom I was connected.
Like handing over an object.
I focused and transferred the information to Priscilla.
"Huh...?"
"Did it work?"
"…Attack that mana?"
Priscilla had received what I was thinking and spoke my thoughts.
"It seems to be working."
"I can feel it. It's a strange sensation."
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
Priscilla's ability, unlike dark magic which is difficult to handle and has a fixed scale, allowed for fine adjustments.
Priscilla could use ice as if it were her own body.
"Let's try it."
Listening to Priscilla, I moved my body.
I wasn't sure exactly how my body was moving, but I moved as much as I could, feeling the flow of mana.
I moved as close as possible to Astina, who was lying next to me.
Priscilla's attack might spread and reach Astina.
I could withstand the attack to some extent, but Astina couldn't.
So, I tried to cover Astina with my body.
"Here I go, Rudy."
It felt as if Priscilla's body was my own, and I could feel my mana moving.
It was a feeling of unity.
"Ah..."
Is this what it feels like to share mental strength?
I could feel exactly how Priscilla was moving her mana, from the amount to the method.
Priscilla's ice slowly approached in the direction of Jefrin.
"…Stretch out there!"
The ice, moving slowly, stretched out towards the direction of Jefrin's mana.
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