[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 41
“Everyone, evacuate imdiately!”
This was the power of Princess Violet.
The freezing energy radiating in all directions posed a far greater threat to the audience than to Kaylen himself.
Although the special spectator zone, reserved for high-ranking nobles and scouts, was fortified with overlapping protective magic circles, the prolonged battle between Violet and Kaylen had shattered them all.
The spectator zone began to freeze over, piece by piece.
Those familiar with the sheer might of the princess’s power scrambled to escape in panic.
“What’s that fire? What on earth is it?”
“I still want to watch more…”
“Are you crazy? You’ll get yourself killed!”
“That’s definitely a Fire ister at work!”
The scouts quickly vacated their spots, unable to stay any longer.
“That fire… I’ve never seen magic like that before.”
“To think soone could stand against Glacia’s power with magic alone…”
“No matter how much that mana suit has been modified, it shouldn’t be able to overco such a massive difference in rank.”
“Is that mage really a student?”
Even the mages, deep in heated discussion, began to retreat from the freezing zone.
Only a very small number of spectators remained.
“Lord Lioness, we must leave now!”
“No, you go ahead. I need to see more.”
“But—”
“Go. Now.”
Among the few remaining were Lioness of the Oblaine Ducal House, Myorn, Irene, and Alkas.
“Build walls with No. Salamander, ignite the fire.”
“Myorn, I’m counting on you.”
“Uh… is this really safe for ?”
“…Yes, stay close.”
“Myorn, what did you create? It’s incredible how it’s holding off Glacia, even for a mont…”
“That’s exactly what I’d like to ask that guy.”
“That black-and-white fire is sothing I’ve never seen before either. Myorn, do you have any idea what it is?”
“No clue. None at all. That guy doesn’t seem human.”
It was shocking enough that Kaylen was a Sword Master.
But to also wield such magic?
What kind of knowledge was hidden in the legacy of Emperor Ernstine?
Shaking her head in disbelief, Myorn brushed off Irene’s question, her gaze fixated on the unusual fire that Kaylen conjured.
Lioness was no different.
“Such magic exists…”
He thought he had completely mastered fla magic.
Yet the fire Kaylen had conjured was utterly unique—unseen, undocunted, and without precedent.
But as a Fire ister, he could sense the unprecedented power imbued within it.
“It’s lting Glacia’s domain.”
Having faced it firsthand, he knew all too well.
Glacia was sothing beyond conventional comprehension.
Even the A-rank mana suit Inferno had been utterly powerless against it.
Kaylen, dressed in what looked like a ragged mana suit, was creating an astonishing spectacle.
Lioness, captivated by the peculiar fire, suddenly noticed sothing strange.
‘Wait… why does Kaylen look like a sword?’
‘What is that fire?’
The unique, black-and-white flas created by Kaylen were not only resisting Glacia’s power but also advancing, lting the frozen terrain.
‘I’ve never heard of anything like this before.’
Princess Violet, who had studied magic since childhood, couldn’t imagine that Kaylen was imitating the Demon King’s Hellfire.
The Demon King’s flas were the stuff of legend, described as entirely dark and known as Black Fla.
‘It’s powerful, but…’
While the flas were strong enough to suppress Glacia’s power, they were not unbeatable.
‘All I have to do is retreat.’
The black-and-white flas were overwhelming in presence, but maintaining them appeared to be a struggle for Kaylen. He moved forward laboriously, step by step, and even the mana suit on his left hand, which held the flas, was beginning to lt. It was clear that the fire couldn’t last long. Simply stepping back would suffice.
If she stalled for just a little longer, the flas would extinguish on their own.
‘…I just need to retreat.’
Violet touched her face, where Glacia’s chill had brushed against her.
Suddenly, she recalled a mory.
She was twelve years old.
It was the darkest and most dangerous ti of her life when Glacia appeared to her like a miracle.
“Glacia still hasn’t found a master in this era, it seems.”
“We’ve gathered only the most exceptional Water isters… how unfortunate.”
Once every hundred years, Glacia chose a master.
Countless Water isters had tried to claim it, but none had succeeded.
Everyone expected Glacia to return to its sealed state for another hundred years.
But then—
Charr…
Glacia chose a twelve-year-old girl, a re 1-circle mage.
A girl who had watched enviously, with a gloomy expression, from the shadows of the royal palace.
A girl who was none other than Princess Violet.
From that day on, not only Violet’s life but also the destiny of her elder brother, the First Prince, and the royal family itself changed drastically.
That day, she had heard a voice as if it were a hallucination.
“You have been chosen by . You must not retreat before your enemies. Be confident. Overco everything.”
It was a commanding female voice.
She had never heard the voice again after that day, but Violet had always believed it was Glacia speaking to her.
She kept those first and final words etched in her heart.
Until now, following those words had been easy.
The S-rank mana suit, Glacia, possessed overwhelming destructive power.
Nothing had ever forced her to retreat.
It was the sa in this tournant. Violet had dominated her opponents without stepping back even once.
This included the nurous isters who advanced to the finals, and even Lioness, who wore an A-rank mana suit—she never retreated.
But now…
Because of that black-and-white fla…
Should she step back?
Was there no other way?
‘Glacia’s power is enough. I just can’t control it properly.’
Even as she tried to focus her strength to extinguish the black-and-white flas, Glacia wouldn’t respond.
It rely released cold energy in all directions. No matter how much she tried to control it, it wasn’t enough.
If she could concentrate the power spreading in all directions into a single point, it would be more than enough to extinguish the flas.
‘I can’t step back… not yet. There has to be a way.’
This isn’t the full extent of Glacia’s power.
If she could just control it, even those black-and-white flas…
She could put them out.
Step. Step.
The distance between her and Kaylen continued to shrink.
The flas surged, and the icy domain began to crack.
The frozen ground turned to steam and disappeared.
Step. Step.
Her footsteps grew louder.
She could feel the heat on her skin, even through her icy armor.
The distance to Kaylen was now re paces.
And yet, her power…
Still wasn’t under control.
She saw the mana suit on Kaylen’s left hand lting from the heat.
He was nearing his limit too.
If she could just stall a little longer, he would undoubtedly collapse on his own.
Yes, stepping back would be enough.
That’s all it would take…
‘Ah.’
But her feet wouldn’t move.
If she retreated now, would she go back to being the twelve-year-old Violet?
The powerless, despondent version of herself from that ti?
Doubt and hesitation weighed on her.
“What are you doing?”
[…What do you an?]
“Why are you just standing there?”
Kaylen, now close enough to reach, had stopped walking.
The heat was already pressing against her entire body.
“Princess, maintaining distance is fundantal for a mage.”
[That’s sothing I could say to you as well. What kind of mage walks forward while wielding such flas?]
“For , this is the only option. But you… you have countless ways to fight.”
Whoosh!
The flas in Kaylen’s hand flared even brighter.
Despite standing so close to Glacia, the flas grew even fiercer.
“To remain standing there like this... it’s an insult to .”
[...You’re right about that.]
“Then what are you doing?”
[...I find myself ridiculous. I can’t even take a step back.]
“Step back? Hah. To hesitate over sothing so trivial…”
Kaylen clicked his tongue as if in disbelief and then—
Whoosh!
He stretched out his fla-engulfed hand without hesitation.
Fwoosh!
[Urgh…!]
As he approached, the searing heat intensified.
Unable to endure the unbearable heat, Violet instinctively stepped back.
Kaylen’s fist grazed past her face, and the black-and-white flas brushed against Glacia.
Ssssss!
Where the flas touched, Glacia ignited instantly.
A straight mark ford at the center of the icy mask.
“In the end, you retreat before the flas.”
[...So it seems.]
At Kaylen’s remark, Violet gave a faint, self-deprecating smile.
Stepping back—sothing she had attached excessive aning to.
But now that she had done it, it felt insignificant.
She had simply stepped back because it was hot.
Because the attack was fierce, she retreated.
That was all there was to it.
[You’re right. This is only natural.]
With a quick leap, Violet widened the distance between them.
As Kaylen had said, maintaining distance was fundantal for a mage.
Once she stepped back, she felt lighter, almost relieved.
[Now, let face you properly as a mage.]
From afar, she could see Kaylen’s expression.
When they spoke about retreating earlier, his enthusiasm had seed dulled.
But now, it reignited with interest.
The sight of him relishing the mont was etched into Violet’s mind.
‘What a peculiar person.’
Now he would only be at the rcy of ranged attacks, yet he seed so pleased.
Violet chuckled softly as she summoned Glacia’s power once more.
Sssss!
From the mark scorched by the black-and-white flas, Glacia radiated heat again.
The flas she thought had been extinguished surged anew…
The heat began to spread to her cheek, and for a mont—
“Aaaah… Aaaarghhh!”
A scream echoed in the princess’s ears.
The spot where the mask had been trembled slightly, and she heard the voice of a woman.
It resembled the resolute voice she had heard at the age of twelve.
-That, that fire...!
[Glacia?]
-Put it out imdiately! Subdue it!
Brrr.
The voice, once commanding and dignified, was now panicked and urgent.
Violet had many questions for the suddenly appearing Glacia, but that voice hurriedly pushed her into action.
-What are you doing?! Put it out quickly!
Whoooosh.
At Glacia's urging, the uncontrollable frost began to move as if by magic.
The icy mana, which had been spreading in all directions, focused solely on one point: the direction where Kaylen stood.
-This ti, this ti I'll destroy it. I'll freeze it and shatter its very existence!
Glacia's voice was filled with hatred as the frost intensified.
Kaylen’s steps halted as the concentrated cold grew stronger.
The black-and-white flas could no longer lt the frost, just as the frost could not extinguish the flas.
A tense standoff continued.
After several minutes passed.
“Hah…”
Ssshhhhh.
The light emanating from Kaylen's mana suit began to fade.
Simultaneously, the flow of mana was severed...
The black-and-white flas quickly lost their glow.
Clink. Clink.
Cracks ford in the mana suit, and it shattered, falling to the ground in pieces.
The flas disappeared completely.
The void left by their absence was quickly filled with the spreading frost.
“This is my limit… it’s over.”
As the mana suit fell away, Kaylen, now wearing only thin clothing, was exposed to the cold.
Without the suit, he should have been instantly frozen, but strangely, he was not.
‘…Is he unbothered?’
His calm deanor was bewildering.
Despite the overwhelming icy mana pouring over him, he remained unaffected.
Violet couldn’t imagine that Kaylen might be using aura.
Just as she wondered if the lingering heat from the flas that burned her mask was still protecting him—
“I’ve lost.”
With those words, Kaylen’s body began to freeze from his feet upward.
-That bastard. Die. Die!
As he froze, Glacia’s voice grew more frenzied.
Unlike Violet’s usual freezing magic, this cold was ant to kill.
[Stop it! Ice Prison!]
Violet, who had no intention of killing Kaylen, hastily suppressed the frost and cast the Ice Prison spell.
Because of Glacia’s rampage, she couldn’t fully dissipate the frost, so this was the best she could do.
However, this only fueled Glacia’s wrath.
-How dare you…! A re human dares defy !
Violet’s spirit-bound body began to glow white.
-It’s too early for to fully manifest… but I cannot allow the seed of evil to remain!
Fwoooosh.
Behind Violet, radiant white wings unfurled.
At the sa ti, her eyes flashed with blinding light.
[Die, demon.]
“Hmm?”
Kaylen, who had been closing his eyes to accept the result, suddenly opened them as Violet’s voice changed.
“…An angel?”
Before him stood Violet, with three radiant wings of light spread wide.
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Reviews
All reviews (0)