Lunia opened her eyes wide and looked at where Leo had flown.
"Don't get distracted now!"
Rauta's magic flew toward Lunia.
Seeing this, Lunia recited a spell with a cold expression.
"Dispel."
Whoosh-!
"……!"
Rauta's eyes widened as she saw her magic instantly dispelled.
"How can a first-year dispel my magic!"
"Do you think magic is divided by first-year and second-year?"
Lunia snorted and crossed her arms.
"Your magic is indeed powerful, but its structure is very simple! It's obvious that you just memorized the incantations without truly understanding or researching them!"
"……!"
After the Age of Heroes, magic had continued to evolve.
With sufficient magical power, one could cast powerful spells much more easily than in the past.
The leveling of magical skills.
However, this led to those who honed their talents even more shining brightly.
The easier it became for anyone to cast high-level spells, the easier it became to counter them.
In the current era, magic was not just about the number of spells but about making the spell system more complex through personal research.
"You shouldn't be so arrogant!"
Squeak-!
Rauta's surroundings were enveloped by a black magic circle.
Seeing this, Lunia's eyes glowed with red magic power.
"I've already deciphered your magic casting system."
If so, the method to counter it was simple.
'Just dispel the magic before it's completed.'
Crack-!
Rauta's magic circle was destroyed and scattered.
"……!"
"Don't defile the spells of our ancestors."
Rauta's body trembled.
"Arrogant! Just because you're a bit better, you think you can teach me!"
Rumble-!
Blackish-red magic power poured out from Rauta's body.
Seeing this, Lunia shuddered.
"Class representative or not! I come from the highest noble family! I am destined to become a great elf like our ancestor!"
Whoosh-!
The black flames turned blackish-red.
"Phoenix Shield."
Lunia hastily used her family magic.
Whoosh-!
Rauta's magic blew away Lunia's magic.
'The difference in power between star magic and this is like night and day!'
Seeing Rauta seriously using dark magic, Lunia gritted her teeth.
"Roar!"
Crack! Crack-!
"……!"
Chunks of flesh flew from Rauta's arm.
Bones that flew out with the flesh turned into bullets and aimed at Lunia.
"Flame Turtle!"
Lunia urgently summoned her familiar.
A flame-emitting turtle appeared in front of Lunia.
A powerful defensive familiar with a shell that even an aura could not penetrate, capable of swimming through lava fields.
Clang!! Thud-!
"Choke?"
The Flame Turtle's shell deflected Rauta's attack.
However, one bone bullet that she failed to block pierced Lunia's right shoulder.
"Grgh! You were so arrogant, now you're in for it!"
Rumble-!
Rauta, while regenerating her arm, mocked Lunia.
"Really... you've gone too far. Seeing you use dark magic without any hesitation..."
Lunia, with her right shoulder pierced, clenched her fist, her eyes burning red.
"I'll burn you to ashes."
"You'll be the one burning!"
Whoosh-!
The blackish-red flames raged wildly.
"Grgh. Your companions are also about to meet their end."
Clang-!
Eiran's longsword clashed with Kargor's greatsword.
Crack-!
Kargor, who had deflected the longsword, swung his greatsword at an incredible speed.
Crack-!
Eiran barely blocked Kargor's attack.
But the impact caused her to stagger.
Whoosh-! Bang-!
Kargor kicked Eiran's chest.
"Choke!"
Eiran, who was sent flying, rolled on the ground.
"Cough- Cough-"
Kargor's eyes narrowed as he saw Eiran coughing and trying to get up.
"How about giving up now? You have no chance of winning."
"Our ancestor... was a disciple of the Great Heroes. Isn't that impressive?"
"……?"
Kargor hesitated at the unexpected words.
"Our ancestor was proud of being a disciple of the Great Heroes but felt ashamed of not being able to match them. So, he made a vow."
Eiran, throwing away her broken shield, gripped her longsword with both hands.
"To never doubt the Great Heroes."
Whoosh-!
The wind blew.
The silver aura that had been swirling became gentle and calm.
"That they would surely drive away evil and save the world."
"Fairy... power?"
Kargor's face hardened.
Due to Rauta's increasing magic power, Kargor's strength had also become incomparably powerful.
Under normal circumstances, Eiran would have had a hard time winning against him.
Yet, Leo believed in Eiran.
The reason was that she was a descendant of Berquia.
In the distant past.
The Fairy Knights who protected the fairies and served as the sword and shield of the Elf King.
The only elf who had inherited the power of the last Fairy Knight.
"So, I believe in you too."
A knight blessed by the fairies and capable of handling their power justly.
The source of fairy power was life.
A force that was lethal to the undead.
The land that had been dead due to the curse of the undead regained its vitality from the power Eiran emitted.
The aura of life swirled at the tip of Eiran's sword.
The infinite power of life that drove away death.
The sword technique that had been passed down through generations of Fairy Knights.
"Evergreen."
Seeing Eiran raise her sword with both hands, Kargor's eyes filled with fear.
"This girl...!"
Whoosh-!
Swinging her sword, a life-filled sword aura surged.
The death knight who was hit by the sword aura vanished without a trace.
Eiran, who had sheathed her sword, trembled.
"I need to... help the others..."
Thud-!
Exhausted, Eiran collapsed.
"Move... move."
Gritting her teeth, she struggled.
Eiran, who had managed to lift her head, opened her eyes wide.
She saw Leo approaching the Skeleton King.
***
"……."
Leo, who had been sent flying by the Skeleton King, got up.
He looked at his right arm, which had been twisted at an odd angle.
"You're still moving."
Squeak! Squeak!
[Heavens! What do we do! What do we do!]
"Don't panic, I'm not dying."
Seeing the flustered Fyora and Kiran, Leo sighed and got up.
The pain wasn't just in his arm.
His entire body screamed in agony.
But the intense pain from his arm overshadowed the rest.
Thud-! Thud-!
Leo, glaring at the Skeleton King who was ignoring him and walking toward the entrance of Fairyland, raised his sword.
Crack-!
But he burst into laughter when he saw his sword break in half.
Rumble-!
Roar-!
The Skeleton King, ignoring Leo, emitted a blackish-red aura toward the entrance of Fairyland.
Fyora and Kiran's faces turned pale.
[This power...]
"Indeed. It's the power of the Hell Kaiser."
At the moment of the attack, Leo sensed a change in the Skeleton King's aura.
Glancing, Leo looked at Lunia.
He could feel Rauta's magic power growing stronger.
'Is she transmitting power through a magic artifact? She's still weak.'
The attack a moment ago was also a spatial cut, one of the Skeleton King's techniques.
'A technique that Rauta couldn't use on her own. She must have been supported by magic power.'
Lunia was also being pushed back more and more by Rauta's power.
Then-
Whoosh-!
A blue light surged.
[Is this fairy power?]
Kiran was surprised.
Leo also looked surprised but then smiled.
"Evergreen."
It was a power he had seen during the Age of Catastrophe.
A power that only Fairy Knights could use.
'Even though the Fairy Knights are gone, their will and power have been passed down through generations.'
Before the final expedition.
Leo recalled the disciple who had ascended to the position of Fairy Knight.
Whoosh-!
Flames surged.
"Let's go, Fyora."
Squeak-!
Auras and spiritual power surged.
Whoosh-!
Leo, creating a massive flaming sword, blocked the Skeleton King's path.
Roar-!
The Skeleton King's sword glowed blackish-red.
He was about to use spatial cut again.
Leo, eyes wide, swung his left arm.
Whoosh! Crack-!
Flames burst forth.
The blackish-red aura distorted the surrounding space.
Whoosh-!
"Grgh!"
Leo gritted his teeth.
'I'm being overwhelmed by power!'
Bang-!
Crack-!
"Grgh-!"
Leo's back hit the barrier of the former Fairy King as the Skeleton King attacked.
Crack-!
The sword that distorted space slowly pierced through the barrier.
Crack-!
The barrier cracked under the power of the Lich King.
'It's breaking!'
At that moment, Leo thought.
Boom-! Clang-!
The barrier shattered.
Leo, who had been thrown through the barrier, crashed into the ground.
"Lord Leo!"
Eiran, with a pale face, shouted.
"Hahaha! That arrogant first-year from Lumern is done for!"
Rauta shouted, feeling satisfied.
"No. That guy won't die."
"Are you also delirious from the heat?"
Seeing Lunia, who spoke through gritted teeth, Rauta sneered.
The blackish-red flames he emitted burned Lunia.
Lunia, with burns all over her body, looked pitiful, as if she could turn to ashes at any moment.
But her eyes still burned fiercely.
"That guy said he would kill me. So, he won't die."
Lunia, speaking through clenched teeth, smiled.
"Instead, you will die."
"In that state? You're just bluffing."
Seeing Rauta sneer, Lunia raised her hand.
"No. It's not a bluff."
Whoosh-!
Flames erupted from Lunia's hand.
"Grgh. What do you think you can do with just those flames...?"
Whoosh-!
Lunia's flames began to burn more fiercely.
"……!"
Seeing Lunia's flames pushing back Rauta's blackish-red flames, Rauta's face hardened.
"You know, our family has been the sworn allies of the Phoenix for generations."
Lunia smiled.
"Our first ancestor swore to burn Tartarus even if it meant burning himself."
The flames engulfed Lunia.
"As long as that will doesn't fade, we are eternal allies of the Phoenix."
Wings of flame formed behind Lunia's back.
The unextinguished will of her distant ancestor, passed down through generations.
The forbidden technique of the Lundia family, which even burns the user.
"Sanctification."
Lunia's magic power and spiritual power burned wildly.