Chapter 212 – Awakening
My instincts were shouting.
This person was more powerful than anyone I had ever seen before.
A golden magic circle began to appear.
I was so overwhelmed by the impact that I fell to the ground.
Cracks ran through the marble floor.
The magic energy was so strong in the air.
And like that, all of the thunderous lights shot towards Ms. Evangeline.
As for her reaction, it was like the work of a god.
Without formulas and chants, she created three layers of magical barriers.
It seemed like instinct. Her reflexes allowed her to move without even thinking.
Likely, she had been preparing for such a time as this.
Training so that her body would react.
She was the queen who protected the great forest. She had to be able to deal with such situations, in order to shoulder such heavy responsibilities.
Three barriers that could stop any magic.
However, even such countermeasures were just dust in front of a storm.
The barriers shattered.
And Ms. Evangeline went flying back into the air.
She shot through the walls of the cathedral. And that still didn’t stop her.
It was only after she had broken through three stone walls that she finally stopped as if buried inside.
Clouds of dust rose.
Ms. Evangeline did not move. She seemed like she was dead.
“One uses two cards as a decoy in order to hide the real one. The thirteen dolls were just a setup to create an illusion of advantage. The artifact that seals magic… Its true purpose is to nullify barriers that transfer attacks into other spaces. The real trump card is the strongest doll that I possess. His power surpasses that of the spirit queen. Still, if I want to be sure of victory, this is the better choice…”
Cold footsteps rang.
Even in the dim light, I could tell who the doll in the black mask was.
I couldn’t help it.
That magic energy nearly made me stop breathing.
“Luke…!”
I moved without thinking.
My instincts wanted to punch him in the face.
Magic was not enough.
I wanted to use the momentum of my feet, and slam my fist into his face.
What are you doing, idiot! I would say, as I grab him by the collar.
You can’t lose to that medicine.
You can’t disappear while your heart is destroyed.
Come back. So that you can insult me like you used to.
Comeback.
Be by my side.
Please.
For that, I would throw away everything. Except for magic.
I kicked off the ground.
And activated the green formula.
Spell boost.
The fastest I could go now.
3.5 speed.
If I had any hope of winning, it was during this moment.
Luke had used all of his resources in order to defeat Ms. Evangeline.
And he was not guarded against me at all.
But just then, some unexpected magic was unleashed right next to me.
Holy Ray.
It was Nina’s light magic.
The fastest magic that a healer could use shot out in a straight line.
(Nina realized it before me. That it had to be here…)
Her work as an Adventurer.
And more than anything, working as a magic physician meant dealing with people’s lives. It had given her the ability to make quick decisions.
The Luke doll was not able to react.
It wasn’t until the attack was about to hit him, that he finally moved his head as the blinding light shot past him.
However, in the next instant, he unleashed lightning magic like an avalanche. It swallowed up the magic and then Nina herself.
(Nina…!?)
I would have run to help her if I could. But I knew the reason that she had attacked.
It was to distract the enemy.
That was why she used the fastest light magic, instead of something more powerful and destructive.
Now, I had the chance to take him by surprise.
I could use my most powerful magic at close range.
Wind Blast.
I had used this with him more times than I could count.
He had known me before I could even do it well.
(Remember it, idiot Luke!)
He looked at me then.
The blue eyes took in my magic.
It was too late for any magic barriers.
And so the wind magic slammed into him head-on.
The altar and floor shattered.
My most powerful magic.
As for Luke, he stumbled back a little.
That was all.
My magic had not even scratched him.
“Impossible…”
As my eyes widened, the man called IV said,
“There’s no need for barriers. This doll was created by immersing it in a tank filled with highly concentrated magic energy for over twelve hours a day. No human could withstand the physical and mental pain… But he did. And it was because his mind was completely broken. You have no hope now.”
I didn’t understand what happened then.
Perhaps I had lost consciousness.
But the next thing I knew, I was embedded in the stone wall.
There was no pain.
I could hear nothing.
All of my senses had become dull.
It seemed like everything was happening in a different world.
And so like a stranger, I took in the situation I was in.
The taste of sand and blood.
Dust in the wind.
My legs were buried in the wall.
Blood was pouring from all over my body, like leaking fuel.
I could barely even see from my right eye. It was probably because my eyelid was bleeding.
The ground shook.
On the other side, I saw the giant dragon crumbling to the ground.
There was sadness in the air.
We had likely lost this fight.
There was no mercy or salvation.
We were thoroughly defeated.
In the distance, beyond the two broken down walls, I saw the masked man. As small as a bean.
‘You have no hope now.’
He was likely right.
After all, he was smarter than me.
I am such an idiot.
A hopeless fool.
After all, there was not one part of me that thought of giving up.
I was still trying to think of a way to break through this reality that was right in front of my eyes.
◆ ◆ ◆
What happened to Noelle Springfield during that time, is something that is still a great mystery without answer.
Many researchers attempted to recreate the change that came over her, but not a single one was successful.
However, there were a few likely theories.
Her ability to overcome obstacles, honed in a hellish environment, was not specialized for magic combat, but for work in general.
As a first-rate magician, she did not have that much combat experience. And so there was lots of room to absorb and grow.
She could look at her surroundings and find the best course of action.
Her broad vision and observing eye allowed her to absorb things from other magicians without her even realizing it.
What was effective and what was not.
Why someone was able to use magic so well.
What made them different.
As she was always thinking about magic, her ability to observe helped her more than anything.
Gawain Stark.
Leticia Risettestone.
Eric Rusford.
Chronos Casablancas.
Evangeline Runeforest.
Bisente Sera.
Chris Sherlock.
Luke Waldstein.
And other magicians, Adventurers, and people she became involved with. She continued to learn abilities that related to magic combat.
Her strong will to become better at using magic.
She loved it enough to dedicate her life to it.
Such a will was abnormal, and strengthened her ability to learn.
She was able to think about magic all of the time, and still have fun.
When it came to household chores necessary for living, or other normal happiness, she barely even cared.
Her very personality and nature helped her improve as a magician.
At the time, there were only two people who realized this.
Prince Michael Ardenfeld and Chronos Casablancas, leader of the Royal Magicians.
However, there was one thing they had missed.
Humans were not made to grow step by step.
Inevitably, there will be a growth curve with periods of stagnation. There will be little progress and there might even be regression, regardless of the amount of effort.
Like a bird, soaring high after lying low for so long.
Explosive growth born from long stagnation.
The reason that she became stronger so rapidly was due to her learning ability and lack of experience.
Even after increasing her power this much, as a magician…she had been stagnant.
But being pushed to the brink, and being in a hopeless situation and drawn out the ability sleeping within her.
While swaying, Noelle Springfield rose to her feet.
It was the birth of a true monster that overturned all sense of reason.