Chapter 625
I'm Going to Run Away. (2)
Vanessa was bewildered, not understanding what had happened.
Even 6th-Circle mages couldn’t withstand it. Alfoi, who was only 5th-Circle, should have long since collapsed from mana depletion.
However, Vanessa quickly realized the reason.
“You… didn’t properly supply mana.”
That was it. Alfoi had gotten scared and slipped away midway.
Bringing him here in the first place had been to prevent exactly that.
With Alfoi’s personality, if no one was watching him closely, he would surely slack off and avoid providing mana properly.
Yet, in the midst of the urgent situation, while Vanessa was too distracted to pay attention, he had once again quietly backed away.
“Just what in the world, Alfoi….”
Disappointment flickered in Vanessa’s eyes for a moment before quickly vanishing. In fact, this situation might have worked in their favor. They needed someone’s power.
Alfoi wasn’t capable of controlling the mana of the mages here. However, mana transfer was something he could do.
‘The dragon has been on the defensive so far. If it wants to turn the tide in an instant….’
Quick-witted as she was, Vanessa swiftly arrived at a single conclusion.
Now that the dragon’s magic seal was broken, it would definitely try to unleash a powerful spell.
And Alfoi was an expert in mana transference. If she could just hold on for a moment with his mana—
After that, even the dragon would run out of mana and wouldn’t be able to use strong spells. The other mages here could continue dispelling its magic.
“Alfoi… quickly, transfer your mana to me….”
Vanessa struggled to speak, but as she became aware of her own condition, she fell silent.
Her body wasn’t in a normal state. Even now, her insides churned, and she kept coughing up blood.
If she received mana transference in this condition, she wouldn’t last, she would pass out immediately.
Vanessa thought of another method. Right now, that option had a much higher chance of success.
“Alfoi… just control it for a moment….”
Hearing those words, Alfoi recoiled in horror and shouted,
“Th-that’s impossible! I can’t do it!”
“Y-you can! Your mana control skills are exceptional… If it’s just for a brief moment, it’s possible.”
Whatever else might be said about Alfoi, his mana control was something even others acknowledged. He had spent years working in construction sites, honing that skill through sheer practice.
For someone in charge of control, it wasn’t the amount of mana that mattered, it was the ability to manipulate vast amounts of it.
Alfoi might not last long, but for just a moment, he should be able to handle it. Besides, there were no other options.
“Hurry… just control it… Only when the dragon is casting its spell… you just have to release it then.”
“I-I can’t! I told you I can’t!”
Alfoi, overcome with fear, kept retreating step by step. Vanessa gazed at him with desperate eyes.
Gooooooooh!
Already, Arterion’s immense mana was engulfing the battlefield.
Mages at each fortress were attempting to dispel it in their own ways, but none were succeeding.
The problem lay in their approach trying to unravel the dragon’s powerful, singular spell in separate attempts.
Arterion would push through with brute force. Even if part of its magic formula was broken, it would still unleash a high-circle spell capable of affecting everyone.
That meant it would be consuming a massive amount of mana.
Conversely, if they could just block this spell, Arterion wouldn’t be able to cast anything stronger.
“Alfoi-nim… please… If it’s just for a moment… you can do it.”
Even if everyone else dismissed him, Vanessa believed in Alfoi’s potential. No matter what others said, he was the heir of the Magic Towers.
Back when she was just a maid, Alfoi had been her object of admiration, her goal to reach.
Now, the roles had reversed, and their skill gap had grown so wide that Alfoi himself had no idea.
Yet, despite Vanessa’s pleading, Alfoi shook his head.
“I-I can’t. I told you I can’t do it.”
Alfoi was terrified.
The great 8th-Circle and 7th-Circle mages had collapsed at the same time.
As a mage himself, he knew exactly how overwhelming the dragon’s mana was.
Even the residual effects of its breath made his entire body freeze. That overwhelming power induced pure, primal fear.
And now they expected him to control a mana force on par with that? No matter how skilled he was at managing mana, his body would explode.
Before he realized it, Alfoi let his slip true feelings.
“Why… why should I have to sacrifice myself…?”
He couldn’t understand why others were willing to risk their lives like this.
Some might fight out of loyalty. Others might fight because they genuinely wanted to save people.
But there had to be those who had been forced into this war.
He was one of them.
Strictly speaking, he had been enslaved against his will. Sure, it was his own fault, but still.
It wasn’t as if he had lived a good life in return. This cursed territory was suffocating. All he ever wanted was to escape.
And now was his chance.
No one would stop him. Everyone was too preoccupied battling the dragon.
“I-I’m leaving. I don’t want to fight these terrifying monsters anymore.”
“Alfoi-nim…”
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
He could leave right now.
He could go somewhere far away.
He could just hide.
This was everything he had ever wished for.
So why were tears streaming down his face?
Through his trembling sobs, Alfoi whispered,
“I’m sorry… I really am. I’m just… I’m not someone who can do this. I’m… I’m just a pathetic coward.”
There was no denying it anymore.
Just as people had always said he was pathetic.
He was scared.
He had always acted confident, but he never had the courage to risk his life like them.
He wanted to fall to his knees before that dragon and beg for mercy. The sheer pressure of mana suffocating the battlefield made it feel as if his heart would stop at any moment.
So Alfoi turned away.
As if he didn’t want to know anything more, he clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and ran.
Vanessa watched his retreating figure with weary, sorrowful eyes.
“Alfoi-nim…”
There were no options left.
There were no more controllers. The remaining mages would have to dispel the dragon’s magic as best they could, weakening it little by little.
But…
The ones fighting the dragon wouldn’t even survive its weakened magic.
Because that dragon was now gathering all its remaining mana to unleash a spell of unimaginable magnitude.
“Kugh…”
Vanessa coughed up blood once more and collapsed.
Even with her incredible mental fortitude, she could endure no longer.
The tear that slid down her cheek froze instantly. Her lips turned blue and cracked.
The unconscious Jerome and the other mages were in a similar state. Their faces had gone deathly pale, their bodies covered in frost so cold that it seemed they would never wake again.
Goooooooooooh.
Arterion finally spread its wings wide.
There was a confidence in the dragon’s movements, a certainty that nothing could threaten it anymore.
Those who had been fighting at the front could no longer even dare to approach.
In Arterion’s eyes, a power as ancient as time itself gleamed. It gazed upon the ruined fortress with a smirk.
"Did you truly think the power of a dragon was something so trivial?"
Its voice rumbled like thunder.
The very mana in the air trembled.
Arterion was now gathering every last bit of his remaining mana to unleash a spell beyond human comprehension.
Kuuuuuuuurung!
The earth howled.
Massive cracks split the ground as an icy world revealed itself.
Chhhhk!
Colossal pillars of ice erupted skyward, piercing the heavens.
As Arterion unfurled his wings, a blizzard roared across the land, shaking the very heavens and earth.
The world turned white.
Each snowflake that danced through the air carried mana, weaving through the battlefield like an intricate spell of its own.
The frozen land writhed as if alive, expanding its dominion.
Kukukukukukung!
The world was turning to ice.
The remaining mages desperately tried to dispel the dragon’s magic.
At the very least, they weren’t lacking in total mana.
But the density, the focus was different.
They couldn’t dispel it properly.
There was a reason a controller was necessary.
Without meeting the dragon’s mana with an equal concentration of force, there was no way to properly nullify its magic.
Ssssss…
Yet, through the mages’ frantic resistance, some of the towering ice pillars began to crumble.
Small gaps tore through the raging blizzard.
But it lasted only for a moment.
The spots where the ice pillars had crumbled were soon consumed by an even colder chill.
It felt as if the entire world was freezing over. The winds raging across the frozen land carried an overwhelming surge of mana.
“…Damn it.”
Ghislain bit his lip.
He had seen this spell in his past life.
A single casting of it had wiped out nearly an entire legion that had come to slay a dragon. That was how devastatingly powerful it was.
Frost settled over the Transcendents’ bodies. The bone-chilling cold seeped into them, restricting their movements.
With each breath, it felt as if ice was forming inside their lungs.
“Hurry up and attack! We have to stop it!”
At Ghislain’s shout, people rushed forward once more.
But then, Arterion flapped his wings once again.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
Another massive blizzard howled like a storm, pushing them all back.
Simply stepping on the frozen ground caused their bodies to stiffen with frost.
Facing the wind alone was enough to make their flesh feel as though it was being flayed.
It was as if the end of the world had arrived.
Dddddddd!
Ghislain and the others pushed their mana to its absolute limit.
Thanks to the Divine Power of Parniel and Piote, they were barely holding on, still able to move.
But they couldn't rely on divine power forever.
The battle had once again returned to a stalemate.
No at this rate, their side would only fall further behind.
Kuuuuung!
Ghislain gritted his teeth and unleashed even more power into his Aura Blade.
The blade burned like the last flame defying this frozen world.
‘Do I use it now?’
If he used Dark’s amplification, he could unleash an even greater power.
But he had planned to save it until Arterion was pushed further.
Because once he used that power he wouldn’t last long before collapsing himself.
The timing wasn’t right.
If he used it now and still failed to overwhelm Arterion in one strike, they would lose.
Even as Ghislain hesitated, the dragon continued to manifest miraculous phenomena through its immense mana.
The mages were still working to dispel its magic, but the battlefield was turning into a frozen wasteland at an even faster pace.
One by one, the mages started to hesitate.
They realized, without a doubt, which side held the upper hand in mana.
"W-what do we do?"
"At this rate, we don’t stand a chance!"
"W-we have to run."
The blizzard grew fiercer, while the speed of their dispelling slowed.
The mages’ resolve began to waver.
Instead of pouring their mana into the fight, they started conserving it, preparing to flee.
And as a result, the frozen world expanded even faster.
Grit.
Ghislain clenched his teeth.
It had been an even fight just moments ago, but the tide had completely shifted.
He knew better than anyone how important momentum was in battle.
He had won countless battles by rallying the morale of soldiers in dire situations.
Even if it meant risking everything, he had to break through and create an opportunity.
“Stop holding back! We have to push forward! I’ll go first!”
Everyone nodded at Ghislain’s words.
Originally, they had planned to distribute their power to drag the battle into a long war. But now, they had to unleash every bit of strength at once to reverse the momentum.
“Krurur…”
Arterion’s laughter echoed across the battlefield.
“It seems that your end has come. For mere insects, you have proven rather formidable. I will not forget you.”
“Ddddddd!”
The earth trembled as if it were crying out. Arterion had mobilized his remaining mana to turn this place into an eternal prison of ice.
On the frozen land, they could never overcome him. They would expend all their strength just to withstand the biting cold.
Even then, one could see how noticeably their movements had slowed and how their Divine Power was waning.
“Kuuuuung!”
“Now, let us begin once more.”
Arterion descended to the ground, his eyes flashing. As their bodies continued to freeze, it became easier to land fatal blows that even their Divine Power would hardly be able to mend.
Ghislain, too, gripped his sword tightly. He intended to amplify his power in an instant to deal massive damage.
Just as both sides were about to act—
“Sssssssshhh…”
Suddenly, the blizzard subsided. The frozen land melted rapidly, and the ice pillars collapsed and scattered.
In an instant, the cold receded and warmth enveloped their bodies.
“What?”
A note of bewilderment tinged Arterion’s voice. He had toppled the controller, so why in the world was his magic being dispelled?
It made no sense. Even if there were many mages, they would only dismantle it piece by piece. There was no way it could be undone so swiftly.
Ghislain, equally startled, turned his head. He confirmed that Jerome and Vanessa had indeed fallen.
There was no one left who could control mana. Who, then, was dispelling the magic?
Ghislain’s eyes widened as he gazed at the controller fortress.
Amidst the fallen, …
One man stood alone, grasping two staves.
Unintentionally, Ghislain mumbled, “Alfoi?”
Alfoi, the very one who had run away, had returned and was now controlling the mana.
His robe flapped wildly, unable to withstand the tremendous force of mana.
Blood continued to stream from his nose, ears, and mouth. Veins bulged all over his body, trembling uncontrollably.
“Uuuuuuh…”
The mana that Jerome and Vanessa had once shared between them because they couldn’t handle it alone was now his burden. No matter how skilled he was at managing mana, it was impossible for him to endure such overwhelming power.
Though it seemed his body might burst at any moment, Alfoi gritted his teeth and endured.
Despite wanting to quit and run away immediately from the fear and pain, he suppressed that urge and held on.
Just once.
Just once would suffice if only he could dispel that tremendous magic unfolding before him.
Then, the remaining people would take care of what followed.
“Aaaaaah!”
Even as reason urged him, enduring the pain was not easy. Alfoi continued to scream.
Despite his incessant screams and the blood pouring from his entire body, he ultimately endured.
“Gooooooooo!”
The massive mana that Alfoi controlled collided with the dragon’s magic. With every collision, his pain grew even more unbearable.
“Kkuuuh…”
It hurt. It tormented him. It was terrifying. He wanted to give up.
Even in that brief moment, such thoughts incessantly tormented him.
But…
He could not forget the look in Vanessa’s eyes, filled with sorrow and compassion as she gazed at him.
She was the only one in the territory who had ever acknowledged him, even after all his repeated failures.
He could not let such a person die here.
Casting off his desire to give up, Alfoi, as if in a frenzy, shouted,
“I am the one—!”
That was the one and only pride that sustained him even when everyone had disregarded him.
It was the pride that only he possessed in this world.
A title so revered that even strict Parniel would pretend not to notice if it were mentioned only in her presence.
More than ever before, Alfoi shouted it to the world,
“I am the man who defeated God—!”
“Paaaak!”
With his anguished cry, all the mana that had spread across the area finally pierced through the dragon’s magic.
And the icy land, formed by Arterion unleashing all his remaining mana in a blizzard,
“Saaaak…”
had, before anyone knew it, vanished like a mirage.