Ch.106Celebration (4)

The banquet hall had turned into a scene of chaos.

“H-he’s a Black Mage!”

“Run away!”

“Damn it! The door won’t open!”

Lucius calmly observed the situation.

‘As expected.’

He had deliberately left fragments of the barrier around the banquet hall. He thought the Black Mages wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

As expected, the Black Mages attacked the banquet hall.

But not everything went according to plan.

‘I never thought Ruide wouldn’t come.’

Was the trust he had built up insufficient?

Or did he instinctively know that Lucius was trying to use him?

Thanks to that, he failed to get what he wanted without any risk.

“Your Majesty! You must evacuate!”

“I will be the last to leave. Evacuate the other nobles first.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Nobles are also my subjects. Are you suggesting that I abandon my people and flee?”

Lucius spoke with dignity.

“I have a duty to witness this scene.”

Yes, he had a duty.

As Emperor, he had made a choice that harmed the empire.

A move so reckless it could be called a blunder.

If he had made such a move, he needed to take responsibility.

Even if the river’s course changed in unpredictable ways.

**

“Our retreat has been blocked.”

At the knight’s words, Amelia nodded calmly.

“Hersy. Can you not use the Minerva powers either?”

“…Not at all.”

The imperial barrier was powerful.

It prohibited the use of any magic.

Even Hersy couldn’t escape this restriction.

“How can that person use Black Magic?”

“First, Hersy, please take cover.”

There’s nothing more useless than a magician who can’t use magic.

Hersy was a rational person.

She had no intention of being stubborn in this situation.

But—

“All escape routes are already blocked. All the nobles, and even His Majesty, are trapped in this banquet hall.”

‘This is the worst.’

Amelia’s face turned pale.

At that moment, the body of the figure surrounded by black smoke began to partially reveal itself.

“Please go to the rear and control the people!”

“Yes!”

While Hersy controlled the frightened nobles, the knights drew their swords and lined up beside Amelia.

They had determined that Amelia Windsor was the one who could control the knights in the current situation.

Although Amelia felt burdened, she humbly accepted the role.

The smoke gradually cleared.

And what appeared was—

“I-impossible.”

“Balrog…?”

“How could that demon incarnate!”

What appeared after the black smoke cleared was a massive monster.

No, should it even be called a monster?

What was certain was that it was the monster known as “Balrog,” which “Dellin” was said to have annihilated.

A nightmare from mythology.

No magic could affect it, and no sword could wound it.

With such legends, and also known for killing the most humans, the monster Balrog.

Balrog was defiling the sacred land of the empire with its dirty feet.

“Grrrr—”

Balrog’s red eyes scanned the humans.

Balrog clenched its fist against its chest.

Sharp claws tore through the skin, and blood dripped.

With flesh in hand, it sprinkled it on the floor.

Sizzle—

With a searing sound, the flesh that fell to the floor emitted smoke.

The smoke formed some kind of shape.

“U-undead?”

“Has the power of Black Mages grown this strong…!”

Panic spread instantly.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds of undead were being created.

“Stay calm.”

Amelia spoke in a low voice.

“Our duty remains unchanged.”

While everyone was afraid, Amelia alone stepped forward.

“All of you, deal with those undead, and make sure no one gets hurt.”

Blue mana explosively flowed from Amelia’s eyes.

That mana spread to her sword, shining more beautifully than anything in the world.

Amelia stepped forward with her left foot and lowered her posture. She turned her sword forward, aiming at Balrog.

“I will handle Balrog.”

Boom!

A large crater formed in the ground where Amelia had been standing.

Rushing at an unbelievable speed, Amelia slashed at Balrog’s neck.

Clang!

The sound of leather meeting the sword was unbelievable.

Amelia gritted her teeth.

Her hand trembled slightly.

At the last moment, Balrog had noticed and blocked its neck with its arm.

Balrog’s arm was solid.

‘It won’t be this easy.’

Amelia infused her sword with even more mana.

It was her specialty.

Cutting down opponents with brute, massive mana.

With such a large target, it would be troublesome not to win.

As a Windsor, she should be able to handle this much.

“Ha.”

Amelia held her breath and raised her sword.

“Lady Amelia!”

Balrog raised its fist to strike, but Amelia didn’t stop her motion.

Among the three Windsor siblings, her greatest talent was—

Mana.

Releasing a large amount of mana at once through the medium of a sword.

In that, Amelia was the strongest.

Amelia’s powerful mana spread throughout the banquet hall.

And that powerful mana concentrated in her sword in an instant, glowing blue.

The ground where Amelia stood froze.

The power passed down through the Windsor family for thousands of years.

‘Mana Release.’

Crack!

An ice storm pushed Balrog back.

Balrog, who had been about to throw a punch, could barely withstand it by crossing its arms in an X-shape.

‘I’ll annihilate it in one go.’

Amelia had only one goal.

To consume all her mana here and freeze Balrog completely.

“Ascalon!”

When Amelia called out her sword’s name, the sword that had been glowing as blue as possible turned pure white.

As if cutting through a white space so bright that one could barely open their eyes, Amelia swung her sword down.

When this sword fully faces forward, the powerful mana bound by Ascalon will be released.

That time is approximately 2 to 3 seconds.

“…!”

Instead of countering Amelia’s sword, Balrog chose another method.

It broke through the ice storm and ran madly toward the Emperor and nobles.

Because of the strong wind holding it back, its steps were slow.

By the time this sword touches the ground, their paths will overlap.

Amelia’s Ascalon doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

Delicate control was impossible.

It would annihilate everything behind it.

‘This won’t work.’

It would take the lives of the Emperor and other nobles.

Amelia had to choose.

Either release Ascalon in an incomplete state—

Or swing it into empty space.

There was only one choice.

If she used it in empty space, she couldn’t stop Balrog’s charge.

Incomplete release.

That was Amelia’s choice.

Whoosh!

Amelia forcibly brought down Ascalon.

A massive beam of light pierced through Balrog’s entire body.

“Did I get it?”

Blood flowed from the corner of Amelia’s mouth. It was the aftermath of the forced release.

Thud!

Balrog, having taken the full force of Ascalon, fell to its knees.

Smoke rose from Balrog’s entire body.

Not because it was hot.

It was due to the sudden drop in temperature.

The red eyes that were chilling to face turned black, and even to the naked eye, Balrog’s skin looked dead.

But Amelia didn’t let her guard down and moved forward.

‘If Ascalon had worked, it would have been frozen.’

She felt she needed to completely sever its neck to be safe.

Amelia raised her sword in front of Balrog.

Flash.

Balrog opened its eyes.

“Roaaaar!”

With an ear-splitting roar, it swung its arm.

Although she blocked it, Amelia was sent flying and crashed into the wall.

Crash!

Without time to regain her senses, Amelia rolled to the side with all her might.

Boom!

Balrog shattered the wall where Amelia had just been.

Amelia gulped, swallowing dry saliva.

‘Remaining mana… just a handful.’

It was impossible to release Ascalon again with this mana.

Amelia’s pupils trembled.

But she couldn’t give up here.

She took her stance again.

“You did well, Amelia Windsor. I’m a bit late.”

A familiar voice was heard.

Amelia’s gaze moved automatically.

It was Damon.

“…Prince Damon?”

“I’ve come to put an end to this ridiculous play.”

Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

And on his shoulder, he was carrying Ruide like a bundle.

“Go, Ruide!”

He grinned and threw Ruide.

Ruide, still half-asleep, flew through the air.

He landed right in front of Balrog.

Ruide sat down and looked around.

He seemed to be having trouble understanding the situation after just waking up.

“Grrr…!”

“Ru-Rui!”

Amelia shouted urgently.

Balrog raised both hands high into the sky.

The shadow of Balrog’s massive fists engulfed Ruide.

At that moment—

“I don’t really know what’s going on, but.”

Blue mana spread from Ruide’s eyes.

Balrog’s fist came down to crush Ruide’s head.

“…!”

Eight magic circles surrounded Balrog.

Crack!

Blue chain spears shot out from the magic circles, piercing Balrog.

All of this happened in less than an instant.

“Arrrgh!”

Balrog writhed and twisted its body, but the more it struggled, the tighter the chains bound it.

The sight of Balrog, pierced by chain spears and in agony, was like a scene from mythology.

While everyone was stunned.

‘Now’s my chance.’

Amelia moved.

“Haaah!”

Amelia’s sword pierced through Balrog’s neck.

Balrog’s head fell lifelessly.

Ruide looked at Damon and asked.

“Can I go back to sleep now?”

**

‘He created divine weapons with mana.’

Lilith stared blankly at the eight different-shaped divine weapons that were fading away.

She knew what those divine weapons were.

The eight divine weapons that the greatest human in history, “Dellin,” used when he killed “Balrog.”

The eight divine weapons connected by chains of mana.

‘Impossible.’

There are two things impossible with magic.

The realm of creation.

The realm of time.

Before Dellin developed the magic called “Subspace,” the “realm of space” was also included in “things that cannot be done with magic.”

‘But Balrog couldn’t have been killed by fake divine weapons.’

Balrog.

The strongest necromancy among Black Magic that can use humans as a medium.

Its biggest characteristic is that magic doesn’t work on it.

‘The fact that it was defeated means— all eight of those divine weapons are real.’

What are commonly called divine weapons aren’t simply created by excellent blacksmiths.

They needed to contain “mythology.” Divine weapons without mythology cannot reveal their true form.

In other words, each of those eight spears made of mana contained its own mythology.

They weren’t copies. Lilith could feel it.

Those were “originals.”

But it doesn’t make sense for the originals to be in someone else’s hands.

After all, those eight divine weapons were the medium for summoning Balrog.

That means, beyond creation— he had mastered the realm of time as well.

Lilith’s eyes filled with love.

There was only one reason Lilith became a Black Mage.

Because she respected “that person.”

However, Lilith felt a strange emotion toward Ruide, who had accomplished what even “that person” she followed couldn’t.

‘I want to bow down. I want to be subjugated. I wish he would raise me.’

All her attention was focused on Ruide, who was yawning and brushing his messy hair.

The sin of lust, Lilith had fallen in love.

Lilith trembled with that thrilling emotion.

It was fortunate.

She thought it was fortunate.

That the purpose of this banquet hall attack was—

Not simply to kill nobles.

But to plant a foundation to achieve what they wanted, ignoring the barrier of the “Academy.”

“Your name is Justin, right?”

Justin stared at Lilith with empty pupils.

He panted like a dog while lying down.

“I’ll be counting on you from now on. Only you can fulfill my love.”

Lilith whispered.

The seed she had planted in this kind commoner would be of great help in fulfilling her love.