Ch.8Kidnapping Like This (5)

“You should have listened to me, huh?”

“Shut… up!”

Lloyd’s face was gradually rotting away. What good was it having mana stones continuously supplying magical power?

When the amount he was using far exceeded what he was receiving!

Whenever he felt his mana had recovered somewhat, she would somehow sense it and unleash a high-tier spell, leaving him no moment to let his guard down. He could feel his concentration wearing thin.

But if that were all, he wouldn’t be this shaken.

“Hurry up and attack. Even waiting is tiring me out.”

Behind Olivia as she spoke floated countless ice fragments. The reason she kept them floating beside her instead of firing them was simple.

She was going easy on him.

“How dare you!”

Blood vessels appeared in Lloyd’s eyes as rage consumed him. Such humiliation was a first since becoming Tower Master—no, in his entire life.

“I’ll face you seriously, witch.”

“I’ll faysh you sheriushly.”

“Shut that mouth!”

Fwooooosh!

Lloyd’s staff began absorbing the surrounding light with terrifying intensity. The concentrated light slowly spread out, eventually transforming into the figure of an angel wielding a sword.

Wooooong-!

The angel raised its sword of light toward the sky. The sword energy, which seemed about to pierce the ceiling, heavily pressed down on the surrounding air.

The Sword of Purification that burns demons.

The tip of that sword slowly turned toward Olivia.

“Everyone, stand back!”

The elders watching the battle from behind the barrier cried out in shock.

“Judgment?!”

“Is that witch at that level?!”

Some people believe that the magic of the White Tower is not human magic but divine judgment.

Though it actually has nothing to do with gods, the angels that appear in advanced magic are enough to cause such misconceptions.

An angel with closed eyes, swinging a sword of judgment.

Honestly, it would be stranger not to have such misconceptions seeing that sight.

Bang!

Lloyd slammed down his staff. As if it had been waiting, the angel’s sword shot forward at a terrifying speed.

Crack-crack-crack-!

Sparks flew wildly where the sword met the barrier.

A fierce battle between one trying to penetrate and one trying to block.

Even the magicians were sweating nervously, and even Aramis couldn’t take his eyes off the scene.

Wooooong!

‘This isn’t the end!’

Lloyd’s staff once again absorbed light. With an even more terrifying intensity than before, it sucked in light and eventually created another angel.

High-tier magic dual casting. The realm all magicians dream of, and an extraordinary feat possible only for the Tower Master, the highest authority of the tower.

“Master of the Magic Tower! Kill that bastard right now!”

“Woaaah!”

Jayna, forgetting what she had been trying to do, clenched her fist and shouted. Ro and the other magicians beside her were no different.

But Aramis could see it.

‘…This attack will be his last.’

The Tower Master was already at his limit.

Eyes trembling like aspen leaves. Arms shaking, unable to bear even the weight of the staff.

If the witch died from this attack, it wouldn’t matter. Mana exhaustion could be treated, and a magician who had reached the level of Tower Master wouldn’t die so easily.

But, but…

Aramis widened his eyes in shock.

‘She’s smiling?’

The witch was still smiling.

Was it a bluff? No way.

Even if the witch were a master of deception, maintaining a smile in the face of such terrible pressure would be impossible.

‘She truly isn’t affected at all.’

This pressure, this intensity that made one’s flesh tremble just by standing nearby.

It wasn’t even a threat to the witch.

Aramis gritted his teeth and looked around. The place already had a festive atmosphere. They were already assuming victory just by looking at the surface situation, before the clash had even occurred.

The elders were no different.

How could people who called themselves magicians have such miserable insight?

‘If we stay like this, we’ll all die.’

Aramis accelerated his thoughts.

At this rate, the plan to disrupt the witch’s magical power using the surrounding residual mana wouldn’t work either.

“There’s no time. Follow me.”

Aramis grabbed Jayna with one hand and Ro with the other, pulling them into a corner.

“Hey, hey! Let go of me right now!”

“Ugh!”

There was no time for explanations. There were only a few dozen seconds left until the next collision.

Jayna Eculane and Ro Fernandi.

They might lack the “eyes” to see, but when it came to intuition and situational judgment, they were better than most elders.

That’s why he kept them by his side.

And incidentally allowed them to speak informally to him.

“You, what are you suddenly doing…”

“Help me.”

Without further explanation, Aramis began drawing a magic circle on the floor.

“What the hell are you trying to do now…”

Jayna closed her mouth when she saw Aramis’s face. His face was rigid, and he was sweating profusely.

And this was Aramis of all people!

‘What kind of expression is that…’

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Jayna silently began tracing the magic circle alongside him. Fortunately, it was a magic she knew.

Theoretically, that is.

“Jayna? What is this suddenly…”

“Ro, just shut up and sit down and follow along.”

“Uh, okay…”

There are only two cases when a magician draws a magic circle.

When using magic one level higher than their ability.

And.

‘This is spatial magic. How does he…’

When using magic of another attribute.

In the past, when magical systems weren’t established, it might have been different, but the current trend was “don’t touch magic of other attributes if possible.”

Unless you were a high-level magician who had created your own magical system, magic of other attributes was just greed for magicians below that level.

Mastering one properly was far more efficient than knowing two or three inadequately. That’s why even those interested in other attributes usually only touched the theory, like Jayna.

Today, Aramis seemed even more monstrous to Jayna.

‘No one would have taught him this!’

But now wasn’t the time to question such things.

Wooooong-!

With the three of them working together, the magic circle was completed in an instant.

Aramis raised his head to check the situation, sensing the intensifying magical fluctuations beyond the barrier.

The moment the angels thrust their swords at Olivia, Aramis extended his hand and activated the magic circle.

Swoooosh-!

Golden energy shot from the magic circle at a terrifying speed toward the swords.

When the swords met the golden energy, space distorted, and the sword tips were deflected toward an angle without a barrier.

Crack!

A different sound was heard this time.

“It worked!”

Aramis clenched his fist and shouted. He clearly saw the Purification Sword penetrating through the gap in the barrier.

‘No matter how monstrous she is, at this point…’

But when the dust settled, what he saw was far from what he had expected.

First of all, it wasn’t Olivia’s body that was broken.

The sword? Why is the sword…

Aramis stared at the Purification Sword as it turned to light and disappeared, then slowly raised his gaze.

Olivia was mouthing something.

You’re…

About to die soon…?

“…Huh?”

The next moment, Lloyd dropped his staff. He tried to reach out and grab it again, but his strength failed him, and he collapsed.

“Already tired, old man?”

“I, I can still do more…!”

Thwack-!

Olivia struck Lloyd’s neck with the side of her hand.

“Gaaaargh!”

Lloyd didn’t faint but staggered, groaning.

“Hmm, it works well in movies.”

“You… insolent…”

Bzzzzzzt!

“Grrrrrk!”

Apparently, the electric shock was too much.

The tower instantly fell silent. Neither the elders, nor the senior magicians, nor anyone else dared to speak.

Even without eyes to see, everyone knew that Olivia was the one who had made the White Tower Master writhe like a worm.

“S-stop!”

“You want to faint too?”

Blue electricity swirled around Olivia’s hand. The First Elder swallowed when he saw the magical power contained within.

“Th-that’s not what I…”

“If not that, then what?”

“It’s just… well…”

The First Elder, stalling for time, raised his staff.

“Die!”

A surprise attack might be cowardly, but against a witch, there’s no need to be particular about methods…

Huh? But why is the ground getting closer?

At this rate, I’m going to hit…

“Grrrrrk! Grk!”

Olivia pointed at the writhing First Elder and said:

“If you want to fight, come now.”

No one was foolish enough to attack after seeing the top two of the White Tower destroyed.

If the Magic Tower Master and First Elder had died, well, they might have attacked in a rage, but…

“Grrrrrrrk.”

…they clearly didn’t look dead.

“No one? Then from this moment on, anyone who attacks me dies. Got it?”

“…”

The magicians did their best to lower their eyes.

Make eye contact and die!

Definitely get electrocuted!

As a strange atmosphere settled, Olivia broke the silence.

“I’ll give you one minute. Three people who think they’re the ones, come forward.”

“…”

What do you think will happen if we go?!

At least tell us who did something wrong! You crazy witch!

The magicians were busy eyeing each other when suddenly all their gazes shifted to one side.

“Ah…”

Three magicians who had failed in their attempt to escape to the upper floor quietly let out a sigh.