Chapter 34: Raid (3)

At first, I couldn’t believe it.

And it was only natural.
I’ve been playing this game as a hardcore player for 15 years.

That’s why I was sure—there was absolutely zero chance of a raid event happening at this point.

But my certainty was completely overturned.

After thinking it over and over again, I finally managed to come to one conclusion.

‘The butterfly effect…’

They say the flap of a butterfly’s wings can trigger a storm.
It seems that the events I intervened in up to this point have twisted the future.

[Lv ?? / Isadora]

Fanatic Isadora.

She is one of the elder leaders of Pandemonium and a boss monster that only appears in late-game raid content.

She’s a catastrophic entity that shouldn’t appear at this point in the story.

The problem is, no matter how much I think about it now, it doesn’t change the fact that Isadora is right in front of me.

It’s a desperate situation, but I still see a glimmer of hope.

That’s exactly why I spent a fortune at the auction to acquire the sleep powder.

“Just wait a moment.”

I provoked her to the point of no return, then used that gap to inhale the sleep powder.

At the same time, a familiar dizziness hit, and my body lost balance and swayed.

[The player is entering a sleep state!]
[Passive Skill: Sleepwalking (EX) is activated!]

My consciousness faded away.

When I opened my eyes again, the familiar scenery unfolded before me.

Isadora’s face filled with wariness, and Selena and Angela hiding far in the back.

It was the same academy scenery I saw right before falling asleep.

However, I couldn’t take any action.

I couldn’t turn my head, couldn’t blink, couldn’t move my body.

Nothing went according to my will.

[Sleepwalking skill is activated.]
— Time Limit: ???

Though I had fallen asleep, my consciousness remained vividly aware, observing my actions.

It’s probably thanks to the achievement reward I received after exceeding a synchronization rate of 10%.

“Die.”

Isadora’s lips curved into a crescent smile.

At the same time, the spell being deployed in midair lit up and disappeared.

‘Requiem of the Dead…’

A broken spell that sends everyone who hears it straight to the afterlife.

Simultaneously, it’s infamous for being a garbage spell.

That’s because it only works on humans, and if you block your hearing at the moment of casting, it becomes utterly useless.

But if you don’t know the countermeasures?
Requiem of the Dead transforms from a trash spell into an overpowered, tier-one magic with terrifying power.

The way to counter the Requiem of the Dead at this point is simple.
Since it’s a death-attribute spell, it can be neutralized with holy magic.

“……”

My unconscious self reached out a hand.

Simultaneously, a spell circle appeared above my head, then vanished.

[8-Star Magic: Ariel of the Heavens]

A divine light began radiating from my body.

The light shot up into the sky, scattering in all directions.

The darkness that covered the sky collided with the light, causing a burst of brilliance.

Isadora stared in disbelief at the unfolding situation.

It must have been incomprehensible to her.

“You… you’re a dog of the Holy Empire, huh?”

Of course, she’d say that.

But what else could I do?

This is the only way to counter the Requiem of the Dead.

“……”
“Yeah, right? Acting all cryptic, just like those old geezers from that cursed empire.”

Right, my as.
Could you not compare me to those damn Holy Empire bastards?

Aaaaaah—!!

As the spell completed, a pillar of light soared into the sky, and the heavenly choir of Archangel Ariel began to resonate.

When the darkness gathering in the air clashed with Ariel’s radiance, the wails of specters from the darkness erupted.

The Requiem of the Dead and Ariel of the Heavens.
Both are 8-star spells, but there is a clear difference in rank.

Even among spells of the same tier, their superiority is determined by attributes.

“These damn things…”

The reason Isadora grits her teeth and denounces me as a dog of the Holy Empire.
That’s because holy magic is something that ordinary mages can’t use.

In fact, holy magic is closer to a miracle than a spell.
It’s not based on the caster’s knowledge but on faith and divine power.

But to me, a player, that setting is meaningless.
For me, who gets system assistance, holy magic and regular magic are both just skills.

“Hah.”

Isadora let out a hollow laugh, unable to believe what she was seeing.

“So that’s why Karon was defeated.”

Please, just take the hint and retreat already.
But as always, the situation never goes the way I want.

“Why don’t you try blocking this one too with your fancy holy magic?”

Woooooong—
A massive surge of mana shook the air.

What happens next is obvious.
When Isadora’s rage hits its peak, her behavior becomes predictable.

[7-Star Magic: Dark Division]
[7-Star Magic: Dark Impulse]
[7-Star Magic: Black Light Annihilation]

Just as I expected.
She seems determined to spam at least 7-star spells until her mana runs dry.

In this situation, I should just use an 8-star defensive spell and endure it.

But a crisis arose.
Not just any crisis, but a life-or-death one.

[9-Star Magic: Gate]

My unconscious self suddenly started drawing the formula for the 9-star spell [Gate] in the air.

No matter how much I screamed in my head to use an 8-star defensive spell, my unconscious self didn’t respond at all.

Of all the possible 9-star spells, why did it have to be Gate, the one known for its destructive power?

If I set off Gate here at the academy?
Forget clearing the game—everyone would die together in a massacre ending.

‘You crazy b*stard!’

This is an emergency.
I wanted to save it for later, but there’s no other choice given the situation.

[Would you like to take control?]
— Time Limit: 1 minute (0 / 1)

Of course, I have to.
I’m about to die here.

The spell circle, made of nine overlapping pentagrams, can’t be forcibly canceled.
If I try to cancel it now, the backlash might kill me instead.

In other words, I have to cast a 9-star spell no matter what.
And luckily, there’s a spell perfectly suited for this situation.

‘Hurry!’

Without hesitation, I selected Yes on the system prompt to take control.

Then—

Sway—
With the familiar sensation of transmission, my consciousness flickered.

“Stop following me.”
“Fufu, I’m just heading in the same direction, Odette.”
“……”

Odette and George Arrote.

The two were rushing toward the source of the ominous magic enveloping the area.

George Arrote kept a bit of distance, following behind Odette.

“This seems rather dangerous, you know.”
“Mind your own business and keep moving.”
“That’s a bit troublesome.”

They were heading toward a place where an immense amount of dark magic could be felt.

Even George, who had considerable resistance, felt his skin tingling—could Odette really handle it?

But it didn’t seem like Odette was bothered by fear.
Whether driven by duty or curiosity, she seemed more focused on moving forward without any real plan.

“…This is bad.”

Finally, the outlines of a battle became visible in the distance.
Floating in the sky was a death ritual—one that George had never seen before, but instinctively understood.

The moment that spell was completed, everyone in the area, including himself, would inevitably face death.

“This is serious.”

There was no time to question what was happening.
A loud, urgent warning rang in his head: Even if everyone else dies, he must protect the Saintess.

He began gathering his divine power—

[8-Star Magic: Ariel of the Heavens]

“……”

The song of the Archangel resonated through the air.
The lingering grudge of the dead was washed away, and the violet ritual circle began to corrode and disintegrate.

“The Archangel Ariel…”

George had heard stories.
It was said that holy magic, at its peak, could even summon celestial beings.
But seeing the Archangel right before his eyes, he realized those tales were not just rumors—they were the undeniable truth.

And the one calmly performing this miracle—
“Luke Richter…”

He had sensed that Luke was no ordinary man, but this was beyond anything he had imagined.

Odette’s gaze was also fixed on Luke Richter, unable to look away.
As if magnetized, she continued to observe him intently.

[7-Star Magic: Dark Division]
[7-Star Magic: Dark Impulse]
[7-Star Magic: Black Light Annihilation]

Streams of dark energy shot through the air, drawing magic circles at random.
Odette let out a sigh, while George, usually calm and collected, widened his eyes in shock.

It was a terrifying sight, as if someone had resolutely decided to engulf the entire area in death.

Time passed, and just as the ominous silence became suffocating and the magic circles in the air began to complete—

“……!”

A gigantic golden magic circle burst forth, swallowing the darkness.

[9-Star Magic: Divine Sanctuary]

Nine pentagrams—
A 9-star holy magic spell.

“No way…!”

Streams of golden light gathered above Luke Richter’s head, forming the shape of a holy scripture.
The brilliant radiance swirled around the scripture like shimmering heat waves.

Then, as the scripture opened, a blinding light erupted, engulfing the darkness.

And then—

BOOOOM—!!

A colossal cross of light crashed down with a deafening sound, striking Isadora.

“……”
“……”

Odette and George remained frozen in place.
It was a divine miracle displayed right before their eyes.

There was only one possible explanation for such a phenomenon.

“A Saint… A divine messenger…”

It was the return of a Holy Apostle.