Chapter 9 Part 10

“…Young Madam?” Chelsea and the other knights murmured. 

Although her cover was blown, Elia didn’t have time to worry about that. She hurriedly moved Sasha. A swarm of violet butterflies rose around them, capturing the attention of the beasts. 

Krk?

Moments later, the beasts, confused by the illusion, began attacking each other. 

“I’ve set up an illusion barrier! It won’t hold for long, so drive the beasts out quickly!”

“Understood!”

Elia’s mana was draining rapidly. She gripped the reins tightly as dizziness hit her. The unfinished barrier was consuming her mana to maintain the defense, as was the spirit.

‘If I lose consciousness now…’

The beasts would break through the barrier.

“Block the beasts from entering the estate!” Jacob ordered, forming a line of defense between the beasts and the estate.

The knights stationed at the castle were also called to assist. They managed to create some distance between the beasts and the estate, but the sheer number of beasts was overwhelming.

‘My mana is depleting too fast.’

Maintaining the incomplete barrier while controlling Sasha was too taxing.

Her vision blurred suddenly. As Elia swayed in the saddle, a strong arm caught her waist.

“Elia, are you alright?” 

When she came to her senses, she found herself on Aksion’s horse, feeling his warmth behind her. Elia blinked rapidly to clear her mind.

“We need to complete the formation.”

The west side was where the pillar of light had yet to rise. If she completed the spell, the barrier would no longer rely on her mana, and there would be no breaches for the beasts to exploit.

“I’ll cover you.”

“Please, take us to the west side of the estate.”

Aksion nodded and spurred the horse forward, weaving through the beasts. It wasn’t easy to navigate the chaotic battlefield.

‘This is strange. It’s like the beasts are targeting us specifically.’

As they pushed through, the beasts that were fighting the knights redirected their focus to follow them. Aksion signaled the knights, who intercepted the pursuing beasts. Jacob decapitated a beast resembling an insect.

“Get out of here!”

“Thank you, Jacob!”

Jacob raised his sword, signaling his confidence in handling the situation. His knights began to protect Aksion and Elia’s path.

The sky darkened with conjured storm clouds, and fierce lightning struck down beasts. It was Rien’s magic.

“I’ll be compensated in mana units for this!” Rien shouted, still having the energy to bark orders despite using high-level magic.

With the knights and Rien’s support, the black horse picked up speed towards the western edge of the estate. They reached the sixth district, but something was off.

‘Tartan’s forces are nowhere to be seen.’

Only a few estate soldiers were present, but there were no Gold Knights. Even when they arrived, the west was only defended by fallen soldiers who had protected the residents.

Elia caught a wandering horse and mounted it.

“Aksion, buy me some time!”

She gripped the reins, and Aksion nodded. His sword flared with holy power, slicing through a giant beast.

“Go!”

Elia headed to the western center, where she had to erect the pillar of light. Beasts poured in from all directions. Aksion was holding them off, but it wasn’t enough.

‘Just for a moment…’

She needed a place to focus without interruptions. Sasha was with the Silver Knights, so she couldn’t use illusions.

‘A new spirit is needed.’

Could she summon a spirit with just a night’s knowledge from the summoning book? The book had excerpts on mental spirits.

‘Mental spirits aren’t summoned by affinity with nature.’

They judged the summoner’s mental strength. No one knew which spirit would appear until it descended beside the summoner.

Elia drew out her remaining mana, drawing the summoning circle on the ground.

‘Mental strength and mana.’

These two ran parallel, but by closing the gap and overlapping them, the signal for summoning a mental spirit was completed. Elia frowned in concentration. It was a painful process.

But compared to the sacrifices she had endured, this was nothing. When she finally endured it, a bright yellow flower bloomed on the back of her clenched hand.

She immediately knew the spirit was formed from these small leaves and branches.

‘Serpi, the spirit of time and space.’

With each step Elia took, flowers bloomed, creating a space-time barrier that separated her from the beasts. At the western center, the delicate spell spread, turning a vivid violet.

Her mana was nearly exhausted. Elia crossed the final threshold.

A massive pillar of light rose from the west. The powerful barrier, so strong it was called a Vanishing Field, consumed the caster’s lifespan. It eradicated evil within its bounds.

‘It’s done.’

The perfect formation pushed the beasts out of the estate. Those caught within turned to white light and vanished. Elia collapsed, watching the light.

“Elia!”

Aksion’s voice seemed to echo. As she fell, a black mist enveloped her body. Despite her fall, her consciousness remained. Elia struggled to open her eyes within the mist.

‘I can’t see anything because of the mist.’

Like Serpi, the black mist created another space. 

‘It was a trap from the start.’

They knew she would head west. The estate was safe, but she didn’t know how to escape the mist.

‘Varlan’s sword dispelled the mist last time.’

She remembered how the external force had dispersed the mist. Could it work now?

As she tried to get up, she saw polished boots. Looking up, she saw a sword hanging at the end of long legs.

‘Sun Sword.’

The Sun Sword in a different scabbard. It was Duke Tartan.

“Duke?”

His blue eyes were cloudy, as if covered with a veil. He drew the Sun Sword. The sword, cramped in an ill-fitting scabbard, shone with a brilliant light, ready to incinerate everything around it.

‘His hand is getting burned.’

The hand holding the sword was charred, but the duke seemed unfazed by the pain. His empty eyes turned to Elia, swinging the sword recklessly. White flames spread wherever the sword passed.

“…!”

Elia rolled away, narrowly avoiding the flames. The blind sword of the duke, though slow, steadily pursued her.

Serpi bloomed to protect her, creating a separated space to block the flames, but it was incomplete due to her depleted mana.

‘It’s hot.’

Even with the barrier, the heat felt like it was burning her flesh. Her body wouldn’t move due to her mana limit, and the summoning with Serpi was about to break.

Just before the sword reached her neck, she saw a faint thread in the black mist.

‘…A string?’

Elia moved Serpi. Through the spirit, she saw the black string wrapped around the duke’s neck, connected elsewhere.

‘What is this?’

Emotional threads varied in color, but black was unheard of. And it was connected to his neck.

‘It’s like he’s being controlled.’

Elia retreated. The duke followed her, his arm charred up to the shoulder. If left unchecked, he would lose use of his arm.

The duke raised his sword high. The sword that seemed ready to strike hesitated, trembling slightly.

‘Why?’

He was hesitating. His unfocused eyes flickered. If there was a chance, it was now.

Elia grabbed the black string connected to Duke Tartan and pulled.