* * *
Simultaneously with those words, she created a powerful energy wave that seemed to sweep away the surroundings.
Boom.
“Cough!”
Anakin was knocked down by the wave.
Something rose from within him.
He covered his mouth and dry-heaved, and his palms quickly turned red.
She leisurely spun her staff and smiled chillingly.
“I’ll catch a big fish after a long time. Though he hasn’t fully grown yet. Hoho. I’ll have something to boast about to those guys.”
“This crazy woman!”
Gilbert swung his sword with all his might from behind her.
She then approached Gilbert with an incomparably faster speed than before and quickly deflected the dagger.
The movement was so concise that it seemed as if all unnecessary actions had been minimized.
…It was highly trained close combat.
“You’re too weak for a man. And my name is Katarina, not ‘crazy woman’.”
Katarina, as she introduced herself, spread two fingers and aimed the deflected dagger back at Gilbert.
As the flustered Gilbert hastily grabbed his sword, she grinned and shot the dagger toward his shoulder.
Thunk.
Along with the sound of flesh being pierced, Gilbert collapsed.
Katarina then casually pulled out a weapon attached to Gilbert’s waist and aimed it back at him.
“Hmm, it would be amusing to kill these blood-soaked brats directly in front of those noble folks.”
“…Ah.”
Despite Gilbert’s desperate eyes, the blade ruthlessly stabbed various parts of his torso.
His stomach, thigh, and chest.
“Aaaargh!”
Gilbert screamed in agony from the scorching pain throughout his body.
While Katarina was playfully tormenting Gilbert, something flew from behind her.
It was a mana blade condensed with a large amount of mana.
She skillfully raised her hand and instantly absorbed the attack with a shield.
She turned around and saw Hilde, breathing heavily with rough gasps, standing with his arm outstretched.
As he appeared, the surroundings rapidly darkened, and the air became so thick that it was difficult to breathe.
Hilde’s eyes began to turn black.
“You…”
Seeing that, Katarina let out a hollow laugh.
“So, you’re a Black Mage, aren’t you?”
Hilde did not answer her words.
“You seem to be overexerting yourself. You don’t look like you can control it yet.”
“…”
Seeing Hilde ignoring her words and painfully uttering the Black Magic incantation, Katarina grinned.
“Alright. A man should have that much spirit.”
Black Magic.
A destructive spell formation created based on the evil force, the Abyss, tracing back to ancient times.
It was a magic forbidden by Imperial law, but it was still widely used in the underworld.
It was questionable how Hilde, a noble, had obtained such power, but the fact that he was using Black Magic was so dangerous that if it became known, not only he but his entire family would be uprooted.
The fact that he revealed such dangerous power meant he was prepared to kill his opponent.
“Then I hope you’ll entertain me.”
Black Magic was complicated and full of variables, so she couldn’t let her guard down.
Katarina recalled the man among her organization members who used Black Magic.
He was gloomy, but the strongest among them in terms of destructive power.
Katarina, who had personally experienced his might, felt goosebumps prickle her arms as she recalled him again.
While Katarina was reminiscing, the ominous and dark aura that had been flickering around Hilde suddenly disappeared.
Simultaneously, Golems, emanating an aura of defilement, were summoned from behind him.
The Golems walking toward Katarina were black and grotesque, incomparable to ordinary Golems.
As the ominous Golems walked, the ground began to rot.
This was Black Magic.
Katarina immediately pulled out her staff and chanted a spell.
“Wrath of the Earth.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck the area.
A realm only possible for at least a 6th Circle Mage.
The Golems began to stagger, unable to maintain their balance.
Katarina instantly approached the colossal Golems and burned them with a wide-area spiral flame.
While she was dealing with the other Golems, the dense black smoke inside began to slowly eat away at her skin.
If left untreated, the flesh would fester and rot.
Seeing her own skin, Katarina thought that Black Magic was indeed a skill that should be forbidden.
If something like this spread widely in the world, an era of great chaos would likely ensue.
As Katarina tried to distance herself from the Golems, Hilde’s hand moved quickly.
The Abyss surged toward her.
That mana was writhing as if trying to suck the life force out of Katarina.
“Kuegh.”
But her opponent was Katarina.
“Gravity Reversal.”
She cast a shield to block the attack and then pressed down on Hilde’s body with her right hand, as if crushing him.
“Cough.”
“Blade of Fragmentation.”
Seeing the struggling Hilde, Katarina summoned a mana wave as sharp as a blade from her fingertips and aimed it at him.
Clang.
Even amidst this, Katarina clicked her tongue at the Black Magic, which corroded the shield like a cursed attribute.
“I really can’t deal with this.”
And she said, looking at the collapsed Hilde.
“Too much time has passed. I’m sorry, but I have to end this now, little brat.”
Katarina raised her staff high and chanted.
“Blade of fire. Come to me. Ring of Flame.”
A colossal flame blazed up like the fires of hell.
At the immense size, enough to turn a forest into ruins, Hilde bit his lip until it bled.
“It was fun.”
As Katarina raised the corners of her mouth and said goodbye, Hilde stared at it, resigned.
He couldn’t block that.
What a truly monstrous woman…
Hilde, who had quickly completed his calculation, looked around.
Gilbert, whose body was pierced and was barely breathing, and Anakin, who was looking at him, bleeding from between his lips.
They must all have witnessed this entire situation.
Only then did Hilde briefly close and open his eyes, making his decision.
To teleport away with only Anakin.
Gilbert also seemed to be making movements as if searching for a scroll in his pocket.
If he was lucky, Gilbert would survive too.
Hilde intended to take Anakin and leave this place before that crazy attack reached the ground.
Just as he was about to take a step without hesitation, Hilde suddenly felt his vision go completely dark.
“…”
He turned his head, but nothing was visible. As if he had died.
In the quiet and strange sensation, like walking through pitch black darkness, Hilde felt for a moment as if he had come to another dimension.
Did I die already?
No. He had the sensation of being alive.
If so, the conclusion was… that his sight had been intentionally blocked.
Katarina? Or… a third party?
The former was a huge problem, and the latter was an even bigger problem.
Unknown fear washed over him as he couldn’t see what was ahead.
By now, Katarina’s large-scale magic must have hit the ground.
It was a time when he couldn’t tell what was happening.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Katarina’s desperate scream was heard.
Crack.
Along with the chilling sound of something breaking.
After such sounds echoed for a while, light gradually began to enter his dark sight.
“Tsk… how noisy these bugs are.”
The scene visible through his blurry sight was shocking.
A dignified middle-aged man was gripping her neck.
Judging by the sparse white hair, his estimated age was late 50s and above.
A tremendous sense of intimidation emanated from him.
Hilde, whose vision was gradually returning, quickly regained his senses and ran toward Anakin.
Anakin was still covering his mouth with a trembling body, holding back the blood that was flowing out.
Hilde frowned and said.
“…Your condition is serious. We need to treat you quickly…”
Hilde himself was covered in blood, but Anakin, who had suffered severe internal injuries, looked more critical in his eyes.
The middle-aged man, with his hands behind his back, spoke leisurely.
“I would like you two to wait. I have some questions.”
“…”
At his words, Anakin, his face drained of color, spoke.
“It’s okay. Haa… more importantly, Hilde. Are you okay? …You’re bleeding too much… And Mr. Gilbert too…”
Hilde’s body, who had fought Katarina, was also a mess.
His chest was severely bleeding from Katarina’s mana wave, and there wasn’t a single uninjured spot on his body due to the direct hit from the vortex.
The smell of blood was so strong it stung his nose.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have insisted on staying…”
Although he hadn’t cried no matter how painful or agonizing it was, tears welled up in Anakin’s eyes the moment he saw Hilde’s state.
He hadn’t intended to drag Hilde into this.
Anakin had declared he would stay, but Hilde was clearly planning to teleport.
If it weren’t for him, Hilde wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Was this the result of a wrong choice?
It was a truly foolish decision.
As Anakin looked at him with teary eyes, Hilde continued calmly.
“Staying here with you was my choice. Whether I die here or not is also the result of my choice, and it’s something I have to bear. It’s not your fault, Anakin.”
“…”
* * *
