The Price of Black Magic

-Bang!

The energy I fired collided with the Black Moon cultist's mana in midair, whipping up a fierce storm.

The shockwave made the hem of my uniform flap wildly.

"Ugh…!"

My right shoulder screamed as if the wound had torn open again from the recoil. I could feel the makeshift bandage Aria had wrapped growing hot and soggy once more.

I clenched my trembling left hand and steadied my stance.

"Hoo."

A gasp of admiration came from beyond the thick smoke. The man glanced down at the shattered floor, then pushed up his glasses and twisted his lips into a smirk.

"This is truly unexpected."

His voice held more scholarly curiosity than wariness.

"I'd heard rumors you used black magic, but I didn't think they were true. If you joined our cult right now, you could rise to a pretty high position."

I let out a disbelieving scoff.

Even in the middle of this, he's trying to recruit me.

"Cut the bullshit and fuck off."

I swallowed the boiling blood surging inside me and shot back.

"Let's just go our separate ways."

"I told you that's not possible."

The man chuckled leisurely as he raised his staff again. Pitch-black orbs began forming one after another at its tip.

One, two, three.

In an instant, five or six dark projectiles had materialized. Multiple incantations.

To control that much mana at once—he wasn't ordinary.

"I wonder how you'll block this."

The man swung his staff lightly. The orbs hovering in the air twisted like snakes and rained down all at once.

The target was still Aria behind me.

I couldn't dodge. If I moved even a step, those spells would embed themselves in her back.

"Haa."

I exhaled sharply and raised my left index finger.

I quickly calculated their trajectories in my head.

The sensation of burning life force as fuel. A prickling heat coursed through my veins.

"Bang, bang, bang."

With each word from my mouth, black mana bullets burst from my fingertip in rapid fire.

-BOOM! KABOOM!

Mana clashed with mana in the air, erupting in blinding flashes.

The explosion's aftermath sent sticky sewage splashing everywhere from the pooled filth on the floor.

I wiped the mud from my face with my sleeve and glared ahead.

I'd blocked every projectile that bastard had launched.

But as payment, my breathing grew even rougher. The fatigue from drawing on life force, compounded by the bleeding from my right shoulder, made my vision spin.

"Impressive."

The man clapped mockingly from beyond the smoke. "But how long ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can you hold out stuck in place like a punching bag?"

He was spot on.

Right now, I was no different from a sandbag. I couldn't leave this spot until Aria finished dismantling the magic circle.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue. That man had perfectly grasped my weakness.

A cowardly tactic of avoiding close combat and forcing a war of attrition from range.

The longer it dragged on, the worse it was for us.

The silver lining was that he wasn't going all out either. An arrogant attitude, like he was running some fascinating experiment.

"L-Lady Elise…"

Aria's voice came from behind me; she'd overheard our exchange. She seemed to sense just how dire our situation was from the conversation alone.

"Don't worry about it. Focus on what's in front of you."

I replied even more coldly on purpose. If she faltered now, all our efforts would go to waste.

"Don't say a word. Just do your job. I'll handle the rest."

"Y-Yes…!" Aria gritted her teeth and poured more mana into the magic circle.

"What a devoted escort."

The man sneered. He spun his staff idly as he sauntered forward.

"But how long can you last wasting life force like that?"

As expected of the cult—he knew my magic ran on life force. "Don't worry. I've got enough to kill you."

I bluffed and aimed my left index finger at him again.

The man snorted and slammed his staff into the ground.

"Then prove it."

The sewage pooled on the floor writhed and rose up. One, two, three… five in total.

Black shapes coalesced into the forms of wolves.

He'd recreated the undead beasts I'd burst earlier as shadows.

"Go."

At his curt command, the shadow wolves kicked off the ground and charged me.

"Annoying…!"

I gritted my teeth and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

-Tatang! Bang!

The wolves' heads exploded, but the shattered bits dispersed like smoke and reformed.

Physical damage wasn't working. There had to be a mana core embedded somewhere in their bodies.

I focused intently, observing the charging wolves.

A faint red glow inside the black forms.

'Chest? No, head?'

They moved too fast to pinpoint exactly.

"Grrr!"

One wolf was suddenly right in my face. It opened its jaws to tear into my leg.

"Get lost!"

I kicked its jaw with my foot. A squishy sensation, like kicking mud.

It was knocked back but quickly regained its footing and lunged again. Meanwhile, the others spread out to flank me, forming an encirclement.

This wasn't good.

I could push them back with bullets, but not kill them. If I kept firing, my life force would hit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠zero first.

"What now?"

The man asked from behind, sounding delighted. "These won't tire. They'll hound you relentlessly until your life burns out."

'I need to find the cores.'

I desperately scanned their bodies. Then, as one leaped, I spotted a red flash in the center of its torso.

'There.'

Near the heart.

That was where the mana core hid. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knowing didn't make it easy to hit. The wolves were fluid like shadows, and the core shifted inside them.

I needed precise timing and predictive aim.

"Hup."

I held my breath and focused. Time seemed to slow.

The red glow rippling within the lunging wolf's trajectory.

Now.

"Bang."

-Whoosh!

The bullet from my fingertip pierced the wolf's chest.

-Shatter!

A clear sound like breaking glass. The red core inside the wolf shattered.

"Kiiing…!"

With the core destroyed, the wolf's form collapsed into a black puddle.

"Haa… one down."

Success. But no time to celebrate. Four left.

"Hoo. You found the core in that brief window."

The man sounded genuinely impressed. "But that's not enough."

As his words ended, the remaining four wolves leaped simultaneously.

Simultaneous assault. No time to take them one by one.

Instinctively, I crouched and crossed my arms.

The best defense against vital strikes.

-Crunch!

Sharp fangs dug into my arms and thighs.

"Ugh…!" A gruesome sensation of flesh tearing away.

But this was my chance—with them latched on, no need to create distance or aim.

I shoved my fingers into the body of the wolf biting my arm.

"Die."

-BOOM!

The wolf melted into black liquid. Riding the momentum, I grabbed the head of the one on my thigh and fired point-blank.

-Bang!

In an instant, my body was covered in black sewage and red blood.

Two left. Knowing the weakness made it manageable.

"Haa… haa…"

'I know, you piece of shit.'

-Bang!

I shattered the cores of the fourth and fifth wolves too.

"Haa… haa…"

My legs shook. My vision flickered between red and black haze.

But it wasn't over yet.

Beyond the smoke, I saw the man standing with a panicked expression.

"Th-this… impossible."

He gripped his staff tightly, unable to believe his summons had been wiped out.

"My beasts… all of them…?"

His leisurely demeanor cracked for the first time. He tried to raise his staff again.

But the mana gathering at the tip fizzled out with a pop.

"Huh?"

The man shook his staff in confusion. "Mana…?"

He'd poured too much into the shadow summons.

This was my chance.

I squeezed out my last reserves and kicked off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ground.

The five-meter gap closed in a flash. The man fumbled for a dagger in his robes, but he was too slow.

Black mana rippled at my fingertip.

At this range, he couldn't dodge.

One shot to end it.

Terror filled the man's eyes.

"Die, you dog—"

No hesitation as I prepared to fire. Then—

'…What?'

Time seemed to freeze.

Why now, of all times.

Why this timing.

The system window mocked me with rapid messages.

My ominous premonition never missed.

-Hummm.

A blackened scale appeared, pointing at the man's face.

"Wait! Not now…!"

My shout was ignored.

"Guhk!"

Pain like my heart was being crushed slammed through my body. Something hot and metallic surged up my throat.

"Cough, cough!"

Black blood poured onto the floor.

Strength drained from my aiming finger.

And finally, sensation left my legs. My body lost control and pitched forward.

"Ah, fuck…"

I crashed to the ground with a curse.

Through my blurring vision, I saw the terror on the man's face shift. From shock to relief.

Then to ecstasy.

"Ha… haha…!"

The man burst into hollow laughter.

"Hahaha! The archbishop hasn't abandoned me yet!"

He loomed over me, sprawled and helpless, roaring with laughter.

"Self-destruction! Is this the price of black magic? Where'd all that momentum go? Pathetic, Lady Elise!"

He drew a dagger from his robes.

Its cold blade glinted in the light of the illumination spell.

"I admit it—my mana is depleted. But I don't need magic to slit your throat."

The man approached slowly.

I had to kill him.

I had to escape.

But I couldn't twitch a finger.

The system window's 'temporary body paralysis' taunted me with its glow.

"Farewell. Your corpse will make excellent research material."

The man raised the dagger high.

The blade plunged down.

Death loomed right before me.

'Aria…'

I thought of Aria behind me. If I died, she'd be next.

"L-Lady Elise…! No…!"

Aria's piercing scream rang out from behind.

Don't stop. You can't stop.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

-Clang!

A sharp metallic clash and sparks flew.

The expected pain didn't come.

Instead, a familiar voice rang out.

"I told you."

A voice cold and sunken, yet boiling with rage.

"Not to do anything foolish."

I opened my eyes.

A knight with red hair stood blocking my path.

It was Esilla.