Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Late Arrival (7)
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-Rumble rumble rumble...!
The explosions continued relentlessly without any sign of stopping.
The blazing flames incinerated everything in their path, and the ensuing blasts unleashed shockwaves so powerful that no one could possibly withstand them.
-Boom...!
"Hm."
And finally, the explosion came to an end.
A massive annihilation spell that had lasted about five minutes.
⚡ MAGIC ACTIVATED ⚡ 6th Circle Magic - "SuperNova" Attribute: Fire / Range: Immeasurable / Max Targets: Immeasurable
Special: Unavoidable
A powerful explosive spell that obliterates everything within its duration. Anything within 1km is utterly annihilated. Commonly known as Supernova, it was the most powerful sustained fire magic a mage could wield.
There were spells even more destructive in pure terms of devastation, but those would shatter this barrier, vaporize the entire island, and potentially the surrounding area. So, she had deliberately chosen a slightly less potent one.
-Fizzle...
"Phew, that should have done it. The bastard's gotta be dead by now."
-Prick!
"Hm?"
Just as the magic ended and the spherical space vanished, signaling the conclusion, something bit her neck.
There was no wound, but the sensation felt off.
Somehow illogical, like a snail biting? She reached up to check what it was.
-Squelch!
"Ah, it was you."
It was that tentacle from earlier, clinging to her neck.
Come to think of it, this thing had noticed the impostor disguised as Louis first.
-Squelch!
"...Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I almost burned you too by accident. Still, you escaped pretty well."
The tentacle wriggled as if angry at her.
It didn't speak, but it seemed to be saying, "I spotted the fake and helped you out, so how could you use a spell that nearly roasted me too?"
'...Getting scolded by a tentacle? That's a first.'
The behavior was bewildering yet intriguing.
At any rate, this thing was undeniably clever.
To survive the Supernova's flames, it had compressed itself into the spot behind her neck, hidden amid her hair.
"Yeah, yeah, go rest in the subspace now. If you're hungry, I'll catch Louis or some other girl to feed you."
It had been quite useful, so it deserved a break.
It'd be handy to have more like this, but the materials needed to make them were...
-Rustle.
While opening the subspace, she pulled out some clothes too.
Looking at herself now, she was completely naked.
Her own magic hadn't damaged her, but the clothes bought from the shop couldn't withstand a 6th-circle fire spell.
"Anyway, this should do. Time to shatter the barrier and head out."
After changing, she stood before the barrier.
'Physical force won't break it easily. But if I just tweak the mana flow...'
-Crackle!
She extended her hand to the barrier, slowly infusing mana to vibrate the maintenance ritual, creating cracks.
This principle was like shattering reinforced glass.
-Boom!
'Success.'
She pierced the barrier wall with a mana needle, slowly spreading cracks before shocking it to smithereens.
'That said, I torched too much of the floating island's natural environment. Even with the barrier blocking it, the inside was fully exposed.'
-Fizzle...
Looking around, a spherical area had vanished as if a black hole had swallowed it.
That spot had been within the spell's power radius, unable to endure the flames and evaporating.
'...Should I use earth magic to fill the ground? This island serves as a lighthouse for airships, so leaving it wrecked like this...'
At any rate, she no longer sensed the enemy's mana.
No matter its regeneration, surviving a top-tier sustained spell head-on was impossible. Even Transcendents couldn't do it barehanded.
'Not that they'd even let it hit. One stops time, another warps space at will.'
So, the bastard was definitely dead.
No victory flag planted like "Did I get it?", so no resurrection either.
Time to head back, wash up, and sleep.
"Hot!!!"
"Ugh, is that Louis?"
Suddenly, a massive scream echoed across the entire island. No, it was Dragon Fear.
-Flash!
"Hey, Louis, what the hell? Why are you screami—"
"Hot! The barrier vanished suddenly, and scorching winds hit me! It hurts...!"
Louis wailed, tears streaming down.
'Why's that guy's head all charred black?'
...Ah, she got it.
Louis must have been near the barrier; when it dropped, the trapped heat blasted him directly.
The spell's residual heat and flames didn't just vanish upon ending...
"Sigh, come here, Louis."
"Cyan? When did you get here? Is it over?"
"Yeah, it's over. He's dead."
-Splash!
"Urk."
She flicked cold water at Louis with her finger.
-Splash!
Then fed him a recovery potion from the shop in her subspace. That should heal the burns.
"How's that? Better now?"
"Yeah..."
Louis nodded quietly.
Well, his clumsy antics confirmed he was the real Louis, not a fake.
'Just in case any embers linger.'
Next, she raised her hand to the sky, gathering mana.
This was a simple climate-altering spell to summon rain and extinguish any stray flames from the fire magic.
-Pour...
Soon, a downpour poured from the heavens.
A storm had passed a few days ago, making it perfect for rain magic.
In truth, with the right know-how, summoning rain was easier than firing fireballs.
A common mage mistake: trying to conjure rain from their own mana, wasting effort.
Idiotic.
To make it rain, just create a nucleus for rain clouds to form...
-Sizzle.
'...The moon flickered?'
Wait, did she just see that wrong?
The moon in the night sky had blurred momentarily before returning to normal.
Maybe the rain? But no, that was definitely...
-Throb!
"Ugh?"
"Cyan?! What's wrong suddenly? You okay?!"
"...It's nothing. Just tired."
Phew, time for a real rest.
The Supernova she'd just used consumed the most mental power among 6th-circle spells.
At her level, mana wasn't an issue for spamming it, but mental drain made reckless use impossible.
"Good, as long as you're fine..."
Plus, low mental power temporarily weakened physical stats too, so she avoided 6th-circle spells when possible.
Hence, relying on Heavenly Demon techniques usually.
Of course, against extreme regenerators like that one, it was unavoidable.
Anyway, it was done.
"...So, let's head back. Where's that idiot summoner?"
"No idea. When the barrier went up, he left somewhere and hasn't returned."
"That damn guy..."
Hah, whatever... ignore him.
Leave him on the island; he could fly anyway, so no risk of being stranded.
"Louis, take my hand. Back to the Mires ship."
"Yeah, let's. I'm covered in soot and wanna wash up quick."
"Hah, you barely did anything, yet you talk like you worked hard."
"...Urgh! I caught tons of those weird bandits! That's enough, right? I worked hard!"
-Sss...
"Yeah, yeah, good job. Now, teleport—"
-Crack!
...Suddenly, the teleport ritual shattered.
"Kugh?!"
An immense shock hit her mind.
Like someone ripping her brain apart.
"Cyan!"
Mental drain from before, plus vulnerability during teleport— the backlash damage was no joke.
Body intact, but consciousness damaged.
No regeneration or healing spell could fix that.
"Urgh...! Who the hell? Who dares interrupt my tele—"
-Clack!
"You idiots! Get out of there quick...!"
"You—"
Looking around for the culprit, the Demon King's voice rang out.
And...
-Clink!
'What the hell is that.'
At her feet, a necklace-like object fell.
It was... a red-glowing magic tool.
⚔ ITEM ⚔ 🔥 Accessory: Tear of Fire 📜 Description: Magic jewelry made from a gem containing a fire spirit. ✨ Effect: Activates 5th-circle magic 'Fire Storm' (1 use) -Crackle!
The magic tool glowed red and activated.
Once triggered, it couldn't be stopped.
Even destroying it wouldn't halt the embedded spell ritual.
'Too late to block with a barrier.'
5th-circle Fire Storm.
A downgraded version of her Supernova, narrower range but similar raw power.
'I'll be fine, but Louis...'
Teleport failed from backlash; unlike the tentacle, Louis couldn't enter subspace. No options.
"Louis...!"
"H-Huh? Cyan?"
-Dash!
She scooped up Louis and acceleration-spammed to flee.
But before escaping the island...
-Crackle!
'Too late.'
-KABOOM!!!
The spell detonated, a blast powerful enough to obliterate the island engulfing them.
"Ngh...!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Flash!
-Fizzle...!
Cyan and Louis appeared midair, plummeting endlessly below.
Floating islands hovered 8-10km up.
Falling meant slim survival odds; even sturdy heteroraces would end up crippled if lucky.
-Crackle!
"...Cyan!"
-Thud!
Regaining senses, Louis instantly dragon-shifted, catching the falling Cyan on his back.
"Cyan! You okay?! What happened? What was that explosion, and who blocked the teleport?"
A red dragon streaked across the night sky.
"...Cyan?"
But Louis sensed something wrong.
"Cyan? Cyan!"
No matter how he called, Cyan showed no response, no movement.
-Thud!
He veered to a nearby uninhabited small floating island.
"Cyan, say something! You're okay, right? Come on—"
There, he undragoned, gently laying Cyan down to check her state.
"Uh..."
But words failed him.
Moonlit, Cyan looked as beautifully aloof as ever.
"Cyan...?"
Yet something was off.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead; pale pink lips stained with blood.
No visible wounds.
Her ruby eyes still gleamed, staring blankly into space.
That was the problem.
Conscious, but unmoving, gazing vacantly ahead.
"Cyan!!!"
No answer despite Louis's cries.
Awake yet paralyzed, mind seemingly fractured.
-Step.
To such Louis, a familiar golden-haired man slowly appeared.
"...More demonic than demons themselves. Ignores my words, attacks, then unleashes island-vaporizing magic right there."
"You... Cyan said you were..."
Golden hair, brown skin, pointed ears.
Like a mix of Forest Elf, Dark Elf, and northern Frost Elf.
And...
Black demon horns protruded from his head.
The demon approached Louis amiably, speaking casually—but Louis—
"Little dragon, I never meant to harm you all. But you dared see through my illusion—"
-KABOOM!
—blasted crimson breath immediately.
The scarlet beam erased the man's form, punching a massive hole through the island.
"Die, you bastard who did this to Cyan...!"
-Rustle!
"Heh, attacking without listening, just like your master. Seems you only learned the bad habits."
"...What? How?!"
Yet the man stood unharmed.
Despite the breath fully erasing him without trace.
"And that demon sealed her own fate, not me! You damned lizard brat...!"
📰 Author Note I took time to draw this because of all the requests in the previous chapter's comments! A lot of you have been asking why there are no illustrations lately. With the contest and serializing this work, drawing illos too is tough on time... But good news! We've found an artist for the Novelpia cover, and work has started! I'll show off the rough as soon as I get it! It'll take a bit, though!