Chapter 310: Despair (3-in-1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 310: Despair (3-in-1)
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Ariel cursed involuntarily as she sprinted at breakneck speed.
What kind of rotten luck was she having?
Losing herself in a bet earlier was one thing—she could only blame her own stupidity for that—but why did everyone vanish the moment she stepped out to hunt a single magical beast? And of all the people to run into, why did it have to be a Radiant-Tier mage?
This was a Radiant-Tier expert! Someone who could one-shot the Overlord-class magical beast she had struggled so hard to kill!
Even if Shifu said her combat prowess far exceeded her peers, throwing an old hag of this level at her right out of the gate was just unfair!
There are laws to this world, you bastard! You can't just skip levels like this!
"Oh? You run quite fast."
The woman’s voice drifted airily into Ariel’s ears, sounding both far and near, its source impossible to pin down.
"Why be so afraid? Big sister isn't mean. Why don't you stay and chat? I’m quite interested in the little secrets girls share."
"..."
Pah.
Big sister?
Don't you ever look in a mirror? All that powder on your face can't even hide your crow's feet.
Ariel bared her teeth, slandering the woman in her heart, but she kept her mouth shut and focused on picking up the pace.
Suddenly, the surrounding mist thickened.
The fog swirled gently with a phantom breeze, forming intricate patterns that reminded her of the fancy, overpriced, and terrible-tasting latte art found in high-end restaurants.
"Watch out!"
Shifu’s sharp warning exploded in Ariel’s mind. Without a moment's hesitation, Ariel wrenched her body in a different direction.
Even so, a searing, stinging pain flared in her abdomen.
It felt like a blade had swept past. Her clothes and fair skin were sliced open, and blood quickly soaked her front.
"This is..."
Ariel pressed her hand against the wound, casting a basic healing spell to stop the bleeding. Her expression was grim.
The injury wasn't too deep—it hadn't hit any organs—but the problem was...
She hadn't sensed any attack coming from her opponent.
"That wasn't an attack. It was..."
Shifu’s voice was heavy with gravity.
"Spatial magic."
"Hiss—"
Ariel sucked in a breath of cold air and looked toward where Shifu was pointing.
Sure enough, right where she had just passed, a faint ripple hung in the air, partially obscured by the mist.
It was like a wire waiting for prey to stumble into it. If Ariel hadn't turned just now, she would have been sliced in half by that space rift.
"Using spatial magic like that... she's a freak."
"For a Radiant-Tier, spatial magic isn't that difficult."
Crack. Crack.
A crisp shattering sound rang out as the faint space rift expanded, and a figure emerged from within.
The woman toyed with her wand, her expression like a cat playing with a mouse—mocking and pitying.
"Oh my, you actually dodged it? What a shame. I thought that if you were split in two, you’d be much more willing to have a friendly chat with me."
"...Shifu," Ariel called out in her mind.
"Yes?"
"I forgot to ask earlier... can I escape?"
"...If her brain isn't damaged—no."
"..."
Ariel fell silent for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine. I get it."
She suddenly skidded to a halt.
"Oh? Giving up on running?"
The woman arched an eyebrow, looking slightly bored. "I thought I’d get to play a little longer."
But in the next instant, she saw Ariel spin around and charge straight at her.
Again?
This is the third time.
She really doesn't learn.
The woman’s lips curled into a smirk. A pale gold barrier manifested once more, and a violent gale whipped up. This time, she wanted to see the look of despair in her prey's eyes more clearly.
However, at this moment, there was no despair in Ariel’s eyes.
There was only a mysterious light and a mysterious darkness.
Her eyes were like the two most distant poles of the world, bursting with completely different colors.
And this time, her hands didn't grip that strange greatsword. Instead, two diametrically opposed, terrifying forces were brewing in her palms.
"Who said I was running! You old hag!"
Ariel’s expression was manic, her smile feral. She slammed her hands together right in front of the barrier.
"I was just charging up my ultimate move, you brainless old auntie!"
The woman’s eyes widened in shock. A sudden, intense sense of crisis flared in her heart, but because of her own arrogance, she no longer had the chance to retreat.
She could only instinctively reinforce the barrier in front of her.
However, when those two forces collided, intertwined, and exploded, they constructed a terrifying vortex that seemed capable of tearing through anything. The barrier magic she was most proud of—the one even mages of the same tier struggled to break—was...
Torn apart like wet paper.
Haha... torn apart again. You've got to be kidding me. This is the second time today!
The woman felt the world was being inexplicably farcical. It was one thing for that Duke’s son to slice through her barrier with a strange dagger—considering his status, it was normal for him to have some powerful artifact.
But what about you?
A mere Third-tier brat who looks malnourished, has no treasures, and even has such a small chest... How can YOU do this?!
Before she could solve this existential riddle, the terrifying vortex, its momentum undiminished after shredding the barrier, surged toward her.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
One precious magic device after another, one rare magic scroll after another, fell from the woman’s person, constructing layer upon layer of sturdy barriers.
Yet, these barriers were still easily shredded. It wasn't until the sixth heart-wrenching sound of a breaking artifact that the terrifying vortex finally ran out of steam and slowly dissipated.
But before the woman could recover, a pair of hands lunged forward and clamped firmly around her throat.
And then...
They began to frantically drain her mana.
"What..."
The woman stared blankly as Ariel’s eyes turned pitch black, like an abyss. At this moment, the girl was like a long-starved magical beast, greedily devouring her mana in great gulps.
"You..."
The woman finally snapped out of it. "Get off me!"
Mana erupted around her like a tidal wave, blasting Ariel—who had no defensive power around her—far away. But the woman also slumped to her knees, suddenly coughing up a large mouthful of blood.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Looking down at the blood staining her palms, the woman murmured in a daze.
Me.
A Radiant-Tier Grand Magister.
Fleur, known to the world as the Master of a Hundred Spells, a woman high on the Empire’s most-wanted list, a mage who once wiped out several elite Imperial squads single-handedly.
I was...
By a Third-tier brat...
Heavily injured?
Not only that, she drained at least half of my mana in an instant?
Is this a joke?
Is this a joke?!
Even if you're using cheats, this is too much!
Follow the basic laws of magic, you bastard!
"Cough... cough... pfft..."
But just then, the woman heard the sound of labored coughing and blood hitting the ground.
She looked up and saw Ariel lying powerless on the ground, twisting her body and coughing up blood like a dying fish washed up on the shore.
The massive influx of mana had turned her skin bright red, like a boiled shrimp. Swallowing so much refined, pure mana that didn't belong to her only caused her to twitch and convulse in agony.
It looked like she couldn't even stand up anymore.
The woman froze, and then she was overcome with wild joy.
That's right.
So what if you broke my barrier?
So what if you injured me?
So what if you swallowed a huge amount of my mana?
In the end, she’s just a Third-tier brat.
If she, a Fifth-tier Radiant-Tier Grand Magister, were killed by a mere Third-tier kid, she might as well find a block of tofu and bash her head in.
At least that would be a quick death. Otherwise, her name would be plastered in textbooks as the first famous figure in history to lose a head-on fight to someone two whole tiers lower. Mages for generations would sing of her failure and mock her daily. Every magic teacher would use her "illustrious" record as a cautionary tale for their disciples...
Fortunately, that didn't happen.
"Is that all you've got?"
The woman used her wand to slowly push herself up, a sinister grin spreading across her face.
"Then next... it’s my turn! To be able to die at the hands of Fleur of the Hundred Spells, you can rest in peace!"
She waved her wand, and a massive amount of mana surged around her once more.
This time, she wouldn't hold back a single bit. She wouldn't give the girl another chance.
A chant began, growing longer and more complex, like a symphony. If one listened closely, they could hear several different chants blending harmoniously together.
Multiple Magic Chanting!
Immediately, the earth tremors began, heavenly fire manifested, violent gales swept in, and explosions boomed!
Several powerful Radiant-Tier spells, in a display of overkill that would seem absurd to any onlooker, slammed ruthlessly toward the girl who appeared to have no strength left to resist.
A chaotic torrent of magic drowned everything.
"Whew, it’s over."
The wind blew through the woman’s wavy hair. Looking at the rising dust and smoke, she finally let out a long breath of relief.
Truly bizarre. Just killing a Third-tier brat felt much more difficult than when she had intercepted that Duke’s son right in front of two Crowned experts.
"A pity. I wanted to take your corpse to the employer for an extra reward, but now... I’m afraid there isn't even a scrap left."
"However..."
The woman’s eyes shifted, a glint of greed suddenly appearing.
"That brat was so strong; it definitely wasn't her own power."
"She has something on her..."
"Fragile flesh is easily destroyed, but those things... not necessarily!"
The woman suddenly felt a twinge of regret. She had been a bit too spooked just now and had struck too ruthlessly.
If she had kept the girl alive, she might have been able to pry more valuable information out of her.
But... what was done was done. There was no use in overthinking it.
Being too greedy and wanting everything was a taboo in her line of work.
"I need to hurry. With such a big commotion, it’ll be trouble if that ridiculous bear in the suit turns back."
The woman waved her wand, dispersing the dust and smoke.
At the same time, she stepped toward the wreckage at the center of the explosion.
But after only a few steps, she froze.
"Huh?"
As if sensing something, a look of utter disbelief appeared on her face, which even her thick makeup couldn't hide.
"How... is that possible?"
She turned her head stiffly toward a certain direction, her pupils trembling.
Because at the very center, where the dust was gradually clearing, a skinny figure was... standing.
"Why... why?"
The woman murmured in a daze, as if struck by lightning.
This was her full-power attack, an all-out barrage capable of leveling a small city.
The opponent was just a Third-tier brat. Why was she still alive?
Moreover...
The woman’s gaze swept over Ariel. She noticed that while there was still blood at the corners of the girl's mouth, it was from her previous injuries. Aside from the old marks, there were no new changes to her body.
In other words, during that final, powerful magical bombardment, she was... completely unharmed?
And why was this brat’s gaze so calm, so distant? It was as if it had been tempered by countless ages. Why was it so... ancient?
Something was wrong!
Something was very wrong!
This was absolutely not the gaze a Third-tier brat should have.
"You’re not that brat!"
Alarm bells screamed in the woman’s mind. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she shrieked manically, "Who are you! Who the hell are you!"
"..."
After a brief, unsettling silence, the girl seemed to snap out of a deep philosophical contemplation. She finally looked at the frantic woman and spoke calmly:
"You... are not bad. You’ve just studied too many things. You're a jack of all trades but master of none. However, your strength and cautious attitude are decent enough."
The girl’s first words weren't a greeting, an introduction, or even an answer.
It was just a light critique—a high-and-mighty evaluation.
Yet, the woman didn't feel the slightest sense of incongruity. It was as if the girl naturally had the right to speak to her that way.
What the hell... this is insane!
The woman gritted her teeth and immediately waved her wand. Mana surged, spatial fluctuations appeared, and her figure began to fade.
She chose to flee.
Whoever wanted to fight this monster could go ahead, but she was done!
But the girl moved.
She extended a finger and pointed it at the woman from a distance.
[Chaos Magic]
A melodious whisper rang out, in a language the woman had never heard before.
Instantly.
The woman’s figure solidified, as if she were being forcibly squeezed out of space. A flush appeared on her pale face, and with a pfft, she sprayed out a large amount of blood.
"This is... Disruption Magic?"
The woman felt her worldview being shattered and rebuilt several times today.
Of course she knew Disruption Magic. Every mage knew it.
It was a mandatory spell clearly written in lower-grade textbooks.
Learning how to use magic under various interferences was a required course for becoming an excellent mage.
But in all her years of living and decades of studying magic, she had never heard of...
Anyone being able to directly manipulate the flow of mana inside someone else's body!
Naturally. If one could manipulate the mana inside another person, what would be the point of being a mage? You could just snap your fingers and make them explode on the spot.
"You..."
The woman trembled, trying to say something, but before she could open her mouth, her vision blurred.
The girl with the ancient eyes had appeared in front of her at some unknown moment.
The words she hadn't had time to say turned into a despairing, self-mocking laugh:
"Non-incantation space magic... Truth-Tier?"
"Not quite."
The girl shook her head. "At least, not yet."
"Is that so?"
The woman gave up, lying flat on the ground. "I suppose there’s no point in talking. Just kill me."
"..."
But the girl only looked at her calmly. With a flick of her finger, she swatted away a dagger that had suddenly shot out from a hidden space.
The woman fell into total despair.
"I won't kill you."
The girl reached out. Amidst the woman’s growing terror and curses as she realized what was happening, the girl gently placed a hand on her forehead.
"But the pain you inflicted on my beloved disciple must be returned to you in full, mustn't it?"
And then, darkness descended. Intense agony tore at the woman’s soul.
...
...
A few minutes later.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Ariel scrambled up from the ground. She felt as if she had fallen from a height of several hundred meters; every bone and muscle was screaming in pain. She hissed through her teeth, "Shifu, what on earth did you do with my body? It hurts like hell!"
"I tried to be as gentle as possible."
Shifu sighed, her voice sounding a bit weak. "But you’re still too weak. If you hadn't desperately drained half of that woman’s mana, I wouldn't have been able to act at all."
"...Sorry. I’ll work harder in the future," Ariel said, hanging her head.
"No need to apologize. You performed excellently this time."
"So, Shifu, did you find anything out?"
Ariel looked at the woman nearby. The Radiant-Tier expert who had nearly driven her to a dead end now had vacant eyes and a manic expression. She looked completely insane.
"I forcibly extracted her memories, so the information is incomplete."
Shifu said, "What we know for sure is that this incident was an assassination attempt targeting Muen Campbell."
"Muen Campbell?"
Ariel’s eyes widened, and she said through gritted teeth, "That despicable guy... did he drag Liya into this?"
"So, there is some good news and some bad news."
"Just say it, Shifu. Don't keep me in suspense."
"The good news is that the assassination failed, and there were no casualties on our side."
"Hooray!"
Ariel was so excited she almost jumped. "So Liya is okay? That’s great... wait, then what’s the bad news?"
"The bad news is that the enemy’s Plan B was to use spatial magic to transport Muen Campbell into that Forest of Death. They took advantage of the fact that experts cannot enter the forest to rescue anyone, intending to separate Muen Campbell from the Pink Bear and kill him there.
—Plan B was a success."
"I see..."
Ariel rubbed her chin, thinking. "So Muen Campbell is in danger? But what does his danger have to do with me? Shifu, you don't actually think I’d risk my life to save him, do you?"
"...The bad news isn't about him."
"Huh?"
"It’s because Liya was caught in the crossfire. She was teleported in as well."
"..."
Ariel turned her head to look at the nearby forest composed of towering, ancient trees, which radiated an ominous aura. Her mouth slowly fell open, and her gaze remained blank for a moment.
Then she suddenly collapsed to her knees, letting out a wail as if reliving a tragedy:
"No—Liya!"
"Damn you, Muen Campbell!"
Ariel pounded the ground in grief and indignation, hating him with every fiber of her being. "You bastard! It’s fine if you die, but why did you have to take Liya with you?"
But Ariel recovered quickly this time. Before she even had a chance to tend to her wounds, she started walking straight toward the Forest of Death.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Of course! How could I just leave Liya behind?"
Ariel said with a worried expression, "Liya isn't good at fighting. Being caught up in something like this must be so dangerous for her!"
"But without a way to track her, this is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"..."
Ariel was silent for a moment, her gaze becoming incredibly determined. "Don't worry. I believe that the bond between Liya and me will definitely lead us to each other!"
That's right! When Liya is in trouble because of that despicable Muen Campbell, I’ll descend from the heavens like a hero! That will surely be the final step to completely stealing her heart!
What beautiful girl doesn't love a hero?
"Very well."
Shifu said nothing more and fell silent.
Ariel walked a bit further, then suddenly stopped.
"Almost forgot."
Ariel doubled back in three quick steps. She kicked over the now-insane woman, snatched the expensive-looking wand from her hand, and then stripped her of everything valuable—even her hair accessories. Only then did she clap her hands in satisfaction.
"Hmph. It’s all the fault of you bastards. It’s not too much to ask for some compensation, right?"
Ariel shouldered the wand and, enduring the pain of her injuries, continued toward the forest that looked like a wide-mouthed beast.
"Damn it... it hurts so much. No one’s here to heal me, waah... Liya, I already miss you."
"Wait for me! I’ll definitely come to save you!"
"Wait for me!"
...
A few minutes later, a figure suddenly appeared on the scene.
It was... the Pink Bear, who had finally realized he was missing one person.
"Eh? Strange. I clearly felt that little girl was here?"
The Pink Bear scratched his head, looking around in confusion.
He didn't see Ariel, but he did see...
"Flat! The ground is flat! So scary, so scary..."
"Waaaah, this rock is also flat, so scary..."
A woman, seemingly driven mad, was crawling back and forth on the ground. Whenever she saw anything even slightly flat, she would look terrified and scream.
"Flat things are all terrifying, waah... scary..."
"Eh? There’s a bear here. The bear isn't flat. I like it!"
"...Holy crap, what’s going on?"
The Pink Bear watched the woman crawl over, trying to touch his belly. He kicked her away while rubbing his chin, looking puzzled.
"This woman... she’s the one who used spatial magic earlier, right? She actually went crazy?"
"...Did that little girl do this? It seems she’s really not simple."
"Wait, she couldn't have found out something from this woman and followed them into that forest, could she!"
Whoosh. The sound of blood flowing rang out as the Pink Bear closed his eyes to sense something.
"Sure enough, the tracking signal is gone. That little girl entered the forest!"
After confirming this, the Pink Bear’s mouth slowly fell open, his expression one of pure horror.
The little girl had entered the forest, which meant...
He had lost another person?
There were only seven people in total, and he had lost nearly half of them?
If that old bastard Prang found out, he would definitely... kill the hostage!
He would kill the hostage without a moment's hesitation!
"No—"
At the thought, the Pink Bear shuddered. He slumped to his knees and let out a despairing wail toward the sky:
"My photo books—"
"My Golden Collector's Edition Saintess Photo Books—"
...