Nassandra clutched her wand. Clarity began to return to her eyes. Giving up was easy, but it would only lead to misery and death. Was she satisfied with that ending? Was she happy? No! Unless she had absolutely no way out, unless death was absolutely assured, there was no point in stopping, because there were people who believed in her, who depended on her, who needed her. Freon, Uncle Avin, Shirley, Yuna, and everyone else… they were waiting for her. She could not stop here. Light blazed in her soul, as a tremendous willpower burst forth. The Magic Energy inside her Core writhed violently according to her emotions. It was almost like every bit of her body was unwilling to surrender. A vast Magic Aura erupted from her, petrifying everyone in their footsteps. Even the hordes of insects were hesitant to approach. The pressure of her aura was suffocating. This was the true appearance of Ten Dawn Nassandra, the person regarded as having the greatest Magic Potential in her generation!
Nassandra struggled to stand up. The nausea was still affecting her. As she wiped the blood from her broken nose, she gazed at the endless enemies. There was no delusion in them though. Although it looked like she recovered, it was a sham. Her Magic Energy did not actually increase. Judging by how little energy there was in her Core, she could only cast one, maybe two, spells. Her intimidation would be unravelled soon, so she had to make her move before that happened. In that case, her priority was to immobilize every insect first! A Magic Circle materialized, as Magic Energy poured into her ice spell. It was supposed to be the same spell she used dozens of times already, yet something felt different about it. Her casting speed was noticeably faster than before. Of course, she could have mistimed it or maybe her proficiency had increased. That was explainable. However, she also noticed a reduction in Magic Energy consumption. What was going on?
Her spell activated a split second later, giving her little time to ponder. A vast tsunami of ice flooded from her, slammed down on every insect, and rapidly encased everything under a thick layer of ice. In an instant, the tunnel was gone, and what replaced it was a solid glacier! Ice covered the floor, walls, and even ceiling! The change in temperature was so sudden that the air seemed to 'crack'. Every insect horde was frozen solid, including the ones on the ceiling, the ones unseen, even the ones behind. Everything was still! Despite being the caster, Nassandra was thoroughly shocked. The power, range, and speed of her spell were much greater than she intended. It could almost be considered a lesser large-scale tactical spell!
Panic set in. What about Tolin and Evylin? She could not control her spell, meaning they could have been affected. Luckily, the boy and grandmother were close enough to Nassandra that the spell did not impact them much. Tolin was sneezing and shivering. Snot hung from his nose. Evylin remained still, as a thin layer of frost covered her from head to toe. It could have been her corpse, except Nassandra refused to believe that. They needed to go before her spell ended.
She and Tolin supported Evylin's body, as they shuffled over the ice. The crisp cracks were the only noises to be heard. Eventually, her Magic Energy ran out. As the last drops of Magic Energy left her Core, the ice started to recede. She had reached her limit. Uttering a final curse, the girl lost consciousness. Since Tolin could not support them both, they fell to the ground together. They did not manage to get very far from the bugs. Soon, the insects would return with a vengeance. The young boy yanked and tugged with all his strength, yet Nassandra and Evylin were too heavy for him to move. He was dismayed. There was no time left. He could not even run away by himself. Nassandra's last act only delayed the inevitable. As he despaired, what sounded like footsteps rapidly approached him along with light. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not dreaming, but no, it was real!
"Over here! I found three people!" someone shouted. A small fireball floated above his wand, revealing his tattered Arcane Knight uniform. Multiple injuries ran across his body, and there was a deep cut above his eye. Surprisingly, it was Sir Melvin, one of the junior Arcane Knights that Benedict invited.
Two more people ran over. Lady Rainie was shocked when she saw them. "That's Ten Dawn Nassandra! We really found her!"
"But where did this boy and old woman come from?" Sir Pelton questioned. He glanced at Tolin, who suddenly collapsed. The man quickly caught him before he hit the ground. "Hey, what's wrong? Damn it."
"Carry him, Sir Pelton! We need to leave!" Sir Melvin yelled.
He was already grabbing the old woman, and Lady Rainie picked up Nassandra. Nobody needed to be told twice. Before coming here, they had fought tooth and nail and nearly died a handful of times. Their bodies were wrecked. If they were not Arcane Knights and excelled in both martial arts and magic spells, they would have perished already. Luckily, the light trail they were following converged with Nassandra's at some point and her final spell gave them the leeway to catch up. The three Arcane Knights quickly casted their own spells and fled, leaving nothing behind but the wind.
Somewhere below them, prior to Protector Avin's True Perception, Elizabeth and Freon were sat in a dark tunnel. Since they had no Magic Energy, they could not cast illumination spells. It was so dark they could not even see their own hands. In this situation, it would be silly to run around blindly, especially when there were enemies hunting them down. They were not idle though. Believing that Martial Energy might be their breakthrough, they focused on learning how to harness Martial Energy properly.
It would have been a fool's errand ordinarily. Benedict and Shirley required months of practice to reach minor success. How would Elizabeth and Freon achieve the same in a few hours? It seemed beyond unreasonable; however, was it really? Martial Energy was a type of energy like Magic and World Energy. They were two sides of the same coin. Elizabeth and Freon had already reached Half-Condensed Drop and Low Condensed Drop respectively. They were proficient with Magic Energy, so that same proficiency could be extended towards Martial Energy. When they attempted to do so yesterday, it was mostly a lighthearted first attempt. They did not really believe they could grasp Martial Energy like that. Now, they emptied their minds and fully concentrated on the task. Their lives depended on success!
It was absolutely silent and dark, creating the perfect environment for training. And whether it was a coincidence or not, the fact that neither Elizabeth nor Freon had Magic Energy helped. It removed unnecessary noise. Elizabeth breathed in and out. Only her heartbeat could be heard. The essence of Martial Energy was stamina, but what was stamina? It was the power residing inside the body. Every punch, every kick, every motion… To live was to consume stamina. Conversely, eating, drinking, and resting replenished stamina. Therefore, Martial Energy was not some foreign concept. Everyone used it in their daily lives. The difference between a martial artist and a normal person was how they wielded it.
Elizabeth took another breath again, feeling the air rush into her lungs. It rejuvenated her blood, allowing it to course through her heart and limbs. With every breath, her body felt stronger, lighter, and better. This was the breath of life, but thinking about it another way, it was Martial Energy. She focused on that feeling whenever she inhaled. Every time her heart pulsed, she could feel the waves of 'life' moving throughout her body. Under this serene environment where she blocked off everything, she could isolate that feeling better than ever.
Thump. Thump. Thump! Her heartbeat grew louder in her chest. It was almost deafening. Her awareness had reached an all-time high! After what seemed like ages, an incredibly faint sensation emerged. It then disappeared in an instant, making Elizabeth doubt herself. But soon, it happened again. Then, a third time. It was not an illusion. She had really sensed Martial Energy! That was when a vast, all-encompassing aura dominated the world. Elizabeth and Freon were shocked. It was Protector Avin's True Perception!