The triple-layered defense was simply too formidable!
Even after getting through the rain of tentacles, there was still the vine armor. Even after shattering the vines, there were flower petals protecting her. Layer upon layer of defenses combined into an impregnable iron wall.
At this moment, Gareth had paid the price of severe injuries to smash apart the vine armor piece by piece.
But everyone was still too slow.
As the chant neared its conclusion, the magic circle erupted with black magical light, enveloping most of the floor.
An enormous amount of Magic Power converged within the Corrupted Spirit's body, while a pillar of dark magical radiance shot straight upward from the magic circle.
It was on the verge of reaching completion.
"...O Demonic Spear, I offer my blood. Pierce my brow!"
Crimson magical light gathered in Finn's left hand.
Closing his eyes, he pressed the now blood-red spear tip against his forehead. The magical glow immediately flowed into his body.
"...Hell Finegas!"
The gentle emerald-green eyes of the Pallum leader turned blood-red.
"Uwooooooaaaahhhhhh!!"
Finn let out a roar like a berserker.
This was his unique magic. By burning his intense desire for battle, it dramatically enhanced all of his abilities.
The price was the loss of reason, transforming him into a berserker.
Finn abandoned command.
But in the current situation, command was useless anyway.
To buy enough time, he chose to sacrifice his sanity in exchange for power.
"Aaaahhh…!"
The small figure shot forward along the ground like an arrow.
The tentacles could not touch him at all. He crossed the path Gareth had carved through the vine armor in an instant. The sudden burst of speed was so explosive that the monster could not react in time. It seemed as though there was no longer any way to stop his approach.
However… That was not the case.
The moment Finn finally entered a range of ten paces from her… A smug smile appeared on the beautiful face of her upper body.
Then she opened her mouth.
Inside it floated a tiny magic circle.
Without anyone noticing, she had completed a short-chant spell at incredible speed, converted it into a standby state, and then proceeded to cast the second, long-chant spell.
No one had noticed her actions.
Nor could anyone have imagined that a completed spell could be held in reserve.
Normally, once a spell was completed, it had to be released immediately. Otherwise, casting a second spell would be impossible. Simultaneously maintaining and releasing two spells was considered impossible, this was common knowledge among all mages, including Riveria and Lefiya.
But the Corrupted Spirit had shattered that convention! A razor-sharp ice spear condensed before her in an instant.
Meanwhile, Finn had already lost his ability to judge rationally.
His sole thought was to stop her from unleashing the second spell.
Without hesitation or concern for anything else, he charged straight toward her.
"Captain!"
"This is bad!"
Tione, Ais, and the others all paled.
This was the trap the Corrupted Spirit had prepared.
The technique that could have been used earlier against Ryoji and the others on the front lines was now being used to assassinate Finn.
At this distance, no one could reach him in time.
"Supreme Divine Protection - Dio Grail!" A pure white barrier suddenly appeared before Finn.
"Lefiya?!"
"I don't know where she learned that spell, but it came at the perfect time!"
The razor-sharp ice spear shattered into crystal-like fragments.
The Tione sisters cheered in relief.
"Hah?!"
At the very front of the battlefield, the destruction of the ice spear was completely beyond the Corrupted Spirit's expectations.
By the time she realized what had happened, Finn had already arrived directly before her.
And he hurled the silver Unfading Spear with all his might.
Puchi!
She had no chance to react. Her mouth was instantly pierced. The spear shot through her throat and nailed itself into the ground behind her.
But… It was only a minor wound.
For her, such an injury could be regenerated in an instant.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the Magic Power inside her body exploded violently.
The magic circle beneath her feet fell into chaos. The black magical light surged back into her body and, like a massive charge of explosives, detonated more than half of her body from within.
"It worked!"
"Nice!"
Ais and Bete's eyes lit up simultaneously.
A spell's chant could not be interrupted casually.
Fundamentally, the chanting process was the act of taming Magic Power and reshaping it into the form required for the spell. Once the chant was interrupted, the Magic Power raging within the caster would lose control and become unstable.
In mild cases, it caused intense pain.
In severe cases, it resulted in an explosion.
This phenomenon was known as a Magic Power Misfire.
When Lefiya had first begun practicing concurrent chanting, Magic Power Misfires had happened frequently. Because the amount of Magic Power she gathered was relatively small, the worst result had only been full-body convulsions.
But the monster had accumulated an enormous quantity of Magic Power in preparation for her long-chant spell.
Once a misfire occurred, the consequences were exactly as they appeared now—
Half of her body had been blown apart.
As a result, the Magic Stone embedded in her chest was finally exposed.
It was only about the size of a fist, radiating an intensely iridescent glow.
"Uwaaaaaahhh!"
The monster screamed in humiliation and fury.
At the same time, red particles of Magic Power ignited around her body.
Steam poured from her flesh.
Countless writhing buds of flesh squirmed across her wounds as her body rapidly regenerated, restoring itself to its original form.
Finn had intended to press the attack and destroy her Magic Stone.
However, the flower making up the lower half of the monster suddenly blossomed.
It split into dozens of flower buds lined with countless serrated teeth.
To avoid being bitten apart, Finn had no choice but to duck away.
And just like that, the golden opportunity vanished.
"So it wasn't going to be that easy after all..."
The red glow in Finn's eyes faded slightly. He cast an unwilling glance toward the monster. But under the relentless pursuit of countless flower buds and tentacles, he could only retreat.
The same trick would never work twice.
The only reason he had managed to get close in the first place was because the monster had intended to kill him with her trap and had deliberately allowed him to approach.
The proof was that the petal armor had not moved at all during his charge.
In other words… There would be no second chance to get close to her.
This monster was a genuine Level 7.
But… They had bought enough time.
'Come on.'
'Show me.'
'Just how powerful is the trump card you've been hiding?'
Finn retreated farther and farther back, even leaving the range of the tentacles entirely.
He willingly gave up his advantage and dragged the injured Gareth away with him.
At the same time, he turned his gaze toward the very rear of the battlefield.
It's your turn now.
At that moment, as if connected by a shared understanding, every adventurer, supporter, and blacksmith focused their attention on a single person.
The exhaustion that had clouded his eyes was completely gone.
From the renewed brightness in his gaze, it was obvious that both his mind and his Magic Power had returned to their peak condition.
He stepped out from the rear ranks and walked calmly toward the front lines.
Thirteen pairs of eyes followed him.
Within those gazes lay varying degrees of expectation—some openly expressed, others stubbornly concealed.
"Hm?"
At that very moment…
The Corrupted Spirit suddenly sensed an overwhelming aura of danger.
The anger on her face faded slightly. Her murky golden eyes locked onto Ryoji.
Ryoji slowly raised both hands as though grasping invisible weapons.
Then, before everyone's astonished eyes… Two Vrring Blades materialized simultaneously in his hands.
A flash of light followed.
The twin weapons transformed at the same time into long swords shaped like crosses.
(End of Chapter)
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