Magic power surged wildly, her stance fierce and resolute.
Azure armor, forged entirely from condensed mana, wrapped around her body.
At this moment, Noelle was a completely different person.
In one arm, she held the seemingly unconscious Mimosa.
In the other, a spiral-shaped water lance pointed straight ahead—aimed directly at Gaja in midair.
Bang!
Mana poured out in torrents as a spiraling water column burst forth, the sheer force sending waves rippling across the surface of the sea beneath her.
Up above, Gaja's brows furrowed.
This power was… astonishing.
Had he not fought her earlier, he might have simply marveled at her strength.
But after their battle from the start until now, he knew exactly what her previous level had been.
From Fourth Stage, skyrocketing straight to First Stage?
What kind of magic was this?
Boom!
There was no time to dwell on it—the spiraling column was already upon him.
The mysterious runes around him lit up, gathering the surrounding lightning element.
In almost an instant, a blinding bolt of lightning flashed down, solidifying into a wall of thunder before him.
Seeing this sudden turn, Ethan Hayes—who had just stepped forward—paused, his lips curling into a faint smile.
"So it really worked… The Sea God Valkyrie Armor is even more powerful than I imagined."
Seeing was believing.
Whether in the original story or in this reality, he had heard of Noelle's mother—Acier Silva, the Sea God Princess famed for "dancing gracefully across the battlefield."
That legendary title came from her unparalleled water magic, and above all, her Heritage Magic—Sea God Valkyrie Armor.
Magic could generally be divided into four categories:
Common Magic – Magic anyone with the same attribute could usually perform.
Exclusive Magic – Unique spells imprinted in one's grimoire, usable only by that individual, with almost no chance of overlap.
Ultimate Magic – The strongest offensive or defensive spell within an attribute, also imprinted in the grimoire, but requiring at least Third Stage to use effectively (like Yami's Dimension Slash or Vangeance's Magic Tree Descent).
Heritage Magic – Rare spells of immense power capable of turning the tide of battle in an instant, passed down through bloodlines or ancient means.
Throughout history, Heritage Magic was exceedingly rare.
Ethan himself possessed plenty of grimoires—including the four-leaf clover—but among them, only the Time Magic grimoire contained a Heritage Magic: World Time Unification.
Its absurd activation conditions, however, made him doubt if he could ever use it in his lifetime.
Compared to that, Noelle's Sea God Valkyrie Armor was far more accessible—yet its destructive potential was undeniable, even greater than the amplification granted by Elf Possession.
"I wonder where Acier Silva obtained this… Normally, such magic…" Ethan murmured.
A grimoire could sense a mage's heart, thoughts, and emotions to generate new spells.
Sometimes, sheer growth in power could also give birth to new magic naturally.
But there were limits.
You couldn't simply think about destroying the world and have your grimoire hand you a "neutron bomb" spell.
Ethan didn't believe Acier had developed this Heritage Magic on her own.
The likelier explanation was that she had acquired it from some ancient ruin—perhaps similar to the magic palace Ethan himself had once explored.
Boom! Boom!
The sky thundered as Noelle, now the incarnation of the Sea Goddess, unleashed her full might.
She was like the mistress of the ocean, commanding the waters of the world.
In this nature-rich Heart Kingdom, she was as at home as a true Water God descending upon the earth.
Opposite her, Gaja shone with the glow of mysterious runes.
Borrowing nature's power, his strength was also immense—lightning so fierce it seemed capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.
Yet "False Stage Zero" was still false, and this was why he could not overpower even a First Stage Noelle.
"Impressive… But the vast magic of nature… is not something humans can rival!"
Dark clouds gathered overhead, forming a colossal magic circle at their core.
Like a magnet, it drew the surrounding lightning element into itself.
"…Hah."
Ethan chuckled as he looked up at the scene.
It was so familiar, almost laughably so.
This was basically… Lightning Release: Kirin!
"Well, the Heart Kingdom's magic certainly has its own flavor…" he mused.
Magic, like weapons, came in many forms.
Here in a land of natural abundance, they had developed their own distinct branch—Nature Magic.
"That magic circle in the thunderclouds… I'd wager that's the core of the spell."
His keen eyes studied the formation carefully.
It really was like his Kirin—both drew on nature's lightning.
But his Kirin was fully self-controlled:
He had to generate the storm clouds, accumulate lightning, guide it, shape it, and then release it.
This Heart Kingdom technique skipped the first two steps entirely, going straight to guiding and releasing—making it much faster to cast.
"Still…"
BOOM!
[Judgment from the Zenith]!
Gaja's voice rang out as the magic circle in the clouds blazed with blinding white light.
A massive lightning serpent, thick as a tree trunk, shot down like divine punishment.
[Water Creation Magic – Roar of the Sea Dragon]!
Noelle thrust her spiral lance forward, releasing the immense mana of a First Stage mage.
It became a roaring, surging dragon that charged headlong into the descending thunder serpent.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Mana clashed against mana, the two forces locking in a fierce stalemate.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"So it's just as I thought—because it's a ritual-based magic, its power output is fixed?"
Compared to outside magic, the Heart Kingdom's unique runic formulas had clear advantages: fast casting, strong amplification, and the ability to borrow nature's strength.
But the flaw was equally obvious—fixed power output.
From Ethan's perspective, this "Judgment from the Zenith" was roughly on par with the power his own Kirin had during the Nine-Squad Competition—
Back when he was only Fifth Stage.
If he cast it now, the destructive force would far surpass this Heart Kingdom spell—enough to wipe Clover Kingdom's capital off the map in an instant.
Perhaps as one's own power grew, the fixed power of these rituals could be recalibrated upward.
But to Ethan, magic was meant to be a miracle—fixing it within a set limit robbed it of that spark.
And Noelle herself… was living proof of miracles.
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