Aslan had originally thought this irritable big sister planned to charge straight in and take care of these annoying guys with the sharp swords in her hands—a flurry of slashes like a dance, with blood blooming like flowers, and finally, all the bodies on the ground being ignited by a flash of red flame, turning to ash and disappearing without a trace.
But who would have thought that this irritable big sister was actually planning to take out all the black-clad magi in one go!
Immense magical energy began to build up within her body. It looked as if a balloon was being continuously filled with water. As the water flow constantly expanded the balloon, if the water continued to be pumped in, the balloon would eventually explode. And during this process, if the water flow inside were to spin or shake more violently, the possibility of an explosion would become even higher.
Right now, this irritable big sister was like that balloon full of water. The magical energy was like the water flow inside, not only constantly increasing but also constantly shaking. A bloody magical light illuminated the entire cave. This made the magi in black clothes widen their eyes. No matter how you looked at it, this felt like she was about to self-destruct!
"She's playing for such high stakes?!"
Upon seeing that the irritable old sister was planning to self-destruct, Aslan couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. He then used a Mana Burst technique to quickly create distance, and a shield appeared directly in his hand. The shield was carved with a large number of Faerie Letters. As the Faerie Letters were activated, the shield began to grow larger and larger, and at the same time, a magical barrier was quickly erected.
After seeing Aslan do this, how could the magi in black clothes not understand what the black-haired girl before them was planning to do? Of course, in their eyes, this girl was simply sacrificing herself for the possibility of another person's survival. Thinking about it, how strong could the mana burst of a single student be?
"Set up defenses first!!"
Several black-clad men gathered together, taking out other Mystic Codes from their pockets. Since they had chosen to make their move here, the mastermind behind them had certainly given them enough tools. There were even some small materials specifically for framing Kenneth after they had killed Aslan and the others. At the very least, to increase the success rate of the frame-up, the mercury weapons in the hands of these few black-clad men could now form a shield, similar to the defensive method of Kenneth's Mystic Code. Of course, because the manipulator was different and the manufacturing process was different, these mercury Mystic Codes were definitely no match for the one Kenneth made himself. One must know, if Kenneth were to one day become a Heroic Spirit, this Mystic Code would absolutely be a Noble Phantasm of a high rank. Even if the rank wasn't too high, its strength lay in its versatility.
After these few black-clad magi had quickly set up their defenses, they looked at Akuta Hinako through the refraction. They were already prepared to immediately eliminate the other boy who knew Faerie Letters after the girl before them exploded. Although these few black-clad magi also understood the preciousness and importance of Faerie Letters, since the boss behind the scenes had already instructed them that they absolutely could not fail, they might as well not think about the importance of Faerie Letters. Just pretend this thing never existed. Out of sight, out of mind. When they don't exist, there will be no heartache. What's more, these Faerie Letters had not yet been compiled into books, nor had they been passed down. This meant that if they couldn't have it, no one else could either. From another perspective, didn't this mean that no impact was made at all? Perfect!
"Those who know destruction...those who are lucky to attain eventual repose. My envy... my hatred… Receive them through pain of death!"
Akuta Hinako raised her hands high, and then her entire body dissolved into an explosion of blood that shot into the sky. Of course, to say sky was inappropriate. After all, they were in a cave. This large amount of blood, after reaching the top of the cave, immediately rained down, blooming into one after another of poppy flowers made of fire.
Scorching hot and beautiful, yet filled with a sense of bloodiness.
The raging fire, mixed with powerful magic, completely tore apart the defenses made of mercury, and then spread towards the bodies of these few black-clad magi. When the firelight dissipated, the few black-clad magi hadn't even let out a scream. They had already turned into charred lumps of carbon lying on the ground.
As the flames gradually dissipated, the blood on the ground began to re-coalesce, re-forming into a human shape. The black-haired girl stood once again in this cavern, looking at the few people on the ground who had been burned to charcoal, a hint of envy in her eyes.
"To die just by being killed... what fortunate people."
A long-lived species would undoubtedly enter one of two states. One state was like Aslan, seeking all sorts of fun to maintain a sense of novelty throughout their long life. Of course, one also had to be very careful. In this state, a single misstep could lead one to see themselves as a god, toying with the lives of ordinary people.
The other state was like this "girl." After experiencing so many things, there would always be people she cared about who, with the passage of time, would become a handful of yellow earth in the long river of history. After losing the important people in their lives, even a long-lived species would feel heartache. After all, being long-lived didn't mean being a cold, heartless, unfeeling existence. The loss in their hearts would cause the long-lived species to fall into a state of pessimism, occasionally seeking death. But after discovering that death was an existence they yearned for but could not obtain, a state of world-weariness would appear. The rest of their lives would be spent trying to find release in the midst of suffering.
At least, before she adjusted her own mentality, the black-haired "girl" before them was the latter. Don't be fooled by her appearance, which still maintained a youthful state; her heart had long since lost the desire to live. Perhaps, before she detonated herself, Akuta Hinako still fantasized that after this self-destruction, she would be unable to recover and would return to death. But that would not happen. As a spirit born of heaven and earth, no matter how her body was shattered, it would re-condense and grow again. Of course, she could choose to return to the Throne of Heroes. To continue wandering the world now was still to hope for a miracle that was almost impossible to appear.
Aslan put away the shield in his hand. The originally released shield quickly reverted back to the appearance of a small buckler.
A loud noise suddenly came from the wall to the side. A silver light pushed the stones apart. Kenneth, with the help of his Mystic Code, directly broke through the rock wall of the cave and came to Aslan's side.
"I heard a loud explosion. It seems you've taken care of the opponents. No need for my support. As expected of a genius."