The hatred toward that vile knight—
Had now completely devoured Kyouno's mind.
No more fear.
No more pain.
Only hatred—
Burning, raging, and boiling like molten lava within her heart.
On the other side—
That bastard, Julius, stared straight into the girl's eyes, now brimming with choking fury.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Twisting into a grin—half mad, half overflowing with dark delight.
"Sadness? Anger?"
"Good… Very good…"
"Let it consume you…"
His voice dipped into a low whisper, like a venomous snake hissing at her ear.
"After all… it won't be long now—"
"You'll be reunited with that girl soon enough."
His words turned to ice.
So cold, they seemed to freeze even the winter air around them.
And Kyouno—
In the midst of pain, in the depths of hatred, amid the wicked laughter of her enemy...
She heard nothing. Felt nothing.
She was numb to everything except the searing hatred flooding her chest.
She even stop caring about the rule of hiding her abilities, of not revealing more than two elemental affinities.
Crimson flashes flickered in her eyes—
And in her mind, only one word echoed.
"KILL!!!"
Without a word, Kyouno instantly dropped into a battle stance—and then—
"Wind Flight!"
The whisper was as soft as a breeze, yet it sent ripples through the very air, causing the space around her to tremble with distortion.
In the blink of an eye—
Her figure shot forth like a howling gust of wind.
She soared forward with unimaginable speed, like a wind-forged arrow tearing through the frozen air, straight toward Julius.
In just a heartbeat, she was upon him.
And at that moment—
Between her clenched hands, a spear of light began to materialize.
It radiated with a blinding brilliance, as if a star had fallen to earth, pulsing with the fury of righteous vengeance.
"LIGHT SPEAR!!"
The scream cracked through the sky like thunder, echoing across the inferno-ravaged forest.
The radiant spear, charged with all her pent-up wrath and killing intent, shot toward her enemy with unstoppable force.
And yet—
The next moment—Kyouno's eyes flew open to their absolute limit.Her pupils contracted violently.
The mighty spear of light she had hurled—at a range that could almost be called point-blank—Driven by blinding speed, nearly that of light itself, and a surge of blood-boiling killing intent no one could possibly react to—A sure-kill strike.
And yet...It did nothing.Not even a scratch.
She had seen it clearly—Julius had not dodged.
He stood there motionless, face expressionless, as if waiting for the spear to pierce through his chest.
But just as the radiant spear was about to impale him—"FWOOOOSH!!"The fire dragon etched onto his sword let out a thunderous roar. Its body ignited, flames twisting into a blazing vortex.
And then—The entire attack was devoured.Consumed by the fire dragon.No trace left.No heat.No pressure.
Kyouno froze.Her mind shattered in that instant.
If a sure-kill blow—delivered at such close range, and so sudden no one could react in time—Could still be so effortlessly neutralized...
Then how—How could she ever hope to defeat him?
Under Kyouno's stunned gaze, Julius smiled.A casual, detached smile—As if he had just swatted a buzzing insect near his ear.
"Tsk tsk...
So you've finally decided to stop hiding your hand, huh—
A multi-element mage.
As expected, just as my Divine Eye had seen.
A multi-element mage—a being that should only exist in legends—is now standing right before me."
"But still...
Even if you are a multi-element mage, the spells you've cast are merely at the Novice and Adept tiers.
With that level of skill, you dare dream of challenging me?
Ridiculous.
What an insult."
His voice was calm, but each word sliced into her like scornful blades.
"Everything you do… is just meaningless struggle."
Rage and humiliation ignited inside Kyouno like oil thrown into an inferno.
"Wind Glide!!Exploding Fireball!!!"
She screamed and lunged at him again, refusing to accept defeat.
From her hands, a blazing fireball erupted—Burning with every last ounce of her remaining strength.
But—Before the flames could even reach him,They were swallowed.Drained completely by the fire dragon's maw, as effortlessly as a river disappears into the sea.
Not even a cinder remained.
The knight…
Hadn't moved a single finger.
"Watching you struggle in such despair... is rather entertaining, I must say."
His voice rang out, each word rolling off his tongue like he was savoring a cruel comedy.
"But unfortunately, I have more important things to do..."
His eyes narrowed, a smirk twisting on his lips with mocking disdain.
"So, I suppose it's time I let you... reunite with that girl, isn't it?"
His casual, taunting laugh pierced Kyouno's mind like a needle, sending a chill down her spine.
A chilling premonition knocked at the door of her fragile heart.
And then—
He raised his sword.
From its blade, the blazing fire dragon roared to life once more.
Its soulless eyes gleamed coldly. It let out a wrathful roar and shot straight toward Kyouno like a flaming arrow of death.
"Now, allow me to show you..."
"What true power looks like—from one of the Three Grand Knights…"
"The three strongest members of the Twelve Knight Apostles."
The moment those words ended, the fire dragon surged forward—
An arrogant, unstoppable wave of destruction.
Kyouno… stood frozen.
Not because she couldn't run.
But because—what good would it do?
In that moment, all she could do was accept it.
Like a helpless prey facing a ruthless predator.
Powerless… Hopeless…
So this is how it ends?
She couldn't even avenge her sister…?
.......