"Such overwhelming power..." The Wizard stood on a rooftop, gazing at the devastation caused by the clash of Olivia and Bell's Light Beams, his expression one of awe.
Unbeknownst to him, Olivia suddenly burst from the still-burning flames, her sword tip aimed directly at his throat!
In combat, eliminating the backline first—targeting Wizards, archers, healers, and similar roles—is a universally known tactic. Olivia was no exception; her primary objective had always been the Wizard.
Olivia's speed was overwhelming, and the Wizard, completely caught off guard by this close-range assault, had no time to react. Her blade struck—a Magic Shield that materialized before him.
This was the effect of a Magic Ring he wore—a Magic Item that generated a shield upon imminent harm. Instantly, the Wizard vanished from the spot, triggering a Trigger Spell he had set up. The trigger condition: when the Magic Ring's shield activated, immediately teleport him away.
As soon as the Wizard vanished, a crimson Magic Circle materialized beneath Olivia's feet. Resting silently upon it was a blood-red Crystal Stone.
This was another Magic Item, a failsafe the Wizard had built into his Teleportation Magic. The gemstone wouldn't teleport with him but would remain behind, automatically activating once he was a certain distance away.
Boom!
A massive surge of fiery Magic erupted from the circle, coalescing into a five-meter-tall humanoid form—a Summoned Fire Elemental!
In other words, the Wizard had designed a system: if someone ambushed him, he would vanish instantly, leaving his attacker to face a face-to-face brawl with a Fire Elemental.
The Fire Elemental materialized rapidly, appearing in this world within mere seconds. But as it scanned its surroundings, it found itself utterly alone.
Fire Elemental: "?"
As for Olivia, she had long since left the scene. Immediately after the Wizard teleported, she locked onto his new location and charged toward it once more!
Taking advantage of the lingering aftereffects of the two Light Beams, and with the remaining flames from the Divine Smite obscuring the others' vision, this was the perfect moment to strike them down one by one. But the Wizard had clearly anticipated this, as the Trigger Spell's teleportation point had been deliberately set to his teammates' locations—the Forging Priest and the Bard.
Upon landing, he immediately began preparing his magic. Years of ingrained teamwork meant no communication was needed: the Forging Priest raised his shield to prepare for defense, while the Bard retrieved her Travel Book.
Olivia arrived moments later. Seeing the shield before her, she had no intention of charging headfirst. Instead, she swiftly circled behind the trio. But after circling around, she found their formation unchanged: the Forging Priest still stood at the front, shield raised, while the Wizard and Bard remained positioned behind him.
This was due to the Forging Priest's shield's unique property. When he designated an enemy, the shield would continuously face that target—a Spatial Magic effect akin to Teleportation. Of course, Olivia had no idea what was happening, but knowing her time was limited, she abandoned caution and launched a direct frontal assault.
Thud!
Olivia's kick slammed into the shield with brutal force. The Forging Priest felt an indescribable power surge through him, his expression twisting in shock. "What immense strength!"
The impact sent the Forging Priest, along with the caught-off-guard Wizard and Bard, sliding backward nearly ten meters. They even crashed through the wall of a nearby building.
Olivia followed up with another downward kick, shattering the wooden floor beneath the Forging Priest's feet. All four plummeted through the hole.
They landed in what appeared to be the cellar of a former inn.
After two relentless attacks, the Forging Priest's shield had been knocked askew, disrupting its magical defenses. This meant Olivia could bypass him, but at the same moment, the Wizard completed his spell.
"Seventh-level Conjuration School—Create Demiplane!"
One moment Olivia was a mere step away from her targets; the next, she found herself in a completely new environment. The barren, featureless expanse stretched endlessly in all directions—a battlefield the Wizard had meticulously prepared for this very confrontation.
At that moment, Olivia was at least a kilometer away from the trio. Within that kilometer, countless Magic Circles and golden light suddenly erupted.
The former were conjured by the Wizards, summoning various Elemental Creatures, while the latter were divine magic spells cast by the Forging Priest, summoning Guardians of Faith. Simultaneously, the Bard raised her Travel Book, and a massive vortex of flames appeared above the Demiplane, from which swarms of crimson demons poured forth.
Within seconds, the once-empty Demiplane was overrun with countless Summoned Creatures, surging toward Olivia in a relentless tide.
Seeing this, Olivia took a deep breath and charged headfirst into the overwhelming 'army.'
The first attacks to rain down upon her were a barrage of spells: Fireballs, Ice Spikes, and Lightning Bolts—the basic attacks of the Wizards' summoned Elemental Creatures. The sheer volume was overwhelming, a blanket of fire and ice that left no room for evasion.
Seeing this, Olivia didn't bother trying to dodge. Instead, she swiftly scanned the battlefield, identifying areas where the spell density was slightly thinner, and weaved through those gaps.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireballs exploded across the Demiplane, cratering the landscape. Olivia, like a lone skiff, steadfastly navigated the raging sea.
"Faster! Charge!" Half, perched on Olivia's shoulder, gritted his teeth. A blue shield enveloped them both, but it shattered after withstanding only three Fireballs and two Lightning Lances. The next Fireball detonated at Olivia's feet, blasting Half away.
Finally, Olivia charged into the midst of a large group of Golden Guardians of Faith. Seeing this, the Elemental Creatures in the distance ceased their attacks to avoid friendly fire.
Each Guardian of Faith possessed exquisitely crafted features, indistinguishable from living beings save for their radiant glow. The more intricate their design, the greater their power!
The moment they engaged, four swords slashed at Olivia from all directions. Yet she evaded them with an impossibly fluid, almost otherworldly maneuver.
She subtly shifted her body, arching back and turning her head with each movement, as if precisely choreographed to evade the enemy's attacks by mere millimeters. Simultaneously, Olivia's longsword traced an elegant arc, bypassing the Guardians of Faith's weapons and striking the gaps in their armor with pinpoint accuracy, piercing straight to their core!
In this Flow State—or what could also be described as "Oneness with Heaven and Man"—Olivia's entire focus was concentrated on a single purpose. She had entered an almost mystical state where the world seemed to slow to a crawl, akin to bullet-time in a video game.
Within this state, her physical capabilities were fully unleashed. Normally, a punch would only deliver the force of her fist, but Olivia could channel the full power of her entire body into a single strike. This was how she had delivered those two devastating kicks to the Forging Priest earlier.
By channeling her entire being into each attack within the Flow State, Olivia had struck the shield's weakest point twice in succession, finally shattering its defenses.
Moreover, this wasn't just happening now. Olivia had consciously entered the Flow State the moment the battle began. This was the culmination of her tireless training, the ultimate reward for her relentless efforts.
Surrounded by a swarm of Guardians of Faith, Olivia showed no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, she moved even faster!
In mere seconds, she broke through the Guardians' encirclement and charged into the ranks of Elemental Creatures behind them. Unlike the Guardians, these Elemental Creatures were far more difficult to kill, forcing Olivia to prioritize speed and defense, reducing her attack frequency.
However, these Elemental Creatures were either engulfed in flames, crackling with lightning, or swirling in violent vortexes. Even passing near them risked injury, leaving no truly safe place in the area.
Soon, wounds began appearing on Olivia's body. The demons in the sky began their assault, swooping down upon her.
The perspective shifted to the Wizards. From their vantage point, Olivia's figure was almost invisible, completely swallowed by the chaos of the crowd.
The Wizards resumed preparing new summoning spells, while the Bard closed her Travel Book and drew out a flute. As a poet, providing buffs to her teammates was a fundamental skill.
The Forging Priest reset his shield, remaining vigilant against any incoming attacks, showing no sign of letting his guard down.
Normally, all they needed to do was hold their ground and let the massive swarm of summoned creatures gradually deplete Olivia's Strength. Victory seemed within reach. That was their plan, and that was what they were doing. But less than ten seconds later, a crimson-and-white figure burst through the ranks of summoned creatures—a development none of the three had anticipated!
Gathering momentum from her charge, she kicked the top of the Forging Priest's shield with tremendous force, driving his feet deep into the ground. Instinctively, he tilted the shield upward to alleviate the pressure.
However, because the Forging Priest was a Dwarf, already shorter in stature, tilting his shield upward while sinking into the ground created an opening above him. Olivia seized the opportunity without hesitation, hurling her longsword. The crimson meteor streaked through the air, piercing the Wizard's chest in an instant, pinning him to the ground with a stunned expression on his face!
The Wizard had already exhausted both his Magic Item's shield and Trigger Spells. With no defensive measures in place and standing behind his Priest teammate, he hadn't immediately replenished his defenses. Instead, he had focused on summoning more creatures to press their advantage, leading to his current predicament.
"Cough—" The Wizard violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. His trembling right hand reached for the pouch at his waist, fumbling to open it. As he lay sprawled on the ground, a cascade of scrolls and gemstones spilled out. He seemed to be trying to grasp one of the scrolls.
But the moment his fingers brushed against it, his grip weakened, and the light in his eyes slowly faded. Olivia's sword had pierced his heart—an undeniably fatal wound.
With the Wizard's death, all his summoned creatures vanished instantly. Even the Demiplane itself expelled the remaining three survivors, teleporting them back to the inn's cellar where the battle had begun.
Only the vast horde of demons and Guardians of Faith remained in the Demiplane, exchanging wary glances... before inevitably clashing.
Of course, this was of little concern to the Priest and Bard. They stared in stunned silence at Olivia, who had collapsed to her knees, utterly exhausted and covered in wounds.
The Wizard... is dead?
The Demon Lord looks to be drained of power too. Did we... actually win?
Barely a minute had passed since the battle began. Had it all happened too quickly?
"Cough..." It was Olivia. She coughed up blood. Her initial Divine Smite had drained ninety percent of her Strength, and the subsequent grueling battle—during which she had remained in the high-Strength-consuming Flow State—had left her utterly spent. She couldn't even muster the strength to twitch a finger.
Even breathing had become agonizingly difficult. Every inch of her body screamed in pain. Inwardly, she sighed with resignation and murmured to her Lord, Half, "It seems I'm still not strong enough..."
Taking down one of seven elite "Heroes"—not a single weakling among them—was an absurdly impressive feat. But... it wasn't enough.
After a pause, Olivia continued to murmur inwardly, "Half, just as we discussed... I entrust the rest to you."
All Warlocks possessed a universal ability: the Terminate Contract. This ultimate measure involved offering their entire being—not just their life, but also their soul—to their Lord, imploring them to intervene.
I'm sorry, Little Trib, Olivia thought with a pang. Perhaps... you'll never see me reincarnated.