The blue dome expanded wide, orbing everything beneath it. A powerful vibration of Mana caused the earth to jerk violently. Several soldiers and demons lost their footing.
In the midst of the chaos, Reina turned her head. Her eyes immediately locked onto the gargantuan blue dome.
"…He did it," she murmured.
Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword tighter, not out of fear—but out of a bitter realization: whatever was happening inside was no longer within anyone's control except for Mujun and the Demon King.
On the other side of the battlefield, Pritty—still fighting within her isolated space—felt something pierce her chest, like a thin thread suddenly pulled taut.
"Is this truly for the best… Mujun…" she whispered.
Meanwhile, the sky above the Birdcage trembled faintly. Not from sound—but from pressure. The clouds parted, the wind swirled aimlessly, and the sunlight hitting the dome was refracted into an unnatural, pale blue hue. Birds fell from the air, not dead—but disoriented, like compasses that had suddenly lost their North.
The Human King, watching the course of the war through a magic mirror, knitted his brow. The blue dome blocked the mirror's vision and severed its connection. All who were watching no longer knew what was occurring within.
Nestal's defeat had disturbed the King slightly. However, humanity was not that weak. Even if their Hero fell, the demon army would not find it so easy to crush mankind. The war between the Demon King and the Hero in this world had gone on for ages. It was not uncommon for a Hero to lose, yet the human race had never gone extinct. Likewise, it was not rare for a Demon King to be defeated, yet the demon race persisted to this day.
Thus, when Rugentta said he would annihilate humanity, the King did not flinch. He even snorted at the sheer arrogance of the Demon King.
But as the blue dome overflowed, a terrible premonition crept into his heart. Although this was the first time he had seen the Birdcage spell, it wasn't the spell itself that made him anxious—it was what would follow.
"Quickly, find a way to breach that blue dome!" he commanded.
But before his aides could act, the magic mirrors that had been static suddenly glowed again, and the view inside the blue dome became visible once more. The same thing happened to other magic mirrors across all of Crocus. At this moment, the eyes of the entire world were fixed inside the Birdcage.
The air inside the Birdcage felt different. Not heavy, not hot—but dense. The blue light from the dome's walls pulsed slowly, reflecting the shadows of Mujun and Rugentta onto its surface like two silhouettes preparing to face one another.
Rugentta gave a small laugh. "Interesting… you've locked yourself in here with me." His eyes narrowed. "Is this how you commit suicide, Mage?"
"What is it you are actually trying to do?"
Mujun did not answer. His hand moved to open his grimoire; its pages fluttered without the touch of wind. The Mana around him began to be sucked in, flowing into the book like sea currents pulled into a whirlpool.
"This is my way of ensuring no one interferes," he replied calmly. "And no one escapes."
His index finger rose, pointing upward—toward the large mirror floating in the sky.
"Right now, the entire world is watching us. And with that, they will bear witness as this world changes."
Rugentta's smile widened, revealing his fangs. "I truly cannot read what you are thinking, but—"
Without warning, the ground beneath his feet exploded.
His body vanished from sight—not through teleportation, but through pure speed that tore the air. In a fraction of a second, his afterimage appeared before Mujun.
"…I will only ask you once. If you refuse—then die!"
A hand cloaked in black energy struck straight at Mujun's chest.
But what was struck was not a body. Mujun's silhouette shattered like mist, while his true body appeared thirty meters behind Rugentta.
"Instant illusion…" the Demon King muttered.
Dozens of magic circles appeared in the air, surrounding him. Gold and blue light exploded simultaneously. Waves of pressure slammed into Rugentta from six different directions, pulverizing the ground into a massive crater. Rocks flew, the air distorted, and the space within the dome vibrated like glass being struck from the inside.
But from the center of the explosion—a hand emerged.
Rugentta stepped out of the Mana storm as if walking through light rain, his gray skin coated in a layer of dark energy that dampened the entire impact of the attack.
"Truly annoying," he complained, his voice echoing low. "Do you think I am as weak as that pathetic Hero?"
His body vanished again.
Unfortunately, this time Mujun could not read the direction of the incoming attack. In an instant, Rugentta appeared right at Mujun's side, his elbow smashing into the mage's ribs.
BOOM.
Mujun's body was sent flying, slamming into the wall of the Birdcage until the blue light of the dome vibrated violently. The magic shield protecting him shattered like thin glass hit by a sledgehammer.
But before he hit the ground, the space behind him folded and his body disappeared.
A thin trail of blood dripped from the corner of his lips. Although the magic shield had absorbed most of the damage, the vibration from the Demon King's elbow still made his internal organs shudder. Rugentta rolled his shoulders, his bones clicking like shifting stones.
"Your reaction is incredibly fast. Are you truly a Pure Mage?"
His tone sounded slightly surprised. That last attack should have hit Mujun before he could even blink. Yet when Rugentta appeared, Mujun had still managed to leap back—something nearly impossible for a Pure Mage, especially against a Demon King.
Mujun only offered a bitter smile. That attack had truly convinced him he had almost died before he could even execute his plan.
"Are you done playing around?" Rugentta growled. "I am not Leon. I am far stronger than him. Show me your true strength, Mage. Otherwise, the whole world will watch you die in vain!"
Mujun knew he couldn't waste any more time. His fight with Leon had drained much of his Mana, and fighting a war of attrition against a Will-user was pure folly. He had to end this with one absolute strike.
The grimoire in his hand, which had been incessantly absorbing Mana, began to glow brightly. A dark blue aura crept out from between its pages. Mujun's hands moved rapidly, tearing out the pages of the book one by one and tossing them into the air.
Six papers stopped mid-air, hovering.
A blinding light exploded. As the glare dimmed, six weapons had formed in the air surrounding Mujun.