An Unbelievable Scene Appears Before Their Eyes
Nune and Tine’s faces began to harden in disbelief.
“What… what is this?”
“Wha.. what even is that… nonsense…”
What they saw before their eyes was the image of beasts made of aura slowly burning like a sheet of paper ignited by the swords swung by the ghosts.
Although the ghost, with a dog’s teeth embedded in its neck, vanished into smoke, the ghosts struck by the ball’s front paw burst apart as if something exploded.
However, in that process, the two beasts that were hit by the ghosts’ weapons were also suffering considerable damage.
Ghost soldiers swinging weapons engulfed in black flames.
Each time their attacks landed, the bodies of the aura beasts began to ignite with little flames, not as a mere nullification but as a direct hit.
The sacred power that nullifies all magic…
Seeing beasts—concentrations of this power and possessing absolute resistance to magic—being harmed like this, Nune and Tine were struck by heavy shock.
“How… how could this happen?”
“This is cheating! That’s magic, isn’t it? How could they use magic to… to materialize aura like that?”
It was something impossible.
The fact that no magic could stand against aura was a truth as undeniable as the existence of the world itself.
And witnessing this happening in real-time before their eyes brought tremendous shock to the two paladins.
Yet at this moment, the beasts made of aura were clearly suffering. As a result, the two had no choice but to urgently pull the beasts back.
“Damn it!”
“What the hell…”
The two women chewed on their anger and confusion.
Their beasts, after a brief encounter just moments ago, were already at a 30% loss.
Thankfully, this level was still something they could manage to recover from, but that was not their main concern.
The fact that the woman in front of them knew a way to shatter aura with magic.
That alone was a significant shock to both of them, leaving Nune and Tine unsure of how to proceed.
“What… do we do? At this rate, it’s hard to guarantee any victory against that lady…”
“Damn it… I never thought I’d encounter someone like her in a place like this…”
The confidence they held until just moments ago had vanished completely.
A real danger was present before their eyes, and rather than capturing the enemy, they were now worried about being captured themselves.
With the situation assessed, they quickly began to brainstorm.
And the conclusion they reached was…
“…Should we run away?”
“…Let’s run. I don’t want to take unnecessary risks with a gamble.”
If they fought the creature before them, they might somehow win.
However, there was also a risk of losing, and if that happened, their lives would truly be over.
Sure, they could hope for a sizable reward by bringing back the noble lady from Boheia, but they judged that preserving their lives was more paramount than any such achievement.
“Better to roll in dog poop than to die…”
“No need to be greedy and fall into disaster. It’s better to just escape like this…”
Having made that judgment, Nune and Tine began to slowly back away, leading the aura beasts away behind them.
They had always been the type to be weak against the strong and strong against the weak.
They had never risked their lives to achieve anything, choosing only paths that led to their own benefit, whether it be through injustice or justice.
Thus, they had absolutely no intention of stepping forward in this situation.
Deciding that it was better to abandon everything than to incur unnecessary losses, Nune and Tine carefully began to retreat and look for an escape opportunity.
“Running from mages won’t be easy, but I can leave that lady as bait.”
“Tine, I’m sorry. Thanks for everything. I won’t forget your sacrifice.”
In that moment, the two silently apologized to their comrade who would ‘sacrifice’ herself for them.
Then, Nune and Tine resolved their hearts and started to quickly turn around.
But…
“Huh?”
“Ah!”
The next moment, the two automatically uttered words of shock.
What lay before them was a pack of ghost soldiers that had appeared out of nowhere, blocking their retreat.
“What… what is this?”
“Uh… when did they…”
It was only then that Nune and Tine realized they were completely surrounded.
As they recognized this fact, their minds became more chaotic and overwhelmed.
The momentary panic set in as those who had attempted to escape realized their way out was blocked.
And in that instant, Freddy Mars…
No, Queen Andreas did not miss the chance.
“Attack.”
At her command, the ghost soldiers charged toward the two.
Even though the powerful beasts made of aura still stood by them, the panicked women were unable to manage them and ended up exposing a gap.
“Ah!”
“This damn…!”
Trying to react to the sudden offensive from the enemies, the two were already too late.
The ghost soldiers bypassed the hesitating aura beasts and plunged their swords into Nune and Tine.
At the same time, Nune and Tine felt a fleeting pain and were about to scream, but before any sound could escape their lips, they collapsed to the ground.
In that brief moment, a great despair washed over them as horrors of what awaited them in the future flashed through their minds…
*
“…Did we… kill them?”
Bicer asked with a trembling voice.
In response, Freddy shook her head slowly and replied in a nonchalant voice.
“I only knocked them out.”
“Ah…”
Her indifferent yet tidy response brought Bicer a sense of relief, knowing the captives were alive, as well as relief that the dangerous situation had passed.
‘That was close… I never thought those seemingly clueless girls would have such skill…’
Thinking that, Bicer slowly shifted her gaze to Freddy.
The witch who had effortlessly subdued the two paladins who were incapable of putting up any fight at all.
Having encountered many who were called strong, witnessing her, who could be counted among the elite, brought a mix of admiration and wariness to Bicer.
‘To take down those two powerful paladins so easily… I knew she was impressive, but she’s no ordinary opponent. So this is the Witch of Dragona Empire…’
As she admired inwardly, Bicer also reflected that without Cazerose’s assistance, it could have been a truly dangerous situation, directing the soldiers to rebind the unconscious paladins.
This time, with sturdy iron chains instead of breakable rope.
*
Wearing a mask and standing with an indifferent reaction was the Queen.
However, behind that mask, a deep and joyful smile lit up her face.
‘I did it… I really won! Not just anyone but against those powerful paladins!’
Since childhood, she had been warned to beware of paladins.
But in this moment, defeating two of them, who could be deemed strong among the strong, was a thrill beyond measure for the Queen.
‘In the end, they foolishly chose to run and left themselves open… but who cares? That chance was skill!’
As she again affirmed that the path she had chosen was correct, the Queen followed closely behind Bicer, ready to move again.
At that moment…
One of the soldiers failed to notice her and displayed a worried expression.
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