Chapter: 319
To intervene in the magic circle that the opponent unfolds, countless abilities are required.
First and foremost, the most important thing is that you must be able to counter the opponent’s magic power.
If you cannot uphold this premise, your own magic will be swallowed by the opponent’s, and you won’t even have a chance to intervene in the magic circle.
In the first place, Joy cannot respond to the magic power possessed by the Thief.
It’s true that she possesses outstanding abilities, and it’s evident that she’s been growing rapidly by not resting on her talents, but still, she is just a first-year student at the academy.
Joy, who has many untapped potentials yet to blossom, hasn’t amassed enough time to challenge the Thief in a contest of strength.
So, Joy took out her secret move.
The jewel that Lucy had once gifted her. By releasing the magic power stored within it, she forcibly balanced the scales.
Her innate magic, combined with the magic inside the jewel, allowed Joy’s and the Thief’s magic to face each other. But this confrontation wouldn’t last long.
The magic Joy was trying to manipulate was already far beyond her usual limits.
A pain as if the circuits of magic etched within her body were gradually tearing apart.
The heat surging through her veins felt as if her blood was boiling.
Gritting her teeth, Joy persevered through the pain as she moved her magic.
The second condition for intervening in the magic circle: knowing the form of the magic circle the opponent intends to unfold.
It’s extremely hard to scatter magic once it has formed, and the forces are gathering together.
Unless you possess an overwhelming force to crush it, it’s practically impossible.
However, if you intrude before the magic circle is completed, that’s a different story.
If you can slip in between the magic powers that are trying to hold hands, preventing the magic circle from forming altogether, even if there’s a slight difference in power, or even if you fall short, you can scatter the magic.
And Joy had already memorized the magic circle her opponent would unfold perfectly after challenging the Thief dozens or hundreds of times.
How the image would be drawn.
Which part would be the center.
Which side was weak in connection.
How it would be supplemented in unexpected situations.
All of these matters.
That is why, despite the terrible pain, Joy could lift the corners of her mouth.
She had already decided what to do.
Now, all that remained was to move her magic.
With a light swing of her staff, the magic that had been spread around her moved to where it should be, as if each was endowed with its own will.
Her talent had blossomed after asking Lucy for help.
A multi-magic manipulation ability that even the Magic Studies professor praised with red eyes.
As Joy’s specialty was lavishly displayed, the magic circle that the Thief had been drawing faltered in mid-formation.
“Impressive. Little one.”
This was something that had never happened before.
Even the Thief, who used magic, couldn’t have imagined it would occur.
One would normally feel bewildered.
And yet, somehow, the Thief remained calm in front of such an event.
“The talent you possess is truly wondrous.”
“…Absolutely. For Lady Partlan of House Partlan… this is nothing special!”
As Joy’s voice rose despite the agony she was enduring, the corners of the Thief’s mouth curled up, forming a deep smile.
“But not yet! Do you really think you can stop me with just this level?!”
As if responding to the Thief’s shout, his magic surged with even more vigor.
It seemed that until now, this confrontation had been his leniency. As if to say he had played enough, he was ready to end it. Facing the increasingly thickening magic, Joy internally screamed.
That wasn’t the limit?!
He hadn’t been straining, but had actually been holding back until that moment!?
That’s not reasonable!
Desperately, Joy attempted to push back the Thief’s magic, but the gap in their powers was too vast.
If the Thief’s magic was a storm, then Joy’s was merely a spring breeze.
No matter how hard she struggled, the inevitable conclusion awaited her: being devoured by the storm, disappearing without a trace.
What should I do?!
What can I do?!
How am I going to stop this now?!
What on earth can I do to turn this situation around?!
“The Great Lord Jushin said.”
At the moment when Joy’s eyes lost direction in despair.
A voice reached her from beside her.
Filled with warmth, unwavering even in a desperate situation.
“Miracles come to those who do not give up.”
Following him, Joy turned her head and saw Phoebe, or rather the Saintess, standing next to her.
The appearance of a clergyman wishing to convey hope to the world, following the will of God.
“We will forget to retreat.”
The moment the prayer ended, the pain that lingered in Joy’s body scattered, and a will seeped into her heart, which had been filled with panic and confusion.
The blessing made for those fighting against evil granted Joy even more resolve.
Finishing her prayer, Phoebe smiled warmly at Joy, who was staring at her blankly, then raised her divinity and faced forward once again.
“Alright, everyone? Let’s show them this isn’t the end.”
“I already know that! Saintess!”
“Let’s go!”
With the powerful male voice and the indifferent female voice overlapping, Arthur and Frey rushed forward, passing by Joy.
Seeing the two charge, the Thief tried to obstruct their advance with his red magic that had dominated the room, but his power was inevitably clumsier than before.
His magic, which had filled the room, was currently restrained by Joy’s magic.
“Not much of a shout for such an effort!”
“How… sloppy.”
Arthur and Frey, who had become so used to facing the Thief as their opponent, would not stop at the clumsy interference they faced after overcoming his best efforts to get to this point.
The two, easily avoiding all obstacles, reached the Thief.
“How dare you interfere!”
“Are you struggling now?!”
“Just change your words. Pathetic.”
The aura etched onto their weapons.
An ultimate form packed with a resolve that seemed to say they wouldn’t think of the aftermath!
Seeing that aura, the Thief swung his sword in desperation, but his sword strike couldn’t push back Frey and Arthur.
Rather, it exposed a gap, blocked only by Arthur’s sword.
“Damn it!”
Normally, the Thief would have had the luxury even against the combined efforts of Arthur and Frey.
His innate talent, sturdy body, and overwhelming magic were levels too high for Arthur and Frey to endure.
But now was not the time.
After being reduced through countless challenges, most of the Thief’s defenses had been broken.
At this moment, to unleash his final magic, he had poured out all his magic outside his body.
The Thief had to do his utmost to defend against Arthur and Frey’s joint attack.
“The sword itself is boring. So sloppy.”
“Just as you say! Without magic, you’re nothing!”
“You worthless scum!”
As the aura clashed, creating sparks, Joy suddenly snapped back to reality, feeling something being placed on her shoulder.
“Joy. This isn’t the time to be dawdling.”
“…Huh?”
“An opportunity has arisen. If you keep this up, I might just start calling you the foolish Young Lady Joy?”
“What?! What do you mean… Ah.”
Surprised by Phoebe’s words, Joy raised her voice, but soon understood the meaning behind them.
The red magic was gradually losing its coherence.
As the combined efforts of Arthur and Frey pressed on the Thief, the magic that had been under his control was slipping out of command.
“You can do it, right?”
“…Of course.”
Intervening in magic that was slipping from its master’s control was as easy as interfering with the magic that existed in nature!
For the Joy of the past, maybe not.
But for the current Joy, this was nothing at all.
“I’ll help you, Joy.”
Joy didn’t question Phoebe’s words of assistance.
Knowing her friend from childhood, she expressed her trust with a light smile and again moved her staff.
Joy’s magic seeped through the gaps between the Thief’s magic, and following the path Joy’s magic created, Phoebe’s divinity moved, accelerating the scattering of the magic.
“Stop it! It can’t end like this!”
The Thief sensed the change and, in a panic, tried to resist.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Responding in order is only polite. You can’t pass.”
“Get out of my wayyy!”
In his lost calm state, he couldn’t defeat those inheriting the glorious blood of Soladin and those blessed by innate talent.
“No!”
The red magic that had brought death to Arthur’s group was dispersing.
“No!”
The ominous air that had filled the room was quelled by the divinity.
“I said NO!”
At the moment the source of the magic he was trying to unfold crumbled.
“Damn… cough cough!”
The Thief, whose voice was near a scream, coughed up blood.
The recoil that came from breaking the magic he had poured all his power into.
For someone wielding magic, it’s akin to a death sentence.
Seeing the opening, Frey rushed in to end his life, but Arthur stopped her.
“…Why stop me? Sympathy?”
“The opponent is Lucy Allen. Who knows what traps he has laid at the end?”
“Ah. Understood.”
As Frey stepped back without resistance, the Thief’s death kept progressing little by little.
The armor protecting his body began to rust, gradually turning to dust.
Wrinkles started forming rapidly on his once youthful skin, and eventually, the skin began to rot from that point.
His bones weakened to the point where they couldn’t bear the weight of his body, and he collapsed onto the ground.
After several attempts to rise before collapsing again, the Thief gazed at his body crumbling from his toes.
“Is this the end for one who chose a wrong path?”
In a scene where the god who presides over time seemed to take away the time the Thief held.
“Haha. Yes. This must be the way of things.”
With eyes filled with regret, the Thief looked around the room one last time, then fixed his gaze on the group who defeated him.
“Congratulations. You’ve turned the impossible into possible, thus overcoming this mansion. I sincerely hope you take pride in the miracle you have created.”
A statement that didn’t quite suit a loser. The Thief murmured while chuckling, but that laughter didn’t last long.
Before long, all the time that remained with him was snatched away.
Thus the formidable opponent who had driven Arthur’s party into hundreds of failures was reduced to ashes, leaving only a cold, beautiful bracelet behind, proof that something had once existed there.
“…Joy, I don’t know much about that ornament, but is that the one I think it is?”
“Your Highness the Third Prince! Can’t you tell just by looking?! The carefully crafted jewels! The countless colors contained within! Most importantly, the sigil engraved there is definitely from Lady Praty!”
“Indeed, Your Highness. That is clearly an item made by the Apostle of the Artisan Guild.”
“That means… we’re the first conquerors of this dungeon!”
Arthur couldn’t contain his joy, clenching his fist.
“It’s over!”
The Joy, who had just poured all her energy into battling, forgot her dignity as a noble and started whining about being too tired and in pain, accompanied by a smile.
“It’s finally over.”
Phoebe, who approached Joy, healed her with her magic.
“Wasn’t it boring at the end?”
Frey, unaware that a smile had formed on her lips, scoffed nonchalantly while she sheathed her sword.
The six-day journey, which had continued without a moment’s rest since the academy’s end-of-term exams started,
Ultimately concluded with the victory of Arthur’s group.
*
– Ding!
[The Final Exam Dungeon has been conquered!]
[Penalty imposed for quest failure!]
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