The battle with Albert was a dizzying game of chess.
He was the most classic mage among all the humans Iria had seen so far.
His specialty? Magic sniping from a distance. Just as a proper sniper, keeping his distance was a hassle, making it hard for anyone to get close without the right angle.
The mana enveloping the space was akin to Albert’s domain.
It sluggishly hindered the movement of everything else but accelerated the flow of mana.
That’s why dodging his sniping was no easy task.
Iria could see it with her eyes, but her body felt a resistance, making it a close call to evade at the last second.
Entering his domain would make movement laborious, putting her at a disadvantage.
Of course, if she tried to keep her distance, there were no means to attack him.
After stepping out of the domain, Iria deflected the lightning strikes with her dagger.
Even with her innate physical abilities, the fatigue in her body was brutally honest. Her movements had noticeably slowed down.
“Hah…”
There was no time to rest. Just because she had escaped the domain didn’t mean she was safe.
The moment she distanced herself even slightly, high-power magic would come flying in, with no blind spots to dodge.
“Blue Flame.”
The blue flame emerging from Albert’s hands engulfed the corridor.
It was a barrage of high-tier spells unleashed all at once.
The astonishing fact was that there were no restrictions in executing all of it.
The shadow spear was quick to cast. The speed of the flames unfolding was equally rapid.
Was the might lacking because it was all so fast? Sadly, no!
Albert’s instant firepower rivaled or even surpassed Eve’s.
The absurd part? His primary magic wasn’t even fire.
Zap, zap!
After enduring the flames, a violet lightning bolt swooped in.
The lightning shot out in a straight line, looking weak compared to other spells at first glance, but that was a misconception.
It concentrated an enormous amount of mana into a single point before launching.
The precision and might suited the title of magic sniper.
As it passed through the mana domain, the lightning accelerated again, piercing even Iria’s skin.
A single shot she failed to dodge penetrated Iria’s right shoulder.
She grimaced at the numbing pain. Blood oozed from the gaping wound, accompanied by a faint smell of burnt flesh.
The jolt of electricity caused her to drop the dagger she was holding.
Things were looking grim.
To attack Albert, she had to get closer, but the thick mana domain made that impossible.
Daring to step inside was dangerous. Beyond that lay Albert’s domain in every sense.
Iria thought while dodging incoming lightning bolts.
A ranged attack method?
She didn’t have none.
“…”
It was somewhat archaic and primitive, though.
Before coming here, Iria pulled out a stash of throwing daggers she had bought in bulk.
After sliding three daggers onto her fingers, she held one in her right hand.
Then, slowly, she channeled her strength. To pierce through the mana domain and reach Albert.
Behold!
Ranged attacks don’t always have to rely solely on magic.
Whoosh!!
Iria hurled the dagger at Albert. The sound of the sharp blade slicing through the air tickled her ears.
The flying dagger soon entered the domain, a space that slowed down everything except the flow of mana.
Sure, the thrown dagger couldn’t escape that restraint, but did you know?
A dagger moving with overwhelming speed is still fast, even when slowed down.
Designed specifically for throwing, it encounters less air resistance and is easier to accelerate.
The physical force packed into Iria’s throw just grazed Albert’s cheek.
Blood trickled from the freshly cut skin.
Albert swiped a hand across his cheek, realizing it had indeed drawn blood.
“Mm.”
He paused his magic sniping momentarily and formed a barrier with overlapping mana.
It had been a long time since he received a direct attack from someone else.
From his perspective, the intruder with blue hair resembled a beast.
Surely, she was quite exhausted after descending this far. He hadn’t expected her to pose much of a threat.
But something felt different.
The sharp glare in her eyes radiated a notable pressure. Though injured, her fangs remained razor-sharp.
If she had been in perfect condition, could Albert have handled her?
“…”
He wasn’t sure.
So he deemed it too risky.
Albert released more mana, expanding his domain. He surrounded it with a barrier and began to cast.
All the mana in the vicinity converged toward Iria.
—
Physics rips magic apart.
Iria held her sword up, deflecting the incoming spells.
She couldn’t only defend. Whenever an opening appeared in Albert’s onslaught, she threw her daggers.
Though the mana barrier blocked her, how long could it hold out?
Thud!!
A throwing dagger crashed against the barrier.
Was this the extent of its power after slowing down through the domain?
Iria’s dagger seemed to match the force of top-tier spells. If it had struck without the mana domain, it wouldn’t have endured even for a moment.
A crack formed in the barrier Albert had conjured.
It was uncertain whether Iria would run out of daggers first or the barrier would break.
If the barrier fell, Iria planned to dive at Albert. To finish him off, she had to close the gap.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Stepping into the domain meant she’d have to withstand all of Albert’s mana.
It was almost like a half-bluff.
With a dagger in hand, Iria continued hurling them toward Albert. Three daggers flew through the air at once.
She displayed her dexterity, dodging all the lightning magic.
But she was blocked.
Albert was the first to move.
“Blue Ice.”
Blue shards of ice shot up from the ground to intercept the daggers.
But that wasn’t all.
Icicles rose from beneath Iria’s feet, threatening her.
Ultimately, she had to step back. Now, what blocked Iria wasn’t just the domain.
The ice shards barricaded the corridor, obstructing her trajectory. She could see no angle to throw daggers again. Albert had to give her another opening.
It seemed that breaking the barrier from this distance was impossible. The odds of her gamble had lowered.
Thus, she would need to find another way.
To turn the tide, Iria took out a high-grade magic stone from her pocket and smashed it.
“Wind.”
Then, she poured all her mana into one place.
Normally, she’d divide the mana from a single magic stone efficiently, but this time was different.
She planned to burn all her mana at once and envelop herself with it.
She couldn’t afford to drag this fight out any longer against him. Prolonging the battle only put her at a disadvantage.
Especially if this was the Empire’s headquarters.
Nothing could be worse than arriving at the worst scenario with her strength drained and reinforcements showing up.
Whoooooosh!!
The blue-green wind enveloped Iria’s body.
It wasn’t just a gentle wrap. Absorbing all the mana from the high-grade magic stone, she became a storm in her own right.
She intended to blow through everything in her path.
Not just the ice blocking her, or the mana domain, but also the barrier he’d erected.
She wouldn’t need the daggers; they’d be useless. Instead, she gathered a colossal gust of wind around her fist.
Seeing Iria fully prepared for her assault, Albert also got ready for a shot of his own, fulminated in a confident tone.
“Hah…”
Iria took a deep breath.
And then—
She leaped, leading the storm!
Zap!!
In an instant, the ice shards shattered. She punched through the barricades of ice and pushed forward.
Once inside Albert’s domain, a significant resistance enveloped her movements.
It was expected.
Her speed slowed, and she consumed energy at an alarming rate but pressed on nonetheless.
She cut through his sniping and smashed through his barriers, all in a heartbeat.
Finally, she arrived right in front of Albert. Iria swung her fist toward him.
“Did you know?”
But she never touched him.
Albert caught Iria’s fist with his hand and then spoke.
“When you use mana within my domain, that mana becomes mine.”
The winds that had enveloped Iria dissipated.
Her mana shattered in the air, and the initiative passed to Albert.
The winds that had once been hers changed direction, spiraling around before striking at Iria.
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