Two paladins emitting aura right in front of them.
In that moment, there were two beasts summoned by them in front of the girls.
One looked like a slightly bigger dog, while the other resembled a much smaller bear.
And then… as soon as she saw them, Vicer was automatically seized by a deep tension.
‘Aura manifestation. A skill that only high-level paladins can use. It’s like being an almost high mage among mages…’
The fact that these simpletons had skills beyond her imagination was something Vicer never anticipated.
Plus, in this moment, these guys were baring their teeth at her, ready to pounce.
So, Vicer decided to amplify the magic contained in her gauntlet as a test and to take the initiative in battle.
-Drururu…-
“Haaah…”
The ground began to tremble momentarily with the gathering of immense magical power.
Her gauntlet, embedded with a blue gem, started to turn red.
“If you think you’re so great… then take this!”
Her magic began to swirl violently, as if it were about to explode.
Vicer took her stance and aimed her gauntlet, filled with concentrated magic, at the paladins in front of her.
And then…
“Fuhahahaa!!!!!”
With a shout, her gauntlet shot forward.
At that moment, the expressions of the two paladins watching her changed slightly.
-KWAAAH!!!-
Her strike shot forward with an immense explosive sound.
The attack, powerful enough to shake the earth, crashed into the two paladins.
Vicer’s unique magic, Giga Strike.
An attack that unleashes maximum power concentrated in a forward punch, strong enough to crush even a boulder.
It was the strongest finishing move owned by Vicer, who pursued extreme power.
Although it had the downside of requiring some preparation time like just a moment ago, and it weighed heavily on her stamina after use, there was nothing better to finish off an enemy in one blow.
‘Even high mages would be knocked out in a single hit if they took this straight on. No matter how powerful the paladins are…’
Amid massive explosions, Vicer was confident of victory.
Meanwhile, the soldiers nearby felt an enormous aftershock, causing them to tremble momentarily.
“Truly, Vicer’s Giga Strike…”
“No paladin can escape unscathed from that.”
An attack that was tremendously different from ordinary people due to her status as a high mage.
For an ordinary enemy, this strike would literally leave them in pieces, dead.
Slowly, the dust raised by the Giga Strike began to settle…
And as they expected to see the remains of their pitiful enemies, the soldiers unwittingly uttered a phrase.
“Did… did we kill them?”
Just as those words finished, the dust completely cleared.
What appeared before their eyes was…
“! Th-this…”
“…Hehe…”
“Foolish, indeed.”
The paladins, perfectly intact, became visible as the dust cleared.
However, upon seeing this scene, the faces of those watching began to fill with horror.
“W-what? No way… they’re unscathed?”
“How could that be? They definitely took the full force of Vicer’s strike…”
It was as if it were a lie, the paladins appeared completely unharmed.
Seeing that, the soldiers and even Vicer began to feel a chilling sensation run down their spines.
‘This… No matter how I think of it, how can even the beasts summoned with aura be unharmed?’
Since they were presumed to be among the top-ranking paladins who handle aura, Vicer also knew it wouldn’t be easy to finish them off in one blow.
However, she truly never expected they would emerge without a single scratch.
In this unforeseen crisis, Vicer felt an intense sense of danger for the first time in her life and began to feel fear towards the enemies in front of her.
“I told you. Our paladins are your mages’ natural enemies.”
“No matter how powerful your magic may be, in the face of the divine power of aura, you’re just weak trash.”
“Guh…”
The paladins spoke confidently.
Then, they slowly began to move the beasts made of aura that protected them.
They appeared ready to attack at any moment.
Seeing such powerful enemies, against whom no magic would be effective, Vicer momentarily began to envision her miserable future.
‘Being captured by those guys in a place like this? No way, that can’t happen… If it comes to that, I’d rather end my own life than be a burden to the country… I can’t let it harm my younger siblings and my parents…’
As she contemplated such an unspeakable future, the worst of scenarios began running through Vicer’s mind.
At that moment…
“!..Ah…”
In the moment of crisis, a woman stepped in front of her.
A witch wearing a mask from the Dragona Empire.
Freddy Mars.
As soon as she saw this, a previously forgotten fact started to surface in Vicer’s mind.
‘Right. Now that I think of it, she’s a 7th Grade Mage, isn’t she? Known to be stronger than my father in terms of combat…’
As that fact registered, Vicer began to feel a bit of her inner unease dissipate.
Of course, no matter how powerful she was, Vicer believed it wouldn’t be easy for her to sweep away the paladins before her.
She thought that even as a 7th Grade Mage, she wouldn’t be able to exert great strength against those monsters, who had easily blocked her heartfelt strike.
However, setting that aside, at least in this situation, Vicer wanted to believe.
Hoping that the woman in front of her could do something…
That she had a way to navigate through this predicament.
And…
As Vicer felt such emotions, that witch named Freddy slowly reached her hand out towards the two paladins in front.
As if to do something to meet her expectations…
*
Nune and Tine, who had successfully defended against Santana’s sister’s attack, maintained a relaxed attitude with proud smiles on their faces.
However… beneath this facade, a chilly fear flickered through their minds at that moment.
‘Damn… I thought I was going to die…’
‘Honestly, I was scared. I never expected she would unleash such a strong attack…’
The mage’s blow, filled with power beyond what they had imagined.
Fortunately, they were able to block it thanks to the significant advantage of their compatibility, but that didn’t eliminate the sincere fear that gripped their hearts.
Had they not been paladins…
Or if they weren’t close to the upper echelon of paladins known as the 12 tribes…
Their bodies might well have been shattered to pieces by now.
‘It’s the first time I’ve taken such a heavy blow… Aura truly is an almost invincible force against magic…’
‘What now… whatever, we’ve passed the dangerous threshold, so all that’s left is to capture that girl and bring her back. If we do, General Tilly will definitely reward us greatly.’
As they brushed off their anxious feelings and approached to capture Santana’s sister, their steps suddenly halted due to the appearance of someone unexpected.
‘Huh?’
‘What is it?..’
The masked mage appeared as if to confront them.
In response, Nune and Tine began to think this was rather laughable compared to just moments ago.
‘Is a mere mage really brave enough to face us head-on?’
‘Maybe she’s so scared she’s lost her mind. But then again, no matter how much she struggles, it won’t matter to us anyway.’
Fueled by the substantial confidence gained from their previous experience, the two of them prepared to deal with the strange masked mage who seemed unaware of her situation.
In that moment, not knowing what the masked mage was thinking…
‘The witch… kills paladins.’
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