Chapter 99: Last attempt

Magic allowed people to rewrite reality in ways ordinary humans could scarcely imagine, bringing into existence phenomena that science could neither explain nor replicate.

It was a force that defied the laws governing the world, turning the impossible into something tangible.

When Hannah first awakened her skill, which allowed her to nullify any attack constructed through magic, she had believed there was little she couldn’t evade or defuse.

Her confidence hadn’t come from arrogance alone. She knew her limits, understood the capabilities of her skills, and had spent countless hours studying magic in careful detail.

Part of that effort stemmed from genuine fascination, but much of it was driven by necessity.

In a world where a single spell could determine whether someone lived or died, ignorance was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Yet, despite everything she had learned, she had never witnessed a spell on this level. No, it did not even belong to any level.

It surpassed every recorded feat of magic she had studied, every account she had encountered, and even the wildest rumors circulating among those who had spent their lives researching over mana.

"What is this? Am I dreaming? I have to be." Mei muttered beside her, staring at the scene with undisguised shock.

Hannah was hardly in a better state. The only difference was that she had managed to keep her thoughts to herself, even as her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing.

A towering wall of ice surrounded them, its immense structure stretching so high that its summit seemed to disappear into the sky.

Within its frozen perimeter, more than a hundred monsters had been trapped, their escape routes cut off by an obstacle that defied any ordinary understanding of magic.

Land-bound creatures had no hope of scaling such a height, while those capable of flight would either find themselves trapped within the enclosure or need a little time to ascend beyond its reach.

But what good would an escape even do?

A hunter stood within that frozen prison, capable of slaughtering them faster than their minds could register the moment of death.

"This is cheating..." A miserable whimper drifted through the air. "You cheated again... No, no, no!"

Hannah turned toward the voice, only to find herself staring in disbelief at the very Monarch they were here to subjugate.

The almighty entity that had inspired dread through countless grim accounts was kicking at the sand, tears welling in his eyes as he complained like a child who had just lost a game.

For a moment, Hannah wondered whether the creature before her was even the same being they had been warned about.

There was something almost absurd about watching a Monarch, an existence that stood at the pinnacle of danger, throw a tantrum in the middle of a battle.

"Release my family from this place," the hunter demanded.

Mei’s attention snapped back to him. It was the first time she had heard him speak, and the youthful quality of his voice caught her off guard.

Kai stepped forward, his expression hardening as he fixed his gaze on the creature. There was no uncertainty in his eyes, only the quiet finality of someone who had already decided what would happen if his demand went unanswered.

"You... You were never supposed to be part of my plans!" the Monarch protested, his voice trembling with indignation. "I was supposed to play with my prey, slaughter innocent humans and children, and enjoy myself! And now you’re standing there like an absolute oaf, ready to make me pay my taxes!"

His complaints were so childish that they clashed horribly with the image Hannah had formed of him.

This was the Monarch they had heard about in hushed, fearful accounts, the almighty entity that ruled over their Void and whose very existence was enough to inspire despair.

And yet, here he was, throwing a fit because someone had ruined his fun.

Kai frowned, his fingers curling into a tight fist. Something about the creature’s behavior told him that the Monarch was up to something again.

He wasn’t about to give the bastard another opportunity, so he launched himself forward, intent on ending the matter before the creature could pull another trick.

His fist met nothing but empty air.

"Not so fast."

The Monarch sniffled, wiping the tears from his face as he reappeared high above them, well beyond Kai’s immediate reach.

The childish act had vanished just long enough to remind everyone that, beneath that ridiculous behavior, they were still dealing with a dangerous enemy.

Kai clicked his tongue in irritation, but his expression changed almost immediately. Something was wrong.

The sand beneath his feet was shifting.

At first, the movement was subtle, little more than a faint disturbance across the ground.

Then the tremors spread, and an enormous quantity of sand began flowing in a single direction.

Grain after grain moved as though obeying an invisible command, gathering with a precision that no natural force could have produced.

Kai’s gaze followed the movement, and his eyes widened as he realized where it was heading.

"Shit! The car is his target!" Mei shouted.

The sand was converging around the vehicle, surging upward in a rapidly thickening mass.

Within moments, it began to form a massive dome, enclosing the car and the barrier surrounding it, as though the Monarch intended to bury everything inside beneath an unbreakable prison of his own making.

Everyone panicked and surely, Hannah was no different. However, her attention first shifted to the hunter who has shown dangerous traits whenever anything even remotely grew closer to that car.

She was expecting fury and immense pressure. However, all she saw was calmness and absoluteness.

"Huh?" Suddenly, something almost invisible appeared in his hand, though the hilt and her mana sensitivity said he was holding a weapon.

"Back away," he warned and took a step forward.

Hannah panicked and rushed towards Morbis and Mei at once.

"Gha!" Mei groaned and Morbis clicked his tongue as both of them were pushed to the side after being shoved.

"What-" Nei was about to complain before suddenly, something phased past them, slicing the sand itself as if cutting through butter.

*CLICK*

There was not a single sound for a few moments. And in the next...

"No..."

...the reality started to crumble right before their eyes.