Chapter 444: It’s So Cold

Ron panted softly. Creating this magic model had proven far more difficult than he’d anticipated, consuming a huge amount of time and materials.

He had already made two failed versions before this one!

This final version, meanwhile, had almost completely drained his Spiritual Power. Ron downed another potion, but his vision remained blurry. Waves of dizziness washed over him, a testament to the spell’s intense side effects.

But no matter what, he had finally succeeded!

The Magic’s complexity was far beyond the scope of Ron’s current research. Yet, with its successful casting, he felt as if his mind, which had been stuck at a dead end, had suddenly opened up to infinite possibilities. All the Magic he had only heard of, heard of but never learned, learned but never dared to use, and dared to use but never could—it all now danced effortlessly before his very eyes.

He had the distinct feeling that if he just lifted his hand, he could effortlessly grasp this Magic and make it his own.

"Hey, did you see that?"

Nearby, Jilannis, who was observing the battle, sent a sliver of her consciousness to connect with her other self. As expected, she heard the other’s astonished thoughts.

"Mind Control, Force Field Wall, Trigger Magic... and even Delayed Burst! The models he’s woven into this new Magic are already beyond his ability to control!" The Sword-Singing Lion Armor activated its innate abilities, appraising the properties of the crystals Ron had unleashed while repeatedly exclaiming in amazement. "Could we do something like this when we were his age?"

"I wasn’t even an adult at his age," Jilannis replied, the corner of her mouth twitching. "It seems I may have been pushing him too hard during his lessons..."

"Nonsense! What kind of pushing could lead to this? Don’t go patting yourself on the..." The speed of their mental link was far faster than speech, and the Sword-Singing Lion Armor only caught itself after the thought was already formed. "Oh, wait. You *are* me! This is all because *I* taught him so well!"

"..." Jilannis ignored her other self. The armor didn’t have to maintain an image, but she was still the Grand Mage. How could she act so ridiculously?

"Instead of patting yourself on the back, you should be thinking about how he can use it now and how to improve it later," the Moon Elf said, her gaze fixed on Ron and Ming Datiss. Ron had clearly overextended himself with this Magic, so much so that he lacked the strength to trigger its next Transformation. "That wretch is about to break free."

Just as Jilannis predicted, seeing Ron make no further move, Ming Datiss’s initial shock and anger subsided. A continuous CRACKING sound echoed as the crystals at his feet not only stopped spreading upward but began to show signs of shattering.

"Hehehehe! Is this all you’ve got?" The eerie laughter pierced Ron’s eardrums. "A pity, but this is perfect! Your life is still mine for the taking!"

"In your dreams!" Having come this far, how could Ron’s companions stand by and watch the enemy escape? With a sharp cry from Aive, the team surged forward together. Blades, arrows, Magic, and Divine Magic rained down on Ming Datiss!

The Elf used his still-free upper body to fend off Selena Anastina and the others. At the same time, a thin, blasphemous barrier flowed like liquid across the surface of his skin. The Magic unleashed by Silvia and her companions bombarded him, but failed to cause any damage whatsoever!

"Heh... Doesn’t even hurt!" Ming Datiss’s mocking laughter grated on everyone’s nerves. "If this is the best you can do, I won’t even need ’them.’ Watch me finish all of you by myself!"

"Delusional!" Victoria snapped coldly, Erosion Energy gathering in her hand. Severe Injury Magic was the most powerful attack she could currently cast. As far as she was concerned, this arrogant fool was about to meet his end.

’Only Silvia can treat this Magic like her own personal healing spell...’

"Victoria, use Flame Strike Magic!"

Just as the Priest of Heim’s thoughts were in turmoil, Ron’s desperate shout struck her like a physical blow, snapping her mind, which had been thrown into chaos by the Elf’s crazed laughter, back to clarity.

’Something’s wrong!’

’Silvia can use it for healing because she’s one of the Undead Creatures, but this Elf in front of me!’

’He’s doing it on purpose!’

In an instant, beneath Victoria’s armor, her shirt was soaked through with cold sweat. If she had actually cast that Severe Injury Magic—

"Hey, what are you waiting for?" Ming Datiss’s wild laughter rang out again. He raised his completely mutated left arm to block Anastina’s slash, while his right claw shot out toward Victoria’s chest. "If you like spacing out so much, why don’t I send you to the Death Realm to space out for good!"

"You’re asking for it!"

Victoria could no longer contain her fury. She thrust the Holy Emblem in her hand, brimming with Holy Energy, straight down toward Ming Datiss’s head. But just before the Elf’s face could twist in ecstasy, and before the Divine Magic could take effect, the Priest’s command, uncharacteristically calm, reached the ears of all her companions with perfect clarity:

"Everyone, fall back!"

A holy, searing aura erupted from the Holy Emblem the very instant it touched Ming Datiss’s head, completely cleansing the Erosion Energy of the would-be Severe Injury Magic. As her companions hastily retreated, and as Ming Datiss’s eyes widened in shock, a Holy Fire Pillar descended whistling from the heavens and slammed down upon the Elf’s head! A perfect hit!

"No—" RUMBLE—

The Elf’s depraved roar was instantly consumed by the Flame Strike Magic. In its wake, the orange-yellow crystals created by Ron were ignited by the Holy Fire, setting off a series of chain explosions!

Because his short legs meant he hadn’t retreated as far, Delaford clearly saw a metal fragment, similar in composition to the surrounding walls, get blasted out by the violent explosion. It neatly sheared off the top half of a Spore Person that had been outside the initial blast zone!

"Aaaah! Help me!"

As he watched, wide-eyed, as another fragment flew straight toward him, the Goblin Hunter let out a piercing shriek.

With a loud THUD, Delaford’s pupils contracted. When he came to his senses and felt his head and body, however, he found he was completely unharmed.

"Don’t scream like that next time," Victoria’s voice came from in front of him. The Priest had raised her Kite Shield, sparing Delaford from the fatal blow. "Are you just standing there waiting to die? It’s a pain to resurrect you, you know."

The goblin’s expression shifted, finally settling on ecstatic relief. "By Heim, Victoria! You actually saved me! I always thought you disliked goblins, just like that black-hearted ’Banker’!"

"Not all goblins are named Delaford, after all." Victoria had her back to the Goblin Hunter, and given the difference in their heights, Delaford couldn’t see the expression on her face as she spoke.

"And not all humans are named Ron."

With a flash of silvery-white light, Ron’s body, which had been shielded by a tower shield, teleported into the midst of his companions. Aive, who was in front of him, lowered her shield, knocking off a piece of metal shrapnel that had hit it with the force of a cannonball. She turned and gave Ron a small smile.

Of all of them, she was the only one who hadn’t retreated toward Jilannis. Her first instinct had been to fall back in front of Ron, raise her shield, and then pull the still-weakened mage into her arms, using her own heavy armor to shield him from any potential harm.

Ron gave the Half-Elf Maiden a grateful nod, deciding not to mention that because of her, he had to expend the energy for a first-level Arbitrary Gate.

"Blegh—" Silvia’s jealous-sounding voice piped up from the side.

"It’s so cold in here! So cold I’m getting goosebumps!"