Chapter 164: Absolute Zero (1)

— Luna Heart’s POV —

My fingers were trembling, as though every last drop of blood inside them had evaporated.

Even holding the magic staff my teacher had given me had become an arduous task. My awareness had almost completely detached itself from my body, and I had begun perceiving everything around me from an entirely different perspective.

What I was about to unleash was a spell far beyond my current level.

A spell equivalent to the Saint Rank, at the very least.

Ethan had told me that the Knight Commander’s weakness was ice. I had no idea how he could possibly know something like that, but I chose to trust him. He wasn’t the kind of person who said things without reason.

At least, not on the battlefield.

I had only recently reached the Elite Rank, and although that advancement had granted me a far deeper connection to the Astral World where the spirits dwelled, it still wasn’t enough for me to cast a Saint-rank spell.

The only reason I could attempt something like this was my Blessing.

It allowed me to continuously absorb mana, enabling me to feed the spell with an amount of energy that would normally exceed what an Elite-rank mage could ever provide.

But mana alone wasn’t enough.

Mana was merely the fuel that fed a spell. To actually construct it, I had to recite the required magical formula, establishing a connection with the spirits and compelling them to answer my call.

If my Intelligence were higher, the process would have taken far less time.

My teacher could cast this very spell instantly, without reciting a single magical formula. And now that I had tried casting it myself, I finally understood just how incredible my teacher truly was.

Ice was a compound element, one that didn’t belong to any of the four primary elements. Harnessing it was far more difficult as a result, placing an even greater burden on my mind and requiring an agonizing amount of time.

Fortunately, I had reliable companions I could trust to keep the monsters away from me.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have dreamed of using a spell like this on a real battlefield.

That was the greatest weakness of mages.

We could barely fight alone because of our lack of physical strength and the long casting time required by our strongest spells. That was why my sister Moon had always stood so far above me.

She could wield both.

Sword and magic.

’No... This isn’t the time to think about my sister.’

I needed to focus and shut out every unnecessary thought.

The relentless ringing of swords crashing against armor continued to scrape against my ears, reminding me again and again of the brutal battle raging between my companions and the Black Knights.

I kept my eyes closed so I could concentrate, but every now and then, I opened them to see what was happening.

And each time I did...

The scene before me had descended even further into chaos.

Especially the area where Ethan was fighting the Knight Commander.

Every time I looked at them, I found myself captivated by what I saw. All the other battles raging around them seemed to lose their significance, as though those two were the only ones left on the battlefield.

Ethan was somehow keeping pace with the Knight Commander using the violent lightning erupting from his mechanical arm.

It was crimson electricity unlike anything I had ever seen in my life.

So powerful that it was probably comparable to Saint-rank lightning spells.

Ethan Heart...

Every time I thought I understood him, he found another way to astonish me.

And whenever I believed I had finally uncovered all his secrets, he would reveal something entirely new out of nowhere.

The ability to wield both magic and the sword, just like my sister.

Multiple Blessings.

And an overwhelming curse on top of all that...

After fighting beside him for so long here in Old Ashvarn, I thought I was finally beginning to understand why Grandfather had taken such an interest in him.

He had seen in Ethan the potential to become a great Hunter, someone capable of leading his entire generation.

And I was beginning to agree with him.

"But I’m not going to let him have all the glory."

Steadying my breathing, I opened both eyes and extended my staff forward, aiming it toward the Knight Commander and his followers.

Then, using Chai’s telepathic ability, I transmitted my voice to everyone.

’Thank you for holding out this long, everyone. You can fall back now.’

The moment my voice reached them, everyone began retreating without allowing the knights to catch them from behind.

Under Raiden’s lead, they remained organized, withdrawing quickly before taking shelter behind me.

But Ethan couldn’t follow them.

He was still trapped in a vicious battle against the Knight Commander...

And he was barely holding on.

If he turned his back on him now, he would die instantly.

’Don’t worry about me! Destroy everything, even if it means hitting me too!’

Ethan’s voice echoed through all our minds.

He didn’t even look toward us.

His eyes remained completely fixed on the Knight Commander and that greatsword engulfed in black flames, a weapon capable of killing an Elite-rank Hunter with a single direct hit.

’You won’t survive it! You’ll die if I do that!’

I answered immediately, unable to hide the confusion in my voice or the panic beginning to creep into my heart.

The knights were already advancing toward us.

I had only a few seconds left to make a decision.

The spell I was about to unleash had an enormous range. If Ethan was caught inside it, his chances of surviving were almost nonexistent.

Yet that stubborn bastard showed no intention of retreating.

I could have sworn I saw him grinning like a madman as he swung that enormous sword wrapped in crimson lightning.

’I’m stronger than I look.’

’I won’t die that easily.’

After hearing those words, I couldn’t tell whether they came from genuine confidence...

Or whether he truly possessed some means of surviving.

I couldn’t tell.

But there was one thing I knew for certain.

He would not survive if this spell struck him, and he clearly had no intention of retreating.

So...

I would simply have to find a way to spare him.

"Alright, Luna..."

"Time to show them what you can do."