Chapter 246: Please Bear Witness
The mana surrounding Flamme was no longer in the violent, chaotic state it had been moments ago. Instead, it became terrifyingly introverted, carrying a palpitating aura of divinity.
Rhodes had once explained to her the theory behind a spell he created: Lichtfresser—Light Consumption. It was a technique that devoured all surrounding light, compressed it to its limit, and released it in a catastrophic detonation.
Later, he had applied similar principles to Holy Magic, creating spells capable of slaying gods.
Now, Flamme was attempting to do the exact same thing.
She had not chosen to study higher-tier Holy Magic in the traditional sense. Instead, she had chosen to use the very concept of "Holy" as a fusion material, binding it forcibly with standard Offensive Magic.
This was the project she had been secretly working on. It was intended to be a surprise for her two teachers.
Only now, that surprise was being weaponized against Master Serie.
The spell Flamme was weaving did not exist in any grimoire. It was a unique Fusion Magic belonging solely to her—a synthesis of Rhodes's understanding of the divine and the destructive Offensive Magic she had learned from Serie.
As her mana continued to surge, the massive magic circle hovering above her head suddenly erupted with blinding brilliance.
The power of the Goddess and the power of destruction were woven together, forcibly kneaded into a massive sphere where the energy density climbed exponentially.
"Master! Please bear witness!"
Flamme shouted. It was unclear whether she was addressing Rhodes, Serie, or perhaps both.
As the spell neared completion, the color of the world seemed to change.
The clear sky darkened instantly. Dark clouds converged with unnatural speed, and the light in the surrounding forest began to twist and distort.
The mana in this specific region of space had been driven into a frenzy, affecting the weather itself.
Rhodes's expression changed drastically.
He could clearly sense that while Flamme's spell was crude and highly unstable, its core concept was bold to the point of madness.
Combining Holy Magic with Offensive Magic... that was a domain no mage of her current rank should be touching.
One slip, and the first thing to be obliterated by the backlash would be the caster herself.
But what gave him an even bigger headache was Serie's reaction.
Faced with a spell that was sending the ambient mana into a riot, Serie's expression of leisurely boredom vanished.
In its place was a rare heaviness, and... a flicker of genuine battle lust.
In her golden eyes, the reflection of that expanding chaotic mass burned bright. She felt a threat.
Not from the current power of the spell, but from the terrifying possibility it represented.
Fusion Magic.
This apprentice, whom she had viewed as a child needing guidance, had unknowingly stumbled into a realm that even the Great Mage found worthy of attention.
"Very good," Serie whispered to herself. Her voice was soft, but it trembled with excitement. "That is more like it."
She no longer viewed Flamme as a student to be instructed. In this moment, she saw her as an opponent to be crushed.
The fighting spirit in her ancient body fully awakened. She would not stop until Flamme was utterly defeated.
Serie hesitated no longer. She raised her palm.
Mana, vast as the ocean, surged from her body. A magic circle, far more complex and archaic than Flamme's, unfolded in the air.
Her power instantly suppressed Flamme's fluctuating aura.
Even the light began to be devoured by the circle in a bizarre fashion.
All light—sunlight, the glow of magic, even the faint luminescence radiating from Flamme's own spell—was dragged toward Serie, converging frantically into the center of her palm.
A white singularity, so bright it could not be looked at directly, formed in her hand.
It was the mechanism of compression. It was a light that held the power of annihilation.
It was the ultimate destructive magic of the Light element—the very spell Rhodes had created and taught to her.
"Try to survive," Serie said, her mana flaring. "My foolish apprentice."
The white singularity suddenly expanded. It did not emit light; rather, it began to devour the surrounding energy with even greater ferocity.
The compression force within caused the surrounding space to groan under the weight, warping the air itself.
On one side, a forbidden, brand-new Fusion Magic.
On the other, a supreme Light Magic capable of making gods bleed.
Two spells of horrific power were about to collide in this small forest.
At the very last second—
"Enough!!!"
Rhodes's figure appeared without warning in the dead center of the two opposing forces.
His back was to Flamme, his face toward Serie. He extended both hands outward simultaneously.
Mana Zone: Expansion.
Two incredibly intricate magic circles manifested instantly.
These circles did not generate energy, nor did they absorb it. their sole function was to create a domain of absolute Mana Vacuum, forcibly severing and repelling any energy flow attempting to enter the space.
This, naturally, included the fuel source for the spells Flamme and Serie were about to unleash.
"Disperse!!!"
Creating a vacuum was not enough. The spells were near completion; he had to nullify the energy already gathered to render it harmless.
Seeing Rhodes appear, Serie did not hesitate. She immediately relinquished control, allowing the man to dismantle her spell structure layer by layer.
Flamme, however, could not stop.
Her magic was unstable to begin with. Having gathered such immense power, she could not simply let it go. If she did, she would be annihilated along with it.
Fortunately, Rhodes was there.
He forcibly hijacked the control of the magic from her hands, suppressing the core reaction. A small remnant of energy remained that could not be dissolved, so he unhesitatingly threw it high into the sky, where it detonated like a harmless firework.
BOOM.
As the shockwave of the explosion faded, the group stood in silence.
Rhodes was breathing heavily. Forcibly interrupting two spells of that magnitude simultaneously was no easy feat, even for him.
To his left, Flamme had collapsed to the ground. She was suffering from severe mana exhaustion, unable to move even a finger. She stared at Rhodes's back, her eyes filled with lingering fear.
Her unfinished forbidden spell had been scattered.
To his right, Serie landed gently. The mana around her settled, and her face showed no signs of fatigue.
However, there was a trace of surprise in her eyes as she looked at him. Clearly, she hadn't expected Rhodes to be able to forcibly stop both of them at once.
Although the final collision was averted, the forest was a mess, scarred by the earlier skirmish.
The only sound was Rhodes's ragged breathing.
He looked first at Flamme, who was slumped on the grass. His gaze was complicated—a mix of reproach and the relief of a parent who had just pulled a child from the edge of a cliff.
Then, he turned to Serie.
"Absurd," he scolded, his voice harsh. "Did you intend to erase this forest, along with yourselves, from the face of the world?"
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