Episode 262 – Star of Demtor (3)
Flash—!
Blinding brilliance burst out from the two bracelets clashing together.
Among Demtor’s Stars, the one specialized in destructive power was Clarke of Dreadfire, and the one who symbolized sharpness was Lindbergh of the Gale.
Ren was the mage specialized in speed.
“Bombard.”
As Ren uttered the activation word and pointed in one direction, the condensed brilliance exploded into dozens of streams of light and rained down on Natasha.
It looked like a hail of arrows made of light.
Tatata-tatang—!
Flas sparked in front of Natasha.
With a hardened gaze, she struck out with fists like bolts of lightning.
The light of Bombard evaporated under the torrent of her crimson-coated fists.
Using Gereflam’s spiritual form, she deflected Ren’s magic without rcy and shot toward him like an arrow.
Vwoong!
A chilling fist grazed Ren’s face—But there was no impact.
His form dispersed like a mirage, and ten ters away, a flash of light marked his reappearance as he erged from the air.
It was one of Ren’s main techniques—Light Movent.
As Ren turned, both his hands were glowing white.
He pointed his index fingers toward Natasha and murmured softly,
“Shoot out.”
From the tips of his fingers, bullets made of light fired out like a gatling gun.
It looked exactly like rapid machine-gun fire.
“Ugh!”
Montarily startled by the storm of magical bullets, Natasha stepped back, but only for a mont.
With a twisted face, she crossed her arms to protect her body and lowered her stance.
The mont her eyes glead as she locked onto Ren—
Boom—!
An explosion roared, and her form began to blur.
It was spiritual acceleration using the shockwave.
She zigzagged through the magic bullets and, in the blink of an eye, reached Ren’s back.
Vwmp!
Boom! Boom! Krrrraang!
Their figures flashed every ten ters as they tangled and darted like a ga of tag.
Ren tried to widen the distance and launched continuous blasts of brilliance,
but Natasha bulldozed through his magic like a wild boar and charged straight at him.
“Ugh!”
Swept by a spiritual punch, Ren groaned and quickly retreated.
He thought Bombard and Shoot out would be enough to suppress her, but her spiritual arts had grown even tougher and faster than before.
Had she gained so kind of realization?
“I thought you were just clinging to that frozen forest, but I see now that I was wrong.”
Natasha chuckled bitterly, understanding what Ren ant.
Just as he said, the witches had indeed been complacent for decades.
‘It was because of Arthur, right?’
His appearance brought change to the stagnant world of Ordor.
Through him, she ford connections, taught him spiritual arts, and cultivated the spirits.
In the process, her spiritual arts evolved.
Ren seed to have caught on to that shift imdiately.
“But it’s already too late to turn back.”
“Bullshit.”
As Natasha charged, Ren gave Ella a signal.
Among the Dortas, the Stars' most avoided opponent was Natasha—the only witch in the Forest of Ordor specialized in close combat.
Still, over ti, the Stars had developed hunting manuals for each Dortas.
At Ren’s call, Ella cast her spell.
Her specialty was water.
Blue mana wrapped around Natasha and seeped into her spiritual form.
Stomping fiercely, Natasha suddenly felt sothing off—
...What the?!
Her spiritual manifestation began to falter.
The water elent was interfering with the link between her and Gereflam.
Clenching her teeth, she tried to burn away the water’s presence, but—
Ren, now with breathing room, condensed light in his hands and unleashed it in a single burst—
Cross Lightburst.
Flash—!
“...Kgh!”
Natasha was pushed straight back.
The spiritual form burned under the wave of light, and her defensive aura weakened.
Sensing danger, the silently observing Lily finally moved.
Swish—
She only waved her hand once—
But the phenonon that followed was astonishing.
“...What is this?!”
The Cross Lightburst Ren had fired disappeared smoothly in midair.
Magic nullification.
Ren’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at Lily.
Her eyes glowing faintly, she quickly began forming seals again.
Ren responded by firing a Lightburst Bomb at her.
Kwakwakwakwaang—!
A small earth wall shot up in front of her and blocked the magic.
At the sa ti, as Lily waved her staff, the surrounding forest scread and began to move.
Crunch—! Crunnch!
From all directions in the forest, dozens—hundreds—of tree roots shot out like sharp spears, rushing toward Ren.
The attack covered every direction within a ten-ter radius.
Just as Ren flinched, a blue barrier ford around him— Ella’s water shield.
The roots shattered as they hit the barrier.
Seizing the opportunity, Natasha charged forward and struck the barrier with her fist.
Kwaaang—!
The barrier quivered like jelly, and Ella groaned as she pointed her staff at Natasha.
As Natasha’s body beca further enveloped in blue mana, she cursed and hastily withdrew.
She had to stabilize her scattering spiritual form.
“It’s dangerous.”
With a frown on her fair forehead, Ella reinforced the water barrier with her staff.
Her gaze fixed beyond Natasha—on Lily.
It was Lily’s presence she found dangerous.
‘That earthen wall is Dortas Punkin’s spell, and those thorned roots were Elder deia’s technique.’
Seeing Lily’s eyes glowing with light, Ren groaned.
“...Don’t tell she’s already reached that point?”
She had nullified the Cross Lightburst after seeing it once.
Lily Base, the Witch of Ordor Forest, symbol of the forest—
A witch with the future potential of the Full Moon’s Talent, the greatest future threat to Demtor.
But due to the Full Moon’s Curse—Sloth, it was believed it would take a long ti for that talent to bloom.
‘Has she already blood?’
Having nullified a 5-star light magic like Cross Lightburst, she had beco the most dangerous opponent for any mage.
“Ah! Ren!!”
Ella’s urgent shout broke his concentration.
At the sa ti, the water barrier lted away.
Lily’s magic nullification.
Ren bit his lip and braced for Natasha’s attack—
But the witch didn’t move toward him.
She moved toward Lily—who had collapsed.
Ren raised his hand to cast another Cross Lightburst at Natasha’s back—but stopped.
From the beginning, Ren’s goal wasn’t to eliminate the witches, but to drive them back into the forest.
“Ella, should we retreat? I think we’ve bought enough ti.”
“If we retreat now, the Grand Duke won’t let it go. Think about why he sent you here.”
Because Clarke was certain Ren would act passively in a fight with the witches.
If even the tiniest flaw erged in this operation, he would hold Ren responsible.
Ren gave a bitter smile and nodded, fixing his gaze on Lily.
Ella cautiously opened her mouth.
“This might be the last chance to prevent future disaster.”
Future disaster.
She was referring to Lily.
Ella was warning of Lily’s potential threat.
But—
“The location is bad. And—”
The Forest of Ordor was right in front of them.
If he couldn’t take Natasha down instantly, targeting unconscious Lily would be like crossing a line of no return.
Seeing Natasha watching him warily with Lily on her back, Ren raised both hands and slowly stepped back.
“I hope the day cos when we can speak openly and honestly.”
“If you make way, I’ll think about it.”
“Even if I step aside, can you trust ? This is the perfect chance to strike from behind.”
Watching Ren block the path, Natasha bit her lip.
Now that Lily was unconscious, she couldn’t move recklessly.
“I need to get them out... now...”
If Elder deia and Cordy were nearby, she could have forced her way through Ren and rescued the isolated witches.
But right now, the Elder and Cordy were tied down by a mad invader who suddenly stord the forest.
He was so powerful that the remaining witches and the two Dortas were struggling to stop him.
That’s why only Natasha and Lily had moved—and it had backfired.
“Damn it, is this a diversionary tactic?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That madman who ca from the other side!”
“...What do you an?”
Just as Ren began to ask, a signal flare exploded from deeper in the forest.
Fwoosh—!
A red signal flare burst upward—then turned black.
The signal of Dreadfire.
Only two people among the Stars possessed that flare— Grand Duke Clarke, and Gram, the Black Tower Lord whom Clarke trusted.
Judging by the direction, it was the exact opposite of Clarke’s current position.
“It’s not the Duke... Gram?”
Had Gram, who had disappeared, launched a rescue flare?
Ren locked eyes with Ella as soon as he saw the signal.
The black fla—Dreadfire’s signal—was Demtor’s most critical ergency call for reinforcents.
It ant Gram was being pursued by soone.
“Now we’ve got an excuse to leave.”
“Shall we go?”
Ella nodded. Ren wrapped an arm around her waist and activated his bracelet.
In a burst of radiance, the two vanished into the air.
Natasha watched them disappear, not understanding what had just happened, then looked up at the flare painting the sky above.
The direction was opposite of where Punkin and Oarla were.
If Ren left because of it, then it had to be sothing important.
Or… is it a trick?
Given what she knew about Ren, the odds were low.
Natasha’s hesitation didn’t last long.
[Keros is wailing... Hurry…]
Just before losing consciousness, Lily had warned her to move quickly.
When Ren blocked the way, Lily had managed to send Keros around toward Punkin.
But it seed Keros alone wouldn’t be enough.
They had to move—Or they’d lose over a hundred witches.
“Damn it.”
Natasha crossed the forest, then looked back.
The Forest of Ordor was now empty—completely hollowed out because of the mad invader.
“When the hell is that bastard getting here?!”
Thinking of Arthur, Natasha let out a low curse.
Just a little while ago, Lily had been bouncing excitedly through the forest, thinking he’d arrive any mont.
But they’d heard nothing from Arthur since.
Had he not arrived yet?
Natasha thought briefly about the spatial portal Samuel had left behind, then disappeared into the forest, headed toward the direction where Punkin was.
Monts later—
Vwoooong!
The spatial portal began to glow.
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