There were three things Fla hated more than death itself:
1. Oily, overly greasy n who felt like they'd been marinated in a vat of oil.
2. Apple pizza.
3. Angel's Descent.
Angel's Descent was a unique ability that existed only for Fla, sothing that didn't appear in the original story.
In the story, angels were portrayed as beings bound to the heavens, unable to set foot in the mortal realm. They were so rare that only one had ever been ntioned. No other character possessed this ability, making it not only exceedingly rare but also incomparably powerful.
However...
Flutter!
Wings of brilliant platinum light unfurled behind her, spanning nearly three ters. The luminous feathers scattered like fragnts of stars, pulling every eye toward her. Her hair, now a silvery cascade, had grown long enough to brush past her waist.
A flood of radiant mana poured down from the heavens, wrapping around Fla like a mantle.
This overwhelming power elevated her to a new level, granting her the ability to use magic close to the Class 6.
And yet, the reason Fla rarely invoked Angel's Descent was painfully simple:
'This is so humiliating.'
The elegant Stella coat she'd been wearing had vanished into so unknown subspace, leaving her clad in a plain, pristine white dress befitting an angel. Now here she was, wings spread wide as she hovered above the city... a living spectacle:
'Look at , everyone! Wings! Flight! Behold the majesty!'
For Fla, who hated attention with a passion, this situation was beyond embarrassing. She felt nauseated, but with a Risk Level 7 dark mage in play, this was no ti for vanity.
Bzzzzt—!
Fla raised her arm, pulling it back as though drawing an invisible bow. Fragnts of light, shimring like blue auroras, swirled together and sharpened into a single arrow.
Kaena, the Heresy Inquisitor, had one critical weakness:
'Light.'
As a wielder of shadows, it was only natural that light would be her bane. Yet, despite this glaring vulnerability, few mages could summon light magic in the dead of night.
Right now, Fla was the only one who could stand against Kaena.
— Fla, when you fire, we'll help draw the bowstring tighter!
— Are you ready?
Fla nodded quietly and aid the arrow of light at the dark mage, who was presud to be Kaena. However...
RUMBLE!
The building shuddered violently, deep cracks splintering across the walls and forcing her to hesitate.
"If I fire this now..."
The already unstable building might completely collapse.
Closing the distance to confront Kaena head-on was nothing short of suicide.
Caught in a dangerous dilemma, Fla held her stance, unable to let the bowstring loose. That was when she spotted them... faint blue lines weaving across the entirety of the hotel's structure.
Having taken classes at Stella, she quickly realized what it was.
A transmutation array!
Unlike traditional magic circles that relied on curved edges, transmutation arrays were composed entirely of sharp, straight lines with no borders.
The only person capable of creating such an enormous transmutation array that appeared to envelop the entire building was none other than Alterisha.
Her transmutation worked wonders, halting the collapse. Steel pillars erged to replace those that had crumbled, reinforcing the weakened frawork. Shattered walls were patched with sturdier materials, while dozens of tal rods rose up to support the leaning sections of the structure.
Though the repairs were hastily ford and sowhat rough, Alterisha had single-handedly stabilized a building on the brink of destruction.
'I thought research-focused alchemists couldn't handle magic in real combat?'
Fla marveled at Alterisha's extraordinary alchemy, which defied conventional expectations. But there was no ti to be stunned; with the building now stable, the mont to act had arrived.
"Now! Shoot!"
— Got it!
She felt a presence behind her, warm and steady. Gentle, unseen hands tugged at the bowstring with her... many hands, both comforting and overwhelming.
The angels were undeniably overbearing, but in this mont, they were her most reliable allies.
FWOOOSH!
The arrow of light tore through the air, its golden glow radiating outward in dazzling streams. It pierced through the building with unerring precision and—
THUD!
It struck Kaena's chest directly, and an explosion of light burst out like a flashbang, spilling through the windows.
— Did we get her?
"Don't say things like that."
It wasn't just the angels' irritating habit of jinxing situations, but there was no way Kaena could have been killed with magic of this level. Still, the attack seed to have weakened her enough to give the Stella Knights an opening.
"... It's working."
Peering into the building with her enhanced sight, Fla could see Kaena pulling the arrow of light out of her chest. Her movents had noticeably slowed.
Kaena's posture sagged slightly, as though exhaustion weighed her down. Yet, even as she faltered, she began slipping into the shadows. In response, the Stella Knights slamd their staffs against the ground, releasing bursts of mana.
— Kiiyaaaaah!
With a shriek so unearthly it defied human likeness, Kaena was forced back into view. The Stella Knights seized the mont, fanning out and striking at her blind spots with practiced coordination.
'As expected of the Stella Knights...'
Fearless in the face of a stronger foe, they wielded their magic with precision and unity.
"One more shot!"
Fla summoned another arrow of light and aid carefully. She tid the release to coincide with the Stella Knights' assault.
However, while the first arrow had caught Kaena off guard and inflicted heavy damage, she was now prepared. Barriers of shadow swirled around her, forming a shield to deflect further attacks.
"It's still effective, though. Where's Baek Yu-Seol?"
Even with her heightened senses, she couldn't find him. But then, a strange flow of mana caught her attention... an unusual disturbance emanating from the very top of the building.
"I have to go get him."
— Fla! That's too dangerous!
"Assistant Alterisha is busy stabilizing the building, and there's no way the doctors can carry Baek Yu-Seol from the top floor to the ground level in this chaos."
— But still...
"If I don't do it, no one else can."
She glanced at Kaena.
The Inquisitor of the Moon Shadow Church was locked in a fierce battle with the Stella Knights about five floors below the top. Barely rational and driven entirely by instinct, Kaena was more terrifying and dangerous than any beast.
But with her senses dulled from the arrows of light, this was the perfect chance.
"I'm going in."
— Alright...
Fla spread her wings and slowly approached the building. Hovering briefly over the rooftop, she hesitated.
— Fla, wait a mont.
"Why?"
— Sothing feels off...
"What now?"
— You said the dark mage with the demonic energy was several floors below, right?
"Yeah. That's right."
— Then... Why does it feel different to us?
Fla froze mid-air.
She pressed the angels again, trying to make sense of their unsettling words.
— Fla, this is strange. You should get away from here right now...!
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the entire rooftop turned pitch black, and a massive shadowy hand erged, grabbing Fla's body.
"Ugh...?!"
Her staff slipped from her grasp as she struggled, thrashing against the suffocating grip. But it was no use... the shadows held her fast.
— Fla!!
"Ugh..."
The angels funneled power into her wings, pushing back against the crushing weight. Yet, no matter how much they strained, their distant support paled in comparison to the raw, oppressive force of the demon.
The grip tightened further. Fla tried to open her mouth, desperate to chant a spell, but the pressure against her ribs stole her breath. She couldn't even form a single word.
'What a stupid mistake...!'
In the original story, Kaena had appeared in a crumbling ruin deep in a forest. She used shadows to manipulate the environnt, but no one had ever imagined she could completely dominate an entire building.
'At this rate...!'
Fla gritted her teeth and gathered her mana. If she detonated her wings, the blast might be enough to free her.
Whoosh!
Slash!
A blazing blade of fire descended from the sky, cutting clean through the shadowy hand by the wrist.
"What... What was that...?"
The shadows retreated. Fla tumbled free from their grasp, unfurling her wings and soaring higher to find the source of the attack.
To her shock, Hong Bi-Yeon stood there, radiant and burning.
In one hand, she held a blade wreathed in fire.
Wings of fla blazed from her back.
Her ankles were adorned with blazing boots.
Fla was stunned at this unfamiliar and powerful appearance. It was so unlike anything she'd seen before.
"You... What are you?"
Hong Bi-Yeon's hair, usually a silvery cascade, now shimred with streaks of fiery red, as though flas themselves had taken root.
"... It's the royal family's succession magic. I don't use it because it's rarely worth the trouble, but you were making an unnecessary amount of noise."
"What? You can use sothing like that?"
Fla's mind spun. Was this even ntioned in the original story?
Before she could ask, Hong Bi-Yeon gave a slight nod.
"I was officially recognized as a successor and learned the royal family's magic properly."
Though Hong Bi-Yeon appeared tired, her tone carried a hint of satisfaction. Was it just Fla's imagination?
'Recognition for succession rights... Could it be related to the events of the sumr vacation with Baek Yu-Seol?'
"Well, good for you. Perfect timing, too. If you help, things will go much more smoothly."
"And why would I help you?"
"Even now, you're being stubborn?"
"No. It's you who'll be helping ."
"... Yes, yes. Of course, Princess, whatever you say."
Fla brushed off Hong Bi-Yeon's words with a dismissive tone and turned toward the massive hole in the rooftop. But before she could take another step, shadows rippled across the floor like living tendrils.
In an instant, a cold wave surged through the air, freezing the entire surface of the building.
"Whoa! That scared ..."
Fla shot into the air just in ti to avoid the creeping frost, while Hong Bi-Yeon strode forward, her fiery steps lting the ice as quickly as it ford.
"... Morph's magic, huh?"
Ordinary magic wouldn't be able to freeze even shadows, but Morph's magic was exceptionally unique.
According to records, it had once even frozen 'ti' itself.
If Hong Bi-Yeon's flas hadn't also been an inheritance of the twelve successor' magic, they might have been frozen mid-way.
"So that's what it is..."
Fla recognized the magic from her mories.
Unlike Hong Bi-Yeon, who hadn't mastered the Adolveit royal family's magic in the original story and t her end as a villainess, Eisel had inherited Morph's magic directly from her father.
In the novel, Eisel had wielded that very magic to defeat Hong Bi-Yeon in a spectacular duel... a scene Fla rembered vividly, as it had been one of her favorites.
"By the way, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
At this mont, Eisel was likely making her way up from the lower floors.
"What has?"
"The three of us being together like this."
"... It doesn't matter to ."
Fla wasn't sure what Hong Bi-Yeon was thinking, but for her, Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel were the most dependable allies she could ask for.
'If they're using succession magic... that ans they can at least cast Class 6 magic.'
If they combined their strength with the Stella Knights, who were battling Kaena within the building, they might just have a chance against her.
'We can win.'
***
At the sa ti.
On the rooftop of the building directly across from the hotel, where Fla and the Stella Knights fought to protect Baek Yu-Seol, Ma Yu-Seong stood, the city's cold wind brushing against him.
— You cannot proceed, Your Highness.
"And who decided that?"
— Heh... A master must always accompany the beast it controls.
The figure before him referred to Kaena, a Risk Level 7 dark mage and Inquisitor of the Moon Shadow Church, as nothing more than a 'beast.'
— The Cult Leader of the Moon Shadow Church has expressed discomfort with your involvent, Your Highness.
"If he's uncomfortable, he can co here and voice his complaints himself."
— That sounds very... human of you. Your Highness, could it be you've been tainted by human emotions?
— Haha! Am I making boring jokes? Of course not. After all, you bear the blood of the Dark Mage King more purer than anyone else!
Ma Yu-Seong silently averted his gaze.
He could feel it... the steady rhythm of a heartbeat.
Not his own.
It was the faint yet distinct thrum of Baek Yu-Seol's heart, pulsing from far away.
'... The flow has changed.'
The heartbeat he heard was growing stronger. Stable, not erratic. A clear sign that Baek Yu-Seol was on the verge of awakening.
'In that case... It should be fine.'
Turning back to the man before him, Ma Yu-Seong studied him closely.
Among the wretched ranks of the Moon Shadow Church, this man stood out... soone who treated dark mages reduced to madness as nothing more than disposable animals.
He needed to be disposed of, now.
It was highly likely that, in anticipation of Kaena's potential death, dark mages had been stationed throughout the area. Their plan was likely to strike once the Stella Knights and Fla secured their victory and let their guard down.
'If I take out the commander, it'll all fall apart.'
Ma Yu-Seong pulled out his staff and aid it at the man, who shrugged with an amused expression.
— Oh? Your Highness! Are you planning to fight ? With that toy?
"You're underestimating magic a bit too much."
— Haha! Not at all, Your Highness. But a dark mage should fight with dark magic, don't you think?
"I don't need that to deal with the likes of you."
— Are you sure about that? You may not have realized it while I've been busy handling 'beasts,' but even I... can easily crush a Class 6 mage.
Ma Yu-Seong's eyebrow twitched slightly at the claim, but he didn't waver in his decision.
"Well, that just makes this more interesting. You'll be worth killing."
While Fla and the Stella Knights faced the obvious threat - Kaena - Ma Yu-Seong would handle the real shadows lurking unseen.
After all, soone like him, with the blood of a dark mage running through his veins, had no place fighting under the light.
'This is the battlefield that suits best.'
His crimson eyes glead in the night.
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