Judas narrowed his eyes, watching the situation unfold.
He had been dividing his attention between the duel and the plant monsters encircling them, wary of any sudden interference.
But seeing Ais pushed back like that, he knew waiting any longer wasn't an option.
Without hesitation, Judas snapped his fingers.
『Bind』
Chains of light manifested instantly around Revis, wrapping tightly around her limbs and torso.
The ground beneath her feet sank several inches as the magic took hold, pinning her in place.
For the briefest moment...
Revis was stopped in her tracks.
Then she scoffed.
The muscles in her legs bulged unnaturally as she forced herself forward.
With a violent surge of strength, she tore through the chains, shattering the spell in a shockwave that rippled through the ground.
"Tch... she broke out so easily."
Judas clicked his tongue.
Revis straightened and opened her mouth, muttering a single command.
"Attack."
At once, the surrounding plant monsters began to move.
Vines burst from the ground like spears, roots slithering across the earth as dozens of monstrous silhouettes closed in.
"Ais... are you ready for round two?"
Judas asked, his voice steady despite the chaos surrounding them.
Ais lifted her arm and wiped the sweat from her brow, her breath coming a little heavier than before... but her eyes were clear, sharp, and unwavering.
"Hm... yeah."
The answer was brief, but it carried conviction.
She already had an inkling of what Judas was about to do.
『Physical Boost』
『Strengthening Magic』
Two layers of magic activated almost simultaneously.
Ais' figure was enveloped in a warm, golden light that wrapped around her body like a second skin.
The fatigue in her limbs faded, replaced by a surge of power that flowed through her muscles and bones.
She flexed her fingers experimentally.
Her body felt lighter... yet denser, as if every movement now carried greater force.
"With this... you could be considered a somewhat pseudo–Level 6..."
Judas spoke calmly, already shifting his attention toward the battlefield at large.
"You take care of the tamer... while I deal with the monsters."
Ais didn't waste time replying.
She simply nodded once... firmly... before springing forward, her boots tearing into the ground as she shot toward Revis with renewed determination.
Revis, watching Ais charge straight at her, let out a cold snort.
"Intercept her."
At her command, the earth ahead of Ais erupted.
ROAR
More than a dozen plant monsters surged up in an instant, forming a living wall of writhing vines, snapping maws, and thorn-covered limbs... an ambush meant to halt her advance.
But Ais didn't slow.
She didn't even raise her sword.
Her eyes never left Revis.
Whip-like vines lashed toward her, aimed to bind, pierce, and tear... but Ais neither flinched nor blocked.
'Because he has my back.'
It was a level of trust that should have taken months... years... to form.
Yet it felt natural.
There was not a sliver of doubt to be seen in her face.
And as if to answer that unspoken trust...
Judas had already made his move.
『Lightning Spear』
A crack of thunder split the air as blue lightning surged forward, ripping through several plant monsters in its path and detonating against the ground near Revis.
Dust and smoke exploded outward.
But before the cloud could even settle...
A blade flashed out from within.
CLANG—!
Ais met Revis head-on, their swords colliding again in a storm of sparks.
The shockwave blew the smoke apart, revealing the two locked in close combat.
Ais twisted her wrist and unleashed a flurry of strikes, her movements sharp and precise, every swing aimed to incapacitate her opponent.
Revis parried them all.
Each clash rang like thunder.
"Tsk..."
Revis clicked her tongue, fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword as minute vibrations ran up her arm.
She could feel it clearly now... the impact behind each of the swordswoman's strikes had changed.
Heavier. Sharper. More oppressive than before.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Magic that grants a power-up...?"
The realization settled in quickly.
Ais Wallenstein had grown stronger... strong enough that Revis could no longer dismiss the change as mere momentum or adrenaline.
Naturally, her gaze shifted... if only for a brief instant... toward the black-haired mage standing some distance away.
"So it's you."
Her lips curled into a scowl.
"Damn mages..."
Revis let out a sharp, piercing whistle that cut cleanly through the battlefield.
"Kill that bastard."
The order carried unmistakable intent.
Of all the threats present, the mage was the most troublesome.
Buffs, barriers, attack spells... left unchecked, he would tilt the battle further out of her control.
Meanwhile, Judas realized the situation.
The monsters had now shifted their attention towards him.
"Hey you!"
He shouted without looking back.
"Stay inside the barrier and don't move, no matter what happens!"
"I-I know!"
She yelled, hugging her knees as the translucent barrier trembled under repeated impacts.
Judas inhaled slowly.
A vast amount of magic power surged in the air.
Encircled by a swarm of plant monsters, Judas raised his hand.
Nearly a dozen magic circles bloomed into existence around him, layered at different heights and angles.
They rotated slowly, precise and deliberate, each one locking onto a different direction.
Pointing outward...
An omnidirectional barrage of attack spells erupted all at once.
Boom.
Psst.
Explosions blossomed across the battlefield in rapid succession, shockwaves tearing through the ground.
Fire, lightning, compressed force, and searing light ripped into the monsters from every angle.
The plant monsters shrieked in agony, their bodies torn apart before they could even close the distance.
"Wow... amazing..."
Lulune whispered, her fear momentarily forgotten as she stared at the overwhelming display.
A cascade of colors lit up the area as the monsters collapsed one after another, reduced to scorched remains and scattered fragments.
'My power... it's stronger than normal...'
Judas thought as he clenched his fist.
Even though the firepower of his strongest short-activation spells could already reach the realm of first-class combat prowess...
It still felt unusual.
He had dealt with these monsters far too easily... especially when compared to Ais, Tiona, Tione, and the others.
'It feels like I've... reached the threshold of level 6.'
His gaze dropped briefly to his own hand, as if trying to grasp the invisible change within himself.
'This happened back then too... when these plant monsters attacked the city.'
He could feel it... the same abnormal surge of strength whenever he fought these abominations.
'...So it really is that.'
His thoughts drifted to one particular skill etched into his status.
[Penitent Executioner]
A skill that granted him increased strength when fighting irregular, abnormal, or mutated entities.
'The activation condition is so specific... it almost never triggers.'
He exhaled quietly.
'I'd almost forgotten about it.'
Which meant...
'These things aren't normal monsters.'
Their existence itself was an aberration.
"Instant casting—wha—?"
Revis, still exchanging blows with Ais, caught sight of the annihilation out of the corner of her eye.
Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face as she witnessed the aftermath.
For some reason... the way Judas fought in that moment...
It reminded her of someone.
No... she doubted she could even call that thing a person.
A figure that even a cold-blooded killer like her genuinely feared.
For a split second, Judas' silhouette overlapped with that memory.
"...How ridiculous."
She shook her head sharply, forcibly clearing the thought.
Distractions had no place here.
But in a battle between first-class combatants, even a fraction of a second was fatal.
'She's open.'
Ais sensed it immediately.
"Tempest!"
Her magic activated in an instant.
This wasn't an opponent she could afford to hold back against.
"Shit!"
With Ais' sudden burst of speed, Revis couldn't react in time.
Steel flashed.
When Revis turned her head, her vision lagging half a heartbeat behind reality, she saw it...
Her arm.
Severed.
Falling.
And hitting the ground with a wet, hollow thud.
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