Chapter 43: Is she really a mage?   

It worked. 

This should be enough. 

For now, I need to put some distance between me and the others.  

Thanks to Rita relentlessly slaying monsters, the area around her had become relatively clear.  

With a path opened, Rita swiftly dashed forward.  

The lingering effect of Breath of the Glacier provided some defense against the lizards charging indiscriminately.  

As she closed the distance to Satan, Rita retracted her ice spears and aimed her staff.  

“Blade of Azure Light.”  

Satan twitched at the sight of Rita approaching so suddenly.  

Already enraged, it found her presence—swarming like a mayfly—utterly irritating. 

And with her brazen magic flying toward it, Satan couldn’t stay idle.  

Finally, it responded to Rita’s challenge, stomping forward with furious breaths.  

“Surging Frost.”  

Hiding her satisfaction, Rita targeted Satan’s feet first.  

However, as expected of a fragment, the mother of monsters, Satan was barely affected by the rising reverse icicles.

Instead, it casually crushed them underfoot with a bizarre display of strength.  

Rita had anticipated its high magic resistance and cast her next spell without hesitation.  

“Snowstorm of Judgment.”  

Perhaps because it was a higher-tier spell, the icy storm managed to bind Satan’s feet.  

Satan stared at its trapped legs, then used its tail to smash the ice repeatedly.  

As cracks formed and the ice began to shatter, Rita closed the distance in an instant, aiming her staff at Satan’s throat.  

“Frozen Valor.”  

A long ice spear narrowly grazed Satan’s neck as it lightly tilted its head to dodge. 

Just as it reached out to grab Rita, another spell struck.  

“Cruel Arrow.”  

An ice harpoon shot toward Satan’s back at high speed.  

Sensing danger, Satan instinctively turned, catching the harpoon with its tail. 

But the white frost emanating from the harpoon began freezing its tail.  

“You’re getting on my nerves.”  

Frowning, Satan tried to fling the harpoon away, but Rita swung her spear and charged. 

Her relentless close-quarters assault kept Satan’s attention divided.  

“Is she really a mage? No matter how I look at it, she doesn’t seem like one,” 

Eugène remarked, stealing glances at Rita’s solo performance while looking at Bailey.  

But Bailey was just as astonished.  

The way Rita fought was unthinkable for an ordinary mage.  

Using mana to shape spells already demanded immense focus, yet Rita was wielding her body and magic simultaneously.  

“It’s not just about rank,” Bailey muttered.  

Even considering her supreme-rank status, her display was truly in the realm of raw talent.  

This made the other mages even more awestruck.  

“I knew she was incredible when she used four attributes simultaneously, but… the more I see, the more unbelievable she is,” 

Blena said, momentarily captivated despite her focus on support.  

“She’s truly… a natural,” Alois added, his eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.  

Seth, catching the same sentiment, bit his lip as if jealous but eventually nodded in agreement.  

Blena smiled at the sight, finding it endearing.  

“Come on, let’s focus again. The more we step up, the easier it’ll be for Rita to move.”  

Feeling proud as if it were her own achievement, Blena rallied the two.  

The supreme-rank mages, including Mikael and Felix, were fighting valiantly up front, but the group was still heavily outnumbered.  

Monsters kept pouring in from the northern forest.  

They’re dead serious.  

Rita’s brow furrowed as she occasionally glanced at the situation.  

But what bothered her more was Satan’s behavior.  

Despite being capable of overwhelming attacks, Satan was merely defending against her onslaught, matching her moves.  

‘What’s its game?’

Satan was the fragment most obsessed with unilateral violence. 

Yet its current behavior was unusually restrained for a being that reveled in crushing life.  

‘Is it testing my strength?’

That was partly true.  

But what Satan was more focused on was the target of Rita’s attacks. 

Every spell she cast was aimed at its tail, as if she knew it was its weak point.  

Satan was busy studying Rita, wondering how a human could know its vulnerability.  

It wanted to ask but couldn’t bring itself to speak, instead glaring at her with resentment.  

It needed to show her that its tail wasn’t to be underestimated.  

“Coiling Rope!”  

As Rita aimed for its back again, Satan’s eyes widened.  

Its black tail, hidden behind it, suddenly lashed upward from the ground.  

The freely extending tail deliberately grazed Rita’s face.  

Almost got me.  

A trickle of blood ran down her cheek from a cut by its sharp scales.  

Rita smirked, unfazed, as Satan used its supposedly defensive tail as a weapon, a sign of confidence.  

‘How far can that tail extend?’  

Her memory was hazy, so Rita cautiously stepped back, gauging the distance.  

Suddenly, Satan’s face loomed close—its teleportation ability.  

Rita tried to back away, but its hand was faster.  

“Your mind’s elsewhere.”  

A scaled hand grabbed her arm, and a raised leg aimed for her face.  

Rita instinctively raised her hand to block.  

But even a supreme-rank mage’s body couldn’t withstand a fragment’s superior physical strength.  

“Ugh…!”  

Her palm felt like the bones had shattered.  

Holding her breath, Rita leaped back quickly.  

But Satan’s tail, slithering across the ground, seized her ankle.  

She tried to stab it with an ice spear, but her body was already airborne.  

Her vision shook, and her staff pointed aimlessly.  

“I’ll tear you apart first!”  

Satan, eyes gleaming, laughed maniacally and flung Rita with its tail.  

Her destination: a massive boulder.  

“Rita!”  

Alois’s panicked cry rang out, but Rita reacted instantly.  

“Seeping Life!”  

Before she hit the rock, thick vines rose from the ground, forming a net to catch her.  

The impact wasn’t entirely cushioned—she rolled with scratches—but it was better than smashing into the rock.  

‘No time for complex calculations.’  

Her survival instincts kicked in. 

She grabbed a vine with her staff, hanging on.  

The shock rattled her body, but it was better than being crushed.  

‘I’d love to catch my breath…  But there was no time.’  

Just as she thought she’d gained distance from Satan, a swarm of monsters charged toward her.  

Rita quickly jumped down, heading behind the vines.  

“Swamp of Distant Purgatory.”  

As her staff touched the ground, the vines moved swiftly, enveloping the monsters.  

The tangled vines formed a tight net, trapping them in a bundle.  

The more the monsters struggled, the tighter the vines constricted.  

Left alone, they’d be crushed to death, but Rita didn’t stop there.  

“Sigh of the Flame.”  

The net of trapped monsters burst into flames with the breath of a fiery raven.  

Weaker juveniles couldn’t withstand the fire and burned to ash.  

A surviving adult staggered toward her, and Rita’s cold eyes met it.  

“Cruel Arrow.”  

A massive harpoon shot from the frozen ground, piercing the adult’s body.  

Swept by the force, it flew and impaled itself on a tree like a trophy.  

“Phew…”  

The remaining monsters hesitated, instinctively fearful.  

Taking advantage of the brief respite, Rita clutched her injured arm, catching her breath.  

As an injured mage, she needed healing from Mikael or Loen, but Satan gave her no chance.  

No time for healing.  

Gritting her teeth, Rita charged forward again.  

She dominated the front line alone, crushing enemies. 

But the situation behind her looked dire for her allies.  

“Argh!”  

Most of the cries came from Eugène, but urgent screams echoed occasionally.  

With her comrades struggling, even Rita, fighting fiercely, instinctively turned to check on them.  

Satan noticed, its lips curling into a wide grin.  

It signaled its children to shift their focus. 

The horde that had been targeting Rita now swarmed the other supreme-rank mages, throwing them into chaos.  

“What the hell?! They’re all coming at us now!”  

The supreme-ranks, focused on combat with Eugène at the forefront, were rattled.  

Mikael tried to hold them off, unleashing a barrage of unfamiliar sword energy.  

The sharp energy felled monsters, but their numbers were overwhelming.  

“Lord Alois! Handle the ones nearby!”  

Unable to stand by, Blena redirected Alois’s efforts.  

Alois realized it was better to target closer enemies than aim for Rita’s distant foes and complied.  

“Snowstorm of Judgment!”  

Though weaker, his wide-range ice magic slowed the monsters slightly.  

Some froze and shattered into pieces.  

But it wouldn’t last long, Rita thought, grinding her teeth as she watched anxiously.  

That filthy bastard. 

It knows I’m distracted by them and is playing tricks.  

With her injured arm needing attention, joining her allies temporarily seemed wise.  

Fighting this horde alone would be meaningless if her comrades died.  

“Move!”  

Rita shoved a monster aside with her spear, heading toward her allies.  

Focusing on speed over attack and defense left her back vulnerable.  

“Ugh…!”  

A small lizard leaped from a tree, biting her leg.  

Rita swung her spear, piercing its head and flinging it away.  

“Such a feisty meal!”  

Satan, watching her defiance, let out an incredulous laugh.  

Its amusement quickly turned to a malicious, sinister gaze. 

With a gesture, the lizards’ behavior changed.  

Instead of biting and devouring Rita, they began restraining her movements.  

No way.  

Their bodies twisted like ropes, binding her legs tightly. 

The heavy, unpleasant pressure hindered her steps.  

A large adult monster lunged, knocking her down with its weight.  

‘It’s toying with me. This leaves the rear…’  

Struggling against the restraints, Rita fought to break free.  

Meanwhile, her surrounded allies were increasingly cornered.  

At that moment, a cold droplet landed on Rita’s nose.  

Water?  

Looking up, she saw snow falling, which hadn’t occurred since the subjugation force arrived in the north.  

Her eyes widened as she stared.  

“Blena!”  

Her shout was answered by Blena’s confident smile.  

She called out loudly, “Thorns of Bitter Cold!”  

Raising both hands with her staff toward the sky, the faint snowflakes falling from the dry heavens froze in place.  

The blue-gleaming ice elongated into sharp, diamond-shaped thorns, descending rapidly at Blena’s gesture.  

Thorns of Bitter Cold.  

An advanced spell that turned falling snow into icy weapons, usable only under specific conditions.  

Its power, drawing on nature, far surpassed artificially created snow spells, which were weak and mana-intensive.  

Now’s the perfect chance…  

Artificial snow spells consumed too much mana for their effect and duration.  

This moment, with minimal mana, was ideal for harnessing nature’s power.  

The only drawback was that the caster’s skill determined accuracy and impact.  

“Everyone, watch out!”  

In the chaos, Blena had neither the time to worry about her allies nor the ability to avoid them with her magic.  

She trusted they’d dodge on their own.  

“Crazy! I’m on your side!”  

Eugène’s shrill scream rang out, but Blena paid no mind.