Chapter 262

“……This is……”

Tifa blinked in confusion, checking her body.

For some unknown reason… right now, she could feel an overwhelming ‘power’ surging through herself.

To be precise, it was that strange energy she’d vaguely sensed during meditation.

That elusive source of strength, which had always been just out of reach, now felt like it was coursing wildly through her very flesh.

An unprecedented feeling of exhilaration.

Tifa swung her axe lightly.

I can fight with this.

Just moments ago, when she’d been struggling and getting pushed back, it felt like a lie. Her body felt as light as a feather.

Yeah.

―There’s no way I can die here!

“Come at me, you bastard!!!”

“Kyaah!”

Their weapons clashed again.

The one fortunate thing for Sad was that, fortunately, his weapon didn’t literally get sliced apart this time…

However, after exchanging just a few blows, he easily grasped the difference in skill. The exact opposite of how things were just moments ago.

There’s no way I can win…

If this woman possesses this much power, there’s absolutely no way I can win this battle.

Sad adjusted his stance once more and looked at Tifa in front of him.

She was holding her axe, which was glowing with a blue aura, as if wrapped in a suit of light armor.

It was as if… one of those mythical knights from the religious prophecies of the continent’s peaceful past had appeared before him.

And simultaneously… Sad was overcome by an emotion he’d never felt on the battlefield before.

Fear.

That was it, fear.

They say humans experience fear in countless ways…

But chief among them is the fear of encountering something unknown.

That’s exactly how Sad felt right now.

Isn’t it normal to feel fear when you see someone suddenly glowing bright blue?

“What… what is she? What’s happening?!”

Sad tried to retreat, but…

“HAAAAAAH!”

Swoosh!

The head of the horse he was riding got cut off, causing it to collapse immediately… throwing him off.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Even as he tumbled on the ground, Sad desperately tried to think of ways to survive.

Though overwhelmed by fear, his survival instinct was even stronger.

“I have to escape somehow…!”

If I run, I can save my life.

Now that I’ve fallen off my horse, I won’t be able to disappear quickly from sight… but this is a battlefield. If I can get among the soldiers, I can probably survive by taking advantage of the chaos!

What our army should do about this woman who suddenly became so powerful – those considerations don’t matter if I can just preserve my life. Those are things I can think about many times later if I survive.

While Sad was thinking all this…

Tifa began seriously testing this ‘power’ she had become aware of.

“This power… I might be able to release it outward…”

This wasn’t theoretical. It was instinctual.

Like how newborns naturally breathe and cry when hungry – the moment Tifa accepted this power into her body, it felt like she already knew what to do, and she started displaying her abilities extremely naturally.

“If I do this…!”

Whoosh!

The axe she was gripping began burning with flames.

This fire definitely reached her hand, but it didn’t feel hot at all.

I don’t know exactly what this power is…

But it feels like it’s entering my body, making me no longer hurt, healing my physical form.

At that moment.

Tifa finally noticed Sad trying to flee desperately in her line of sight.

“Where do you think you’re running…!”

Instinctively, Tifa extended her hand toward the fleeing Sad.

She hadn’t intended to do anything specific.

However – the mysterious force she had become aware of, ‘mana’, was circulating in her body, and now that it had fully activated…

Her simple gesture couldn’t remain just that.

Shwooosh!

“HAAAAAHHH!!”

The ball of fire attached to Tifa’s weapon flew directly toward Sad following her will.

As Sad continued running, in a brief instant, he instinctively looked back.

Ah.

A ball of flame, almost like magic, was flying straight toward his face.

At this moment, Sad experienced the same sensation Tifa had felt earlier.

I’m going to die.

If this fire hits my head… I’ll definitely die.

And there’s no way to avoid it. My brain won’t process fast enough – I’ll be dead before I can react.

Right now, all Sad could sense was… yeah. This fire is very similar to ‘magic’.

And that magic exists on this continent.

“Magic, sa…!!!”

BOOOOM!!!

The giant ball of fire Tifa launched hit Sad’s face directly.

And… whatever used to be Sad’s body collapsed limply to the ground.

Sad Astron.

Once famous under Karelia, then abandoned by his lord and formed a mercenary unit.

For an incredibly long time, he lived solely by coating his weapon with others’ blood.

His end was disappointingly pathetic, but from an outside perspective, dying so quickly and painlessly on a battlefield might be called a blessing.

Tifa rode her horse toward where he lay.

…He’s dead. With his head gone, there’s no way he survived.

I don’t feel any sympathy or guilt. Initially – this guy tried to kill me. If I couldn’t use this magic-like power, the corpse lying here bleeding wouldn’t be him but me.

“…Wait.”

That’s right.

Magic!

Tifa finally realized dimly that her power was ‘magic’.

If magicians hadn’t appeared on the continent yet – Tifa wouldn’t have known what this power was at all, but hadn’t one already appeared in the Serpina army?

Then… was the sensation I’ve been feeling what they call mana?

Tifa turned her head to look where the soldiers were gathering.

Perfect targets for using magic… scattered everywhere.

“–!!!!”

Tifa roared loudly enough to split the heavens.

And once again embraced the power source she’d felt earlier – mana – into her body.

It felt like being reborn, with overwhelming energy flowing into her.

I will definitely bring victory to Lunarien in this battle.

And with these hands, I will personally achieve the domination of the Lunarien army!!!

She charged toward the soldiers on horseback.

And…

* * *

“Ma, magician…!”

“Run! We can’t defeat a magician!”

“Magician…?!”

Vanessa looked again toward where the loud noise was coming from.

BOOOOOM!!!!

Definitely, something was exploding like magic.

Is there any other way to cause such massive explosions artificially within my knowledge? Unless a magician descended from the Northern Continent.

But this is undeniable reality right in front of me.

And it’s impossible that the magician under the Serpina army would come to help the Lunarien army…

In the end, there’s only one conclusion left.

‘A magician… existed all along…!!’

Vanessa’s eyes widened comically – losing her composure for the first time in any situation, even when pleading with her lord to kill her.

“Damn it…!”

The most terrifying thing for humans is unknown power. Vanessa knew this well.

That’s why these soldiers are forgetting they’re breaking military law and fleeing!

We don’t know how wide the range of that power is. We don’t know how deep it goes!

Though it’s worst as a soldier, it’s a very rational choice as a living being.

Trying to calm down the panicked soldiers, she shouted:

“Everyone, calm down! It’s the enemy’s trap! Even a magician is ultimately just one commander! They can’t defeat us who have numerical superiority!”

Vanessa’s shout reached none of the people here.

BOOOOM-!

Beyond that, explosions continued to sound.

No matter how many troops you have, if they lack the will to fight, you can’t win.

It’s the same as how ten thousand men fighting with the resolve to die can’t be beaten by fifty thousand men just trying to preserve their lives.

True, with five times the number, you could probably capture retreating enemies. But we barely have twice the numbers!

‘Lunarien… targeted this from the start…’

The two mercenary units were diversions.

Their plan was to create chaos by bringing out a magician, then capture us…

“DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!!”

Vanessa bit her lower lip until it bled while turning her horse.

Since the battle lines are retreating… I can’t let myself be captured as the chief strategist.

I could only hope Sad would regain his senses and command the soldiers, but… soon enough, she realized he’d gone somewhere beyond helping her with that forever.

“!!”

Not just the Karelia army side was surprised.

Even Jinoru, who was orchestrating the situation, was shocked by the sudden appearance of the magician, looking toward where the interception unit was.

‘This can’t be…!’

When the mercenary unit arrived as reinforcements initially, he thought his deductions were mostly correct.

Though the mercenary numbers weren’t exactly what he expected… still, since his reasoning was right, he naively believed he could find a breakthrough in the battle.

Never did he expect a magician would appear.

Let alone that one of our own generals would awaken as a magician… not for a single moment.

The unease from everything going too perfectly according to Lunarien’s favor.

If there really is a god, it feels like I’m receiving overwhelming divine favor.

Jinoru was undoubtedly wise. His vast experience made him the continent’s greatest strategist.

Still – he was human. When witnessing things beyond imagination, one feels awe, and beyond that – fear.

The moment he realized the emotion he was feeling was ‘fear’, a message from that man – the true ‘strategist’ Lunarien trusted absolutely in the Lunarien army came to mind.

[Find Lunarien Iniyan.]

‘!!!!!’

Swoen… really knew all along.

That Lunarien Iniyan was destined to unify the continent.

At least after witnessing this situation… doubting his words would truly be foolish.

Though he originally trusted his words and came here because of that – seeing the evidence directly with his own eyes makes it hit differently.

‘Lunarien is… the woman who will become the new emperor of the continent…!!’

Jinoru realizes.

In her crimson eyes… lies the fate of all the continent’s people.

* * *

–Battle Result.

The morale of the Karelia army’s 200,000+ troops completely shattered, unable to mount a proper defense, they were utterly overwhelmed by the Lunarien army.

This was one of the rarest upsets in all battles across the Southern Continent – indeed, the entire continent.

And with this battle as a turning point –

The Karelia army began its inevitable decline toward complete ruin.