“What the heck?!”
Meanwhile, Ulan noticed something was off.
‘Laurea is gone.’
One second she was kneeling, and the next—poof! Gone.
He had a hunch about what had happened.
She must’ve used the ‘Bridge of Light.’
As this realization hit him, Ulan took in all the sunny areas where light existed. He quickly remembered the most likely destination for Laurea.
‘Headed for the base?’
The cabin atop the hill.
There was no shade on the road towards Arsen’s base. That means, if he wasn’t careful, they could lose the flag.
But he wasn’t too worried.
‘Noa is at the base.’
The strongest Sorcerer he knew.
If it was Noa, she could definitely handle Laurea. Winning might be questionable, but buying enough time should be a cakewalk.
‘So I need to get there before her…’
To the base at Eloden.
This was a fortunate turn of events for Ulan. He wasn’t too excited about fighting Laurea anyway.
After finishing his thoughts, Ulan looked ahead again.
‘First, I take down Ian.’
Setting a clear objective in mind, he stepped forward, and then suddenly something blocked his path.
“…Protect us!”
Just as the cadets finished their prayer.
Fwoosh!
A silver curtain spread around them.
This softly glowing curtain wrapped tightly around the cadets and Ian. Ulan muttered as if he was familiar with this scene.
“Holy Shield?”
“Surprising, I didn’t think you’d know this.”
Teron replied, looking quite impressed.
Of course, it was impossible not to know it.
It was a holy spell used countless times by Ian and Laurea in his past life. Teron, who had no idea, chuckled and said,
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s Eloden’s pride, the holy shield and invincible barrier. You wouldn’t be able to break through it no matter how hard you try!”
Teron boasted with confidence.
At that moment, Ulan suddenly shook his head.
“No, that’s wrong.”
“…What?”
“It’s not an invincible barrier.”
This was the truth.
In his past life, while fighting the Frost Dragon that had shed its skin seven times, he hadn’t been able to block its breath even with a 9-star Holy Shield.
Well, it was mainly due to the creature’s unique ability that froze surrounding magic power.
‘Though the Frost Dragon isn’t around anymore.’
As he thought that and tried to move on, suddenly a thought struck him.
‘Wait a second.’
If he viewed it as invincible here, it might not be too far off. After all, the Frost Dragon was the only one among the Lords of the Abyss known to break through a 9-star Holy Shield.
While pondering with a serious expression, a voice shattered his contemplation.
“Dare to insult Eloden?!”
“Then prove your words!”
A few cadets seemed riled up, shouting back at his claim that the Holy Shield was not invincible.
Ulan nodded at them.
“Got it.”
As he moved towards the silver curtain, the cadets of Eloden, including Teron, smiled with satisfaction.
This was part of their strategy.
After all, the prayer they recited wasn’t just for the Holy Shield.
‘As soon as he approaches the shield…’
The pre-prepared prayer would activate.
It was a holy spell capable of sealing his movements. Even an Expert would have to reveal a gap for just a moment.
As they gauged the distance.
Finally, Ulan and the shield touched.
At the moment it happened.
Clang!
With the sound of chains scraping the ground, another holy spell activated.
‘Chains of Condemnation.’
Pure white chains emerged from the light.
This chain formed of light bound Ulan’s arms and legs in the blink of an eye.
“Now!”
“Everyone, attack!”
Leading the charge with a drawn sword, Teron and the cadets of Eloden rushed towards Ulan as one.
Except for one, Ian.
A short while later, the reason for his lack of movement was revealed.
Thud! Crackle!
Even with his progress blocked by the Holy Shield and his limbs bound by the Chains of Condemnation, Ulan’s march showed no signs of stopping.
“Wait, what?!”
“What the heck?! The shield…!”
The shield was warping.
It couldn’t stop Ulan’s advance, stretching more and more, until it started to crack.
And soon enough—
Crack! Crash!
The Holy Shield shattered into pieces.
The cadets rushing towards Ulan froze in place like stone statues.
“W-Why did the Holy Shield…?”
“What did he do?!”
As the shocked cadets looked at Ulan, he coolly replied.
“I just walked up.”
To be exact, he had pushed through with sheer strength.
Unless it was a 7-star Holy Shield or higher, belonging to the top-level divine spells, anything lower could simply be torn apart or smashed to bits with strength.
As silence enveloped the scene.
One cadet noticed something.
“The Chains of Condemnation are still intact!”
“Julia! Create a gap!”
Recognizing that the hold on Ulan was still solid, a cadet shouted to Teron, who then gave directives to the girl closest to Ulan.
And Julia sprang into action.
“Divine Being!”
With Julia’s attack leading the way, Teron and two other cadets followed closely behind, fiercely swinging their swords.
Yet again, Ian remained unmoving.
For the same reason as before.
Crack! Boom!
The chains shattered uselessly.
Julia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“…Huh?”
Why did that break?
As she thought that, suddenly—
Crack!
A massive hand clamped down on her face.
Her world flipped upside down.
“What the…?”
With that one questioning sentence,
BAM!
A thunderous sound and vibration shook the ground.
The blonde girl, who’d just tried to attack Ulan, smashed into the ground with an earth-shattering sound.
[Julia Medica: Death]
[Remaining forces of Eloden: 7]
Was it due to the shock that was enough to make one faint?
Julia fell out of the battle in an instant.
Meanwhile, her fellow cadets hesitated for a moment upon witnessing her fate.
“What do we do?!
“Divine Being! To your servant…”
A silver-haired girl cried out in panic.
On the other hand, a brown-haired boy quietly recited his prayer. Unfortunately for him, his prayer also couldn’t continue.
Pow! Bam!
The fates of the two were no different from Julia’s.
[Cecilia Rolven: Death]
[Bailon Tarmel: Death]
[Remaining forces of Eloden: 5]
Three had fallen in an instant.
Teron swallowed hard.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing with his own eyes.
Especially Bailon Tarmel had been a powerful fighter close to the skills of a mid-ranking knight. Someone with the potential to reach the level of a high-ranking knight in mere months.
They were taken down so easily?
‘Am I really…’
Is it really a fight against an Expert?
For a moment, he felt as if Ulan’s overwhelming performance was absurd. Then suddenly, Ian’s earlier words echoed in his mind.
“Seniors, hurry up and pray! Before this monster is set loose on us!”
Monster. That word seemed just right.
Feeling that the chance of winning was none.
“Huu…”
Teron exhaled the breath he had left in him. Realizing that he was not in a position to win, it became oddly comforting.
A moment later, he cautiously approached the now-close Ulan.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“About the cadets you’ve taken down.”
The three who were left sticking out like totem poles.
He asked with curiosity, “Why did you do that to them?”
“Because it’s annoying if they recite their prayers.”
“…Really?”
That was the simple reason behind it?
Teron was momentarily speechless.
On the other hand, to Ulan, this was a strategy he had quite literally put his brain to work for.
If he wanted to stop them from reciting prayers, he needed to shut their mouths, and rather than that, it was simply easier to slam their heads into the ground.
Once his confusion cleared up.
Teron’s expression turned serious.
“…I promise you this.”
“What?”
“I won’t recite a prayer.”
Absolutely, no matter what.
He said with a resolute face.
“You know what that means?”
Ulan nodded silently.
Teron sighed in relief.
Perhaps he was relieved he didn’t have to get his head slammed into the ground.
A little while later.
BAM!
Teron was slammed headfirst into the ground.
Just like the other cadets.
[Teron Shulagen: Death]
[Remaining forces of Eloden: 4]
After dusting off the dirt on his palm.
Ulan muttered softly.
“I don’t trust the enemy’s words.”
Was it because his head was buried in the ground?
No reply came.
Having knocked down all the cadets, Ulan turned to the last remaining opponent.
One of his companions from his past life.
The Knight, Ian Marcus.
As soon as their eyes met,
“Wait, hold on! Just a moment!”
Ian suddenly stretched out his hand.
Like he had something important to say.
“Can I make one proposal?”
“A proposal?”
What on earth was he talking about?
They hadn’t even fought yet!
Ulan asked confusedly, and Ian suddenly smiled awkwardly.
Then, lowering his hand to his mouth, he whispered.
“I know your secret.”
“What? Secret?”
“Yes. If you back off now, I won’t reveal your secret.”
Did he have a secret?
Ulan tilted his head in confusion.
Only the anecdote about his past life that he had recently shared with Laurea came to mind.
‘But…’
At that time, Laurea had clearly said to keep the stories of the past between just the two of them for a while. So Ulan excluded that possibility and deliberated.
But he couldn’t find any conclusion.
“I don’t get what you’re saying.”
“Don’t play dumb.”
As soon as he frowned,
Ian closed the distance quickly.
Only three steps away now.
It wasn’t close enough to feel each other’s breath, but it was close enough for only Ulan to hear his whisper.
And at that moment,
Ian moved his lips.
“You’re actually not an Expert, are you?”
The tone of his voice was different from usual.
Ian spoke in a tiny voice, only audible to Ulan.
“You might be able to fool everyone, but not my eyes.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know why a master would pretend to be a mere student, but I’m sure it’s a secret you don’t want to get out.”
His emerald eyes sparkled like stars.
As if he had uncovered some great secret.
“So if you give up and withdraw smoothly, I swear by the Divine Being that I won’t disclose your secret. How’s that? Not a bad deal, right?”
Ian smiled, certain of the outcome.
Meanwhile, Ulan chuckled lightly.
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
“You’re still denying it…?”
“I never hid my strength.”
“…What?”
“My companions already know.”
Ulan answered calmly.
Because that was a fact.
His status as a Master was known not just by Ivella and Delia, but also by Noa.
Perhaps due to the unexpected outcome?
Ian couldn’t hide his shock.
“B-But other students thought you were an Expert…”
“That’s just their misunderstanding. I’ve never claimed to be an Expert.”
After finishing that confidently, Ulan slammed his point home, invalidating Ian’s proposal.
“More importantly, I wouldn’t mind if it got out that I’m a Master. It’s not creating a lie, just revealing the truth.”
“….”
Ian shut his mouth tight.
He had realized two things.
First, that Ulan’s words were all true, and second, that the very proposal had become meaningless.
“If your confusion is cleared up, let’s fight.”
With those words, Ian’s face fell.
A face that seemed to plead, “Please, let’s not fight.”
“…Do we really have to fight?”
“Absolutely.”
“If I surrender,…”
“Then I’ll do the same to you.”
Ulan pointed at the four human totems.
There was no way to escape the fight.
With a heavy sigh, Ian clasped his hands respectfully and looked up at the sky, murmuring,
“Divine Being, why are you doing this to me?”
No reply came.
Ian sighed again, distancing himself from Ulan. Then, he raised his shield, channeling every bit of divine power to its limit.
And the result?
Fwoosh!
Brilliant silver light enveloped Ian’s entire body. His shield turned pure white, while his wooden sword gathered pure divine power.
The mark of a master-level holy knight.
A sacred aura.
Simultaneously, a temporary domain expanded.
It was only a single step away, but it was definitely the domain of a master. Fully prepared, Ian pointed his sword at Ulan while speaking out.
“I am Ian Marcus, a Paladin Master Shankthus’s disciple and a holy knight of Eloden!”
“Ulan Bator. Just a barbarian.”
Ulan chuckled.
After that straightforward introduction, he too activated all his Spirits. Soon, to prove he hadn’t hidden his strength, crimson magic enveloped his club.
The Master’s symbol, the aura.
Ulan’s domain expanded.
Swirling!
The three Spirits created from defeating the Frost Dragon, Glacia, mixed with his past life experiences, allowed his domain to explode in size.
‘Thirty-nine steps.’
His domain had nearly doubled in size.
No need to take a separate step.
Ulan’s domain swallowed Ian’s as the battle commenced and ended in an instant.
Truly a flash of combat.
Those who might remember what had transpired were only Ulan and Ian, who had been in the same domain.
A little while later.
BAM!
Ian was sent crashing down.
Chapter 28: Shall we not call it a draw?
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
