Chapter 152

=====[Claire]=====

There’s one fact that any magician knows well.

No matter how powerful a spell is, it’s just a lump of magical energy until it manifests in reality.

And at the very moment when a magician weaves that energy into a spell, they expose a fatal flaw.

Timing that moment is the surest way to defeat a magician.

If the spell fails to manifest, the backflow of magical energy will attack the caster themselves.

—

The attacks raining down on Ophelia were also aimed at this timing.

All the subordinates Ophelia had gathered over time.

Every single person used to create the fake dungeon now unleashed a simultaneous assault on her.

“Who would have thought it’d be this easy?”

Watching the spells pouring in from all directions aimed at her younger sister, Claire sneered at Ophelia’s carelessness.

Betrayal.

It had been a three-year-long scheme for Claire.

Filling Ophelia’s surroundings with her own subordinates… while guiding her not to suspect.

Deliberately letting clumsy spies approach and get caught, then using that opportunity to place her own loyalists.

They had done very well so far.

To act as if they were truly loyal to Ophelia, they even caught the clumsy spies themselves to gain trust.

Moreover, they occasionally fed Ophelia information about Claire’s movements and plans, helping her in every way possible.

Ophelia, half-doubting, would still move according to their information without anyone knowing, and each time, Claire suffered significant losses.

Of course, it was all within the level of loss Claire had intended… but it was enough for Ophelia to trust her subordinates.

“It was worth the effort.”

Claire herself had often felt it was too much trouble.

But thanks to that, her spies never aroused Ophelia’s suspicion until today’s opportunity arrived.

For her, it was a satisfying result.

It *had been* a satisfying result.

“How very like you, sister.”

Ophelia muttered nonchalantly.

At the same time, a storm of blade-like winds erupted in all directions.

The spells collided with the storm and shattered into pieces.

“What…! Aaaah!”

“This can’t be… Aaaah!”

Shock, screams, and a bloodstorm swept through the reed field.

The perfectly timed ambush was neutralized in an instant, leaving everyone too stunned to react.

When the wind subsided, several of Claire’s loyalists lay around Ophelia, cut to pieces and trembling.

“To cast a spell in that short moment…? Impossible, even for a high-ranking magician!”

One of those outside the range of the blade storm shouted, trembling.

Everyone thought the same. Except for Claire, who had seen exactly what happened.

“…Stop gawking and look properly. She didn’t cast a new spell. She just used a spell she had already prepared.”

Claire glared at Ophelia with a grimace.

“Hmm. You figured it out, sister? I guess your eyes haven’t completely rotted away yet. I thought they’d have decayed by now.”

Ophelia looked down at her enemies, sneering.

That’s right. She hadn’t cast a new spell.

Even for her, completing a spell in that short moment was impossible.

All Ophelia had done was scatter the magical energy she had no intention of using… and detonate the blade storm she had prepared in advance.

Gathering the magical energy in the first place was just a ruse. A deception to lure Claire’s spies into attacking her.

She had known all along that her subordinates were Claire’s spies.

“…Since when?”

“Since what?”

“Don’t play dumb. Since when did you realize that all your subordinates were my spies…!”

Claire’s voice was tinged with irritation.

She hadn’t ruled out the possibility of being found out, but it still stung that her three years of effort had been wasted.

“As expected, sister, you’re so foolish. Pitifully so.”

Ophelia took out a magic cigarette and openly mocked Claire.

“Since when did you think I wouldn’t notice such a clumsy scheme?”

She had never trusted them from the start.

And the moment she saw Claire calling her at the dungeon entrance, her suspicion turned to certainty.

How else could Claire have known about the trap that only Ophelia and her subordinates were aware of?

The moment Claire proudly called out to Ophelia, her scheme had become meaningless.

And she hadn’t even realized it.

“Living as the queen’s whore must have rotted your brain, huh? Well, spending all day under men would make anyone stupid.”

“Opheliiiiaaa!”

Unable to bear her sister’s relentless taunts, Claire exploded in rage.

With a furious roar, the ground around her cracked.

From the fissures, black tentacles resembling tree roots shot up like spikes.

“I’ll drug you and throw you into the stables!”

“How very like you, sister. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ophelia lightly twisted her foot.

The pressure of magical energy. The ground within a 3-meter radius around her sank as if crushed.

The shadowy spikes Claire had unleashed fell limply to the ground.

“You’re still far from ready!”

“Wow. Should I congratulate you?”

A flash of light, flames, violent tremors, and a shockwave swept through the reed field.

Black fireballs were sliced apart by the blade winds and scattered, while hailstones bounced off a barrier.

Ophelia’s binding spell was destroyed by black lightning, and an invisible curse aimed at the gap was perfectly countered by an identical spell.

They cancel each other out.

The magical battle between the sisters was slightly in Ophelia’s favor, but surprisingly, it was almost evenly matched. While Ophelia had the upper hand in total magical power, Claire was not far behind in the power and efficiency of each spell.

“You’re stronger than I thought, sister? Really, how many men have you been rolling around with?”

“Shut your mouth! That has nothing to do with magic!”

Ophelia was still sneering, but beads of sweat were gradually forming on her forehead. She wasn’t just facing Claire alone.

“What are you doing! Everyone, attack!”

The spectacle of magic unfolding before their eyes finally snapped the dazed onlookers out of their stupor. Eleven knights and over thirty magicians.

Individually, they were nothing special, but with this many, they posed a significant threat to Ophelia. Enough to tip the scales in Claire’s favor.

The knights charged in unison, and a barrage of magical attacks rained down.

Ophelia’s response shifted to a defensive stance. She poured her magical energy into a barrier to block the spells and, abandoning other attacks, continuously unleashed shockwaves to repel the knights.

Claire laughed fiercely at the sight of Ophelia hiding behind her barrier like a turtle.

“All that boasting, and this is it? It’s impressive that you noticed the spies, but did you really think you could handle all these people alone…?”

“Indeed… it’s tough. I thought I could handle it with my own strength, but I underestimated your experience in prostitution.”

Claire raised both arms. Fierce magical energy coiled around them, forming two giant hands in the air.

“…You still have a sharp tongue. Well, use it all you want now… you’ll need it for other purposes later.”

“As expected, such realistic advice from someone experienced. Your mouth must have been used for many other purposes, sister? Unfortunately… I won’t have that problem.”

Ophelia flicked her fingers. A faint magical energy transformed into a flaming arrow and shot into the sky.

For a moment, everyone’s gaze turned upward.

‘A fire arrow, into the sky…? No way!?’

By the time Claire realized the intent of the spell and turned her head… it was already too late.

– Whoosh!

A sickening sound of flesh tearing echoed in her ears.

Hundreds of meters away. A silver flash pierced through the reeds and impaled five of her subordinates.

No, could this even be called impaling? It was more like annihilation.

The bodies of the subordinates were completely gone, collapsing lifelessly. Blood gushed out like a waterfall, drenching the others.

“What, what is that?!”

“Magic? No, the magical reaction…!”

Claire’s subordinates, horrified, shouted as they looked in the direction the flash had come from. Claire herself was sweating profusely.

‘So, she was here after all…!’

She could guess who was behind it… but the sheer power was still unbelievable.

“Over there! That way!”

One of the subordinates pointed a finger toward the other side of the reeds. A figure in a deep green robe was slowly rising from among the reeds.

Claire involuntarily took a step back. Her subordinates didn’t seem to realize yet… but she knew who that person was.

The figure threw off the robe, revealing themselves to the world. The surrounding reeds were burning from the magical aftermath, making the area quite bright.

Bright enough for everyone to recognize her.

In appearance, she was just a woman. A female knight clad in armor made of fur and iron plates, wielding a silver-blue longsword.

Her black hair tied back. Sharp eyes and a face as delicate as a sculpture.

There were rumors of her being a monster or something… but her bare face was that of a beauty rarely seen even in the capital.

However, no one had the presence of mind to admire her beauty. They all knew who she was.

“The Beastman Devourer, Aishan Gior…!”

Median Countess, Hashal Aishan Gior. The youngest master of the Leopold faction, who had proven her strength throughout the empire.

She was their enemy.

—

The world darkened.

A thick curtain of oppressive killing intent emanated from the woman raising her longsword, dyeing the atmosphere.

The murderous aura, so concentrated it was terrifying, was clearly visible in a deep crimson hue. It was not the aura of a human.

The reeds beneath her feet were crushed under the weight of the killing intent. Her fierce, burning blue eyes glared at them like a demon.

The longsword in her right hand, wrapped in a pale glow, emitted an increasingly intense aura.

“How is it, terrifying, isn’t it?”

Ophelia laughed, exhaling magical smoke.

“Ophelia…!”

“My trump card. Try your best to block it, sister.”

Claire gritted her teeth and summoned her magical energy.