Chapter 288

Everyone lives with a room of their own in their hearts.

In that place, one can run around freely like a pure child, and perhaps even vent the frustrations of an unfulfilled boss.

How to decorate the room is entirely up to the individual, but I entrusted that authority entirely to these poor children.

“Shardenfroide.”

The ‘me’ who has been with me for the longest time.

It was also a nickname given to me by the attendants during my childhood, since my misfortune brought them joy.

I awakened the self that constitutes the foundation of my current memories.

[Get me out of here.]

The Shardenfroide, who had lost all power and was left with only instinct, earnestly pleaded as her body drooped.

I shook my head, recognizing it was a request I couldn’t possibly fulfill.

I can’t showcase my Unique Magic here.

“What I want is the Second Princess, Josephine Flora Caissen.”

[Simply foolish girl.]

“Yeah, I know that well.”

The second form of my unique magic, remodeled from the erosion of jealousy, can replicate the circuit formulas of the opponent that I see.

However, that is merely a function of unique magic, not the ability of the erosion itself.

Just as appetite controls metabolism, laziness alters the traits of the aura, and anger interferes with the barrier, Shardenfroide can equally imitate the traits of the aura.

[But these days, it seems people don’t die that easily?]

“…”

Only those whom she has personally killed by destroying their aura heart.

[Jealousy: Aura Synchronization – Josephine]

* * *

Odeokjae’s expression revealed undeniable bewilderment.

‘The atmosphere has completely changed… Is it because of the aura?’

Odeokjae had long realized that measuring age against Nema was utterly meaningless.

Yet, the sensation he felt for the first time rang alarm bells in him.

It was akin to the beastly and ferocious feeling he got from Lee Min-young, who was in the same grade as him.

‘No matter how much she uses her aura, she can’t surpass the limits of the body… No, keep all options open. I can’t let my guard down.’

Nema boldly wrapped herself in golden aura, kicking off the ground, while Deokjae simultaneously drew a magic circle.

[Casting: Friction Coefficient Adjustment]

[Casting: Sinkhole]

Taking a breath, Nema glanced at the magic circles being cast on either side.

With the sharp aura protruding from the soles of her shoes, she anchored herself to the ground, jumping over the weak terrain and zigzagging to close the gap.

In a display of wonder, Deokjae broke his magic circle, raising his guard to receive Nema’s attack head-on.

Bang-!

Boom-!

A merciless low kick followed by a mid-kick that spun in mid-air and aimed to pierce his abdomen mercilessly struck Deokjae.

Screech-!

Having cut through the air, Nema mercilessly plunged her fist into him.

Deokjae’s eyes darted around seeking an opportunity to counterattack, losing his balance.

Every attack Nema unleashed caused golden beast-like aura to swirl, biting into his flesh.

With each strike, Deokjae’s subatomic barrier was whittled down in chunks.

If he had taken a direct hit without barriers, his bones would be shattered.

In that moment, Nema’s eyes gleamed ominously, and her legs firmly planted against the ground.

[Simple Casting: Smoke Screen]

Amid the onslaught of attacks, she completed her magic circle.

As Nema extended her left hand, a magic circle was cast right in front of Deokjae’s face.

The casting time was extremely shortened.

When her arm rose to break the magic circle, and his guard faltered, a harsh sound of wind cutting through the air struck him once more.

“Huff!”

Kwahhhh-!

A blow struck directly at the center of his abdomen.

From Nema’s leg to her waist, shoulder, and arm, the high-level manipulation of aura unfolded.

It was an exceedingly simple attack, yet paradoxically it contained the most powerful force, and with a thunderous boom, Deokjae’s body folded in half and flew backward.

“Cough!”

Swaaaaaah-!

Simultaneously, the strong shockwave generated around Nema swept across the ground.

“Ugh… Even with a barrier, that hurts like hell…”

Pushing off the shifting sandy ground, Deokjae supported himself with both knees and stood up.

He had considerable resilience, but his tattered clothing made him look ridiculous.

“Looks like your aura is starting to fade. Right?”

“Still enough.”

“The scoreboard says 10%. Stop lying. Just like that senior said, I feel like if I don’t beat you this year, I’ll never be able to.”

“This year will be difficult too. You should expect to not win against me in the first place.”

“Hahahaha!”

He slowly raised his arm and ultimately burst into laughter.

“Ha… Ha… So you’re coming at me with that much confidence! Haaaaa!”

[Casting: Compression Coefficient Adjustment]

[Co-Casting: Hydraulic Lift]

With adept double casting, Deokjae slammed his fist down hard onto the ground.

A magic circle rounded up beneath Nema’s feet, and with a strong rebound, her body soared into the air.

“No matter how good you are, in the air…!”

[All-Casting: Arc Discharge]

[Co-Casting: Insulation Destruction]

Kwahziziz-!

Ruthless artillery strikes came crashing down from the sky.

Kuuwaaaaa-!

Dozens of large and small purple bolts of lightning ripped through the air, covering the ground.

The human desire to dominate nature was passed down through written legends, and with the wisdom of sages infused, it was reborn as a thunderous magic that fulfilled humanity’s wishes.

As sparks scattered in all directions, and the burning smell tingled at his nose, the purple mana began to coalesce into a single point once more.

“What the hell!”

[Unique Magic – Horn of the Demon Lord]

[Casting: Grounding]

“Can a mere human really become stronger than the Earth?”

Nema nullified the electric magic by using the horn of the Demon Lord as a lightning rod.

Pzzzt-!

As the horn ravenously consumed the lightning, she gracefully walked forward.

Just as Deokjae was about to draw a new magic circle, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.

“Did my mana run out first…!”

If magic is forcibly used, it would strain not only the aura heart but the heart itself.

With no mana left, one can only use aura.

“Hyaaaah!”

He propelled himself from his feet.

With the speed unattainable by a normal human body, his form sprung forth like a spring, wildly swinging his fists.

It felt as if time was flowing slowly with the adrenaline surging through him.

But Nema felt the same.

Wham-!

Nema dodged his straightforward attack effortlessly and swept him off balance by kicking his side.

“Ugh!”

A clear scream erupted from deep within him. Maybe it was because his barrier was nearly gone.

Clutch-

Barely catching Nema’s ankle, Deokjae pulled hard to topple her over.

“I will never give up…!”

Deokjae, who refused to abandon magic even with nearly depleted mana, prepared his final incantation.

“Arc Discharge magic… Planning to self-destruct?”

“If I can’t win, then I at least can’t let you win. Ha… Hahaha!”

Nema tapped his head with her small fist, but from such close range, no damage was inflicted.

Moreover, he was using all his aura just to hold on to Nema’s ankle.

Just when the Maxwell equation was nearly completed, Nema seized a handful of sand and threw it in his face.

“Gahh! My eyes!”

[Casting: Arc Discharge-]

“How dare you!”

[Dispelling: Arc Discharge]

Before the magic could even fully manifest, Nema swiftly derived the results from the closed curve integration to succeed in her dispelling.

“What? Why won’t the magic come out!”

Deokjae rubbed his eyes in surprise at the astonishingly fast dispelling technique.

And any burden related to uncast magic weighs heavily on the caster alone.

Soon after, a tingling pain enveloped his body.

“Gwaaaah! Urgh… Aahhh!”

If the disqualification is to come, now would be the time.

With the earlier fierce battle having snapped the hair tie, Nema’s long hair blew in the wind.

As if the observer camera predicted the final moments of the fight, it zoomed in to capture Nema’s expression within the frame.

Her face, mixed with sweat, sand, and dust, wrinkled in distress.

Gogogogogoh-

The aura thinly cloaked around her skin burned like raging fire, bursting forth.

As if to say that two suns cannot exist under the same sky, the sunlight was cloaked by clouds, casting a shadow over the entire training hall.

[Casting: Uplift]

[Chain Casting: Uplift]

[Chain Casting: Uplift]

Three pillars erupted from the ground.

With her feather-light body, Nema hopped from pillar to pillar, leaping high into the sky.

The golden aura replaced the sun.

Twisting her body mid-air to maximize her rotational force, Nema finally extended her right leg,

Stomping down with her heel onto Deokjae’s body.

[Kaizen Imperial Martial Art: Earth Splitter]

Kwahhhhhh-!

The impact gathered at a single point was indescribable.

Crunch-

The enormous weight from her delicate physique pressed down on his flesh and muscles.

Ssss-

The transparent subatomic barrier compressed to its limit tried to protect the combatant, but,

Crash-!

Shattering like glass, part of the impact had to be wholly endured by Deokjae.

He fell without letting out a single scream.

As the male body was buried in the sand, and the frictional heat sent colorless smoke rising, the girl who had created a miracle sat awkwardly on the ground, silently gazing up at the vast sky.

A gentle breeze brushed past her face, as if caressing her.

Feeling too lazy even to spit out the grains of sand in her mouth, she gathered her saliva and swallowed it with a gulp.

Simply wiping her lips and deeply inhaling the cold air to her limit.

“Huff.”

Her short and clear impressions of the duel came out alongside her hot exhale.

“The autumn breeze tastes sweet.”

As she dusted herself off and stood, four assistants and one judge rushed to check on the participants’ well-being.

With the unprecedented outcome of the duel being determined and the audience’s cheers echoing loudly, it was finally autumn.