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Domain. This is one of the concepts that cannot be left out when discussing the principles of the world’s composition.

According to the “Dimensional Theory,” which is recognized as the closest to orthodoxy among spellcasters, there is a “Domain” on the dimensional plane, and from this “Domain” flows the Spell Wave. It is said that the laws and forms of the world are completed through the interaction of the various Spell Waves flowing from the countless “Domains” on the dimensional plane.

A “Secret Realm” can be said to be an “Otherworld” created in the world formed in this way, where the influence of a specific Domain is particularly strong. As the term “Otherworld” suggests, a “Secret Realm” is a place that clearly exists in the present world, but at the same time, it is impossible to travel to and from the present world by ordinary means, and the laws inside it operate differently from those of the present world.

The being known as the Spell Eater is a spell-based lifeform that originates from one of these secondary-dimensional Secret Realms, devouring spells and mystical resources.

What it devours is not just already activated spells. Various items containing spells, rare materials, or herbs that could be used as spell ingredients—all these sublime and meaningful mysteries are lost the moment the Spell Eater appears, turning into mere junk.

It can even strip the essence from spirit-like beings, leaving only empty shells, or greedily steal the innate spell abilities of spellcasters.

The two main components of a spellcaster’s spell ability, their “Main Strength,” are their own life force and the consciousness that perceives and controls the Spell Wave to manifest spells. These two elements intertwine to create the “Main Strength,” which interferes with the Spell Wave.

For a spellcaster whose Main Strength has been drained by a Spell Eater, there are only two outcomes: either they are left barely alive, stripped of all spell ability, or they are reduced to an idiot, deprived of the intellectual capacity that a human should possess.

The former might, under certain circumstances, offer a chance for recovery, but the latter is essentially a death sentence for a spellcaster. For those who have spent their lives exploring the world’s secret principles, becoming a mindless idiot is the most terrifying fate imaginable.

While this creature is not much of a threat to lifeforms unrelated to spells, for those even slightly connected to spells, the terror it instills needs no further explanation.

Faced with the emergence of such a calamitous being, the spellcasters gathered at the scene began to murmur.

“It’s the Spell Devourer… the Spell Devourer!”

“Why is it here? No, that’s not the important thing. We need to get out of here…”

The rapidly spreading fear and chaos. The usual cold intellect was of no help in a situation where that very intellect might be devoured at any moment.

This luxury was only afforded to those spellcasters who, thanks to the warnings of the Somz siblings and Conra, had severed their connection to spells in time. Those who were too slow to respond and failed to disconnect were drained of their life force or intelligence, becoming either crippled or idiots.

“Everyone, calm down! Panicking won’t help! If you are truly spellcasters who seek the truth, you must calm down and find a solution!”

“Stop talking nonsense! What are we supposed to do against the Spell Devourer? We’re useless against that monster! We’re just tasty prey!”

Despite the efforts of the Somz siblings and Conra, who were among the few keeping their composure, their attempts to calm the crowd were not very effective. In fact, it was understandable why the other spellcasters reacted this way. To the Spell Eater, which feeds on spells, any spellcasting is meaningless.

Among the many people on the continent, spellcasters are seen as those who have the power to protect themselves and achieve their desires. Many of them take pride in their spell abilities, which they have honed over a lifetime. For such individuals, the feeling of helplessness, where none of their means have any effect, is not a common experience.

In such rare moments of helplessness, keeping one’s sanity is clearly no easy task.

At this very moment, the Spell Eater was wandering within the deactivated barrier, its countless eyes gleaming with insatiable hunger as it searched for new prey. It hadn’t yet noticed the spellcasters outside the barrier, but that wouldn’t last long.

It was only a matter of time before the creature, having discovered the spellcasters’ presence, would extend its reach beyond the barrier. If they didn’t flee immediately, their fate would be to become either crippled or idiots, mere food for the Spell Eater.

Understanding this, Brantley Somz sighed with a bitter expression.

“This is bad. Everyone seems to only think about running away.”

“Can you blame them? Honestly, I want to run away too, right now.”

“But you know that’s not the answer. And what about the people who have already been caught by that thing?”

Despite the sudden appearance of the Spell Eater causing chaos, this was still a legitimate battlefield where the Kingdom of Dane’s court and the Rihting had agreed to proceed. If they were to flee from an unexpected danger on such a battlefield, they would be socially dead.

At least, the national character of the Kingdom of Dane was not so forgiving as to treat those who disgracefully fled from an honorable battlefield as decent humans. For the Somz siblings, who prided themselves as noble skalds of the north, this was an unacceptable outcome, even if it meant death.

“I know. That’s why we’re standing here, not running.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Well…”

Amidst the surrounding chaos, the Somz siblings calmly stood, pondering a way to turn the situation around.

“The important thing is that we need to deal with that thing first.”

Iida Birgitt Somz said sharply, her gaze fixed on the Spell Eater.

Indeed, the Spell Eater was a calamity for spellcasters. All spells become useless, and noble mystical spell items are reduced to mere junk. Spirits are stripped of their essence, and spellcasters lose all their Main Strength, left barely alive or reduced to idiots.

Recovering spell abilities stolen by the Spell Eater had, until now, been virtually impossible. Countless spell items had lost their mysteries, becoming junk, and many spellcasters had been left as wrecks, with spirits reduced to empty shells.

However, even in such a situation, there was still a glimmer of hope.

There was only one way for a spellcaster who had their spell abilities stolen by the Spell Eater to recover: successfully hunting the Spell Eater in the very place and moment it stole their abilities.

“Indeed, if we can just catch it, we can recover everything it stole and more.”

Brantley Somz said. He was right.

The Spell Eater, a bizarre creature that feeds on spell energy, has the peculiar characteristic of regurgitating all the spell energy it has absorbed at the moment of its death. The regurgitated spell energy, if recently absorbed, returns to its original owner, while older, digested energy remains as ownerless power.

Those who come into contact with this ownerless power can gain powerful spell abilities.

Thus, if they could catch the Spell Eater, the spellcasters who had been victimized by it could fully recover their stolen Main Strength. Not only that, but with some luck, they might even gain more than they had lost.

Their spellcasting abilities would greatly improve, and potions or spell tools could gain special mysteries that would make their previous value seem trivial.

Perhaps the bodies or spirit entities of the warriors who contributed to catching the Spell Eater might even be imbued with spells or corresponding mysteries. In the latter case, it could even lead to the birth of a new renowned family of the Reverse Muscle Technique.

However, there was one fatal problem.

“So, how do we catch it?”

At Brantley Somz’s question, Iida Birgitt Somz was at a loss for words.

Indeed, how could they catch it? The usefulness of a spellcaster lies in their ability to wield spells, and that thing is a monster that devours spells. No matter how many spells, no matter how powerful, they would just provide it with a rich feast.

Granting blessings to the warriors remaining inside the barrier was out of the question. That would only turn them into prey for the creature… On the other hand, sending in warriors without any magical protection was also not a wise choice. After all, warriors, by default, lack the ability to harm formless lifeforms without special measures.

Faced with this cold reality, even with her heroic spirit, she was still a spellcaster, and historically, spellcasters defeating Spell Eaters were extremely rare.

Seeing his sister fumbling for words, Brantley gave a bitter smile. He was equally at a loss.

Just as the two were sighing in despair, a soft voice spoke up.

“There is a way to catch it.”

It was Conra, Sophia’s disciple.

+++++

“Tsk…”

Karl clicked his tongue as he surveyed the scene inside the barrier.

The situation inside the barrier was dire.

After the red mist that devoured spells appeared, all the blessings that had been empowering them were severed. The blessings that had filled their hearts with courage and calmness, and their limbs with the strength to do anything, were gone. Naturally, the panic and confusion that had been pushed to the corners of their minds began to coil back within the warriors.

Moreover, all the spell items they had brought, whether for their own use or in case they might be useful, had lost their luster and become useless junk.

In an instant, their combat strength had been halved, and Karl couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Originally, the art of war was about making soldiers feel that they had many allies around them.

Even if the enemy was numerous and their side was few, if they could make the enemy seem fewer and their side seem more numerous at the point of engagement, the chances of victory increased. Conversely, even if the enemy was few and their side was numerous, if the soldiers couldn’t feel their numerical advantage, the chances of defeat increased.

The punitive forces that had entered the barrier to purify the port originally belonged to different units and command structures, but the ritual integration blessing from the barrier had allowed them to fully recognize each other’s positions and statuses, moving as one body.

This allowed them to clearly sense the presence of allies even if they were out of sight, providing great psychological stability to the warriors.

But now that all spell-based blessings had vanished, the ritual integration’s function could no longer be relied upon. They could no longer confirm the presence and status of allies out of sight, and the malice and killing intent of the monsters filling the area had to be borne solely by the brigade members on the scene.

What this meant was…

“Brigade! Do not retreat! Are you going to lose even the strength of the March Formation?”

“Hold the positions agreed upon beforehand! And advance slowly, carefully! If you move as planned, we can win!”

Each unit, forming their own ranks, could only move in their own way.

‘This is bad. At least the mystical aspects from spells are gone, but the flow of the formation itself seems to remain… but this won’t last long.’

Karl frowned as he gauged the “flow” he sensed through his consciousness.

Originally, formations were not part of the mystical laws of spells, so it was somewhat natural that they weren’t included in the Spell Eater’s devouring targets.

But formations were ultimately about reproducing changes and phenomena in the natural or human world through precise positioning and movement. If the components deviated from their precise positions and paths, the flow would collapse, and the formation itself could disintegrate.

At this point, the components of the formation inside the port area were the various military units, so how could they maintain the flow when communication and coordination were severed?

Moreover, with the red mist from the Spell Eater blurring their vision…

The outcome was clear.

“Uh, uh, why are you coming this way?”

“Wait, move aside! What are you doing blocking the path?”

The sophisticated and seamless movement lines became tangled and chaotic, and the orderly momentum collapsed.

Feeling the real-time collapse of the formation’s flow, Karl clenched his jaw.

There was an even more serious problem.

“Ugh…”

A weak groan came from one side.

Karl glanced at Maria and a look of dismay crossed his face.

‘This is bad. It seems this mist doesn’t agree with the little lady.’

Originally, Maria could be classified as a pure martial artist based on her growth process. As a martial artist, Maria had reached the pinnacle of technique, the extreme of Wu Xin Dong. While different in essence from Karl’s Heart Sword and Heart Intent Movement, her skill was undoubtedly unparalleled in its refinement.

But that was that, and her immature body, insufficiently tempered Reverse Muscle Technique, and lack of internal energy manipulation were undeniable weaknesses.

Recently, after forming a contract with the Will-o’-the-Wisp, she had been trying to compensate for her lack of firepower with the spell energy the wisp contained… but now that had backfired.

Maria, with a strained expression, was continuously casting combat and fire techniques to push the red mist out of her range.

The moment the red mist spread, Maria instinctively hid the wisp’s presence within her, avoiding being targeted by the Spell Eater. But that alone wasn’t enough.

The red mist, licking its lips, and the countless eyes and hand shadows flickering within it.

For now, the red mist wasn’t actively emerging because the wisp’s presence was completely hidden within her, but that was only a matter of time. If it were to be discovered and targeted, the red mist would immediately attack her to devour the spell.

The problem was that Maria couldn’t keep the wisp hidden within her forever.

Originally, spells were meant to manifest. Unless it was a spell still sealed within a spell socket, an activated spell had to reveal its form.

Forcing it to remain hidden within her using the principles of Wu Xin Dong’s energy manipulation inevitably put a strain on her dantian and meridians.

Now, she was forced into a situation where she had to either reveal the wisp and be attacked by the red mist or keep it hidden and suffer severe internal injuries.

‘There’s no choice. I have to move and find a way out.’

Realizing that he was the only one who could move, Karl adjusted his grip on the longsword. A noble will surged like a tidal wave, sharpening like a blade, and his well-trained ethereal muscles began to bulk up.

The consciousness domain, unfolded along the sword path through the Heart Sword, and the spiritual vision derived from his mature spirit entity combined to fully focus on grasping the chaotic and sinister flow before him.

The situation was at a critical point.

Just then…

 

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