Another dozen or so believers collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Watching the golden holy light pierce the sky, Noctis nodded with great satisfaction.
“What is a giant dragon anyway?”
“What is a God-Favored One anyway?”
“How long can you possibly hold out against this spell?!”
Noctis knew very well that as long as that giant dragon took one more hit, she would never escape his grasp. He had made ample preparations for this.
“Let's see if you can do it again—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the same purple glow from before flashed across the sea's surface once again.
Noctis froze instantly. A spell this powerful could actually be cast again?!
He had only been able to cast his high-level magic by relying on countless believers, yet that guy was able to cast two in a row solely on his own strength?! Didn't he need any cooldown time?!
Noctis gritted his teeth, watching his spell collide head-on with the purple lightning spear that had suddenly shot up from beneath the sea.
Purple electricity coiled around the lightning spear, erupting into countless claps of thunder. It was like countless chains of lightning tearing through the air, tightly binding the golden holy light.
Under an invisible tug of war, the holy light was forcibly deflected, bending backward at a bizarre angle of nearly a hundred and eighty degrees.
This time, it whistled along the edge of the sea of clouds, violently exploding in midair a short distance away from Noctis.
The purple lightning and golden light collided violently in midair, erupting in a blinding flare of flame.
Noctis shielded himself with both hands. The powerful shockwave nearly swept him off his feet.
When he opened his eyes again, his pupils shrank violently, his eyes filled with nothing but utter disbelief and horror.
“Just what is with that guy's magic...”
“It can actually force a change in the trajectory of a spell?!”
A theory began to form in Noctis's mind. The opponent's spell this time was clearly stronger than the last one, even capable of forcibly redirecting the trajectory!
Then why didn't he do that the first time? Was he... provoking me?!
Suddenly, a series of thuds echoed behind Noctis.
Turning his head, he found that the hundreds of believers behind him had all collapsed to the ground. Only a powerful few still clung to a faint breath of life.
Noctis suddenly burst into laughter.
“So that's how it is...”
“It's not that his magic got stronger. It's that my magic got weaker.”
“The holy light unleashed just now probably only had the power of a Tier 5 spell...”
Noctis raised his staff, still chuckling. The believers he had brought were all used up.
“I knew it. How could a guy like that ever threaten me?”
“Being able to unleash two shots indeed surprised me...”
A maniacal grin spread across Noctis's face.
“But can you manage a third?”
Noctis had never seen anyone with enough mana to cast three high-level spells in a row.
Casting two conventional Tier 5 spells in succession was already the limit for an ordinary mage, let alone high-level magic like this.
“And yet, the mana inside my body is still boiling!”
A Tier 6 spell obtained by sacrificing hundreds of human lives was, in the end, an unnatural, monstrous creation. After all, those believers hadn't even touched the threshold of high-level magic.
Noctis could guess that this was exactly why the opponent's spell had been able to go toe-to-toe with his.
“But this time, it's my everything!”
The magic circle from before began to condense once more at the tip of Noctis's staff. This time, it was a genuine Tier 6 spell!
Noctis had deliberately used the lives of his believers to construct an incomplete Tier 6 spell earlier precisely for this moment. First, drain the opponent's mana, and then use the heaviest blow to crush an enemy already on the brink of collapse!
The moment Noctis unleashed his magic, that blinding purple light flashed on the sea's surface once again.
Noctis's eyes widened yet again.
“That guy can still do it?!”
Under the water, Ain was also shocked by the incoming holy light.
Again, again, again, again, and again?!
Ain: “Where on earth is that guy getting so much mana?!”
Noctis: “Where on earth is that guy getting so much mana?!”
【Blessing of the God of Light】
【Status: Active】
【Duration: 3 minutes, 20 seconds】
Ain could no longer care about anything else.
He had wanted to pull out the holy spear fragment, but ultimately chose to hold back. This was his most important trump card for Act Three!
Clicking his tongue in his mind, Ain once again materialized the massive purple magic circle in his right hand.
Then let's do this!
If the opponent could still keep going after this attack, it wouldn't be too late to use the fragment then!
Focus, focus...
Ain forced himself to construct the magic circuits step by step. His brain was already bordering on overload.
Reconstructing, decomposing, condensing... Inner layer first, then the outer layer...
【Tier 5 Spell: Purple Night - Annihilation Thunder】
【MP Cost: 4,400 (Blessing of the God of Light)】
From the massive magic circle, the lightning spear broke through the water once again. This time, however, it failed to carry the golden holy light into the sky. Instead, under an invisible force, its magic particles were scattered inch by inch, until it completely shattered and collapsed.
No, as expected, it's still too much of a stretch...
Ain could clearly feel that this holy light was several times stronger than the previous ones! Was his Tier 5 spell really unable to match a Tier 6 spell after all?
But thanks to Ain's spell, the power of the holy light was significantly weakened.
In the next second, the giant dragon, who had remained still all this time, suddenly rose. With a sweep of her tail, she completely deflected the golden holy light.
Steadying herself, she rapidly condensed dragon breath in her mouth. Amidst a sky full of blue flames, the golden holy light was completely swallowed and wiped out.
【Blessing of the God of Light】
【Status: Inactive】
【Cooldown: 23 hours, 59 minutes】
Just before the blessing expired, Ain quickly materialized a bubble and slipped inside.
After unleashing this spell, his circuits had completely overloaded. Having been so busy constructing magic circuits, he hadn't even had the time to swim upward.
【Negative Effects: Mana Leakage, Mana Overload, Physical Exhaustion, Mental Exhaustion, Divine Backlash】
Damn it, another pile of debuffs...
Ain's consciousness gradually grew hazy.
But thankfully, with the bubble he had just condensed, he could stay underwater for at least six hours...
Time for a quick nap...
Right before Ain's consciousness faded completely, he saw the figure of a mature woman swimming toward him.
She wore a blue and white dress, with short hair that faded from blue to white. Her beautiful face was clearly visible underwater. More importantly, a massive tail was faintly swaying behind her.
In the next second, Ain fell completely unconscious.
“Honestly... who asked you to help me...”
Angelica entered Ain's bubble, brushing aside his messy hair with a complicated expression.
“I could have handled it even without you.”
“Just mere humans. I don't need you...”
“When you're still so weak.”
“Idiot...”
Dragging Ain's body, Angelica swam with him toward the shore, biting her finger along the way to feed her blood into his mouth.
“I'll come find you again after some time.”
【The Pale Silver Dragon, Angelica, has looked at you in a new light!】
【You have received the Pale Silver Protection!】
【Positive Effect: Pale Silver Protection】
【Description: The flame of your life has left an eternal reflection in Angelica's eyes! She will always perceive your life's existence!】
Rate on N.U.
