☆ ■•••• Bloomflare Chain: Activated ☆
Nari's voice rang in Dila's mind like a chime of warbells.
☆ Buff synchronization link complete. Golem output rising. New classification: Class B. Physical enhancement +32%. Mana channeling stable—for now. ☆
Dila smirked despite the pain stabbing through her side.
"Perfect timing," she muttered through gritted teeth. "It's time to destroy this bastard."
Before her, the three Earthrea Golems pulsed with new energy. Their bodies darkened in hue, shoulders thickening into jagged, armored spikes. Veins of molten red light ran across their limbs like glowing scars.
The closest golem let out a soundless grunt—its heavy stone fist pulled back, charged with force—
WHAM!!
It struck the masked man straight on.
This time, he raised both arms to block, but the sheer impact sent him sliding back farther than before, tearing up the stone path beneath his feet in a long groove of dust and sparks.
"Tch…!"
The masked man scowled, adjusting his grip.
He looked back at Dila across the battlefield with narrowed eyes.
Then—he smiled. Slowly.
"Ohh… you've gotten a bit stronger, haven't you, little girl?"
"But for how long…?"
He grinned wickedly, voice dragging like oil.
"…You look like you're strangling in your own skin, baby girl."
Dila froze.
Goosebumps ran down her neck.
"…Ew," she muttered, face twisting in disgust.
But her knees buckled slightly. She was sweating hard now. Her fingers were trembling around her wand.
The Bloomflare Chain pushed her magic beyond her limits—it amplified power, but also magnified the toll.
Each breath felt like fire.
Still… she didn't back down.
From behind, Sarios was still on one knee—blood on his lips, one hand gripping his shattered armor.
He saw her—standing alone, battered, refusing to run.
"Dila!!" he shouted, voice raw.
"You can't take him! He's too strong! Please—leave! NOW!"
But she didn't even turn.
Her eyes stayed locked on the masked man.
Her voice came low. Steady.
"No."
She stepped forward, the cracked stones beneath her boots crunching softly.
"You protected this kingdom until you couldn't move plus you help me when i was unconscious."
"Now it's my turn to pay the favor."
The masked man's laugh "hahahahaha! Ohh please don't make me laughed looking at you girl." Than the laughter had stopped.
His blood-red eyes turned to Sarios, who still knelt on one knee, panting, barely able to lift his head.
The grin faded.
"Enough of your noise."
In a blink—a blur of shadow—
The masked man disappeared.
—And reappeared right in front of Sarios.
Before Dila could even scream—
CRACK!!
His boot smashed against Sarios's face with a thunderous kick.
A sickening crunch echoed through the air—like a tree branch snapping under weight.
Sarios was hurled like a ragdoll through the open square.
"ARRGHH!!" he cried out just once—
Before his body smashed through the wooden stalls, flipping over barrels and splintering support beams.
Then he crashed through the side of a house—
Stone cracked. Dust exploded.
A final, dull thud followed.
And then—
Silence.
Dila's eyes widened. Her voice tore from her throat.
"SARIOS!!"
Her cry echoed through the ruined market like a howl of lightning splitting the sky.
From the crumbled ruins, there was no movement.
The masked man turned back slowly—
His cloak fluttering slightly in the evening wind.
A long, chilling pause.
Then he chuckled. Once.
Then louder.
Until he was laughing—loud and mad.
"Hahahaha—ahhhh, what does it feel like, girl?"
"To watch your ally die right in front of you?"
"Slow… pathetic… meaningless."
He stood tall again, face lit by the fires still crackling from nearby destruction.
"The smell of broken spirit… delicious."
From afar, Sarios lay limp. Motionless.
Dila's fists trembled. Her wand clutched so tightly her knuckles were white.
Her breath caught in her throat. The air felt colder now.
She could feel her knees trying to buckle.
But she didn't let them.
Dila's head was lowered.
Her silver-white hair shadowed her face.
Her breath was uneven.
Her entire body ached from the burden of mana coursing through her veins.
But then—
She raised her head.
Her blue eyes ignited, glowing with a cold, fierce brilliance that pierced through the dust and heat.
Her voice was low, trembling not from fear—
But from fury.
"Prepare… for my absolute wrath."
A sudden gust swept around her, as if the air itself bent to her fury.
Her aura burst forth—a radiant blue blaze surrounding her body in defiance of pain and exhaustion.
The golems—her summoned warriors—responded.
Their eyes burned redder.
Their massive fists clenched tighter.
And their movements… changed.
Now fueled not just by her mana—but by her rage.
The first golem vanished into the blind spot behind the masked man, its massive stone form moving with silent weight.
The masked man, still amused, stepped forward casually, raising one jagged blade, lips curling beneath his cracked mask.
He didn't notice.
Until—
CRACK!!
The golem's massive stone arm snapped forward, seizing him by the back, fingers digging into his cloak and armor.
"What—"
Before he could react, the second and third golems rushed from either side, their arms lunging.
THWAM! — His right arm, grabbed tight.
THWAM! — His left arm, wrenched backward.
The ground cracked under the sheer force.
Now, the masked man stood there, arms outstretched and bound, held fast by pure magical brute force.
The jagged blades in his hands trembled, but couldn't move.
He blinked once, his red eyes twitching in mild surprise.
"…Heh."
And then, in his mind:
"Well now… this girl… is she using witchcraft?"
He chuckled to himself, blood trickling at the edge of his lip.
"No. Not witchcraft. Something worse—"
"A girl with nothing left to lose."
The masked man chuckled again in silence.
"Hooh... so this is your idea of torture?" he sneered. "Using oversized puppets to hold me down like some captured beast?"
His voice was calm, but the tension in his body told a different story. He was testing the strength of the binds… and finding resistance.
Then, the fourth golem has summoned from the ground and stepped forward.
It didn't attack.
Not yet.
It stood before him, tall and wide, its shoulders broader than the others, plated in spiked stone armor. Veins of glowing magic pulsed beneath its obsidian skin.
It raised its fists slowly… then slammed them together with a violent crash—sending a shockwave in all directions, kicking up dust and pebbles like a miniature quake.
The masked man's cloak rippled a little from the blast.
"Hah..." he muttered. "This one's different."
Dila stood far behind the frontlines—her body barely upright, her skin pale, her legs trembling beneath her robes. Her chest heaved with every breath, and blood leaked slightly from the corner of her mouth.
☆ "Master! You've summoned all four! The toll is too much!" ☆ Nari cried, panic bleeding into her normally sweet voice.
☆ "Your current stats—Mana: 40/1000, Health: 400/2000. Internal injury rising. Buff will wear off in 55 seconds!" ☆
Dila's grip on her wand tightened until her knuckles turned white.
"I know," she said softly, her voice cracked. "I know… but he's not getting away."
Her blue eyes shimmered with sheer, burning focus.
"I summoned them to hold him. Not kill him. That part… is mine."
The masked man turned his head slightly, despite being restrained.
Even as the golems strained to keep him still, his lips curled into a grin.
"Well well… she's still standing."
His eyes locked on Dila. "I wonder how long before those pretty legs give out."
Dila raised her wand. Magic flickered—unstable, flickering like fire on soaked wood.
☆ "Master, your channels are unstable—!" ☆
"I don't care."
She raised her hands holding her magic staff, the runes on her staff glowing. "Just keep the readout open."
From her pouch, she pulled a final pinch of powdered ash bark—her last catalyst.
The masked man blinked in mild surprise, just before his smile twisted with intrigue.
"What now, little girl? Another summon? Or will you try to tickle me with sparks?"
But Dila didn't respond.
She was done talking.
Instead, she pointed her wand staff at the fourth golem standing in front of him—and cast her final command.
"Now. Break him."