Chapter 175

“You’re frighteningly good at copying, I’ll give you that.”

He managed to replicate Cyprus’s Millennium Prison spell after seeing it just once.

Of course, the version he mimicked had less than a tenth of the original’s power, which could forcibly shut down both the soul and magical circuits, but even that was impressive.

After all, he had copied an esoteric spell, not just any ordinary magic.

I guess not just anyone can steal spells like that.

So, what now?

A magic circle with power on par with grand magic was spread beneath my feet, and I was bound by a knockoff of the Millennium Prison.

At this point, it was safe to say the Hound of Venizelos had played all the cards he had.

The only reason a mage inferior to me in raw skill could wield a spell of this scale was because he had spent a full week constructing the magic circle and stockpiling mana.

So if I wanted to neutralize that attack, the right move was to target the magic circle itself.

I quickly analyzed the circle’s structure.

It was composed of seven concentric rings, each with its own axis.

Four barrier stones looted from Lord Winslet’s castle and three kidnapped mages—

They were controlling the flow of mana.

In other words, they were the weak points.

[Casting Star-Piercing Spell.]

A radiant spear that looked like it was forged from starlight gathered from the night sky shot forward, brimming with menacing energy.

As the word “piercing” in its name implied, the Star-Piercing Spell was specialized in breaching barriers.

That’s why I chose it.

“What? Impossible!”

He had read the flow of my mana and prepared to defend, but the mana-forged barrier was beautifully penetrated.

Clang!

One of the four barrier stones shattered, its crystal fragments scattering like snowflakes.

The output of the fake Millennium Prison spell binding me weakened.

Riding that momentum, I targeted the next weak point.

“Not so fast!”

The Hound of Venizelos gave up blocking my spells and instead chose to attack me directly to divert my focus.

Forming a hand seal with one hand, he pointed at my heart with the other.

Then, the tip of his finger blurred and seemed to stretch, and in an instant, a surge of black energy was launched.

I recognized the spell.

A 6th-class dark-element spell specialized for combat. Heart Extraction.

It was often called an assassin’s spell because it was small and fast.

But if you stayed focused, it wasn’t difficult to counter.

I conjured a thick mana glove and caught his magic as if playing catch.

Inside the glove, the black energy thrashed violently, but I held onto it until the force weakened, then scattered it to the side.

The floor touched by that spell vanished without a trace. Not even a handful of dust remained.

Meanwhile, my own spell struck and shattered another barrier stone.

Now only two barrier stones remained, along with three mages being used as sacrifices.

[Casting Quichiel’s Secret Spell – Starfall.]

I drew a large amount of my mana and unleashed a powerful spell.

Even though I adjusted its power since we were indoors, it was originally siege magic designed to destroy fortresses.

Seeing the power contained in it, the Hound of Venizelos panicked and deployed a defensive spell.

It was a high-level protective barrier imbued with profound wisdom, absorbing the opponent’s power and recycling it into defense.

But the siege magic had been a decoy from the start.

I had already finished dual-casting another spell in secret and launched it while he was distracted.

Toward the altar-like platform where the mages of House Winslet floated, suspended by invisible forces, I cast a dark magic spell.

[Casting Rapid Fainting.]

A dark magic spell that induces unconsciousness in its targets.

The mages, victims of Venizelos’s dark arts, were having their consciousness forcibly expanded to serve as conduits for his mana field.

So if I could shut down their minds, I’d simultaneously break the core of the magic circle and drastically weaken his capabilities.

“Gahk!”

“Urgh!”

The mages’ eyes rolled back and foam bubbled from their mouths as they convulsed and finally went limp.

They would sleep deeply until I woke them.

The Hound of Venizelos groaned in frustration.

“Ha! I walked right into it. You still had room to scheme while casting a spell of that magnitude? And dark magic too? You’re like a candy jar that never runs out, no matter how many times you reach in.”

The moment that grotesque-looking bastard started eyeing me like prey and licking his lips, the satisfaction from my successful attack vanished completely.

Only two barrier pillars remained.

Perhaps deciding that defense was no longer the answer, his attacks grew more aggressive.

Like me, the Hound of Venizelos was the type who cast spells without chanting incantations.

The Knowledge Liberation Front’s method of spreading magic to the world was simple:

They stole spells from others, then analyzed and deconstructed them to create versions that omitted the incantation step—

In other words, mass-produced replicas.

So if it was a spell he had dissected before, he could cast it without a chant.

That’s why our magic battle was eerily silent.

Only the sounds of crackling flames, crashing impacts, and rushing or escaping winds echoed through the space.

And before we could even exchange five more spells, I succeeded in melting down another barrier stone.

The smile slowly faded from his face.

“Well now… Your skills are beyond what I expected. I thought I was making a light-hearted recruitment offer to the Knowledge Liberation Front.”

“Finally thinking of giving up?”

“No, I’ve changed my mind. I’d like to invite you not as a member but as an executive.”

Unbelievable.

To finally teach him the meaning of the word “give up”, I prepared my final attack spell.

“One more and it’s over.”

“No… the grand spell has already been activated.”

“And if it doesn’t hit me, then it doesn’t matter, does it?”

I couldn’t cancel the grand spell once it was triggered, but if I destroyed just one more barrier stone, the knockoff Millennium Prison would vanish—

And I’d be free to escape.

His eyes narrowed in irritation.

“Goodness… it’s been centuries since I last lost my temper. You have quite the talent for pissing people off.”

I took that as a compliment.

“Don’t think I’ll just stand here and let you.”

With that, he raised both arms above his head.

Though he had lost the barrier stones and the mages fueling them, the walls of the hall were still covered with hundreds of smaller magic circles.

Then, the magic circles that had until now remained unused in the battle, those not involved in the offense or defense of the barrier, began to glow all at once, responding to his will.

The magic circles overheated as they crossed their critical threshold.

They were disposable patterns.

Crash!

With a sound like hundreds of panes of glass shattering simultaneously, a flurry of light scattered in all directions.

He had just used up every last remaining magic circle.

“O golem, collapse and rise again. Become a prison that traps the enemy!”

At his cry, my body was suddenly lifted into the air—

Because the floor beneath me had sunk.

The fortress golem had begun to hunch over and rearrange its structure.

[Casting Flight.]

[Casting Camille’s Mountain-Crushing Spell.]

[Casting Chain Explosion.]

…

…

I hurriedly stabilized myself midair and fired off a barrage of destruction spells.

But the golem continuously repaired its damaged sections in real time, blocking my escape at every turn.

Count Winslet’s castle was now effectively inside the monster’s jaws.

“Heheheh… It’s far too late to struggle now. The grand spell is complete!”

Rumble…

A deep tremor echoed from below.

At the same time, he began chanting a spell—

The first time he had done so since the fight began.

“Heart of the earth. Scalding blood. I strike with sharp chisel and rough hammer. Wound the land so that the power of the volcano may awaken and erupt here. Lava Explosion!”

Rumbleeeeeee…!

The tremors grew stronger and stronger.

I could feel the shaking even from midair now.

And finally, when the vibrations reached their peak—

Booooooooom!

With a deafening blast, the sealed pressure burst free, and black bedrock pierced up through the floor of Count Winslet’s castle like a spear.

And then, it pierced through the ceiling and vanished into the sky beyond.

It all happened right in front of my eyes.

Then—pssshhhh!

A beat later, scalding gas burst from the hole the bedrock had torn open.

Chiiiiik!

A thin layer of frost formed over my skin, shielding me from the heat.

It was the automatic activation of the S-rank [Element: Ice] talent kicking in to protect its bearer’s life.

And the most powerful attack hadn’t even landed yet.

Everything up to this point had only been a prelude to the volcanic eruption.

Splutch!

With a series of wet, bursting sounds, lava the color of blood finally surged up from the surface.

Then, it splattered in every direction.

[Casting Ice Barrier spell.]

The ice I conjured instantly evaporated.

I poured in more mana to recreate it as fast as it vanished.

Still, the danger persisted.

The lava kept gushing out, as if it meant to flood the entire lord’s castle.

It surged wildly, splashing against the hall’s ceiling before dripping back down.

It was a rain of lava.

There was nowhere to run.

“Well then, this is the end. I only need your head intact anyway, so struggle all you like.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

[Casting Ice Spear spell.]

Shhk—!

I drove a hole through that arrogant bastard’s stomach.

For the first time, his face twisted in shock.

“You still had strength left…? How?”

I’d been using flight magic nonstop to stay afloat above the sea of lava.

To keep my skin from burning in the scorching heat and to protect my lungs from damage, I channeled more mana to maintain a cold aura around my body.

I was even using mana to create the very air I breathed, so I wouldn’t inhale the toxic fumes.

I was burning through a massive amount of resources by the second just to endure the lava eruption—

Yet I didn’t feel the slightest disadvantage.

Because…

[Notification]

[Magic Talent Rank has temporarily increased.]

[Warning]

[Willpower and Health have temporarily decreased.]

[An irreversible change has occurred in an unknown stat.]

In moments of crisis, Winter Winslet always awakens an unknown power.

It filled me with a mana that was pure beyond compare. Dense and cold.

And the instant I accepted it into my body without resistance…

Just like his name, winter descended upon the world.