Joy, stumbling and nearly falling as she ran blindly, caught sight of the mask lying in front of her. She staggered to her feet.
She had to run.
If she didn’t, she would die.
She’d be killed by the man in black.
Joy didn’t know who this man was.
But she understood one thing—he was dangerous.
Though she was still in the learning stage, Joy was a mage.
She could at least guess what kind of magic others were using.
And by her estimation, the magic this man wielded was overwhelmingly powerful.
The spell that had sealed off the surroundings, isolating this alley, was of a level that Joy couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
Even the casual black sphere he tossed had a power that Joy doubted she could match, even if she gave it her all.
He was a disaster.
A being that neither Joy nor Lucy could hope to defeat.
So Joy ran.
She ran to survive.
Convincing herself that Lady Allen would be okay.
Believing that, just like before, when she survived against the alchemist, Lucy would manage to hold out this time too.
Help would arrive from the Academy soon, so there shouldn’t be any problem.
Or so she thought.
Joy’s steps faltered as she moved away from the commotion.
Would it really be okay?
The answer was clear.
No, of course not.
Lady Allen was undoubtedly a genius.
But even so, she was still just a student, like Joy.
There was no way she could hold out against such a monster.
Lady Allen must have known that.
She must have understood everything and still chose to sacrifice herself, hoping that Joy would be safe.
Because that’s the kind of person she was.
Her words might be harsh, but deep down, she had a heart deeper than anyone else.
Whatever Lucy Allen had been like in the past, this was the Lucy Allen that existed now.
Joy knew that better than anyone.
And yet, despite knowing this, she ran, believing that Lucy trusted her to escape. But deep down, it was just her ugly heart at work.
She was terrified of facing an overwhelming enemy.
She didn’t want to be trapped in a nightmare again.
She was afraid of dying.
So she abandoned the benefactor who had saved her.
What kind of gratitude was that?
What kind of debt was that?
While Lucy Allen stood firm and moved forward, Joy hadn’t even stayed in the same place; she had run away.
Staring at the mask on the ground, Joy turned her steps back.
Would going back help? Probably not.
Would a single ant becoming two make any difference to a human?
Was Lady Allen still holding out? She didn’t know.
But Joy was certain that Lucy Allen couldn’t be in good shape.
The enemy was a monster.
No matter how much Nakrard held back while fighting Lucy, could she really hold out?
Was it too late? It likely was.
She might just be going back to find an even larger pool of blood.
And yet, Joy ran. She ran back in the opposite direction of where she had fled.
"What... is this all you’ve got?...♡ Pretentious fool?♡"
At the end of her desperate run, what Joy found was Lucy, still standing on her two feet.
Her hair was a tangled mess, mixed with the blood that flowed from her head.
Her face was covered in blood.
Her clothes, barely holding together, clung to a body that had more wounds than unscathed skin.
Even just standing seemed like a miracle, but still, Lucy wore that infuriating smile.
Don’t you feel pain?
Don’t you know what fear is?
Have you forgotten the meaning of death?
Why are you still standing?
How are you still standing?
What is it that keeps you standing?
"Persistent."
The man furrowed his brow as he raised his hand.
A magical circle formed above his hand.
Joy still couldn’t tell what kind of magic it was.
The gap between them was just too great.
But she understood one thing—it was dangerous.
Could Lady Allen hold out?
The divine shield had grown faint.
The arm holding the mace was trembling.
Even keeping her eyes open seemed difficult.
She couldn’t hold out, could she?
Joy didn’t think.
She just acted.
She used the magic she had practiced desperately after surviving her near-death experience.
Fireball.
Basic and primitive, but powerful.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Joy didn’t expect it to hit.
The man who used such transcendent magic would surely block it.
But she hoped her magic would at least distract him, just a little,
Create a small opening for Lady Allen.
Joy cast her magic.
But her expectation was wrong.
The fireball, which she thought would surely be blocked, struck the man’s face with ridiculous ease.
His spell preparation was disrupted.
Seeing this, Joy turned to Lady Allen and forced a smile.
“H-he’s just a weakling!”
Joy, you really shouldn’t try acting.
Your voice is trembling so much.
Ugh, seriously, why did you come back?
I’m putting on this whole performance just to save you, and now you’re making it harder.
Do you want to claim the title of ‘troublesome heroine’ or something?
Or do you just want to ruin my plan so I’ll berate you?
Adding another weird attribute to an airheaded lady is a bit much.
<She bought you a little time.> ‘I suppose so.’
But the truth is, thanks to Joy, I did get a brief moment to catch my breath.
Before that, I didn’t even have the luxury of thinking of jokes like this.
Getting hit, flying through the air, my skin burning, holes being punched into my body.
Wow. I really held on.
As much as I despise that useless, incompetent, trashy deity, I have to admit, the skills with his name in them are effective.
If it weren’t for “Armathi’s Mercy,” I’d have been sprawled on the ground a long time ago.
“Hah.”
As the smoke from Joy’s spell cleared, I could see Nakrard’s red eyes fixating on something.
He was definitely looking at Joy.
“You came back on your own.”
That’s no good.
Why are you looking elsewhere?
No matter how attractive Joy is, she’s still a student.
You middle school delusion pedo.
Do you think there’s a disclaimer saying, “All characters in this world are adults”?
“Don’t have the confidence to subdue me on your own?♡ Pathetic♡ Guess that’s what you get for believing in a trashy Dark God♡”
My Mesugaki skill’s taunt is so strong right now that even Carl would have trouble holding up against it, and Nakrard, who’s already lost his cool, is way beyond affected.
“Trash.”
Seeing Nakrard charge toward me, I couldn’t help but grin.
After exchanging blows with him for a while, I’ve gotten used to this fight.
Calling it a fight is a stretch—more like a stalling game—but still.
I can’t block all the spikes that shoot out of the shadows.
I ignore them as long as they’re not lethal.
Every time my skin gets pierced, the pain almost drives me insane, but I’m not dead, so it’s fine.
I block his physical attacks with my shield as much as possible.
Even though I have no strength left in my limbs, and whether I block or not, I still get knocked back, it’s still better than taking the hit directly.
And the black spheres...
What can I do?
I don’t have the power to form a barrier anymore.
If I had enough magic, I’d rather use “Armathi’s Mercy” one more time and get back up like a zombie.
Thanks to Joy joining the fray, I’ve got a little breathing room.
Her magic is effective in disrupting Nakrard’s movements, preventing him from focusing solely on me.
Normally, he would have dodged or nullified her attacks, but now, obsessed with me, he’s letting them hit.
Ah, this is what being a tank is all about.
Don’t you think?
Though I feel like I’m rolling around too much for a tank that’s supposed to be solid and heavy.
Grabbing my trembling legs, I force myself to stand.
I don’t have the magic left to form a shield.
Holding the mace feels more like it’s just hanging from my hand.
That’s why I prefer a real shield.
Ah, but even a real shield would’ve been shattered by now.
<How many more times can you get up?> ‘Twice?’
I don’t think I can do more than that.
Honestly, even standing up right now is only possible because of my Unyielding Will skill.
My body is falling apart, and I can’t do anything about it.
My mind is the same.
I’m ignoring it as best I can, but the fear is still there, trying to break the dam and consume me completely.
The moment my body collapses, my mind will crumble too, and there’ll be no coming back from that.
So, maybe twice if I’m lucky.
Otherwise, just once.
Why is three minutes such a long time?
Whenever I was doing a time attack, I’d always complain, “Why is three minutes so short?!”
Is that useless, incompetent, sadistic deity stopping time to mess with me?
Knowing him, it’s totally possible.
He probably pretended to be in a rush and gave me a buff just to throw me off.
That actually makes a lot of sense.
If he were really in a hurry, wouldn’t he have given me a better buff?
Just as my suspicions about Armathi were beginning to rise, the barrier surrounding us cracked, shattering like glass, and a magical eye, formed by Nakrard’s power, descended from the sky.
Nakrard stood below it, staring blankly at the sky.
Looking at his dazed expression, I couldn’t resist the urge to say something.
“Pathetic little punk♡”
You were so busy tormenting me that you didn’t even notice your own barrier breaking?
Really?
Did you enjoy bullying a girl that much?
You were so lost in your twisted desires that you couldn’t even achieve your goal. What a pervert.
Don’t you think?
“So, this was your plan.”
Too late to realize that now.
“Seems I have no choice.”
Nakrard raised his hand, and a massive amount of magical energy gathered above it.
Even someone like me, who knows nothing about magic, could tell how overwhelming this power was.
“I may have failed to subdue you, but I’ll take out any obstacles before I leave.”
Planning to go out with a bang?
Villains always do the same thing.
I can’t stop that spell.
I had to face the threat of death even when Nakrard was just playing around with his magic.
Now that I’m at my limit, there’s no way I can withstand this.
So, this is the perfect game over scenario.
In a normal situation, I should be terrified, collapsing to the ground in despair.
“Lady Allen!”
‘It’s okay.’
“It’s okay, airheaded lady.”
I step in front of Joy, shielding her.
I’m not planning on sacrificing myself to save Joy.
I’m not planning on us both dying either.
I’m someone who absolutely hates bad endings.
I don’t need any of those lingering, emotional endings.
“Die.”
Watching Nakrard cast his spell, I actually felt grateful.
If he had planned to snap my neck with his hands, I would have had to die quietly.
But since he’s showing off his power, he’s giving me an opening?
Nakrard, do you know?
The boss on the 80th floor of the first-year dungeon in Soul Academy casts an instant-death spell as soon as you enter?
So the easiest way to beat him is to nullify the spell and send it back.
I’ve already used the method to reflect his magic.
But the method to nullify it is still in my hands.
‘Trust me.’ “Trust me.”