Lillian’s mind had completely short-circuited.
But Erylin’s hadn’t.
Dozens of ice spears coalesced in the air, each one as thick as a tree trunk with tips as sharp as lances. They shot forward at several times their previous speed!
Silas reacted just as quickly. He didn’t waste time chanting; instead, he bit his thumb and pressed the blood onto a page of his magic book.
The ground beneath the magic wolf suddenly collapsed as six chains lunged at it from different directions, attempting to lock it in place.
This was the strongest binding magic Silas currently possessed. Using his own essence blood as a medium, its binding strength was three times that of a regular chain spell.
Two killing moves arrived simultaneously.
But the magic wolf simply flicked its tail.
The white tail, entwined with lightning patterns, sliced through the chains as if they were nothing, while the dozens of ice spears were brutally shattered by a surge of raw mana.
Neither of their spells lasted even a single breath.
“How is that possible?!”
Erylin was stunned. She knew the power of her magic; even a Tier 4 monster shouldn’t have been able to slice through her ice spears so effortlessly.
Something was wrong with this magic wolf!
Stepping over the ice shards on the ground, the magic wolf’s golden slit pupils bypassed Erylin and Silas, landing directly on Lillian.
Arc after arc of lightning flickered across the wolf’s body. Before Erylin could react, it lunged toward Lillian.
Lillian’s pupils constricted. She quickly tapped her wand against the ground.
“Vento, flugu! (Wind, fly!)”
A white magic circle expanded rapidly. She shot backward like a launched arrow, narrowly avoiding the wolf’s claws, which smashed a deep crater into the spot where she had just been standing.
“Glacio, kristalo, stormo! (Ice, crystal, storm!)”
As Erylin finished her chant, she summoned countless sharp ice shards that rained down on the magic wolf.
Faced with so many tiny projectiles, the magic wolf couldn't block them all and was cut in several places, forcing it to retreat.
Having escaped the immediate danger, Lillian adjusted her posture in mid-air, preparing to change direction and further increase the distance.
Suddenly, she felt the support beneath her feet vanish.
The white magic circle flickered out.
The girl could clearly feel something taking a vicious bite out of her mana circuit.
The wind disappeared.
Lillian plummeted from the sky.
A sense of weightlessness gripped her nerves. The whistling wind rushed past her ears, but no matter how hard she tried to recast the spell, she couldn't even lift her wand.
Fortunately, a pair of hands caught her.
Lillian’s brain stalled for a moment. Looking at the face so close to hers, she found herself momentarily speechless.
“So heavy!”
“No, I’m not heavy at all!”
A blush crept onto Lillian’s face. Her voice was a mix of embarrassment, annoyance, and a hint of grievance she hadn't even noticed herself.
Ain set her down. Once the girl’s feet were back on the ground, she didn't dare meet his gaze.
He’s a guy with no mana, yet he caught me.
Even though I treated him like that...
The girl bit her lip, pushing those stray thoughts aside.
Now wasn’t the time for apologies.
Erylin was still fighting.
“Fajro! (Fire!)”
Lillian raised her wand, and a crimson magic circle expanded at its tip. However, the flames that should have roared to life began to shrink the moment they left the wand.
“What’s happening?”
Lillian waved her wand again, disbelief written all over her face.
“Akvo, tranĉu! (Water, cut!)”
The water blade turned into a harmless mist before it could even reach the magic wolf.
Recalling how her wind magic had vanished in mid-air, Lillian whispered, “My magic’s effects... they’re disappearing?”
As if responding to her suspicion, Silas’s low voice came from the side.
“The strength of the Judgment Chains is also dropping.”
Erylin didn’t say anything.
She was casting spells continuously.
“Glacio, vento, nego! (Ice, wind, snow!)”
“Glacio, tombo, silento. (Ice, tomb, silence.)”
“Eterna, frosto! (Eternal frost!)”
This was Erylin’s strongest Tier 3 magic.
Instantly, the temperature plummeted as if they were in an ice cave. Frost began to form on the surrounding vegetation.
The magic wolf, at the center of the spell’s range, was encased in layers of ice, unable to move.
“Did... did it work?”
As if answering Lillian, the thin ice began to emit a cracking sound. The fractures on the surface became more and more apparent.
Crackle—!
Purple lightning erupted from the magic wolf. In a single breath, the ice shell exploded into a cloud of shards.
Erylin’s breathing grew ragged.
“It’s absorbing our mana.”
Erylin finally voiced the realization.
“From the moment it stood back up, it has been absorbing our mana.”
Without giving them time to think, the magic wolf attacked again, its sharp claws swinging toward Silas.
“Sildo! (Shield!)”
“Glacia muro! (Ice wall!)”
A golden shield bearing the Judgment mark and a wall of ice appeared in front of the wolf, but they couldn't stop its claws.
Boom!
As the dust cleared, Silas was sent flying several meters. His uniform was shredded, and his left shoulder was a bloody mess.
The magic wolf took a stance again, a massive sphere of mana condensing in its mouth.
This mana fluctuation was stronger than anything they had seen so far!
And it was aimed right at Lillian!
A grim expression crossed Silas’s face. He reached into his coat, his fingertips touching the edge of the Magic Letter. He rapidly analyzed the situation.
The power this monster was displaying had already far exceeded the Tier 3 range!
This was absolutely not a creature that should appear in an exam!
He had to report this to the instructors immediately!
Erylin also pulled out her Magic Letter. She intended to ignite it, but then she suddenly remembered the boy standing beside her.
Ain.
If she forfeited, it would be the same as sentencing Ain to expulsion in advance.
She had repeatedly promised him that she would guarantee him a perfect score in the practical.
But now...
Erylin’s fingers trembled slightly.
As if reading her mind, Lillian turned her head and forced a smile at Erylin.
“Erylin, leave it to me.”
Erylin’s pupils constricted.
“Wait, Lillian! You can’t use that!”
Lillian ignored her. The girl took a deep breath as if she had made a decision. Just as she took a stance, a figure walked past her and stood in front of her.
“Let me handle this.”
Ain flashed a smile at Lillian.
Silas couldn't help but shout, “Ain! That’s not an attack you can block with just your hands!”
He tried to stand up, but the injury to his left shoulder made his movements a half-beat too slow.
Has this guy’s head been fried by forbidden magic?
What can a guy with no mana even do?!
“If your brain hasn't been fried, take Lillian and run!”
Lillian couldn't take her eyes off his back. She couldn't understand how he could stand in front of her so nonchalantly.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Get away from here!”
The girl’s voice was trembling.
“I’ll solve it! I have a way! So please, just get away!”
Her words were still a bit sharp, but she didn't want Ain to get hurt.
She didn't want her power to catch Ain in the crossfire.
But the response to Lillian came from the magic wolf.
“Grrrr...”
It swallowed the abnormally large mana ball into its throat.
The next second, a blinding purple light erupted from the wolf’s throat. A thick bolt of lightning surged out, ionizing the air into a dazzling white. Tree trunks were instantly carbonized, and the sand on the ground melted into dark red glass.
Several magic circles flashed in Ain’s hand. He slowly raised his right hand, aiming it at the incoming lightning bolt.
“Forpelo. (Expulsion.)”
【Spatial Magic: Exile】
【Proficiency: Pro Max】
【Rank: Tier 3】
【Effect: Repels all magic attacks of Tier 3 and below】
The lightning bolt, which was powerful enough to level everything within a several-meter radius, seemed to hit an invisible mirror less than a meter away from Ain.
The beam scattered in all directions, turning into countless tiny arcs of electricity that dissipated into the air.
The Magic Letters that Erylin and Silas had already ignited were extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere.
“I don’t think I ever said...”
“...that I was weak.”
Ain smiled.
【MP: 1689/0 (Continuously increasing)】
【Currently usable magic rank: Tier 3】
Rate on N.U.
