Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 126 (Part 1)

The monster’s destructive power was overwhelming. A single blow could fracture even Karis and Jena, masters of their craft, somewhere on their bodies.

Moreover, it was unexpectedly agile. It would spring forth from a crouched position so quickly that it seemed like teleportation. There were moments when even Karis and Jena couldn’t react in time.

Boom! Boom!

‘It’s tough.’

Magic caused it some damage, but the attacks of Karis and Jena strangely didn’t work well. Though injuries were inflicted, they were smaller than expected. It was especially resistant to close-range attacks.

‘It’s because of the poison.’

Even when poison was neutralized with Cure Poison or resistance increased with Resist Poison, the relief was temporary. The poison would seep into Karis and Jena’s bodies again soon enough.

The poison weakened their strength and seemed to disrupt their senses, causing their movements to slow unnaturally.

‘It’s not even human. It’s just a combat doll, yet it’s having this effect. Getting close to it weakens you. That’s the real problem.’

At this point, Karis and Jena could only bind it. As long as the poison lingered around it, expecting more was futile.

‘I have to handle it myself.’

Stronger magic was necessary.

Even enhanced sixth-circle spells couldn’t eliminate it. The combination of Vacuum Explosion and Flame Strike, which had demonstrated great power in the past, failed to deliver a fatal blow.

‘I need to find a way. A solution.’

Countless spells flashed through Rodin’s mind. He even recalled the runic magic he had learned through Frouval’s illusions.

“Jena! Get out of the way!”

“Eek!”

The monster raised a clawed limb above the fallen Jena. A single strike would have ended her life.

“Friction Zero!”

Rodin cast a spell. Six circles spun furiously, producing the magic.

Friction Zero. A high-tier spell that reduced the coefficient of friction.

Thud! Crash!

The monster slipped and fell heavily, allowing Jena to roll away and escape danger.

“Fire Blast.”

Boom! Boom! Boom-boom-boom! Boom!

Rodin unleashed a series of spells. Another sixth-circle spell, this one created explosive bursts of fire across a designated area.

The surroundings of the monster erupted continuously, followed by flames rising from the ground.

While the flames didn’t inflict significant damage, they burned away the poisonous miasma lingering around the monster. With the poison visibly reduced, Karis and Jena caught their breath.

But there was no time to rest.

In a battle where a mage and knights fought together, the knight’s role was to protect the mage. If the mage could cast magic freely, the knight had done their job.

Karis and Jena positioned themselves between Rodin and the monster.

The monster seemed to realize the situation. Though the two in front were annoying and quick, the real threat lay with the one farther away.

“Purifying Field!”

Rodin cast a modified spell that purified a designated area.

He used the rune structure of the fifth-circle Lightning Field as a base and combined it with the sixth-circle Purification spell to create it on the spot.

Mana drained from him in massive quantities. Although it was a sixth-circle spell, it consumed mana on par with something far beyond its level.

“Friction Zero!”

Crash!

As the monster tried to rise, Rodin once again reduced the coefficient of friction. Though it managed to partially support itself with its arms, it was unable to stand.

“Inferno Flame of Descending Hell!”

Rodin took advantage of the opening, chanting a lengthy rune incantation while forming hand seals.

The result was the spell Inferno Flame.

The six circles spun ferociously. The magic greedily drew power from Rodin’s body.

“Ah!”

It was a mistake. In hastily crafting the spell, Rodin hadn’t calculated the number of circles required.

‘This is seventh-circle magic.’

As a sixth-circle mage, Rodin couldn’t properly handle it. With his six circles insufficient, the magic began to drain his life force and vitality.

‘This won’t do.’

Rodin desperately drew on the surrounding mana. It was the only option left.

In the past, Rodin had tricked the spell-engraved gate of an underground ruin by crafting a false seventh circle using mana. He attempted the same technique now, though time was short.

Mana was slower to respond than innate magical power and required far more energy to initiate. While typically used in artifacts, it wasn’t suitable for combat magic. But now, there was no other choice.

‘Please.’

Coaxing and guiding the mana, Rodin managed to form a makeshift circle within his body. The moment it formed, the Inferno Flame began consuming it.

The spell demanded an immense amount of energy, forcing Rodin to repeat the process until finally…

‘Done.’

The energy demand of the Inferno Flame was satisfied.

The magic materialized: flames as dark as shadow, like black smoke consuming the monster.

Roaaaarrr!

The heat surpassed any fire magic used before, drying out trees dozens of meters away.

The monster writhed, rolling and clawing at the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames. But the fire didn’t waver, continuously burning its body.

Roar! Roar!

Its screams echoed in vain as its body burned relentlessly.

Simultaneously, Rodin felt his strength drain rapidly. Though he had barely completed the spell using mana, his body was in shambles. The wild energy threatened to tear him apart.

“Take… over.”

Rodin retrieved several ancient potions from his subspace storage, drinking one before sitting down to meditate.

Meanwhile, Karis and Jena had little to do but guard him, watching the monster’s demise. The massive creature burned until it was nothing but a blackened husk.

“It held on for a long time.”

“Indeed. That was seventh-circle magic, wasn’t it?”

The battle was over, though they were battered and exhausted. All that mattered was that everyone survived.

Rodin remained unaware, but the Inferno Flame was also the defensive spell engraved at the entrance to the underground ruin in the Moord Wasteland. It was a spell designed to attack intruders, one that had inflicted lasting injuries on the elder of Slabon in the past.

“Our master is far stronger than we anticipated.”

“Indeed. And still so young. But are those potions for us?”

“It seems so. Though we don’t drink potions.”

As combat dolls, Karis and Jena didn’t need healing potions; they required repairs. For them, the restoration magic engraved in Rodin’s necklace was the best solution.

“Our master treats us like humans sometimes.”

“Not as an act—he truly sees us as people.”

Suddenly, an immense surge of power swept through Rodin’s body, disrupting the surroundings.

“It’s an awakening.”

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