‘Those two…’
Ophelia stood quietly alone in a deserted alleyway.
She observed two women she had found while escorting Yuria and Robert from a distance.
It seemed like a normal conversation between people who met by chance, but Ophelia recognized one fact: these women were not ordinary. They possessed considerable combat power.
Fortunately, they parted ways without showing any hostility towards Yuria and Robert. However, they soon noticed Ophelia watching from a quiet place and began approaching her with weapons drawn, emitting obvious hostility.
‘The same with the twins from before… Is there something related? Or is this just a coincidence? Either way, I’ll have to catch them and find out,’ Ophelia thought as she drew her greatsword.
The two women appeared in front of her.
“Hmm? What, were you already preparing?” one of them asked.
“After all, this won’t be a normal fight, is it? We can have some fun in a while,” the other replied.
Two people were talking in a relaxed voice.Ophelia took a stance, holding her greatsword and watching them intently.
The woman with orange hair held a dagger, while the one with green hair wore knuckles resembling long nails. Each of them began to envelop their hands with mana, and Ophelia did the same with her greatsword.
Shreeeng!
In an instant, the dagger flew at high speed without any noticeable throwing motion.
Ophelia frowned slightly and quickly dodged it.
But…
“This… ”
“Whoops!”
Just as she thought she had evaded the attack, the dagger turned and flew towards her again. Ophelia felt a twinge of frustration at its seemingly sentient movement.
“Cheh!”
“Whoops! No use! No matter how much you try to avoid it, it will follow you to the ends of hell! How long can you avoid it?”
The woman taunted Ophelia, who was dodging with impressive agility. Although the opponent’s speed was surprising, Ophelia could predict the outcome.
‘Prepare to lose at least one limb, if not your life. So far, only the leader has avoided taking damage! And that’s not all this time!’
Nemea controlled the dagger’s trajectory, watching Mergon, the green-haired woman beside her.
Mergon calmly observed the situation and adjusted her timing. As Mergon read Ophelia’s movements with her green eyes flashing, she saw Ophelia deflect the dagger with her greatsword.
Trringgg!
“Sheesh..”
Mergon swung her claw at Ophelia at the perfect moment. However, her attack was narrowly blocked by Ophelia’s greatsword, causing Mergon to frown in frustration.
‘This woman… is more impressive than I thought. I didn’t expect her to block my attack…’
Mergon admired Ophelia’s skill, noting that she had not lost her vigilance even while avoiding Nemea’s attack. As Ophelia tried to push Mergon away with her sword, Mergon prepared herself for the final blow.
‘But… this is the end!’
“…!”
Suddenly, Ophelia stopped moving. At that moment, Mergon felt the power she exerted disappear instantly.
Mergon used a magic she developed herself—Petrified Gaze.
Contrary to its name, it didn’t actually turn the opponent into stone but rather immobilized them, making them appear like a statue. Although it was only temporary, it was a trump card designed to end a fight quickly.
Realizing Ophelia’s movement had stopped completely, Mergon swung her claw.
At the same time, Nemea’s dagger flew towards Ophelia’s arm holding the greatsword.
As they prepared to deliver an indefensible blow, they spoke in unison: “I won!”
Immediately, Ophelia collapsed on the floor, bleeding, and the two women smiled victoriously. However, their joy was short-lived as they saw Ophelia’s condition.
“What… what is this…”
“This… what… ”
Their expressions shifted from triumph to astonishment as they witnessed something unbelievable happening before their eyes.
Their perfectly executed attack had not succeeded. Mergon’s claw stopped just short of striking, and the dagger, suspended in the air, seemed to be held by an invisible force.
“Interesting. I didn’t expect to encounter magic like this,” Ophelia said, slowly straightening her greatsword.
“It’s quite interesting…but also I’ve been studying,” Ophelia added, lightly swinging her sword to knock Nemea’s dagger away.
“Keugh!”
At that moment, Nemea experienced a tremendous shock as the magic she used on the dagger was reversed, causing massive magical backlash.
Nemea lost her balance and fell to the ground, feeling as if she had been hit by a powerful force.
‘This… how… how could this level of mana…’
Nemea’s face was overtaken by shock, her body tingling from the aftermath of the magical regurgitation.
At the same time, Mergon’s face also showed deep shock and fear as she realized her knuckles were immovably stuck, as if embedded in solid rock.
‘Hold on… Is this… my hand… immobilized by simple mana?’
Ophelia’s mana wrapped around Mergon’s hand like a chain, immobilizing it. This was a higher level of control compared to Nemea’s manipulation of the dagger.
‘How vast is the amount of mana needed for this…’
Ophelia was performing an act that even she, a fellow magic user, would hesitate to attempt. The realization hit the two women that they had chosen the wrong opponent long ago, but it was too late.
“Gargh!”
Suddenly, Mergon was struck in the face by Ophelia’s kick, causing her to roll across the floor and land beside Nemea.
“Me… Mergon! Are you okay?” Nemea asked, desperately.
“Damn… damn…”
Mergon, bleeding from her nose and barely conscious, struggled to stand. Despite her blurry vision from the recent shock, she tried to rise, fearing what might come next.
“Then… first, let’s hear why you did this. Of course, the likelihood of an honest answer is low.”
With those words, Ophelia let her greatsword float in the air and reached out her hands towards them.
Nemea’s face showed even more surprise, but there was no room for her to feel that emotion.
At that moment, Ophelia began to release an overwhelming force. The two attempted to create a mama barrier, but their resistance was futile, only amplifying their pain.
‘This… monster… This person is with the Beden?’
‘It’s dangerous… Dealing with this person… Maybe even the leader…’
The two women, despite the pain and confusion, were worried about the consequences for their family members if they failed here. Their consciousness sharpened as they faced imminent danger.
‘I can’t continue like this…’
‘Now that it’s like this…’
Determined to do something, they braced themselves.
Then…
“…!”
Bang!
An explosion erupted in front of them. Ophelia, focusing her mana on defense, was momentarily obscured by thick smoke. However, she quickly realized that the two women were fleeing the scene.
‘Faster than I thought… It’s probably impossible to track them now.’
As the black smoke dissipated, Ophelia saw broken vials and torn, bloody remains scattered around.
‘It seems they used explosives as a desperate measure. It’s best to return to the escort mission.’
Despite the urgency, a thin smile of satisfaction appeared on Ophelia’s lips—a smile of joy at having learned something new.
***
“Ugh… Heh… heh…”
“Calm down, Mergon! You can’t fall here!”
Mergon, covered in blood and gasping for breath, was in critical condition from the explosion. Her leg was mangled, and she had a severe burn on her waist. The blood loss and shock made her condition dire, but Nemea had no way to help her effectively.
With their financial situation, they couldn’t afford medical supplies, and going to the hospital might be too late. Facing that monstrous woman again would be disastrous.
Nemea’s pleas were desperate as she saw Mergon’s voice weakening.
“Ah… Ha… ha… Really… This life…”
“Mergon! Come to your senses!”
Nemea grabbed her hand, pleading with her, but Mergon continued to speak weakly, tears streaming down her face.
“I wanted to start again… with Nemea… again…”
“Ah.. No.. Mergon.. I can’t let you go like this… not like this!”
Tears flowed from Nemea as she cried out, but Mergon’s responses grew fainter.
And…
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