Ailaira Green reached out and touched the Magic Barrier, blocking the Light Crucifix that fell from the sky. Her Magical Power condensed into the Hand of Fazhou, which seized the end of the crucifix. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled it back toward Sillirora.
The holy aura clinging to the crucifix was enough to incinerate any “unclean” being that dared touch it, yet Ailaira remained completely unaffected as she asked calmly:
“What exactly did you leave inside Sillirora’s body, you crazy woman?”
“And what kind of love potion did Trinice give you to make you come after me with such reckless abandon?”
As she heard the woman speak the name of the Divine Mother so casually, Sillirora’s face began to twist again.
The flying crucifix crashed into the shield she had raised, instantly shattering into fragments of flying light. A moment later, those points of light rearranged and combined, forging a sharp Knight’s Spear.
Sillirora took a step back, assuming a knight’s stance. The moment her feet left the ground, her form shifted abruptly.
With the speed of a thunderbolt and carrying an endless fury, she arrived in front of Ailaira in the blink of an eye.
The attack style was familiar; the figure now reflected in Ailaira’s eyes was the image of Camara—Trinice’s personal guard knight.
A knight’s charge combined with the enhancement of **[Haste]** unleashed an unrivaled impact, pouring entirely into the space before Ailaira. The heat of jealousy was about to burn away the last of Sillirora’s reason.
“Ailaira Green! How dare you! How dare you call the Divine Mother by her name!”
“How could she ever cast her gaze upon a blasphemer like you!”
The moment Ailaira spoke the name of the Goddess, the divine aura within her body was triggered. Sillirora could clearly sense that the Goddess she worshipped was watching the woman in front of her.
‘Divine Mother, why?! Your most loyal believer is standing right here! The one who received your oracle and is working so hard to protect what is important to you is right here!’
‘Divine Mother, why do you not look at me?’
Tears fell from the corners of Sillirora’s eyes, but the obsession guarded within her heart did not allow her attacks to weaken in the slightest.
Her high-speed form did not stop after making contact with Ailaira. Instead, she continued to push Ailaira back, leaving deep trenches in the Courtyard.
After the two of them slammed into the protective shield, the impact caused the barrier to ripple violently.
They moved upward along the arc of the dome until they finally lost their footing, at which point Sillirora stopped her charge.
However, did this heavy attack actually cause any substantial damage to Ailaira? The tip of the spear, which was constantly crumbling and dissolving, provided the answer.
As the two of them hovered in midair, Ailaira raised her hand and lightly tapped the spear’s shaft. A familiar levitation Magic descended upon Sillirora—it was the same move she had used to deal with Camara before.
But when the same move was used on Sillirora, the effect was far less effective than it had been against Camara.
This was because the Magical Power swirling around Sillirora was tainted with a divine aura, helping her block all attacks directed at her body. Ailaira shook her head impatiently, looking somewhat disgusted.
“You are indeed much smarter than the real Camara, but your speed is still far inferior to hers. It seems a copied Trait cannot reach the strength of the original.”
“In that case, I won’t bother using Magic to suppress your movements.”
Sillirora sensed something was wrong and hurriedly let go of the Knight’s Spear she was using to resist Ailaira. Levitation Magic traced the outline of wings behind her back, allowing her to complete a rapid turn in midair. Less than half a second after Sillirora retreated, a swift bolt of lightning struck the empty space where she had just been standing.
The scorched air was thick with the scent of Magical Power, leading Sillirora to look up. She saw thousands of Magic Formations being sketched into existence, filling almost every corner of her field of vision.
The magic patterns churned, the material offerings were completed, and countless ritual Ritual Magic spells were ready to be unleashed!
Ailaira’s figure slowly rose into the sky. From a higher vantage point, standing on the highest step of the temple of magic, she looked down upon this agent of the Gods.
If Sillirora represented the authority of the Gods at this moment, then Ailaira was the absolute pinnacle of mortal Magic!
“It seems I’ll just have to ask your soul for the answers I want after I defeat you.”
Ailaira’s raised arm swung down once more. The Magic Formations all activated, and a deluge of magic attacks rained down, targeting only the tiny figure below. Sillirora’s eyes were consumed by madness; at this point, it was no longer about a conflict of faith. She had to prove it!
She had to prove that she was more worthy of the Divine Mother’s attention than this Witch who plagued the world!
“No matter what method you used to steal the Divine Mother’s attention, I will prove that I am the only one on this earth worth her gaze!”
Camara’s appearance began to distort. A ball of light condensed, which then transformed into a blinding white light that settled in the center of Sillirora’s original brow as she reverted to her true form.
This Radiant Earth Bomb, released by sacrificing the Camara template, was an inspiration she had gained after personally experiencing Vista Green’s Radiant Earth Bomb. It was an ability she had evolved after reaching the 8th Rank.
Although this meant she would lose that identity forever, Sillirora did not care even if she turned herself into the kindling for a funeral pyre, so long as she could defeat the Witch before her and offer the sacrifice the Goddess required!
The incandescent light collided with the torrent of Magic, triggering a massive explosion of Magical Power that even sucked the surrounding area dry of mana, creating a temporary vacuum zone. The mere aftershocks slamming into the protective barrier made it teeter, on the verge of shattering.
—
At the same time, the entire city had been mobilized. The City Lord, who was pushing his body to the limit to constantly organize personnel for the evacuation of the citizens, stared with bloodshot eyes at the distant residence where the battle was raging.
Although the protective barrier blocked the view from the outside, the chaotic aura of Magical Power leaking from the cracks made his bones shiver.
If he were placed at the edge of that battlefield, he would likely be turned to ash in an instant.
“Please, just hold on for a little while longer! Just a little longer! At least until I have moved all the citizens to a safe zone!”
As the City Lord prayed, a medical officer not far away was carrying the unconscious, genuine secretary and running wildly toward the City Lord, shouting joyfully: “City Lord! We found him! He was under his bed at home! He’s still alive!”
“It’s good that he’s alive.” The City Lord’s hand gripping his cane relaxed slightly, and he exhaled heavily. At the same time, the expression on his face became solemn again. “How is the evacuation of the residents going?”
“With the help of that unknown Space Mage, most of the residents in the danger zone have been evacuated to the south. A small number of residents who can move easily are evacuating on their own.”
“Make it fast!”
Standing amidst the bustling crowd, the City Lord gazed at the massive protective barrier, his brow filled with worry. “I’ll decide once everyone is safe.”