The situation was growing increasingly dire.
Matt no longer had any choice.
Even though he knew that taking action now wasn’t rational, if he didn’t make a move soon, the elite unit entrusted to him by His Majesty would be completely wiped out! On top of that, the princess’s condition was rapidly deteriorating.
If he continued to hesitate, he feared she wouldn’t survive much longer.
So even though he knew that acting now would only plunge him into an even more hopeless situation, Matt gritted his teeth and struck.
At the same time, Li Xian took a few curious steps closer, until he was practically standing at the edge of the battlefield.
With interest gleaming in his eyes, he looked at the human mage preparing to cast a spell.
It seemed that this man’s strength was comparable to the scar-faced warrior from before—in other words, another Transcendent-level expert.
Li Xian was genuinely intrigued.
He wanted to see just how powerful a human Transcendent mage could be.
More importantly, he wanted to learn his magic.
In truth, Li Xian currently had a vast reservoir of mana and was highly skilled at controlling it.
But he didn’t actually know any magic.
The only thing he could do was forcefully gather elemental energy and crudely unleash his power that way.
If Sara or the now-deceased scar-faced warrior had known this, they would have been utterly speechless.
Releasing three Transcendent-level spells in an instant was already terrifying enough.
But to do it without even casting spells, simply using brute mana manipulation to achieve effects that rivaled true magic—’what kind of monster was this?’
‘Was his mana endless? Was commanding magic and the elements really as easy for him as lifting a hand or taking a step?’
Normal magic required a very different process: channeling mana to guide the elements, forming precise combinations, and then using long, complex incantations to activate the spell.
But brute-forcing elemental power to produce the same effects? That was ridiculous.
It completely trampled on thousands of years of magical theory like it was toilet paper.
Not even a legendary-level master could achieve such a feat.
***
Yet Li Xian, completely unaware of how absurd he was being, watched Matt murmuring incantations while guiding mana and arranging elements—and looked genuinely intrigued.
“So that’s how it works… I see. That’s certainly a lot more convenient,” he commented casually, observing the scene with great interest.
Given his understanding of elemental principles, just one glance was all it took for Li Xian to see through the structure of the spell Matt was casting.
‘As for the chant? Did he need that kind of thing?’
Spoken incantations were essentially just rhythmic, structured language used to assist in controlling elemental arrangements.
For Li Xian, who could manipulate elements as easily as breathing, such assistance was completely unnecessary.
Even though Matt hadn’t finished casting the spell yet, Li Xian had already fully grasped how the magic worked.
In fact, this applied to virtually all spells.
As long as he saw it once and understood the elemental combination, he didn’t need to memorize the incantation or spend years practicing to align the elements properly.
He could learn it instantly—and use it even more efficiently.
This was an enormous spell.
On the battlefield ahead, a massive magic circle with a radius of more than ten meters suddenly appeared on the ground beneath the demon army.
***
Moments later, enormous ice spikes erupted from the earth, shooting upward.
Any demon within the circle unlucky enough to be caught was instantly impaled, screaming in agony as they were skewered and left hanging, barely clinging to life.
Even the towering ogres were not spared.
Though their size granted them strength, a single strike from these ice spikes was often enough to cripple a leg, leaving them maimed and unable to continue their savage rampage.
In the distance, the giant troll was visibly surprised.
Until now, Matt had remained hidden and inactive, and the troll had paid him no mind.
He hadn’t realized there was a transcendent-level mage among the human forces.
‘But so what?’
After a brief moment of surprise, a sneer returned to the giant troll’s face.
To him, this display of magic was nothing more than the work of someone who had just stepped into the transcendent realm.
Even if Matt had already reached the pinnacle of the transcendent level, the troll wouldn’t have been afraid.
At this range, with his own strength also at the transcendent peak, he was confident he could kill Matt before the human had a chance to cast any large-scale spell that might pose a threat.
Matt’s strength didn’t concern him in the slightest.
But for the lower-level demons, it was a different story.
Having witnessed the significant casualties caused by that single spell, the giant troll finally decided it was time to act.
Still, he didn’t release the imperial princess from his grasp.
His massive hand continued to hold her tightly, rendering her completely immobile.
Ellie had long since lost the strength to speak.
Gripped tightly by the troll, she felt as if every bone in her body were on the verge of shattering.
Her throat was raw from screaming, now too hoarse to make a sound.
Her tears had already dried, and her once-glistening golden hair now hung in a tangled, chaotic mess.
If not for the constant pain keeping her barely conscious, she would’ve already passed out.
The troll, however, was careful.
He knew the girl in his hand was still useful as a sacrifice, so he restrained his strength.
As long as she couldn’t escape, he made sure not to crush her.
After all, with his power, the slightest increase in pressure would turn Ellie into nothing more than a pile of flesh.
As she was dragged by the giant troll toward the only hope she had left, Ellie, though barely conscious, kept her eyes locked on the still-young face ahead of her.
‘He’s the only one who can save me now. The only one who can keep me alive.’
That newly-risen ace mage of the Empire—Matt.
Matt, too, had noticed the giant troll was preparing to attack.
He immediately held his breath, focusing all his energy into readying himself.
He had to be at his best to face this unknown but clearly formidable enemy.