Reyon's eyes burned as he fought against the onslaught of hellfire. Even though he had conjured his Vector Field—a shimmering dome of protective energy formed by intricate vector magic—the raging hellfire, like an endless sea of molten fury, surged forward and instantly melted his barrier away.
"Am I… going to die here?" Reyon thought, his heart pounding as the infernal flames lapped hungrily at his defenses. The searing heat was relentless, and for a split second, doubt gnawed at his resolve. Yet, even as the protective field vanished before him, his voice, barely audible over the roar of destruction, answered with firm determination, "No—I still won't give up."
With that thought echoing in his mind, Reyon gritted his teeth and began to stack Sigma (σ) again—his fingers trembling as he meticulously engraved the arcane symbols in the air. One by one, he layered the enhancements until he had stacked σ five times. The strain was immense; he clutched the Ring of Ferica tightly as its ancient power surged through him, stressing his brain with the concentrated energy. A sharp pain shot through his skull, as if a scorching blade were carving through his thoughts, but he pressed on regardless.
He forced his focus, drawing in mana from the very air around him. His hands moved with practiced precision, gathering and converting the ambient magical energy into a new, much more concentrated Vector Field. This new barrier pulsed around him—a tightly woven lattice of mana and symbols, glowing with a brilliant intensity. Yet, the hellfire was merciless. Not only did it surge around him, but its scorching heat began to burn the very mana that he was drawing from, tainting the purity of the energy he so desperately needed.
For several agonizing minutes, Reyon fought to maintain his concentrated barrier, continuously converting the surrounding mana into the Vector Field even as the flames threatened to consume it all. His vision blurred as the heat and pain merged into a disorienting haze. Still, with every desperate heartbeat, he pushed the limits of his endurance—until, at last, the overwhelming pressure of the inferno broke through his defenses. The new Vector Field shattered, scattering into countless sparks and fragments of raw energy, leaving him exposed.
Far away, on the outskirts of the battlefield, Squad 5 and the royal guards, accompanied by Julie, watched in horrified silence. The devastation was nearly complete, and the silence was broken only by the desperate prayers of his comrades, whose eyes were fixed on the dwindling figure of Reyon.
Julie turned to the Knight Commander, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke, "Looks like Reyon gave a good fight—even though I couldn't see everything up close. To think he forced Berth to use so many spells… he is something else."
The Knight Commander, his jaw set in grim admiration, responded, "If it were me, I would have died to Lightning Storm. Reyon… he's a monster much bigger than Berth. Thankfully, even if Berth come out, he'd have spent most of his mana and we can easily subdue him. And I wouldn't have to think about that mana oath… as Reyon is dead, and we could completely annihilated the shame of our kingdom—the Classers."
A heavy silence followed their whispered conversation, as the reality of the ongoing battle weighed upon them. Meanwhile, back on the scorched battlefield, the hellfire pressed closer toward Reyon. The heat was almost unbearable, and the flames advanced with predatory speed, intent on finishing what they had started.
Desperation and resolve warred within him. "Now, I shouldn't think about the corruption of this ring," he thought grimly, "I must use more of its power."
Drawing on every last ounce of his will, Reyon reached deep within himself and began to extract vectors using the symbol of £. He stacked Σ again—piling it on until he had reached a staggering eight times. His vision narrowed, and his head throbbed as if set on fire by the corrupted mana that now clung to his thoughts. Each additional layer of Σ made his brain feel like it was being scorched from the inside, yet he pushed on, determined to turn the tide.
Gritting his teeth against the overwhelming pain, Reyon began the next phase of his desperate gambit. He channeled the energy through the Ring of Ferica, the ring's ancient power surging as it amplified his effort. His hands moved in precise, controlled gestures, and slowly, with each movement, he cast out a spell—a Water Surge unlike any other. The water he summoned was enhanced beyond normal limits; it roared forth like a tsunami, a towering wave that rushed toward the encroaching sea of hellfire.
For a brief moment, the battlefield was transformed. The violent clash between the raging inferno and the colossal wave of water created a furious maelstrom. Steam exploded into the air, billowing in thick, scorching clouds. The impact was so tremendous that even the royal guards, Julie, and members of Squad 5 could see the titanic struggle between water and fire from afar. They watched, astonished, as torrents of water collided with hellfire, producing clouds of dense steam that obscured the view and heated the air to unbearable temperatures. The guards wiped sweat from their brows as the temperature soared, even in the distance.
Julie's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice trembling as she called out, "Just what is happening? There's no way—Reyon is still alive! And above all, a spell of that strength cannot be cast by someone weaker than an 8th-circle mage. Could it be that Berth is trying to control the hellfire with water?"
But deep down, even as her voice wavered with shock, she knew the truth: even the powerful Water Surge was being evaporated by the relentless hellfire. The water was vanishing as quickly as it appeared, leaving nothing but a charred, barren wasteland where hope should have been.
In that desperate moment, as the flames crept ever closer, a sudden glow erupted from the center of Reyon's chest. A radiant mana circle materialized on his skin, pulsing with an almost divine light. From within that circle, a huge spear burst forth—a weapon that shone with the power of every element. The spear radiated a harmonious energy, drawing upon fire, water, earth, and wind.
A sudden realization sparked in Reyon's mind as the memories flooded back. "Could it be…?" he whispered, his voice trembling with both awe and desperation.
He remembered the parting words with his grandmother, Min Hee. As they had parted, she had pressed something into his chest—a secret gift of mana that she had carefully stored, a potent legacy to aid him in his darkest hour. "What is it?" he had asked at the time, and all he had received was a gentle smile and the promise that it would help in critical times.
Now, in the midst of utter chaos, Reyon understood. "This is what Grandma was talking about… Her strongest spell, the Elemental Spear."
The spear, imbued with the combined strength of every element, shot forward with blinding speed. It pierced through the raging hellfire like a beam of pure, unadulterated energy. The spear's tip struck the heart of the inferno, and in an instant, the sea of hellfire was dispersed—its raging, consuming flames scattered into nothingness by the spear's elemental might.
A silence, deep and awe-filled, followed the cataclysmic explosion. For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to pause, the devastation of the previous onslaught replaced by an eerie calm. Reyon, his body trembling and his head reeling from excruciating pain, managed a single whispered exclamation, "Haa… thank you, Grandma."
And then, unable to bear the overwhelming agony, Reyon collapsed. The immense strain, the countless spells, and the desperate surges of mana had taken their toll on his fragile body. He fell to the scorched earth, his vision fading into darkness as excruciating pain radiated from every fiber of his being.