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Riding the wolf, Euna felt a strange illusion that she had become the wind. Her tied hair danced wildly in the gust. Amid the fierce whirlwind and black mist, Euna bent down and wrapped herself around Alpha’s neck; if she didn’t, she felt like she would fall.

Just as she was about to swing her spear to deflect incoming magic, she realized she didn’t need to.

‘…Perfect.’

Alpha, at times, created footholds in thin air, stepping on them and pulling tentacles behind him, moving in a three-dimensional way. It was more appropriate to call it mobility. Experiencing it firsthand, Euna could tell what Alpha was looking at. No, she came to know.

‘This is…’

Dodging the grotesque hands, she jumped straight up using the air as a platform. It was overwhelming to follow the rapidly changing scenery, but the wolf dodged countless spells in between, sometimes fending them off, pushing away the black magic, and clearing a path.

It wasn’t merely the instincts of a beast; it felt like a clear intelligence with astonishing predictions, as if it could foresee the future. The streamlined movements even covered her, who was perched on its back.

Watching that made it feel like an awakening. With the same sight, looking at the same scene, she could clearly understand what Alpha desired and what she needed to do.

Let’s leave all the movement to Alpha. However, as he wished, let’s prepare the spear. The spear that eradicates the unclean.

‘……’

With her eyes closed, Euna contemplated her inner self. There wasn’t much magic power left, but it was still usable. As she began to channel her magic into the spear, the wolf subtly glanced at her focusing form.

‘This is it.’

As the wolf dodged every attack from the pursuing monstrosity, stepping on plate armor, chains, and spikes, the Juggernaut’s body was beginning to wobble like a trembling heap of flesh, but the wolf felt anxious.

‘There’s no time…’

Will the creature’s magic be completed first or will Euna’s spear pierce the Juggernaut first? Even though over 70% of the Juggernaut’s armor had already been shed—

[Acolo, moartea ta a fost destinată, așa că acest tunet va fi ultimul sunet pe care îl auzi―!]

The creature also recited its final spell. Then, the surroundings began to change. No, it wasn’t a change.

‘This is…’

It wasn’t that there were no omens. The black magic it spread was all an omen. The atmosphere chilled and the black magic that had covered the area began to rise high.

‘……!’

While surrounding the black magic with a whirlwind, the Juggernaut’s hand grasped the mist. It slipped through its fingers, but the wind magic summoned by the Silent Mouth persistently scattered the fog.

‘…Damn.’

Euna clenched her teeth at the fact that she couldn’t follow. The black magic began to gather and heat up, creating a scene that looked like the end of the world.

—The Black Sun.

As the magic seethed, it gradually grew larger. What would happen if such a thing fell? Just imagining it was horrifying. In such a grim situation, something gripped her nape hard.

“Suliță pentru a-l ucide pe diavol―”

It was Euna’s hand. Before she knew it, the mighty and pure magic contained in her spear was swirling. The moment their eyes met, she read the unwavering emotion in her gaze. The nobility she had seen in the novels. With a straight nature like bamboo and a strong character, she had not given up. Seeing that made all her unnecessary anxieties and doubts vanish.

‘…It’s not over.’

Soon, the black sun would descend. When that time comes, a certain death would arrive. The black magic wouldn’t be able to stop the sun. If that happened, in the end, the world would perish, and nothing would change. Despite such despair, the wolf sprinted with all its might. It was moving forward, just as it always had.

—Nothing has ended. Not while I haven’t given up yet.

***

—The preparation for the throw was complete. She poured all her magic until she was on the brink of collapsing from mental exhaustion. As her vision blurred, she unconsciously tightened her grip. Feeling the rough fur, she began to chant.

“Suliță pentru a-l ucide pe diavol―”

As the light began to spread, she pulled back her shoulders. The magic contained in the lifted spear bubbled up, but it had already been blocked several times. It would regenerate in an instant again. Is this really going to be alright?

When she blinked slightly, she saw Alpha gazing straight ahead. The same sight, the same eye level. Unlike her anxious self, Alpha had confidence. The suspicion was nowhere to be seen in those red eyes. She nodded slightly in response.

‘Let’s believe.’

—Just throw it. As doubts faded, she took a breath and confirmed the target’s form. As she spotted the grotesqueness of the creature, she bit her lip. Her blurred vision was interfering with her aim as the incoming magic distracted her.

‘A little more…!

The way had to be cleared. As if reading her furrowed brow, a whirlwind surged from somewhere, sweeping away all the magic in an instant.

“……!”

Finally, she threw the spear.

***

“Get inside quickly! Hurry!”

Squeezing through the narrow dimensional breach, the assault team returned one by one to Area 1. Time was of the essence. In the sky of Area 2, the black sun loomed high—Euna bit her lip.

‘If that thing falls.’

She could tell at a glance that it was the Great Magic. Although she hadn’t learned magic, she had once asked Hong Yu-ri about the Great Magic out of curiosity. Hong Yu-ri snorted and admonished her, saying to mind her own business, but perhaps out of boredom, she had let slip.

‘Great Magic is…’

A revelation of the ultimate ideals pursued by mages. Therefore, there are as many kinds of Great Magic as there are mages who can wield it. While one can faintly mimic it, one can never be identical.

‘Then…’

What on earth had the black sun wished for? Just looking at it made her feel dizzy, and anxiety flooded her whole body. What if she had stood right there? —The mere thought was horrifying. At the same time, it was frustrating that such a situation was impossible. Cursing her own helplessness, Euna gritted her teeth.

‘…Alpha.’

Right now, the only thing she could do was pray with her hands clasped together.

***

The wolf, clinging on until the end, and Euna, a disciple of Chang-seon, both reached the limit of their strength. Although she adjusted the range a bit, it was still Great Magic. There was no distance to escape or avoid. Gradually, the black sun was igniting, signaling the end. At that, the mage twisted his lips.

‘No, this isn’t all.’

Foolish beings unaware of anything. In the end, the end that arrives isn’t something so trivial. What she had shown was an inevitable ‘end’ that was different from this. It seemed she was trying to create an elixir to prevent the end, but frankly, it didn’t matter to the mage anymore.

Whether the end came or not was no longer important to him. The elixir that the organization aimed for was only a trivial matter for him. If it succeeded, great, if not, so be it.

—However, what he wished for was.

A mage who once sought the end of magic, forsaking his identity as a human in that single-minded pursuit. He devoted his entire life to it, and even in death, he continued to follow the path of magic—yet the shock was enough to transform all of that in an instant.

—The end.

He had become captivated by it. The end she had shown twisted the mage’s perception. The mage, who had pursued the end of magic, began to seek the end from that moment.

—Thus, the mage learned another Great Magic.

The black sun that brings an end to everything. Watching it, the mage frowned. How meager it was compared to reality. What he had seen wasn’t just this. However, for now, it was more than enough. The mage calmly nodded. The sun was descending, beginning to bring an end.

[It’s over. You filthy insects…!]

And before that, something traced a trajectory in the air fast.

***

The spear cut through the air. The spear that Euna threw in trust of the wolf shot forth like a beam of light, but the creature’s hands were crossed as if waiting.

‘……!’

Its trajectory was read. It wouldn’t pierce through. It had already been blocked several times. When Euna bit her lip, something began to ripple.

“Ah…”

Somehow, the black mist had wrapped around the spear. And when the spear’s tip began to burn black, it met the creature’s palm, puncturing through instantly, yet Euna frowned.

‘It’s skewed.’

The spear had little power left. Though it pierced, the trajectory had wavered because of it. At this rate, it would miss. Euna anxiously bit her lips. But she had to know that the wolf wouldn’t be unaware of what she had seen and predicted. For a fleeting moment, when she met Alpha’s gaze, it was still filled with confidence.

“—Wind?”

Euna’s exclamation. A fierce gust erupted from the spear’s tip, scattering the black mist and enlarging the spiral flow. Finally, when the whirlwind was released from the end of the spear, it corrected the lost power and skewed trajectory. In that moment, Euna shouted at the top of her lungs.

“The spear that exterminates magic—!”

And thus, the light exploded.

***

Within the light that enveloped the heavens and the earth, the wolf stomped on the platform and jumped up. Gradually fading in the light, the wolf saw the deep evil hidden within the Juggernaut. Just a little more, just a little more—! But before that, the black sun descended.

Everything in the area was covered by the black sun, except for the Juggernaut. In the end, watching the wolf disappear into the darkness, the Silent Mouth twisted his lips. There was no way to survive in there. The disciple of Chang-seon and the annoying wolf were dealt with. The black sun that had settled on the ground pierced dozens of meters deep, creating an endlessly deep pit.

‘It’s over.’

When the mage was sure of it, the Juggernaut’s body twitched. Yes. Soon this wound would heal as well. The mage twisted his lips. Now, all that was left was to sweep away the ragtag assault team, and everything would be ended.

“―――.”

At that moment, a low howl echoed, prompting the mage’s gaze to turn.

‘……!’

It should have been caught in the Great Magic…but how? When he saw the wolf behind it, and the small dragon resting on the shoulder of the disciple of Chang-seon, he understood everything.

‘This…!’

—Originally, it would have been impossible. As long as the black magic covered everything, blinking couldn’t be used. However, the black magic had served as an omen, creating the black sun.

Even if it was Great Magic, there was always a place for safety. If it wasn’t a thought of dying together, it wouldn’t entangle the user. And thus, the Great Magic covered everything except the Juggernaut, and just before being entangled, it blinked inside the exposed wound of the Juggernaut, all the way into its deep interior. The roaring flames and black mist delayed the Juggernaut’s regeneration.

“—I told you.”

As if proclaiming to see everything, the wolf fiercely bit into the flesh, pulling out a ball stained black from within it.

[The proficiency of Piercing (E) Lv.3 has reached its maximum. Piercing (E) Lv.3 → Piercing (E) Lv.4]

With words uttered by a mage who had lost his physical form. Confronting the true self of the Silent Mouth (Life Vessel), the wolf exhibited an unrelenting killing intent. The once-dormant malice was now purely focused on the mage, and the wolf’s eyes, stained black from the Juggernaut, were filled with a crimson glow.

“Wait.”

When he heard that voice, all thoughts of chanting, spells, magic, and the end began to overflow with pure fear and dread. Remembering a phrase he had once heard over the radio, the mage’s mind went blank.

[……!]

Struggling, the mage expelled all his magic, but the black mist did not permit it. Just as the wolf bared its fangs, the Silent Mouth unleashed its final desperation, channeling all the magic within.

“Until I take your life…!”

—But before that, the wolf engulfed the mage.

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