''Hm...''

''Master... what the hell is that...?''

''A spell?''

''No, no, I know, but... this absurd output... I mean, I guess that's what you'd get from having fifteen magic circles.''

''You figured it out.''

Kierra gently let mana flow through her veins again. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be wrong with her energy circulation. The output itself was sufficient, so now, the only question left was if straining out a high-level spell would hurt something.

As the archwizard gazed at the crystal sea she had created, one that spanned endlessly beyond the horizon, she had a sneaking suspicion that none of the monsters in the immediate area had survived the earlier attack.

''...''

In the end, the crew decided to move to another part of the frontlines and since the wannabe wizards were eager to show off their newfound strength, they were allowed to go ahead of the group.

Like a bunch of animated chickens, they jumped right into the heart of the battlefield, taking on powerful fiends as they go. The only ones left were Kierra, August, Diamante, Angelica, Cosmos, and Yan Shi, who had no business being anywhere else.

''At this point, one of those guys can rival two fresh Immortals at the same time...'' The Immortal shuddered, letting out a kettle-like whistle. ''Scary, scary...''

It wasn't certain whether those words were directed at the fiends or the White Lotus wizards, who had convincingly beaten the monsters ever since they ran their mana.

Nevertheless, it was apparent that the enemies were getting stronger the more one approached the inner section of the corruption.

'Is there any difference?'

Kierra hadn't had the chance to face a monster yet since she... evaporated them, but now, she could look at their corpses.

Pulling one of the mutilated bodies over using telekinesis, Kierra closely scrutinized its very essence.

''Hm...''

Aside from it having denser 'corrupt energy,' as she would call it, the archwizard only found another point separating these guys and the ones she fought a while back.

It had a core.

A small, crystal-like core with an ominous deep purple color. This phenomenon was rather prominent in the world of magical beasts back on Kierra's planet. Usually, it was caused by the creatures not possessing enough intelligence to handle their mana properly, leading to condensed rocks of surplus mana forming inside their bodies. In other words, beast mana stones.

Whatever it might be, Kierra's finding of this core had indeed confirmed the theories she had before. These things get stronger either because of high exposure time or high doses of exposure to corruption. It could have been both.

As the archwizard gazed beyond the horizon, an unnerving foreboding hit her.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

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Contrary to what Kierra had believed, the following days were quite peacefully spent.

She devoted most of her time to refining her newly acquired heart, elevating her power stage by stage. During this period, her cultivation base had also unexpectedly rose as well.

It made sense since qi went through the same routes as mana, albeit from a different source.

''Whew...''

As Kierra slowly rose to her feet, she immediately turned to the mirror. Reflected in the clear surface was the pulsing Maiden's Love, bringing forth gentle waves across her immaculate skin.

Around that sparkling heart, six beautiful circles resided.

It was indeed an alien look. Still, at some point, she got used to seeing it on her body. Even if there were minor inconveniences, she loved it. After all, it was her lover's sincerest feelings and the source of her newfound strength...

Though, she would be very happy if her lovers stopped teasing it during intimate times just because it was a sensitive spot!

'Talk about them...'

Had it already been three months since Angelica became their mentor?

Befitting her first disciple, Angelica quickly picked up cultivation and even got a little dantian for herself. As for the apprentice wizards, they did quite well under that hellish training regime, too.

As of this point, most of them had already tip-toeing the height of the seventh circle—after only a few short years.

Thinking about it made Kierra proud. She did handpick them, after all.

And, of course, they also made progress in cultivation. The master-disciple duo of Tian Yun and Yu Chen finally reached the early stage of the Tribulation ranks, putting them on top of virtually every soul in the Central Divine Realm. Combined with their magic, it would be safe to assume that their power had already surpassed that of regular Immortals.

'Yun already did that quite convincingly before, though.'

Besides those two, there was Mie Xieren, who seemed to be on the verge of truly ascending to the realm above at any time. Her cultivation base had already reached the peak of the Tribulation stage. Emei's abbess seemed to have even more magic talent, rivaling that of Tian Yun.

Recently, she and August even began to spar...

'...She won't turn into a second Au, right?'

It was worrisome. She couldn't 'beat' August, and that was humiliating enough, but Mie Xieren?

Really?

Slapping herself on the cheeks a few times, Kierra put on her clothes and went outside.

''Ah, here's the main character.''

''Kierra~!''

''Master, the gate is ready.''

Today was the promised day. The realm above had been frantically preparing for the precious guests coming from another world, yet Kierra felt indifferent.

'Those annoying geezers... they only got this respect because of me.'

''Hah...''

Still, she needed their support to minimize casualty at the frontlines. With heavy firepower, that being the archwizards' spells, on their side, the war would become much easier to win.

Swallowing her complaint, Kierra followed the messenger, Yan Shi, to the realm above.

There, Wen Zhuwei and some other representatives of this realm had already been waiting at a clearing near her house. It was decided that the guests be welcomed at her manor.

''Hello, Miss Kierra.''

''Mhm.''

''Miss Angelica, are the preparations ready?''

''Of course. We're ready to launch right away.''

While everybody was more or less excited at Angelica's words, only August and Diamante remained cold. They smacked their lips, thinking how to get rid of those pesky wizards as quickly as possible.

The only wizard they liked was Kierra!

''Please don't stand too close. Since we will be puncturing a hole through the fabric of reality, it could get dangerous.''

Nevertheless, numerous eyes were on Angelica as she moved forward, carrying a multitude of different relics.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Linoel.

''Hm... would the little girl truly keep her promise...''

An elderly man mused, stroking his long, white beard. Hearing this, another man, this time a middle-aged one with fiery red hair, replied,

''It is not as though she is that witch. Let's trust in her for now.''

''My, my... you do aware that my nickname is also 'witch,' right?''

Out of nowhere, an alluring woman appeared, flaunting her golden hair as she rode her broom. Her destination was the shining device, the shape of a portal, located in the middle of the room. Through the empty space within the frame, she could see a youthful elf rubbing his chin quietly.

''Ooh...! This thing is incredible, no matter how many times I get to see it!''

''Agree, agree! She's not the disciple of that Kierra for nothing!''

Below, two young girls bearing identical appearances ran around excitedly, disrupting the non-existent harmony in the room.

Yet, all of them only waited for one thing—for the gate to open.