Absorbed by the fear, Nuf unconsciously exerts its full power, bursting a massive wave of [Nullification] to the surroundings, effectively canceling every bit of magic in the immediate area.
Academy staff members communicating through mana channels. Newly arrived imperial soldiers trying to encase the whole of Evone Hall with barrier magic. Ariel and Skely fighting the giant Neyd.
In the blink of an eye, everything disappears.
[How...?!]
Nevertheless, the ghastly glimmer of death enveloping the robed figure's sword never ceases. Even as the inner ice melts, the white aura only gets more intense.
Like a slow-burning fire, a silent brush stroke, a swift, lethal scythe.
With a swish, the blade narrowly misses Nuf. The demon has never felt death closer than at that moment. It simply doesn't make sense.
It hasn't heard anything like this from him. Perhaps... a new power?
No way. It has just been a few weeks since the last observation.
Yet, no matter how nonsensical it is, the blade won't miss by itself. As if a cornered beast, Nuf can only see one action it can take to remain alive—run. Fortunately, possessing higher base stats does help.
On the other hand, Aurora remains calm thanks to the mysterious effect of 'nihility.' Even though her mana pool is being rapidly drained by this powerful technique, she knows it is the only way to secure Nuf, who is immune to elemental attacks.
The question remains: how can she close the gap and land a hit on those irritating masks?
Ariel is already using the Gauntlet of Severance. The option of getting Ash's help is also non-feasible... at least until HE loses HIS influence over this battlefield. She feels as though if she can stall long enough, she can create a path to the Backrooms again.
If.
For now, [Blink] is the only way left. Until now, Nuf has been reading the subtle changes in Aurora's actions to then determine the ending location of [Blink], which is exceptionally irritating for the owl girl.
Is this a difference in combat experience? Perhaps. Demons have been around for much, much longer than Aurora has, after all.
''...''
'What is this feeling?'
A feeling as if omnipotent—like someone inside her is looking down on these otherwise mythical creatures. A side effect of [Monarch]?
'...Whatever.'
Without interrupting her movements, Aurora lightly coats her sword in another layer of ice and swings it at the giant Nuf. A cold mist surges forward, riding the momentum as though a tsunami.
In response, the red eyes inside the masks gleam ominously, and another intangible wave of [Nullification] is released.
Expectedly, the ice is seemingly blown away by an invisible burst. In the next second, Aurora's silhouette vanishes. Puzzled, Nuf quickly takes a defensive stance while also storing up spells to retaliate.
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[Come out. Let's have some FUN, shall we?]
''Still rocking that cringey tone?''
This time, a precise strike from above.
[Useless.]
With a loud clanging of metal colliding, the Black Dawn ricochets, its ice fusing immediately blown away. Then, another one from a different angle.
As Aurora seemingly repeats this 'useless' task, a looming anxiety builds up inside Nuf.
The blows have become more and more overwhelming. Although the power isn't there, the sheer speed with which the sword hit its body, slicing through the dark magic altogether, is astonishing.
And... it's getting faster.
This is as if...
[N-No, stop!]
[You mad human! Stop!]
''Got you.''
THUD—!
One stab right through the forehead, nailing the long, sharp blade into the demon's body. Before long, the messy mess of dark mana inside the thing comes bursting out like a bomb, trails of pure white frost drawing long curves in the air.
That's right.
Aurora has bypassed [Nullification] with sheer casting speed. Every skill had an internal cooldown, however long or short it might be, so even for this broken one, there will be a way to intercept it.
It's quite simple yet clever, making use of her god-given INT.
[GYAHHH—!]
The demon's desperate wails ring through the hall with each burst of death ice. From the contact point, the extreme temperature exerts its influence, gradually freezing the first jester mask.
Before long, Nuf's entire body has been reduced to an unmoving, uninspiring block of ice.
''Whew...''
A cold breath escapes Aurora's mouth.
As she takes a glance at the surroundings, which have been turned into a field of ice again, a sense of comfort spreads.
CRACK—!!
Before the demon's body crumbles and turns into dust, she promptly catches the Black Dawn, eyes chasing the retreating moon in the purple sky.
[You have defeated a Lv.65 Demon - Nuf]
[Proficiency achieved a certain level]
[Being: Aurora Lv.58 has become Lv.60]
[2 skill points acquired]
[Achievement unlocked: Level 60]
[3 skill points acquired]
[Achievement unlocked: Nuf, the Gamemaster]
[2 skill points acquired]
'In the end, what's HIS goal?'
Nuf is a challenging opponent, sure. However, it ultimately isn't something Aurora will struggle with.
If it's not her...
Perhaps, seeing HIM retreating so easily, HE might have already achieved his goals.
Nevertheless, as the battle hasn't concluded yet, Aurora prepares to leave this side of the hall to help her friends—
''...''
'What was that?'
Her eyes instantly dart to one of the audience seats, yet she finds nothing. Somewhere at that spot, she could feel someone casting a gaze on herself earlier. Is it an illusion?
It's odd. It's definitely odd.
Ever since she started to wield this power, strange things have been happening. Side effects? Likely. She'll have to consult Kyomu sooner or later.
BZZT—!
''Ugh...!''
A sharp pain in the head.
All of a sudden, through the eyes beyond the mask, Aurora sees the world—a very different world. Trampling on a mountain of civilizations' remnants, she alone stands atop the world, looking down on the mortal realm, one that can hardly be called 'alive' anymore.
Here, the sky is dyed a soft pink color, staging never-ending trails of blue.
An aurora borealis.
Moreover, it seems as though the blue stripes are eating away at the pink canvas.
In the 'dream,' Aurora feels truly omnipotent. With a single thought, the moon can be cut in half, and the sun can be forced to stay in the sky for eternity.
The earth can be split; the sky can be painted with whatever color she wants.
Yet, her heart is hollow.
Even with such power, there is a thing she cannot ever achieve. The moment she is about to think it through, a simple buzz sends her back to the real world.
''What...?''
Upon a moment of relaxation, Aurora's vision is suddenly filled with an ashen grey color. Instinctively, she tries to snap the sword at whatever is blocking her way... but with her fast deduction skills, the blade stops right before reaching the doll.
Holding an ember in her heart, which is fortunately present, Aurora clicks her tongue annoyedly.