A blue array appeared out of thin air at the volcano's peak, and a figure gradually materialized from within.

It was Erica.

Without interrupting the array, she had also increased its casting range.

Undeniably, this was the most effective method she could think of right now.

The biggest difference between second-tier and third-tier mages when using teleportation magic was their mana reserves.

And the mana reserve also determined the teleportation distance.

Erica took a sip of the potion, restoring some mana, barely managing to release a teleportation array with sufficient range.

And now, she has reached the volcano's summit.

Before her was the crater.

The temperature at the peak was already beyond human tolerance. As soon as Erica stood on the ground, the scorching heat instantly caused her head to throb.

If she hadn't used some fire-resistant magic in advance, she would have likely fainted immediately in this astonishing temperature.

She patted her chest, looking at her feet, appearing shaken.

Clasping her hands together, a white array began to rotate in her hands, with wisps of coldness seeping out.

She applied the magic to herself, barely managing to keep her body at a constant temperature.

After doing this, Erica finally looked around.

Nearby, there was nothing.

Only the volcano's crater, as if it had just erupted, with the surrounding heated rocks glowing red like burning iron blocks.

In the scorching heat, even the air became distorted.

Erica had hoped to find some answers at the summit, but the scene after reaching the top was not as she had wished.

The sweltering heat made her dizzy, and a feeling of weakness had spread throughout her body.

"This won't do... I might have to leave here."

She still had enough mana to support herself in casting a teleportation spell to leave, even if she could only go down the mountain a short distance, it would be better than just standing at the summit.

Her hands lit up with a faint glow, and an array began to form in her hands.

Suddenly, Erica's heart violently contracted.

The newly formed array instantly dissipated.

A low, mournful cry came from the volcano's crater.

The pain seemed to transmit to Erica's heart, and she fell to her knees, unable to bear it.

Her knees were also instantly severely burned due to the high temperature of the ground.

"What's... happening..."

Erica struggled to utter these few words, feeling as if her heart was being gripped by something, causing excruciating pain.

The mournful cry that only she could hear continued.

In a daze, the volcano began to shake, and a sky-high jet of lava burst forth from the crater.

Looking at the slowly flowing red-hot lava, to Erica, it was like blood spurting out when the volcano was in pain.

And now, it was about to become the weapon that would take Erica's life.

Erica gritted her teeth.

Between life and death, she quickly made a judgment.

The remaining magical power surged out, forming a barrier to separate her from the flowing lava.

She didn't want to die yet, at least, not in such an unclear and frustrating manner.

But her remaining magic was not enough to sustain this barrier.

The lava seeped through the barrier, soon about to flow to Erica's legs.

Her body had already begun to tremble uncontrollably.

Almost the next second.

Within her field of vision, a white light seemed to burst out from the volcano's crater.

Erica, as if forgetting the impending crisis, fixed her gaze on that white light from the volcano's crater.

"What is... that?"

......

The mages and knights in the town of Sanchez and on the volcano's slopes all noticed the intense disturbance the volcano was producing at this moment.

"This is a sign that the volcano is about to erupt!"

A mage suddenly shouted, but everyone could see it now.

The lava bursting from the crater was the most powerful evidence.

All the third-tier mages had solemn expressions, on high alert, ready to instantly release this terrifying war magic under Duke Levi's command.

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The powerful war magic was enough to completely suppress this volcano!

Duke Levi was very confident, just about to cast the magic, and even planned to have Erica continue to supply him with magic.

"Erica, can you still hold on?"

He asked out of habit, but no one answered him.

When Duke Levi turned around, Erica was nowhere to be seen.

"Erica!? Erica?"

Now Duke Levi became anxious, he searched left and right at the base, but couldn't see Erica anywhere.

"How could she disappear at a time like this!?"

Duke Levi became agitated, at this crucial moment when they were about to activate the war magic, she had vanished.

If she had run up to the volcano, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous?

Duke Levi didn't want to believe Erica was so reckless, he could only continue searching on the mountainside.

All the mages waiting to release the magic were stunned, why had Duke Levi suddenly stopped the operation of the array at this critical moment?

Many third-tier mages looked at Duke Levi, anxiously saying:

"Your Grace! If we don't activate the great array now, the volcano will erupt completely!"

"It's going to be too late!"

The Duke almost shouted, commanding them:

"No! We absolutely cannot activate the array!"

"Your Grace! What exactly has happened?"

Everyone was confused and could only hurriedly ask.

"Erica is missing!"

When Duke Levi told everyone this news, they all stood there dumbfounded.

If Erica was at the summit right now, then the moment the magic array descended, she would likely be instantly torn to pieces by the powerful magical pressure.

But if they didn't activate the magic.

The volcanic eruption would evolve into a massive disaster.

Duke Levi's eyes were bloodshot at this moment.

If he had to make a choice, he would rather sacrifice all his honor and status, even not save those innocent lives.

He wanted to exchange it all for Erica's return.

At this critical moment, everyone was trying to persuade Duke Levi.

Even if they could beat the volcano by one second, they could prevent the disaster from coming!

But if Duke Levi, as the magic leader, didn't give the word.

The array would just keep standing there.

Suddenly, a sky-piercing white light instantly burst out from the volcano's crater, shooting straight into the clouds!

Everyone looked at this white light tearing through the black clouds and illuminating the sky, attracted by this scene.

In an instant, the sky revealed its true face, shining upon the earth, and the gentle moonlight pierced through the vast gloom, falling on everyone's shocked faces.

Drip, drip——!

Soon, raindrops, like sprites after a disaster, began to fall one by one from the sky.

The rain poured down, hitting the mountaintop, striking the flowing lava.

As if possessing magical power, it fell on Mount Vesuvius.

At this moment, the volcano lost all its power.

That astonishing temperature dropped rapidly.

The entire volcano was like a high-temperature molten iron doused with a bucket of clear water, emitting violent steam.

No one felt hot anymore.

On the contrary, in this sudden downpour, they actually began to shiver.

The flowing lava was now gradually solidifying, those fiery rocks slowly turning back to their original black color.

"...Has the eruption of Mount Vesuvius... stopped?"

A mage voiced the shock in everyone's hearts. The rain wet Duke Levi's hair, he squinted at the sky, not knowing what he was thinking, his expression incredibly complex.

Near the summit, feeling the raindrops falling, Gwen raised her head, looking at the sky revealing its clear moonlight, and let out a sigh of relief.

She had been very close to that white light just now, clearly feeling that terrifying power.

The lava blocking the way had now cooled.

She stood up, picked up her silver sword, her will determined, and rushed towards the summit.

......

Erica stood there in a daze, looking at the sky, her mind blank for a moment.

When that magical power appeared, she was closest to it.

That was definitely not magical power that humans could possess.

She knelt in the rain, closing her eyes, letting the rain soak her.

At this moment, any crisis no longer existed.

Under that astonishing magic, it seemed as if all crises had been completely resolved.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was like a wonderful joke played by heaven on everyone.

Its erratic state made everyone believe it was about to erupt, and at the last moment, when everyone was on edge, on high alert.

When the atmosphere had been built up to its peak, the volcano ceased.

Its prank had succeeded, attracting everyone's attention.

Two streams of tears flowed from Erica's eyes, and even she herself couldn't tell at this moment whether what was flowing down her face was rainwater or tears.

She was scared.

She had almost died on this volcano.

She had almost been unable to preserve even her bones.

She had almost paid the price for her pride and arrogance.....

The sound of crying attracted a Fire Hedgehog. In this astonishing rain, its body emitted steam from being soaked, blending perfectly with the environment.

It bared its fangs.

The distance between it and Erica was very, very close. It only needed to explode with power in its legs, a short sprint, and it could bite through her throat.

And Erica, at this moment, had completely exhausted her magic power, and even her spirit was extremely fatigued, leaving her without any ability to resist.

She had been crying there non-stop, unaware that danger was approaching.

The next second, the Fire Hedgehog pounced towards her, letting out a terrifying cry.

Erica reacted, but her weakness no longer allowed her to make any resistance.

She was going to die.

"Dad......"

Boom!!!

A fire snake, as hot as lava, grazed Erica's cheek and struck the Fire Hedgehog.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, the Fire Hedgehog instantly turned to ashes, leaving not even a trace behind.

Erica stood there stunned, forgetting to cry, staring blankly at this scene.

Then she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"I should have taught you."

"A mage should always prioritize their own safety above all else."

She whirled around, seeing Viktor swaying unsteadily.

"Professor! You..."

She was overjoyed, but before she could say anything more, she suddenly saw that Viktor's body was flowing with astonishing lava.

The lava fell to the ground, rapidly cooling, with misty steam rising.

The next second, Viktor fainted, falling straight at the edge of the volcano's crater.

Erica was stunned. She quickly ran to Viktor's side, reaching out to touch his body.

"Ouch... it hurts."

The astonishing temperature of Viktor's body would cause burns just from touching.

"Viktor! What's wrong with you? Viktor!"

Disregarding the risk of severe burns to her hands, she used her last bit of magic to cover her hands with a thin layer of ice, intending to lift Viktor up.

The scorching heat made her hands hurt, but she recklessly tried to lift Viktor up.

The next second, Erica's burned legs couldn't bear the pressure.

With a thud, both of them fell to the ground.

Fortunately, the volcano had now completely cooled down, otherwise, they would have been seared into meat patties.

In an instant, a resentful emotion rose from the bottom of Erica's heart. She hated herself.

She hated her own arrogance, and even more, she hated her current helplessness.

Everything she had learned at the magic academy seemed to have become a burden.

But she stubbornly tried again and again to lift Viktor, even though her whole body was being burned by his temperature.

Erica utterly hated her own weakness, but she didn't regret climbing to the summit.

If she hadn't been there, who would have noticed the severely injured Viktor?

He would certainly have died here.

Erica tried again and again, getting up, falling, getting up, falling.

Even though the distance she could move was barely two meters, she still continued.

Without magic power, she could only rely on her own body.

Viktor had saved her, so now, she had to save Viktor too.

"Little girl."

A sudden voice sounded in her ear, causing Erica, who was once again struggling to lift Viktor, to suddenly freeze.

She looked left and right, trying to find the source of the voice.

But no matter how much she searched, there was no one on the summit.

Except for a one-eyed crow standing at the volcano's crater.

It was Viktor's pet, inseparable from him.

Erica had even fed it before.

Suddenly, Erica's eyes widened.

No matter how heavily the rain fell.

Not a single raindrop seemed to touch the crow's feathers.

Its feathers seemed as if they had been polished, smooth in this rain, making it seem like a unique existence.

The one-eyed crow opened its ugly beak, its single eye flashing with blue light, revealing an air of wisdom.

"Do you really want to save him?"