Madeline vanished from thin air, moving at speeds that defied human perception. She became a blur, dashing at Grimhild with enchanted Katanas engulfed in flames.
("The way I am now, she'll never be able to see me!")
Accelerating at lightning speed, the Ninja swung her blades toward the mage in an attempt to decapitate their head.
"Die!!"
Her flaming Katanas skewered through the mage, but there were no signs of physical contact.
"An afterimage?!"
"No, an illusion."
"What?!"
Behind Madeline, Grimhild had a magic circle prepared.
"Luralza!"
Before the ninja could react, a blast of lightning launched forward, easily catching up with her speed.
"Damnit!"
She couldn't turn around in enough time and was met with a hundred billion volts coursing through her body.
Her skin melted, and her organs fried.
She was nearing death, but would cast a spell to save her life-
"Aaaaghhh-! G-Gulvronta!" A magical symbol plastered her body, nullifying the high-voltage electricity. "Hrolma!" Madeline proceeded to heal her wounds, restoring her body to its prime.
"For a Kyoko clanswoman, you're quite skilled in magic."
Grimhild was floating midair, staring down at the woman below.
"How could you tell I was part of the Kyoko clan?!"
"Your eyes." Said the mage. "They're crystal blue."
"The Kyoko clan? How is that possible?" Shouted Alexa.
"It's none of your business!" She frowned, pointing her katana at the mage above her. "I'll murder you for what you did to Florence, you bitch!"
"I'm assuming he was a lover of yours."
"!!!" Madeline widened her eyes as if Grimhild was right on the money.
"I thought so."
"Bring him back!"
"Then leave Lafarious, and maybe I'll spare your lives."
"Tsk...!"
The ninja smacked her lips, looking away.
"Don't you listen to that mage! Kill her this instant! I'll pay you good money, Madeline! Thousands of gold- no, I'll pay you millions!" Lafarious panicked, communicating with his lackeys in desperation.
"So I was right, you're doing this for the money." Grimhild closed her eyes in disappointment.
"I can't do that, I must protect Lafarious at all costs!"
"That man is worth less than a penny."
"What did you say?!" Shouted the executive.
"No... he's worth less than the dog shit on the streets."
"Shut your mouth, you flat-chested bitch!"
Grimhild snickered and pointed her staff at the Kyoko beneath her.
"If you aren't going to comply, then I'll be taking you seriously."
"There is nothing that I cannot handle!"
"I'm not so sure about that."
"Haaaaaaaahh!" Madeline lunged at Grimhild, holding both Katanas behind her back, shouting, "Flonta!" Casting a flight spell, she spun like a windmill, dancing with her flaming swords. "Teeeyaaah!" Swinging her katanas, she aimed to sever Grimhild's neck, but the mage dodged.
"Egnorza!"
From the tip of her staff, a magic circle appeared, launching a multitude of shining stones refined with mana.
Each one packed a punch, slamming into the Kyoko with devastating effects.
"Fuck!" Pain coursed through her body, feeling the mana-enchanted stones easily shatter bones. "Hrolma...!"
"Nie El Ma!"
"What?!"
Madeline's healing magic was nullified, leaving her broken body to fall towards the ground.
"She nullified my spell?!"
"Madeline, no!"
Alexa took flight, charging towards her comrade.
"Take this! Wulta Scaides!"
The much taller mage had weaved together a magic circle, launching an array of highly pressurized blades of water, each one with the power to cut through steel.
"Wulta Scaides."
Grimhild fought fire with fire, creating the same spell, and clashing with Alexa's.
"I got you!"
Alexa caught Madeline in midair, pointing her staff towards Grimhild.
"I'm gonna use it...!"
"What? Don't tell me... you're gonna use that spell in a place full of people?" Cried, Madeline.
"I have no choice!"
"Shit, are you mad, woman?! Don't you dare use that sort of magic here!" Shouted Lafarious.
Alexa ignored him, and mana gathered around her staff, swirling with intensity.
"So you know of that spell?" Muttered Grimhild.
A layered magic circle with smaller variants around it would appear above her staff.
Mana continued to spiral out of control and be sucked into her weapon.
It was too much for her to handle.
"Vengeful flames of war, ruler of Arcana. Come forth and expel your authority! Oh mighty inferno, rise from the depths of hell, and unleash the dark flames of extermination! Eliminate all obstacles, and burn my enemy into ashes. Heed my call! Emil Dronta Hades!"
An explosive flame was unleashed from her magic circle, burning spacetime like paper, and incinerating the mana around it into ash.
Grimhild didn't move a muscle.
She only watched it approach her until she was caught in its destructive blast.
It exploded with fury, expanding outwards to consume nearby buildings, and possibly, innocent people.
"You mad woman!"
("She's done for... there's no way in hell she could've survived Alexa's strongest spell. It was powerful enough to even kill that dragon that attacked Wyvernwood!")
"Wait a minute... no! How is that possible?"
"What is it, Alexa-? Huh?"
Madeline gazed upon the sky.
To their surprise, a figure was shown in the cloud of smoke that was left behind from the explosion.
"Monster!" Shouted Lafarious.
+
The arts of magic are separated into three categories: Intelligence, Willpower, and Magical Blueprint.
Magic is like science, the more you study and understand the spell you're trying to perform, the more efficient it will become. If one were to study a fire spell, then one would be able to create such a phenomenon, even with little understanding of its concept. However, if they were to study and learn fire down to its fundamentals, then they would be able to harness its full potential. This goes for almost every spell in the arts of magic
But to perform these spells, one must have mana.
Mana by itself is made up of Quantum Particles, but some call it Information Particles that come from the realm of Silvahein. In a world of magic, the majority of people are born with the intrinsic ability to manipulate these Quantum Particles through willpower alone, and these people are called mages/magicians.
Willpower creates logic, phenomenon, reason, and spells in the world of magic. Magic comes from the mage Forcing their will onto reality. Without willpower, a magician is powerless, and frail, thus, training one's willpower will allow them to increase their fighting spirit, potential, immense physical pain, and psychological trauma, which is important when performing powerful spells that the caster can rarely endure at times.
A magician can manipulate information particles from their willpower, and merge them together, creating a blueprint (also known as a magic circle), that acts as a blank canvas.
A Magical Blueprint is empty at first, hence the comparison to a blank canvas, thus, a magician must paint the canvas by implementing their will into reality to create a desired effect. (e.g., a desire to create a fireball, a desire to create a lighting storm, and a desire to create a tsunami.) A magical blueprint personifies the caster's desire, allowing them to perform the spell from said blueprint—
And Grimhild has studied the fundamentals of every spell.
+
"You must've trained for years to learn powerful destruction magic like Emil Dronta Hades. You have potential, Alexa, but this measly magic won't affect me."
"How... aren't you dead?" Asked the mage.
"I've learned of that spell centuries ago. Whatever I decode, and analyze, it can no longer affect me. The only way to beat me is with new magic I have yet to see." Grimhild pointed her staff at the two of them, fabricating the same spell. "You two didn't stand a chance from the beginning."
A burst of flames launched from her staff with no incantation.
"Impossible, she used Emil Dronta Hades with no incantation-? Gaaaahhhhhh!!" Alexa and Madeline were consumed in the destructive flames, feeling their body and soul vanish into nothingness.
All that remained was Alexa's magical staff that clanked against the ground, slowly disintegrating into ashes.
"Aiyeeeeee!!" Lafarious would turn tail and run. "Help me! Somebody, help me please!!"
Grimhild descended to the ground, tapping her staff upon the pavement, and creating a massive, dark barrier around her, and the executive. Nobody could see what was happening as their vision was blocked off.
People ran away out of fear, whilst some hid in their homes.
He was trapped under her mercy.
"Someone, please, please save me!"
"What's the matter? Use that technology of yours if it's better than magic, maybe you'll be able to escape."
"No, please!" Lafarious slammed his fists on the barrier, begging, and pleading, but no one would come.
"You're a bad man, Lafarious."
"W-What the hell do you know about me?!" He turned around, placing his back against the barrier in fear. "What do you know about me, you bitch?!"
"Money doesn't solve your problems." Grimhild continued walking until she was a few meters away from him. "And neither does technology."
"Y-You know nothing! You know nothing about me!"
"I know enough..." Lifting her hand, the petite mage conjured a blueprint. "to decide your fate."
"M-My fate?! You speak as if you're some god, but the truth is, you're nobody but scum!"
"Projecting, are we?" Said the smug magician.
"Go to hell!"
"I've been there already—it's quite nice—would you like to see?"
"Eek!" Lafarious fell to his knees, balling up like a frightened child. "Please spare me, I'm sorry for my actions, I'll do whatever I can to redeem myself!"
"Your actions disgust me, why should I allow you to live? That girl, Madeline, you killed her family and raised her as a daughter for your own gain. The same for Alexa, and Florence. You even tamed a dragon, and forced it to attack Wyvernwood so you could have those three kill it, and become the heroes of the village in order to gain wealth."
"I-I only wanted my children to become heroes for fame and respect, I swear that's it!"
"No. You made them become heroes to leech off of them and take their wealth, that's why they were working for you; so they could get paid, and not be in poverty."
"Goddamnit... goddamn you!"
"I see the history of those that I've killed, it's a special trait of mine... as the Witch of Justice."
"W-Witch?! Witch?!!" Lafarious widened his eyes with tears streaking down his cheek. "Impossible... witches are a myth!"
"Goodbye, Lafarious."
"No, please, god... no!"
"Drultoh."
"Nooooo-!"
The executive vanished, feeling his body and soul transported to the underworld, where he would suffer in eternal torment.
Grimhild had no sympathy for scum.