A storm of magic erupted as Min Hee and Leywin clashed, shaking the very foundation of the land beneath them.
Min Hee, the youngest 8th-circle magician in history, wielded explosive elemental power, her spells carving through the air like divine punishment. Fire raged, wind howled, earth crumbled—she was a force of destruction.
Leywin, standing before her, did not falter. Though his magical capacity was far lower, his control was unmatched. Every spell she hurled was neutralized, redirected, or countered with effortless precision.
Nichole, standing at a distance, watched with gritted teeth. "This is bad…"
He knew Min Hee's anger had consumed her. She wasn't fighting to win—she was fighting to kill.
A Duel Beyond Human Limits
Min Hee raised her hand, the air trembling with raw power.
"Meteor Shower!"
A catastrophic rain of fire fell from the heavens, each meteor carrying enough heat to melt mountains. The entire battlefield was illuminated in a hellish glow.
But Leywin… merely sighed.
He raised a single hand.
And void—pure emptiness—devoured the flames.
In an instant, her most destructive attack had vanished.
Min Hee's eyes widened in shock.
"That spell… you're still using Void Magic?"
Leywin didn't answer. Instead, he lifted his fingers slightly—and a dozen invisible forces slammed into Min Hee.
"Vector Control…" she muttered as she gritted her teeth, resisting the attack. His magic didn't rely on raw power like hers. He used precise control, altering the force and direction of objects, making even the simplest spells devastating.
Min Hee wasn't just fighting Leywin the magician.
She was fighting Leywin the genius.
And she was losing.
But she didn't care.
She refused to lose.
With a defiant roar, she pushed past her limits, her mana surging like a raging typhoon.
"Elemental Spear!"
Her signature spell—the strongest among all explosive-type magic. But this time, powered by 8th-circle mana, it burned with unimaginable intensity.
She hurled it forward, aiming directly for Leywin's heart.
But he merely raised a hand—
And with a single meter of Void, he disintegrated the attack.
Min Hee's body trembled in exhaustion.
She had spent hours fighting. Hundreds of spells. Thousands of attacks.
Yet Leywin stood there, barely fazed.
"Why…" she whispered. "Why are you holding back?!"
Leywin's eyes darkened.
"I'm not holding back," he said softly. "I'm trying to protect you."
But Min Hee didn't want to be protected.
She wanted revenge.
Breaking the Limits: The 9th Circle
Something inside Min Hee snapped.
Her rage, her grief, her pain—they all condensed into one single moment.
She let out a piercing scream, and suddenly—
The world changed.
A massive surge of power erupted from her core, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. The sky darkened, the wind howled, and the ground split apart beneath her feet.
Nichole's eyes widened in horror.
"She's—she's breaking through the 9th circle!"
It was a legendary threshold, one that no living magician had crossed in centuries. It was said that only gods could wield such power.
And yet, in her blind rage, Min Hee had achieved it.
A glow of divine magic surrounded her body. Her mana surged beyond human limits.
Leywin's eyes narrowed.
"If she uses that power recklessly… she'll die."
Min Hee lifted her hand, preparing to cast a spell that could wipe out an entire kingdom.
"Light Ray!"
A beam of pure devastation, hotter than the sun itself, exploded from her palm—aimed directly at Leywin.
Leywin sighed.
He knew that if he used Infinity, he could hold the Void open forever and win.
But if he did that—Min Hee would die.
So he made a choice.
He let go of Infinity.
And as the Light Ray shattered through his defenses, it pierced his stomach.
Blood splattered the ground.
Leywin collapsed.
Min Hee, breathing heavily, staggered forward, standing over his wounded body.
She clenched her fists, her entire body shaking with fury and pain.
"Tell me why," she whispered. "Why did you kill my father?"
Leywin, lying in a pool of his own blood, smiled weakly.
"Kill me," he said. "But I won't tell you."
She raised her hand, mana swirling.
But before she could finish the spell—
"STOP!"
A voice echoed through the battlefield.
Min Hee froze.
It was a voice she never thought she'd hear again.
A voice she thought was dead.
She turned around—
And there, standing in the distance, was her mother.
Tears filled Min Hee's eyes. "M-Mother…?"
Her mother rushed forward, grabbing Min Hee's hands before she could attack Leywin again.
"You don't know the truth," she whispered. "Let me tell you what really happened that night."
Min Hee felt the breath leave her lungs.
She looked down at Leywin—motionless, on the brink of death.
Her heart twisted in guilt.
What if she had been wrong all along?
Next chaper The finale....