Raven gently closed his eyes.
Crimson light exploded within his pupils.
"Planning to struggle until the end?"
Seeing that the other side had no intention of surrendering, the leading male elf decisively gave the order:
"Attack."
In an instant…
All the magic users holding staffs began chanting spells under their breath.
Raven remained still.
At the moment he opened his eyes, a starfish-shaped Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly activated.
"—O light, the mightiest of the world, the greatest of all elements."
"—With my power…"
"[Phantom Feathers]!"
With a swift chant…
Two golden Magic Barriers instantly enveloped Raven and Ryuu.
"Raven, your eyes… what's going on with them?"
Ryuu ignored the enemy's offense and focused on his eyes instead.
Because…
She trusted Raven's judgment and had witnessed the strength of that Magic Barrier before.
"It's a new skill of mine. The effect changes the shape of my pupils."
Raven chuckled softly as he explained.
Just then—
Countless magical blasts came crashing down on them. Raven and Ryuu stood their ground.
No dodging.
No blocking.
They took the brunt of the magical barrage head-on.
"How foolish."
The male elf commander shook his head slightly in disdain.
But in the very next moment, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"N-Nani—?!"
"How can this be?!"
"Get back—fast!"
He screamed in alarm.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
...
Before anyone could react, the reflected magic blasts struck the mages with deadly precision.
Deafening explosions rocked the air.
Cries of agony, screams, wails, and despair echoed amidst the chaos.
"What a bunch of bugs…"
"I expected something more formidable, but this is it?"
Listening to the miserable screams of the fallen mages, Raven muttered coldly.
"Whatever. Let's end this quickly."
"Time to show them… what true magic really looks like."
Raven canceled the Mangekyō.
His gaze sharpened as he began chanting a lengthy incantation:
"—Furnace as boundary, sacred flame as guide."
An immense surge of mana erupted like a dormant volcano awakening.
"—Tears of the pure virgin goddess, forged into my blade of frost."
A massive icy blue magic circle floated vertically behind him.
"—Freeze, now."
Icy patterns spread rapidly across the glowing constellation in azure blue.
It was Ice Magic.
"—I am the eye of the storm, this will is the abyss of frost."
"—Fall, sacred feathers that blanket all creation."
"—Strip away life, freeze time. Let chaos return to eternal silence."
"—In stillness, this is the requiem offered unto my god."
"[Frozen Feathers of Oblivion]"
As the final words were spoken…
An overwhelming cold burst forth, swallowing the earth like the breath of a polar ice cap.
Icy brilliance tore through the air with a piercing whistle.
Everything in sight—
Enemies, buildings, the ground itself—
The moment they came into contact with the icy storm, they froze solid.
Frosty mist filled the air, and snow-like particles danced across the silent field.
The battlefield had become a frozen, lifeless, pure white hell.
"Let's go, Ryuu."
"[Spatial Transfer.]"
A real man never looks back.
As for using barriers to trap someone?
Well…
Against Spatial Magic, even dual-layered barriers are meaningless.
Having left the Magic Nation of Altena—
After a break to eat some packed lunch and restore their mana—
Once they were fully recovered, Raven continued flying with Ryuu toward the Swordcraft City of Zolingen.
Time passed…
Ryuu looked around at the changing landscape and softly said,
"Raven, that's our destination up ahead."
"Got it."
"I'll start slowing down."
With those words, Raven reduced his magic output, gradually slowing down.
On the horizon—
A new city came into view.
—Swordcraft City: Zolingen.
As the name implies—
It was a city famous for its sword forging, filled with blacksmiths and artisans.
Among them…
The captain of the [Astraea Familia], Cecil, was a renowned blacksmith.
Level: Lv.3.
Race: Human.
This righteous Familia was still an all-female and all-single group.
Their emblem remained a sword crossed with wings.
Hovering above the outskirts of the city—
Raven looked down at its layout.
It was similar to Orario, with tall walls surrounding it.
The Magic Nation had no walls because of its permanent barrier dome—
So it had no fear of monster attacks from outside.
"Do you know where Goddess Astraea's residence is?"
Raven asked.
"Yes, I do."
Ryuu's blue eyes locked onto a building far from the city center.
She'd already obtained the info from the [Hermes Familia].
"Good."
"To avoid attention, I'll just use Spatial Transfer."
A moment later…
They arrived outside a modest-looking base and waited at the entrance.
Click—
The door opened.
"What business do you… wait, blue eyes? An elf?!"
"No… it can't be!"
"W-Wind… [Gale]?!"
The moment Ryuu's former juniors saw her, their expressions changed drastically.
"You abandoned Goddess Astraea, and now you come back expecting what—"
"IT'S A MAN AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The blue-haired girl, Cecil, pointed at Ryuu and screamed in pure shock.
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(Author's Note: Finally done with this arc—this one seriously fried my brain.)
(The whole point of this storyline was for the MC to acquire a ton of advanced magic books.)
(Because later in the story, during the [Familia] expedition, the team's power needs to be significantly boosted.)
(There's actually a lot that hasn't been written yet—like the main gods who haven't appeared and internal conflicts within the kingdom…)
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