Nivren unleashed a sound-based spell directly upward toward Victoria, who defended herself by crossing her arms and channeling magic into her body. Trying to withstand the attack, her eardrums began to bleed, droplets of blood falling to the ground.
'Damn it, even defending myself I'm still taking internal damage.'
Raising her hand, she released her magic, dragging it through the air and causing a massive magical slash that startled Nivren for a moment — not just because of the immense mana released, but also for the tremendous damage it caused to the surrounding ground.
'That power...'
Quickly leaving the area, he saw something that made him sweat — that spell had left a trace of damage in the very space itself.
'As the master said, this girl is dangerous, and she doesn't even know how to use her magic's full potential yet. Imagine when she learns to think properly.'
His unique ability was already active, meaning he would constantly take damage. All he needed to do was find an opening to kill her once she tired out. This girl was terrifying.
'The master said I can only take two hits from that before dying... I have to be careful.'
'He dodged it? No one at my level can dodge that.'
While Nivren was frightened by her power, Victoria was confused by how Nivren managed to dodge — it unsettled her, and that was exactly the problem Enrico wanted her to overcome.
'So I just need to launch a stronger attack, right?'
Gathering mana in her hand, she launched a magical attack stronger than before, destroying the ground. As if the world itself were protecting its surface, an invisible barrier appeared, reducing the damage from all the surrounding battles.
Whenever the world sensed something dangerous happening, it acted by strengthening its own resistance in the surrounding area — reducing the damage caused by mages or knights. This phenomenon began to occur when fifth-circle mages were involved in battle, and in that location, there wasn't just one — there were several on the ground. As for the ninth-circles, they were fighting above, trying not to affect the world, while the sixth and higher circles were fighting elsewhere outside the city.
Creating a spear of pure magic, Victoria grabbed it and threw it toward Nivren, forcing him to dodge again. The resulting explosion was so massive it could be seen from one to two kilometers away.
The ground below seemed unaffected, which made sense since, besides this world being three times more resistant than a normal one, to protect itself from fifth-circles, its resistance had multiplied elevenfold.
'He dodged again?'
For the first time in her life, Victoria began to sweat. That attack was her strongest, and she had even improved it — so why wasn't it working as usual? Taking a step back, she dodged Nivren's counterattack, her thoughts confused, unaware of the fear on his face.
'Does this girl not realize how terrifying she is? Damn, I need to finish her before her confidence returns.'
Placing his hand near Victoria's face, he unleashed a sound explosion, making her nose and ears bleed even more while her internal organs suffered damage.
'This is pain?'
Her eyes quickly shifted toward Nivren as a primal survival instinct awoke, creating an expansive magic barrier that struck him and sent him flying.
'What kind of damage was that? That was just a barrier forming!'
Falling to his knees for a second, Nivren gasped for air, realizing that the one who should be afraid was him — but it was her whose eyes trembled as if she were about to die.
'This girl took only that much damage and thinks she's dying? Doesn't she realize her body is monstrous?'
Even as she sustained internal damage, he could see her body still moved as if at one hundred percent capacity.
'I must eliminate her at all costs... I'll use her fear as an advantage.'
Infusing sound magic into his feet, he enhanced his speed, landing a blow on her shoulder. With force, he sent her flying and, disappearing again, reappeared behind her with both hands raised.
"Sound Explosion!"
Releasing a shockwave into Victoria's body, Nivren immediately began striking, taking advantage of her dazed state after receiving so many hits.
'What's going on? Why am I having this much trouble with someone at this level?'
She tried to cover herself as best she could, protecting her face, but she couldn't. After the third punch, she remembered Hao's words during their harsh training sessions.
"You have a mentality problem."
"What do you mean? As far as I know, I don't have that problem because—"
"It's because you've never faced difficulty… I know geniuses like you. That's why I never really cared to train you much, nor did I plan to — but right now, we need strong mages."
She couldn't deny those words had angered her, but now she understood what he meant as she saw her own reflection — a broken image of herself trying to hide.
"I'm sure you'd lose to someone weaker if you keep this up."
'This pathetic sight… is that me? The so-called genius since birth?'
Receiving another blow, she realized he was trying to kill her quickly, prompting her to create that explosive barrier again, blasting Nivren away.
'No… it doesn't matter. The best option is to survive, isn't it?'
She thought of fleeing, but then remembered how those four had the courage to face danger despite being weaker than her in every way. For some reason, she wanted to prove she was better than that Enrico. So when she took a step to leave, her foot stopped.
'Heh… what a pathetic sight of mine…'
Nivren appeared above her head, aiming for a vital point in her neck, ready to eliminate her. As Victoria rose, she noticed something she hadn't before.
'He can dodge, but he's still slightly slower than me — if I use my body properly.'
Taking a step back, she let Nivren pass by while observing carefully, realizing other things. The fear of facing real danger for the first time had blinded her — she felt pain, yes, but not as much as she imagined.
'This really is pathetic… Why was I, the stronger one, trying to flee?'
Regaining her confidence, she raised her hand, releasing a massive surge of magic — but this time, there was a difference. Her magical affinity seemed to manifest, for until now she had only used raw mana.
"So this is my affinity? Just like the others, I thought I didn't have one."
Nivren's face filled with terror as he realized the girl had just discovered what Jago had warned him to be cautious about. The space around her seemed to ripple as she smiled confidently.
"I had forgotten that I'm the child who destroyed her own house upon birth."
Nivren used a shockwave through his mouth to escape, still midair — but to his horror, Victoria simply lowered her hand, and the attack, now about ten meters long, sliced through him as if it were a blade.
"Thanks for reminding me how special I am."
As Nivren vanished, he saw the space behind him beginning to show signs of a forming cut.
"Spatial magic…"