Markus suddenly stopped. Yelna stuck to his back froze, unable to move even a muscle.

"What was that...?

" Al asked, already on his knees.

A mere moment ago, all three of them detected a surge of powerful energy. But, while Al only experienced the physical side-effect of such a disturbance, the same couldn't be said about his two companions from the future.

"It's him,

" Markus muttered, forcing his stiff muscles to work again. A step forward, then another, and in just a mere moment, he was already running again.

"That we can say for sure,

" Yelna admitted before squinting her eyes.

"What worries me is that he used... that.

"

******************

Layn's body was burning. Not with something as simple as a fire, but with the overloaded mana. Ever since Layn found his first mana crystal, he infused his body with a small amount of the crystalized mana.

Which was precisely the same element that made his and Irea's ropes so special. And right now, Layn was burning through this crystalized mana, releasing it in its actually usable form.

And even his body, entirely constructed from the mana of the gran arcana, couldn't hold such overwhelming power.

"What are you looking at, you ugly mother**er?

" Layn asked as he dropped down from the kitchen roof, directly into the pool of the monsters crowding below.

But even those evolved monsters that were there no longer posed any challenge to him. In fact, Layn didn't even pay them any mind. Instead, he allowed the ongoing onslaught of mana propagated by his body to melt down any and all opposition on his way.

But the gianormous monster in the distance remained. And now that its house-sized eyeballs were directed at Layn, the clash between the two was inevitable.

Layn raised the shiny part of the rope to his eyes.

"I didn't think I would need to use it so quickly,

" he muttered before squeezing the shiny part of the rope.

The magical particles infused into the twig that made up the item were already on the verge of losing their stability. And when Layn used his burning, over-condensed mana, the last signs of stability disappeared from the rope.

There was a massive difference between the number of magical particles in Layn's body and in the rope. While infusing them into one's body was a pretty challenging and even risky action, doing so to an external object was easy in comparison.

And now, Layn released all the energy stored in the magical particles of the rope!

*******

"It's starting,

" Markus muttered through his clenched teeth before speeding up his run even more. Running through the desert on a moonless night wasn't the brightest idea, but he didn't really have any say over the matter.

Not with Layn apparently going rouge.

"You know we need to stop him,

" Yelna whispered, clearly conflicted over the topic herself.

"Only if he lost his sanity,

" Markus replied in an angry tone.

"I know you look at the greater picture, but don't forget that he is our friend!

" he protested.

'Brother, hold on just for a little longer!' Markus wished in his thoughts, speeding towards the source of the evergrowing magical disaster.

************

Once the eyes of the massive monster in the distance laid on Layn's shine, it instantly turned all of its attention to the archmage. But before Layn could even get to it, a change occurred to the horde.

Previously, the monsters simply pushed forward as if aiming to populate the entire plain. But now that Layn ignited his magical particles and was in the process of igniting the magic particles in his rope, the whole horde all rushed at him.

"Useless!

" Layn shouted, sweeping his hand. The air disturbed by his movement instantly caught fire, showering the horde with the element. Before monsters could get close to the archmage, they would succumb to the intense flames instead.

'Kill,' the thought appeared in Layn's mind, instantly forcing him into the fight for his own consciousness. 'Kill, kill, kill, kill' this single relentless thought accompanied the archmage as he made his way towards the monster in the distance.

"ROAR!

" Layn's target released a mighty outcry. Just the sound of its road alone appeared to influence all the monsters in the range of the sound. What's more, as the sound propagated outwards, the fabric of the world itself seemed to crumble under its might.

"Shut up, you ugly piece of **!

" Layn shouted, allowing his inner feelings to get the better of him for a short moment. Then, infusing just a tiny shadow of the magic that was currently raging all over him, Layn quickly matched the power of the roar.

For a moment, it appeared as if space wouldn't be able to confine those two opposing forces. In the place where two soundwaves clashed, a hole was ripped out of the space itself, allowing the void to momentarily invade the real plane.

Then, the monster made its first step towards Layn, sending tremors through the entire plain.

*****

"WATCH OUT!

" Al shout alerted Markus just a moment too late. The ground shook powerfully. Unable to keep his footing on the shaky ground, the former saint desperately lunged forward, hoping that by the time he would land, the tremors would calm down.

But they didn't.

"We are close enough. I will run on my own now!

" Yelna shouted, using Markus's back as a foothold before kicking herself forward.

By the time Markus managed to get back on his feet, the girl was already several tens of meters ahead, rushing forward without a care in the world.

Just as if she was capable of seeing through the darkness. As if the complete lack of light didn't hamper her perception at all.

"Damn it,

" Markus muttered as he gathered himself up, only to start chasing after the girl right away. Before he could get far, though, someone suddenly picked him up before speeding up.

"Leave the running to me,

" Al said, holding Markus under his arm.

"I can tell that you guys know what's happening, so you should also be able to deal with it.

" Al didn't even bother to look at Markus as he spoke.

"You have the means to deal with it, right?

" he asked after a moment in a threatening tone.

"To be frank,

" Markus said before swallowing his saliva.

"If Layn really goes all out, then this world is done for.

"

*******

"Come...

" Layn shouted while rushing forward,

"here!

" His shout carried yet another onslaught of mana, this time directed at the monster itself rather than its attack.

Layn was rushing forward while burning everything on his path. He didn't pay any mind to the collateral damage to the plain he wanted to settle on. He didn't pay any mind to the monsters dying left and right.

He only paid his mind to the monster ahead.

"ROAR!

" The monster cried once again when Layn's magic brushed off it. Then, clearly annoyed by the pesky human, the monster accelerated its steps, making the ground tremble even harder.

Layn didn't really care for the footing. Be it the ground itself, some random monster that escaped the fiery onslaught, or literally anything else, he would use it to move forward.

There was no fear in the archmage's heart. His mana-fried soul was no longer capable of producing higher-level emotions like fear. The only thing in his mind was the massive monster charging right at him!

"DIE!

" Layn shouted as soon as the distance became short enough for his heavy-hitting spell to work. Then, drawing arcanas in his mind on the go, he fueled them with the same mana that was burning his body into bits.

For a moment, the reality itself wavered. The amount of magic that Layn infused into his arcanas was greater than what this world could stomach. But before the reality itself could break apart and put a stop to Layn's shenanigans, his spells fired.

In an instant, the land that still separated Layn's tiny body and the mountain-like monster ahead... changed.

For an independent observer, it would be better to turn his eyes away from the sight as no human brain could process the visuals.

The land was burning. The ground was frozen. The land was cracking apart yet condensing at the same time. Layn overloaded the area between himself and the monster with so much mana and various constructs that the reality itself warped.

In this relatively small area, the universal rules of the world no longer made any sense.

But the monster ahead didn't seem to be affected by it at all. Instead, its massive jaws parted a little, as if the gianormous beast was about to let out a hearty laugh.

Then, it lashed its castle-sized arm at Layn, baring its fangs at the archmage!

'I should be far enough,' Layn thought in the short moment in which his mind regained clarity.. Then, his thoughts once again got influenced by the onslaught of mana, making his eyes open wide as blood started to trickle down all his orifices.

"COME!

"