“So… you’ll fight against me?”

Legris was much faster than anything Ciara had ever seen. His mysterious abilities also didn’t make much sense to her.

‘Not only did he not die after Jerry’s final attack, but he had suffered no damage too…’

Ciara found herself wondering how exactly to best the man in front of her.

‘Mind attacks aren’t working. I already tried. My Magic abilities—even in Mage Mode—aren’t as strong as Jerry’s assault.’

In the end, she found herself backed into a corner. Legris Damien was simply too strong and mysterious for her.

“Of course. Who else is here to fight?” Ciara grinned maniacally.

Legris Damien’s eyes widened in surprise. This girl kept surprising him at every turn.

“I’m fascinated. For a second there, I thought you were actually… the damsel in distress.”

The image of Ciara sacrificing herself to save Jerry was now tainted by her expression which was akin to insanity. The pure and kind persona had completely evaporated.𝓞𝑣𝑙xt.𝚌𝐎𝗆

“Ciara Epilson, the magic genius with the Special Grade Mana Core, and one of the strongest in her generation. I suppose it’s only right for you to get messed up in the head.”

“Awww. Thanks for the compliment, retard. Only Jerry gets to compliment me. Don’t be a creep, you’re not my type at all.”

Ciara’s bark, even with the smile on her face, made Legris all the more amazed. Still, he couldn’t forget his mission, now could he?

“I’ll spare you if you just give me the Arcana. I don’t think I want to kill someone like you, or your boyfriend.” He sighed.

“B-b-boyfriend?! W-who told you that?! What gave you that impression?!”

Ciara’s sudden transition confused Legris even further. He was simply caught in a daze.

“I was just—”

“F-flattery won’t get you anywhere, y-you know? I’m never giving you the Arcana! Jerry would be disappointed in me if I did!”

After Ciara’s declaration, there was silence. Both opponents stared at each other—none directed animosity towards the other, surprisingly.

Legris ended the brief moment of silence with a sigh.

“You know what? I give up. There’s no point. I’ll just kill you and get my prize.”

He was tired of trying to figure the girl out. She just seemed too messed up in the end to bother.

Besides, Legris had other people to think about.

“Give it your best shot!” She declared, stretching out her hand and beckoning him to draw nearer.

“Very well…”

>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<

In a single stroke of the wind, Legris closed the distance between himself and Ciara, burying his hand deep into her chest.

“Eeek! You pervert! You have no idea where you just touched, do you?” Her voice sharply emerged from behind Legris, causing the man to glance back in shock.

“What did you…?!”

“I always knew you were a creep!”

Ciara was perfectly fine, and the one Legris had stabbed suddenly vanished into thin air. It was mind boggling.

“What sort of trick are you using?” He asked with narrowed gaze.

“Why should I tell you?”

Tension rose between the two, and finally a chuckle arose from the older fellow.

“Hehe… hehehe… hahaha…”

Ciara was creeped out by the sudden burst of laughter, but she did her best to contain her surprise and disgust.

“I see what’s happening now.” Legris Damien’s voice echoed even louder.

He was genuinely amused. So much so that Ciara was beginning to get nervous.

“You actually managed to trap me inside the Mind’s World, didn’t you? So you already know how to use the Judgement Arcana. As expected of an Epilson, I suppose.”

Ciara’s eyes instantly widened. Not only because Legris deciphered everything she had been up to, but because of his knowledge about her identity—something she had only just found out about.

“How do you know so much?” She blurted out in suspicious curiousity.

For a moment, Legris kept quiet… until he found the best way to answer her question.

“Why should I tell you?”

A vein or two appeared on Ciara’s face. She didn’t appreciate someone copying her words, but she was also aware that her enemy wasn’t going to divulge information to her.

In this situation, her Original Magic wasn’t useful since she couldn’t affect his mind at all.

‘It’s because of this strange energy that he has…’

The power simply repelled hers.

However, she wasn’t entirely disadvantaged. After all, so what if he knew about his current predicament? It wasn’t like he could escape from it?

“I have to admit, you caught me well. I don’t know when you activated it, but you were quite subtle. It doesn’t matter, though.”

>BZZZTTTZZZ<

The area around suddenly started to melt. The landscape, the sky, the ground. They slowly decomposed and lost all shape and form.

“U-uh…??” Ciara wondered what was happening.

One second, her world was upright, and the next… it was breaking apart. Of course, she knew there could only be one architect.

‘What did he do?!’ She couldn’t ask the man, because he wouldn’t even respond to her.

“You aren’t the only one with an Arcana, you know?” Legris smiled as he relished the confusion written on Ciara’s face.

“E-even if you have an Arcana, you shouldn’t be able to use it! Your actual body is paralyzed since your mind is trapped here. There’s no way you can activate your Arcana remotely!” She yelled in response.

It was unlike Ciara to lose her composure, but this was the best way she knew to contain the situation and also protect Jerry.

There was no other way to fully battle Legris without putting Jerry in a risk of danger. No matter what barrier she used, Ciara felt her opponent would still be able to break through it and use the boy she loved as leverage.

If it came to that, she would have no other choice but to abandon her mission and give him the Arcana. The only problem was whether he would honor a deal or not.

It was something Ciara didn’t want to have to find out, so it was better not to take any chances, to begin with.

‘But it’s too late now…’

In a flash of light, the Mind’s World completely dissolved, and reality set in.

Legris stood confidently on one end, while Ciara—holding Jerry tightly—knelt a distance from him.

A bead of sweat dripped from her face as she struggled to find a better solution.

‘… What should I do now?!’