Chapter 251: Moon and Mara Vs Nina

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 04:16

Chapter 251: Moon and Mara Vs Nina Inside the gate, light overcame shadow as the lightning rune activated automatically. Moon and Mara found themselves standing in a spacious chamber, its dimensions similar to the spider’s web-filled arena but completely barren of webs. And before them stood Nina. Her face was completely expressionless, devoid of any emotion. Her eyes were vacant, dead, staring forward blankly. She held her shield in her left hand and sword in her right, positioned in a defensive stance that was solid but utterly lifeless. Moon glanced back at Mara, who remained several steps behind him, observing silently. "I will incapacitate her without causing serious injury. Then you will attempt to heal her mental state using your cleansing abilities. I also have a healing rune prepared that might help. Together, combining our efforts, we might be able to restore her... somehow." Mara nodded slowly. "Alright." Moon glanced at her one final time, noting again that strange quality to her demeanor, before returning his full focus to Nina. The transformed knight began charging toward him without warning or battle cry, her movements swift but lacking the aggression she’d displayed during their earlier conflicts. With no time to waste on further observation, Moon summoned his staff from his storage ring. [Ignite] began forming above the focus point, flames coalescing rapidly as Nina closed the distance rapidly. Before she could reach striking range, Moon released the fireball, sending it hurtling towards her. BOOM! The explosion struck Nina’s raised shield directly, the protective barrier absorbing most of the blast’s force. But the intense heat generated by the flames still affected her, making her hair shrivel at the edges where it was exposed, the strands curling into brittle hooks as the air filled with the acrid stink of burnt hair. Before Nina could recover her momentum and charge again, Moon was already casting his next spell. A tumbling sphere of pressurized water manifested and crashed against her shield with tremendous force, the impact causing her entire figure to stumble backward several steps from the sheer momentum and weight. Nina seemed to recognize Moon’s plan, she pivoted in an attempt to leap away from her current position, instinctively understanding that standing in water while facing a lightning mage was suicidal. But it was already too late. Moon’s lightning struck her drenched body, and shield. Zap! Electricity arced across Nina’s wet armor and skin, her muscles seizing involuntarily. In an instant, Nina lost control over her body. Her shield dropped clattering against the stone floor. Her sword followed moments later, falling from a grip that could no longer maintain its hold. Lightning began crackling visibly around Moon’s legs as he activated [Advanced Elemental Body], channeling it through his lower limbs to dramatically enhance his movement speed. His figure became a blur of motion, covering the distance between them in a fraction of a second. Moon’s body flashed behind Nina’s paralyzed body. With his dagger drawn and reversed in his grip, he delivered a powerful strike to the base of her skull. Nina’s eyes rolled back and her body went limp. Moon caught her gently before she could collapse fully, then carefully lowered her to the ground and positioned her on her back in a recovery position. He looked up at Mara, who still stood in the distance, watching everything transpire without offering assistance or commentary. "What are you doing just standing there?" Moon asked with slight irritation. "Hurry up and start healing." As Mara finally began making her way forward, Moon retrieved a healing rune from his storage that he was planning to use as a decoy. His actual plan was to activate the rune visibly while simultaneously and covertly casting [Purify] himself at the exact moment Mara used her identical skill. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 The hope was that dual casting might increase the probability of triggering the 10% chance to remove high-tier debuffs and advanced curses. It was risky, attempting to hide spell-casting directly in front of another healer, but Moon believed he could execute it successfully. His proficiency with [Purify] was now equal to Mara’s thanks to his accelerated learning, and the visual confusion of the healing rune activating simultaneously should mask his own casting gestures. Moon watched as Mara approached and began channeling mana, preparing to cast on the unconscious Nina. Then his brows furrowed deeply as he observed the spell being cast on Nina’s body. Upon verifying, Moon immediately pushed Mara’s shoulder with his right hand, breaking her concentration and interrupting the casting. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, his voice cold. "Why are you trying to heal her physical injuries? She’s going to regain consciousness if you restore her health." "What do you mean?! That’s exactly what you just told me to do! You said to heal her!" Moon’s frown deepened, his eyes narrowing. "She isn’t in critical physical condition. Her body is fine, even if slightly injured. Why would you try to heal her physical body when we need to address her mental state, her curse, whatever condition is controlling her? We already discussed this earlier." Mara remained silent for a long moment, her face unreadable. Then she nodded slowly. "Alright. You’re right, I was just worried about her. Move out of the way." Moon stepped aside but kept his eyes locked on Mara. Mara positioned herself over Nina’s unconscious body and cast [Purify]. After a few seconds, Nina’s face began contorting, her eyelids fluttering as she regained her consciousness. Moon hurriedly stepped between Mara and Nina, ready to intercept if she woke still hostile. It didn’t take long to confirm his caution was warranted. Nina’s eyes snapped open with the same expressionless, dead quality they’d had before. Without hesitation, she attempted to attack Moon from her prone position, her hand reaching to grab him. Moon knocked her unconscious again with another strike, then turned back to Mara. "Again." Mara walked back toward Nina’s position and prepared to cast her purify skill a second time. This time, Moon activated his healing rune before Mara, the enchantment glowing brightly as it began its work. And simultaneously, hidden beneath that obvious display, he sneakily cast his own [Purify] spell in perfect synchronization with Mara’s casting. Two purification attempts at once, increasing the probability of triggering that crucial 10% chance to remove high-tier debuffs and advanced curses. Although Moon wasn’t sure if whatever was inflicted on Nina counted as a debuff or a curse, he still decided to try anyway. After a few seconds, Nina’s hands twitched. Her eyes began slowly opening once more, her consciousness returning for the second time. Moon prepared to knock her out again if the same hostile blank look remained on her face— "Mara? W—UGH! My head... it hurts!" Nina rolled on the floor desperately, clutching her skull as if trying to physically hold her fragmenting thoughts together. The phenomenon continued for several more agonizing seconds before the pain finally subsided, leaving Nina gasping and trembling but coherent. ’It worked...interesting.’ Nina sighed with profound relief as the torture faded. Moon looked down at her and stated simply, "After you and Mara killed the beast within the first gate you entered together, you were subjected to the trial’s penalty. You were chosen to become the next guardian. Transformed into what we just freed you from." Nina frowned deeply at his words, her expression troubled, "Really? I have... vague memories about what happened after we left the spider’s chamber. Fragments. But it’s all hazy, like trying to remember a dream you’ve had weeks ago." Mara nodded her head, as she cast [Minor Mend] on Nina to address the injuries that Moon had inflicted upon her. A blue gate suddenly materialized before them without warning, its appearance signaling completion. The gate had been cleared. Even without killing Nina, even by freeing her instead, the trial had accepted their solution as valid. "Let’s go," Moon said, retrieving his healing rune, then walking toward the newly appeared portal. "We need to return to the main chamber. There’s still one more gate remaining, and we need to be ready when the last teammate finishes their battle. You can continue healing her there." The three of them stepped into the gate together. The group of three appeared back in the chamber, this time, it wasn’t empty. Kael was standing there, taking deep breaths. His face was pale, and he appeared fatigued from the fight that he had just finished. Moon walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder he said, "Are you alright?" Kael nodded, "I’m just tired, my mana and stamina are really low." "I see, rest well."

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