Chapter 33

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Chapter 33: The Maze of Light and Shadow

Though future adventurers of Arad would dub Fina the "Queen of Magic," she was far more than a mere wielder of Magic Beams. At this moment, she expertly unleashed a wide-range spell: Flame Impact.

And as expected of Fina, this Flame Impact was no ordinary attack—it carried enhanced burning, expanded range, prolonged duration, and clinging ignition.

Fire and water clash. Mist, a form of water, meant the Fog Demon possessed strong water Attributes. Flames left it vulnerable. Seizing this opening, Midi’s team pushed deeper into the fog.

The Fog Demon’s true body lurked somewhere within the mist. Knowing Alice’s tactics, Midi was certain she’d personally command any positional battle. Breaking through the fog would likely bring them face-to-face with her.

Flame Impacts erupted one after another, carving a fiery path as the team advanced.

Gunner Sigmund took point, firing specialized flares that pierced both night and fog, illuminating vast areas and banishing shadows.

Though melee fighters Midi and Lilian couldn’t strike yet, their close defense allowed Fina and Sigmund to unleash full firepower. The four’s flawless coordination shone brightly.

The hidden Mist Sorceress Alice noticed this too. A new assault followed swiftly.

Above, the already faint moonlight vanished silently. A hissing downpour of black rain fell—countless dark streaks like spears and swords aimed at the group.

Lilian’s hands flashed in a spell-seal, her chant rapid. A golden dome of holy light enveloped them: the cleric skill Holy Light Shield. Though Blue Fist Saints rarely mastered such defenses, Lilian, an elite perfect transmuter, executed it flawlessly.

It failed.

The shadows slipped through the sacred barrier, settling on Fina’s hair, Midi’s armor, Sigmund’s gear, and Lilian’s robes.

Another of the Mist Sorceress’s Summoned Beasts: the Night Demon "Shadow Cloak."

The three tensed under the strange assault, but Midi barked, “Steady! These are just shadows.”

Fina understood first. The others soon realized—this wasn’t an attack. Mere darkness, like clouds hiding the moon. A natural phenomenon no divine art could block.

“Beware what hides *in* the shadows!” Midi warned. His left hand flared with aura, spreading an Ice Binding Array across the ground.

Sight, sound, mind, emotions—all were distractions. Their true purpose? To enable the real attack.

As the ice formed, the earth shuddered. Cracks split the frozen surface, icy fragments swirling like volcanic ash. Before retreat, hundreds of green vines erupted—living serpents coiling around limbs.

Devil’s Vine: a fiendish plant from the Demon Realm, fire-resistant and unyielding.

Midi’s longsword became a silver blur amid rain, mist, and ice. His left hand summoned a Nether Flame Array, its dark-fire mix scorching vines but amplifying the Shadow Cloak’s interference. Yet with vines swarming, the Ghost Cry skill’s wide-range burn was his only choice.

Fina accelerated her Flame Impacts. Sigmund switched to focused flamethrower bursts. Lilian maintained defense, shifting to a holy counterattack stance for rapid strikes.

The initial ice barrier bought time, and their expertise prevented collapse under the Devil’s Vine onslaught. Then, some vines thickened, towering like ancient trees—their tips blooming vivid flowers.

Devil’s Vines evolved: Devil’s Flowers.

From their high points, these flowers bombarded the team with bullet-hard spores. Upturned soil and shredded bark proved their force. While non-lethal, a hit would stagger anyone, letting vines overwhelm them.

Now battling vines and spores alike, the four split their focus.

Just as the magical creatures’ overwhelming offensive pressed them to the brink, familiar monster cries echoed anew.

“Dark Cursed Cat Demon?” The first to detect the monsters’ identity was Fina, whose magic sensing range was the widest.

Dark Cursed Cat Demons, the most common monsters in the Forest of Gran, ranged between level 16 and 17. For the four who had undergone transmutation, they were mere cannon fodder—but only if isolated or in small groups of a dozen. Now, judging by the magic fluctuations, over three hundred Cat Demons were approaching.

The Crimson Flame Legion’s two hundred-man team averaged only level 10, while the Cat Demons’ levels alone surpassed regular military quality.

Even Fina, usually proud and confident, paled.

The future Queen of Magic was fiercely proud but not reckless. In battle, she remained sharp-minded. With their current interference and entanglement from Demon Realm plants, adding a swarm of agile Cat Demons that weakened allies with curses would spell disaster.

The frontline would collapse instantly.

Faced with overwhelming numbers, even Midi—a veteran of countless past-life battlefields—felt helpless.

*This is bad!*

Midi inwardly sighed. Though he’d known Alice was strong, confronting her revealed her true might. This wasn’t a mere adventurer’s skirmish—it was a full-scale battle, and the Mist Sorceress Alice was its unseen commander.

Her Summoned Beasts’ timing, attack patterns, coordination, and reinforcements were flawless. Despite Midi’s skill in surprise attacks against hundreds and Fina’s unmatched firepower, they couldn’t gain ground. Instead, they were suppressed.

Strategically, Midi surpassed Alice. His noble upbringing, frontline experience, and twenty years of reincarnation knowledge gave him an edge. Yet without an army, even his three powerful teammates couldn’t turn the tide.

*Where’s the breakthrough?* Midi pondered, dodging through mist and shadows.

Before he could answer, Fina acted.

“If the Cat Demons reach us, we’re finished. I’ll snipe them first!”

Her crimson hair flared as a magic array bloomed beneath her like a lotus. A second array layered over it, then a third…

In moments, the Ring Serpent Magic Array—designed to absorb vast magic instantly—activated, tier by tier.

Magic swirled violently in Fina’s right hand, forming a Gigantic Vortex that drew in all surrounding energy. She became the battlefield’s absolute center.

Fog Demons, Night Demons, and Devil’s Vines slowed as magic drained away. Seizing the chance, Fina fired her Magic Beam at the distant Cat Demon horde.

A sapphire glow sliced through fog and shadows, carving a steaming passageway.

Yet when it struck the Cat Demons, the Magic Beam didn’t explode—it vanished.

“Danger!” Midi finally grasped Alice’s plan. Too late.

Like a mirror’s reflection, an identical azure beam shot back from the Cat Demons. It struck Fina with pinpoint accuracy.

Mist billowed, shadows erupted, and the battlefield plunged into chaos. Magic fluctuations turned erratic.

When vision cleared and order returned, Fina was gone. Only lingering magic traces marked where the red-haired girl had fought.