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In the distance, a shower of stars descended from the sky, striking the Demon King’s Castle. From afar, it was a beautiful sight, but the thunderous roar reaching this far was anything but lovely.

Each falling starlight held not only physical destructive power but also overwhelming magical energy. The barrier surrounding the Demon King’s Castle barely managed to hold it back, yet it didn’t stop everything completely.

One by one, the stars started to breach the barrier and hit the castle directly, their numbers gradually increasing, until it seemed like half were being blocked and half were getting through.

At this point, the Demon King’s Army inside the castle couldn’t just sit idly and take the hits anymore. Some of them panicked and jumped out, but they had to pay a hefty price for abandoning the protection of the castle walls.

Those who rushed out were all hit by the meteor shower and turned into mush, leaving no remains. Perhaps seeing that, no one else dared to follow, but still, within the castle, many unlucky ones were likely meeting their end from Frecia’s magic.

But such overwhelming magic couldn’t last forever. The incessant downpour of stars gradually diminished, until it finally stopped with a single tiny star dropping playfully.

The dust cloud that had risen was swept away by the wind, revealing the utterly devastated state of the Demon King’s Castle. Just a moment ago, it had looked like an impregnable fortress, but now it resembled a half-destroyed ruin.

It’s hard to believe that a single mage could cause such devastating results, but that’s exactly what happened. With this attack alone, Frecia had essentially proven her worth. Of course, I didn’t mean to question her value — that’s just how it is.

If she were to launch another spell as powerful as the last onto the Demon King’s Castle, it would crumble completely without us needing to intervene. Of course, the Four Heavenly Kings Keltus and the Demon King would be a different story, but at least the common demonic folk would be wiped out.

Yet sadly, this was just wishful thinking. No matter how much Frecia may become the continent’s greatest Great Wizard in a few years… No, she could already boast that title with just this single spell, but she couldn’t possibly cast such a powerful magic consecutively.

This last spell had already utilized a bit of a trick.

Crumble.

The magical staff in Frecia’s hands turned to dust, scattering like powder in the wind.

I heard that it was made from a branch of the World Tree she brought back from the Elf’s Forest, combined with jewels of a price I’d never even heard of — a priceless item that couldn’t even withstand a single spell and vanished instantly.

Well, I suppose it was that valuable, so it couldn’t handle Frecia’s outrageous magical power.

For the past few months, Frecia had poured all her mana into the staff, leaving at least a minimal amount untouched, except in special circumstances like when Lilith was captured in the city.

As expected of the continent’s greatest wizard, her magical power wasn’t ordinary in either quantity or quality. If it had been a typical staff, it would have broken long before this, unable to support her vast reserves of magic.

Of course, storing mana like this resulted in a decrease in efficiency, but after gathering it for several months, it had long surpassed the point of simple efficiency.

No wizard on the continent even attempted to harness their power this way. That’s because everyone agreed that controlling such enormous magical energy alone was impossible, even if it was your own power.

Yet, Frecia achieved the impossible.

And the magic she unleashed after releasing the accumulated mana all at once was the catastrophic spell I had just witnessed. The sight of the castle, half in ruins, was proof of that.

In the midst of this extraordinary feat, Frecia seemed tired from the recoil of the spell, having transformed into a cat and flopped down on top of Lilith’s head.

The sheer exertion of using such immense magic had completely drained her body’s mana, and to control such overwhelming power, she would have had to concentrate immensely, leading to significant mental fatigue as well.

Meanwhile, the Demon King’s Army, likely realizing that the earlier bombardment had ceased, began to peek out of the castle one by one.

“Then shall we head out immediately?”

We couldn’t waste the opportunity that Frecia had just created. We had to move directly as planned. Yuli nodded lightly, facing me.

Then, suddenly, out of the empty field, a spectral horse appeared with a rough, labored breath, pawing at the ground aimlessly.

One quickly turned into two, then three, until there were enough for all of my friends to ride. These were ghost horses conjured from Yuli’s necromancy. They weren’t just skeletal forms but fully corporeal, making it easy to mount.

We charged towards the Demon King’s Castle on horseback.

The demonic beings peeking out from the castle seemed to notice us too, yelling and causing a ruckus.

A considerable number of demons had surely died from Frecia’s magic, yet among those still remaining, there appeared to be at least a hundred, including several mid- to high-tier demons mixed in.

A mere small group of ten charging at a hundred.

We must have looked like moths flying towards a flame, but we charged ahead without a moment’s hesitation.

Clop, clop, clop.

The sound of hooves pounding on the open field rang in my ears. But soon the clarity of the nine hooves became a chaotic chorus that filled my ears completely.

I glanced sideways. A familiar face I didn’t see often, but had grown accustomed to.

Yuli’s legion of ghosts was already running alongside us, fully prepared. What had started as a small group of ten had now transformed into a legion.

Of course, the demons weren’t just standing there, stunned by our advance; some who could use magic began chanting spells.

One, two, fireballs and ice spears ascended into the air, along with various other magical projectiles.

Yet, not a single demon managed to achieve their goal.

Swoosh, thud!

I’d seen elves riding trees, but an elf riding a ghost horse? Even as she rode, Lindy was seamlessly shooting multiple arrows at once like it was nothing.

With Lindy’s ghostly archery prowess and the assistance of Silphy, the highest spirit of the wind, the demons were too overwhelmed and confused to even think about protecting their allies.

Every single arrow from Lindy pierced through the heads and hearts of the demons preparing their own magic. Not a single one was spared.

Boom!

Thanks to that, Yuli’s ghostly legion, now ahead of us, managed to engage the swarming demons without encountering any interruptions. Some of the weaker ghosts vanished upon impact, but soon enough, they regained their corporeal form with Yuli’s magic and returned to the battlefield.

Undying ghosts surged through the ranks of the demons. Even though each ghost was often weaker than the demons, among them, the trio of ghost friends stood their ground better than mid-tier demons.

“Leave this to us and get inside quickly!”

Yuli shouted at us, pulling on the reins to halt. Her voice somehow sounded like two people layered over one another. Yuli’s previously reddish-brown hair now mirrored Lindne’s bright white color.

A technique only Yuli and Lindne could use.

Yuli’s talent as a necromancer, Lindne’s exceptional powers among ghosts, and the bond they shared formed a magic that was different from ordinary necromancy.

Normally, two souls couldn’t exist within one body, and thus ordinary necromancy could only accomplish simple actions. Yet the two of them acted as if they were one, exhibiting remarkable freedom.

They complemented each other’s deficiencies, giving off an even more overwhelming presence than if they were alone.

This coordinated teamwork was a battle style Yuli was well-versed in from her time in the army. In contrast, fighting the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King demanded a single sharp blade rather than numerous dull ones.

Not only Yuli, but Lindy, Lilith, and Frecia were left outside.

It made sense that Lindy, who used a bow, would perform better outside in the open rather than in cramped quarters.

Meanwhile, Lilith had no choice but to stay outside due to Frecia still recovering. However, being outside seemed significantly safer than inside the castle, where the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King awaited.

And when the time came for Frecia to recover her strength, her magic would shine even brighter beneath the night sky.

It was a sort of selection and concentration.

With the help of my friends, I was able to enter the Demon King’s Castle without any hindrance.

 

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