Although the Light Element holds an absolute restraining power over the Demon Race and is their natural enemy, there are always situations where even the Light Element cannot fully suppress them.
If the Light Element could ignore levels and everything else to suppress the Demon Race, then the Heaven Realm wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble to grant the Light Element to humans—just a few Angels descending would be enough to bring judgment to the Demon Race.
Alice wouldn’t need to raise her level, nor would she need to come to the Royal Magic Academy to study. All she’d have to do is release a bit of her Light Element when the Demon Race launched a major attack.
The difference between Alice and Darkness was over thirty levels. The fact that, in life, Darkness could still be so restricted by her actions—allowing Liakade to gain a slight upper hand in their battle—was already enough to show the Light Magic’s powerful restraint against Shadow Magic.
However, this restraint was ultimately limited. Facing the ultimate magic released by Darkness at the cost of her life and all her magic, if Alice could erase it so easily, then the heavens would be far too unfair to the Demon Race, and their existence in the world would lose all meaning.
The gap in level, combined with the fusion of ancient soul and life, made it impossible for Alice to brighten Darkness’s shadow. Alice’s faint light was like a clay ox entering the sea in front of Shadow Burial.
Like a lighthouse in a coastal storm, it could offer some illumination, but it was almost insignificant.
Alice could make the Shadow Burial take form, but could only keep it visible for a fleeting instant—her own magic consumption reaching a terrifying rate.
“Looks like it’s still beyond the limit… Alice, stop! Save your strength and magic!”
Liakade looked at Alice’s pale face and understood her predicament.
In the original story, when Alice fought the Demon Race without enough level, this kind of situation sometimes occurred.
In fact, the restraining effect of Light Magic on the Demon Race varies depending on the circumstances.
Light Magic’s restraint is greatest against Shadow Magic and Necromancy. As before, suppressing someone across a thirty-level gap was possible. In the original, the user of Necromancy among the Four Heavenly Kings was the first enemy Alice’s group encountered.
That Necromancer served as a warm-up opponent for players, a source of experience.
Next were Blood Magic and Dark Magic, where the Light Magic could only compensate for a gap of less than ten levels.
Blood is a substance present in every living being; magic that manipulates blood through this connection, fundamentally, cannot be called truly evil. Thus, Light Magic’s restraining power against it is weaker.
Light and dark are mutually reinforcing and opposing. Where there is light, darkness is created. Light can drive away darkness, but cannot eliminate it entirely—light cannot reach every corner of the world.
Although Light Magic can suppress Dark Magic, when darkness falls, it becomes even deeper in the contrast with light. Thus, Dark Magic’s counterattack and backlash against Light Magic are very strong.
This is why the Heaven Realm seeks to restrain the Demon Race and prevent their resurgence.
They fear the coming of darkness.
This is also why Minotauros became the Demon King.
However, at this moment, Liakade knew nothing about the Heaven Realm. In the original story, after the three endings, the game had no further content. Information about the Heaven Realm was hidden, and only the Prophecy foretold the arrival of Alice and Minotauros. Liakade remained completely unaware of these things.
“Why does it have to be at a time like this?”
Liakade glared angrily at the dark clouds covering the moonlight overhead. Earlier, the moonlight had helped them spot Shadow Burial, but now it was concealed again, plunging them back into darkness.
And from the look of the sky, those clouds weren’t going to clear anytime soon.
“Liakade, stick to the original plan—move to an open area. I’ll go blow those clouds away.”
At the moment when Liakade and her group fell into crisis, Sistem stepped forward.
“Hey! That’s thousands of meters up! Even if you can manipulate wind elements, you’re still just a human!”
At Sistem’s words, Field immediately objected beside her, stepping forward and poking Sistem’s shoulder in protest.
“How can a human like you withstand the cold and thin oxygen at such heights?”
Compared to Field’s agitation, Sistem appeared much more composed.
She simply patted her own shoulder and responded calmly.
“Then do you have another way? Alice’s magic is almost depleted. If she keeps illuminating shadows, she might not even have enough power left for a final strike.”
“…If we just wait for the clouds to clear, everything will be fine once we reach an open area.”
Field fell silent, then met Sistem’s gaze with unwavering resolve.
“Are you deluding yourself? Judging by the movement of the clouds, how could they possibly clear up any time soon?”
At this, Field finally ran out of arguments and could only stand there in silence.
Those clouds were thousands of meters high. Even if Liakade and Sistem both mastered wind elements and were around LV.70, they couldn’t affect the weather or clear the clouds just by standing here.
Therefore, if they wanted moonlight to return, someone had to blow the clouds away.
Liakade, with her Demon Race blood and nonhuman physique, would have been reassuring in this role.
But Liakade was currently targeted by Shadow Burial and couldn’t break free. If she tried, who knew what Shadow Burial would do, or what other moves she’d make?
Thus, it was absolutely impossible for Liakade to handle it.
But… Sistem was just a human.
She was different from herself—a magic swordsman—while Sistem was a pure magic user, with physical abilities even lower than Field’s own.
As a member of the Royal Family, Field had seen Royal Magic Users traverse the sky, but dispersing clouds at thousands of meters up was something she’d never witnessed.
Even though Field had once disliked Sistem, she was still her sister. Moreover… that dislike had lessened.
How could she let Sistem take such a risk?
“Sigh, don’t worry.”
Sistem sighed helplessly.
Even though Field’s words were harsh, Sistem could still sense the concern beneath them—a feeling that was rare until recently.
This wasn’t the same as the usual provocations and retorts, but genuine worry for her.
So Sistem didn’t argue back as before.
She didn’t know when their relationship had started to soften—was it during the cultural festival, when they performed the play together? Or was it after learning about Liakade’s connection to them?
Well, it didn’t matter.
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m still your elder, and also a once-in-a-century genius of the Kingdom. When the time comes to defeat the Demon King, I’ll be needed too. If a mere thousand-meter altitude scares you, how can you hope to defeat the Demon King?”
“….. Tch. As much as I hate to admit it, you really are a once-in-a-century genius Magic User for the Kingdom.”
Field snorted as if annoyed, but her mood had calmed.
“Believe in your sister. She’s amazing. It’s just a thousand meters—she can do it.”
Liakade also offered comfort, helping to ease Field’s mind.
At the same time, Liakade remained vigilant of Shadow Burial’s presence. Using the shadow’s brief appearance earlier, Liakade constructed an imaginary enemy in her mind to determine Shadow Burial’s position.