“Young Lady!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Aetherinra turned her head.
“Elise? Why are you here?”
“I’ve come to help you.”
In the brief gap in their conversation, the Water Demon seized the opening.
It condensed a wave of water at its forehead and fired it toward Aetherinra.
“To think you would dare be distracted in front of me. Die!”
“Elise, use Shield of Light, quickly!”
Ian shouted to Elise at the critical moment.
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Light Magic — **SHIELD OF LIGHT**!”
Instantly, a shield constructed of brilliant light appeared in front of Aetherinra, blocking the Water Demon’s attack for her.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Seeing its attack blocked, the Water Demon was clearly enraged.
“Humans, you have successfully provoked me.”
“You will pay the price for this.”
As it finished speaking, the aura on the Water Demon’s body intensified.
Although it had not yet reached the Fourth Tier, it had already attained the peak of the Third Tier.
Seeing this scene, Ian cursed inwardly.
‘This Water Demon entered its Berserk State so quickly.’
Ian knew that with their current strength, the three of them could not face the Water Demon in a direct confrontation.
They had to use a strategy to achieve victory through surprise.
“Dark Magic — **DARK MIST**!”
Ian brandished the White Sword in his hand and channeled the magic within his body.
In an instant, the entire Boss Room was filled with a dark mist, making it impossible to see anything.
Sensing Ian’s actions, the Water Demon grew even more furious.
“Despicable human! Do you dare to duel me in a fair, head-on fight?”
Hearing this, Ian was speechless.
‘You are a Third Tier magic beast asking a Second Tier to fight you head-on? How can you be so shameless?’
Ignoring the Water Demon’s impotent rage, Ian quickly stepped over to Aetherinra.
“You should still have Mana left, right?”
“Only half remains.”
Having been worn down by the common monsters earlier, the Mana Aetherinra had left was not very much.
“That’s enough.”
Hearing her reply, Ian’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
As long as Aetherinra could still use magic, it would be fine.
“Take Elise and run quickly. I’ll stay behind to cover the retreat,” Aetherinra said, leaning on her sword as she forced herself to stand.
“I underestimated the boss’s strength. I didn’t expect it to have a special skill like Attack Absorption.”
“The three of us are absolutely no match for it, so you two should escape.”
“No, we won’t run,” Elise said immediately.
“If we don’t run, we will all die here!”
“Ian, surely you don’t want to die here, do you?”
Aetherinra looked at Ian, believing he would certainly agree with her.
“I don’t want to die, but I can’t just watch you die, either,” Ian replied.
Aetherinra grew frantic at his answer.
“Why don’t you understand? I am just a Support-type Mage; I’m essentially useless.”
“But you and Elise are users of Light Magic and Dark Magic. You are the hope of the Human Race!”
“Furthermore, it was my stubbornness that led you into this situation.”
“So, I will stay behind to cover you. Once you get out, you can avenge me.”
Ian nodded and whispered a few words to Elise before running toward the entrance.
By then, the Water Demon had successfully dispersed the mist Ian had cast and began to roar.
“You’re finished! To think you’d dare toy with me like that. I’m going to show you what happens!”
“What? Only one of you is left? Where are the other two?”
As the mist vanished, the Water Demon refocused its gaze on Aetherinra and asked the question.
“Why should I answer you?”
“Fine, fine. You won’t answer? Then you can save your words for Death!”
The Water Demon stopped holding back and unleashed its ultimate move.
“Water Magic — **WATER DRAGON BURST**!”
Sensing the aura of the spell the Water Demon was casting, Aetherinra knew she couldn’t block it, but she felt a sense of relief in her heart.
At least she hadn’t dragged Ian and Elise down with her.
At least she had preserved the hope of the Human Race.
As for a Support-type Mage, if she died, she died — who would care?
The only regret she had was that she wouldn’t be able to see Veronica wake up or avenge her personally.
Aetherinra felt a pang of sorrow at the thought.
Just as she was quietly awaiting death, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield.
“Dark Magic — **TRANSPOSITION**!”
The magic took effect, and the positions of the Water Demon and Aetherinra were swapped.
The ultimate move the Water Demon had unleashed ended up being taken by the demon itself.
“You… you didn’t leave?”
The Water Demon was incredibly weak after taking its own full-strength attack.
It was clear that its own strike had exceeded the limits of what its Attack Absorption could handle.
“Aetherinra, you still have Mana, right? Quickly, cast enhancement magic on me and Elise!”
Hearing Ian’s voice, Aetherinra hurriedly applied an Attack Boost to both of them.
“Now! Elise, finish it!”
Ian knew the importance of the finishing blow.
He and Elise immediately unleashed their strongest magic to deliver the final strike.
“Damn… damn it…”
Under the combined assault of Light Magic and Dark Magic, the Water Demon could only collapse while cursing Ian.
“You didn’t leave?”
Aetherinra asked as she looked at Ian and Elise walking toward her.
“I told you, I wouldn’t let you throw your life away.”
Ian had never left the Boss Room.
Instead, he had used the mist to hide in the shadows, lowering the Water Demon’s guard so he could strike a fatal blow.
Only by winning through surprise could the three of them overcome a stronger opponent.
“And I don’t agree with what you said earlier.”
“What do you mean, a Support-type Mage is useless?”
“Aetherinra, you are not someone who is useless!”
Aetherinra’s heart didn’t waver at Ian’s words; instead, she gave a cold, self-deprecating laugh.
“You saw it just now, didn’t you? Against the Water Demon, I had no power to fight back at all. In the end, I had to rely on you and Elise.”
“Perhaps my thinking was wrong from the very beginning. Some things simply can’t be changed through effort alone.”
Seeing Aetherinra in such a self-destructive state, Ian didn’t know how to comfort her.
After all, in the game, Aetherinra could only use support magic.
Her only means of attack was the swordsmanship she had practiced diligently for over ten years.
“Young Lady, effort can change things. As long as you keep trying, one day you will be able to fulfill your wish,” Elise encouraged her.
“Perhaps.”
Aetherinra didn’t take Elise’s encouragement to heart.
Having suffered this blow in the Labyrinth, her confidence was completely gone.
Seeing her like this, Ian knew anything he said would be useless.
He could only wait for a future opportunity to see if he could help her regain her confidence.
Just as the three of them thought they had finished the subjugation and were about to leave, another mutation occurred.
The Water Demon, which should have been dead after being slain by Ian, actually regenerated!
The moment it revived, it fired a wave of water several times more powerful than before, aimed straight at Aetherinra.
At the critical moment, Ian sensed something was wrong and blocked the attack for her.
However, the wave of water didn’t stop after hitting Ian.
It carried Ian right through the wall, where he vanished from sight.
“Ian!”
“Young Master!”
Neither Aetherinra nor Elise could believe what they were seeing.
Why had the dead Water Demon suddenly come back to life?
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