Red Blood (4)

Obsidian extended like mist, scattering around Frondier and the devils that swarmed like a black dust cloud.

To a third party, it would simply appear as a battle between devils.

“Menosorpo.”

Frondier spoke, simultaneously sharpening the edges of his Obsidian.

There were simply too many. He couldn't handle them all with just Obsidian.

The task was clear.

Menosorpo

Void Weaving, Simultaneous Replication

Imperial Armory

Full Open

Weapons materialized in the air, instantly extending towards the devils.

Three seconds had passed.

Swish!

Thwack!

“Kwaaak!”

“Enemies!”

Blades pierced through the devils, spears skewered them into clumps, and swords severed limbs and heads with every swing.

Meanwhile, Frondier furrowed his brow slightly.

‘Enemies?’

The words uttered by a devil reached his ears.

‘They weren't targeting us?’

The strongest forces in this mansion were currently Frondier and Elodie. If someone controlling these devils knew of their presence, they would surely have been cautious.

‘Then why are all these devils coming here?’

The question lingered, but there was no time.

Regardless, the devils could not be allowed inside the mansion.

Elodie had mentioned 15 seconds.

And 5 seconds had already passed.

Menosorpo, Void weaving

Rank - Divine

Mjölnir

A hammer materialized in his hand, and the sky rumbled in response.

Crackle!

Mjölnir's head devoured the lightning.

The devils drew near, and Frondier examined their features.

‘…They look similar to the ones I saw at the Imperial Palace.’

In that case.

Frondier made his decision and swung Mjölnir.

Lightning shot out, crushing the closest devil and then arcing towards others, spreading in all directions.

10 seconds.

“Kyaaaak!!”

The devils' screams filled the air, and the sky flashed with the silhouettes of devils burning in the lightning.

The mansion became noisy. People who discovered the devils screamed and collapsed in fear.

Knights like Frondier, who were escorting the nobles, and the soldiers within the mansion tried to calm them down, but they too were gripped by fear.

The people inside had no idea what was happening. Who was fighting outside, why the sky was flashing. Only the sight of the pouring devils was vivid.

Meanwhile, Frondier observed the devils falling from the lightning strikes.

‘…They seem a bit stronger.’

Some fell, struck by lightning, but others still held on in the sky. Even when struck by the Imperial weapons, the devils seemed to be resisting slightly better than before.

But ultimately, it made little difference. Frondier continued his one-sided slaughter.

“Scatter! Scatter!”

“Go!!”

Then, a change occurred among the devils.

Frondier had expected them to focus on him after being attacked, but instead, they began to scatter, avoiding him.

“Damn it…!”

Frondier panicked and hurriedly extended Obsidian. The devils he thought would come at him were dispersing. No matter how wide the range of Obsidian and Menosorpo, he couldn't eliminate them all at once.

However.

“──It's okay.”

Even if it was impossible for him.

At this moment, there was a spell that Inies had invested 15 seconds into.

Divine Power Unleashed

Chandra

Formula Deployment

Spatial Magic 3rd Form

Range, Remote Activation, Coordinate Binding

Chant 1 Verse

‘Be trapped in the eternal exit.’

Formula Completion

Plaza

Elodie extended her hand, and a vast, invisible domain was drawn. It was a giant sphere suspended in the air, encompassing all the scattering devils.

The devils, unaware of it, continued their escape.

When they reached the end of Elodie's transparent sphere.

“……!”

The devil that crossed the sphere reappeared at the exact opposite point within the sphere.

‘If they leave the sphere's domain, they re-enter at the opposite point!’

The devils, desperately trying to escape Frondier's attacks, couldn't comprehend this strange phenomenon for a while. They believed they were continuously moving forward.

Meanwhile, the sphere created by Elodie slowly shrunk. The devils believed they were advancing, but they were simply trapped within Elodie's sphere.

“What, what is this!”

At some point, the devils realized. They, who had decided to scatter, were instead getting closer to each other. By the time they noticed, their surroundings were filled with their own kind.

“Ugh, everyone get out! Get out!”

They realized they had been caught, trapped.

But they couldn't escape. They didn't even know the extent of the trapped area.

They kept moving forward, getting closer to each other.

There were no visible barriers, no sensation of being blocked. They continued to advance, becoming more and more cramped.

As they fled, fled, and fled.

“Ugh……!”

“Ugh, keuk!”

They became a massive cluster, packed so tightly they could barely breathe.

Ultimately, without being confined, they had trapped themselves.

“……Amazing.”

Frondier stared at the scene in a daze. If they had been trapped by a simple barrier, they would have tried to break it.

However, this kind of prison was impossible to decipher without a complete understanding of magic. Moreover, they wouldn't even realize they were trapped for a while.