The world was painted red. Lillia smiled at Christine. The crimson barrier Lillia had conjured was unyielding. Tendrils of mana writhed around it, resembling snakes, octopus tentacles, or thorny rose vines. Lillia stood motionless, exuding a confidence that she could withstand any attack. Christine slowly unclenched her tightly balled fist, allowing golden mana to seep into the ground where she stood, spreading like a mist.

"…I barely managed to carve out a space for myself," Christine thought as she looked down. Amidst the red-drenched world, a golden circle glowed faintly beneath her feet—just enough to provide her a foothold. Inside, Christine's mental balance tipped precariously. When she had observed Lillia from the Mage Tower, she hadn’t known this woman was a practitioner of such abhorrent dark magic.

"If I go all out, I might be able to stop this witch from joining Leon Benning," Christine judged, drawing on her resolve. Starting at full strength wasn’t an option. If there were even the slightest chance of victory, she might have taken that route, but realistically, her odds of defeating Lillia in this situation were slimmer than a drop in the ocean.

Not that Christine had any intention of acting rationally.

She closed her eyes.

"Baranani."

The spell began to cast. The origin of her mana stirred, awakening Christine's body. Like the sun rising over a crimson sea, a radiance began to flicker and swell around her.

It had been a long time since Christine had used magic so earnestly—since the senior had saved her, in fact. A faint smile crept across her lips.

"Let the impossible come to pass, and the unattainable be reached."

The internal mechanism of her soul began to tick. Dozens of spells and their potential uses spun through her mind. Magic, the manifestation of miracles. Christine could only hope that her miracle would surpass the world Lillia had created. The witch, watching the torrent of golden mana swirling at Christine’s feet, gazed on with an intrigued glint in her eye.

"How pitifully romantic, Christine."

Lillia’s words struck a nerve, and the muscles in Christine’s temple twitched.

"It’s not pitiful," Christine shot back.

"From my eyes, it’s full of yearning and pity," Lillia mused, laughing softly. "Still, I suppose it’s not entirely unrequited, so there’s that."

With a light chuckle, Lillia amplified her magic. In this red-soaked world, she was the undisputed ruler. Despite the escalating tension, the two magicians began a casual, almost absurdly out-of-place exchange of words. Like long-separated colleagues catching up after a while—warm yet laced with venom.

"Are you satisfied with this? That man won’t only ever look at you, you know. If you left him to me, you might witness something much more entertaining."

"And what does that have to do with you?" Christine retorted with a bitter edge, forming a magic circle in her palm. "From what I hear, it sounds like he rejected you. Is this just petty jealousy talking?"

Christine’s sharp comment only deepened Lillia’s amused smile.

"You’ve changed completely since the Mage Tower. Back then, I thought you were some ghost locked away in your lab—silent, friendless, completely absorbed in research."

"Wow, you really talk too much."

Christine cut her off bluntly, her magic circle now humming with energy, whirring as it reached its limit. Christine’s green eyes glimmered with intensity as the golden mana began to push back against Lillia’s crimson barrier.

"Enough. I’ll give this everything I’ve got, so if you don’t want to die, you’d better do the same. If you beg for your life, though, I might consider sparing you for old times’ sake."

Lillia frowned slightly, surprised by the growing resistance. The barrier she had assumed would crush Christine without difficulty was being steadily pushed back.

"You’re quite confident, aren’t you? I suppose the heart we saved for you is proving useful?"

Lillia muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on Christine’s expanding domain. Was she too generous in imbuing her with such pure mana? Christine, now seemingly stronger than before, bounced lightly on the spot, warming up as if preparing for a race.

"Useful enough, I’d say. So—!"

In a flash of golden light, Christine vanished. Her body, fortified to its limits, surged forward with overwhelming speed, closing the gap between her and Lillia in an instant. Lillia’s crimson eyes flickered, and Christine’s mana-infused fist descended toward her.

Boom!

Christine’s strike was intercepted by a web of crimson vines. The perpetual smile on Lillia’s face faltered ever so slightly. Sparks flew as golden barriers clashed with the red vines, scattering like lightning. Realizing she couldn’t break through in one blow, Christine conjured a platform in midair and leaped back. The writhing rose vines followed her retreat, reaching out to snare her ankles.

"Disgusting!"

Christine growled as she deflected the vines with a shimmering golden shield. The pressure was immense, and she gritted her teeth as cracks began to form in the shield. With a loud crack, the vines shattered into grotesque shards and dissolved. Christine took a deep breath, then launched herself into the air once more. Like a comet streaking across the sky, she reappeared directly above Lillia.

"Fast," Lillia muttered, her reaction slightly delayed. The hastily erected defensive spell shattered under Christine’s reinforced kick.

Crack!

The force sent Lillia hurtling through the air like a cannonball. Christine, unwilling to let her escape, propelled herself forward using an explosive burst of mana, keeping pace. Their eyes met once again. Lillia mouthed something unintelligible, and Christine raised her hand high.

Golden mana surged around Christine’s fist, glowing with the intensity of a raging sun. She roared as she brought her fist down toward Lillia’s face.

"Hyaah—!"

At the last moment, Lillia sighed, locking her gaze on Christine.

"Your fighting style is so brutish, Christine."

From below, thorny rose vines erupted, weaving together into a shield that stood between her and Christine’s attack. Unperturbed, Christine poured all her strength into her fist, determined to break through.

Boom!

Golden light exploded, tearing through the vine shield as though it were paper. The barrier shattered, leaving Lillia exposed for the first time. The crimson world shuddered. Christine seized her chance, summoning a radiant golden magic circle behind her.

"Let’s start this with a bang, shall we?"

The golden circle morphed into a barrage of luminous arrows. Planting her foot firmly on an invisible platform, Christine pulled back an ethereal bowstring.

"—Activer."

With a twang, dozens of golden arrows hurtled toward Lillia. The witch, now truly alarmed, clicked her tongue.

"This is going to cost me," Lillia muttered.

The arrows pierced through the crimson barrier, shattering it as they closed in on Lillia. Christine watched as the witch’s pale skin split open, blood spraying as her body seemed to dissolve under the assault.

"You shouldn’t have been able to find it," Lillia suddenly whispered, her trembling voice now behind Christine.

Whipping her head around, Christine saw Lillia, her face pale and distorted in shock, hovering in the air. All at once, the vines, the barrier, and the crimson world began to collapse.

"What…?" Christine muttered, bewildered.

Lillia was no longer focused on Christine. Instead, her trembling gaze was fixed on empty air. She clutched at nothing, her voice breaking as she screamed:

"Leon Benning—!!!"

The red world shattered.

Christine felt the world invert as the crimson barrier crumbled, the oppressive magic dissipating into wisps of fading mana. Disoriented, she clutched her head, sinking to her knees.

Through blurred vision, she saw Lillia, a blur of crimson and silver, rushing towards the grand hall at a frantic pace. Her form flickered as mana spilled from her body like a hemorrhaging wound, unrestrained and erratic.

And then—

Thud.

A sharp, unnatural sound echoed through the broken air—a blade piercing flesh. Yet no blade could be seen.

Lillia froze mid-step, her momentum halting as if struck by an invisible force. Christine’s breath caught in her throat as she watched. Blood trickled down Lillia’s lips, staining her pale skin with streaks of red. Her outstretched hand faltered, fingertips grazing the doorway to the hall before falling limp.

"Unforgivable—" Lillia gasped, but her words were cut short.

Her body began to dissolve. From her feet upward, she turned into a pool of blood, the liquid cascading down in rivulets as if an invisible force were unraveling her existence.

Christine could only stare, her mind struggling to process the sight before her. Lillia’s final gesture—a desperate clawing at the doorway—left a streak of blood as her form melted into nothingness.

The last traces of the crimson witch vanished, leaving behind silence. The oppressive aura that had once filled the space was gone, replaced by an unsettling stillness. Only the faint scent of blood and mana lingered in the air.

Christine’s wide eyes drifted to the doors of the grand hall. They stood ominously ajar, their vast expanse leading into a void of silence. There should have been chaos inside, the sounds of fierce combat and shouts filling the space. But there was nothing.

"…Senior?"

Christine’s voice trembled as she whispered, her body shaking. She stumbled to her feet, clutching her injured arm. Each step toward the hall felt like wading through thick, unseen resistance. Her heart pounded in her chest, fear gripping her like icy chains.

Reaching the doorway, Christine hesitated. The suffocating silence within made her stomach churn. Something is wrong, her instincts screamed. But she couldn’t stop—not when the one she called “Senior” might be inside.

Summoning her courage, Christine pushed the door open wider. Whatever awaits inside, she thought, I have to face it.