"I Reincarnated But Have No System? You Must Be Kidding Me!"

The aftermath of Austaire's ultimate skill did not just break the entire first floor of the underground prison, it also shattered two out of three of Magnus's protective rings.

What was left behind was devastation in its rawest form.

The roof had been obliterated, erased as though it had never existed.

The floor, save for the safe circle beneath Magnus's feet, was nothing but a gaping, charred crevasse stretching into blackened depths.

Heat still lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating, as faint plumes of smoke curled upward from the molten cracks.

The acrid stench of scorched stone and burnt flesh filled the suffocating silence.

The prison cells, once filled with prisoners awaiting execution, had been reduced to dust and ash. Bodies were gone, their traces erased by the sheer destructive power Austaire had unleashed.

"Just as expected from the powerful bloodline of Aurelus."

Magnus's lips curved into a cold smirk as he flicked the two cracked, rune-engraved silver rings from his finger which have now gone useless.

They clattered across the blackened ground as he rose slowly from his kneeling position. His movements were deliberate, mocking, as if he had all the time in the world.

He had intended to savor her defeat, to torture Austaire before ending her life, but her desperation had forced her to release everything in one devastating strike.

And now, despite the destruction she had wrought, he remained standing, barely touched.

'Darn it...'

Austaire's legs buckled beneath her.

She dropped to her knees, her chest heaving as sweat and blood ran down her pale face.

Her fiery aura flickered weakly around her form, wings trembling and spasming before dimming into fading sparks. Her golden eyes, once alight with determination, were clouding with despair.

'Move, Princess!'

Ovan's voice thundered in her mind.

His urgency rang with command, but how could she move?

Every nerve in her body screamed in pain.

Symptoms of mana shock coursed through her veins, leaving her skin veined with glowing blue lines that pulsed violently. Her vision blurred, tunneling into darkness.

The only thing keeping her upright was sheer willpower, a stubborn refusal to collapse even as her body gave out.

'It's… over for me…' she murmured weakly, her lips barely parting. Her golden wings had wilted, its fiery glow sputtering into smoke.

Even her breathing had became raggid, fragile as candlelight in a storm.

"Excellent firework! But unfortunately, that is not enough to defeat me, my dear."

Magnus's voice slithered through the silence.

His footsteps echoed, steady and cruel, until he stood over her. A wicked smile curved his lips as he drove his frozen-blue blade mercilessly into her stomach.

"Ugk—"

Austaire's weak cry broke the air, choked and weak.

Blood gushed from the wound, warm and heavy, spilling down her robes in scarlet rivers.

Her trembling hand instinctively clutched the sword impaling her. Her grip feeble as her blood ran down its frosted edge and dripped to the floor with soft, steady patters.

Her body sagged forward.

Her defeat was absolute.

Her life force plummeted just like the life bar abover her, and with it the artifact concealing her true self gave way.

Shaaa~

Its dim glow flickered and then shattered like glass, fading into nothing.

In its absence, Austaire's true form emerged, unmasked and radiant even in ruin.

Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, strands matted with blood but still catching faint glimmers of light.

Her fiery golden eyes, dulled though they were, still gleamed with a fierce, dying flame.

Magnus's grin widened as he studied her unveiled beauty.

"Impressive. You are the first to resist my mental attack, and I suspect it was only because of that artifact protecting you." He grabbed her face and force her to look at him.

"But now that it is gone, you have nothing left to shield you. This time, you will answer me—whether you want to or not."

Wooohm~

His eyes flared with an unnatural glow, a swirling hypnotic pattern that danced like ripples across water.

The oppressive weight of his magic pressed down on her consciousness as he whispered his spell, his voice dripping with dominance:

[MIND SEIZE]

Austaire's fading eyes snapped wide open, though they were hollow and lifeless, her body upright only through his control.

Her stare was vacant, absent, as though her soul had been sealed away.

Seeing her trapped within his spell, Magnus's satisfaction dripped from his voice.

"Tell me. Where is Gregorio now?"

The silence stretched.

Then, as if from deep within her hollowed frame, her lips curled faintly and her eyes flared with sudden defiance.

"Gregorio? Go ask your mama."

The voice that spilled from her mouth was not Austaire's.

It was rougher, more like a man's voice.

It was Ovan.

He had seized control of her failing body, his will overwhelming her fading mind.

Magnus froze, his grin faltering for only a second, before erupting into mad laughter.

The sound reverberated off the ruined stone, manic and sharp.

"Hahahaha! Very well!"

Then his laughter turned to an evil grin,

"DIE!"

He tore his blade free from Austaire's body, her blood spraying across the cracked ground, and swung for her neck with a final, merciless strike.

But before the blade could descend, a voice thundered across the battlefield, furious and commanding:

"You dare touch my Austaire!"

A killing aura swept the battlefield, crashing down on Magnus like a predator's maw.

His body stiffened instinctively, his survival instinct screaming at him to retreat. The pressure behind him was suffocating, sharp as a blade against his throat.

But Magnus was no coward. He thrived on danger, reveled in challenges.

His lips pulled into a twisted smile as he braced himself.

CLANG!

Sparks burst into the air as his bluish sword locked against a golden rapier that had slashed for his neck.

The force of the clash rippled outward, shaking the already fractured ground beneath their feet.

Magnus's eyes flicked toward his new opponent.

For a fleeting instant he caught sight of a silver-haired elder, a man in his seventies but with well tones muscles, his posture straight as steel, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

And in his hand was a golden rapier that radiated divine energy, unmistakably Auren's Divine Rapier.

ugh!

The sheer weight of the man's aura pressed against Magnus like a mountain.

His blade carried not only strength, but decades of refinement and mastery. The power behind his rapier had been enough to force Magnus, despite his overwhelming level, to yield a step back.

'This old man is strong… too strong,' Magnus thought grimly.

Before he could muster a counterattack, the old man's figure blurred, vanishing before Magnus's eyes.

'What speed!'

Then he swung to the left.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The air quivered with rapid strikes.

Despite the elder's aged frame, his movements were impossibly fast, his rapier weaving a relentless dance that forced Magnus onto the defensive.

Sparks flew like a storm of fireflies under the twin moonlight as steel clashed against steel.

SLASH!

Magnus twisted just in time, narrowly avoiding a strike that would have claimed his neck.

Cold sweat beaded at his temple. He gritted his teeth, his amusement slipping into focused anger.

Again and again, his foe's blade carved the air, unyielding and precise.

Shoo!~

SLASH!

Magnus lashed out with ice sword spells, conjuring shimmering blades of frost, but the elder struck them aside effortlessly, dismissing them as if swatting gnats.

Meanwhile, Auren and Robert reached Austaire. She lay half-conscious, her body trembling violently as blood seeped into the fractured earth beneath her.

Her voice, faint as a dying whisper, reached them. "A-Auren… you are f-finally back."

Her eyes glistened with relief, her pale lips curving into the faintest of smiles.

"Don't speak," Auren said urgently, kneeling beside her.

His voice was sharp, but his expression carried unshakable resolve. He carefully lowered her down, his arms steady despite the blood soaking his hands.

"Don't worry, I got you. Just save your strength. Your grandfather is fighting that man and we should get out of here."

Her breath hitched, her eyes widening as they darted to the blur of figures clashing in the distance. "G-grandpa?" she whispered, her voice breaking.

Her tears spilled freely, warm trails cutting through the grime on her face. Her dimming vision blurred from more tears, but she recognized him.

Her beloved grandfather, whom she thought had died three years ago, is still alive and fighting for her!

Robert froze as he saw her condition, his heart tightening in pity. He bit his lip, uncertain, while Auren wasted no time.

From his belt, Auren summoned the last two healing potions he possessed, the glass vials gleaming faintly with vibrant liquid. His hands shook faintly with urgency as he pressed them to Austaire's lips.

"Here, drink this."

Though weak, Austaire obeyed.

Her trembling hands lifted the vials with Auren's help, sipping slowly. The taste was sharp and metallic, but warmth spread faintly through her veins.

She clung to the hope the potion offered, desperate to live.

While Auren and Robert tended to her, Magnus and Mardonio clashed violently, their duel tearing the remnants of the prison apart.

The walls cracked, chunks of stone crashing around them. The ground quaked with every strike, dust clouding the air until it was thick and suffocating.

'Now this is a real fighter,' Magnus thought grimly, his eyes narrowing as he fended off another blinding strike.