As soon as I finished the activation word, the magic flowing from my fingertips instantly transformed into hundreds of blades that scattered across the balcony.

Thwack-!

The snake—or more precisely, the black energy—pierced by the blades dispersed immediately.

Moonlight briefly streamed into the balcony that had been covered in black energy until moments ago.

I exhaled deeply.

How dare someone try to attack me? The audacity has its limits.

I was smiling at that thought when Hasis’s deeply somber voice reached me.

“It’s not over.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the moonlight on the balcony began to disappear again, proving his words true.

And in the blink of an eye.

Hiss-!

“What is this!”

“Can’t you see? It’s endless.”

I launched another wave of magic toward the terrace—more precisely, toward the black energy filling the space outside the window.

Simultaneously, Hasis swung his sword to counter the attack.

Unlike before, the energy dispersed immediately.

But only briefly. When the black energy filled my vision again, I truly grasped the severity of the situation.

“It’s endless?”

“It seems our power isn’t enough.”

“What is this? I’ve never heard of or seen this type of attack magic. And how did it break through the barrier—”

As I was speaking, something suddenly occurred to me, and I looked down at the ring on my finger.

The ring was filled with pitch-black energy. Only then did I realize what all this was.

The identity of what had put me—someone who normally doesn’t fall asleep easily—to sleep, made me dream strange dreams, and suddenly filled my room with black energy.

“It’s black magic!”

“Are you joking? Who would use black magic so openly?”

“It’s spatial distortion. Otherwise, they would have set up separate defensive formations. Or they would have found a way to prevent others from noticing. If that weren’t the case, people would have come to my room by now with all this commotion.”

Even though this place was protected by my magic, there was no way the imperial palace would be left unguarded.

Above all, despite this level of disturbance, Rigan still hadn’t arrived.

Which meant…

“We’re completely cut off from the outside world.”

Hasis grimaced, seemingly understanding my words.

“Damn it,” he muttered, swinging his sword again.

The black energy disappeared momentarily before reappearing.

It was endless.

I gritted my teeth.

What should I do now? As I racked my brain, the black energy lunged toward me again.

I poured out my magic.

An incomparably larger amount than before—thousands, no, tens of thousands of blades materialized in the air.

And the moment I flicked my hand, the blades rained down and embedded themselves in the floor—

BOOM!

Crack-!

With the sound of the floor splitting, the black energy vanished completely.

“Did it work?”

I frowned anxiously.

Even battling an exceptional mage would be easier than this.

At the very least, the essence of magic used by humans often had similar patterns, with only differences in skill level—there was no need to wonder about its fundamental nature.

But black magic was completely different in essence.

I had never encountered it before, and the mere fact that we were clashing with it now was an absurd situation.

‘How crucial it is to read the flow and pattern of magic in battle.’

Magic is the arrangement of one’s magical power.

But black magic is crafted from human lives and death energy.

Though we call it “black magic,” it’s fundamentally a completely different kind from regular magic.

Confirming my thoughts, activity resumed on the balcony that had momentarily quieted after my attack.

Had I failed after all? How should I resolve this?

As I concentrated my magic while thinking, something suddenly grazed my face.

“Huh?”

I blinked in surprise, not understanding what had happened.

Quickly raising my hand to my face, something warm smeared onto my palm.

Hasis, who was holding his sword, widened his eyes in shock and then approached me.

Or rather, he tried to approach.

If not for the attack suddenly flying toward him.

The energy that had been coiling like a snake trying to devour us now transformed into thin threads that shot straight at us.

I quickly deployed a defensive barrier to block it, suddenly realizing that this attack was very similar to my magic.

But I had no time to think deeper. The black energy, condensed into thin, blade-like threads, was targeting us relentlessly.

And the next moment—

Swoosh-!

Bang-!

I gritted my teeth and countered the attack.

The attack was noticeably faster than before.

I realized that this energy was copying my attacks.

Not only that.

The energy that had been rushing at us all at once now split into several parts and poured down on us. I deployed a defensive barrier, but the black magic broke through it too easily.

‘Damn it!’

I gritted my teeth while cursing inwardly.

Snap! This time, a whip flowing from my fingertips blocked the attack.

Crack- The whip coiled in the air, making them disappear.

After barely blocking the final attack, I caught my breath for a moment.

That’s when it happened.

“Esht!”

A black blade from nowhere flew straight toward me, about to pierce my body. I calmly deployed another defensive barrier.

But the blade pierced right through the barrier, and as I tried to swing my whip—

‘Huh?’

I involuntarily hesitated when I recognized the blade’s shape.

‘That’s…’

Though it was formed of black energy, I knew what it was.

The elegantly gleaming blade, the golden hilt embroidered with a cross below it, seven diamonds—it was none other than…

– Your father’s beloved children’s blood is stained here.

It was the sword I had used to kill my siblings.

‘I definitely disposed of it.’

Of course I had.

It was a shameful part of my life.

Why would I keep such a sword? Yet it appeared before my eyes again.

I became shaken.

And hesitation creates the perfect opening.

I stared at the sword lunging toward me.

All the scenes of my siblings being pierced and killed by that sword seemed to unfold before my eyes, mixed with the black energy.

The curses, insults, and screams poured at me.

Me standing there amid it all.

My brain seemed paralyzed, unable to think.

Why? At this moment, my death seemed like the fitting end to karma, so I closed my eyes—

“Open your eyes.”

That’s when it happened.

As I was slowly closing my eyes, I snapped them open at the voice piercing my ears.

As I raised my head, something fluttering poured over me.

I squinted slightly and pulled at the unidentified fabric blocking my vision.

‘A coat?’

I looked up at the strangely familiar coat.

At the same time, I was slightly surprised to discover the large figure standing in front of me.

“Lord?”

Standing before me was Lerrhagen.

As always, his large frame cast a shadow that covered me, and his silver hair swayed in the night breeze coming through the broken windows.

As I watched the moonlight pouring over his profile as he stood at an angle, Lerrhagen, with his indifferent face, glanced at me.

I narrowed my eyes slightly at his gaze.

“How did Lord—”

“Put it on.”

“What?”

“It will cool you down.”

At his words, I looked at his coat cradled in my arms.

Honestly, I didn’t think a mere coat would solve anything, but thinking I had nothing to lose, I hurriedly put the large coat over my head.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, my mind cleared up miraculously, and I opened my eyes wide.

Could this coat really be reducing the effects of the black magic?

As I was thinking this, Hasis approached Lerrhagen’s side while sheathing his sword.

“Master.”

“Protect Esht.”

After speaking, Lerrhagen turned around.

Hasis nodded and approached my side.

He stood slightly angled beside me, seemingly protecting me.

Normally, I would have asked why he was protecting me, but I simply watched Lerrhagen’s back silently before speaking.

“Will he be alright? Can Lord handle this alone?”

At my question, Hasis glanced at me.

A subtle smile crossed his face. It seemed to say “just watch.”

Just then, with a hissing sound, the black energy lunged at Lerrhagen.

I reflexively stepped forward.

In that instant, I widened my eyes at the scene unfolding before me.

‘Impossible.’

The black energy that had been about to devour us scattered into light, disintegrating in the air.

A clean attack on a completely different level from mine and Hasis’s.

But what surprised me even more was Lerrhagen himself.

He simply stood there showing complete indifference to what was happening, just like always.

Standing lofty and indifferent, like one who reigns above all.

Without any activation words, without any spells, without even the common magic circles or any measures at all—just by standing there, all the raging energy was crushed at his feet.

It seemed like the energy was submitting to him, and I watched, entranced.

I had seen many mages before, but none of them could act like this.

No matter how strong they were, they needed activation words or had to construct magic circles.

But Lerrhagen was overwhelming everything simply by existing.

And that appearance was chillingly arrogant.