However, the current Aria was acting in the opposite way to the ‘Witch of Winter.’
Despite being a mage herself, she was casually poking at the mage’s loopholes and weaknesses.
Bianca remembered hearing about this strange tactic somewhere. So, she did something she shouldn’t have during the battle.
It was only for a moment, but in focusing on the strange thing in front of her eyes, she made the foolish mistake of averting her gaze from the enemy who was rushing to kill her at the very moment!
‘Sh!t!’
The next moment, Bianca realized her mistake, but it was too late.
‘Loophole!’ Aria’s eyes sparkled as she noticed that Bianca had revealed a vulnerability.
In an instant, acceleration compounded acceleration. The thunderbolt Aria wielded grew wild to the point of being extremely violent, but she forcibly controlled the flow of all that power, converging it into a single point.
“Bianca del Castana!”
Missing Aria by one second gave her the opportunity to close in on Bianca’s side. Plasma of immense power illuminated the surroundings, obstructing Bianca’s vision and limiting her actions. A thunderbolt of destructive energy, capable of melting everything in its path, struck straight into Bianca’s side.
Chriiiiikwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
“Kyaah!”
With a sound like shattering glass, seven of the sixteen magic barriers covering Bianca’s body were destroyed. Additionally, the barriers could not fully absorb the destructive force of the lightning strike, and the shock wave coursed through Bianca’s frame.
“Got…you…!”
Bianca’s body bent sharply under the shock wave, and blood streamed from her mouth. Although it was only for a brief moment, the cost of being careless in front of her enemy was devastating.
“You d*mn witch!”
Twin flames of fury ignited in Bianca’s eyes. Her anger surged at the thought of being struck by a woman she deemed unworthy, rather than by an enemy deserving of respect. It seemed her rage would not subside unless she captured Aria alive before k!lling her and delivered a few punches to her smooth face.
“Ha, do you know how ridiculous it was for you to pretend to be a kind and elegant woman? That kind of face suits a woman like you more, Bianca del Castana!”
Aria snorted as she observed Bianca’s twisted expression. With those words, Aria lunged at Bianca. It was a rare opportunity seized after countless battles. She couldn’t let this golden chance slip away!
“Kuk!”
It was only for an instant, but the flow of magical power twisted due to the earlier shockwave. On top of that, Aria, filled with murderous intent, was already within striking distance.
Bianca was facing a crisis that could only be described as desperate.
But she didn’t panic.
Crises like this were just another day for her during her time with the expedition. Bianca’s brilliant mind quickly deduced the most effective magic to overcome the situation. She calculated and executed the spell with precision.
“Converge the heavenly authority, illuminate!”
The next moment, Aria experienced the illusion of the world splitting in two. A massive blade of light, extending far beyond tens of meters and imbued with a terrifying piercing force, flew toward Aria, slicing through everything in its trajectory.
“Huh!”
However, Aria simply laughed at the blade of light, which seemed poised to cut her in two. Though it contained immense power, it was clearly an improvised spell meant to stop her charge. Such magic wouldn’t deter her!
“Come, the thunderbolt of judgment, the cold of the frozen earth!”
Aria’s right hand held thunder and lightning, while her left summoned a northern wind and snow capable of freezing everything in its path. It was double-casting—a feat achievable only by those with innate computational prowess and a profound understanding of magic.
But that wasn’t all. Aria channeled magic from her entire being, merging the thunderbolt and icy winds into a single entity.
“The Synthesis of Two Divine.”
The thunder and lightning merged with the ice and snow at Aria’s fingertips, transforming into a new energy. The resulting wave of magic was so intense that even Bianca couldn’t afford to ignore it.
“That’s dangerous!”
“A dance of frozen lightning!”
When the massive blade of light clashed with the storm of ice and thunder, a deafening roar echoed as if the heavens and earth were collapsing.
Khraaa-chrrrrr-innnggg!
A colossal shock wave radiated outward, engulfing hundreds of meters in a concentric circle. The resulting explosion emitted an intense heat that raised the surrounding temperature. The previously muddy ground erupted with such force that the earth itself seemed to turn inside out.
“Ah, ha, ha, ha… d*mn…you…”
In the center of the explosion, a slender woman stood barely holding on, her body bloodied and battered. Moments earlier, she had been on the brink of death. If she hadn’t diverted most of her magic into a barrier at the last second, Bianca del Castana would have been obliterated without a trace.
“Hahaha…”
Aria was far stronger than Bianca had anticipated. Continuing the fight like this was a perilous gamble.
Aria gazed coldly at the injured Bianca and spoke slowly.
“What is the price of arrogance, Bianca del Castana? Are you finally beginning to understand that this place is where you meet your end?”
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Check out my other projects: Rehabilitating the Villainess, Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses, My Wife is the Devil, Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine, My Summons Are Special