"So, if you wish to maintain your previous advantage, it seems your only option is to seal my magic once again. However... if you do that, what becomes of your arrogance?"
Looking at Macht's expression, Fíliya felt a bit annoyed.
"Oh? Not bad. Macht, you've actually learned this trick? Very well, I accept your provocation."
Using provocation to force me not to use [Magic to Seal True Names]... Macht has resorted to underhanded methods as well... though I'm not much better myself.
Fíliya shook her head helplessly, then looked at Macht again.
"You really seem to think victory is within your grasp."
Hearing Fíliya's words, Macht merely nodded slightly.
"Naturally. As long as I can use Gold Transformation Magic (Di Agolze), I lack for nothing... By the way, let me remind you: even if you instantly lift the Lord's gold transformation and attempt to kill him, I can re-apply the gold transformation the instant you make a move... You need not attempt such boring methods that only waste mana, Lady Fíliya."
"Tch..." Fíliya curled her lips.
I know that without you telling me; I have other ways to play... she thought disdainfully, then controlled her body to float into the air.
"Macht, you seem to have a misunderstanding regarding the defensive capabilities of Gold Transformation... What if I told you... that even without undoing this Lord's gold transformation, I can still beat him to death?"
Fíliya looked down at Macht from high above, a wicked smirk appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"...That is impossible. Did you not just personally experience the indestructible nature of [Gold Transformation]? The only means to survive inside a storm of gold is Gold Transformation itself."
Macht frowned slightly. He possessed absolute confidence in his magic, yet he felt that Fíliya's expression did not look like mere bluffing.
Could it be... that there really exists some method in this world that can destroy even [Gold Transformation]?
Just as he was puzzled, Fíliya personally proved it to him.
Fíliya simply raised her hand very casually and blasted out a very inconspicuous black light.
That black beam could be described as very ordinary; its imposing manner was even inferior to a compressed version of Ordinary Attack Magic.
But when this black light bombarded the distant building wall—which had been affected by Macht's Gold Transformation and should have possessed indestructible characteristics—Macht's expression instantly became incomparably horrified.
Because a cylindrical hole had been cleanly blasted through that building's wall.
"See that? I showed you once first, so you wouldn't be caught off guard."
Fíliya said, then began charging power directly in the direction of the Lord.
"! Wait! It is your win, Lady Fíliya. If you are willing to stop... I am at your disposal."
In his desperation, Macht immediately shouted at Fíliya.
But Fíliya remained unmoved, staring coldly at Macht and the Lord behind him as if looking at two dead men.
"Macht, let me tell you one more thing... After I kill this Lord, I will still go and kill everyone in Weise. The reason I released your seal was just to see this look of yours—a cowardly expression of someone who possesses power yet can do nothing."
Fíliya laughed loudly and fired the fully charged World-Destroying Magic.
Of course, she had actually tampered with the angle of this second attack slightly, but Macht, who was currently engulfed in panic, obviously did not notice this point.
He flashed to the front of the Lord's statue. He had thought to instantly undo the Lord's gold transformation and flee with his body, but it seemed too late. That beam, which had no terrifying omen but represented [Nothingness] itself, had already reached Macht.
Thus, as a conditioned reflex, he layered Defensive Magic fold upon fold in front of him. At the same time, he turned his right arm into gold, attempting to block the black light.
Countless layers of Defensive Magic were torn like paper, and his golden right arm instantly crumbled, along with the [Command Bracelet] binding his actions, which was thoroughly dissolved into nothingness.
"!"
Macht didn't pay attention to his injuries at first; instead, he immediately turned to look at the Lord, only to discover a fact that astonished him.
The black light symbolizing destruction hadn't hit the Lord at all; it had grazed the Lord's neck... This subtle distance control fully demonstrated a fact.
Fíliya had no intention of killing this Lord.
Although he couldn't understand what Fíliya was doing, a rare trace of relief appeared in Macht's heart. It was also at this moment that he finally had the leisure to observe his own injuries.
His right arm was completely gone, yet there was no blood... This couldn't help but puzzle him.
"Kneel."
At this moment, Fíliya had descended again and slowly walked to Macht's side.
"...?"
Macht, seeing Fíliya suddenly appear before him, momentarily couldn't react to what she had said.
"Didn't you hear me tell you to kneel?"
Fíliya urged him impatiently, even landing a whip kick on Macht's body.
So Macht complied, obediently kneeling on the ground, looking as if he would submit to any punishment.
"I do not quite understand. What exactly do you intend to do?"
Macht hesitated, but spoke nonetheless.
"It's simple. I heard that you spent hundreds of years unable to understand what 'Malice' or 'Guilt' meant... so I was very curious if you were really that stupid. But looking at it now... aren't you quite smart? One experiential lesson, and you've learned everything."
"A Demon's life does not contain things 'to be protected'. Once you actually perform the act of protecting something, you are very close to understanding malice... So, even if forced, I had to make you act."
"Now, think back carefully to those crowds surrounding you. Those poor fellows still know nothing; even though you turned them into gold and left them isolated from the world here for decades, they still trust you so much... After all, you were once their Guardian God. Although it was just an inconsequential experiment to you, what you harvested was the sincerity of these mortals."
"So, if you felt anything in your heart at that moment, do not doubt it—that is the thing named 'Guilt'... How was that? As a teacher, am I not quite qualified? If the disciple is still dull, I do have other teaching methods."
Fíliya said this and kicked Macht again.
"By the way, are you really stupid? I specifically demonstrated that magic to you once, so why did you still dare to take it head-on? I'm honestly impressed."
Fíliya cursed and grumbled at Macht.
And Macht finally recovered a little from his shock at this time.
Everything... was actually like this?
He had truly been played in the palm of this little human girl's hand.
Macht looked at his missing right arm, only feeling a gloomy, cold sensation spiraling within his body, lingering and refusing to disperse.
"This magic..."
He subconsciously wanted to ask something.
"Don't think about it. Your right hand is completely ruined; it has been erased conceptually. It's as if you never had a right hand from birth... Priests can't reattach it in this situation."
At this moment, Fíliya actually felt a bit guilty. Being able to use [Magic to Disintegrate All Things] twice was already her current limit. Fortunately, she was a fellow very skilled at disguise and acting.
"Is that so..." Macht murmured, then nodded.
Just losing a right hand? Such a judgment is a bit too light... After all, I am a mage; I do not rely on a dominant hand like a warrior does.
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
Immediately after, he saw a rainbow-colored light shoot from Fíliya's hand into the sky, and the already tottering [Great Barrier of the Golden Land] finally completed its mission and was thoroughly dismantled.
"What is this?" Macht asked in confusion.
"Can't you see? This barrier was going to shatter anyway, so I just sent it on its final journey directly. By the way... did you notice something interesting? Is this world covered in gold fading?"
Fíliya looked into the distance with a smile. She could clearly feel that starting from the edge of the Golden Land, the golden color covering everything was melting away rapidly like ice and snow.
"...Is it Frieren?"
Macht opened his eyes wide in some surprise.
"Oh? Sure enough, it's her... So I am 'quick to solve', and she is 'better at solving'? ...Tch, let's call it a draw. By the way, how did she do it?"
Fíliya inquired of Macht with a curious look.
"A month ago, an elderly human named Lernen brought a young human woman into the barrier... They wanted to actively engage me in combat. I merely dealt with them casually at the time, but unexpectedly, that human woman stole a portion of my memories."
"Oh? By 'portion', you mean?"
"There should be a few hundred years' worth. They seemed to want to find the solution to [Gold Transformation] from my memories... I didn't expect them to actually succeed."
Macht used a tone that sounded like a sigh at this moment, because he knew very well that from this instant on, his Gold Transformation was no longer something unsolvable.
"Is that so."
Fíliya nodded; she could more or less guess it.
Someone who can steal hundreds of years of memories from a Great Demon... undoubtedly, only Edel could do that.
But analyzing hundreds of years of memories is too heavy a burden for Edel. She likely just transferred that memory to Frieren.
So Frieren playing the Sleeping Beauty was also because the burden was too heavy, was it? ...Tch.
Running over at the very end to play the savior and steal the credit, huh? You damn white-haired elf, wait until I see you; I'm going to yank your twin tails hard!
After roasting Frieren in her heart, Fíliya finally began to move her body, preparing to leave this place.
But just then.
"Lady Fíliya?"
Macht stopped her again with a puzzled voice.
"What do you want? I'm in a hurry." Fíliya looked at him impatiently.
"I don't understand..."
"Nonsense, there's plenty you don't understand."
"Aren't you supposed to dispose of me?"
"Hah? Are you crazy? I don't have time to waste here with you, someone is waiting for me... But that magic of yours left a deep impression on me. It's quite powerful. I'll come discuss it with you when I have time."
After rolling her eyes at Macht with a look of disdain, Fíliya immediately disappeared from the spot, leaving Macht alone to contemplate the empty street scene around him.
The [Great Barrier of the Golden Land] that had trapped him for decades was broken, and the [Command Bracelet] binding him had also been thoroughly annihilated in that magic of Lady Fíliya's just now.
Reasonably speaking, this was an excellent opportunity to escape... but he felt his footsteps were too heavy; he simply could not take a step.
"My bad friend, it looks like you've fallen into quite a terrible situation."
A familiar voice rang out behind Macht.
Macht immediately turned around, then half-knelt in front of this person.
"Lord Glück."
Macht spoke the other's name.
"Your hand?"
Glück looked at the empty space where Macht's right arm should have been, his gaze appearing slightly curious.
"It simply vanished completely."
"Is that so? For a fellow like you who should go to hell, such a punishment is a bit too light."
As Glück spoke, he smiled and took a cigarette from his breast pocket.
Macht took a swift step forward, habitually igniting a small flame at his fingertip to light the cigarette for the other.
"I think so as well. However, it won't be long before the true judgment comes, I suppose."
"That is certain. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to muddle through this time... So, where is the little hero who saved this place? Or was it an old hero?"
Lord Glück took a drag of the cigarette into his lungs, then curiously observed the surroundings. Although the street scene was exactly the same as in that moment, for these locals of Weise, these decades had indeed been like time standing still.
"A hero, is it... I feel that by human standards, that Lady does not quite fit the title."
Macht said this, smiling helplessly once more.
"Oh? That is to say... she is a fellow with bad taste, just like you and me?"
"Precisely."
____
👻🔥The Director is back! But with a brand new look, heheh...🔥👻
New Story: Classroom of the Elite: Black Sphere Academia
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead on all series.
✅ Get exclusive content and updates.
Help us hit our targets:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 bonus chapters (all stories)!
👻 P - Walnut-chan