Above the West Sea.
She, who had flown several times faster than even the magic-powered high-speed helicopters, one of the Magic Tower's inventions, immediately cast a wide-area detecting spell across the West Sea region.
Observed within the widely spread net of magic, the number of rapidly moving islands, both large and small, was approximately 300.
She didn't need to destroy all the islands.
“150… no, perhaps around 200.”
Judging by the form of the magic circle she had seen in New York, destroying roughly 150, or to be safe, about 200 islands, would completely cripple one axis of the magic circle.
Even though the burden was reduced by about 100 islands, it didn't change much.
Whether it was 200 or 300, it remained an immense number that most abilities couldn't even attempt to tackle.
But she was different.
“Haa.”
As she exhaled every last breath clinging to her lungs, the flow of mana through her body gradually accelerated.
It had been a long time since she'd seen real combat.
Despite being fully capable of active duty, she rarely appeared on the front lines.
Why was that?
Was it due to the disillusionment she felt towards some humans who couldn't even properly acknowledge the grace of being saved?
While that was the biggest reason, it wasn't the only one.
Among the very minor reasons, her mana was also a factor.
Whoosh!
The moment mana left her body, a flame ignited at its very tip, like a wick.
A mage who reached a higher realm found their mana gradually becoming closer to nature.
Han Ju-hee, known by the epithet 'Scarlet Witch,' had honed her mana into fire.
As she advanced step by step beyond the S-rank, a realm considered beyond human, her mana increasingly resembled fire itself.
Whoosh—!
Fire that ravenously devoured everything, turning it into black ash.
This phenomenon greatly amplified the power of her fire-attribute magic, which was already considered top-tier in terms of destructive force.
To the extent that even a small spell could easily reduce a small building to ashes.
Even for her, who had wielded fire-attribute mana her entire life, controlling it was no easy feat.
While it was easy to adjust a spell with a power of 10 down to 1, reducing a spell with a power of 100 or 1000 to 1 required investing more mana into control than was used for the spell itself.
That was one of the reasons she refrained from deploying.
You don't burn down the whole house just to catch one flea, do you?
This was a kind of transitional period.
To transcend the S-rank, not just by one step, but by an entire dimension.
However, it wasn't easy.
Because of this, she had experienced a period of stagnation for over five years, yet found no answer.
But then Kim Do-jin appeared, and the situation changed.
The eyes that could see mana.
Her struggle to obtain them became the driving force to advance into a new world.
Thus, her mana, which had become fire itself, gained a unique Trait.
With even a single speck of mana released from her body, she could now create a massive fire.
How?
「Ignition.」
All she had to do was ignite a wick made of a small amount of mana.
Then, that small flame would ravenously devour the surrounding mana, growing naturally.
Indeed.
Her mana, transformed into fire, could now endlessly grow by consuming not only oxygen but also mana.
Whoosh!
The blazing flame grew larger and larger, beginning to dominate its surroundings.
The color of the flame was a brilliant crimson, untainted by even a hint of impurity, just like her hair.
She gestured.
“Divide.”
The massive flame split into countless pieces, each then consuming the surrounding mana and swelling in size.
Repeating this process several times, dozens of fireballs became hundreds, and soon, hundreds of fireballs became thousands.
Han Ju-hee then input the coordinates of the islands, identified through her detecting spell, into each fireball.
Now, with a single command, the fireballs would rain down like a deluge, mercilessly shattering the islands.
Just as she had completed all preparations and was about to utter the final incantation.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
A familiar voice pierced her ears.
Han Ju-hee turned, her lips pressed into a tight line.
There stood Chris Emir, his face bearing the same familiar smile.
“This situation is quite unexpected. I thought that even if you couldn't help, you wouldn't at least interfere.”
“The old me would have, yes.”
Han Ju-hee smiled sadly, lowering her head slightly.
Then, raising her head once more, her eyes shone fiercely.
“But not anymore.”
“......”
The moment he saw her eyes, Chris realized.
“You’ve changed.”
The last time he had seen her eyes, all he perceived was hesitation.
Unable to easily make up her mind, merely wavering, dabbling in many things but connecting none, simply wasting time meaninglessly.
But not now.
Her eyes were fixed on a single goal.
What could it be?
That goal she pursued so fiercely.
After a moment of thought, he opened his mouth to persuade her once more.
“It’s not too late. Withdraw your magic and lend me your strength. If you do that, I’ll show you the world I promised.”
Once the Gate of the Abyss opens, the grand vision he has drawn will finally be complete.
And the moment that vision is complete, both his and her deepest desires will instantly be within reach.
“Didn’t you want it? A world where your husband is safe and respected.”
“That’s right.”
Han Ju-hee nodded, readily admitting it.
She had wished for her husband to no longer have to rush into mortal danger, and to be treated with respect commensurate to the number of lives he had saved with his own.
She wished for him to be happy amidst praises as brilliant and untainted as the sun, rather than a glory stained with blood, sweat, and humiliation.
That desire, that wish, had not faded even now.
However, she had simply realized something.
That her husband didn't want that.
That he considered the tarnished medals, stained with blood and sweat, now unable to emit even a single ray of light, as his pride.
That taking those away from him would be akin to driving him to his death.
She had realized this through her conversation with Kim Do-jin.
And she regretted it.
That time when they had turned their backs on each other, exchanging no words, merely sizing each other up.
But no matter how much she regretted it, the past could not be undone, so she thought.
How she could alleviate this regret, even just a little.
There was only one answer she arrived at.
“To protect what he holds dear.”
To safeguard everything he cherished more than his own death, and to protect his life with her own.
“That is all I wish for now.”
Therefore.
“Don’t try to sway me with your deceptive words any longer.”
Severing her connection with him decisively, she completed the incantation she had been unable to utter before.
「Meteor Swarm.」
The crimson fireballs that had been engulfing her surroundings shot up into the sky.
Whoosh—!
Piercing through the clouds, the fireballs, flickering like stars adorning the night sky, then rained down in a massive arc towards their pre-designated coordinates.
Behind this dazzlingly beautiful spectacle, truly worthy of being called a meteor shower.
CRASH!
BOOM!
RUMBLE—!
As if mocking the beauty, devastating destruction followed.
Traces of habitats, abandoned for years or even decades, turned to ash, and landmasses that had majestically floated on the sea for millennia crumbled into dust, clouding the blue ocean before finally sinking.
The colossal dust clouds, rising into the clear sky from the heat emanating from her body, slowly dispersed, leaving only desolate traces on the sea.
Small islands shattered and sank into the ocean, while larger islands, with only tiny fragments barely afloat, evoked a sense of bitterness.
She had destroyed someone's home, a place they longed for their entire lives, a place to return to.
It was incredibly heartbreaking, but.
-“Interception of approximately 200 moving islands near the East Sea complete.”
-“380 islands in the South Sea destroyed. We left a few, but their function should be completely halted.”
Hearing the successive reports of victory through the badge pinned near her chest, she felt an even greater sense of relief.
With this, at least the Gate of the Abyss would not open.
Now, all that remained was to help Kim Do-jin cut off the breath of Leviathan, which was rampaging through Seoul.
However, she wasn't sure if she could return safely.
Because Chris Emir stood before her eyes.
‘Can I escape?’
Now that she had reached a higher realm, she could finally feel it.
A current of the vast ocean flowing within him.
Gripping her staff tighter, her hands trembling at the overwhelming difference in power, she asked.
“Your plan is over.”
Perhaps it was for the best.
Rather than letting that monster join forces with Leviathan to attack her husband, it would be better to keep him trapped here, even for a short while, to prevent him from causing trouble.
For this, she was prepared to sacrifice even a part of the Korean Peninsula, and she began to draw forth her mana.
“Is that so?”
He, who had been standing silently, uttered a meaningful remark.
The moment she sensed something unsettling.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from the sea.
Han Ju-hee hastily turned her head.
What met her eyes was a pillar of light, soaring so high it seemed to touch the sky.
And that pillar of light was rising precisely from the seabed where she had destroyed the islands.
“You, surely…!”
A dizzying thought flashed through her mind, and as she glared at Chris again, he continued with a smile.
“My plan truly begins now.”
So, watch.
“What choice he will make.”
It will be very interesting, won’t it?
His low voice, seething with malice, disoriented her ears.