"Vmmm..."
Beneath the atmospheric hum, astonishing pressure spread from Luo Zhen, as substantial as gravity itself, unbearably heavy.
Noelle watched as the mana around Luo Zhen gradually compressed, condensed, and grew stronger just as hers had—but it continued growing stronger until it ultimately reached a level far beyond the Compressed Mana she had refined.
As an Aerial Combat Mage, Noelle naturally knew that this was a sign Luo Zhen had finally started getting serious.
Luo Zhen's development of High-Grade Mana was a milestone for the Magical Technology of this world. No one was unaware of that fact.
However, not everyone necessarily knew that Luo Zhen could refine High-Grade Mana through his own power alone.
Noelle had not known about it either, but she had already guessed that even if Luo Zhen could not refine High-Grade Mana by himself, he could certainly refine Compressed Mana far denser than hers. Otherwise, he could never have developed High-Grade Mana, which stood above it.
Besides, Luo Zhen was known as the Magecraft King. His true strength lay in the use of formulas and the power of sorcery. Close combat was merely an optional supplement to his overall strength. Yet Luo Zhen could still suppress her to this degree through close combat alone. He had probably not even used one ten-thousandth of his strength.
Even now, Luo Zhen had only refined Compressed Mana with a compression level of 20%. His true limit was surely far beyond this, right?
Just how much strength had he brought out?
One percent?
One-thousandth?
One ten-thousandth?
Or had he not even used one ten-thousandth of his strength?
At that thought, the complex emotions rising in Noelle's heart were not humiliation, but something far more tangled.
Noelle knew that Luo Zhen was not deliberately looking down on or humiliating her.
If