Veron drew a deep breath and slammed the staff in his hand heavily against the ground, producing a crisp impact.
Bzzzz—!
A heart-palpitating wave rapidly spread outward from him.
The air seemed to turn heavy and viscous in that instant.
As he chanted a long, obscure incantation, a pale-green translucent spherical barrier slowly rose into view, completely enveloping Zoya.
Inside the barrier, even the light seemed to dim.
Yet the expected scene of the seal being undone did not appear.
As a high-ring spell with exceptionally strong duration, maintaining [Anti-Magic Barrier] consumed a vast amount of mana and mental energy. Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped onto Veron's forehead.
"Break!"
He let out a low shout and increased his mana output.
At that moment, Zoya, standing at the center of the barrier, suddenly showed a slight change in expression.
She did not feel the slightest sign of the shackles binding the mana within her loosening, but under the effects of [Anti-Magic Barrier], a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.
Instinctively, she raised a hand to press against her temple, her body swaying somewhat uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Veron was still gritting his teeth and holding on.
His complexion shifted from ruddy to pale, and his body began to tremble faintly beyond his control.
How was this possible?
This was an eight-ring [Anti-Magic Barrier]!
Even a restriction set by a legendary mage should have loosened somewhat within this domain!
But now, that seal was as though it did not exist in this dimension at all—completely untouchable.
Instead, the one being subjected to the spell... seemed to be in rather bad condition.
"That's enough. Stop, Veron."
Just as Veron was preparing to forcibly keep it going, Flora, who had been closely watching the situation, suddenly spoke.
Her gaze first swept over Veron's trembling