Battle

"Danger!!!"

Ull didn't need the urgent warning in his ear. The instant the milky-white light entered his field of vision, a violent sense of danger swept through his entire body, making every hair stand on end.

Basic Magic—Water Shield!

A blue Magic Circle appeared in his palm, and Ull instinctively cast Water Shield.

At his current level, only basic magic could be cast instantaneously.

As Ull's strength grew, so did the power of Water Shield in his hands. A deep-blue shield nearly two meters across formed in an instant, creating a massive barrier behind which Ull and Jeris were protected.

Unfortunately, even though the shield's power had increased dramatically, it was still no match for that milky-white light.

It happened in an instant.

Ull heard a soft hiss, and the Water Shield shattered...

Fortunately, at the last moment, Ull reacted quickly. He flung Jeris away with one hand and rolled across the ground himself, narrowly dodging the attack.

"Sizzle..."

The sound of something being scorched came from his body.

Ull glanced down. Only then did he finally see the true form of the milky-white light.

It was a white flame, but unlike ordinary fire, it wasn't especially hot. Wherever it scorched, instead of turning to ash, layer upon layer of ice crystals formed...

"What kind of flame is this?"

Ull was puzzled. It was yet another kind of magic that had never appeared in the original story.

So far, it seemed somewhat like the "yin fire" of the yin-yang theory from his previous life in China, but there were some differences.

Rrrip!

Ull tore off the lower half of his shirt. This flame was clearly dangerous, and he had no intention of testing its power. After all, he wasn't a special being like a Dragon Slayer Mage or a God Slayer Mage, who could recover their strength by devouring magic of the same element.

He tossed aside the piece of clothing that was nearly frozen solid, then slowly turned his gaze toward the two figures ahead.

He recognized one of them: the white-haired girl he'd seen outside the Fairy Tail guild hall earlier. She was the one who had just shouted "Danger!"

The other was also a woman, and she was the enemy who had just attacked him.

Compared to the white-haired girl, she was dressed far more provocatively. Though she wore purple leather armor from head to toe, it covered only a few vital areas; everywhere else, it served merely as decoration.

With her long purple hair and purple eyeshadow, the first impression she gave Ull was... alluring.

The two women standing together would have made anyone who saw them think of the phrase "angel and devil."

"Are you all right?"

Seeing that Ull had dodged the enemy's attack, the white-haired girl immediately came over and asked with concern.

She recognized Ull, too. She was puzzled about why such a weak Mage had come here, but this was clearly no time to ask.

"I'm fine." Ull shook his head to show he was all right.

Still, seeing the white-haired girl standing in front of him, Ull couldn't help sighing at her combat sense.

When the enemy had attacked him, the white-haired girl had known she wouldn't make it in time to save him. Her first move should have been to counterattack, not waste precious time protecting him when he had already dodged the blow.

But she had only been trying to help him, so Ull couldn't bring himself to say that.

Besides, her reaction didn't surprise him much.

The "good" and "evil" Mages in this world were sharply divided. People's thinking here was nowhere near as open-minded as it had been in his previous life.

Given the way the white-haired girl had been taught, she probably believed that even when fighting an enemy, the battle had to be "fair and just"!

"Sheris, you've gone too far!" Jelka stood in front of Ull, glaring furiously at the enemy.

"Too far? Jelka, after all these years, you're still that naïve? You should know exactly who that brat behind you is. If someone from Fairy Tail dares to interfere in matters between our guilds, they should be prepared for us to retaliate at any moment. As for this brat, he's just a little payback I'm collecting!"

As Sheris uttered her final word, she pointed lightly at Ull. Seven or eight arrows made entirely of white flame appeared in midair and shot toward him.

But this time, they were unlikely to hit Ull, since Jelka was standing in front of him.

Facing the arrows in the sky, Jelka lightly tapped the ground with her staff, which stood as tall as she did. A mass of golden magic quickly gathered above it, forming a circular barrier in an instant that blocked every arrow...

It clearly wasn't the first time Jelka and Sheris had fought.

As Sheris's arrows shattered, Jelka swung her staff and immediately launched a counterattack...