Pie in the sky

Time rewound slightly, Arcueid only felt a flash of light before the real altar appeared before her. The cause and effect she had to deal with lay before her, but she felt no concern for it at the moment.

Outside, Arcueid looked around, but the other two had vanished.

"Bai Mo? Was she moved?" Of the three who had been traveling together, she was now alone. Bai Mo's sudden disappearance worried her greatly. As for Ciel, who had also disappeared...

If you're gone, then you're gone. It's best if you never come back.

"It wasn't a transfer, but rather entry into a special dream space. However, in his hands, it's hard to say which side is reality." The stone slab made a cold, treading sound, and the man's voice echoed in the cold altar.

Arcueid's crimson eyes were fixed on the newcomer, a pale-skinned vampire with peculiar eyes. One could sense the powerful life force emanating from him, along with an overwhelming strength.

"A dream? Is it the Night of Wallachia? The thirteenth Ancestor, it seems Altrouge Brunestud has really gone all out in investing in you." Arcueid's voice was as icy as a freezer, making the already cold underground even colder.

"That's fine, let me deal with you alone, so you won't run into Bai Mo." Arcueid's magic surged, as if she would be launched like a cannonball at any moment, but facing this dangerous situation, Roa sighed as if somewhat disappointed.

"How ugly. It's so damaged, yet you're still trying to hold on. You're worthless in your broken state. Oh well, it'll be good to test its power."

With a wave of his hand, Roa unleashed a massive True Magic circle that, aided by the Night of Wallachia, instantly enveloped the entire Souya City. Some people were bewildered, but many more clutched their hearts in disbelief.

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts so much!" The passerby screamed in agony, Pseudo Blood Ring on his body burned fiercely like a flame. One after another, beams of light shone, igniting the life force of those around him.

A single torch is not enough to warm a cold night, but a fire that sets the village ablaze is enough to dispel the chill of the night.

Intense bolts of electricity surged from Roa's body. He stretched out his hand with a frenzied laugh, "Incredible! Power is surging forth! I've finally broken free of these shackles! Is this the realm of Magnetic Field Rotation?"

Roa's aura grew stronger, Arcueid opened her eyes, her golden Mystic Eyes radiating a profound magical power. But Roa met her gaze directly and sneered, "Don't waste your energy. This thing of yours was useless against me in the past, let alone now."

But if you think that's the end of the story, you'd be sorely mistaken. The Mystic Eyes aren't actively driven by Arcueid; they manifest spontaneously when she unleashes her true power.

Roa sensed it too, but his eyes were filled with fervor, devoid of any unease or fear.

"Very well, let me see which is superior, this power or the primal force I seek."

Then, a beam of light surged into Roa's body, and his pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints. The connection of their souls allowed him to empathize with Ciel's pain, and a powerful force instantly surged forth!

With a deafening roar, everything around them was blasted away by the force. The breakthrough was complete. Arcueid sensed the power, then frowned and asked:

"Hey, Roa, is this 800,000 horsepower? Why does it feel about the same as the power Bai Mo used to attack me... but much weaker?"

Upon hearing this question, Roa raised an eyebrow, then seemed to realize something, revealing a mysterious smile as he replied, "Oh, you heard it from Black Princess, didn't you?"

"That's right, you don't seem as strong as Bai Mo at all. Do you really have 800,000 horses?"

"No."

Roa's answer stunned Arcueid, who immediately withdrew her prepared full-force attack. Roa then slowly said, "Fool, my reincarnation that time was an accident. Do you think everyone can be like you, using Marble Phantasm money when they're short?"

That reincarnation was still of Elesia, whose social background was nothing more than the daughter of a baker. Under your relentless pursuit, she could never raise enough funds to research this Magnetic Field Power, no matter how hard she tried her whole life.

Do you know how much it costs to create a simulated workout space? The energy consumption alone would be an astronomical expense; how could I possibly afford it back then!

Arcueid's mind went blank for a moment. Her lips twitched slightly as she asked, "What does this have to do with you lying? Why did you say you had the strength of 800,000 horses?!"

At this moment, Arcueid felt like Giant Shark that had just killed Lan Ji, only to find that the Kebao was only 750,000. He was overwhelmed with a sense of powerlessness, as if all his efforts had been in vain, and a burning anger at having been tricked.

Are you kidding me?! I didn't even have time to recover; I was saving my strength for one last strike against you, and you're just playing me for a fool?!

Roa, one hand on his hip and a mocking expression as if he were looking at an idiot, looked at Arcueid and said, "Didn't Altrouge Brunestud come knocking on my door? Saying she wanted to fund my research on this power. In that case, the proposal definitely needs to be well-written, otherwise how will I get her to invest?"

If she doesn't invest her own money, how will the remaining True Ancestor invest? Van Fem has already poured in one-tenth of his assets, and that's barely enough. This astronomical figure is something I couldn't possibly study even if I risked my life.

A princess as naive as you—no, you're more like a stubborn, self-imposed shrew now. Of course you wouldn't understand the difficulties involved; these are basic rules of the workplace.

Arcueid was speechless. For the first time in her life, Arcueid, who had always been as pure as a flower on a high mountain, experienced the darkness of society. From beginning to end, the so-called 800,000 horsepower was nothing but a pie in the sky lured by Roa!

Currently, his power is only around 240,000 horses.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that there's no connection to the Root; it's simply that for Magecraft to reach this level in such a short time is already quite remarkable.