Fina's Battle

Rolandis, of course, was unaware that her so-called desperate escape was nothing but a joke in Li Lin's eyes. Although Fina had displayed abilities beyond her expectations, Rolandis did not give up. She still maintained a swift and decisive approach to the battle. After Fina cast Minor Spell Immunity Barrier, Rolandis changed her tactics. She could tell at a glance that the staff Fina held was no ordinary weapon, so she immediately cast a defensive spell on herself. Then, with a flash of fire, three blazing arrows appeared out of thin air and shot towards Fina.

Clearly, Rolandis wasn't the kind of pampered young lady who only knew how to memorize books at home. Although she released her three fire arrows, their target wasn't Fina herself. The arrows exploded on the mound of earth in front of Fina, creating a loud bang and dust. She didn't care about anything else anymore. If Fina continued to entangle her like this, Li Lin and Angela would naturally notice something was wrong. Since that was the case, she might as well strike first.

The dust and smoke from the explosion immediately enveloped Fina's figure. Although Minor Spell Immunity Shield could nullify most low- to mid-level spells, it was utterly powerless against non-magical natural forces. With her vision obstructed, it wouldn't be easy for Fina to pinpoint her target. Rolandis immediately seized this fleeting opportunity, silently chanting an incantation. With a vibration of magical power, one of her earrings quietly shattered, transforming into a brightly colored spatial portal. While it was impossible to predict where this random portal would transport the user, for Rolandis in her current state, wherever she went was far better than staying near these people.

At that very moment, a white halo shot out from the smoke and dust, landing precisely on Rolandis.

"Ugh...!"

A white halo enveloped Rolandis, completely severing the connection between her and the portal. She could only helplessly watch as the portal transformed back into magical light and dissipated into the air, unable to move forward even a fraction. Along with disappointment came fear. Rolandis stared in disbelief at Fina's gradually emerging form from the smoke, utterly bewildered as to how Fina had guessed her intention to use the portal to escape.

In fact, Fina hadn't anticipated Rolandis's use of a portal to escape. However, thanks to Li Lin's long-term magical training, Fina's combat style was naturally influenced by Li Lin. Although she couldn't yet cast spells like Isolation Barrier like Li Lin, Dimensional Anchor, as a fourth-level spell, was Fina's natural choice. She always remembered Li Lin's teaching, "Never let a mage have a chance to escape," so she cast this spell immediately to prevent her opponent's escape. As a combat strategy, this move was undoubtedly immature, even somewhat naive. After all, if the opponent didn't intend to escape, casting this spell would only trap them temporarily, which was obviously good news for mages who didn't rely on spatial movement or teleportation. This meant Fina wasted a spell, which was a fatal mistake in mage battles—especially between mages of similar levels.

Fortunately, Rolandis clearly had no intention of fighting a protracted battle. Her panicked actions ironically turned Fina's previously failed spell into a resounding success. Now, having lost her last lifeline, Rolandis had no way to escape.

"Hateful...!!"

Seeing her plan fall apart so easily, Rolandis was filled with resentment. She no longer cared whether Li Lin and Angela had noticed the problem, but instead devoted herself entirely to the magical battle against Fina. The anger that had been suppressed for days was ignited, and Rolandis finally began to recklessly and unrestrainedly launch a magical bombardment against Fina.

Under Rolandis's near-frenzied outburst, even Fina was somewhat surprised. The Minor Spell Immunity Shield wasn't omnipotent; it dissipated after barely withstanding three or four fireballs, acid sprays, and lightning strikes. Fina, meanwhile, could only rely on her Vampire Species -like speed and senses, far exceeding those of humans, to dodge the ensuing storm of attacks. And when faced with the automatically tracking Magic Missile, Fina could only use her few remaining protective spells to block them.

Compared to the enraged and reckless Rolandis, Fina clearly had more concerns. Li Lin had already told her that this young lady was important and should not be harmed casually. For Fina, a mage focused on protection and empowerment magic, not being able to harm her was already a significant constraint. If she possessed Li Lin's expertise in charm or divination spells, that would be ideal; Fina would have at least a dozen ways to deal with Rolandis without bloodshed. But now, she had to retreat and search her memories for spells that could resolve the current situation without harming Rolandis.

This dilemma is clearly not something a mage apprentice who hasn't yet completed his training can handle. Although Fina's overall strength is not much different from Rolandis's, she is far inferior in combat experience.

"Now!!"

Noticing that all the magical light around Fina had disappeared, Rolandis finally focused her mind and cast a spell, unleashing the most powerful magic she possessed.

"Why?"

Fina froze, staring at Rolandis's finger pointing at her, a sense of foreboding washing over her. Although she didn't know what kind of spell it was, Fina's intuition told her it was an extremely dangerous attack. Just as Fina was about to dodge Rolandis's attack, the female mage finished chanting the incantation, and then a tremendous roar appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah!!"

Having already possessed senses twice as acute as the average person, the deafening sound, which would cause even tinnitus in ordinary people, naturally had an even stronger impact on Fina. She felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, the piercing sound like an ice pick drilling into her brain. Just as she instinctively covered her ears, the ground in front of Rolandis seemed to be overturned and cracked by an invisible shockwave, extending towards Fina. Fina felt her body suddenly tighten, followed by intense pain from her chest.

Rolandis's Sonic Spear pierced Fina's chest without missing a beat, sending her flying backward in a spray of blood before she crashed heavily into the grass.

What's going on?

Not only did Li Lin look disgruntled, but even Angela showed her dissatisfaction. This battle could be considered Fina's first real combat against a mage, and she ended up suffering a crushing defeat. Of course, while the limitations imposed by Li Lin's orders couldn't be ignored, if this prevented her from harming her opponent, then what kind of mage was she? It would be easier for her to be a warrior. Angela was naturally dissatisfied as well. Although low-level Vampire Species didn't have the same magic resistance as high-level ones, they weren't that fragile. Moreover, in her previous battles, Fina had completely treated herself as an ordinary mage, not a powerful Vampire Species. She hadn't shown any intention of relying on the power of Vampire Species to achieve victory, which was what greatly displeased Angela. As a Vampire Species, not even knowing how to utilize her own strengths, she might as well be dead.

That's why, thinking they were no different, neither of them went out to check on her immediately. The harm Fina suffered was the result of her own actions, and this level of punishment was absolutely necessary.

However, it is clear that there are others who have different ideas from Li Lin and Angela.

"Fina!!"

Seeing her sister hurt, Mina, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer contain her anxiety and rushed out. Startled, Rolandis instinctively raised her hands to try and defend herself against any potential attack from Mina. But Mina didn't even glance at her again, and charged towards Fina's location.

"What a chaotic battle."

Just then, Li Lin also cast a spell and appeared beside Rolandis. He looked at Rolandis and shrugged.

"I would say you did a pretty good job."

"Snort!!"

Rolandis knew she had almost no magic left, and besides, she had just killed Li Lin's maid. She knew Li Lin wouldn't give her a friendly look no matter what, so she decided to just go all out.

"Alright, stop looking so grumpy."

Looking at Rolandis's expression, Li Lin had already guessed what she was thinking.

"Anyway, no one died, so I won't hold such a small matter against you. Besides, this is a valuable experience for Fina."

"Why?"

Hearing this, Rolandis was stunned. Not dead? What a joke! Although Rolandis was furious at the time, she was a mage who had undergone rigorous training since childhood. Maintaining a cold fighting spirit was crucial in battle. Rolandis clearly saw her Sound Wave Spear pierce the opponent's chest, so how could she not be dead?

However, when Rolandis saw Fina being helped by Mina, she was also stunned.

"Ouch... it hurts..."

A large hole had been pierced through Fina's chest, and by the cold moonlight, one could barely see the scenery behind her. Blood flowed from between her bones, slowly dripping to the ground.

"This, this is..."

No matter what kind of mage they were, they would be astonished by this extraordinary sight. Rolandis's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the unbelievable scene before her.

A necromancer? No, impossible. If she were a necromancer, why would she bleed? Rolandis had seen many ghosts and zombies, and none of them possessed such abilities. Moreover, these necromancers were intellectually deficient, while Fina clearly behaved like a human, not an idiot who only knew how to obey orders. A lich? Even less likely. Liches were powerful mages, impossible for a lowly mage like herself to defeat. Besides, liches were merely skeletons, lacking any physical body; even if struck, they wouldn't bleed.

What exactly is she?

"What an inappropriate behavior!"

A voice as cold as the sea on a winter night, like the sound of a silver bell, came from behind Rolandis. The killing intent contained within it made even Rolandis's blood freeze.

"To be unable to win against such third-rate trash is a disgrace to me."

Angela emerged from behind Rolandis in a thin gauze dress, her cold eyes devoid of any smile.

"Mina, tie this useless piece of trash to a rock and throw it into the sea."

"Why?"

Mina was clearly taken aback by Angela's order.

"Miss Angela..."

"Don't worry, I don't intend to abandon her. It's not easy to find a clansman who knows how to brew red tea. However, the cold seawater should help her clear her feverish head."

"Owner..."

Persuading Angela was an impossible task, so Mina turned her attention to Li Lin, hoping he could stop Angela's atrocities. Unfortunately...

"It won't be a big deal, don't worry, go ahead and do it."

It seems that Li Lin has no intention of protecting Fina anymore.