Chapter 52 - Did I Kill Serie?

While I stared seriously at Serie, I suddenly felt something at my back. I spun around quickly and raised my hands, creating a barrier in front of me. Something solid slammed into it and shattered it into pieces.

I was hit and sent flying backward, crashing onto the ground.

“What? Why didn’t it work?”

With no time to think, I looked ahead and saw countless chunks of earth floating. Above them, Serie hovered in the air, staring coldly down at me. She really isn’t afraid of hurting Frieren’s body!

All those pieces of earth shot toward me at once—like powerful arrows fired in the blink of an eye.

I lifted my hands and formed a barrier around myself. I imagined the strongest protection I could: a shield made of iron. Of course, that didn’t work. I thought I could create anything I imagined, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

What actually formed around me was a solid barrier that, by its appearance, seemed to be made of rock. I heard Serie’s magic hammering against it—an ear-splitting, terrifying sound. Cracks began to spread across the shield, and I immediately created another one.

At the same time, I imagined a magic similar to hers. I created several stakes made of stone around my "dome." Since I don't know where she is currently, I fired magic in all directions.

I couldn’t see outside, but her spells eventually stopped hitting my shields—and I could definitely feel my mana draining rapidly.

This isn’t working.

Using magic like this won’t do any good. I’m only using weak spells and defensive barriers, and they’re draining my mana incredibly fast. And I’m far from the tree, so my mana probably won’t regenerate.

I need to use a large amount of mana and cast a single spell that immobilizes her. But how?

If I try something like the spell Frieren used when she killed Ares, I’ll kill Serie—and I don’t want that!

Is it possible to use a huge amount of mana for a teleportation spell?

That’s impossible… right?

I stopped using offensive magic, and silence fell. Sitting down on the dirt floor, still hidden inside my dome, I suddenly felt the ground beginning to tremble. “What are you doing?” I shouted.

Then the ground cracked open beneath me.

It was a deep, dark pit.

And then, I saw fire forming inside it.

She can control magic like this? She can manipulate every element just like I can?

The way magic works here is completely different from the original story!

The dome around me disappeared and I flew into the sky. The instant it happened, I felt danger approaching. When I turned around, Serie was already very close to me.

“Shi—!”

Before I could react, her fist slammed into my body.

A pain like nothing I had ever experienced shot through me as I was sent flying.

While I was still airborne, Serie appeared again, aiming another hit, but this time I managed to block her fist. Even so, I was thrown toward the ground at an even greater speed. I crashed violently, tearing through everything in my path.

I swallowed dirt, grass—everything.

I felt like I was going to throw up.

Before I could say anything else, Serie was already above me again, ready to throw another punch.

“Wait!”

“You’re useless. Even with all that power, you can’t do anything,” Serie said just before her fist shot toward my face.

I formed a barrier, and her punch smashed into it—but she kept attacking, and cracks began spreading through my shield.

If I don’t do something, I’m finished! I waited so long for this opportunity!

[ You used 10,000 mana points! ]

I lifted my hand just slightly and pointed it toward Serie’s head.

I acted without thinking. My hand glowed, and a small sphere of light formed. But within that tiny orb was an immense concentration of mana—an overwhelming power capable of wiping out a small army.

####

Pov: Frieren

I opened my eyes and realized I was in a strange place. It was dark—completely devoid of light. Yet even without any light at all, I could see my own body.

I looked at my hands and then stood up.

“Where am I?”

I began walking around, feeling oddly sleepy. I went to sleep and woke up here. I don’t remember ever experiencing anything like this, not even during the centuries I spent asleep. How strange.

“...”

I stayed silent, staring into the darkness while thinking about what could have caused this. Did I die? No, that’s not it.

Is this related to the person living inside me?

After thinking for a while, I reached that conclusion. Does this mean I lost control of my body to him?

“So this is where he’s trapped inside me? It’s really unsettling…”

There was no sound, no light—nothing. I couldn’t feel anything except my own body. Not even the sensation of touching the ground.

What a strange… and interesting place.

I smiled and focused intensely.

As soon as I did, a faint light appeared in front of me.

Inside that light, I saw images.

Images of Serie, right above me, preparing to strike.

“What does she think she’s doing? Is she trying to kill me? What the hell did you do while using my body, you idiot?”

That was enough for me. I needed to take control of my body again—something dangerous could happen at any moment.

It was easier than I expected.

I simply thought of him, and he appeared. Yes—the person normally trapped inside me. His body manifested in the dark space, unconscious. A middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. I walked up to him and kicked him hard in the stomach.

“Hey, you idiot.”

His eyes flew open, and in the same instant, my vision changed.

We switched places the moment I touched him.

After returning, I noticed a powerful spell formed in my hand.

“Whoa, that’s dangerous.”

I said that while moving my hand and pointing it toward the sky.

Right after that, I was struck by a punch, and the spell shot upward into the sky.