Chapter 496: Something that Doesn’t Exist, but Exists? Sorry, I Failed to Catch that
The fires immediately and abruptly disappeared as Benjamin softly blew a gust of air from his mouth casually.
He had not even raised a hand, had not shown any sign of effort, and yet the flames had vanished as if they had never been.
It wasn’t really enough force to quench a lit torch, but the great flames disappeared, leaving Heka depressed and sullen.
Her arms dropped to her sides, her shoulders slumping as the warmth she had been craving vanished into nothing.
The brief moment of pleasure, of sweet and intoxicating heat against her skin, had been stolen from her by Benjamin’s casual intervention.
She pouted, a childish expression on her warrior’s face, and shot a glance of mild reproach at the man beside her.
The Adventurers had managed to escape the fire in their own ways, but the sudden disappearance of the flames far behind them had not gone unnoticed.
The ice witch was looking back, her blue eyes fixated on the point where a flood of flame had suddenly ceased, trying to understand why something so unnaturally occurred.
Her brow was furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line of concentration.
She scanned the empty space where Benjamin and Heka should have stood, her gaze passing over them without recognition, but there was something in her expression that suggested she knew something was there.
"Oh?! She noticed us!" Heka tapped Benjamin’s leg, pointing at the white haired witch who was squinting.
Her tone sounded both excited and alarmed, her earlier disappointment forgotten in the face of this new development.
"Nah. That’s not true," Benjamin shrugged, his posture relaxed and unconcerned. "If she could see us, then she must have done so since we arrived. That’s because we technically aren’t in the world right now."
"Eh?! Benjamin, what ARE you doing to keep us hidden again?! It’s beginning to sound awfully frightening!" Heka shuddered at the information she just got.
Her eyes widened, and she took an instinctive step closer to him, as if seeking protection from the very words he had spoken.
"It’s [Imaginary Barrier], one of my hopelessly many abilities... but on the more useful side," Benjamin explained, still watching the battle unfold.
His tone was casual and somewhat dismissive, as if he were describing something as mundane. "It is a type of spatial barrier that comes from a... let’s say, hypothetical existence. I mean, it’s something that doesn’t exist and cannot be reached by anything existing, not without my permission."
"Wh-What? I failed to catch that," Heka scratched her head, her expression one of confusion and frustration. She had always prided herself on her intelligence, her ability to understand complex concepts, but Benjamin’s explanations often left her feeling like a child struggling with lessons far beyond her years. "So... you have the power to make something... imaginary to become a real thing?"
"Hah! I wish!" Benjamin snickered a bit, shaking his head with a rueful smile. "That’s not it. While it DOES exist, [Imaginary Barrier] does not exist in the reality of the world. So the world ignores it. Currently, it’s not protecting us from the world, but it is storing our existence in a confined dome that ’doesn’t exist.’ Get it now? Wait, why are you counting with your fingers?!"
Benjamin shrieked as the very confused Heka started literally treating what he spoke of as math. Her lips moved soundlessly as she counted on her fingers, trying to work through the logic of his explanation.
Due to the Ice witch seeming distraction, the dragon left the other troublesome tiny people and rushed for the her instead with a speed that bordered on the wind.
The massive beast had apparently decided that the Ice user was the greatest threat, and it moved with a swiftness that seemed ridiculous for its size.
Its massive claws tore through the grass, its body low to the ground as it closed the distance between itself and its target.
It was almost on her, its teeth and claws out for the kill... but with a slide of her feet, without looking at it, she sent a wave of ice to form a pointy jagged boulder.
The witch’s movements were fluid, automatic, the response of someone who had faced death so many times that it had become routine.
Her spell was perfectly timed and aimed, and the jagged ice caught the dragon in the middle of its lunge.
The speeding monster jammed its mouth into it violently, the ice shattering against the dragon’s jaws, sending shards flying in all directions.
But while it was unable to kill the beast—only displace its movement—it had done its job.
The dragon’s charge had been broken, its momentum stolen by the unexpected obstacle.
With it unbalanced, the ice witch began a quick acrobatic dance of hands and legs, and the ice responded in swirling around the beast, raising it high in a frozen hurricane.
Her movements were hypnotic, a blur of graceful gestures and accurate footwork.
The ice rose around the dragon, forming spiraling columns that lifted the massive beast into the air.
The dragon roared in fury, its claws scrabbling uselessly against the frozen prison that held it suspended.
"Eric! Now!" The witch yelled, her hands trembling to keep the beast’s lower half bound with ice as it hung on the air.
The strain was visible in her face, in the fine lines of tension around her eyes and mouth. She was pushing herself to her limits, maintaining the ability through sheer force of will.
The Elf immediately burst towards the dragon in a flash of light, humming a spell that made his sword glow golden.
He moved with incredible speed, his body a blur of motion as he raced up the frozen hurricane. His feet found purchase on the ice where none should have existed, his steps defying gravity with every stride.
Running on the hurricane ice, Eric soon reached the beast, then he swung the sword.
His blade was a beacon of golden light, its glow intensifying with each passing moment.
The light was so bright that it cast long shadows across the battlefield, and one could see the hope in the eyes of the other adventurers as they watched their leader make his final strike.
"BE EXTINGUISHED BY THE LIGHT OF ELYNDOR!" His gender-neutral voice bellowed before the sword tore through the ice, going in and hitting the flesh of the lizard and tearing through.
The golden blade cut deep, carving a path through the dragon’s scales and into the vulnerable flesh beneath. For a moment, it seemed as if the attack would succeed, as if the Elf’s desperate gamble would pay off.
CRASHHH!!
But unfortunately, on reaching the bone, the sword shattered into pieces, and the broken ice allowed the dragon to slam the living shit out of the Elf’s body, sending him several meters down in an instant.
The pieces of the legendary blade scattered across the frozen battlefield, glittering like fallen stars. The Elf’s body tumbled through the air, limbs flailing wildly, before crashing into the ground with a concerning thud.