Chapter 317 -: 316 Escape.
Jasmine collapsed to one knee at the center of the arena, a mouthful of blood spilling from her lips before splattering across the colorless ground beneath her.
Her face had become as pale as paper, every trace of warmth drained away by the unimaginable strain she had placed upon herself.
Both of her hands trembled uncontrollably as she struggled to support her own weight, her breathing uneven and shallow while countless veins pulsed faintly around her crimson eyes.
Simply maintaining the spell had become a burden that pushed her body beyond its limits, and it was painfully obvious that she could not endure it for much longer.
Not far away, Julius remained locked in a fierce battle against the first-ranked spell caster.
Their weapons collided repeatedly with enough force to shake the entire arena, each exchange releasing violent waves of mana that swept across the battlefield and further fractured the already crumbling stone beneath their feet.
Neither side was willing to give an inch, yet both knew that every passing second brought the situation closer to complete disaster.
The arena had already descended into chaos, civilians were still struggling to escape the collapsing stands, and the terrifying spell blanketing the battlefield would not remain active forever.
They simply did not have the luxury of dragging the battle out any longer.
Gritting her teeth despite the blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth, Jasmine forced herself to raise a trembling hand before taking out the small cube that maintained her disguise.
There was no longer any point in hiding who they were. The moment the artifact was deactivated, her appearance returned to its original form.
Long raven-black hair cascaded freely until it spread across the ground around her, while her red eyes had already transformed into brilliant pitch-black eyes that were like deep black ink.
Combined with her flawless features, she possessed a beauty capable of capturing anyone’s heart at a single glance.
Rosalina Velentina.
Another violent cough escaped her as dark blood stained her lips, yet she ignored the pain entirely.
Pushing her already exhausted mind even further, the crimson glow within her eyes intensified until the lifeless copy of Dean Orin slowly rose from the shattered ground.
Like a puppet answering its master’s command, the colorless figure immediately rushed toward the first-ranked spell caster without hesitation.
The sudden interference forced the Zlycon to divert his attention for a brief instant, creating the opening Julius had been desperately waiting for.
His golden eyes flashed as he activated the second ability of the All-Seeing Eyes.
Having never witnessed the ability before, the first-ranked spell caster failed to recognize the danger until it was already too late.
Julius withdrew instead of pressing forward, and in the very next heartbeat a massive wound suddenly tore itself open across his opponent’s abdomen as though reality itself had turned against him.
Blood burst into the air while the spell caster staggered backward in shock, allowing Dean Orin to overwhelm him momentarily with a relentless barrage of attacks.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Julius immediately retreated toward Rosalina.
His condition was hardly any better than hers. His breathing had grown noticeably heavier, exhaustion was written plainly across his face, and the hand gripping his weapon trembled from overuse.
Surprisingly, however, his body bore almost no visible injuries despite the brutal battle he had fought. That apparent fortune was only temporary.
Every wound he had postponed through Event Horizon still awaited him in the near future, and once the spell reached its limit, the accumulated price would return all at once.
Broken bones, torn flesh, internal injuries, and unbearable pain would descend upon him without mercy.
Stopping beside Rosalina, Julius let out a slow, weary sigh before speaking.
"How much longer can you maintain this spell?"
Rosalina slowly shook her head, her inky-eyes dimming slightly as another cough forced more blood from her lips. This time the blood had begun turning black.
"Not much longer," she answered weakly. "The manifestations aren’t very strong either. They’re only as powerful as I am."
Julius frowned, concern flashing across his face as he watched her condition worsen. Even so, he forced himself to suppress those emotions.
There simply wasn’t time to worry. His gaze swept across the arena instead. Most of the powerful warriors had abandoned their battles to rescue civilians trapped beneath the collapsing stands while the monstrous manifestations continued attacking indiscriminately.
For the moment, the confusion prevented anyone from focusing entirely on them, but Julius understood that this fragile opportunity would disappear very soon.
Nearly half of the spell’s duration had already passed. Once the remaining few minutes expired, the entire battlefield would stabilize again, and every surviving expert would turn their attention toward the two intruders.
Biting down hard enough for blood to fill his mouth, Julius finally spoke.
"We need to escape."
Rosalina slowly raised her head to look at him.
"...Where?"
"I don’t know," Julius muttered through clenched teeth, frustration evident in his voice.
"I can’t contact Mom, and we can’t travel upward toward the Three Floating Continents either. There’s an invisible barrier surrounding the region. It must have been erected after the assassinations."
His expression darkened further as anger continued building within him. Their situation had become unimaginably worse than before.
Once Rosalina’s spell ended, her mana would be completely exhausted, leaving her unable to cast another spell for at least several hours.
Julius himself wasn’t in any better condition. Event Horizon had allowed him to borrow strength from tomorrow, but that debt would soon become unavoidable.
Beginning the following day, he would lose access to his mana altogether, while every injury he had delayed would crash down upon his body simultaneously.
Torn muscles, fractured bones, punctured flesh, internal bleeding... every ounce of pain he had escaped throughout his battles, especially his duel against Lyra, would return without exception.
For nearly two weeks, he would become little more than a cripple.
"...That bitch."
The words slipped from his mouth before he could stop himself. Merely remembering Lyra caused fresh irritation to surge through him.
If not for her interference, their identities would never have been exposed in the first place.
Fortunately, after breaking free from the dream she had imprisoned him within, he had wasted no time.
The backlash from forcibly shattering her dream had already left her gravely injured, and the moment Julius regained his senses, he drove his blade through her without hesitation, ending her life before she had any chance to resist.
Taking a deep breath, Julius forced those thoughts aside before looking directly at Rosalina.
"Imagine Mom."
Rosalina gave a weak nod. The crimson light within her eyes brightened once more despite the unbearable strain, and moments later another colorless figure slowly emerged from the fractured earth.
Long golden hair flowed gently behind her as she stood calmly before them.
Elizabeth Augustus Hayes.
Although Julius understood perfectly that the woman before him was nothing more than one of Rosalina’s manifestations, his heart still tightened at the familiar sight.
She looked exactly like his mother, yet she lacked the warmth that truly defined Elizabeth.
The real woman would never have stood so quietly after seeing him in such a miserable state. She would have rushed over immediately, pulled him into a crushing embrace, and showered him with worried questions before anything else.
Without needing instructions, the manifestation calmly raised a hand toward the empty air.
Space itself rippled before a long tear slowly formed in front of her, revealing a swirling passage leading beyond the arena.
Watching the portal open, Julius couldn’t help feeling another wave of regret.
Rosalina’s manifestation possessed only the strength Rosalina herself currently held, meaning the distance she could tear through space was extremely limited.
Had the real Elizabeth stood here instead, they could have crossed the barrier entirely and returned safely to the Three Floating Continents in a single step.
The fact that he still couldn’t establish contact with her through the communication ring made no sense, but there was no time left to dwell on it.
"...Damn it."
Shaking away the frustration, Julius carefully lifted Rosalina into his arms before stepping through the spatial tear without another word.
The instant both of them disappeared beyond the portal, the monochrome manifestations scattered throughout the arena gradually dissolved into drifting fragments of fading light, while the colorless world itself slowly began collapsing alongside them.