Chapter 26: Nahash ②

Sweat dampened my palms. Before me, Ichinose and Nahash engaged in a fierce battle to the death. Sharp sword flashes sliced through the air, and Nahash’s roar shook the dungeon walls. The sound of clashing mana reverberated with ear-splitting intensity. My heartbeat quickened with tension and impatience.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

Carnelia asked over my shoulder. Her voice held both anxiety and a determination to do something.

I nodded quietly and turned around.

“…I will use a spell. This spell requires the mana of three people, so please take my hand.”

After a brief silence, Elena stepped forward. My little sister timidly extended her hand—small, slender, yet firmly warm.

“…If you say so, Sister, I’ll do anything.”

Those words warmed my chest.

Next, Carnelia threw a glance at the battle between Ichinose and Nahash for just a moment, then looked straight at me.

“It’s my best friend asking, so I’ll give you all the mana you need.”

Her hand overlapped with my palm. It was slightly cool, yet carried a strange sense of reassurance.

Finally, Prefa hesitantly reached out her hand.

“I don’t know if my mana will be enough…”

Her hand was the coldest and trembled. But the moment it touched mine, though still shaking, she gripped tightly—I could feel her mustering her courage.

“Everyone, thank you.”

The moment the three hands touched me, mana began flowing in—warm, yet undeniably powerful.

“…My strength is draining…”

Carnelia furrowed her brows and let out a confused voice while staring at my hand.

“My mana is… being drawn in…”

Elena gasped and stared intently at her own palm.

“This sensation… is a first for me…”

Prefa held her breath and closed her eyes, tightly intertwining her fingers.

But… it’s not enough…!

“As I thought, just a little more…!”

Inside me, the three sources of mana clashed and swirled like different heartbeats. A torrent of mana so intense it stole my breath tormented my body.

Mana is like a fingerprint—unique to each person.

Connect Resonance is a spell that forcibly binds together mana of different natures.

Each person’s mana naturally repels the others. But that collision of opposing forces generates enormous energy. The more people there are, the more varied the mana properties become, and the greater the repulsive force of their clash.

This spell formula should normally be completed with ten people, yet we were forcibly activating it with only five.

I gritted my teeth and shouted.

“Ichinose, come here!”

She glanced at me for just an instant. Her eyes showed a moment’s hesitation, but immediately narrowed with resolve.

“…You ask the impossible.”

Her tone sounded exasperated, but it wasn’t a refusal.

“Second Tier—Demon Flame: Nine Demon Lanterns!”

In an instant, her blade erupted in flames. Nine crimson fires rose up faintly, floating in a circle behind her and illuminating the dungeon walls in vivid red.

“Go!!”

At her command, the nine flames attacked Nahash in a straight line. Nahash reflexively twisted its body. Three flames tore through the air and missed, but the remaining six struck its torso accurately.

“Gugyaaaaaaah!!”

Nahash’s massive body, engulfed in flames, writhed in agony as blackened, charred scales peeled away. Its eyes no longer held any trace of reason—only rage, pain, and murderous intent.

I held out my hand to Ichinose. She looked at me for just a moment, then silently took it.

The instant Ichinose took my hand—as if waiting for that moment, Nahash roared and charged.

“So, what now?!”

Out of breath, Ichinose yelled.

“I’m gathering mana now… Just a little more time…!”

The distance to Nahash rapidly closed—five meters… four meters…!

Just a little more…

At that moment—

“I’ll buy us time!”

The one who shouted was Prefa.

Her ears perked up as she declared boldly.

“Second Tier—Phantasm Planes: Illusory Realm!”

With her incantation, flames danced upward. The heat-bearing illusion shimmered like actual fire, and I could see Nahash, having been burned by Ichinose’s earlier attack, slow its movements as if avoiding the flames.

“It’s an illusion with heat.”

“Thank you, Prefa.”

I smiled at her.

We gripped each other’s hands tightly—and connected our mana as one.

Light gathered. The air trembled. Everyone’s mana poured into me.

It’s enough…! With this…!

I felt mana flowing into every part of my body. Everyone’s mana fused with mine in a spiraling vortex. The sensation of my entire body being filled with immense power.

“Now!”

The moment I shouted, Nahash broke through the flames, coiled its entire body, and leaped at us all at once. Its massive body, like a lump of pure muscle, bore down on us with momentum enough to crush us flat.

“Connect Resonance!!”

I concentrated that immense mana into a single point and released it. A mass of pure mana struck Nahash as a torrent of light.

With a thunderous roar, the light exploded.

Nahash’s massive body was blown away like a scrap of paper. A dull impact echoed as it slammed into the wall, then punched straight through, creating a hole to the other side.

Beyond that hole lay Nahash’s motionless body.

We gasped for breath and looked at each other’s faces. A narrow victory—those words perfectly described this battle. The mana throughout my body was nearly depleted.

“We did it… We defeated it…”

Elena muttered in a trembling voice as she collapsed. Her voice mixed relief with faint excitement.

Once we confirmed Nahash was down, we slumped to the ground where we stood. Exhausted, but wrapped in the afterglow of victory.