She called back her mana and stored it within her body. The earth wall crumbled like a sandcastle and filled the air with dust once more.
Without waiting for the dust to settle, she immediately summoned another wall. It would have been more efficient if she could formulate a new rune that would directly affect the surface of the soil, but she lacked the skill to do so. Though casting barriers of dirt was a foolish method, it was her only option.
Maxi continued to circulate mana in the intricate lines of the defensive rune. A faint tremor shook the ground each time it opened for an earth wall to spring up. But even after multiple attempts, the boulder showed no sign of falling.
Sensing that her mana was almost completely drained, Maxi swallowed hard. For all she knew, the bottom of the rock might extend far beneath the ground. If that was the case, she would have to summon a barrier hundreds of times to dislodgeit.
She clenched her fists. Had it been presumptuous of her to think that someone like her could make the Guardian of Eth Lene fall from where it had proudly stood for thousands of years?
But there is no other way….
The spells she knew were limited to the earth barrier spell, healing and restorative spells, and a spell to create sparks of fire. She had no other option than to keep trying.
In what felt like an attempt to smash a rock with an egg, Maxi repeated the process of summoning and breaking down her barrier. She had just finished her ninth attempt when she suddenly felt lightheaded, as if she were suffering heavy blood loss.
Maxi quickly withdrew her mana. Using it any further might lead to mana depletion. Out of breath and reelingwith dizziness, she looked up at the sky. The spectacular golden sunset almost made her feel resentful.
A crisp breeze brushed past her wet cheeks as she stared vacantly upward. Her whole body was aching, and her head felt empty. An uncontrollable tremor skittered through her.
The result would have been different had it been Ruth or Princess Agnes standing on this cliff. If the squires had taken Ruth out of the city instead of her, he would have succeeded in dealing a fearful blow to the monsters.
Utterly useless.
She winced as her father’s harsh voice rang in her ears. He had been right. Though she had tried her best to be useful, she remained a worthless being incapable of doing anything. It had been foolish to think that she could solve this crisis with her incompetence.
Maxi’s face contorted with anguish. She felt as though the monster’s ball of fire was lodged in her throat. She was struggling to swallow the burning lump when a deafening crash rang out from below. Maxi leaped to her feet and peered down the cliff.
Eth Lene’s remaining barrier was crumbling. A thunderous roar rose up from the monster army as they advanced toward the city.
Soldiers released a barrage of fire arrows, and mages hurled blazing flames from the ramparts. Faced with an enemy with regenerative powers, however, their attacks were not enough. Their opponents were essentially immortal.
With a fearsome bellow, the monsters rushed at the gates and began attacking. Filled with horror as she watched from afar, Maxi clenched her jaw and lowered her hands once more.
One last try. She would give it one last try.
She summoned her remaining mana and directed it once again in the pattern of the defensive rune. As mana flowed out of her, Maxi felt as though every single one of her veins were being drained of blood.
The ground shook as an earth wall fifteen kevettes high shot upward. Gritting her teeth, Maxi accelerated the speed of her mana circulation. To cause a fissure deep enough to dislodge the rock, she would have to draw the wall even higher.
Elevating her barrier farther and farther, Maxi let out a threatening mutter: “Break!”
Despite dredging up the last of her mana and pouring it into the barrier, the boulder did not budge. Maxi struck the ground with her fists in frustration, stifling a sob.
“Wh-Why won’t you break?!”
Burning tears welled in her eyes. She was now completely out of mana. The moment the influx of her mana was cut off, the earth wall collapsed in a pitiful cloud of dust. She woefully eyed the remains, her chest heaving with exhaustion and despair.
Suddenly, a thud boomed below her. Maxi’s eyes grew wide. Unable to bear the weight of the crumbling wall, the ground slowly began to tilt. Dirt and sand began to stream down toward the cliff edge. Maxi whirled away, but her legs were too weak for her to run properly.
As she desperately tried to escape the heaving earth, the cliff edge tilted farther, and the ground began to crumble. The landslide swept into Maxi and sent her tumbling. Just as she was about to plunge down the cliff with the cascade of dirt, someone caught her arm. Maxi screamed as searing pain tore through her shoulder.
She looked up to see Ulyseon’s ashen face. He hauled her up and leaped over the sinking earth like a wild animal. Maxi forgot about the pain in her shoulder as he dragged her along to escape the collapsing ground.
Cursing under his breath, Ulyseon wound his arm around her waist and leaped into the air. Searing pain shot through Maxi’s side, making her breath hitch. Ulyseon landed near a tree, as nimble as a cat, and grabbed one of its thick branches. He pressed against the trunk to shield them from the landslide.
Maxi desperately clung to him like a drowning person. A quake as powerful as the primordial schism of heaven and earth shook the ground, and booming thuds continued to reverberate for what felt like hours. When it finally grew eerily quiet, Maxi opened her eyes.
It took several long moments for her to understand what had happened. Her blurred vision gradually regained focus, and the full extent of the landslide and crushed monsters slowly came into view.
