“This is—”
Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
My defensive barrier was gradually pushing back her light bullets.
“Your Magic Power is increasing again…!? More than before, and at such a rapid rate—this is impossible!”
Dorothea was in disarray.
I was just as surprised as she was.
The moment I took her hand, an immense surge of Magic Power flooded out from within me.
I recognized this feeling.
Yes, it was similar to the sensation of amplifying my Magic Power using a staff.
“Could it be… Dita—”
“…Using Dita’s Orb to amplify Abel’s Magic Power.”
Dita spoke quietly, as if she had just realized something, addressing Dorothea.
“Huh?”
“…The Orb embedded in Dita’s forehead is a prototype of the Orb you are using.”
“Embedded…?”
I recalled Dorothea’s earlier words.
‘The core of the Orb is embedded within a dedicated homunculus, integrated and cultivated over a long period before being extracted—’
That was the method of creating a Magic Orb, she had said.
Since Dita is also a homunculus, does that mean she has an Orb embedded within her?
“…Abel, let’s go—”
“Yeah, let’s do it, Dita!”
I grasped her hand and raised my other hand—.
“Impossible…!?”
It was Dorothea who let out a cry of astonishment.
My amplified defensive Magic had repelled her Photon Blast.
“But it’s not so simple that you can fight with just that. I—”
The deadly struggle resumed.
—Once again, I was being pushed to the limit.
If it were just raw Magic Power alone, I probably surpassed her.
But in terms of the performance of the Orb as an amplifier, Dorothea had the upper hand.
And the presence or absence of Megid Mirage also played a role.
Dorothea’s spellcasting speed was far faster than mine.
Her defense against Magic was also on a completely different level.
That gap was what was pushing me to the edge.
It’s still not enough.
I need more power.
I looked at Dita beside me.
I felt the warmth of her small hand.
More… more power.
“Wyvern Spear!”
Dorothea unleashed a flame spell.
As expected, her casting speed was fast!
I barely managed to deploy a Defensive Spell and deflected it.
“Titan’s Bolt!”
Without a moment’s delay, a thunder attack now enveloped my surroundings.
With a high-speed flying spell, I took to the air with Dita.
It was a close call.
“…Abel.”
“It’s fine, Dita.”
I nodded to her, who looked worried.
—I remembered Dita’s sad expression from before.
I never want to see her make that face again.
I thought of Claire and the others, who were struggling.
I needed to defeat Dorothea and go protect them.
So I wished.
To protect what’s important.
Give me even more power—.
“Now, it’s over! Photon Blast!”
Dorothea fired a pale light bullet.
And it wasn’t just one shot.
There were six in total.
The light bullets advanced from all directions—front, back, left, right, above, and below—leaving no room for escape!
Damn it, what do I do—.
I subconsciously squeezed Dita’s hand tighter.
Dita squeezed back.
When I looked at her, she gave a small nod.
At the same time, an image flashed through my mind.
That’s right, there was one thing I hadn’t tried yet.
I had no guarantee it would work.
But I had no choice but to gamble.
To win.
To protect what’s important.
“…Ugh, ooooh…!”
I let out a short roar.
In an instant, a blinding light overflowed.
“What…!?”
Dorothea exclaimed in shock.
The overflowing light enveloped all six light bullets, erasing them.
“To obliterate all six Original Spells…!? Could it be—”
Dorothea stared at me in stunned silence.
More precisely, at my left arm.
There, a black and gold gauntlet was now equipped.
It seemed I had won my desperate gamble.
“Although incomplete, I’ve managed to create… Megid Mirage.”
Dorothea groaned.
“To create it purely through instinct, without any knowledge…!?”
