So I'm a Dragon, So What? - Game System [86]

No! I have to warn them!

But she couldn't. This entire section of the forest had been completely sealed off from the outside world. No message could get out. Not a magical signal, not even a carrier pigeon. They were trapped.

A cold, hard resolve settled over her. Then I'll kill them. I have to kill them all! Her mind, once filled with fear, now held only a single, burning thought: I have to protect Lord Elliot!

Fueled by this conviction, Emilia’s eyes began to glow with a golden light. 

Her soft, silvery hair seemed to capture the starlight, shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance. 

A terrifying surge of magical power erupted from deep within her, a raw, untamed energy that crackled in the air. 

This was the power of her title, [Witch of Envy], awakening within her. 

For a short time, she could assume the form of the Witch, drastically amplifying her own magical power. 

Boosted by [Magic Supremacy] and [Divine Magic Affinity], her magic stat, which was already impressive, soared past one thousand.

And it was still climbing! The golden light in her eyes grew brighter, more intense.

"What an honor!" one of the kneeling elves whispered in awe. "That we, in our lowly state, are permitted to witness the true glory of Her Highness the Saintess… She is truly worthy!"

The other elves began to tremble, not with fear, but with a fanatical, ecstatic fervor. Seeing Emilia in her Witch form, they prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting "All hail the Saintess!" without any intention of attacking her. Their frenzied worship made Emilia’s skin crawl.

But the Witch form could only be maintained for a very short time. She had to strike now, at the peak of her power, and eliminate them all!

Kamisato Art: Soumetsu!

Emilia showed no mercy. She immediately unleashed her most powerful attack spell, the ability Lord Elliot had gifted her. 

It possessed unparalleled destructive force; anyone caught in the swirling vortex of [Soumetsu] would be shredded into fine mist. 

And with the enhancements from [Ice Magic Mastery] and [Cryo Elementalist], the power of her ice magic was magnified to an incredible degree. 

With her current magic stat, the spell she cast was as powerful as one from a grand mage with over three thousand magic power.

The ice blades of [Soumetsu] tore through the kneeling elves like a meat grinder. 

In an instant, limbs were sent flying, and blood erupted like blooming crimson flowers. Seeing the carnage, Emilia felt a wave of nausea. But she had no choice. She had to fight.

"I do not ask for the Goddess's forgiveness," Emilia thought, a silent tear tracing a path down her cheek, "only for a clear conscience!"

But before she could even catch her breath, the shredded pieces of flesh on the ground suddenly began to twitch and float into the air. Like building blocks, they started to reassemble. 

Tendrils of flesh grew between the severed parts, knitting them back together with some unseen force. 

The elves who had been turned into a bloody paste by [Soumetsu] reformed before her very eyes.

And on their bodies, there wasn't a single scratch.

This was impossible. Elves were notoriously difficult to heal. 

Yet these elves, who had been completely obliterated, were restored to perfect condition in the span of a single breath! 

Seeing this ability that defied all logic, Emilia's jaw dropped. She couldn't find the words to describe what she was seeing.

Forbidden Magic! The term surfaced from the lessons Kumoko had drilled into her. It was a special class of magic, on par with the Seven Sins and Virtues. 

Human Transmutation, Resurrection, the creation of Chimeras… these were all forbidden arts. 

Only Forbidden Magic could produce such a heaven-defying healing effect. 

But every form of Forbidden Magic was powered by a sea of blood, requiring the slaughter of countless souls to perfect.

These elves… they were using such magic so openly? They were insane!

Reinhardt, the lead elf, stood fully restored, his face as impassive as ever. "Your Highness the Saintess, please come back with us." His voice was calm, but now held a chilling edge. 

"If you continue to be stubborn, your humble servants will be forced to use… other means!"

….

"Hmm?"

Back at the camp, just as he was preparing to cook lunch, Elliot suddenly looked up. 

Something was wrong. 

Terribly wrong. 

With Emilia’s skill, catching a few animals for dinner should have been a quick and easy task. Her mastery over ice magic was so precise that even Kumoko had been impressed. 

But she had been gone for too long.

With her abilities, catching a few wild animals for dinner was as easy as reaching into a pocket and pulling one out. 

But it was already late afternoon, and Emilia hadn't returned. That small deviation from her routine was enough to set Elliot on edge.

Kumoko felt it too. The tiny spider she'd attached to Emilia's collar, her little piece of shared consciousness, had suddenly gone silent. 

It hadn't been destroyed; the connection had simply been… severed. Cut off.

What kind of power could block my link? Kumoko wondered, her thoughts racing. The Demon Lord? No, no, Ariel is all about brute force. She wouldn't bother with something so sneaky. This kind of subtle, behind-the-scenes maneuvering… it felt more like the work of the elves.

She quickly came to a conclusion and was about to warn Elliot, but he had already spoken.

"Shiraori, you stay here. I'll go check on her."

As expected of Elliot, Kumoko thought, a hint of admiration in her mind. He’s so sharp; he noticed something was wrong right away. She nodded. 

With him handling it, she felt much more at ease. Besides, she had a faint feeling that something, or someone, was approaching their position as well.

"A large-scale isolation domain? Interesting," Elliot muttered to himself as he headed in Emilia's direction. Potimas had used a similar trick, the Anti-Magic Field, to try and neutralize him. 

This new domain felt similar in principle, but its scale was far, far greater.