Chapter 54: Maxwell’s Condition

"They are here!" Scarlett called Kasumi from afar.

The two of them kept searching each and every chamber in this damn place until Scarlett found the cell that was holding the slaves. At some point, her 'Scout' skill didn't work well, and she didn't know why.

"Stand back!" Kasumi signaled for Scarlett to stay back, and she immediately drew her Katana. With an elegant and perfect display of swordsmanship, Kasumi cut the iron door of the cell in half.

"!!!" The slaves trembled visibly at the sudden destruction of the cell door. They glanced at the entrance, blinded by the sudden torchlight, when Scarlett and Kasumi went inside the cell, shocked by what they saw.

They were expecting it, but seeing it with their own eyes was enough for them to feel their hearts stabbed by a thousand swords

Children. The slaves were children, wearing rags and collars around their necks with a dead look on their faces. Other than that, they looked fine, physically at least. There was no visible evidence of any abuse or torture.

"Who are you?" An adult woman suddenly stood. She took a few steps toward Scarlett and Kasumi, positioning herself between them and the children.

Kasumi glanced around, noticing that this woman was the only adult there. "We are here to save you. If you want to escape this place and be free, I suggest following us."

"..." The woman opened her eyes in shock, followed by the children, who quickly approached her.

"Are we going home?"

"Are they here to save us?"

"I..." The woman couldn't reply from her shock, and for a moment, hope ignited in her heart. She quickly shook her head and gazed at Kasumi with determination.

"If you can guarantee the safety of the children and their return to their families, we will follow you."

Kasumi nodded. "I can guarantee that, and I'll do my best to keep you all safe."

The woman nodded, and with that, they immediately made their escape with the woman and the children.

…

Pethra's heart raced as she saw Maxwell unleash a powerful surge of poison magic aimed directly at her. She knew she had to act quickly to evade the attack and protect herself. Time seemed to slow down as she assessed the situation, her mind racing to come up with a plan

Instinctively, she pushed Luna slightly to the side, narrowly dodging the oncoming green ball of poison. The toxic substance splattered on impact, immediately beginning to eat through the wall behind her.

Luna regained her footing, watching with widened eyes filled with concern. She knew she had to act, but she need a little more time.

With a swift motion, Pethra summoned a flurry of basic earth spells: earth arrows, spikes, and shards. Forcing her body and Mana to go beyond the limit. Materializing something with Mana can be quite costly.

Maxwell, on the other hand, sneered with arrogance as he effortlessly deflected most of them, even if he was sick. His reflexes were quite high.

"Is that the best you can do? Pathetic."

Pethra gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing in defiance. She needed to buy Luna more time. With a surge of adrenaline, she continued unleashing a series of her magic, creating a scene of chaos and distraction.

Maxwell casually dodged some of them and fired his poison from time to time, but Pethra managed to hit them perfectly. He didn't pay attention to the fact that Pethra had actually placed some spikes and shards strategically around him in a circle. The little blond witch was planning something.

Meanwhile, Luna focused her magic, drawing upon the vast well of water magic within her. She had been biding her time, observing the flow of the battle, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As Pethra continued to engage Maxwell, Luna's power swelled within her. The ground trembled beneath her feet as she summoned a massive reservoir of water and a swirling vortex of untamed energy.

"!!!" Sensing the impending danger, Maxwell turned his attention toward Luna. His eyes widened in realization. He thought of attacking the Elf with his poison, but it was too late. Luna unleashed her water magic with a thunderous roar, sending forth a colossal tidal wave of immense force and power.

He immediately turned around to escape, but Pethra was a step ahead of him.

"You're not going to escape."

The spikes and shards that she had placed around him suddenly flowed in his direction and immediately pierced his body, mainly his legs, effectively immobilizing him.

"AHHHH!" he screamed.

The water surged towards the impaled Maxwell with breathtaking speed and ferocity, swallowing everything in its path. The water crashed into Maxwell with an explosive impact, its force knocking him off his feet and sending him hurtling backward.

The water pressed against him with relentless might, holding him against the wall. Maxwell felt that the water took the shape of a giant hand, keeping him glued against the wall and preventing him from breathing.

Pethra stood in awe, her eyes wide with amazement at the sheer magnitude of Luna's unleashed magic. It was a breathtaking display of strength and mastery over the element.

'She's strong, stronger than me.'

Maxwell struggled for minutes, but Luna kept him in check while preventing him from breathing.

"Ughh! Just die!" Luna pushed herself beyond her limits, using all of her Mana, which caused her extreme pain. It's not healthy to drain your Mana this fast. However, Luna wouldn't take any chances against Maxwell. If she allowed him a single moment of breath, that would be the end of the two of them.

Five more minutes passed, marking the end of Maxwell's struggle and Luna's magic. His body fell to the floor, lifeless and motionless.

"Luna! Are you okay?" Pethra ran to check on Luna as the Elf fell on her knees, breathing heavily.

"Humf... I-I'm fine, just tired from using that much Mana."

Pethra gently patted her on the shoulder. "I must say, you're amazing. I didn't think you were that strong."

Luna displayed a small smile, her breathing slowly returning to normal. "Thank you, Pethra," she replied, her voice filled with a mixture of exhaustion and gratitude. "I couldn't have done it without your help and distraction. We make a great team."

While the two girls lay on the floor catching their breath, they both failed to notice something. Maxwell wasn't dead!

He was barely holding on to his life. Out of desperation, he slowly touched his front tooth with his tongue, breaking it in the process, and then he swallowed it. The moment he did that, his tooth melted inside him, turning into a red liquid. The liquid spread rapidly through his whole body.

Crack. Crack.

"!!!" Luna and Pethra immediately became alert at the sound of broken bones coming from Maxwell's body. Narrowing their eyes, they caught a slight twitch in his arms.

"He's not dead?!" Pethra asked in disbelief.

How can someone survive more than five minutes without breath and with his body being crushed by water? She couldn't believe it. Well, both of them couldn't believe that a sick man like Maxwell could survive. However, seeing him slowly rise confirmed their doubts.

"Y-You... Cough!...Forced me to... Cough!... Use my precious pill," he struggled to speak through coughs and the blood coming from his mouth.

"Dammit!" Pethra immediately raised her staff, wanting to cast a magic spell. However, she soon realized that she was out of Mana, which puzzled her.

One thing that Pethra is proud of is her Mana pool. Even though she had cast many spells previously, there had to be some Mana left.

Luna was in a similar condition. The Elf was completely out of Mana. Maxwell noticed that, and he immediately raised his hand at them.

"Die!"

Kaaahh!

"...Huh?"

Distracted by the sudden noise, Maxwell turned his face in the direction of the sound. Two pairs of bird claws flashed close to him before one of them found its mark on his eye.

"AAAHHHH!~...MY EYE!"

"Heh!...Don't you dare hurt my family," Raum spoke in disdain as he crushed Maxwell's eye with his claws.

Maxwell howled in agony, clutching his injured eye. Blood flowed down his covered face as he stumbled backward. He tried to cast his poison magic, but he couldn't. His Mana veins were being repaired. The pill he took was a magical medicine that could repair his body, restoring it to its normal condition.

However, Maxwell was in a special condition because his own magic was 'eating' him from the inside.

Everyone in this world is born with Mana, no matter whether it's a small pool or a large one. Everyone must have Mana. Most people, humans in particular, have what's known as 'Natural Mana'. This Mana allows them to use any basic elemental spell with the advantage of their favorable Element. Like Pethra, for example. She can use any basic spell, but her main magic is Earth.

However, there is another portion of people who are born with a unique magic. Like witches, each one of them has a unique magic. It's rare to find two witches who have the same magic; it's possible but rare.

But this doesn't only apply to witches; men can also be born with a unique magic. Like Maxwell, his poison magic is unique to him, and it is too powerful for his body to handle. From the moment he awakened his magic, poison slowly took over his body, eating him from the inside.

He had desperately looked for a way to cure his condition. He spent over five years following any rumor or information about any cure that could help him, but it was all for nothing. Until a mysterious group of alchemists approached him and offered their help in exchange for young slaves. Maxwell agreed without hesitation.

"Raum!" Pethra called for the little raven. She was surprised and happy to see him.

"Oh! You're still alive, Friend number 2."

"..." Veins bulged in Pethra's head at the mention of friend number 2.

Luna also smiled at Raum. She was about to say something when they heard a strange noise coming from the wall.

Boom!. Boom!. BOOM!

"!!!" They immediately glanced at the wall as the sound of something heavy breaking through it could be heard. Everyone wondered what it was, and soon their answer came flying through the wall.

A giant black greatsword burst out from the wall with powerful force, and the sword flew at an incredible speed all the way to Maxwell's chest, impaling him against the wall.

"..." Raum and Pethra instantly recognized the greatsword, and they turned to the big hole in the wall along with Luna. Before they could utter a word.

"You see, Freya? I told you, this is going to work."