Abner managed to give Risebelle a defiant look despite his battered state. "I will not let…these childish creations of such a heinous doctor...get the better of me like this," he rasped, sounding weakened but resolute.

  Risebelle smirked and casually adjusted her sunglasses. With her cannon aimed squarely at Abner, she chuckled. “Well, if those were your famous last words, I’d rate them a solid four out of ten,” she quipped. “A little cliché. You should have thrown in something about avenging your ancestors or, I don’t know, believing in the heart of the cards. Oh wait, you use a book. That logic doesn't apply here….Eh, whatever.”

  She aimed her cannon directly at Abner with confidence. “My favorite is: ‘Wait! I’m not supposed to die!’

  The shot ripped through the air at blinding speed. Risebelle was sure—positive—that it would pierce through Abner’s already damaged body, reducing him to a smoldering mess.

  But then—

  A column of pure radiance exploded downward from the Luminous Beacon above, striking Abner in a brilliant cascade of golden energy.

  When the light finally faded, Abner stood completely unscathed. His wounds were gone. The blood that had stained his robes had vanished. Even the holes in his clothes had repaired themselves.

  Risebelle’s smirk disappeared.

  "That's—" She yanked off the sunglasses with her eyes wide.

  Abner stretched his fingers and rolled his shoulders as if waking from a restful sleep. “Impossible?” Abner said while tilting his head slightly. “No. This is the power of my Luminous Beacon.” He gestured upward to where the golden radiance still pulsed in the sky. “This is no ordinary magic. It is an Extreme Magic technique, a level of power that only the rarest of mages can ever attain.”

  Roselle looked stunned along with Runebelle.

  Abner took a few steps forward. “Let me educate you, since you seem unaware of where you stand. There are tiers to magic.” He held up a hand and raised one finger at a time.

  “At the lowest, we have Baseline Magic—the standard spells used by most practitioners. Simple, predictable, limited in scope.”

  He lifted another finger. “Then, we have Greater Magic—a level that few mages ever reach. The powerful, refined techniques that shape battlefields and turn the tide of wars.”

  Finally, he raised a third finger. “And then, there is Extreme Magic—where only the rarest and most gifted ascend. This level is not simply an enhancement of what came before. No, it is something altogether different… something that bends the very laws of magic itself.”

  Abner extended his arms outward. “That is where I stand. That is the power I wield. And that… is why you cannot win.”

  He spread his arms even further outwards. " No matter what you do, I will always return, untouched and absolute. You are but children playing with base magic while I wield the power of gods.""

  Abner’s stance changed. He raised up one finger to the sky and shouted,

  “Luminous Judgment!”

  The Luminous Beacon above shone with a blinding light that engulfed the entire clearing. The clouds above opened up in the skies, and in an instant, beams of divine energy descended down from the heavens.

  Roselle hastily adjusted her sunglasses. Risebelle did the same, pushing hers up just in time to squint at the blinding light coming down from above.

  Roselle’s mouth fell open. “Waitaminute—that’s huge! He’s gonna take us out with him?!”

  Risebelle’s face darkened.. “Tch. Now I get it…” she muttered. “That whole lecture—he wasn’t just showing off. He knew we wouldn’t survive this.” Her gaze flicked toward the swirling beacon in the sky. “He doesn’t need to dodge, he’ll just erase us while he gets to start fresh.”

  Abner chuckled. “Precisely.” He spread his arms wide with golden aura swirling around his body. “No matter the outcome, I will remain. Restored. Rejuvenated. Absolute.”

  His gaze flicked to Risebelle with a smirk playing on his lips. “But tell me, wasn’t it you who mocked the concept of ‘last words’?” His smirk deepened. “I believe your proper response here is—what was it again? ‘Wait! I’m not supposed to die!’”

  He tilted his head in way that was feigning sympathy. “Such a shame. I’d rate your last words a zero out of ten.”

  The massive beams in the sky inched closer. They were like divine executioners descending upon the battlefield. There was no stopping them. No dodging them. The inevitable was moments away.

  Roselle clenched her fists. Risebelle gritted her teeth. “Dammit! We’re done for if those hit us!”

  Abner simply watched, basking in the golden radiance of his impending victory.

  But then—

  A small pair of arms shot out.

  Runebelle stood between her sisters with her palms shaking. Her breaths came out in uneven gasps, but her eyes were locked onto the cascading beams. Her lips moved, whispering something over and over.

  "Protect them. Protect them. Protect them."

  She had to.

  Memories flashed through her mind—Kintovar’s words, her guidance.

  "Why not try combining them?"

  The thought hadn’t seemed real at the time. It was just another possibility left lingering in the air.

  But now—now there was no time for hesitation. The pillars she had always summoned felt insufficient. Seperate elements wouldn’t stop this.

  But together—

  She clenched her teeth and poured everything into the desperate act. The elements responded, swirling around her like an untamed storm. Ice. Fire. Earth.

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  A chime echoed through Runebelle’s mind:

  [System Message]

  Ability Unlocked – Fury Tower

  Description: Utilizing the full potential of elemental fusion, the user rapidly forms towering pillars of combined elements, constructing a colossal structure. Those within the great tower receive enhanced protection and continuous healing.

  Runebelle’s eyes widened momentarily, but she didn’t have time to think. She shouted,

  “Fury…TOWER!”

  A single pillar of earth shot up beneath her, lifting her slightly off the ground. Then, another formed beside it—this one of ice. A third followed, crackling with flames that burned impossibly bright.

  The three pillars pulsed with energies resonating with each other. Then, without warning—

  BOOM.

  More pillars erupted in rapid succession, expanding outward and upward. They multiplied like wildfire—one became two, two became three, three became six—until an entire ring of towering monoliths encircled Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle.

  The formation didn’t stop there. The pillars twisted like vines. Ice and fire coiled around stone, weaving together to form the walls of an enormous, colossal tower.

  A protective aura flowed through the tower’s walls, bathing the three sisters in a warm, revitalizing energy.

  Roselle’s breath hitched. Her wide blue eyes reflected the towering structure surrounding them. “This is… incredible,” she whispered with astonishment.

  Risebelle glanced toward Runebelle and thought to herself, ‘This kid… pulled off something insane.’

  Outside, Abner’s divine beams descended in rapid succession, colliding with the colossal tower’s surface causing explosions that roared across the landscape.

  Yet—the tower held.

  Roselle flinched at the deafening blasts but said excitedly, “It’s holding…! It’s actually holding!”

  Abner’s confident face faltered. His emerald eyes narrowed with growing unease. “What is this? A defense… capable of blocking my magic?”

  His fingers twitched. “No… no, this isn’t right. None of you possessed this kind of power before. This—” His mind clicked into place.

  “…Of course.” He spoke with realization. “The pillar girl. This is your trump card.”

  His lips curled into a grin—not one of amusement, but of frustration barely masked by feigned approval. “Very well, then.” He spread his arms, and his aura grew brighter. “Let’s see just how much it can take.”

  He threw his hand skyward.

  “LUMINOUS JUDGMENT!”

  The beacon swelled. It’s golden core flared with blinding intensity before unleashing another relentless barrage. This time, the beams rained down like the wrath of a vengeful god.

  Each impact shook the Fury Tower. The walls trembled under the repeated onslaught. Cracks, faint but present began to form along the structure’s surface.

  Still, Runebelle did not move.

  At first, it seemed as if she was unfazed, standing firm even as the tower quaked around her. But then—

  A sound.

  It was a faint strained noise from the girl who never struggled. Then, just as quickly—

  “Oh…”

  The word slipped past her lips.

  Before either Roselle or Risebelle could react, a pillar shot up from within the colossal structure itself. It struck the ground beneath them with a violent boom, sending both sisters flying backward.

  Roselle barely had time to register what was happening before the impact knocked the breath out of her lungs. Her sunglasses were flung off her face.

  A sudden gust of wind rushed through the battlefield as the walls of the Fury Tower split apart like an unraveling cocoon.

  Runebelle said something. Roselle saw her lips move, but—

  No sound reached them.

  A final, devastating blast of Luminous Judgment crashed down. The Fury Tower—Runebelle’s creation was shattered.

  Chunks of stone and searing magic erupted outward in all directions. The ground trembled as golden light engulfed everything in sight.

  Meanwhile, Roselle and Risebelle were launched past the clearing from the pillars that knocked into them and crashed through the dense treetops of the surrounding forest.

  Roselle hit the ground first, rolling violently before slamming against a tree trunk.

  A few feet away, Risebelle stirred. She pushed herself up immediately. “…What the hell just happened?”

  Roselle didn’t answer and only looked on ahead at the destruction’s aftermath. Without another word, both sisters bolted toward the clearing with desperate urgency.

  When they arrived back in the clearing, the sight before them made Roselle’s stomach lurch. A massive crater marred the ground where the Fury Tower had once stood. The remnants of Runebelle’s defense were little more than smoldering debris, and in the center of it all—

  There she was.

  Runebelle.

  Blood was seeping from her eyes, hands, and feet. Her body lay sprawled in an unnatural position with steam coming from it.

  “Runebelle!” Roselle shouted. She rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside her sister’s broken body.

  Risebelle was quick to follow and scanned Runebelle’s body with her systems through her touch. Her eyes flickered over the readings:

  [System Message]

  Lifeforce: 0%

  Magic: 0%

  Risebelle spoke with a rare kind of sorrow. “She used everything she had… all of it… to save us.”

  Roselle She looked down at Runebelle with her chest tightening. She was unable to tear her eyes away from the blood that stained her skin.

  “No…” Roselle whispered with horror. “No… she can’t be…”

  But then—

  From the side, Abner cut through the tension with a smooth tone. “Well, well... an impressive effort, I’ll give her that,” he said, stepping into view from the edge of the clearing. “But it was all for naught, wasn’t it? All that effort… in vain.”

  Memories of Runebelle surged through Roselle’s mind, one after another. She remembered the first day she met Runebelle. That sad little face—always so distant. The way her eyes would flicker nervously while standing on the edge of their new life, not yet knowing where she belonged. Roselle had done everything she could to make her feel at home, to welcome her into the fold of their strange new world.

  She remembered showing Runebelle around, giving her a tour of the lab, showing her the little nooks and crannies of their home. “This is our place now,” she’d said with a bright smile.

  But then the flashes became sharper. She was brought back to the sudden burst of light from Runebelle’s palm during their training session. Roselle had demonstrated a simple technique—energy manipulation. Runebelle had watched closely.

  When Runebelle tried it, she made a faint green glow that blossomed from her palms and made it look easy. Roselle’s mouth had fallen open in astonishment.

  “Whoa! You’re already doing it?! You’re amazing!” she’d exclaimed.

  Runebelle had smiled shyly with her eyes downcast. “I just… followed your instructions. It felt natural.”

  Roselle’s heart swelled with pride for her younger sister. Runebelle was learning fast.

  But it wasn’t just the training that made Roselle smile when she thought of her sister. There were the moments of quiet peace, too—like after their session, when they had some time to themselves. Roselle had felt… complete with her presence.

  But now, Runebelle was gone. Her sister was lost to them.

  Abner chuckled and said with finality, “The same fate awaits the two of you.”

  Roselle's heart dropped into her stomach. The truth of it hit her harder than any attack.

  But then—

  A sudden heat surged through Roselle. Her hair, once a soft golden yellow, shifted to a blood-red hue. Steam rose from her body.

  Risebelle watched in stunned silence. She’d never witnessed this transformation.

  Roselle’s eyes, blazing with fury narrowed in on Abner. Her yellow lightning crackled, swirling around her body but as it danced across her skin, it shifted—turning a violent red.

  “More…” Roselle muttered under her breath. “I need more power.”

  Her systems surged. 200% of her magic power—Maximum power. The ground around her trembled as she forced her systems to push beyond their limits.

  “More.”

  Her magic surged higher. 210%. 220%.

  The lightning around her intensified into violet streaks that split the air with crackling power. Her hair began to slowly darken to the same violet hue that now ran through her magic.

  250%.

  A sudden message came into Roselle's mind:

  [System Message]

  Would you like to use Project Mage transformation?

  Warning: Doing so will cause magical rupture.

  What was this transformation? What would it do to her? There was no time to answer those questions. The unknowns didn’t matter anymore.

  “Yes! I don’t care about any risks anymore! I’ll… kill him!” Roselle screamed louder in her mind than her own voice could aloud. The desire to obliterate Abner overpowered any sense of fear.

  A hum, then a tremor spread from her very core. The ground cracked beneath her feet. The trees trembled violently as a wave of raw energy swept across the battlefield.

  Roselle’s body was enveloped in a cascade of violent energy. The explosion of light rippled outward, casting shadows and forcing everything to still.

  The transformation had begun.

  Project Mage