The golden light would not stop. Light overflowed from Mira's entire body, pulsing with a rhythmic gwan-gwan as it illuminated the cave walls. She couldn't tell anymore whether the rock face was trembling or the light itself was wavering. Her fingertips burned. Her arms burned. Something was burning from deep within her core. (I have to stop it, I have to stop it——) The moment she tried to stop it, the light thrashed even more violently. As if sensing her panic, the uncontrollable power erupted chaotically from both her hands. Light grazed the rocks and shattered them, stone fragments scattering everywhere. The walls groaned. The ceiling rumbled. It wouldn't stop. The more she tried to suppress it out of fear, the more the light raged. She knew it was a vicious cycle, but what could she do—— Then, a voice came. It reached only inside Mira's mind. The sounds of the cave remained unchanged. But it was unmistakably that voice. ——Do not fear the light. Your will determines the form of your light. It was Solis. Collapsed on the ground, still covered in black miasma, yet——his hoarse voice resonated directly within Mira. Mira closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. The smell of stone. Cold air. And——the warmth of light that existed within her own body. (The light came out because I wanted to protect them. Not because I was afraid.) She remembered the day Solis first taught her Lumen Veil——a protective technique that spreads light thinly to cover a target. In the forest, amid dancing particles of light, Solis had placed his hand over hers and said: "You must decide the direction of your power with your own will." Mira pictured her companions' faces one by one in her mind. Solis. Rian. Elara. In that instant, the way the light thrashed changed. The light that had been spreading chaotically began to slowly compress into the shape of a radiant pillar. The impact battering the walls subsided. Instead, a golden pillar of light rose quietly from beneath Mira's feet toward the ceiling. In the depths of the cave, the man in the black robe——stepped back. Just one step. Only a single step, but he definitely retreated. In his eyes, something appeared that he had never shown before. ——Agitation. Mira opened her eyes. "[serious]Solis——!" She ran. She crouched beside the prone Solis. His long silver hair lay disheveled on the stone floor. The crescent-shaped mark on his forehead glowed only faintly. The outline of his body was blurred by black miasma. She took the stance for Lumen Veil. Spreading both hands wide, she stretched the light thin. Not to cover, but to send it in——to push the black miasma outward from within. She released a wave of light. The miasma sizzled and burned away. Making sounds like death throes, it vanished from the edges. But it was thick. Another wave. Then another. "[serious]Wake up. Solis." Solis's outline became clearer. His quiet face twisted slightly with pain. He still hadn't regained consciousness. She sent in another wave. Solis's eyelids slowly opened. Deep blue eyes gazed at Mira hazily. He couldn't sit up. His body trembled just from placing one hand on the stone floor. But from that hand——a faint golden light extended thinly toward Mira. That light mixed with Mira's body. It was warm. A sensation different from before. Her light and Solis's light——were resonating. Her control stabilized one level further. "[surprised]Master is sending power——then I will too!" A voice rang out. When Mira turned, Elara was standing up. Her light blue ponytail was disheveled, her vivid purple eyes trembling. She spread both hands, trying to construct a spell formula——but her fingertips were shaking. Elara knew it well. How fear could shatter a spell formula. She had tried many times just moments ago, only to be entangled by the black miasma and dispersed. (If I fail again——) But Mira was burning her body with light while fighting. Solis was squeezing out power with his dying body. What was she doing, trembling alone? She gritted her teeth. She observed the wavelength of Mira's light. She calculated the frequency. The spell formula for magical amplification that she had learned at Prisma Academy——the research and education institution for Lumen magic——raced through her mind. "[excited]With that light's frequency, my amplification magic can resonate with it!" She spread both hands. She deployed the auxiliary spell formula. The moment Elara's magical power overlapped with Mira's light wave—— BOOM!! The light's output skyrocketed. The entire cave filled with gold. The man shielded his face with his arms. Hearing that roar from the wall's edge, Rian opened his eyes. His fractured right arm wouldn't move. With only his left hand, he grasped the hilt of the sword that lay rolling on the floor. He stood. He swayed. His face was pale. Sweat clung to his bangs. But the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "[laughing]Sorry I'm late——" With just those words, he moved forward. Four figures stood in a line. Golden light filled the cave. The man's expression grew stern for the first time. His composure was crumbling. He raised the stolen Shard high. "[cold]……Very well." He unleashed his dark power completely. The cave ceiling cracked. Void miasma swirled and began to take form. A four-legged beast was born from the miasma. Its body length exceeded five meters. Covered entirely in black miasma, its four black-purple eyes slowly surveyed the four humans——it was a Crepsula Beast, in its gigantic form. The floor trembled. "[serious]I won't let you escape." A hoarse voice. Still on his hands, Solis wrung out his final strength. A barrier of light raced toward the cave exit. The entrance was sealed by a golden wall. The man's escape route was cut off. Rian moved. Swinging his sword with only his left arm, he stepped directly forward. "[angry]Over here, you big bastard!" The giant Crepsula's gaze turned toward Rian. It roared. Stones rained down. Rian rolled to avoid——protecting his right arm, barely making it by the skin of his teeth. "[serious]The center of its back! The miasma is thinner there——that's its weak point!" Her shout echoed through the cave. Elara observed the giant Crepsula's movements while maintaining the auxiliary spell formula, her voice trembling each time she spoke, yet her eyes remained fixed on the beast's back. Mira listened. The center of its back. A weak point that appeared for only an instant. She concentrated all the light from her entire body into both hands. Shard resonance——the fragment of the Shard dwelling in her core pulsed in response to the Shard the man held——she drew out that power too. From the deepest depths of her chest. Power rose up from a place she had never touched before. She felt her entire body becoming light. Rian was drawing the giant Crepsula's attention. Its back turned toward her. The center of the miasma——thinned for just an instant. Now. "——!!" She released it. A torrent of light pierced through the cave. Lumen Burst——the pillar of light unleashed from Mira's entire body drove straight into the giant Crepsula's weak point. Light spread from within the beast. The miasma burned. It screamed. The beast screamed. Its four black-purple eyes melted in the light. Its four legs crumbled. The five-meter-long massive body scattered into particles of light throughout the cave. BOOOOOM!!! The shockwave shook the cave walls. The dark barrier in the man's hands shattered. With a sharp crack, black fragments fell to the floor. The man——staggered. He took a step back. His shoulders heaved with breath. The perfect expressionlessness from before wavered slightly. Silence returned to the cave. For several seconds afterward, no one said anything. Rian slumped against the wall. He slid down dramatically, his back against the stone, and sat down. "……My arm might be a little bad." He said it while giving a thumbs up with only his left hand. "[angry]A little?! You have a fracture, don't you?!" Elara shouted after releasing her spell formula. Tears floated in her eyes. Her face was a mixture of anger and relief. Mira felt her strength drain away, struggling to hold back laughter. "[gentle]Rian, I'll definitely treat it afterward." "……Stepping forward with a fracture during combat is poor strategy." Still propped on his elbows on the ground, Solis spoke quietly. His voice had no strength. But he definitely said it. "[laughing]But it worked, didn't it?" Solis averted his gaze without answering. He didn't deny it. Mira and Elara exchanged glances simultaneously. No words were needed. ——A brief moment of respite. But the man still held the Shard in his hand. Mira crouched beside Rian. She tried to check the condition of his fractured arm. "[serious]I'm fine." Rian said. But she couldn't help but verify. Mira gently touched Rian's wrist. Rian caught his breath softly. Not from pain. She understood that. It wasn't the reaction of pain. Mira froze for a moment. Rian's fingertips seemed to tremble ever so slightly. "[serious]Show me properly." She connected her words and returned her gaze to the injury. A strange silence was born between them. Elara opened her mouth as if she had noticed something—— The man moved. He raised the Shard in both hands, beginning to concentrate his remaining dark power. The remnants of the floor's magic circle glowed again. It wasn't over. It still wasn't over. She released Rian's hand. She stood up. Elara stood beside her. Beyond them, Solis was trying to stand up once more. What that moment had been, she still didn't know. But right now, there was something she had to do before that. Mira gathered light in both hands again. The small Lumen Shard mark on her wrist glowed golden.