Releasing even more fire from his body, Saul launched a barrage of attacks toward Sairao. He had switched from the seventh-circle body back to his normal one, because by using his Nartheis core at the Ranvil level, now visible in his chest, he could literally become a peak seventh circle in both body and magic.
'If I could use my transformation, we would defeat this god faster, but…'
He glanced toward Enrico's companions. They were surprised by the sheer power of the attacks he was unleashing—even Zorg paused for a moment before attempting to strike with his palm.
"Sorry, but your opponent isn't me."
Sairao's hand was stopped by massive vines wrapping around his giant arm. The vines were covered in thorns, piercing his skin. Looking up, he saw Virelle—something that brought relief to her former students. The professor was injured, her body covered in wounds, the result of her role in defeating the ninth circle Thalorien.
They had only managed to defeat him because of a trap set within the World Tree. They had teleported him inside, and the tree—having agreed to help thanks to Elaris synchronizing with its blessing—stole half of his power. Then Virelle and five eighth-circle mages who had been waiting unleashed their strongest attacks on him, dealing massive damage as the tree also reduced half of his resistance.
Even so, they had struggled immensely, proving just how powerful a ninth circle truly was. The five eighth circles with her were all humans Virelle had summoned, and Angela was among them—though she had stayed behind due to severe injuries. Despite the plan, they had still been losing until the World Tree intervened again, stealing half of Thalorien's power once more.
With that, he dropped below twenty-five percent of his strength. Even then, victory was difficult—but they had won in the end. They hadn't sent Malik or other mages into the trap because the tree could only assist against one ninth circle, and bringing more would have been suicide, as they would likely have aided Thalorien instead.
Looking at the beast before her, Virelle's expression darkened at the thought of it nearly killing Enrico.
"I'm low on mana right now, but I would never let you touch my student."
"Oh, teacher, thanks for coming."
"Thank me later by getting stronger, my student."
Saul's alter ego acted exactly like Enrico, his eyes now normal as he temporarily dropped that previous state to avoid suspicion. He smiled confidently and signaled for his companions not to interfere in the fight against Sairao.
"I've got this."
With a burst of speed, he dashed toward the разрушed area where Sairao was rising again. Seeing the signal, Kai sat down with a sigh to watch, while Victoria sat beside him with a bad mood. The three of them were the farthest from the fight.
They reacted that way because, without a doubt, Enrico had reached the seventh circle before them.
'Now my rematch can only happen when I reach that level too… damn it.'
'I'll have to push myself harder… I've never wanted to get stronger this much before.'
Ocirne watched silently, a neutral expression hiding the determination rising in the two before her. Victoria looked at her, expecting her reaction to seeing someone their age reach the seventh circle first. Acting as a prodigy, Ocirne created a false aura of determination, satisfying Victoria, who nodded in understanding.
"Incandis, looks like we'll have to work harder."
"Papa is amazing."
Valença watched with shining eyes, but there was a faint discomfort within her—she felt something off about Enrico. It was the way he acted toward Virelle. It looked like him… but there was a subtle difference.
"When he raises his arm, he usually has a natural expression. That one felt fake to me."
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
Incandis didn't understand, especially since they were too far away to notice anything clearly. To her, it looked exactly like him. Still, hearing her mother say that made her uneasy.
Meanwhile, Elaris watched silently, her full attention on Enrico's movements.
'He's fighting well… so why do I feel this way?'
'Is that really my student?'
The three closest to him didn't fully believe his words. Each of them felt something was wrong. Virelle was the most suspicious, knowing her student's limits and what it meant to reach the seventh circle.
'If this is a fake stealing his place, I'll kill it.'
She would find out later—for now, she had to deal with Zorg.
Her mind felt heavy after the previous battle, as if she had been hitting a wall these past few days, unable to go further.
'As I thought… I'm close to reaching the ninth circle. I should take him somewhere else.'
With her students nearby, a fight of this level could endanger them. Holding a magic stone, she pointed it at Zorg, who had begun moving toward her.
"You seem strong, human—but are you really going to use everything with those—"
Virelle activated the stone, and a massive purple magic engulfed them both. The stone transported them into Angela's dimension. Over the years, Angela had greatly improved her magic, and like Virelle, she was likely nearing the ninth circle.
They appeared in a vast city filled with massive and intricate structures.
"She really improved this place."
"Where are we?"
Zorg looked around the enormous city, his eyes rising to the completely white sky. It seemed he would now face someone dangerous, even for his current state.
Virelle didn't answer. Instead, she raised her magic and created a massive tree at the center of the city—a new technique she had been refining ever since entering the World Tree.
'Let's see if this works'
The eight circles within her mana heart began spinning endlessly, turning green. Among them, a new circle was starting to form—but for that to happen, she would have to break through a mental barrier that all ninth-circle mages must overcome. Zorg watched the tree grow endlessly before activating his mana. He knew exactly what was happening, which was why he thought of using those brats to stop it. That woman was about to become a ninth circle.