45. She Drank it All!?

Chapter 45: She Drank it All!!?

I stood there, frozen, watching the scene unfold like some twisted nightmare. Lashley was sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around him, his face swollen and unrecognizable. My eyes flicked to the empty vial next to him, and my stomach dropped. I knew that vial. I'd seen it before. Hell, I'd *used* it before. The Life Revival Elixir. The same one I'd taken a single drop of during my fight with the dragon. That tiny sip had nearly killed me, sending me into a spiral of agony as my body rebuilt itself from the inside out. And now, here it was, empty.

Neralia stood a few feet away, her hands glowing with an intensity I'd never seen before. Her mana—what little she'd had left after the fight—was now a raging storm, swirling around her like a tempest. Her eyes burned with a fierce, unnatural light, and I could feel the sheer power radiating off her. She'd drunk the whole damn vial. Every last drop. My mind raced, trying to process what that meant. The elixir was meant to bring someone back from the dead, but it wasn't a gentle process. It was brutal, excruciating. And she'd taken the entire thing. What the hell was going to happen to her?

"Neralia!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "Step the fuck away from him! You don't know what you're doing!"

She turned to me, her expression cold and unreadable. "I know exactly what I'm doing, Kaizen. And I don't need your help."

Her voice was steady, but there was something off about it. Something… wrong. It sent a chill down my spine.

"You drank the whole damn vial!" I yelled, my voice rising. "Do you have any idea what that's going to do to you? That shit nearly killed me, and I only took a drop!"

She didn't respond. Instead, she turned back to Menato, who was standing a few feet away, his sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. He looked… amused. Like this was all some kind of game to him.

"You're wasting your breath," Menato said, his voice smooth and mocking. "She's not going to listen to you. She's too far gone."

I clenched my fists, my mind racing. I didn't have time to argue with her. Menato was the real threat here. But I couldn't just stand by and watch her destroy herself.

Neralia raised her hands, and the air around her crackled with energy. Magic circles began to form in the air, intricate and glowing with a faint blue light. Water magic. She was a water mage, and a damn good one. The circles were small at first, no bigger than her palm, but they grew rapidly, expanding until they were the size of wagon wheels. The runes inside them were complex, swirling patterns that pulsed with mana.

"Water Magic: Water Whip," she said, her voice calm and steady.

The magic circles flared, and a stream of water shot out from them, twisting and coiling like a serpent. It lashed out at Menato, moving faster than I could follow. But Menato was faster. He dodged the attack with ease, his movements fluid and effortless. The water whip crashed into the ground, sending chunks of stone flying.

Neralia didn't stop. She raised her staff again, and more magic circles appeared, larger this time. The runes inside them were more complex, glowing with a brighter light.

"Water Magic: Tidal Wave," she said, her voice rising.

The circles flared, and a massive wave of water surged forward, crashing toward Menato with the force of a tsunami. The ground shook as the wave tore through the ruins, obliterating everything in its path. Menato didn't even flinch. He moved like a shadow, darting between the waves with impossible speed. The water crashed into the walls, sending rubble flying, but Menato was untouched.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "I expected more from someone with such boastfulness."

Neralia's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hands again. The magic circle this time was massive, filling the air around her with a blinding blue light. The runes inside were so complex they looked like a tangled web of light.

"Beginner Magic: Aqua Prison," she said, her voice cold and steady. A second tier spell?

The circle flared, and the air around Menato shimmered. Water began to condense around him, forming a sphere that trapped him inside. He tried to move, but the water was too dense, too heavy. He was trapped.

Neralia didn't stop. She raised her hands again, and more magic circles appeared, even larger than before. The runes inside them were glowing so brightly they were almost blinding.

"Water Magic: Hydro Cannon," she said, her voice rising to a shout.

Another Second Tier spell? This is bad. Before she could barely do three or four second tier spells within such a short period of time bit combining them one after another wasn't a good idea. The sheer tall it took on the body and the mana reserves that it drained could become fatal.

The circle flared, and a massive beam of water shot out, slamming into the Aqua Prison with the force of a freight train. The water exploded, sending shockwaves through the air. The ground shook, and the ruins around us crumbled under the force of the attack.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, as the dust cleared, Menato stepped out of the wreckage, completely unharmed.

"Not bad," he said, his voice calm and smooth. "But you're wasting your time. I haven't even been using magic."

My eyes widened. What the hell was he talking about? He'd been moving faster than I could follow, dodging attacks that should have been impossible to avoid. And he hadn't been using magic?

Menato smirked, and then he raised his arms. Runes began to appear on his skin, glowing with a faint green light. They were intricate, swirling patterns that pulsed with energy.

"Activate: Initiate Magic," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Fucking shit! He was that fast and agile without any magic and now he is activating the weakest level of Martial Magic? I am starting rethink this whole I am the protagonist of my story deal.

Initiate Magic is the first level of magic followed by Beginner Magic. The difference between the first tier and second is like the richter scale. It wasn't just a fucking step up to the next tier. It was by a magnitude. Meaning the jumped was not linear but an exponential increase.

The difference between Initiate and Beginner Magic wasn't just a step up—it was like jumping from a magnitude 5 earthquake to a magnitude 6. Ten times the power, thirty times the energy, and a whole lot more destruction. And Neralia was throwing those spells around like they were nothing. She was going to burn herself out, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop her

The amounts of mana required for the difference of the two tiers wasn't that simple. The type of runes required to use Beginner Tier Magic was on a whole other level to Initiate Tier Magic.

The runes flared, and the air around him crackled with energy. His muscles tensed, and I could feel the sheer power radiating off of him. He wasn't just fast anymore. He was something else entirely.