I Married the Dragon I Killed

Episode 19. The Final Mana

The fight between those who wield swords is intuitive and fair.

That’s why the profession of a gladiator still exists in Serdes.
Because it’s intuitive, it’s simple; and because it’s simple, it’s easy to see.

That’s why watching them strategize in such situations is unexpectedly fun.

But the world of mages was the complete opposite of that of swordsmen.

It was abstract, and there were clear disparities in power.

The gap between magic circles was just too obvious.

If someone climbed even one circle higher, the win rate tilted to over 95%.

That was the absurdly unforgiving reality of the mage world.

However, there’s always that remaining 5%—the irregulars.

Those with overwhelming talent capable of overturning even a decade of effort in just a single day.

The person standing before Vernel Marquis right now, Ferda Valdrova, was exactly that kind of individual.

“Magic Intercept?”

A technique that allowed one to take control of an opponent’s manifested or launched magic and redirect it back at them.

It was one of the hardest techniques in a mage’s battle, something rarely seen.

“Isn’t this a skill only mages who’ve at least reached 5th Circle can use…?”

Only mages who had deeply understood magic and mastered mana control—5th Circle masters—could perform it.

That’s how it has always been.

Yet Ferda was only a 2nd Circle mage—one that Burnell couldn’t even take seriously.

“No, I’ve heard it’s theoretically possible with 2nd Circle.”

2nd Circle—Spell Blower.

It was the name given to mages at the stage where they could weave magic through the threads of mana.
But that magic was crude, weak, and imprecise, earning the ridicule of others who said it was barely even magic at all.

“So theory is just theory, huh?”

In the world of magic, theories that remained unproven were as common as stars in the night sky.

“But Magic Intercept? Seriously?”

It was something theoretically possible.
But no one had ever actually pulled it off.

If what Ferda was doing was truly Magic Intercept, then Vernel Marquis was witnessing the birth of a new chapter in the history of mages.

—

Looking back to earlier that day, Ferda had attempted Magic Intercept for the first time, and his evaluation was this:
“As expected, it’s not that hard.”

If a Mana Walker could master points, a Spell Blower mastered lines.
And through those lines, they could form planes—in other words, weave magic.

“The only thing I know how to do is Magic Shot.”

He had forgotten the spells he used back when he was a Grand Mage, and he hadn’t bothered to relearn any since.

“But that’s all I need.”

It was simple, but it was the most necessary magic for the current situation.

Even without transforming mana into elements, pure mana itself was already more than enough.

At least when it came to dealing with monsters.

“I’ve captured countless monsters before.”

Back when he was collaborating with the demon worshiper Thessalos, one of Thessalos’s constant demands was to capture monsters alive.

Killing them was easy, but capturing them was much harder.

Through their knowledge-sharing, they had uncovered several key characteristics of monsters.

“And that’s how I figured it out.”

The simplest conclusion.

If a human is exposed to corrupted mana for long periods, they either lose their mind or die.

On the other hand, monstrous abominations that thrive on corrupted mana found pure mana to be a lethal poison.

Ferda’s method was to inject that poison directly into their hearts.

When the source of their mana output is cut off and they’re poisoned, a monster’s hyper-regeneration and overwhelming strength are temporarily halted.

Simply put, it’s like jamming a piece of wood into the gears of a machine.

“It’ll break eventually, but I can stop it for a while.”

Ferda threw his first orb toward the monster bear’s face.

He fired it in a curved trajectory, ensuring the bear couldn’t see where it came from, and dropped it precisely onto its forehead.

*Boom!*

If it had been a normal person, their head would’ve been turned into pulp on the spot.

“Grrrroooarrrr!”

But the monster bear let out an enraged roar and raised its head.

Its durability had been enhanced further by its mana intoxication.

Although its head had caved in slightly, the damage wasn’t significant.

Ferda turned to Burnell and ordered, “Prepare a big one.”

“Got it!”

While Vernel began crafting a large orb, Ferda immediately prepared a second shot.
Again, it was a curved shot, but this time it turned widely from the side.

*Boom!*

The monster bear’s head jerked sharply to the side.

“Grrrroooarrrr!”

Now properly enraged, the monster bear let out a furious roar and stomped its front paws in search of its attacker.

Ferda didn’t miss the opening.

Four orbs materialized at his fingertips.

“Now.”

Vernel tossed his orb toward Ferda’s firing line, and Ferda swiftly caught it.

With the four smaller orbs floating around his fingers, he shot them all directly at the monster bear’s chest.

*Boom!*

One mana shot exploded mid-air, its force accelerating the remaining four orbs toward their target.

The three smaller orbs spiraled together and struck the bear’s chest first.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Three consecutive explosions tore apart the bear’s chest, shredding its hide and exposing its flesh.

Finally, Vernel’s larger orb reached the exposed area.

“Deeper.”

The momentum and rotation of the large orb dug into the flesh.

“Even deeper.”

And then it detonated.

*BOOOOM!*

The massive explosion consumed the monster bear’s entire body.

“Huff!”

Vernel gasped, his voice embarrassingly high-pitched in surprise.

“Did my mana orb always pack this much power?”

He knew the explosive orb was the one he had crafted.
But Vernel could never have achieved that level of destructive force on his own.

Ferda, a mere 2nd Circle mage, had wielded it as if it were his own.

Ferda’s eyes focused on the dust cloud.

“Show yourself.”

As the dust cleared, the monster bear’s battered body came into view.

As expected, its body was in ruins.

Its black hide had been stripped away, and its purplish-black flesh was torn apart.

Its insides and bones were fully exposed.

Ferda’s gaze locked onto its heart.

“It’s still beating.”

The source of all its life force—the heart.

It was pumping furiously, and with every beat, the bear’s flesh began to regenerate.

“Even hyper-regeneration, huh.”

Not only was its durability unmatched, but its healing surpassed that of other monsters.

“This has to end quickly.”

The bear was in a vulnerable state, unable to move a single muscle.

If it regained mobility, the fight would turn in the bear’s favor.

“Time to go all out.”

Having made up his mind, Ferda began forming more orbs and shouted at Vernel.
“Vernel! Toss them as soon as you make them!”

“On it!”

Ferda unleashed a relentless barrage toward the monster bear’s heart.

*Thump, thump.*

The bear’s body twitched violently with every direct hit to its heart, blood spraying from its mouth.

Ferda’s orbs repeatedly struck the heart, tearing open its closing wounds again and again.

It was a battle of attrition—would Ferda’s mana run out first, or would the bear’s regeneration fail?

It felt like a tug-of-war over a single hole.

“It’s too big to handle easily.”

Victory wasn’t guaranteed.

If he had been a 5th Circle mage, he could’ve ended it effortlessly.
But with the mana capacity of a 2nd or 3rd Circle mage, it was impossible to predict the outcome.

Ferda was in a tricky situation.
—

“Ugh, this feels awful.”

Vernel felt like he was going to throw up.

It was like inhaling thick, greasy fumes nonstop, leaving his mind dazed.

The sensation of mana draining from his body clouded his thoughts and broke his focus.

“Have I ever used this much mana since becoming a scholar?”

No, never.

As a scholar, all he needed was just enough strength to focus entirely on his research, and for that, he always kept at least half of his mana reserves untouched.

But now, Ferda was launching relentless attacks, and Vernel was matching that tempo, pouring out his mana without hesitation.

At this point, only about 20% of his mana remained.

If he made just three more orbs, he’d be completely drained.

That question naturally turned toward Ferda.

“He must be using a ton of mana too. How is he still casting magic like that?”

Even at a glance, Ferda had fired far more orbs than Vernel had.

Vernel glanced up at Ferda—and froze.

“H-His nose is bleeding!”

A mage bleeding from their nose while casting magic could only mean one thing.

“Overload!”

It was a sign of pushing one’s mental and physical limits too far.

It happened when someone used more power than their body could handle.

“If he keeps this up, he’ll get mana burnout…!”

Mana burnout was the worst-case scenario.

It could render a mage incapable of performing magical calculations for the rest of their life, leaving them broken.

“He didn’t even bring a staff, and now this…”

A mage’s staff wasn’t just a tool; it helped stabilize and form mana.

Ferda was calculating and casting everything purely in his head, without any assistance.

Overloading was almost inevitable.

The fact that Ferda was bleeding from his nose meant he should be stopped immediately.

“Vernel.”

Ferda called his name in a calm voice.

“Y-Yes?”

“Focus.”

That voice alone erased Vernel’s panic.

“Yeah… stay calm. I’ve got the Blue Circle. If I can’t stay calm, who will?”

It was ridiculous.

Ferda, with his Red Circle, was perfectly composed, while Vernel, with his Blue Circle, was the one panicking.

“Seriously, I… I wasn’t prepared at all.”

Vernel reflected on himself.

He had clung to his project, but was he truly ready to stake his life on it?

“No. I wasn’t.”

He had naively believed all he needed to do was research.

That others would capture monsters for him to study, and his research would somehow bring peace to the land.

But Ferda was risking his life for Vernel’s research.

He was even pushing himself to the point of mana burnout, knowing the risks it carried for a mage’s future.

“I… I need to risk it too…!”

Vernel confronted his timid self, the part of him that had been cowering in fear.
And he used that realization to push himself forward.

“Rrrrrgh!”

Vernel squeezed out every last drop of mana he had.

He even began converting his life force into mana.

“R-Regent!!!”

With a roar Vernel couldn’t have imagined coming from himself, he shouted:

“Take my final mana!!!”

A massive orb shot toward Ferda.

“Thank you.”

Ferda swiftly took the mana orb, claimed it as his own, and hurled it at the monster bear.

*BOOOOM!*

An explosion erupted from within the monster bear, shaking its entire body.

The creature’s movements, along with its regeneration, came to a complete stop.

“What about the heart?”

If the heart were destroyed, all of this effort would’ve been in vain.

Ferda focused intently, observing its chest.

“It’s still beating.”

The creature was barely clinging to life.

Its hyper-regeneration had been stalled.

“Now’s the time! Cut its tendons and bind it!”

Arwen and her subordinates charged forward, launching an attack on the immobilized monster bear.

At this point, it was as easy as putting a spoon into a prepared meal.

And just like that, they managed to capture the monster alive without losing a single person.

While they secured the bear, Ferda turned his attention to Vernel.

“Are you alright?”

Ferda asked.

Vernel, his nose gushing blood, was trembling as his body convulsed.

He had hit mana burnout.

It must have felt like his internal organs were being ripped apart, yet Vernel was laughing.

“Haha… W-What did you think? About my… m-my sincerity?”

Ferda coldly responded:

“That was foolish. Risking your life like that? Idiotic.”

“Well, if the Regent is doing it, how c-could I not…?”

Before Vernel could even finish his sentence, he collapsed unconscious.

Ferda gently laid him down on the ground.

“Are you alright, Regent?”

One of Arwen’s subordinates asked.

“What about the monster?”

“Yes, the monster is in good condition. We’ll transport it to the castle immediately.”

“Good. But let’s deal with something urgent first. Do you have a mage in your territory?”

“Yes, we do.”

Ferda gestured to the young man lying at his feet.

“Take this foolish boy with you and ask your mage to infuse him with some mana. The castle is too far for him to last. I’m counting on you all to handle it.”

Arwen placed a hand on her chest and nodded.

“Understood. But, Regent, do you not require any emergency care yourself?”

“For what?”

Arwen pointed to her nose.

“You’re bleeding from your nose.”

“My nose?”

Ferda wiped his nose, and sure enough, he saw dried blood on his hand.

“I see.”

Ferda hadn’t even realized it while he’d been so focused.

Arwen pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him.

“I’ve heard that overusing magic can cause nosebleeds. If you’re feeling dizzy or unwell, you should prioritize treatment.”

“I’m fine,” Ferda replied, wiping his nose with the handkerchief.

After a few light taps, the bleeding stopped quickly.

“I may be reckless, but I’m not stupid enough to destroy my body in a fight.”

While he would take risks when necessary, he would never go so far as to gamble his own life.

In truth, Ferda still had enough mana left to create about three more orbs.

“Some rubble from the mana explosion must’ve hit my face and smashed into my nose.”

That’s why Ferda found Vernel’s willingness to completely burn himself out utterly pathetic.