[Rennala's Full Moon]
[The symbolic magic of the Carian Queen. It summons a full moon upon oneself, which then flies toward the enemy, dispelling all magic it touches. Those struck by it will have their resistance to magic temporarily reduced, making them highly vulnerable to magical damage.]
[When Queen Rennala was young, she encountered the moon—an elegant moon that would later conquer the academy.]
Only at this moment did Stella truly understand why the opponent was called the "Lunar Queen."
Within this separate dimension, where "a bright moon rises over the sea," there was already a full moon hanging low. And now, the Queen herself had transformed into another moon.
The sight of two moons suspended in the sky was something that could only exist in myths.
Moonlight—
In the deepest night, moonlight usually brings people a sense of safety.
But right now, Stella wished there were no moon at all.
Because no matter how you looked at it, a spell that turns oneself into a moon was extremely dangerous.
Someone had even considered adding the Twin Moon Knight into the mix—
That way, adventurers could see four moons at once!
But that would have been far too insane… something like a "Lunar Sisters" or a "mother-and-daughter tag battle" would have to wait for the future.
"Hey, hey, hey—that moon looks seriously bad!" Melga frowned, stepping in front of everyone protectively—only to be expressionlessly dragged back by Wienma.
She stared at the ever-growing moon, her expression turning grave.
"…It really is bad."
Only those proficient in magic could understand just how terrifying the amount of power condensed within that moon was.
Even if it simply exploded, the resulting energy would be enough to heavily injure everyone present—
And that was without considering that the energy was still evolving into something even more advanced.
Releasing raw magic was the lowest form of its usage. Converting that same amount of magic into a spell would multiply its destructive power several times over.
The Queen herself was no longer visible. She had completely become that moon.
Its radiance illuminated the entire water's surface.
And it was still growing.
From its initial size—matching the Queen's curled-up body—it had already expanded five or six times larger, and it showed no signs of stopping.
This was clearly a charged, high-damage spell like the Crystalian's sphere—
No, this was likely a field-clearing, instant-kill spell.
Suddenly, the adventurers noticed that the moon's expansion slowed down, stuttering as if lagging.
Looking back, they saw Hades exerting his power.
His unique ability allowed him to manipulate magical energy—both his own and others'.
Right now, he was pushing himself to the limit to interfere with the Queen's spell.
And it worked—partially.
But the Queen's magic reserves far exceeded his, seemingly endless.
All he could do was slow down the formation of the spell—
Buying time for the adventurers—
"Now's our chance! Everyone, attack!"
The adventurers finally snapped out of their shock and unleashed everything they had.
Those with ranged weapons attacked immediately.
Those without poured their remaining magic into nearby mages.
But then, something horrifying happened.
When countless spells—
Fire arrows, ice shards, lightning storms, earth spikes—
All struck the moon at once—
"…The magic… got swallowed by the moon?"
Tursey rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Whether it was fire or lightning, the moment it touched the moon, it was smoothly absorbed—
No reaction, no explosion, nothing.
Just… gone.
Magic was completely ineffective.
What about physical attacks?
Arrows, sword waves, even thrown weapons—
They all vanished into the moon as well.
Though the attackers felt like they were doing some damage, it wasn't enough.
The mages fell silent.
In front of a spell that could erase magic entirely… what could they even do?
Swing their staffs? Throw rocks?
Meanwhile, Tursey stared at the moon with burning intensity.
A spell that nullifies magic…
This was the ultimate anti-magic defense she had been searching for.
No matter the cost—
She wanted to learn it.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, Hades's glintstone helmet shattered.
His face beneath it was pale. He collapsed to his knees—completely drained.
Without his suppression—
The moon's expansion surged explosively.
In an instant, it grew to match the size of the other moon.
Then it stopped.
Which meant only one thing—
The moon was about to descend.
It slowly fell.
Its speed was not fast—
But that only made it more terrifying.
It felt like waiting for execution.
All resistance had failed.
They could only watch as death approached.
Gapar suddenly tightened his grip on his sword.
A pale blue light lit up the blade.
Combining his own power with the sword's, his muscles swelled, his hair flaring like flames as a terrifying aura erupted.
He roared—
"Yaaah—!"
A massive crescent-shaped slash tore through the sky.
The adventurers were stunned.
This attack could easily decapitate a dragon.
Could it split the moon?
The answer—
The slash struck the moon.
The moon rippled.
It paused for a moment.
Then—
It continued descending.
"No effect?!" the crowd cried out.
Gapar's lips twitched.
He sheathed his sword and casually walked away.
No one knew where he was going—
But clearly, escaping the embarrassment was his priority.
Meanwhile, watching from afar, Wade burst out laughing.
He could clearly see the Queen's status.
That slash had actually taken nearly one-sixth of her health.
But during spellcasting, she had super armor—making it seem like the attack did nothing.
In fact, it should have dealt even more damage—
But Gapar made a mistake.
He combined his sword energy with a magic-based weapon.
And the moon nullifies magic.
The moment the slash touched the moon, half its power was erased.
Unlucky.
Under the adventurers' despairing gaze—
The full moon descended.
Tursey and the other mages erected a barrier—stronger than anything before.
She used every trick she had.
Moonlight exploded.
Radiance surged.
Magic roared.
What followed was a scene beyond words.
Compared to this—
Hades's meteor spell looked like a cheap imitation.
As the spreading moonlight rippled across the battlefield
Stella's fear of death faded.
She sighed softly:
"…So beautiful."
When she regained awareness—
She was already back at the academy entrance.
Everyone else was there too.
Which meant—
They had all been wiped out.
Some kicked walls in frustration.
Some racked their brains for solutions.
Some gave up.
Some accepted defeat as normal.
But one thing was certain—
They now understood the Queen's combat style.
And they would use that knowledge in the next battle.
Even if they died again—
Every attempt would become fuel.
Until they finally overcame death.
"I should go find Aunt and the others…"
Stella rubbed her eyes, still dazzled by the moonlight.
"…But the Lunar Queen really is strong. It makes me even more curious about who that mysterious person is…"
She turned to find her companions—
Only to see them all standing blankly, like statues.
"…Are you guys doing performance art again?"
She sighed and walked away.
In reality—
The elves had been at ground zero of the explosion.
Their minds were temporarily fried.
Stella climbed a tree and lay on its branches, staring at the sky.
How do we deal with that attack?
Even the Sword Saint couldn't stop it.
Do we have to defeat her before she casts it?
That would take time… maybe a month.
Is there no easier way?
Suddenly—
Her chest grew warm.
She opened her armor.
Inside was a glowing point of light.
"…Huh?"
When she touched it—
She immediately understood.
Her expression froze.
Then shifted—hesitation, confusion, curiosity.
[Painting Fragment "Rune" · Part 5]
"Wait… does this mean…"
She pulled out the other four fragments.
All collected by the elves.
All kept by her.
And by sheer coincidence—
They now formed a complete picture.
[Painting World "Rune"]
[A painting depicting the self-proclaimed "Rune" mage Thops pondering inside a church. It was his only refuge when he was barred from entering the academy—and the place where he first met his future apprentice.]
[Enter the painted world to uncover Thops' story.]
Stella's eyes widened.
In the painting—
She saw Thops.
And another figure.
Even though only half his body was shown—
She recognized him instantly.
It was the mysterious man—
The one who defeated the Full Moon Queen.
"So… he's Thops's apprentice."
Staring at the painting—
Stella hesitated.
Should she touch it?