Chapter 75 : When Power Isn’t Enough

It was a stroke of fortune that Mayra had hidden the strike team within the mist before Moritz began his full descent into chaos.
Now, Curtis  had no one to worry about but himself. Mayra—formidable, radiant Mayra—needed no protection. She could hold her own, and more than that, she had to.

Of course, even being responsible for only his own survival did not make this battle any less perilous.

BOOOOM!
A blazing explosion swept away the advancing tide of sludge and flame, incinerating it in an instant. The power behind it was, as expected, monstrous.

Yet even before the cinders settled, a second, then a third wave of muddy torrents surged forth.

SHAAAA!
Curtis  knew better than to compete with raw force. In a contest of power, Moritz—enhanced by infernal might—had the edge. But this wasn’t about strength. This was about strategy.

The rapid waves weren’t meant to harm. They were meant to blind.

If Moritz’s explosions posed a threat when they erupted near the spirit, then the solution was simple—ensure nothing could detonate near the spirit. Smother vision, confuse aim, obscure everything.

“You dare toy with me?!”
Moritz snarled as he finally caught on to Curtis ’s plan.

Already, the battlefield had become a swirling storm of steam, flame, water, and smoke. Now, walls of muddy waves loomed between them, ebbing and crashing unpredictably, blotting out all line of sight.

He had no idea Curtis  had uncovered the true mechanism behind Vainglory’s Flame. Moritz merely believed the mage was playing clever tricks—and unfortunately, the trick was working.

Infuriated, he swung fire in wide arcs, lashing out.

BOOM! BOOM! FWOOOOOSH!
He obliterated the first wave. Then the second. Then triggered a string of small explosions to blast away the remaining debris, forcing a path open to regain his vision.

“If I just blow it all away, there’s nothing left to hide behind!”

Crude—but not wrong.

If Curtis  had only water manipulation to rely on, Moritz would have already broken through. The explosions came faster than the time it took to gather water anew.

But Curtis  had a spirit.

And that spirit, endlessly vomiting forth water, fed Curtis  with an uninterrupted supply. All Curtis  had to do was shape it and drive it forward. The walls kept rising, kept crashing.

Yes—Moritz’s fire was strong. So strong that the impact zones were steadily creeping closer to Curtis ’s position.

But that only meant one thing.

“Then I’ll just keep you from blowing all of them away.”

The shaping of the waves was mechanical now—muscle memory, reflex. It didn’t demand Curtis ’s full power. That freed him to mount a counterattack.

He reached out, pulled from the shattered tide, and flung water skyward—where it twisted and gathered above Moritz.

< Meteoric Rain >

The name sounded grander than the spell appeared. But appearances deceive. Dozens of water bullets materialized high in the air, raining down in diagonal volleys like a summer storm.

Their destructive force? Two fingers.
Not overwhelming—but not ignorable either. After all, the spell that once nearly overwhelmed Kane’s defenses also ranked at two fingers. Against any mage, it hurt. Against Moritz, it would still hurt.

And that meant he couldn’t simply let it fall.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!
Moritz glanced skyward, and dozens of impacts exploded mid-air. His fire had incinerated every incoming drop. Yet in doing so, he’d lifted his gaze—his focus fractured.

The waves advanced.

“Enough with your petty tricks—”

His words were cut short. His eyes flashed, snapping sideways.

CRACK!
A high-speed spear of light collided with the air near him, the sheer force of its velocity forcing its trajectory askew. It struck the ground hard, embedding deep into the stone.

More than Curtis ’s attacks, that was what troubled Moritz most: Mayra’s spears.

They were instant death if they landed. He had to track every one and intercept it. Yet every time he tried to focus on Curtis , another would strike from his flank or rear, severing his flow.

Thank the gods Mayra wasn’t strong enough to fire off that miracle in rapid succession. If she had been, if both of them had attacked without pause—

He might have been dead already.

BOOM!
But Mayra was far from helpless. With the Miracle of Fortified Flesh protecting her, she sensed the flare of an incoming blast and dove aside at the last instant.

“Urgh!”

She couldn’t dodge it all—but she evaded the killing blow. The rest, she endured with divine healing and holy stamina.

She could have kept pressing the attack, stacking blow upon blow—but Moritz’s true enemy wasn’t her.

“You’re forgetting someone, Lord Moritz.”

“You damned pest!”

And so, the cycle repeated.

Moritz, more than anyone, knew the truth: the demon’s gift was not eternal. Its borrowed strength would not last.

He needed to end it—quickly.

But his legs were shackled by the sheer tenacity of his enemies. And worse… Curtis ’s magic felt stronger. Not just cleverer—stronger.

Was it an illusion? Or had the demon’s power already begun to wane?

Sadly for Moritz—it was no illusion.

It was the cruelest kind of truth.

[ Water Manipulation Lv.57 ]
[ Progress to next level: 5% ]
[ Spirit Conjuration Lv.42 ]
[ Progress to next level: 3% ]

Two levels gained against Vainglory’s Flame. Two more while pummeling a demon into the mud.

Not full levels—but close enough. Still, it was a victory in itself.

So it’s true, Curtis  thought. You really grow faster when you’re facing the strong.

He’d long known that sparring with Lilia yielded better progress than training alone.
This wasn’t a spar—it was war. And Moritz, at this moment, was among the strongest foes he’d ever faced.

Yeah… thanks for the EXP, I guess.
But this wasn’t the time for smug thoughts.

This wasn’t a friendly match. There was no “stop” command. No ref to call the end.
He was holding on only by strangling every weakness in Vainglory’s Flame—and with Mayra’s support. But it was draining him fast.

He bore the brunt of most attacks. And Moritz, empowered by infernal force, was the stronger mage.