"Is it over for me?" I muttered to myself, barely able to move as the stone golems marched toward me—toward my end.
The king told me I wasn't a soldier, that I should return after guiding them. Maybe he was right. But now, with these monsters on the loose, even running isn't an option.
_Even if I fled, who would be safe?_
A memory echoed in my mind.
> "I always thought you were the type to give your all and not worry about the outcome."
Prince Edward's words. That small moment of faith he had in me…
_Just give it my all, huh?_
_Crackle…_
"Kyle…" I whispered, pushing against the rubble, my body shaking with pain. "Let me teach you about mana—and how dangerous _raw mana_ truly is."
Kyle paused, glancing back in confusion. "What?"
"I can't use mana to cast spells… but I can _control_ it—_directly_."
"What do you—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His body stiffened, his breath caught in his throat.
"What… is this…!?"
The mana in the air—dense, heavy, unrefined—had begun to gather, responding to my will. The very atmosphere bent under the pressure of it.
_This is it… Prince Edward, I'll give it my all and will deal with the outcomes later._
A sharp exhale escaped me. My eyes glowed bright blue, and my veins surged with raw mana. The tips of my fingers turned pale white again—_mana corrosion,_ just like before.
"So I broke my promise to Lily again…" I murmured with a bittersweet smile. "Even if I'm not _drawing_ mana into me… with this much in the air, it is entering my body on its own."
Kyle fell to one knee, clutching his throat, gasping.
"Wh-what… are… you…!?" he choked out, staring into my glowing eyes.
"This… is _raw mana,_ Kyle. It's always around you. Everywhere. Every time."
"M...Monster…"
"Monster?" I chuckled darkly. "Then let me show you what happens… when you _solidify_ the mana in the very air around you."
I took a step forward from the rubble, a cold air swirling around me like a storm. "If everything in this world contains mana… what do you think will happen to _your_ body?"
The golems stopped moving. The room trembled. And I smiled.