“And what can you possibly do to stop me? You’re in shambles and I have omnipotent power. How in the world can you win against me?” Chris had no reply as Oz went on, “This is all going according to my plan. Truly, there is nothing left that you can do.”
He grabbed a blade of ice and walked forward.
“Do you remember my research on a man-made Demon Lord? By directly pouring magical energy into one’s core, the test subject was encouraged to evolve. With my current form, and in this place, overflowing with magic, I can only think that I’d succeed.”
“Oz!” Chris roared. “I definitely won’t let you!”
“Definitely what now? I don’t need your permission to do as I please.”
He stood in front of the restrained elf, chuckling at her limbs that had gone red from frostbite. She tried her best to struggle, but she didn’t have nearly enough power left to flee, much to her apparent chagrin. His smile grew broader still.
“Once I take the crown prince’s magic stone, I shall bring it back to this tower,” Oz said. “I’ll find a random nonhuman’s core and use my power to pour the magical energy into it.”
He glanced at the other half of the device that Chris had gone to fetch. His goal was the entire reason for the tower’s existence—a goal that had been kept secret until now.
“I plan on using that to suppress and limit the crown prince’s magic stone,” he explained. His research had completely shot past the realm of normalcy. “As long as the magic stone doesn’t reject its new core, it can be connected and unleash its magical energy. The stone will have as much energy as when its original owner was still alive. The only issue, really, is the person’s body. However...”
Oz paused before he continued proudly, “By pouring enough magical energy in both the core and the magic stone, they will enter an almost critical state. The core, now filled to the brim with magical energy, will start trying to form a body for almost an eternity. From there, the life-form it’s given birth to can live like a normal person.”
He continued further, “In my attempts to create a Demon Lord, I’d noticed that the core would never endure all the magical energy it received from the stone. It always led to a pitiful end. But as long as I have enough power, I can manage this very well with my current physique. In fact, I can probably control even the crown prince. Now, all I have to do is eagerly wait to witness the pinnacle of evolution.”
He laughed happily as he pointed his icy blade at the elf’s chest. “Dame Christina, I shall transfer all the energy in your magic stone into the crown prince’s.”
He was implying that she could now die without any regrets. The blade approached the elf as she squeezed her eyes shut. But the pain never came. What’s going on? She slowly tried to open her eyes.
“Let go of Chris!” Krone’s voice echoed from the stairs below.
“Oh my, what a very unusual guest,” Oz replied.
Krone tried her best to hide her trembling body. She wasn’t capable of fighting, and perhaps it was best for her to remain hidden, but she couldn’t just watch Chris die.
“Get away from her, Oz!” Krone shouted.
She threw a leather pouch between the elf and the professor—the very thing that Krone had received as a good luck charm. The moment it fell in front of Oz, the pouch emitted magical energy of a purple hue, causing him to flinch.
“What?! This magic...” he gasped.
“Chris!” Krone yelped as she rushed to the elf’s side.
Oz was still trying to skewer Chris, but he found himself unable to do so.
“This power that pushes me back... There’s no doubt about it,” Oz said. “Gah, I suppose I’ve got no choice.”
He switched gears and kicked Chris’s body, trying to push her into the massive hole behind her. As the knight had discovered on her way up, the hole was the result of an enormous shock wave and led all the way down to the tower’s bottom floor.
“Rot in the basement!” Oz declared.
Freed of her restraints, Chris had no power to fight back, and she couldn’t even grab the hole’s rim. Her body soared in the air before gravity did the rest, pulling her down below.
“No! Chris!” Krone yelled.
She rushed to the elf’s side and threw her body past the edge, grabbing Chris’s hand. But the advisor wasn’t strong enough to keep the two afloat.
“Ah... Gh...” Krone grunted.
“Let go of me! You’ll fall too!” Chris cried.
“No! We’re...going to save Ein together!”
Krone’s hand was trembling—she only had a few seconds of strength left in her. The elf tried to get the advisor to release her, but Chris’s battered body stood no chance against Krone’s determination. The two wouldn’t last long. Oz slowly approached them.
“Then fall together!” Oz screeched.
He took his freezing blade and slashed it across Krone’s back before he kicked into the hole, sending the ladies flying. Chris, however, wasn’t going down without a fight and mustered enough strength to fling her rapier at the man.
“Aghhhh! M-My arm?!” Oz cried.
The professor indeed wasn’t used to close combat. The thrown rapier sliced off his arm before falling into the hole as well. Oz writhed in pain as he kicked the leather pouch towards the pit. The pouch plummeted along with the two ladies, and they instinctively reached out to grab it.
I couldn’t protect a thing, Chris thought. Frustrated by her lack of power, she blamed herself for causing Krone’s death as well. Tears filled the elf’s eyes as she averted her gaze from the advisor’s face. But Krone approached Chris and embraced her tightly, using her final moments to care for the elf’s frostbitten hands.