Perhaps it was time for Z to accept that Administrator A was considerably more powerful than she had anticipated. She still believed she could defeat him, but a small part of her wondered whether she would actually make it out of this room alive. Z rose to her feet and steadied herself, her eyes never leaving Administrator A as the current Head Administrator calmly drew his black revolver once more. In response, she summoned her golden barrier, letting the familiar shield spread out before her just as Administrator A pulled the trigger.
This time, a small black orb emerged from the revolver, so dark that it seemed to swallow the light around it as it drifted toward her. Z watched it approach, only to tense in surprise when the orb struck her barrier and began pulling it inward. Her shield warped violently, its golden surface stretching toward the orb as though an invisible force were dragging it into some bottomless void. Z immediately dismissed the barrier and threw herself to the side, narrowly escaping as the black orb suddenly expanded.
It swelled rapidly, growing from a small sphere into an all-consuming mass that blotted out everything around it. Z spread her wings and flew away at full speed, putting as much distance between herself and the growing sphere as possible. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the enormous orb began to shrink, collapsing inward until it vanished completely.
Z barely had time to catch her breath before she noticed something wrapped around her leg. A dark magical chain had coiled around her ankle without her realizing it, its links glowing faintly with sinister energy. Her eyes widened as Administrator A suddenly pulled on it, and the chain went taut, yanking her across the floor. Z dug her heels into the ground and tried to resist, but the force was overwhelming. She was dragged straight toward him before the chain forced her down onto one knee.
Administrator A raised his revolver and aimed the barrel directly at her head. For a moment, everything seemed to slow down. The black revolver remained perfectly steady in his hand, its runes glowing with that ominous light she had already learned to associate with whatever spell he intended to unleash next. Z could barely keep herself upright, but she forced herself to remain focused.
Z thought that she could summon a barrier, but after witnessing him tear through her defenses so effortlessly, she doubted it would accomplish anything. She could attempt another spell, but Administrator A was already aiming directly at her head. There was no time to properly prepare anything powerful enough to matter.
And then Z felt something around her ankle. She glanced down and saw a strange magical chain. The dark magical chain was still wrapped tightly around her leg, digging into her flesh. .When did he put this on me?
Z's eyes flicked toward Administrator A as she tried to retrace everything that had happened. She had been watching him throughout their confrontation and paying close attention to every spell he cast, yet she hadn't seen him summon the chain, nor had she felt it appear around her ankle. Had he created it while they were fighting in the steam? If I didn't notice him doing that... what else has he done without me realizing?
Her heart began pounding harder as Administrator A's finger tightened around the trigger. Z stared up at him, desperately searching for any possible way out, but her mind came up empty. Then, just as she prepared herself for the inevitable, the entire room suddenly shook. The tremor was violent enough to rattle the walls, causing Administrator A's aim to shift by the smallest fraction of a second. It was all Z needed.
Z seized the dark chain wrapped around her ankle and poured her power directly into it. Golden light erupted from her fingers as the sinister links strained, cracked, and finally shattered beneath the overwhelming force of her magic.
With the broken pieces scattered across the floor, Z pushed herself upright, forcing her battered body to stand despite the pain screaming through every muscle. She steadied herself, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and glared at Administrator A through the fractured lens of her glasses. If he wanted to kill her, he would have to work for it. "Perdition Rite Number Eight: Purgatory Flames."
Black flames erupted around Administrator A, engulfing his entire body. The unnatural fire clung to him as though it were alive, burning him while he staggered backward, finally showing a flicker of pain on his otherwise emotionless face. Z did not waste the opening. She thrust both hands forward, gathering a dense mass of golden lightning between her fingertips.
The energy crackled louder and louder, rapidly building into a powerful torrent before she unleashed it. A brilliant stream of golden lightning exploded across the chamber and slammed directly into Administrator A.
But in just a few seconds, Z then felt a sudden shift in the air. The torrent of golden lightning pouring from her hands suddenly met a tremendous force pushing back against it, and she struggled to understand what was happening.
Her own attack began to bend backward, the lightning being forced away from Administrator A as an overwhelming surge of energy crashed into her. Z gritted her teeth and poured more mana into the spell, but it was useless. The pressure became too great, and the backlash sent her flying across the room. She slammed into the wall, the impact rattling her entire body before she dropped to the floor.
Z could barely move after whatever just happened. She groaned and reached up to rub the side of her head, trembling as she tried to push herself upright. Something felt wrong with her vision. She blinked several times before noticing the crack running across one of the lenses of her glasses.
"Wonderful," she muttered under her breath, slowly forcing herself onto one knee before finally managing to stand.
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She adjusted her glasses, her vision gradually clearing enough for her to make out the figure hovering in front of her. Administrator A floated slightly above the floor with his wings spread wide, his entire body radiating a strange bluish energy that pulsed with immense power. The black flames that had consumed him moments ago were completely gone.
Administrator A looked down at her with an almost pitying expression. "Unlike you, I have long since ascended. There is no hope for you now."
Z refused to accept his words. She steadied herself against the wall, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and raised a hand. Golden mana gathered around her fingers, brightening until the chamber was filled with flickering light. She thrust her palm forward, sending a barrage of golden spears toward Administrator A.
Yet, Administrator A simply raised one hand. A wave of bluish energy spread from his body, knocking the spears aside easily. Not to give up just yet, Z followed with another spell.
Lightning erupted from her fingertips, branching wildly as it raced toward him, while several glowing magic circles appeared around Administrator A and fired beams of concentrated energy from different directions. But somehow, Administrator A walked through all of it. The spells struck his bluish aura and broke apart before they could reach him, scattering into harmless sparks around his body. He did not even slow down, and Z's heart sank. Still, she refused to retreat.
She spread her wings and launched herself forward, forming a blade of golden energy in her hand as she swung it toward his chest. Administrator A tilted his body aside, letting the blade pass harmlessly beside him, then stepped directly into her guard.
His fist struck her stomach. Z doubled over as the air was violently driven from her lungs, and before she could recover, his knee slammed into her side. She staggered backward, barely keeping herself upright, only for Administrator A to catch her by the shoulder and drive his fist into her face.
Her damaged glasses flew across her nose. Z stumbled, trying to create distance, but Administrator A followed without hesitation. A kick slammed into her ribs and sent her crashing across the floor. She rolled, then gasped as she forced herself back onto her feet.
Another punch caught her across the jaw, followed by another and another, each blow sending pain through her body and leaving her struggling to stay upright. She tried to counter with a close-range spell, but Administrator A knocked her arm aside and struck her again before she could finish casting. Barely able to think through the pain, Z raised her hands one more time and desperately gathered mana, only for Administrator A to grab her wrist and slam her into the floor. The impact left her dazed as she struggled to focus.
Administrator A stood over her. For the first time, Z saw no trace of hesitation in his expression. He slowly raised one leg. His boot hovered above her. Z stared upward, her breathing ragged as she realized exactly what he intended to do. Administrator A was going to bring his foot down and finish her for good.
Yet, Administrator A's foot was just about to come down when the ground suddenly shook. A violent explosion erupted somewhere nearby, sending a deep tremor through the chamber and rattling the walls hard enough to make dust and debris rain from the ceiling. Administrator A's attention snapped away from Z, his eyes turning toward the source of the disturbance.
Z barely had time to wonder what had happened before she suddenly felt herself being pulled across the floor by an incredibly powerful force. Her body shot away from Administrator A, and she instinctively tried to resist, but the force dragging her was far too strong. She was swept through the air, the room blurring until she abruptly felt something wrap around her.
Despite her confusion, she soon felt a pair of arms had pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, Z!"
***
Chloe had to admit that having Liz around had made things considerably easier. Liz actually knew how to navigate places, and while Chloe was perfectly capable of cutting her way through the ceilings, figuring out where they were supposed to go afterward was another issue. Between the two of them, however, they had eventually managed to find their way back to the fighting. Chloe's spirits lifted the moment she recognized the familiar presence ahead. They had made it back to Z!
Then Chloe saw her. Z was lying on the ground, battered and barely moving, while Administrator A stood over her with one foot raised. She simply saw Z down there, helpless and exhausted, and knew that if she didn't do something right now, something terrible was going to happen.
Chloe then activated her True Eyes of Dominion in an instant. Her vision seemed to sharpen as her power reached across the battlefield, locking onto Z's body before Chloe forcibly pulled her away from Administrator A.
Z's body shot across the room, slipping out from beneath Administrator A's raised foot and flying straight toward Chloe. Chloe caught her in her arms just as the attack came crashing down where Z had been only a moment before.
She hugged Z as hard as she could, relief flooding through her now that she was safely out of danger, maybe a little too hard, judging by the gentle tapping she soon felt against her arm. "Chloe... please."
Chloe blinked, then loosened her grip. "Whoops. Sorry!"
After that, Chloe barely had time to make sure Z was comfortable before a voice suddenly rang out across the room. "Ah, I do love it when all of you make my job that much easier."
Chloe's expression immediately soured. She looked up and found Administrator A standing. The sight of him made something hot and unpleasant twist inside Chloe's chest. She tightened her arms around Z protectively before slowly rising to her feet.
She had seen what he'd done to Z. She had seen how badly he'd hurt her, and the thought of someone treating her friend like that made Chloe's blood boil. "You're gonna pay for that!"
Administrator A laughed. "Pay? I admire your enthusiasm, but you seem to misunderstand the situation. I am far too powerful to be defeated by—"
Suddenly, the ground beneath him exploded as a massive black tentacle erupted from the floor and wrapped around Administrator A's body. His eyes widened as the appendage yanked him off his feet and slammed him into the ground with a loud CRASH!
Before he could recover, the tentacle swung him violently to the side and smashed him into the floor again, and again, hurling him around like little more than a rag doll as each impact sent cracks racing through the floor and scattered chunks of stone across the chamber. Finally, the enormous tentacle whipped backward and launched him across the room.
Chloe stared before she slowly turned her head. Liz stood nearby with her arms folded, wearing the most smug grin Chloe had seen in quite some time.
Liz's grin widened. "Yeah, I don't like him."