Chapter 25: A Quiet Defense

Ignis was furious. Thrashing against the Tanglefoot Tar only made him more stuck, and the magical brain freeze, while temporary, seemed to have thrown his internal furnace completely out of whack. He sputtered, breathing out puffs of steam and the occasional, sad-looking smoke ring.

But a trapped dragon is still a dragon. He couldn't use his fire or his tail, so he resorted to his other weapon: magic.

The air in the cavern crackled with raw power. The runes on the dragon's scales began to glow with a malevolent purple light. He was preparing a spell, something far more dangerous than simple fire.

"That's a Cataclysm-class curse!" the Grimoire shrieked from Luna's bag. "If that goes off, it won't just kill us, it'll destabilize the entire volcano! We'll all be vaporized!"

"Luna, can you stop it?" I asked, my heart pounding.

Luna didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, planting her staff on the ground. She closed her eyes, her lavender hair floating around her as she drew in an incredible amount of mana. She was no longer the shy, timid girl from the tower; she was a conduit of immense magical power.

The Grimoire fell silent, a rare sign of respect. "She's weaving a Null-Field," it whispered in awe. "A forbidden counter-spell that doesn't block magic, but simply… erases it from existence. The control required is monumental."

Ignis unleashed his curse. It wasn't a projectile or a beam, but a wave of pure, unmaking energy, a ripple of purple-black nothingness that washed across the cavern.

As the wave of dark magic reached Luna, it simply… stopped. The shimmering, complex barrier she had erected around our party didn't shatter; it absorbed the curse, the purple energy vanishing like a drop of ink in an ocean of clear water. Luna's spell held, a silent, unyielding defense against total annihilation.

The effort was immense. A trickle of blood ran from Luna's nose, and her knuckles were white where she gripped her staff, but she stood firm. She had single-handedly nullified a spell that could have leveled a city.

The dragon stared, his ancient golden eyes wide with disbelief. He had thrown his most powerful magic at this tiny mortal, and she had simply willed it away.

But the strain was taking its toll on Luna. The barrier flickered. She couldn't hold it forever.

"Kenta, now!" Rina yelled. "While he's shocked! Do something!"

Kenta had been trying to get the Snail King to enter the lair for the last ten minutes, but the colossal creature was too wide for the tunnels. Kenta's trump card was stuck outside.

He looked at the dragon, then at Luna, who was trembling with effort. He had no powerful attacks, no grand spells. But he had a plan. A stupid, insane, probably suicidal plan.

"Chloe, give me the glitter!" he yelled. "All of it!"