Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Gather, breath of the earth—my name is Alf!"

However, this deadly attack was blocked by Lefia's "magic".

"【Veil Breath】!"

Before the attack succeeded, an emerald-green light enveloped Aisha, Ryu, Asifi, and Lefia.

Aisha, her eyes wide, immediately assumed a defensive stance upon seeing the armor of light.

Philweis's fist struck Aisha's arms, which were in a cross-arm defense, sending her flying. She rolled several times on the ground before finally getting up.

"Huh...!?"

"...Seriously, that punch made me see my life flash by."

Aisha hung limply at her sides with her two fractured arms, forcing out a defiant smile.

Philweis gasped in surprise at the sight and turned her gaze from Aisha to Lefia, who was standing behind her holding a short staff.

Green light protection

This is Riveria's specialty, "protective magic".

The effect is to increase the target's resistance to physical and magical attacks. If Rivera were to cast it herself, it could even allow adventurers to escape unscathed from the dragon's massive fireballs. Through a lengthy incantation, Lefia prioritized "summoning" a buff spell that is absolutely essential when facing powerful enemies.

For a defender, this is arguably the best judgment.

"Thanks, Thousand Spirits!"

Thanks to the additional effect of the green light protection, Aisha's fractured bone was healed. After expressing her gratitude, she quickly returned to the battlefield.

Seeing this, Lefia immediately began to cast her next spell.

"[Unleash a ray of light, the bow of sacred wood. You are a master archer.]"

She began chanting a spell.

Add variety to the battlefield through fluid and rapid chanting.

"Snipe, elven archer! Pierce through, arrow that never misses!"

Lefia, who completed the short verse recitation—

"—Make a wish in the name of Viscount!"

It seems to be putting the "magic" in a "standby" state, and then continuing to chant other spells.

"This is……"

Among the adventurers who retreated to a distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire, only Haruhime noticed this "strange phenomenon" and wondered if she was seeing things.

Because the "magic" that had been chanted had shrunk into a bracelet after forming a magic circle, it was placed on Lefia's left hand.

During this time, Lefia continued chanting, and a large magic circle formed beneath her feet.

Two magic circles were created in total.

The fox-man sorcerer stared in disbelief at the incredible scene before him.

“Hmm!?”

"Rion!"

Just then, Philwis's powerful strike damaged one of her teammates who was acting as a forward.

She knocked the masked adventurer's hand and weapon away, preparing to continue the pursuit.

"[Remembering Liberation]!"

The next second, Lefia stopped singing and called out loudly:

"[Spirit Bow and Light Arrow]!"

She "activated" the magic circle on her left hand, unleashing a powerful barrage from her outstretched palm.

This is a large beam of light capable of automatically tracking its target. Faced with this astonishing attack, which would severely damage even those of slightly different levels, Philvis was forced to abandon her pursuit and had to find a way to block the magic.

During this time, Raphia continued the chanting that had been interrupted.

"My name is Alfre—Luna Aldis!"

Then, from the completed summoning spell, Riveria's healing spell was activated.

「!?」

Not only Philvis, who withstood the shelling, but also Ryu, who received treatment, and Aisha and Asfi, who witnessed the scene, were all stunned.

"They're activating different 'magic' spells simultaneously!?"

"No, that's not it! She's delaying the activation of the 'magic' she's already prepared...!"

As Lulu and the others moved the fallen adventurers away, exclaiming in surprise, Haruhime corrected their interpretation. Only she, who saw through the truth, understood the elf's method.

There is indeed a concept of being in a "standby state" in magic.

The practice of not immediately activating the completed spell and instead maintaining the magic circle while waiting for the optimal moment is actually one of the "techniques" of mages.

Although mages can cast spells according to the battle situation, they cannot prepare other spells while in "standby mode." This is because overlapping incantations is equivalent to dispelling a spell. To this day, no familiar possesses the "circuit" to cast two "spells" simultaneously. Forcing such an activation can easily cause a magical energy explosion, even for the strongest mage.

However, Lefia's new "skills" defied this logic.

[Double Trackback].

The effect is that two magic circles can be deployed simultaneously.

A pre-chanted spell will be in a "standby state," allowing you to continue chanting another spell—a truly rare skill. Prepared spells can be activated at any time using an initiation spell.

This means that Lefia can prepare another spell while she is ready to cast one spell at any time, which is equivalent to controlling two spells simultaneously.

This is a dual control that no existing mage can achieve.

It could be said that he was simultaneously wielding a pistol and a rifle, fighting with two guns at once.

At the same time, it is also very ironic.

Lefia wept bitterly, and after preparing herself to face the cruel truth, she seemed to follow the song of the elves, and thus obtained the "recital of two".

Lefia used the power she gained through the upgrade to defeat Philvis.

"...!"

【Double Pursuit】can indeed make a mage who is a defender work very well, but it is not all good.

After all, using "skills" consumes mental energy, and maintaining two kinds of magic at the same time naturally consumes a considerable amount of energy.

(I feel like my head is about to explode...!!)

Next is choosing a spell.

The battlefield where Lefia plays as a defender is a high-speed battle where every second counts.

Since there is no time to cancel and switch to another spell, and once the incantation begins, it cannot be changed, Lefia is forced to anticipate the battle situation ten steps into the future in order to choose the appropriate spell.

(Faced with Miss Philvis's next move, should we attack, defend, or heal? Or perhaps enhance Miss Asphie and the others' abilities!?)

Lefia asked and answered herself in an almost screaming tone, picking out the "correct answer" from the options swirling in her mind.

For the defense mage who was originally only required to exert maximum firepower, this burden was far beyond her capacity and almost crushed her.

The reason is that Lefia Veridis, known as the "Spirit of a Thousand," has far too many actions to choose from.

Having nearly a thousand options only leads to more confusion and can easily cause people to have mental blocks.

"—【Requiem for Liberation】! 【Ecstasy: Fimbulll Winter】!"

But—

Lefia kept picking out the "correct answer".

When Aisha and her group launched their attack, they provided support fire, accurately calculated the time when the buff magic would expire and reapplied it, and when they saw that Philvis was about to launch a strong counterattack, they built an ice wall to freeze everything and stop her.

This is the perspective of a defender who is responsible for the overall situation, and it is also the insight that a mage must have.

Lefia uses the "Heart of the Tree" to make up for this deficiency.

Inherited from Riveria, the technique used to strengthen her resolve has become a skill in itself. Lefia finds herself in a critical situation where the slightest mistake is not an option, facing and confronting that incredibly heavy burden head-on.

Having reached Lv.4, Lefia, who still chooses to confront the cruel truth head-on, has reached the pinnacle of her mental state. Her heart is like a great sacred tree with its roots deeply planted in the earth. She restrains her inner turmoil, leaving the chaos behind, and accurately discerns the trends of the battlefield.

Furthermore, Rafia's choice of "magic" and her "intentions" as a defender also influence the forwards.

When Lefia unleashes her artillery barrage, attack boldly; when she chooses to defend, be wary of enemy pursuit; and when she casts a healing spell, have others support the vanguard.

When forwards and defenders understand each other, they can develop a more powerful way of cooperating.

Whether it's the renowned adventurers like [The All-Powerful], [Lijie], or [Swift], they all now obey Lefia's orders.

(The defenders are too strong!)

As Hayate engaged in a close-quarters battle with the powerful monster, he couldn't help but admire the support he received.

It would be understandable if they received support from multiple mages, but right now, all three forms of support—attack, defense, and recovery—are being handled by the same person. Who would believe that?

"The Thousand Spirits... are they really that outstanding!"

The naive mage she and the boy had helped in the past was no longer there.

The masked adventurer made no attempt to hide his admiration for this fellow countryman who was given the strange name of a thousand.

"Protect her? Don't be ridiculous, we're the ones being protected!"

Aisha, who was fiercely fighting the enemy, also loudly expressed her feelings.

Speaking of Lefia, she always has one "magic" ready to be used at any time, and then replenishes the next "magic". Although she is currently staying in place to fulfill her role as a defender, if she could use "parallel chanting" simultaneously, she would be invincible. Aisha, nicknamed "Lijie", saw Lefia's potential and trusted her completely, even feeling that the younger generation was formidable.

"The Thousand Spirits who joined forces with us to fight the enemy probably share the same thoughts."

While rapidly descending to launch an attack, Asphie, soaring freely through the sky, calmly surveyed the battlefield, unlike the other two.

Even though Lefia possesses [Double Pursuit], she cannot utilize it effectively if she faces Philvis alone.

It wasn't until she partnered with a group of excellent forwards and center-backs like Aisha that she was able to reach her full potential. It's believed that Rafia shares the same sentiment as Aisha and the others.

The four people on the field, each with their own thoughts, exchanged glances.

Then everyone increased their speed in one go and launched an attack on Phil Weiss.

“Hmm!?”

We cannot give the enemy time to regroup; we must continue the pursuit before they calm down.

Firmly believing that this was the only way to win, the four resolutely launched a relentless offensive, driving Phil Weiss into a corner.

[Swift Wind] runs at high speed, [Lijie] dances gracefully, [Omnipotent One] provides support from the side, and [Thousand Spirits] sings elegantly.

The strongest four-person team defeated the invincible monster.

"Come forth, mighty overlord!"

"The forest and sky, now gone, are an endless night sky studded with countless stars!"

"!!"

Two parallel chants began.

Both the female warrior and the masked adventurer, who were equally skilled in magic, exuded astonishing "magical power".

The two decided to "set a trap" to pressure their opponent.

See which side's incantation the enemy will interrupt, or risk taking down both at the same time.

Phil Weiss was forced to make a choice.

"—Spit!"

Aisha was chosen.

When the caster is focused on "chanting," the evasion speed will be slower than usual.

Philweis decided to take care of Aisha, who was closer by.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"──"

Aisha abruptly interrupted the "parallel chanting".

She regained her original agility, luring Philweis to "that place" and narrowly dodging a desperate attack from the enemy.