<Royal Palace, Nirvana>

Janna had to thank her husband silently for advising her to take up lessons on close combat with the Martial Arts Federation. Thanks to the physical training provided on top of the practice sessions with mana armament, the use of raw mana in combat, she could barely hold her own against the relentless attacks of Judge, fending his chains with her staff coated with black mana armament.

Judge remarked, "For a magician, your close combat without magic is decent, unlike most. However, let's see how you handle this." Judge coiled his chains back onto his arms and disappeared into a flash thereafter, much to the surprise of Janna.

Before she could fend off his attack, Judge had already planted a mana enhanced punch into her gut, causing her to cough blood as she was sent flying a considerable distance. Before she could fly out of the force field, Judge sent one of his chains flying towards her, wrapping around her tightly as he reeled her back in.

Janna felt increasingly weaker as the chains wrapped around her felt like they were absorbing her mana. Nonetheless, she mustered enough energy to avoid a [Wind Leg] technique from Judge at point blank range, though she was still bound by his chains.

Judge bragged, "How'd you like my magician-hunting weapon, [Judgement Bind]? The longer it stays in contact with its victim, the more mana it drains. Pretty useful against mana-reliant people like you, ha!"

Janna felt a great sense of urgency as she knew that being bound by these chains were a double whammy; they restricted her movement but more importantly, she would grow weaker gradually, reducing her chances of victory.

Janna then decided to tap into the raw power of her vampire body, as her eyes turned red when she combined her boosted physical strength with her mana armament expertly to break free, to the surprise of Judge. However, Judge instinctively reacted with a quick flying kick to Janna's chest, sending her tumbling a great distance as she spitted out more blood.

Janna had flew so far that she exited Judge's force field, much to his dismay. In those precious moments she was out of the force field, she realised that her passive healing magic began to kick in, mending her broken ribs from Judge's earlier attack. Her magic didn't last long, as Judge had shifted his force field to accommodate her. Janna realised that the size of Judge's force field didn't change as it didn't stretch; it merely shifted towards her as an entire dome.

Janna began formulating theories on Judge's likely Enigma Ability based on the observations she had gathered so far. These included the fact that conversion of mana to magic was only inhibited within the force field, which could mean that ranged magic outside the force field could hurt him and next, that his force field had a maximum range, though it could be shifted to accommodate the distance between them.

Judge quipped, "You seem to realise what's going on. Alright, I'll tell you everything since there's probably nothing worth hiding now. This phenomenon that you experience is a result of my Enigma Ability, [Prohibition], which disrupts the conversion of magic from mana within its confines.

This ability of mine is extremely useful against conceited magicians who dare to challenge me in an open duel. Oh, I love the expression on their faces when they realised they are powerless before me. Just like my family, a family of esteemed magicians who despised and ill-treated me due to my lack of potential in magic. Even though I had displayed innate talent in martial arts, they still gave me those condescending and humiliating looks."

Judge continued emotionlessly, "Thus, when I awakened my Enigma Ability and realised that these so-called magicians have been reduced to existences beneath insects when my Enigma Ability was in play, I killed my entire family with my bare hands, beginning my sabbatical to cleanse this world of filthy, useless magicians. That's how I earned my moniker, 'Scourge of Magic' before I joined Miran Z, where I could relish killing the proudest and so-called 'strongest' magicians. You are just but one of them, so prepare to die."

To Judge's surprise, Janna started retreating hastily from Judge, in a bid to escape his force field. Judge laughed, "Trying to escape, ha! It’s useless!" as he shifted the force field towards her before leaping towards her with a [Flash Step].

Before Judge could execute her with a [Finger Pierce] coated with black mana armament, Janna's next move caught him by surprise. She had jumped onto a nearby wall before leaping off quickly in the opposite direction of Judge, narrowly avoiding his attack as she flew past him. Judge was bewildered as Janna swiftly exited the force field via the opposite end, pointing her staff towards his exposed back.

Janna declared, "A magician does not solely rely on magic, more importantly, she uses her brains! [Flame Dragon Bullet]!" as she conjured a gigantic dragon made of searing flames that rushed towards Judge, who couldn't dodge in time.

Despite using his strongest [Iron Body] technique coupled with his mana armament, Judge's defence was overwhelmed by Janna's powerful spell, leaving behind a charred corpse as he collapsed onto the ground. Janna panted as she remarked, "What a mortifying experience, I hope the rest are alright…"

<Inner Stairwell, Nirvana Royal Palace>

Eustace was still whipping furiously at Frost and Elise, as the Nirvanian duo realised that the status quo wasn't desirable, with the lives of King Stormfury and the other generals on a fine balance.

Frost yelled, "Elise, I just need a few seconds!" Elise nodded silently as she expertly pinned Eustace's sword down when the opportunity arose, stopping his assault instantly. Frost quickly stabbed his sabre on the ground, shouting, "[Ice Age]!" as the ground was quickly covered in a deep layer of ice.

Elise quickly leapt off the ground before she was caught, but to their horror, the ice vaporised as quickly as it appeared. Eustace, with his free palm on the ground, cackled, "Hehehe, such attacks are useless against my Enigma Ability, [Material Alteration] that allows me to transform the physical and chemical properties of any material I touch. Hence, Water and Earth magic are useless in the face of my power, mwahahaha!"

Frost couldn't believe his ears. Did such a ridiculous ability really exist? Without speaking a word, Elise twisted the handle of her parasol, switching the weapon on the tip of her parasol from a blade into a barrel. After all, Elise's weapon, [Variable Parasol], was part of a series of weapons invented by the mechanic of G.E.M.S, Giselle.

Elise quickly leapt towards Eustace, as she pointed her parasol towards him and pulled the trigger on her handle. From the tip of her parasol, a large plume of flames erupted from the flamethrower, to the surprise of Eustace, who quickly conjured a stone wall before him to defend against the attack.

Frost realised that Elise, though silent, was trying to hint to him about Eustace's abilities. The fact that he couldn't negate her flames with touch confirmed that his abilities were only applicable to matter and not energy. Eustace cursed, "Darn, don't get cocky, you bitch!" as he conjured a few stone spears from the stone wall before him, as they rushed towards Elise who dodged the spears gracefully.

Elise landed gently before she twisted the handle of her parasol again, this time revealing a sharp black tip. Elise aimed and shot the tip towards the ceiling, as the tip lodged itself deep into the ceiling before opening, releasing innumerable microscopic needles like rain.

Frost instinctively cast an [Ice Dome] that served to shelter him from the rain of needles, as Eustace did something similar with stone from the castle walls. Elise, who remained unnervingly calm throughout the battle, opened her parasol like an ordinary umbrella as she coated its surface with black mana armament, shielding her from the fatal rain.

Frost was increasingly impressed by Elise's ingenuity, as this attack had revealed yet another flaw in Eustace's ability. Even though Eustace could negate all attacks based on matter, if they were too small and fast, he could not touch and hence negate such attacks.

Furthermore, the needles weren't ordinary needles, they were laced with carbonic acid that eroded stone easily, forcing Eustace to maintain all his concentration on defence as he had to continuously supply more stone to replace the eroded ones.

On the other hand, as carbonic acid was slightly soluble in water, Frost did not experience the same issue as Eustace, giving him a chance to launch a counterattack. Frost smiled gently as he looked at Elise, who merely nodded. "What beauty and intelligence," he thought as he swung [Frostfang] in Eustace's direction, conjuring an [Ice Dragon Bullet] that soared towards its target.

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Unfortunately, just as Frost thought his attack had connected, Eustace had simply raised his sword before the huge Ice dragon as its blade coiled to form a spiral shield before him. Eustace strengthened his blade further with black mana armament, as it took Frost's [Ice Dragon Bullet] head on.

To Frost's dismay, the Ice dragon shattered upon impact with Eustace's shield, albeit with an intense shockwave that shook the ground. Eustace screamed angrily, his expression a stark contrast to his usual Cheshire grin, "This isn't funny anymore! Time to die, [Quicksand Pit]!"

Eustace placed his palms on the ground the moment the rain of needles stopped, as the ground turned swamp-like, causing Frost and Elise to sink into the ground while being pulled towards the epicentre of this technique. Frost attempted to halt the technique using his [Ice Age], but to no avail as Eustace was in complete control here.

Frost then attempted to fling another [Ice Dragon Bullet] towards Eustace, who simply sliced it into multiple pieces expertly using his [Snake Sword], coated with black mana armament. Realising that his death was imminent as he had already sunk chest-deep, Frost looked at Elise one final time, noticing that she had closed her eyes in resignation, though her face still remained calm as she didn't utter a single word.

Frost thought solemnly, "Well, that's only 1 regret in my life. At least Sis is safe…" as he touched the ice flower brooch on his left chest. To his horror, he realised that it was gone, leaving behind a damp sensation which meant that it had melted only recently.

Frost thought frantically, "What's going on? This flower brooch is supposed to be permanent! What happened to you, Sis? And what about my dear niece or nephew? I…I can't afford to die here until I know the truth!"

With a war cry made in desperation, Frost mustered all the mana and emotions he had into one final attack. By overcoming his present limits, Frost had unlocked his latent Enigma Ability, the same one as his sister, [Absolute Zero]. All the castle walls, floors and ceilings were immediately covered in ice, as everyone deemed hostile by Frost was frozen solid, even Eustace, whose Enigma Ability was inferior to Frost's.

After helping Elise out of the ground, Frost said hurriedly, "I've got some personal matters to attend to. I'll leave the rest to you, thanks, Elise!" As she watched Frost rush off, Elise turned around to come face to face with Eustace, who was already dead as he was frozen to the bone. Elise mercilessly swung her parasol down on Eustace, shattering his body into numerous pieces before rushing off in the direction of the King.

<Inner Passage, Nirvana Royal Palace>

Meanwhile, further away from Elise, one of the Generals remarked, "This ice on the floor…what power it must be to freeze the entire castle! Perhaps the Snow Witch is here to aid us!" King Stormfury shook his head, "I'd rather believe that this was the work of Frost, her twin brother. It's not surprising for Enigma Abilities to be shared by twins after all."

Suddenly, a voice rang, "Hold it right there, you pompous bastards! It's time to die!" Standing before King Stormfury and his consort were 3 Miran Z members, all panting as they had narrowly avoided a close brush with death that befell the remainder of their comrades, all left as frozen statues.

The generals drew their swords as they stood protectively in front of their King, declaring, "You'll have to get past us first!" Before anybody could make a move, suddenly, a blast of steam entered the pathway from one of the openings between the pillars, as 2 newcomers arrived in between the 2 groups. One was a slim lady with brown hair dressed in tights and the other was a burly man wearing a shaggy coat as he smoked a cigar.

King Stormfury was shocked, and so were the 3 intruders. One of the intruders stammered, "Impossible, t-that's the Head of the Nirvanian Black Ops, Steam Chaser Steven! Next to him is his deputy, Katrina! The 2 bigwigs are supposed to be away on a mission, and plans had already been made to dispose of them after this mission! What's going on here?"

Steven exhaled a puff of smoke as he turned to King Stormfury, "Your Highness, I won't question your refusal to summon us back despite this war. Thus, I hope you won't question our decision to rush back to Nirvana when we heard of the outbreak of war. No mission you give us is more important than securing your life and thus, the fate of this country, my liege! Now, shall we resolve this quickly?"

Suddenly, Steven's body emitted a huge amount of steam, clouding the vision of the 3 assailants. This was his Enigma Ability, [Steam]. One of the assassins remarked, "We won't be hindered by a mere obstruction to our vision, we are master assassins after all-"

Before he could continue, Katrina had successfully sneaked up from behind him despite his experience, covering his mouth as she slit his throat. His companion scanned his surroundings nervously as he waited for his enemy to make her move, covering his whole body in black mana armament.

He suddenly sensed a wave of hostility and jumped in, aiming a stab at Katrina with his knife. Just as he thought he had got her, Katrina's body disappeared in a flash and she reappeared behind him instantly, slashing his back in an X-like fashion with her knives. She commented, "Humph, what a fool. A full body mana armament cannot be as strong as a mana armament concentrated within the weapons alone."

The final assassin charged forward in the direction of the King, hoping to escape the labyrinth of steam. As he ran further, he realised that he was face-to-face with Steven. The assassin cursed, "Damn you, I just need to catch you by surprise…" as he suddenly increased his speed with a [Flash Step], plunging his mana-enhanced blade into Steven's chest.

The assassin laughed, "Got you now! Didn't expect that, did you?" To his surprise, Steven grabbed his shoulder firmly and grinned. The assassin stammered, "H-How are you not hurt by that attack? Even magicians with so-called intangible bodies can be hurt by mana-armed attacks!"

Steven replied calmly, "My body is made of steam, so I can simply shift the part of my body about to be stabbed away, leaving space for your knife to pass through. Now, disappear, [Steam Impact]!" Steven launched a punch right at the assassin's face, his fist coated in black mana armament.

Steven's fist seemingly flew as it was propelled by billowing steam from his arm, its power sufficient to push the assassin all the way till he crashed through the wall and out of the castle.

<Residential Area, Nirvana>

The scene of the Miranian assassin crashing unceremoniously out of the Nirvana Royal Palace was caught by both Annabel and Blake, as Annabel asked, "What're you doing here, Black King?"

Blake smiled gently as she replied, "To end this war of course, it has dragged on for far too long. You always thought that you had the upper hand, but look around you now. Your forces are falling, the airships, paratroopers and even the little elite taskforce you sent after King Stormfury. Stop now, and you can save more Miranian lives, Annabel."

Annabel scanned her surroundings in disbelief. How could her perfect plan be ruined? It was simply inconceivable that Eustace, 'Judge' Jerevis and all their elite soldiers couldn't do something as simple as murdering an old man.

Blake added coolly, "Oh, and by the way, there's really no point fighting anymore when Myro has fallen. Your strategy was actually brilliant, and it would have worked if not for a fatal assumption you had made. You had assumed that none of the 4 Coloured Kings of Nirvania would intervene since we were unreachable, but there's a reason why we remain distant. On one hand, it's because we're busy settling more important matters affecting the world at large but on the other, it's so that we can launch surprise assaults like this."

Blake continued, "#2, White King Schneider and I have been making preparations for this for a very long time. Today, we reap the results of our efforts, which is victory for Nirvania. I really urge you to quit fighting now, for Schneider had already desolated Myro."

Annabel quivered as she retorted in defiance, "Don't screw with me! Myro currently has 20% of Miran's troops stationed there, whom are all the cream of the crop. You're telling me that one man can defeat all of them?" Blake looked at Annabel with a relaxed expression, but her eyes were resolute.

Suddenly, a Miranian signaller rushed to Annabel, "S-Supreme Commander, HQ is telling us…to surrender! Myro has fallen! All because of the effort of one man who reflected all our spells and attacks right back at us, causing immense destruction while he was left unscathed."

Annabel gritted her teeth. As Supreme Commander, her pride would not let her accept defeat. Annabel cursed, "Even if Miran has fallen, I want at least your head as a token, Blake! Die!" as she shot a large cosmic energy beam at Blake.

Blake simply placed her hand before the beam and upon contact, the beam dissipated completely. Blake revealed, "Since you're Miran's finest, I'll tell you a little secret. This is my Enigma Ability, [Null], which allows me to nullify all incoming magic and Enigma Abilities via touch."

Annabel was horrified as she realised that this was how Blake had ignored the little girl's [Gravity Amplification] and how she had negated the girl's ability thereafter. Annabel stammered in disbelief, "I-Impossible, I'm supposed to be the strongest in 1v1 situations. My Enigma Ability is the best!"

Blake sighed, "There's always someone better than you. Your Enigma Ability is only decent, as limitations such as the inability of your body to keep up with your mind are fatal. Guess you need a little punishment."

Blake's body started emitting mana rapidly as it slowly took form around her, forming a gigantic black knight. Annabel choked in disbelief, "Impossible, [Avatar] is the domain of martial artists..."

Blake shook her head, "This power is available to all who have achieved the pinnacle of raw mana manipulation. Meet my [Avatar: Dark Emperor Exodus]. I guess you want a taste of his blade right?"

As Blake raised her sword over her head with both hands, her [Avatar] mirrored her actions, raising its gigantic blade over its head. Annabel, in her panic, screamed, "Die! [Ultimate Comet Shower]!" as the tip of her lance spawned multiple, huge beams of searing cosmic energy towards Blake.

To Annabel's horror, the beams all dissipated upon contact with [Exodus] as Blake remarked, "My Enigma Ability extends to the entirety of my [Avatar]. [Dark Excalibur]." Blake swung her sword down and [Exodus] did likewise. Even though Annabel could easily avoid the attack, her fear and hopelessness overwhelmed her, paralysing her as she awaited her impending death.

Just as Annabel thought she was done for, [Exodus] just stopped slightly short of slicing her in half, the impact of his swing creating an omnidirectional shockwave that tore through a few buildings.

Annabel fell onto her knees, deactivating her weapon as she broke down, muttering, "I've…lost…" Blake simply smiled as she deactivated her [Avatar], patting Annabel's head and declared, "The war's finally over."