CHAPTER 50: I THINK I MESSED UP... AGAIN.

Interesting... so this one, Max, he’s sharp with control techniques. Actually... an idea sparks in my head. If I push them into battles more often, I could study their approaches, dissect their strategies, and weave the best of them into my own party’s tactics. Especially for me—my scythe has no proper control applications yet. Learning from them could change that. Let’s see what the other one can do. Lura... show me something worth stealing.

{A woman in a flowing golden dress pressed a finger lightly to her lips. From that gesture alone, a creature of pure radiance took form. It was translucent, sculpted from light itself, yet unmistakably shaped like the great tiger they had slain in their last battle. That was her art—mimicry born of divine light, conjuring beasts from her memory and bending them into weapons. Sparks rippled as the golden tiger lunged forward, sinking its fangs into the giant’s leg. Its body flashed with violent arcs of lightning, surging upward to seize the monster’s nerves. The aim was simple: weaken and numb, so the damage dealers could strike without risk.

And it worked. The towering creature of my imagination buckled, its colossal frame crashing down onto its knees. Blue fire seared in its eyes, stubborn and unyielding, yet its strength faltered. Its massive blade slipped, and in one final act of defiance, it swung downward—straight toward Auror—choosing to drag someone with it before it was forced onto the defensive.}

"OH, come on!" I blurt out, then immediately glance around to make sure no one heard me. That was a little too loud... hehehe. My creation only falls when I will it to fall.

I scrawl the words into the air with a flick of my quill.

{My creation shatters every chain, gaining immunity to both electricity and spectral energy.}

Let’s see how you dance now.

{Auror’s eyes widened as the monster’s strength suddenly surged. The force behind its descending blade grew heavier, sharper, almost unbearable. He had braced himself, yet the sudden spike of pressure made it clear—this wouldn’t be easy. In the blink of an eye, Laura’s weakening effect flickered out, Max’s binding vanished as if it never existed, and even on its knees, the creature forced raw power into its swing.

"Amber! Luna! Shields and heals—everything you’ve got!" Auror’s roar cracked through the battlefield, desperate and commanding.

The two healers reacted instantly. Amber, true to her name, had hair and eyes like polished amber, so striking they could still hearts at a glance. But her healing powers told a darker story. They flowed not golden, but crimson, drawn from her very veins. Her complexion drained in a heartbeat as she pressed her palms forward, releasing a thick mist of blood. The vapor coiled around Auror like a living shroud, and his defenses hardened at once, a crimson shield beating in time with the rhythm of her faltering heart.

Luna, on the other hand, radiated a gentler presence. The air around her cooled until it felt like a winter night, and behind her back, faint constellations shimmered into being. From them spread a pair of wings that legends would call angelic—yet these were woven from starlight, spectral dust cascading down with every slow beat. A book materialized in her hands, its cover forged of shifting stars. The moment she opened it, a beam of midnight light burst forth, wrapping around Auror. His body was encased in its glow, his defenses swelling as a shimmering shield layered over him, healing him even as it reinforced his strength.

Though it takes longer to describe than to witness, both healers moved with breathtaking speed. Their spells landed in perfect unison, a heartbeat before the monster’s colossal blade, wreathed in blue fire, slammed down against Auror’s black shield.

The world itself rumbled. Power collided in a deafening storm, blue flames spreading outward in waves, seeking to consume everything in their path. At the center of it all stood Auror, his body shaking, blood streaming from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. The weight of the blow was like a mountain collapsing onto his shoulders. Without the constant flow of healing, he would have been crushed instantly. And still—he did not yield. He held the line, bearing the unimaginable pressure so the four damage dealers at his back could strike together in that fleeting opening.}

He’s truly a man. Out of that entire party, I think I respect him the most. The thought runs through me as my eyes dart over each line, hungry for what happens next.

{"Thank you! Hold him just a little longer—I’ll slice that head clean off! Hahaha!" Glorius’s arrogant laughter filled the battlefield. He raised his sword high, golden holy energy coiling around the blade until it shone like a fragment of the sun. With a leap into the air, he spun, building momentum, then brought the weapon crashing down toward the beast’s neck.

The impact shook the earth. Glorius was already powerful, but when he poured his full weight into the strike, Auror’s bones screamed under the strain. He felt his knees buckle, his vision whirl. The shield in his grip crumpled, the force threatening to flatten him like a pancake. Only Olivia’s quick reaction—her water shield snapping into place—kept him from being crushed outright.

From the shadows, Nox darted forward, his daggers glinting with void-like darkness. Even Glorius couldn’t slice through the beast’s thick neck, but Nox had an eye for weakness. He drove both blades straight into the fresh wound. The monster shrieked, staggering—just in time for Monica to strike, her fire sword blazing as it slashed into the same point. The three of them tore at the beast’s neck in a frenzy, their faces twisted in crazed determination.

But then—an explosion of blue fire. It tore through the creature’s body, blasting outward in a storm that sent every last one of them flying. The battlefield drowned in the light, and in the next heartbeat, the monster vanished. It reappeared behind Glorius before he could stabilize, its colossal blade already arcing downward. He rolled across the ground, dirt scattering as his wide eyes filled with something he hadn’t felt since his battle with Quill. Fear. The resemblance was unbearable—the aura, the power, everything about this monster reminded him of that accursed NPC. Rage boiled inside him, searing away his reason. He hated it. Hated that this creature forced him to remember.

"Enough!" he roared, his voice breaking against the firestorm. His once-golden blade drowned in a tide of black flame, the kind of power no hero should ever wield. He surged up, meeting the incoming strike head-on. Blue fire and black fire collided, erupting into a wall of flame that split the battlefield clean in two.}

"Okay... I did not expect that. Maybe I messed up again."

"Quill! You freaking idiot!!!" Big Boss’s voice blasts in my ear, and my heart sinks.

"Heheh... hi..."