Rose knew that to get close to the middle-aged man, she first had to bypass the flames and then break through the fire barrier.
However, if she managed to accomplish all that… the man would likely have escaped by then.
Meanwhile, the enormous fireball in the sky seemed to be inching ever closer.
Rose had no intention of gambling on the fireball’s potential damage.
With her current tier-silver strength, she was far inferior to the middle-aged man.
Regardless of the fireball’s power, Rose understood that passively waiting for an attack would leave her at a severe disadvantage.
There was no room for hesitation; she had to take the initiative.
The middle-aged man’s barrier unleashed a torrent of flames, forming an inferno that engulfed the area and left Rose no path forward.
To attack him, she would need to cross this sea of fire.
Rose’s face remained calm as she recalled a similar encounter during her time in the secret realm.
Taking a deep breath, she gripped her greatsword and charged into the flames without hesitation.
This decision caught even her companions—Kent and the others—off guard.
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They were members of the Ragtag Mercenary Squad, who had pledged to protect Rose after receiving Daniel’s grace.
Earlier, Rose had instructed them to stay put, insisting on fighting this battle on her own.
Reluctantly, they had stayed back to observe, but when they saw Rose charging directly into the sea of fire, they could no longer sit idle.
“Those flames… charging into them is no different from courting death!” Kent shouted, preparing to rush forward and stop her.
His duty was to protect Rose, after all.
Yet, just as Kent was about to act, he witnessed something utterly inconceivable.
The moment Rose stepped into the fiery ocean, the flames surrounding her seemed to recoil, as though they had a will of their own.
They avoided her entirely, leaving her unharmed.
Kent’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Was it possible for magic to intentionally avoid someone after being cast? It defied everything he knew.
Even after witnessing the event firsthand, he struggled to understand it.
But then he remembered—Rose was Daniel’s daughter.
For someone with such a remarkable lineage, perhaps this miracle wasn’t so unbelievable.
Daniel had, after all, saved Kent and his comrades from certain death, an act that still felt like an impossible wonder.
If Rose possessed a similar miraculous power, it was only natural.
Lucy, standing beside Kent, had a sharper eye for detail and noticed something unusual.
The flames weren’t avoiding Rose of their own volition—they were being extinguished.
Surrounding Rose was a mysterious energy that eradicated the mana-fueled flames, creating a protective void around her.
As Rose continued her charge, this energy left a trail of extinguished flames in her wake.
Behind her, the fire left no trace, as though it had never existed.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man, secure behind his fire barrier, remained oblivious.
Confident in his apparent advantage, he failed to notice anything amiss until it was too late.
Suddenly, he felt a drastic depletion of his mana.
His reserves were draining at an alarming rate, something he had never experienced before.
The realization hit him: his fire barrier consumed mana proportionate to the force it resisted.
While it had always been an efficient spell, this time, the mana drain was unprecedented.
He quickly looked at his barrier, finally noticing the cracks spreading across it.
Crack! Crack!
In a split second, the barrier shattered into nothingness.
“What’s happening?!” the man exclaimed, his confidence giving way to panic.
Before he could fully grasp the situation, he saw Rose descending from above, her greatsword gleaming as it arced downward.
“Why… why couldn’t my fire barrier stop her?” That was the last coherent thought in his mind.
Paralyzed by shock, he didn’t even attempt to evade.
In one swift strike, Rose’s sword cleaved through him, ending his life.
To the end, the middle-aged man couldn’t comprehend how he had been defeated by a tier-silver opponent.
He died with his eyes wide open, unwilling to accept his fate.
From a distance, Kent and the others watched the scene unfold in stunned silence. Rose’s movements were calculated and deliberate.
She had used the man’s fire barrier as a platform, launching herself into the air to destroy the approaching fireball.
Then, with her momentum unbroken, she descended upon her enemy, delivering the final blow.
The sheer destruction of Rose’s assault left no doubt in their minds—this was no ordinary attack.
It wasn’t that the flames had avoided her, as they had initially thought.
It was Rose’s terrifying, annihilating power that obliterated everything in her path.
The fireball, the fire barrier, and the flames themselves—none of them could harm her.
As long as Rose wielded this overwhelming power, no magic from her opponent could touch her.
The outcome of the battle had been decided the moment she chose to act.
Kent and the others hurried to her side, their faces filled with concern. “Miss Rose, are you alright?” Kent asked.
“I’m fine. Let’s head back,” Rose replied curtly.
She sheathed her greatsword and began walking toward the inn without another word.
Her companions followed closely behind, worry etched on their faces.
Though Rose claimed to be fine, they could sense a stark difference in her demeanor.
Gone was the carefree and relaxed aura she usually exuded.
Now, she seemed tense and hurried, as if desperate to reach the inn as quickly as possible.
It was clear that the attack had taken a toll on her.
Once they reached the inn, Kent asked again, “Miss Rose, is there anything we can do for you?”
“No, I just… I think I’ll sleep for a long time,” Rose said before retreating to her room. She collapsed onto her bed, utterly exhausted.
Back at the battlefield, the once-crowded arena was now in ruins.
The flames had long since died out, and the spectators, who had kept their distance during the fight, began to cautiously approach.
They had witnessed the entire battle and were deeply shaken.
The girl named Rose had not only defeated a tier-gold mage but had done so in a way that inspired fear.
Even if she was now likely at her limit, none of the onlookers dared to challenge her.
The memory of her devastating power was too fresh, too vivid.
“Who is this terrifying girl?” someone murmured, their voice trembling.
No one had an answer.
But one thing was certain—Rose had left an indelible impression on all who had witnessed her one-hit kill.