I Refuse the Tragic Ending

Lilith’s eyes remained fixed on the final stone pillar. Its markings pulsed unevenly, sending faint ripples through the invisible barrier.

”I finally figured out the rules behind it!” She exclaimed, pointing toward the pillar with an urgency that caught everyone’s attention.

Seraphina turned toward her, tightening her grip on her sword. ”Then explain quickly. We can’t hold this position forever.”

”The barrier doesn’t block everything equally,” Lilith explained, her eyes following the shifting patterns of energy. ”It distinguishes between energy that originates inside its boundary and energy that comes from outside. The undead are animated by the corrupted energy surrounding us, but their bodies are still physical entities. When they try to cross the barrier, the formation recognizes them as hostile intruders and rejects them.”

Kael glanced toward the distant undead pressing against the invisible wall. Their distorted bodies recoiled whenever they touched it, unable to force their way through.

”Then why can the enemy’s dark magic pass through?” he asked, keeping his sword raised toward the caster.

”Because the barrier was designed to repel hostile bodies, not every form of magic,” Lilith answered. ”It filters physical intrusions by identifying the corrupted energy bound to them. But the enemy’s spells are different. They’re concentrated streams of mana, and the formation interprets them as external energy interacting with the barrier rather than creatures attempting to cross it.”

Her expression tightened as another pulse traveled through the pillar.

”That distinction is the weakness. The barrier can resist the undead without spending much energy because it rejects their attempts to cross. But when the enemy sends dark magic through it, the formation has to absorb the impact and redistribute its energy to prevent the spell from hurting the people but not the structures inside.”

Kael understood the problem immediately.

”So the undead are stopped at the door, but the enemy can throw rocks through the window.”

Lilith gave him a brief, incredulous look. ”That is an irritatingly crude way to describe it, but yes.”

”That’s interesting, but I don’t see how knowing that helps us now. We have one pillar left, everyone’s mana is almost gone, and the enemy is about to attack again. We don’t exactly have time left.”

Lilith turned toward him with an expression that suggested he had missed something obvious.

”Who said it’s not useful?”

Kael paused.

Lilith pointed at the final stone pillar. ”You said the formation doesn’t recognize the enemy’s magic as a hostile intrusion. That means the problem isn’t that the barrier lacks the ability to stop it. The problem is how the formation classifies the incoming energy.”

Kael glanced at the last remaining pillar again. Its markings pulsed weakly, struggling to maintain the barrier with none of the other anchors remaining.

”Explain,” he said.

”We need to make the pillar treat the enemy’s dark magic the same way it treats the undead,” Lilith replied. ”If the formation recognizes the spell as hostile energy attempting to breach the boundary, it should reject the spell before it crosses. That way the last remaining will defend itself.”

Seraphina frowned as she studied the pillar. ”Can we actually change the formation’s recognition rules? Those markings might have been established long before we were born.”

”Not the rules themselves,” Lilith answered. ”But we might be able to make the pillar apply them differently.”

She crouched beside the nearest visible section of the formation’s markings and traced a finger just above the ground without touching it.

”Think about how the formation identifies the undead. It isn’t examining their bodies individually. It senses the hostile intention binding them together and uses that intention as a signature. Anything carrying that signature is rejected when it attempts to cross the boundary.”

Kael followed her explanation carefully.

”So if we can make the pillar recognize the same signature in the enemy’s spells, it’ll reject those too?”

”Almost.” Lilith nodded. ”The enemy’s attack is already carrying the same signature. That’s why the undead can approach the barrier without being mistaken for ordinary creatures. The difference is that the spells are compressed and shaped by the caster. Their mana is concentrated into a projectile, and the formation interprets the result as an external magical force rather than a hostile signature.”

She looked back at the pillar.

”But the formation still senses the hostile intention within that mana. We don’t need to change the spell or rewrite the entire barrier. We need to make the final pillar prioritize the hostile signature over the spell’s shape.”

Kael’s expression grew more attentive.

”How?”

Lilith pointed toward the runes circling the pillar’s base. Several of them had dimmed, while others flickered in an uneven rhythm.

”The original formation distributes its functions across multiple pillars. Some maintain the boundary, while others regulate energy and identify intrusions. With only one pillar remaining, those functions are being forced through the same anchor. That’s why its energy flow has become unstable.”

She paused, examining the shifting light.

”Normally, we wouldn’t have enough control to interfere with those functions. But the remaining pillar is already redirecting most of its energy toward whatever section is under the greatest pressure. If we introduce the hostile signature into its defensive circuit while that circuit is actively responding to an attack, we might force it to interpret the enemy’s attack as a threat rather than a source of external mana.”

Seraphina frowned. ”How do we fix that?”

”We use the enemy’s own magic,” Lilith explained. ”The enemy’s magic contains corrupted energy the same as the undead. I can redirect a trace of that energy into the boundary runes while the rest of you reinforce the circuit with your mana.”

If there was anyone who understood dark magic pretty, there was no better candidate than the student from the Villain Department.

Kael understood that pretty well.

He also understood her reasoning. ”You want to make the formation recognize the enemy’s magic as a hostile intrusion, just like the undead.”

”Exactly.” Lilith nodded. ”If it works, the barrier will reject the enemy’s spells before they can pass through. The pillar will no longer have to endure their full impact.”

”And if it fails?” Seraphina asked.

”Then we lose our last chance.”

”And if it works?” Kael asked.

Lilith met his eyes.

”Every dark spell carrying that signature should be treated as a hostile intrusion while the circuit remains active. The enemy won’t be able to attack us through the barrier anymore.”

”Seraphina, you decide,” Kael said.

Seraphina looked around. The enemy was already preparing its next attack. The enemy was a cunning one. It always changed its way of attack every time the previous one failed. Every new attack was devastatingly powerful.

Her eyes landed on her companions. Everyone was noticeably on their limits. They probably couldn’t usher another mana from their core.

She knew she couldn’t decide rushly. And she couldn’t waste time deciding either. For their current situation, time of the essence.

Finally, she looked at Kael.

She had no idea how he did it, but, ”Can you deflect another attack?” She asked.

Kael looked at her and said, ”I’ll do my best.”

She nodded, then exhaled before tightening her grip on her sword.

”Let’s do it!” Seraphina said firmly.

Kael and everyone nodding their heads.

”Too much corrupted energy could destabilize the formation, so I need everyone to keep the energy flow steady while I work,” Lilith explained.

”Everyone who can still channel mana, gather around Lilith. Follow her instructions and protect her while she works. The rest of you, keep the enemy occupied,” Seraphina’s voice reverberated.

The students moved immediately.

Kael tightened his grip on his sword while placing himself between the dark caster and the final pillar. His sword felt heavier than before, and his mana reserves were nearly exhausted, but he forced himself into a steady stance.

The enemy raised its arm. Dark energy gathered around its hand, twisting into a dense mass that pulsed with enough power to shatter what remained of their defenses.

Kael exhaled slowly.

”Lilith,” he called without looking back, ”I’d appreciate it if your theory worked.”

”Then try not to let it hit the pillar before I’m ready!” She shouted.

The dark caster released its attack.

Lilith pressed both hands against the glowing runes as the pillar began redirecting its energy. Seraphina and the remaining students channeled their mana into the boundary circuit, holding its unstable flow steady while Lilith reached for the faint trace of corruption moving through the formation.

The plan was dangerous, but it offered something they had lacked since the other pillars fell: a way to make the barrier defend itself against the enemy’s greatest advantage.

The pillar flickered.

For the first time since the battle began, its markings began to pulse in a new rhythm.

Kael watched the pillar’s light intensify. A thin line of energy spread toward the section Lilith group had reinforced, making it appear significantly stronger than the rest.

Across the battlefield, the dark caster noticed the change.

Its distorted face tilted toward the brighter section. The dark energy coiling around its body gathered into a dense mass, then scattered into multiple, devastating projectiles.

”Everyone, brace yourselves!” Seraphina shouted, raising her sword as the dark caster unleashed its attack.

Multiple projectiles streaked across the battlefield, each one carrying enough destructive power to shatter the remaining pillar. Unlike the previous attacks, these spells approached from different angles, spreading across the battlefield to overwhelm the students’ defenses.

Kael’s expression tightened.

’Of course. The moment I figure out how to deal with one attack, the bastard starts throwing several at once.’

He quickly assessed their trajectories.