As Chara reflexively gnced in the dire of Curiosity’s scream, she caught a glimpse of aremely out-of-pce object. It was an illusory antique harp surrounded by a ing vortex of wind element mana.

  At the same time, it looked back at her. Instantly, she could feel a gaze filled with intense hostility. Not a mere mindless hatred, but a vivid ahodical killing ihat seemed to have already envisiohe numerous ways it would hurt her.

  Pinned under such a chilling stare, the little spirit froze in terror.

  At that moment, the illusory harp’s strings vibrated, as though having been strummed by an invisible hand. A haunting melody filled the air as a cloud of wind element mana densed swiftly around the instrument.

  Almost simultaneously, the music spirit, who was not far from Chara, brandished her illusory silver flute. As she directed a steady stream of wind mana into its mouthpiece, it rang out with a clear whistle-like sound. At the same time, mana flowed outwards through its many openings and gathered ly toward a spot slightly in front of her. There, the now glimmering mana spiraled inward rapidly, as if trying to verge into a single point.

  The ghostly harp, finishing its spell first, unleashed a glimmering wave of mana that surged straight towards Chara!

  this, the music spirit swiftly ended her note. Immediately, the glimmering mana bullet shot forth, homing in on the ghost’s mana wave!

  Boom~!

  The swirling mana bullet exploded with a tremendous shockwave, blowing away the ghost’s mana wave instantly!

  “UWAAAAAA!!!”

  The little spirit, blown back by the explosion, shrieked in terror before fleeing with all her might.

  The ghost lunged after her in pursuit. But before it could catch her, it was violently thrown aside by anlimmering wind spell.

  Enraged, it floated off the ground and gred at its assaint—who was already blowing into her flute to cast her spell.

  “Y???o???????u???????!???????? ??????T???????h???i??????s????? ???????i???s?????? ??????a?????l????????l????? ??????y???????o?????u??r???????? ????f?????????a??????u?????l???????t????????!????????!???????”

  Toooot~!

  Music’s mind strai the ghost’s ravings. heless, she ruthlessly unleashed her spell.

  Boom~!

  Behind Chara, two melodies cshed—one discordant and the other harmonious—iwined with the sharp whistling of wind cutting through the air. Glittering wind spells rained down violently along her escape route; each impact marked by the sharp crack of crystal flowers shattering into numerous pieces.

  As she raced through the translut foliage, fleeting glimpses of the battle betweewo musids flickered into view. A swirling cloud of iridest wind mana danced gracefully across the battlefield, her ethereal silver flute glintiifully as she unleashed volleys of wind spells with every note of her melody. Her foe, another swirling storm of wind mana, this one wielding a harp, bore many simirities. Yet, it also had two striking differehat made it unlike any spirit.

  For o was missing the one key characteristic that distinguished spirits from any other swirling cloud of mana: their iridest mana. Chara wasn’t clear about what made this distinctive mana different or special, but sidering that other variations of mana didn’t wake up and start arguing with her, it seemed fairly important.

  The sed difference was even more striking. In Chara’s view, spirits appeared like swirling clouds of mana, with tiny particles cirg in and out of their form. Ae the fact that their mana overflowed near stantly, spilling endlessly into the surroundings, they ook anything from outside.

  In stark trast, the ghost was a vortex. A bottomless pit that one-sidedly absorbed mana, without geing any of its own. It was like an undead, devoid of any future potential, sustaining its hollow existence by feeding on the possibilities of the world around it.

  If this were true, it could expin why the music ghost had been stantly on the move. Still, sidering the way its uling gaze remained squarely fixed on Chara, as though driven by some uing obsession while advang recklessly in her dire… it might’ve just been a ce.

  Keenly aware of this, the little spirit trembled untrolbly, her swirling cloud body trag inward defensively, as if to keep itself from dispersing.

  Uwaaaa! Why, why is it going after me! I thought it was supposed to chase after Music…!!

  As Chara pushed herself to float faster than ever before, she heard a familiar voice.

  “Little Spirit, over here!”

  It was Curiosity waiting by a sizable boulder jutting out from the ground.

  Chara, never having been so relieved to see that treacherous spirit, raced in her dire.

  Curiosity, secretly pleased that her adorable student was relying on her, waited eagerly—only for Chara to tinue floating past her and seek cover behind the boulder.

  It was a shog betrayal!

  Left out in the open, Curiosity was gripped by the ghost’s evil and murderous gaze. In the instant, the illusory a harp resonated with an ominous tune before unleashing a glimmering wave of mana at the abandoned spirit!

  Reag swiftly, Curiosity bolted behind the boulder.

  Whoosh~!

  The wind spell collided with the massive boulder, its strength dissipating against the immovable stone.

  Freed from the ghost’s malevolent gre, Curiosity narrowed her gaze otle spirit.

  Notig her gaze, the little spirit swirled ily.

  “…”

  “…”

  After a brief moment, Curiosity retracted her gaze, her mana pulsing in dissatisfa. She had summoned Baby with the aim of resg her, so chastising her for attempting to save herself would be entirely against the point. heless, to set up the [Ghost Sealing Ritual], she would o lose the ghost’s gaze again.

  Rippling in ption, she swiftly devised a solution.

  “Hmph, watch this.”

  Taking scious trol of her mana, the curiosity spirit formed an illusory mana tendril, before carefully molding its tip into the shape of a ring. Then, she spread a delicate, translut mana membrane across the ring’s opening. With a gentle wave of her wand, the membraretched to form an illusory mana bubble.

  The illusory bubble floated gently from behind the jutting boulder, its edges twinkliifully uhe soft glow of the cavern ceiling.

  The ghost, suddenly captivated by this bubble, gazed at it ily. After about a dozen seds, the bubble burst. However, by that time, the duo of spirits had vanished.

  maury