'Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck!

This is bad. A forbidden spell. This woman is on a suicide mission.

Reen, change of plans. Give me the maximum body strengthening you can provide so that I will be ready to come out in case I need you. Do it fast.'

The butcher ordered and waited for Reen to oblige. Meanwhile, he executed his spell combo to prepare for the potential catastrophe:

'Sedated Perception x 2

Stunning Speed x 2

Blitz Bolt x 2

Blitz Steps x 2'

**********

The butcher restricted the number of spells and opted to stack the spells he had selected instead. Spell stacking has repercussions on one's mana circuit since it goes into overdrive or hyperdrive when it is performed while executing a spell combo. The more spells you stack and the more spells you have in a spell combo, the more stressed your mana circuit will be.

Stacking spells when combined with additional spell stacking would result in delayed spell effects and overall reduced output as well as taking a large toll on mana storage. That's why the butcher never stacked more than one or two spells while executing his spell combos.

But this time he neither cared about the mana expenditure nor the diminished spell effects. He didn't care about the delayed spell effects of multiple spell stacking either because he prioritized the results more than his initial struggles.

He didn't have the luxury of staying safe anymore. That's because he was standing up against a forbidden spell.

Casting a forbidden spell was similar to forfeiting one's life as a ranker if not immediate death. That's because it would destroy one's mana core and mana circuits and make them unranked again. In most cases, it wouldn't end there. The destruction of the mana core often resulted in the ranker's death.

It was not easy to get one's hands on a forbidden spell of their element. That's because they were legally banned by establishments all around the continent. Only someone like the cultist Hilda could get access to them because of being connected to the Illuminati.

But forbidden spells could surpass the rankers' ranks as a trade-off for their future. They would sometimes be even more potent than the transcendent spells giving the ranker an unimaginable amount of power.

'This poor lass. I had told her she could not beat her opponent to give her a reality check. Instead, she viewed it as something she had to overcome with the sacrifice of her life.

Love can make you do stupid things. It's not that I can't understand her though.'

Gerish felt Hilda performing a forbidden spell and sighed. He didn't try to stop her. This was something she had done of her own volition. This was something personal to her. He didn't have the right to intervene even when he was her leader.

Jerry too pressed his lips against each other and shook his head, as if watching a sad play unfolding in front of him with him in the spectators' box. Hilda's life was forfeited with her latest move, no matter if she wins or loses her battle with Ronny. He'd have to report two deaths to his superiors for a simple clean-up job. That thought also annoyed him.

*************

The butcher received body strengthening from Reen as he executed his spell combo. This was just in time when the multiple spell stackings were going to put an excessive burden on his mana circuits. The burden was relieved as a result of the demon slime's intervention.

But she couldn't help him with his mana expenditure. The butcher needed to act fast if didn't want to find himself running on fumes amid his escape plan.

Hilda saw that the butcher had disappeared from his former spot and smiled heartily. She enjoyed the colourless expressions on his face as soon as she had opened her eyes after casting the forbidden spell.

'He can feel fear. Hehe! Maybe the guy was not as hopeless as I thought him to be after all.'

Hilda enjoyed the panic written on her opponent's face. The inevitable walk towards her death was a liberating experience for her. She imagined holding hands with her departed teammate soon after she settles her affairs here.

Hilda raised her hands over her head and the surrounding mana and the moisture in the air were starting to concentrate at one spot. Soon, a giant ball of dark green water with a radius of 50 meters was formed in the air that gave off a mana pulse exceeding the conventional standards of E-Rank spell.

An unstable mass of water was hovering in the air. As if it would lose its form and come crashing down on the ground.

"Run, you fucking rat, run. I want to see where you run off to. Hahaha!"

Hilda started laughing hysterically as she started releasing the arrows that originated from the giant green mass of water. The arrows flew upward before coming down at exceptional speeds. Therefore, it looked like it was raining green arrows on the battlefield.

Arrows that hit the ground started melting the layer of snow. Soon, the ground beneath it would also get affected by the strong acidic nature of the arrows, releasing a distinct smoke.

This was the rain of acidic arrows.

'Damn it. People keep calling me a rat even with my changed appearance. Do I come across as shallow and sneaky to people?'

The butcher had this random thought as he started dodging the mana arrows aimed at him. A stray arrow that wasn't aimed at him ended up finding a target as a result.

The flesh of Ronny's exposed arm, just below his biceps, was struck by the green arrow. It started burning while releasing a foul smell as a result. If left unchecked, the wound would soon fester, resulting in the formation of puss and something even more severe.

Thankfully, Reen used her powers to heal her master in real-time as fast as she could while eliminating the foreign mana that was trying to invade his body. That enabled the butcher to keep his cool while he dodged more arrows, which was even more careful than before.

Hilda saw Ronny leaving afterimages in his wake as he scaled almost the entire battleground with his run. Although her internal condition was getting worse, she found joy in the fact that she would soon take care of Ashton's killer with her own hands.