Manaless Mage-Chapter 312: We’re not alone

Outside the tornado, Miranda’s brows furrowed.

Something was wrong... she could feel it.

By now, the spell should have ended. It wasn’t built to sustain itself for this long—not without a constant influx of mana.

She hadn’t designed it for duration, only for overwhelming force. After all, the sheer pressure it generated should’ve knocked Harry out of the vortex by now... or at least left him barely conscious on the battlefield.

Yet the tornado still spun—faster, louder, angrier than before.

FWOOM! FWOOM!

The winds were wilder, the lightning more unstable... and most disturbingly, the core of the spell glowed even brighter now.

"...What?" She whispered, her lips parting slightly as confusion clouded her gaze. "Why is it still going?"

She couldn’t see Harry.

She couldn’t feel his mana signature either, not clearly—not with the storm thrashing so violently. But there was something in her gut, a heavy, gnawing instinct that told her... this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

"Don’t tell me..." She muttered, eyes narrowing, heart skipping a beat. "Did I miscalculate the attack?"

She had trained for months to control the synchronization of wind and lightning. Even one second off, one breath out of rhythm, and the fusion would fail—either collapsing on itself or detonating early. She’d never experienced this kind of outcome. Never.

Her fingers trembled slightly. Not from exhaustion—but from doubt.

’This... might be too much.’

She stared into the heart of the tornado, the center where all the chaos converged.

’If I miscalculated... he might actually be in danger.’

The thought struck her harder than she expected.

Miranda stepped forward, boots crunching over cracked stone and scorched dirt. Her throat tightened as she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the storm, "Harry! Are you okay?!"

But her voice was swallowed immediately.

The wind howled louder in reply, a deafening roar that surged upward like a feral beast.

Her shout didn’t even echo.

Miranda’s eyes widened a fraction as the sense of unease deepened.

Unbeknownst to her, within the very core of the cyclone, Harry hovered in place, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he stared down at her.

So she was worried about him.

’How cute...’ He thought, amused. ’Worrying about your opponent in the middle of battle...’

Despite the raging lightning, the screaming wind, and the volatile arcs still flashing around him, he had heard her clearly. Every word.

His perception was simply too high.

It wasn’t just his physical senses—it was his energy sensitivity. He could hear her heartbeat flutter, feel the subtle tremor of concern in her voice even if muffled by the storm. Every detail—every shift in her aura—was laid bare before him.

[Those kind of people... just exist, too kind for their own good.]

Leon’s voice echoed in his mind, quiet but clear. Calm, as always.

Harry chuckled under his breath. ’Yeah... I guess.’

The small lightning orb in his hand crackled violently, threads of white-blue lightning dancing across his knuckles as he focused.

’Still...’ His eyes narrowed faintly, ’Let’s see if you can keep that up after this.’

His fingers flicked.

The orb launched.

BZZZZZZZZZT!!!

A high-pitched, electric shriek that tore through the storm like a divine bullet as the ball of lightning ripped through the vortex of wind.

Like a comet, it surged forward, heading towards Miranda at terrifying speed.

Miranda’s eyes widened in shock.

"What—?!"

She barely had time to react, and the next thing she knew, the ball was in front of her.

Miranda’s instincts screamed, and she quickly leapt backwards, summoning a circular barrier of wind with a snap of her wrist.

WHUMMMM!!!

The lightning ball struck the barrier with immense force, a mini, yet powerful explosion of lightning going off upon contact.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The wind shield shattered like glass.

Miranda’s body was flung back, tumbling across the rocky ground as energy tore through the space she had just occupied.

She hit the ground hard, rolling once, twice—before slamming against a scorched tree trunk.

Smoke hissed from the lightning gloves on her hands, and they slowly disintegrated into thin air.

She gritted her teeth, trying her best to stop her arms from trembling.

’So much... power...’ She mumbled inwardly, still feeling the aftershock of the blast within her bones.

Never before had she seen an tier one lightning ball spell so powerful. It even overpowered the tier three wind barrier spell she tried putting up!

Boom!!

The lightning tornado suddenly dispersed, the remnant wind and lightning swirling up to the skies.

Miranda’s face twisted into a frown, and she quickly rose back up on her feet, ignoring the pain from her trembling hands.

’Stay focused... stay—’

Swoosh!

Miranda barely had time to reorient herself when a blur of motion cut through the wind behind her.

She spun instinctively, lips parting to shout—but her breath caught mid-word.

Her eyes briefly met with Harry’s, who was right behind her with a slight frown on his face.

His movement was too fast—so fast it felt like the air split apart in his wake.

His arm swung toward her at a blinding speed, just a streak of motion in her vision. She barely had time to process it.

Her eyes widened in shock.

’Too fast... I can’t block this!’

Her instincts screamed danger, but her body was frozen for a fraction of a second—just long enough to know that if he truly meant to hit her, there was nothing she could do. No spell. No dodge. No counter.

Still, she raised her hand out of reflex, gritting her teeth and bracing herself for the hit.

But it never came.

Instead—his hand wrapped around her waist.

"What—?!"

Before the words could leave her mouth, Harry’s body pressed lightly against hers and then—

Boom!

He dashed sideways, carrying her with him in a powerful burst of speed.

The wind howled past them as the ground blurred beneath her boots. Miranda gasped, the world spinning, not from magic—but from him.

From the heat of his body. The strength in his grip. And the scent—

That clean, electric scent—subtle, but oddly pleasant—flooded her senses.

’Huh...?’ She thought, cheeks rapidly turning red. ’Why does he smell so good?!’

She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, the tension in his muscles, the way he moved like a blade gliding through the air.

Her heartbeat stuttered, confusion rising alongside a strange, unwanted warmth.

Then—Harry slid to a halt.

Dust kicked up beneath his feet as he came to a perfect stop a few meters away from where they’d just been. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

With a gentleness that didn’t match the fury of their battle, he set her back down on solid ground.

She blinked, still stunned.

"What the hell was—"

BOOM!

A harsh, cracking sound ripped through the air behind them.

Miranda’s words died in her throat as her head whipped around.

Where she had stood just moments ago...

Dark, jagged spikes had erupted from the earth—twisting, violent, and vicious.

They were thick, gnarled, and pulsing with ominous black veins.

Thick smoke hissed from their surface, curling upward like fingers reaching for the sky.

The stench of sulfur burned at her nostrils, and the ground around the spikes was splintered, as if scarred by some malevolent force.

Her breath caught, and she briefly imagined what would have happened if Harry hadn’t moved her...

’I would’ve been impaled...’ She thought, swallowing a heavy gulp.

She stared at the spot, then slowly turned her head back toward him.

Harry was calm—his expression unreadable, but his eyes sharp and scanning the battlefield like a hawk.

Miranda’s lips parted again, but no sound came out this time.

’He... saved me.’ She thought, still confused about the whole thing.

And for a moment... her face flushed deeper, her heart thudding louder, not from fear—but from something far more troubling.

Something she didn’t quite understand yet.

Harry’s voice broke the silence, cool and even.

"We’re not alone."