Chapter 149: Forced Breakthrough (3)
Qk8aAZgJust as they were about to commence the operation, Tess, who had been deep in thought for a while, suddenly spoke up.Vw6v
Klo“Wait a moment. Before we start, there’s something I need to confirm.”8r0M
KYBPEFR“What is it you need to confirm?”N6AvQc
xkG69Q“If this operation succeeds, there’s a high chance we’ll end up in direct combat with the enemies. That’s why I have something I want to ask Rian.”oTwUtCU
bSTDIb“What is it? Do you see a problem with me?”62zQdim
sZ7lGFvRian looked puzzled, prompting Tess to look at him with an unusually serious gaze and ask,hFk
DqDiG“Rian, have you ever killed someone?”yXM
0dDSilence enveloped the group. Rian blinked, his hand resting on his sword.G7gJFo2
LnQTruthfully, he had never really thought about it. Or rather, was it something that needed to be thought about?4X0CK
RFqWHjEvery knight, at some point, tacitly resolves themselves to the nature of their weapon. A sword is meant to cut people. With a lifetime commitment to wielding such a tool, Rian believed that other considerations were secondary.gsL
Ty0Ak“No, I haven’t. What about you?”sflpL7L
Mtd7NS“A few times. When I went with my father to subdue bandits.”okIAWB4
ioCVEfI“Really? But why is that an issue?”jgcjR
5ANbBO“Rian, being prepared to die and prepared to kill are entirely different things. It’s the same for mages, but especially for us, we have to take lives with these very hands.”LPrg
Yet5kHThe foes Shirone’s group was contending with were not mere local thugs but the Parrot Mercenaries, renowned across foreign lands. All of them were seasoned professionals who had experienced countless battles.0KSWi
cawc“Of course, I trust your courage. It’s unthinkable for a swordsman to go through life without ever staining their sword with blood. But if today is your first time, you might waver during the battle.”HY4JZH3
V3ckqRian exhaled thoughtfully, considering this.DqGY
AjiWavering during battle… Naturally, taking a life wasn’t particularly pleasant. But, on the other hand, he felt it didn’t really matter.ury9wA
PW6“Tess, murder is a complex and dangerous issue. I understand why you’re concerned, but I will never waver.”i2U
XRD2JIdiot, that’s exactly what I’m saying it’s not that simple. Killing someone…”sBcVc0c
oOptFV7“I have always killed.”HHXNu
1z3fTess’s gaze wavered. Rian looked at his reflection in the blade of his straight sword and continued,Lnn6VW9
7JPLqPz“And… I have died countless times.”RFRrpKc
A9jwkrIn that moment, Rian’s intense gaze met Tess’s.2FYwnk
cXo9J“Even when they said I had no talent, when they told me to give up the sword, even when I really wanted to give up, I kept swinging my sword. In the process, I killed countless foes and was killed by countless foes.”p7odhh
qB7ekVRian pointed his straight sword northward. If Rian were a statue, he might have fallen forward under the weight of his sword, but he stood firm, as if his feet were rooted to the ground.j6Vzt
3cwb3g“Tess, do you understand? Throughout my life, I have never wielded my sword with a half-hearted resolve. Whether or not there was an enemy before me, I always swung my sword with all my might.”e3dYo
eloTBEveryone could sense the determination in Rian’s words. As if nothing had happened, Rian smiled and sheathed his straight sword behind him.dzzP
xgBO“I will not falter. I am Shirone’s sword. I exist solely to cut down whatever Shirone desires. So, there’s no need to worry.”Mh3jr
dbqThis was why Tess chose Rian over countless others with sword talent.86mJn
BT6xlpWRian was blunt. That’s why he hadn’t been able to open his Schema, but the weight of human resolve, derived from the essence of life itself, couldn’t be produced by talent or skill alone.qH9itpO
r6AnlWoAfter watching Rian for a moment, Tess smiled contentedly and looked around at everyone.bBck6CG
L4zf“Alright! My worries have been alleviated. Let’s get started.”4Ok7wS
m1SEncouraged by Tess’s words, Shirone and Amy were also fired up. Rian’s speech had ignited their fighting spirit.pkLj9U
3snXyp“Then Amy, let’s go first.”PSbo
efdVsiShirone grabbed Rian and cast Photonization. A flash of light enveloped the two, who then disappeared into the forest, followed closely by Amy and Tess.sPU
h70G8The sight of two streaks of light traversing the dense forest was the epitome of dazzling. Reflecting off each other like in a mirror, they moved erratically, zigzagging through the woods.uLRG0
3AeMyThough the location of the magic circle was unknown, they could roughly estimate the distance based on the enemy’s movements.oJmgtKO
4E8j7KAfter about 10 minutes of searching the forest, they located the first magic circle.Iqbn6
PtWBeing a magical entity, the magic circle became clearly perceivable within the range of their Spirit Zone.PLpi
OHGStealth magic, if applied, would significantly increase the difficulty of detection. However, even for a wealthy mercenary group, maintaining such a setup was impractical.SxglNY
ISqFNKThe cost of hiring stealth magicians for all the mages involved in a mid-level magic circle wouldn’t even amount to one-tenth, making it an unviable investment.gX0
IsKo9Rian cleared a path through the dense brush with his straight sword, revealing a magic circle on a grassy clearing.vCaG8H
T5OGdShirone, seeing a magic circle for the first time, was surprised by its scale, much larger than he had imagined.M3V
G8Z1QAmy surveyed the surroundings and nodded.Mbn
1HL“Indeed, it’s a mid-level magic circle. They must have gone through a lot of trouble to create it.”jos
6hUuThe circle, over 5 meters in radius, emitted a crimson light in response to their Spirit Zone. Inside, the complex and beautiful designs etched within the concentric circles could have been mistaken for works of art.dBlTh
fXWt8“Wait, let me take a closer look.”p2X1
CNZAmy, with some knowledge from her advanced class, examined the magic circle closely.1Fc
TezTGPMagic circles could be assessed based on three criteria.siJc1Y
uiNvFirst was the color representing the strength of the magic. Second was the density of the functions, and third was the interconnectedness of the magic circles drawn within.xePa
ZBzVcXTo Amy, this magic circle seemed slightly lacking in color and density but excelled in interconnectedness. This likely meant it was produced by a formal entity.DWDe
nAjJR2“Trouble’s brewing. It seems like it was inscribed by a formally registered magic company. I thought they might have hired shady magicians with their illicit earnings.”VAdKC
9VE“Is that a significant issue?”OIRw
pvUytBC“The hallmark of a formal company is standard design, which means good interconnectedness. Simply put, the magic circle is durable. Can we really destroy it in 10 minutes?”pFPA
q52j“We should at least try. I’m not entirely sure we can succeed.”cAZGmi
n379k“What? You’re saying that now? We launched this operation because you said you had an idea.”JFG
riWq“Sorry. But I’m somewhat confident. And if we do succeed…”Gqs2XRp
TeVCH6“If we do?”QFIej
m04VShirone looked up, pondering for a moment before sharing his estimate.jkw
2Xp“Perhaps we could destroy it in under a minute.”r6D
Ern9Q“A minute?”453
GWk7Amy’s eyes widened in disbelief. They were dealing with a mid-level magic circle, which professional demolition teams would struggle to neutralize in a minute.TuxeH
IPejqmA magic circle inscribed by a formal company is known for its durability. Even if they employed powerful physical magic to pulverize the ground to gravel size, the concept might not disappear.T3aT
0pkFAmy knew that the ground had to be ground down to the size of a bean for the concept to vanish, but she was unaware of any magic in Shirone’s repertoire capable of such power.Bb22Vd
Z1X“How do you plan to do it? Are you sure? Half-heartedly breaking it might not be effective. In fact, it could complicate things if the magic circle disintegrates further.”9EQHY
rNSDr19“Let’s see. I’ll give it a try.”fya2HqZ
e2t5bAmy’s anxiety grew as she listened. It was clear Shirone hadn’t thought it through completely.Zcb3wp
IbeqekCould he really do it? Failure here would mean a waste of precious time.c6LqnPm
y7vShirone positioned himself at the center of the magic circle. Expecting an aerial attack from above, Amy was surprised by his different approach.qVDOWU0
pJ6tDb“What are you planning to do from there? Can you create an impact from your position?”06ttgN
dR0zW2“Yes, but this is my first attempt, so it might be dangerous. Stay back.”birE
AAtDFollowing Shirone’s instruction, the three retreated further.a1Hg9
DlloAlthough they were anxious, their anticipation was just as strong. Success could instantly turn the tide in their unfavorable situation.1J5mXna
O5tAs the magic circle was destroyed, the enemies’ range of movement would gradually decrease.jhQg
AHVJWith two mages on their side, they would have a significant advantage in firepower, allowing for a swift end to the battle.fHxI
GPPVpShirone closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Spreading his legs and slowly bending at the waist, he aimed a fist at the ground.3BUNB
ZPFONo immediate change was evident. The atmosphere was so serene, one might wonder if such tranquility was appropriate on a fierce battlefield.9JK7Y
g4jJBut Amy’s reaction was different.FNLPmk
ym4Initially skeptical of Shirone’s actions, her eyes soon widened in shock, and her shoulders trembled.QrEjwHL
1Iry“Shirone, you…”Xr9i
5koTess, puzzled by Amy’s reaction, looked at her. Although he saw nothing, Amy’s face was as pale as if she had seen a monster.Qyim4G2
be21“Amy, what’s wrong? What’s Shirone doing?”Tf9f
d2K1y“Using that… I hadn’t considered it, but now that I think about it, it makes sense.”t5im
B7a5zdK“What exactly? Explain it to me.”dNg2gF3
EotbKl“We should probably move further away. This could be really dangerous.”dQEYx
arQAs Amy stepped back, Rian and Tess followed, moving to a new location.UiMuDr
o1cEven as they did so, the swordsmen felt a sense of perplexity. The distance Amy had retreated was more than twice what they had initially moved away.az7iVgK
dlo“Now tell me. What exactly are you sensing?”5qRVU
tHuTl“It’s not about seeing; it’s about feeling. I’m sensing the changes happening in Shirone.”nUmck
chu4u“Feeling? What exactly do you feel?”y4qfE
2kY“His Spirit Zone. Shirone’s Spirit Zone is moving at an incredible pace right now.”DwXb
bLRYAmy was incredulous even as she spoke. How immense must one’s mental fortitude be to allow the Spirit Zone to expand and contract so rapidly?EH7eSJL
XQ1dO1H‘It must be the mental heartbeat. But it’s too fast. At this rate, he’s on par with Teacher Ethella.’pX5imxu
JmrwShirone’s current mental heartbeat exceeded 10 beats per second.sE7
QiBCkBut for Shirone, that wasn’t enough.GOEidEO
arug8CIn the mental heartbeat test of Class Five, he scored 410, achieving 13.6 beats per second over 30 seconds.eKt
Zfqjw9IHe figured he needed to double that given the different circumstances. The previous test had a maximum expansion radius of 20 meters, but now, 5 meters, the diameter of the magic circle, should suffice. The shorter round-trip distance meant the heartbeat should be faster.vqZrH
RQhqNdThe question was whether his mental strength could withstand it.owoWXPO
0x3nPwX‘I have no choice. I need to control it more precisely.’SiL
UA7As Shirone slightly furrowed his brow, Amy immediately noticed the change and said with a shaky voice,8HPBg
FxM82K“My goodness. It’s getting faster.”ybqS
HyC50cAs the radius narrowed, the mental heartbeat began to exceed 15 beats per second.KFHDbsF
bb4AHFBCounting from 1 to 15 in one second was unimaginable, giving a sense of the speed.wxzX4V
KmKqxA typical mage’s mind would have collapsed long before reaching this point.qLpH8
vAOsgAHowever, Shirone’s resilience, bolstered by the Vajra Body, was unparalleled at the moment.53KY1X
oeTFj1FFinally, the maximum expansion radius of the Spirit Zone matched the edge of the magic circle. What remained was to maintain the current rhythm while casting the spell.Ktcwj
n0uU6IConcentrating intensely, Shirone clenched his teeth and attempted the decisive spell he had only conceptualized in his mind.PeTxg7
XRr‘Explode!’pd5
KPwNAFilling the pulsating Spirit Zone with mass-laden photons caused an astonishing phenomenon.7D5fx2J
rGkAs the Spirit Zone took on the hues of light, even Rian and Tess could see Shirone’s mind in action.7bF8n
HAenkThe light sphere expanded and contracted, creating fissures in the ground. Eventually, a massive rock split with a crack and shattered into thousands of pieces.ouIyTRJ
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