Chapter 150: Forced Breakthrough (4)
nfglgTShirone’s explosive magic didn’t stop there. Photons laden with physical force continued to pound the thousands of rock fragments until they were reduced to the size of grains of rice.sZ7W7V8
VHLgIsShirone, following the collapsing ground, was gradually being buried deeper into the earth.Sa2f
S6PPCtThe diameter of the zone being four times shorter than during the test increased the speed exponentially, putting even Shirone on edge.qiaJ
DzFFAfter 20 seconds, the casting of the explosion ceased. When Shirone searched with his Spirit Zone, he could no longer feel the magic circle’s energy.02xM
JrxmC“Phew, Amy, is this satisfactory?”l8Ua6
6GNNo one answered. Everyone watching Shirone was in a state of shock, their faces mirroring the same dumbfounded expression.NHwy9
9dSrRBAmy let out an incredulous laugh.coh
X0WOi8“Ha, seriously Shirone, can we stick to conventional magic?”HDma
tT1Px“What? I put a lot of thought into this. Anyway, the magic circle is destroyed, right?”zLoBh
SJCxU“Huh? Oh, yeah, probably.”OwC
ydRAmy entered her Spirit Zone to check, though it was unnecessary. Even without Synesthesia, the surroundings where the magic circle had been were utterly devastated.EsO2n
pL3z3ycApproaching Shirone’s location, Amy observed the concave terrain and realized the unique nature of Shirone’s new magic.P8P7
3B4L‘Amplification of photons using mental pulsation. He must have thought of this during practice, but this destruction is absurd, isn’t it?’ITAA
rJS5QDespite its limited range, the force capable of pulverizing the ground into dust made any disadvantage insignificant.4kYY0S
ZNJThe combination of Vajra Body’s resilience, Immortal Function’s use of God’s Particles, and the brilliance of Photon magic created a perfectly synergized magic.C18
IfZVCE“But what on earth made you think of this?”ejvNh
waSXB“Huh? Oh, I didn’t plan to use it like this. Defense Form is my specialty, so I was thinking I needed to learn a defensive magic. Then I thought of mental pulsation and tried combining it with God’s Particles.”1zYN7t7
K4R“Ah, I see. So, this is a defensive magic?”jfhYG
s8eXO1“Yeah, a defensive magic.”5JQTf
dxfPpvAmy almost slapped Shirone but restrained herself. Among the defensive magics she knew, this was arguably the most destructive.YtfJv8D
KPOIn essence, it’s a magic that creates a barrier of light packed with mass, which is rapidly repelled, creating a counterforce.zKQ
8t0YpXWhile a single blast might be weaker than a Photon Cannon, at twenty pulses per second, nothing would remain intact around it.EcfE
vq6U48YEither way, strictly speaking, it was indeed a defensive magic.m27whil
Wv3CMThough multi-attack magic is classified as a shotgun, Wildfire surpasses that, acting more like a barrier, and would likely be registered as a defensive magic by the association.5WPhg8
bZAJ“Shirone, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”U0cu
CZ7H40NTess rushed over, concerned. Wildfire was the most ruthless and brutish magic she had ever seen, and Shirone being at the center of it seemed miraculous.AxhWrzF
QZ6WH“I’m fine. The magic wasn’t as dangerous as I thought.”KXkCF
Oq1SJ“Not dangerous? I thought even you would be shattered.”jcASdo
tpGF“Ha! Really, I’m okay. It wouldn’t be called a defensive magic if it injured the mage, right?”DTdAlle
ChoBPZIndeed, Wildfire was designed to protect the mage, making its destructive power a secondary feature.6tOK
diILEUnlike typical defensive magics, which rely on the thickness of a barrier for durability, Wildfire uniquely uses the momentum of the maximum and minimum radii to create a repelling force.pIpIGUr
MzcUTherefore, as long as the minimum radius is set just outside the mage, the mage will never be swept up in Wildfire, akin to being in the eye of a storm.RU3sB
D1nNF“Let’s get serious now. Now that I’ve got the rhythm, I can cast it faster. It won’t be a problem to destroy a magic circle in 30 seconds.”SVjihx
0LgComing to her senses, Amy immediately revised their strategy.7cqy
LEgnwRJ“Right, with this magic, we can keep destroying the magic circles. Let’s avoid combat as much as possible and focus on demolishing the magic circles first. We’ll provoke the enemies. And when they can’t stand it anymore, we’ll counterattack all at once. How about that?”s3aR
E5HVDThere was no disagreement.cciJE
bm6Shirone and his team formed pairs and teleported. Two streaks of light darted through the forest, seeking their next prey.gFu8aoi
jgdx* * *qgxSO
PfcgtF“Wildfire.”v7yq7zp
qE5dU3RAn explosion of light centered around Shirone. As the barrier of photons battered the ground, the magic circle was obliterated without a trace.rvOB
7XC0b9Shirone’s team was now on their seventh magic circle demolition. During the battles, they had also reduced the enemy numbers by seven, but the veterans didn’t easily fall for Shirone’s team’s tactics.fqaFI
QufqDespite gritting their teeth as each costly magic circle was destroyed, they maintained their stance, enduring the situation.Qt5Bot
NfRYHowever, as the number of destroyed magic circles surpassed fifteen, the enemies began to show signs of change. They feared leaving the magic circles unattended any longer would result in their total destruction.jjdlJc
HZPT“Damn it! How long are those bastards going to keep this up?”xbWE1
g7L“We’re in real danger now. We can only use magic circles at specific points, and three is the limit. At this rate, our operational range will shrink drastically.”fzOo3
EKr“Captain! What should we do? It seems like they’re hell-bent on ruining us.”uoHTZn
1jiX6MThe ten-man squad captain shared the frustration.qMFzhJ
OkrTo fortify the northern forest, the Freemans had invested half of their five-year earnings.fEvYY
KQFfvLeaving things as they were meant that even if they won, it would be as good as a loss.YuAsUtB
pOqYwlf“Gather everyone. We’ll trap them and take them down.”f7EO
Rd4sxnA messenger relayed the captain’s orders to other squad leaders through the magic circles. The other leaders, sharing the same thoughts, quickly responded.7nNCg
fd35nvShirone’s team immediately sensed the shift in the battle atmosphere. Not only the enemies’ movements but even their gazes had changed.ZmB6
3bt5zThe most significant change was their shift from guerrilla tactics to surrounding them with dozens at once.5y4Gus
5RSBut the vast encirclement aimed not for Shirone’s team’s annihilation but to lure them somewhere.Tttj
SjRsmhdDespite their numerical advantage, they weren’t foolish enough to engage in a head-on battle against a party that included two mages.v4Wm
FU2Tess marveled at the enemies’ tactical adaptation. They were clearly experienced in such situations.s8fR
2beYYf“This poses a new problem. They’re trying to corral us somewhere. There must be a trap waiting to eliminate the mages.”8EQ
rKYjShirone wasn’t concerned. If the enemies were coming at them with all they had, it was now a race against time. They had to reach their destination and rescue Yuna as soon as possible.EGYr8A6
hC3JDa“It’s fine. We’ll break through there. It’s better to conserve our strength for now.”yU3P
uBg8yR“But what if it’s a trap?”AUiR
unhz“I’ll break through. Leave it to me.”647F
3wwhVShirone sped up, taking the lead. He believed in his Schema’s ability to turn the situation around, but Tess couldn’t muster the courage to overtake him.T2Z
e1a“Whew, Shirone is really something.”icoTc
qirTo Tess, the current Shirone was unrecognizable. He had always been kind and gentle, so it was natural to be surprised.ZQt825
LZMsvYShirone was her biggest concern during this battle. She had asked Rian if he could kill, but Shirone was implicitly included in her concern.ONd
X7iYet, once they engaged in real combat, Shirone transformed completely.RHP3aBL
qu8He showed no fear, and his approach to enemies was flawless.FRQ
jCuX6This was a uniqueness only Shirone possessed.1p2WoF
iHs6While brutality and cruelty can be virtues in a struggle, the way Shirone fought was like watching a machine, calculating efficiency over and over.nIcS
HYkSensing Tess’s emotions, Rian quietly smiled, reminded of when he first met Shirone.s2B
nEkXHTheir swordfight in the training ground was still chilling to recall.45eVw
ffMRShirone’s insight could even comprehend the fear of death. Rian had sweated bullets watching Shirone charge with nothing but his sword in mind.DwZ
kJAbl1“Remember this, Tess. That’s Shirone. Once he gets going, no one can stop him.”Esv9
H4xWhile Rian was nostalgic, Amy looked worriedly at Shirone.faHHQ3
hZaWRShe knew how impressive Shirone’s insight was, but it seemed powerful variables like Yuna and Marsha were influencing him now.Rx9V
MXRJ“Isn’t this too reckless? He’s just charging straight ahead without analyzing the strategy.”XdT
5VoXV7“We’re running out of time. If Shirone says he’ll do it, I won’t stop him.”3eNORp
ih6Rian threw his support behind Shirone, accelerating his pace, but Tess agreed with Amy. Even as they ran, she analyzed their surroundings and spoke seriously.6DH
MA58“Amy, the terrain is strange. The men are fired up, so let’s balance things out.”ITcsT
rXP5“Okay, that sounds good. But what do you mean by ‘strange terrain’?”T67
mjK0s“If it’s not artificially altered, we’ll soon enter a valley. It’s an ideal spot for setting a trap. It could be dangerous.”VzDU2TM
iLHPFZ2Nature follows its laws. While humans alter shapes to suit their needs, nature never goes against its principles.3HRgx
bC3Considering the mountain ranges they had passed, the terrain was steadily descending.znPY
KeTfnZAThe increased moisture and prevalence of ferns over shrubs indicated they were heading towards a valley.0JfLqt
jH4PSrQ‘That means they’ve dammed the valley.’ZgTTp7
FII9WB0Blocking the front and attacking from both sides is a textbook strategy in warfare.NGo14q1
EVU3JTess was conflicted. The urgency was real, but playing into the enemy’s hands could lead to their demise.u02i
5U8u1“Amy, we have to stop Shirone.”crKBvj
FhFwgAmy nodded without complaint. The path was narrowing, and the cliffs were becoming insurmountable.mR2KNX1
F4GThe biggest problem was the dwindling number of enemies previously forming the encirclement.4caI0
fXP5“I’ll tell him. Shirone! Wait!”MbdUC1
ZbXNPAmy’s call went unheard. Before she could speak, Shirone had teleported away with Rian, unwilling to slow down.gJ1CU
DkzVw5q“Why is he doing this?”HxPZ8J
OKYANZDespite everything, Amy had to pursue. She grabbed Tess’s waist and teleported.Lsz7JTw
hAkeaBut catching up to Shirone was futile.5xD7yN
8uj6AIf teleportation magic was the sole criterion, Amy’s skills were comparable to Shirone’s but not enough to surpass him.PcG3wYY
b6RSPmShirone knew Amy was following and didn’t stop his magic. He seemed determined to continue regardless.1AcRxTa
SWzcRushing forward, Shirone and Rian quickly reached the valley entrance.ZHd08N
KJgcThere, Shirone halted his teleportation and ran along a shallow stream.8j4
2WTRian, puzzled, asked, “Shirone, why the rush? Even I can tell this is a trap.”fhYg67
xJSFsX0“That’s why I’m hurrying. I have to destroy the trap somehow. Depending on the trap, I can concentrate the enemy’s attacks using Wildfire.”F06c
4Z7df“What if you fail?”unDyt
smW“Then we’re trapped. If we don’t succeed here, the mission’s difficulty will skyrocket.”IjFgWtT
WxOG“It’s not just about difficulty. We could die. Let me do it.”xuv
ayl“No, I have to do it because I can. If you keep this up, I’ll have to leave you behind.”n7r6
nBAS3MwRian realized why Shirone had sped ahead. If Shirone had mentioned facing the enemy’s assault alone, neither Tess nor Amy would have agreed.x2Se
zpy0Shirone was willing to take risks for a higher chance of success. He sensed the urgency to rescue Yuna.nS5ogwe
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!