Chapter 152: Forced Breakthrough (7)
PIWAMThe leader was wide-eyed with disbelief. A steel gate that would normally withstand any siege weapon had been breached.xsh
3XJP“Damn it! Fire directly!”ff6GGz
TizHis command was almost a makeshift measure. Now that the gate had been breached, if they couldn’t stop the invaders here, the tide of battle would swiftly turn in their favor.5qpzi
Tk1gVSKnowing this, the subordinates directly targeted Shirone and drew their bowstrings.JYwFJGv
r2sJVZ“Fire!”QdC
MxlGWith all their might, forty magic bullets were launched towards Shirone.ek6
fYSTT1Despite seeing the rapidly approaching arrows, Shirone didn’t move. The radius of teleportation was insufficient to escape the range of the explosions.hNZHwY
QmGYqBut spatial warp was a different story.pvSdO
MMkThe moment the forty arrows were about to land, Shirone’s body turned into a flash of light and soared into the sky.DW3m
ICQICEThe whirring noise of spatial warp spread instantly, and a powerful bombardment devastated the spot where Shirone had been standing.G0Qo
uKcTess watched the bombardment in shock. The echoing thunder throughout the valley made her feel as if she were in the heart of a battlefield.pVPPwEm
ZTxqF“Shi-Shirone…”pHiQ
jxTThe magnitude of the explosion and the deafening sound were enough to shake anyone’s spirit. Thus, no one realized that Shirone had cast spatial warp.fyg
pJMZ7mRAmy was the exception. It’s said that archers hear the sound of their arrows most clearly, and swordsmen the clash of their blades.hqF9vaQ
UVkjThus, Amy, being a mage, could distinctly hear the unique sound of spatial warp amidst the explosive roar.hRAW
rwAG“Shirone is safe. Let’s go in.”UC6dLo
zFftZfCutting through the smoke, Amy moved forward. As expected, beyond the point of bombardment, Shirone stood in front of the gate.77o
d77BSpatial warp involves the bending of light. Hence, the illusion of a flash soaring into the sky is just a misperception.xRs
FG4f18lIn reality, it wasn’t Shirone soaring into the sky but the bending of space itself.StcSd9Q
OpBMoreover, such an illusion can only be observed from a distance; up close, it would merely seem like a sudden disappearance.sxsK
4b52p6nThis is why mages determine the use of spatial warp by sound.zFrn1
dXl3“Buahaha! It’s over! Completely over!”U8q9L
Df2XLA“Not even a trace left! There’s nothing to fear now. Everyone, prepare for the assault!”IbdTG
4wY9mVFalcoa’s subordinates put down their bows and grabbed their weapons. With the most threatening mage presumed dead, there was nothing more to fear.qgD
LvyWatching this, Tess tilted her head in confusion. Shirone was clearly standing before the gate like a reaper, yet the enemies were cheering.yU31v
5b06“What’s with them? Why are they like that?”LeV9Hk
PtHadHe“They didn’t hear the sound of spatial warp like you did. They must think Shirone is dead.”7PeGi0m
yyGGrIt didn’t take long for Falcoa’s subordinates to correct their misunderstanding.MdXE
HWg11PgAs Shirone slowly stepped back and emerged from behind the wall’s angle, they were all startled as if seeing a ghost.cOE
oNAa“Le-Leader! Over there…”IfaS
axHThe leader’s face flushed red with anger. Shirone, who should have been torn apart by the bombardment, was glaring at the wall defiantly.7RTIyhU
6tD“You, you bastard!”E1SkHaT
R9HRwYxBefore the full-scale siege began, Shirone decided to give the enemies one last chance.YpntD1d
9zY“Release Zis’s sister. Then we’ll leave it at this.”HNh
a5IFRThe leader stared blankly at Shirone. After all this chaos, he wants to leave? Where to? Does he think this is some kind of amusement park charging admission?imjrf
IEPCl“Do you think we’ll let her go alive? The real face of a siege begins once the gate is breached. Do you have any idea how much the magic circle you destroyed costs? Your life couldn’t even begin to cover it. We’ll make you beg for death.”bAT
pKOyI“I don’t want to engage in more meaningless battles. It was your mistake from the start. So I’d appreciate it if we could end this here.”adx1s
j3fR6QX“Buahaha! What? End it? Do you know who we are? We’re the Parrot Mercenaries, living and dying on the battlefield! Guys, let’s go! Slaughter them thoroughly!”wH6
Xo4QMT“Uwaaaaaa!”UCfRQdA
DdRqiOoThe soldiers bravely brandished their swords and shouted.qWxik
klJTZ4RSeeing that words were futile, Shirone sighed and walked towards a blind spot in the wall.tSFAj
lVUkVVzHes conveniently coming right into the trap! Guys, go down and… Huh?”Om7W
GtWOrKVThe leader halted mid-sentence. A scene flashed through his mind.7dCnn
O1T3tIt was the peculiar magic that had pulverized falling rocks into powder above the valley. Could he confidently claim that the walls here were stronger than those rocks?rwd7PQ
N9F6dXr“Uh, wait a moment…!”UVU
hdcThe leader rushed down the stairs to check the gate. As expected, Shirone was moving through the hole in the gate, his fist raised downward.93g
YvZJOzb“Hey, hey, buddy, this is a joke, right? Surely you’re not…”o2WXd
3s56Fear trembled in the leader’s voice. His mind went blank.c1n
45xKQ8“Hey! Don’t do it! Do you know how much effort went into building this wall? Hey!”eXfL7Z
1gJnoyShirone, having finished charging his magic, glanced back at the leader standing on the stairway.6RX
gtD24DFacing Shirone’s intense gaze, the leader finally realized the decision had been made.tD4KP
ILffag“Run! Everyone jump down!”1OFbfe
V0A7bTAs the leader ran up the stairs shouting, Shirone muttered softly.4AgVFDD
PsoC4Wildfire.C7CD
88YaF5Boom boom boom boom boom boom!SDiHvt
8PKThe Wildfire pulsed at a rate of fifteen times per second with a diameter of 20 meters. The wall shook as if an earthquake had struck, causing Falcoa’s subordinates to lose their balance and fall.bry
M0wLeThe massive structure indeed had considerable durability. However, Shirone didn’t stop the Wildfire. After all, there’s a limit to the durability of materials. Keep hammering, and eventually, it will break that’s a law of physics.GQLP
zjdThe gate clanged as if hammered, and lightning-like cracks sprinted across the wall.51ux
Q392zZThe cracks branched out, infiltrating the entire wall, and finally, the ground shook, signaling the start of a collapse.a5s5
9x999The leader was at a loss.NGHUIR
EvAZHe was a veteran and had experienced several sieges, but he had never encountered such a brute-force tactic of bringing down the wall itself.fu7
vAu“Uwaaaa! Okay, we give up! Stop it!”5NP
rdAFZThe leader screamed, but the photons loaded with mass drumming on the wall prevented his voice from spreading even a meter.bnTldU5
KndO“Damn! This can’t be happening!”aDbVSmd
zd58mDrThis was truly dangerous.EtYlMc
kdiTAIf the wall collapsed like this, the fate of the 40 lives would be left to the gods.gUwVXwq
jGsRA“Ugh!”llX
CR9VqShirone grimaced, focusing on the Wildfire. The uniform rhythm, without acceleration or deceleration, was ejecting everything around it outward.6Ur9Qs
LEtqFrom a vantage point where the wall was in full view, Tess blankly watched the spectacle.1QZrCj
CxRlPQyInitially, the central part of the wall was partially destroyed, followed by hysterical cracks spreading along the wall. The left side sagged slightly, and then the right side balanced out by sinking.YOWP
nM9YL84And finally…L4sDe1D
BReRumble!DRL1fV
RIEZdXThe entire wall came crashing down.0b5wx
bRcCt2“This is… He’s like a human weapon.”jri17
sXZbwRian agreed with Tess’s sentiment. Up until now, Shirone had tended to use magic to protect others.viMWaU
uEhRPSeeing him decide to truly destroy something, they were newly aware of how different the outcome could be, even with the same magic.TL5MA
wWU3h4“Indeed, it’s amazing. It seems I too didn’t fully understand Shirone,” Tess admitted with a nod.6r5Xj4
YguhAmy smiled in agreement, recognizing that combat wasn’t everything to a mage, but it certainly was a matter of pride.BivvVD
THb9j6v“Shirone doesn’t usually escalate situations. But when he sets his mind to it, his combat capabilities are exceptional. With this level of power, he could easily be among the top ranks in the advanced class.”WUa224
IvtU6OcTess burst into laughter at Amy’s words, understanding her implication.hTeI9
mZwC‘It seems she’s been paying attention after all. Theres always more to her than meets the eye.’R7lQ8r5
9ewIrAmy was genuinely pleased with Shirone’s growth. At this rate, graduating together with Shirone might not just be a dream.H2Q
ZIA‘You’ve come this far, Shirone.’rGQVg
rx3MHk8When the Wildfire ended, the wall had completely collapsed. The wall built along the valley side maintained some of its shape, but the center looked as if a giant boulder had rolled through, utterly flattened.JwfVpS
4BeVCh“Ugh…”ecM
5peSoldiers buried under the rubble groaned and writhed.GtMQm
vigENNot a single person was unscathed. The leader, who had tried to stop Shirone, couldn’t escape the collapse and ended up with a broken arm.syfuGgG
XHW8y8But he was so dazed he couldn’t even feel the pain.S9Bj
7yaCvMemories of the past five years spent fortifying the northern hideout flashed before his eyes.fY14r
XsXn5“This can’t be. Defeated by just one person? The Parrot Mercenaries?”KSCNGeR
vVmOMT1As the leader heard Shirone’s approaching footsteps, he flinched and turned around. Confronted with Shirone’s intense gaze, an uncontrollable fear surged through him.pVTdrft
g7Bhtd“Bring Zis’s sister here now! Or I won’t let this slide!”Rsd
V5BnooV“Eek!”iQ6
uPuDThe leader instinctively covered his face, causing his broken arm to swing like a pendulum before his eyes.mGf
2au4“Ugh!”XCYM
418enODiscovering his arm grotesquely twisted, the leader’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.47BLnF8
2gXoOKFShirone and his companions had passed the first checkpoint.sHwJ
esjWt* * *29E1A
lJq4hcg“Wow, Shirone is amazing.”i82
1fSMarsha watched Shirone’s battle from 200 meters away from the wall.FqF61O
EmHh9zSitting on a handkerchief spread on the ground, her demeanor was as relaxed as a girl on a picnic.rmwK4
ue57The loss of her men was a tragedy, but such sorrow was part and parcel of a mercenary’s life. She herself had been deceived by politicians’ tricks, losing hundreds of her men.msmXM
KBv“So strong and yet so deceivingly innocent. Or was it his strength that afforded him such leisure?”6gP1B
9giqb2gShe knew Shirone had a talent for magic, but she hadn’t anticipated such a performance.IO3BXHd
S7g1dEspecially remarkable was that all of Shirone’s magic was derived from his unique understanding and application.s7bu5M
vaLBVX‘An Unlocker…’YmI8
d8tMarsha felt pleased.BHpx9
RjEXShe liked that Shirone was strong and that he was a hypocritically compassionate human being.LckGv
O89MirAbove all, the exciting part was that soon, such a pure and beautiful boy would be at her mercy.7D4WYpS
PDMQKdi“You’re years away from catching me, little songbird.”BkNaHXu
iv9qvLStretching, Marsha stood up. Her bracelet shone brightly, whisking her body away to a cliff in the north.FTw
Kg6***kykdJ
tH8Shirone and his companions continued northward. Most of Falcoa’s men had been injured at the first checkpoint, so no battles ensued.S3J9
SYF“This way.”XYRN
rSQAAmy took the lead in navigating through the forest.23YH5v
Y4x9Without a sense of direction, one could easily lose their way in nature’s maze.Vkb
HuR0But such common sense didn’t apply to Amy. Tess, following her, realized that Amy had a talent for reconnaissance.mmJ9Q
h1VL‘Indeed. The Red Eyes can be used this way.’wBgRqe
9nGGAmy’s eidetic memory could perfectly reconstruct the state of specific moments. Therefore, as long as she remained conscious, she could accurately determine directions, no matter where she was moved.6js02K
WQaqM“Amy, there’s a mountain path over there.”w44yvU
42YBRAHUpon hearing Shirone’s direction, Amy turned and exited the forest.A8dXI7
LO0BPA winding mountain path led to the summit of the terrain.i8FsM6b
yUTV4lTess checked the ground. Though it seemed to be some time since it was last used, tracks from a wagon were still visible.WM22N
TSG“From here on, we’re entering their living area. In terms of a siege, we’ve penetrated the inner castle, I suppose?”rtna
WzjThis was a welcome piece of news for the group, weary from running through the forest.kY9Ar
uFNuXLBut they couldn’t relax just yet. While most of the enemy forces were neutralized, the officers, referred to as the higher-ups, were nowhere to be seen.XJk
K6R“If we follow this path, we’ll reach their hideout. Let’s muster a bit more strength.”ogFN
EDZAmy’s declaration sounded decisive, but in truth, she couldn’t be sure. It was more a statement of responsibility as the leader, meant to bolster her friends’ morale.f4Tv1JB
6PZp4TBased on the movements recorded in her eidetic memory and the distance traveled in curves, they had moved approximately 12 kilometers from where the battle began. Converted to a straight line, this amounted to advancing over 7 kilometers on the map.regDHrn
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