C150
Shirone's Explosion did not stop there. Photons infused with physical force continued to pound thousands of rocks, grinding them down to the size of grains of rice.
“Keuuuuu!”
Shirone was gradually sinking into the ground along the collapse of the ground.
As his Zone's diameter became four times shorter than at the time of testing, his speed soared significantly. Even Shirone’s Indestructible Diamond felt a sense of crisis.
Only after 20 seconds had passed did the casting of Explosion stop. When Shirone searched using Spirit Zone, he could no longer sense any magical energy from the magic circle.
"Phew, Amy, is this good enough?"
No one answered. The three people who had been watching Shirone were all in a state of shock, wearing identical expressions.
Amy let out a hollow laugh as if she couldn't believe it.
"Haha. Please, let’s use some common sense magic, Shirone.”
"What? I thought long and hard about this. Anyway, the magic circle is destroyed, right?"
"Uh? Yeah, probably."
Amy entered the Spirit Zone to check the surroundings, although there really was no need.
It wasn't Synesthesia, but just by looking at it, the area around the magic circle was devastated.
Amy approached where Shirone was standing. It was only after examining the hemispherical topography that she realized what characteristics Shirone's new magic had.
'Photon amplification through Mental Pulse mind, huh? It must be a magic that he came up with during the training period. Anyway, this is such a crazy destructive force, isn't it?’
Although it has the disadvantage of having a narrow range, it is trivial in the face of the destructive power that pulverizes the ground into powder.
It was a magic that perfectly coordinated the three elements of the Mental Pulse at the level of the Indestructible Diamond, God Particles using the Immortal Function, and the flash magic of 'Shining'.
“But what on earth were you thinking when you came up with this?”
"Huh? No, actually, I didn't expect to use it in this situation. My forte is Four-Directional defense type, so I was thinking I should learn another defensive spell. Then the idea of Mental Pulse came up, so I incorporated God Particles into it."
"Oh, is that so? So this is defense magic?"
"Yep, a defensive spell.”
Amy resisted the urge to punch Shirone. It was no exaggeration to say tht among the defensive magics she knew, this was by far the most destructive.
In short, it is a magic that creates a reactive force by bouncing a curtain of light containing mass at an incredible speed. (한마디로 질량을 담은 빛의 장막을 엄청난 속도로 튕겨 내서 반탄력을 일으키는 마법이다.)
Although a single burst was less powerful than Photon Cannon, blasting it out 20 times per second would leave no remains in its vicinity.
Technically speaking, it was a defensive magic.
Multiple attack magic is classified as a bullet, but the wide range far exceeds that number and has a curtain-like effect, so there was a high possibility that the association would list it as a defensive magic.
"Shirone, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Tess came running over and asked worriedly. Explosion was the most chaotic and violent spell she had ever seen.
Since Shirone was caught in the middle of it all, she thought it was a miracle that he was still standing.
"I’m fine. It's not as dangerous a magic as you think."
“It’s not dangerous magic? I thought you would get shattered as well."
"Haha! I'm really okay. You can't call a magic that harms the caster a defensive magic, can you?"
As Shirone said, Explosion was created to protect the mage, so the destructive power was just an additional feature.
While general defensive magic generates durability through the thickness of the barrier, Explosion uniquely generates reactive force by oscillating between the minimum and maximum radius.
Therefore, if the minimum radius is set just outside the mage, no matter the circumstance, they won’t get caught up in the rampage, as if you were standing in the eye of a typhoon.
"Anyway, let's get down to it for real. Now that I’ve got the rhythm, I can cast it faster. It will take only 30 seconds to break the magic circle."
Amy belatedly came to her senses and immediately changed her strategy.
“Yes, with this magic, you can go as far as you want while destroying the magic circle. Let's destroy the magic circle first while avoiding battle as much as possible. It's about provoking the enemy. And when they can't stand it, our strategy is to counterattack all at once. What do you think?"
There was no room for disagreement.
Shirone and his party, composed of men and women, cast a teleportation magic. Two streams of flash flew across the length and breadth of the forest, searching for the next magic circle to become their prey.
* * *
“Light Explosion.”
Centered around Shirone, an explosion of light occurred. The curtain of photons struck the ground, obliterating the magic circle without leaving a trace.
Shirone and his party were in the middle of destroying their seventh magic circle.
While they had been fighting, the number of enemies had decreased by seven, but the enemies weren't easily fooled by Shirone and his party’s strategies.
Even though they gritted their teeth every time the expensive magic circle was destroyed, they still maintained composure.
However, when the number of destroyed magic circles surpassed 15, a change finally occurred in the enemies' stance.
They began to feel anxious, worried that if things continued this way, all the magic circles in the mountain would be destroyed.
“Damn it! How long are they going to keep this up?”
“It's getting dangerous. We only have about three magic circles left that we can use at a specific location. If things continue this way, sooner or later our operational area will drastically shrink.”
“What should we do, Captain? It seems like they're determined to ruin us.”
The captain of the tenth unit was equally frustrated.
The money the Freeman Organization spent to fortify the northern forest amounted to half of the wealth it had earned over five years.
Leaving things as they were would mean defeat, even if they won.
“Call everyone. Trap them and capture them.”
The messenger relayed the order through a magic circle to the captains in other areas. As if the other leaders were thinking the same thing, they responded right away.
Shirone and the others could immediately sense that the atmosphere of the battle was rapidly changing. The enemies' movements, even their expressions, were different from before..
The most significant change was that instead harassing them with guerrilla tactics, they were focusing on encircling them with dozens of people at the same time.
However, the massive encirclement was not aimed at annihilating Shirone’s party, but luring them somewhere
Although they had a numerical advantage, they were not foolish enough to fight an all-out war against a party that included two mages.
Tess admired the enemies' tactical changes. It was clear they had experienced situations like this more than once.
“This poses a new problem. They’re trapping us and dragging us somewhere. There's definitely a trap waiting to eliminate mage.”
Shirone was unfazed. If the enemies were putting all their strength into this, it was now a battle against time. They needed to reach and rescue Yuna as quickly as possible.
“It’s fine. Let’s break through there. We should conserve our strength for now.”
“But what if it’s a trap? Isn't that dangerous?”
“I will break through somehow. Leave it to me.”
Shirone sped up and took the lead. Tess could have overtaken him using Schema, but didn't dare try to pass him.
“Whew. You’re a man, Shirone.”
To Tess, the current Shirone was undoubtedly unfamiliar. She had always seen him as warm and friendly.
The person she was most worried about during this battle was Shirone. He had asked Rian if he could kill people, but in reality, Shirone was also included in that query.
However, once they entered actual combat, Shirone turned into a completely different person.
There was no fear to be found, and his handling of the enemies was flawless.
It was a unique side of Shirone that no one else could see.
In the struggle, brutality and cruelty may be virtues, but watching Shirone fight was like observing a machine that continuously calculated for efficiency alone.
Rian, guessing Tess's feelings, secretly smiled. He was reminded of his own feelings when he first met Shirone.
The real sword fight he had with Shirone in the training ground was chilling even to think about now.
Shirone's insight allows him to understand even the fear of death. Even Rian remembered how he was sweating at the sight of him rushing forward, thinking only about swinging his sword.
"Tess, remember this. That's Shirone. Once he's triggered, no one can stop him."
Unlike Rian, Amy seemed a bit worried as she watched Shirone.
Of course, she knows full well how great Shirone's insight is. But it seemed that powerful variables like Yuna and Marsha were currently influencing him.
“No matter what, there must be a trap, but isn’t this too reckless? We’re diving straight toward the enemy without analyzing their strategy?"
"We lost time destroying the magic circle. If Shirone is doing this, I won't stop him."
Rian increased his speed, casting his vote of confidence in Shirone.
But Tess agreed with Amy. Even while running, she had been analyzing the surroundings and spoke with a serious expression.
"Amy, the terrain seems a bit strange. The men are fired up, so let's balance things out."
“Yeah, that would be great. But what do you mean the terrain is strange?"
"If this area hasn't been artificially modified, we'll soon be entering a valley. It's a suitable place to set traps. It could be dangerous."
Nature has its own laws. Humans change the shape of things to suit their tastes, but nature never goes against natural law.
The terrain had been getting lower as they moved along the mountain range.
In addition, the fact that humidity was rising and there were more ferns than shrubs clearly indicated that they were heading into a valley.
'Yet, there's no sound of water. These bastards must’ve blocked the valley.'
Blocking off the front and attacking from both sides—it was a strategy close to textbook in warfare.
Tess was conflicted. It was true that time was of the essence. But if they fell into the enemy's trap, they might be the ones to be wiped out first.
"Amy, this probably won’t work. Let’s stop Shirone first.”
Amy nodded without objection. As Tess expected, the path was gradually getting narrower and the cliff was getting higher enough to make it impossible to bypass.
The biggest problem was that the number of enemies who had been setting up the encirclement was gradually decreasing.
"I'll say it. Shirone! Wait a minute!"
Amy's voice could not be heard. Before she could say anything, Shirone took Rian and cast Teleportation. It seemed that running alone was not satisfying enough for him.
“Why on earth is he doing that?”
Amy, who had to give chase anyway, hugged Tess' waist and cast teleportation.
But it was difficult for her to catch up with Shirone.
If they were to limit it to the magic of instantaneous movement, Amy's skills were comparable to Shirone's, but not enough to overtake him.
Shirone, who was rushing quickly, knew that Amy was following him from behind.
Still, he did not stop his magic. One flash followed another, and in an instant, Shirone and Rian were deep into the entrance of the valley.
There, Shirone stopped teleporting and ran along the shallow stream.
Rian, who had followed, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Shirone, why are you in such a hurry? From what I can see, this place is a trap."
"That's why I'm hurrying. I have to destroy the trap somehow. It will vary depending on the type of trap, but if I could Light Explosion, I’ll be able to focus the enemy’s attacks.”
"Huh? But what if it fails?”
"Then I'll be stuck, unable to move. If I don't succeed here, the difficulty of the operation will increase manifold."
"That's not the problem. You could die. Let me do it instead."
"No, I have to do it because I can. If you keep arguing, I'll have no choice but to leave you behind."
Rian realized why Shirone had quickly widened the distance. If he were to single-handedly fend off the enemies, there was no way Tess or Amy would have given their permission.
Shirone wants to take a gamble on the side with higher odds, even if it involves risk. It seemed like the thought that there wasn't much time left to safely rescue Yuna was affecting her.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
