Forced march (4)

The explosion from Shirone didn't stop there. The photons infused with physical force continued to strike thousands of rocks, crushing them into rice grain-sized pieces.

"Keuuuuu!"

Shirone gradually sank into the ground along with the collapsed earth.

As the diameter of his Zone became four times shorter than in the trial, his speed skyrocketed. Even Shirone's Indestructible Diamond felt a sense of crisis.

Only after 20 seconds did the Explosion's release stop. When Shirone scanned using the Spirit Zone, he couldn't sense any magical energy from the magic circle anymore.

"Phew, Amy, is this good enough?"

No one replied. The three who had been observing Shirone were all in a state of shock, with identical expressions.

Amy let out a hollow laugh as if she couldn't believe it.

"Haha. Please use some common sense magic, Shirone."

"What? I thought a lot about this. Anyway, the magic circle is destroyed, right?"

"Huh? Yes, probably."

Amy entered the Spirit Zone to check the surroundings, although it wasn't really necessary.

It wasn't synesthesia, but just by looking at it, the area around the magic circle was devastated.

Amy approached where Shirone was. Only after examining the hemispheric topography did she realize the features of Shirone's new magic.

"Photon Amplification through Mental Pulse, huh? Must be a magic that came up during the training period. Anyway, this is such insane destructive force, isn't it?"

Even with the disadvantage of having a narrow range, it was trivial compared to the destructive power that pulverizes the earth into dust.

It was a magic that perfectly coordinated the three elements of the Mental Pulse at the level of the Indestructible Diamond, the Divine Particles using the Immortal Function, and the 'Brilliant' flash magic.

"But what 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 the four-directional defense type, so I was thinking I should learn another defensive spell. That's when the idea of Mental Pulse came up, so I incorporated God Particles."

"Oh, is that so? So, is this a defensive magic?"

"Yes, a defensive spell."

Amy resisted the urge to hit Shirone. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that among the defensive magics she knew, this was by far the most destructive.

In short, it's magic that creates reactive force by bouncing off a curtain of light containing mass at an incredible speed.

Although a single blast was less powerful than Photon Cannon, firing it 20 times per second would leave no debris in its surroundings.

Technically speaking, it was an offensive magic.

Multiple-attack magic is classified as a bullet, but its wide range far exceeded that number and had a similar effect to a curtain, so there was a high chance that the association would include it as defensive magic.

"Shirone, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Tess came running and asked, concerned. The explosion was the most chaotic and violent spell she had ever seen.

Since Shirone was caught in the middle of all this, she thought it was a miracle that he was still standing.

"I'm fine. It's not such a dangerous magic as you think."

"Not dangerous magic? I thought you would be torn apart too."

"Haha! I'm really fine. You can't call a defensive magic one that harms the caster, right?"

As Shirone said, Explosion was created to protect the wizard, so the destructive power was just an additional feature.

While general defensive magic generates durability through the thickness of the barrier, the Explosion uniquely generates reactive force by oscillating between the minimum and maximum radius.

Therefore, if the minimum radius is set just outside the wizard, regardless of the circumstances, they won't be caught in the turmoil, like being in the eye of a typhoon.

"Anyway, let's get down to business. Now that I've got the rhythm, I can cast it faster. It will only take 30 seconds to break the magic circle."

Amy regained her senses belatedly and immediately changed the 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 the battle as much as possible. It's about provoking the enemy. And when they can't take it anymore, our strategy is to counterattack all at once. What do you think?"

There was no room for disagreement.

Shirone and his group, consisting of men and women, cast teleportation magic. Two streams of flashes flew far and wide through the forest, searching for the next magic circle to become their prey.

***

"Light Burst."

Centered around Shirone, there was an explosion of light. The photon curtain hit the ground, erasing the magic circle without a trace.

Shirone and his group were about to destroy their seventh magic circle.

While they had been fighting, the number of enemies had decreased by seven, but the enemies were not easily fooled by Shirone and his group's strategies.

Even though they gritted their teeth every time the costly magic circle was destroyed, they still maintained composure.

However, when the number of destroyed magic circles exceeded 15, there was finally a change in the enemies' posture.

They began to feel anxious, worried that if things continued like this, all the magic circles in the mountain would be destroyed.

"Damn it! How long will they continue like this?"

"It's getting dangerous. We only have about three magic circles we can use in a specific location. If things go on like this, sooner or later, our operating zone will be drastically reduced."

"What should we do, Captain? It seems like they are determined to ruin us."

The captain of the tenth unit was equally frustrated.

The money the Freeman Organization spent fortifying the northern forest equaled half of the wealth they had earned over five years.

Leaving things as they were would mean defeat, even if they won.

"Call everyone. Surround 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 immediately.

Shirone and the others could immediately sense that the atmosphere of the battle was rapidly changing. The enemies, their movements, even their expressions, were different from before.

The most significant change was that instead of harassing them with guerrilla tactics, they focused on surrounding them with dozens of people at the same time.

However, the massive encirclement wasn't aimed at annihilating Shirone's group but rather luring them to somewhere.

Although they had a numerical advantage, they weren't foolish enough to engage in total warfare against a group that included two mages.

Tess admired the enemies' tactical changes. It was clear that they had experienced situations like this more than once.

"This poses a new problem. They are trapping and dragging us somewhere. There's definitely a trap waiting to eliminate the mage."

Shirone didn't flinch. If the enemies were putting all their strength into this, it was now a race against time. They needed to reach and rescue Yuna as quickly as possible.

"Alright. Let's advance there. We should conserve our strength for now."

"But what if it's a trap? Isn't that dangerous?"

"I'll manage to push through somehow. Leave it to me."

Shirone accelerated and took the lead. Tess might have overtaken using Schema, but she didn't dare try to surpass him.

"Phew. You're something, Shirone."

To Tess, the current Shirone was undoubtedly unfamiliar. She had always seen him as a warm and friendly person.

The person she worried about the most during this battle was Shirone. She had asked Rian if he could kill people, but in reality, Shirone was also included in that query.

However, once they entered real combat, Shirone became an entirely different person.

There was no fear, and his handling of enemies was flawless.

It was a unique side of Shirone that no one else could see.

In battle, brutality and cruelty might be virtues, but watching Shirone fight was like observing a machine that calculated continuously solely for efficiency.

Rian, guessing Tess's feelings, secretly smiled. He recalled his own feelings when he first met Shirone.

The real sword fight he had with Shirone in the training field 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 watching him charge forward, thinking only of wielding his sword.

"Tess, remember this. Shirone. Once he's activated, no one can stop him."

Unlike Rian, Amy seemed a bit worried as she watched Shirone.

Of course, she knows very well how magnificent Shirone's insight is. But it seemed that powerful variables like Yuna and Marsha were currently influencing him.

"Whatever happens, there must be a trap, but isn't this too reckless? Are we charging straight at 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, voicing his trust in Shirone.

But Tess agreed with Amy. Even as she ran, she had been analyzing the surroundings and spoke with a serious expression.

"Amy, the terrain seems a bit strange. The men are excited, 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 going downhill as they advanced along the mountain range.

Furthermore, the fact that the moisture was rising and there were more ferns than bushes clearly indicated that they were heading towards a valley.

'However, there's no sound of water. These bastards must have blocked the valley.'

Blocking the front and attacking from both sides was a strategy close to textbook warfare.

Tess was conflicted. It was true that time was essential. However, if they fell into the enemy's trap, they might be the first ones to be annihilated.

"Amy, this probably won't work. Let's stop Shirone first."

Amy nodded without objections. As Tess expected, the path was getting narrower, and the cliff became too high to avoid.

The major issue was that the number of enemies who had been setting up the siege was gradually decreasing.

"I'll say it. Shirone! Wait a minute!"

Amy's voice couldn't be heard. Before she could say anything, Shirone grabbed Rian and used Teleportation. It seemed that running alone wasn't satisfying enough for him.

"Why the heck is he doing that?"

Amy, who had to chase after him anyway, grabbed Tess. And they teleported.

But catching up to Shirone proved difficult.

While confined to instant movement magic, Amy's abilities were comparable to Shirone's, but not enough to surpass him.

Shirone, sprinting ahead, knew Amy was trailing behind.

Yet, he didn't stop his magic. One flash followed another, and in an instant, Shirone and Rian entered the valley entrance.

There, Shirone stopped teleporting and ran along the shallow creek.

Rian, who had followed, asked with a puzzled expression, "Shirone, why the rush? From what I can see, this place is a trap."

"That's why I'm in a hurry. I need to somehow dismantle the trap. It'll vary depending on the type of trap, but if I could use Light Explosion, I'd be able to concentrate the enemy's attacks."

"Huh? But what if it fails?"

"Then I'll be trapped, unable to move. If I fail here, the operation's difficulty will multiply."

"That's not the issue. 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 rapidly increased the distance. If he could defend against the enemies alone, there was no way Tess or Amy would have given their consent.

Shirone wanted to bet on the side with higher chances, even if it involved risk. It seemed that the idea of there not being much time left to safely rescue Yuna was affecting him.