Infinite Mage

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

Chapter 150: Forced Breakthrough (4)

Shirone'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.

Shirone, following the collapsing ground, was gradually being buried deeper into the earth.

The diameter of the zone being four times shorter than during the test increased the speed exponentially, putting even Shirone on edge.

After 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.

"Phew, Amy, is this satisfactory?"

No one answered. Everyone watching Shirone was in a state of shock, their faces mirroring the same dumbfounded expression.

Amy let out an incredulous laugh.

"Ha, seriously Shirone, can we stick to conventional magic?"

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

"Huh? Oh, yeah, probably."

Amy entered her Spirit Zone to check, though it was unnecessary. Even without Synesthesia, the surroundings where the magic circle had been were utterly devastated.

Approaching Shirone's location, Amy observed the concave terrain and realized the unique nature of Shirone's new magic.

'Amplification of photons using mental pulsation. He must have thought of this during practice, but this destruction is absurd, isn't it?'

Despite its limited range, the force capable of pulverizing the ground into dust made any disadvantage insignificant.

The 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.

"But what on earth made you think of this?"

"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."

"Ah, I see. So, this is a defensive magic?"

"Yeah, a defensive magic."

Amy almost slapped Shirone but restrained herself. Among the defensive magics she knew, this was arguably the most destructive.

In essence, it's a magic that creates a barrier of light packed with mass, which is rapidly repelled, creating a counterforce.

While a single blast might be weaker than a Photon Cannon, at twenty pulses per second, nothing would remain intact around it.

Either way, strictly speaking, it was indeed a defensive magic.

Though 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.

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

Tess 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.

"I'm fine. The magic wasn't as dangerous as I thought."

"Not dangerous? I thought even you would be shattered."

"Ha! Really, I'm okay. It wouldn't be called a defensive magic if it injured the mage, right?"

Indeed, Wildfire was designed to protect the mage, making its destructive power a secondary feature.

Unlike 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.

Therefore, 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.

"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."

Coming to her senses, Amy immediately revised their strategy.

"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?"

There was no disagreement.

Shirone and his team formed pairs and teleported. Two streaks of light darted through the forest, seeking their next prey.

* * *

"Wildfire."

An explosion of light centered around Shirone. As the barrier of photons battered the ground, the magic circle was obliterated without a trace.

Shirone'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.

Despite gritting their teeth as each costly magic circle was destroyed, they maintained their stance, enduring the situation.

However, 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.

"Damn it! How long are those bastards going to keep this up?"

"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."

"Captain! What should we do? It seems like they're hell-bent on ruining us."

The ten-man squad captain shared the frustration.

To fortify the northern forest, the Freemans had invested half of their five-year earnings.

Leaving things as they were meant that even if they won, it would be as good as a loss.

"Gather everyone. We'll trap them and take them down."

A messenger relayed the captain's orders to other squad leaders through the magic circles. The other leaders, sharing the same thoughts, quickly responded.

Shirone's team immediately sensed the shift in the battle atmosphere. Not only the enemies' movements but even their gazes had changed.

The most significant change was their shift from guerrilla tactics to surrounding them with dozens at once.

But the vast encirclement aimed not for Shirone's team's annihilation but to lure them somewhere.

Despite their numerical advantage, they weren't foolish enough to engage in a head-on battle against a party that included two mages.

Tess marveled at the enemies' tactical adaptation. They were clearly experienced in such situations.

"This poses a new problem. They're trying to corral us somewhere. There must be a trap waiting to eliminate the mages."

Shirone 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.

"It's fine. We'll break through there. It's better to conserve our strength for now."

"But what if it's a trap?"

"I'll break through. Leave it to me."

Shirone 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.

"Whew, Shirone is really something."

To Tess, the current Shirone was unrecognizable. He had always been kind and gentle, so it was natural to be surprised.

Shirone was her biggest concern during this battle. She had asked Rian if he could kill, but Shirone was implicitly included in her concern.

Yet, once they engaged in real combat, Shirone transformed completely.

He showed no fear, and his approach to enemies was flawless.

This was a uniqueness only Shirone possessed.

While brutality and cruelty can be virtues in a struggle, the way Shirone fought was like watching a machine, calculating efficiency over and over.

Sensing Tess's emotions, Rian quietly smiled, reminded of when he first met Shirone.

Their swordfight in the training ground was still chilling to recall.

Shirone's insight could even comprehend the fear of death. Rian had sweated bullets watching Shirone charge with nothing but his sword in mind.

"Remember this, Tess. That's Shirone. Once he gets going, no one can stop him."

While Rian was nostalgic, Amy looked worriedly at Shirone.

She knew how impressive Shirone's insight was, but it seemed powerful variables like Yuna and Marsha were influencing him now.

"Isn't this too reckless? He's just charging straight ahead without analyzing the strategy."

"We're running out of time. If Shirone says he'll do it, I won't stop him."

Rian threw his support behind Shirone, accelerating his pace, but Tess agreed with Amy. Even as they ran, she analyzed their surroundings and spoke seriously.

"Amy, the terrain is strange. The men are fired up, so let's balance things out."

"Okay, that sounds good. But what do you mean by 'strange terrain'?"

"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."

Nature follows its laws. While humans alter shapes to suit their needs, nature never goes against its principles.

Considering the mountain ranges they had passed, the terrain was steadily descending.

The increased moisture and prevalence of ferns over shrubs indicated they were heading towards a valley.

'That means they've dammed the valley.'

Blocking the front and attacking from both sides is a textbook strategy in warfare.

Tess was conflicted. The urgency was real, but playing into the enemy's hands could lead to their demise.

"Amy, we have to stop Shirone."

Amy nodded without complaint. The path was narrowing, and the cliffs were becoming insurmountable.

The biggest problem was the dwindling number of enemies previously forming the encirclement.

"I'll tell him. Shirone! Wait!"

Amy's call went unheard. Before she could speak, Shirone had teleported away with Rian, unwilling to slow down.

"Why is he doing this?"

Despite everything, Amy had to pursue. She grabbed Tess's waist and teleported.

But catching up to Shirone was futile.

If teleportation magic was the sole criterion, Amy's skills were comparable to Shirone's but not enough to surpass him.

Shirone knew Amy was following and didn't stop his magic. He seemed determined to continue regardless.

Rushing forward, Shirone and Rian quickly reached the valley entrance.

There, Shirone halted his teleportation and ran along a shallow stream.

Rian, puzzled, asked, "Shirone, why the rush? Even I can tell this is a trap."

"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."

"What if you fail?"

"Then we're trapped. If we don't succeed here, the mission's difficulty will skyrocket."

"It's not just about difficulty. We could die. Let me do it."

"No, I have to do it because I can. If you keep this up, I'll have to leave you behind."

Rian realized why Shirone had sped ahead. If Shirone had mentioned facing the enemy's assault alone, neither Tess nor Amy would have agreed.

Shirone was willing to take risks for a higher chance of success. He sensed the urgency to rescue Yuna.

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