Chapter 229: What Exactly Is Efficient Magic?
Chapter 229: What Exactly Is Efficient Magic?
White projectiles rained down.
I couldn't feel any bloodlust from the numerous mages firing them, but there was certainly hostility.
Because of that...
I immediately flicked the marbles I held in my hand.
Clack. Cl-cl-clack.
A light, clear sound echoed around, as if I were playing a simple game of marbles, but the result it brought back was anything but playful.
"Ugh."
"Kyaaaah!"
It seemed they weren't used to being attacked themselves.
Despite the attack being nothing more than Steel Marbles—hardly a devastating weapon—those hit let out screams, and the chants of numerous mages were cut short.
They were like soldiers who knew how to shoot but had never experienced being shot at.
If it had ended there, I would have been disappointed, thinking they were just another race that relied solely on raw power—much like Al’shel, the member of the Star Race standing beside me, whose world became powerful simply because their innate abilities were so high. But their next move was different.
The Steel Marbles had embedded themselves in their bodies, causing injuries from an unexpected counterattack. It was a situation where morale should have plummeted.
Yet, those hit by the marbles stood up immediately, displaying a demeanor that didn't match their cute appearances at all.
Clutching twisted wings or mangled arms, they manifested new Magic Circles in the air.
"Ho."
An exclamation of genuine admiration escaped my lips.
I didn't think they were elites. Even to my eyes, their magic was riddled with flaws.
In other words, they were grunts. Lower-ranking NCOs at best.
And yet, even after being hit, they immediately regained their will to fight.
"They’re well-trained."
I almost wanted to show this to the kids back in our world.
Thinking that, I dodged or swatted away the incoming projectiles with my hands.
I braced for their follow-up attack, but...
After that opening volley, no more projectiles came flying.
"I forbid the use of magic in this space."
With Al’shel’s voice, the very air in the room changed.
How should I put it?
The mana that had been scattered haphazardly throughout the cramped space, moving however it pleased, came to a dead halt at Al’shel’s command.
It was so sudden that even I, who couldn't read the fine flow of mana well, could perceive it.
That was likely why they couldn't trigger their magic.
Every bit of mana in the space had frozen solid under Al’shel’s authority.
In just two or three seconds of engagement, the majority of The Enemy soldiers had been neutralized.
A few who seemed more skilled were somehow resisting Al’shel’s spell and trying to draw Magic Circles.
But for those individuals, a shower of my Steel Marbles interrupted their chanting.
Al’shel then manifested black chains over them, binding them tight.
Total elapsed time: about ten seconds.
"Alright. It’s over."
Once I confirmed that almost everyone was neutralized, I spread my hands and took a step forward.
I spoke so that Captain Af—the fairy—could see me clearly.
I wanted to let the only person not neutralized know that Un-ho wasn't the only one she shouldn't ignore; the two of us standing behind him were just as dangerous.
Then, I spoke to Un-ho.
"Sorry for using violence against your kin, Un-ho."
I spoke with sincere apology.
"...No. Well, it was an unavoidable situation, poyo."
Perhaps my sincerity reached him, because although Un-ho looked bitter, he nodded quietly in agreement.
That side seemed fine.
I turned my gaze back to the only being still floating in the air.
Captain Af.
She seemed to be deep in thought. She flapped her wings slowly, her head tilted so far that her beret threatened to slip off, watching us with her arms crossed.
Her head remained tilted for so long that her blue hair began to spill out from under the beret. By the time her fallen subordinates' breathing had become slightly ragged...
"Hmm. Interesting. Setting aside the mage in the back, are you a Magical Girl?"
Af spoke flatly, seemingly unfazed by the situation.
"And if I am?"
"The contractor for Brigadier General Un-ho?"
"That’s right."
"As expected of a UN Entity. He’s caught himself an absurd existence. My apologies, but..."
Thump.
The air trembled.
No, the mana trembled. The mana Al’shel had been holding in place.
"I shall get serious as well."
She uncrossed her arms and swept them through the air. Numerous Magic Circles rose into the void above her head, following her gesture.
From left to right. Each had a different shape and color.
"...What on earth is that?"
From behind me, I heard Al’shel’s bewildered voice.
As if responding to those words...
"You are a powerful mage as well. In terms of raw talent as a mage, you are likely several levels above me."
Af spoke toward Al’shel without a change in expression.
"However, your magic is far from efficient. There are many gaps in the structure for the sake of flexibility, and your personal color permeates the magic entirely. It’s the magic of someone intending to stand against those even more powerful. Because of that, while the quality of the magic is high, it is unsuitable for combat."
Grrrrr.
The mana surged.
As Af crossed her arms again...
The Magic Circles began to glow brilliantly.
"Our magic exists solely to deal with enemies. That is the magic of the military, and the quality of a soldier who does not 'research.'"
A multitude of indescribable, diverse projectiles...
Broke through the Magic Circles and revealed themselves.
"This is our answer to your feat of mana manipulation."
Then, she whispered a single word.
"Fire."
It was so soft, as if she were greeting a friend.
And then, the magic poured down from the air at a diagonal angle toward us.
Beams of light struck down at speeds impossible to react to.
Invisible restraints and mental-type attacks began to affect the body before they even touched.
And offensive-type techniques that exerted physical force through projectiles.
The diverse spells were composed of those three main categories.
The moment I grasped that, the light-based magic had already pierced my body.
Al’shel had reacted quickly and thrown up a barrier, so not every spell hit, but there were simply too many to block them all.
I had sensed the activation of the Magic Circles and summoned my hammer to spin it rapidly, but due to physical limitations, it was impossible to block every laser striking at the speed of light.
What I felt was a slight pain, a heaviness in my limbs, and a headache.
The light magic seemed specialized only for speed; individually, the effects weren't that great, but the sheer volume meant a fairly strong level of interference magic was placed on my body.
As time passed, I could feel my body becoming rapidly heavier.
So, what now?
The battle wasn't over yet.
My body was heavy, my mind was confused, and several of my senses were shot—my vision was blurry and I couldn't hear a thing.
But I’d experienced this level of chaos many times in battle.
The most important attacks were still coming.
The restraint and Mental Magic intended to bind me further.
And the countless magical attacks that would follow.
I stared at the colorful projectiles visible beyond my hazy vision and thought fast.
How powerful is that magic? What special effects are imbued in it?
Can I dodge that and handle The Enemy’s attack in this state?
First, I put Al’shel’s help out of my mind.
He was likely in a similar state.
Or perhaps, with his exceptional magical ability, he was currently unraveling this mess.
But that wasn't the best option for me.
The best thing for me to do was...
I recalled the last state of the battlefield visible in my sight.
In my blurred vision, I compared the projectiles currently pouring down.
Magic pouring down diagonally from the air toward me.
A safe zone... didn't exist.
There were simply too many Magic Circles.
In my normal state, I would have swung my hammer to swat them all away, but that was an impossible choice in my current condition.
As I discarded options one by one, a single thought crossed my mind.
...Diagonal? Why did she fire the magic at a diagonal angle?
Was there a need for that?
Summoning Magic Circles in the sky and firing them down—that action itself wasn't strange.
But hadn't Af said it herself?
That their Military Magic was focused on efficiency.
Then, there must be a reason for this as well.
The reason she gave up the space to her left and right to deploy more Magic Circles.
The reason she didn't summon Magic Circles in the closest spot—directly in front of her.
The moment my thoughts reached that point...
An idea surfaced.
Wasn't Un-ho in the center?
Between her and me.
What if Un-ho wasn't her target?
If she summoned and fired Magic Circles from her front and sides, Un-ho would also be within the range of attack.
I had assumed Un-ho would naturally be attacked as well, so I hadn't thought of it until now.
But what if the reason she fired magic from the air was purely because of that?
...It was a dangerous thought.
If I was wrong, I’d be throwing myself into a minefield.
And with my senses currently failing me.
If they were just spells that dealt general damage, it wouldn't matter.
But what if Otherworld Banishment Magic was mixed in?
Of course, there was a high probability I’d resist it, but if I failed and was banished to another world, the situation would become unimaginably dire.
I hesitated for a moment.
But soon, I steeled my resolve.
My instincts were telling me so. And the nature of the Mascots I had seen... told me this was the answer.
Therefore...
I crouched and threw myself toward the spot where the piece of the Magical Girl had been.
In my blurred vision, I smashed a suddenly appearing fireball with my hammer, detonating it.
I took an ice spear with my body.
Five steps forward.
A white mass passed between my lunging feet.
And then, everything went quiet.
A silent safe zone where none of the attacks that had been hounding me could reach.
I could have felt relieved there.
But my feet didn't stop; I took a sixth step.
I leaped, lunging forward.
Toward the blue existence ahead.
The one flapping her wings and staring at me expressionlessly.
Captain Af, the one who had orchestrated this situation.
I swung my hammer at her.
Not with the intent to kill, but with enough force to break something.
"...You’re a monster."
Her voice, devoid of even a fragment of emotion despite a hammer larger than herself coming down, echoed in my ears. But my hammer didn't stop.
Boom.
Soon, the shock of an impact traveled up my arms.
However, my extensive combat experience told me that I hadn't hit what I was aiming for.
An impact like hitting something flat, with almost no recoil.
This was the phenomenon that occurred when striking a magic-based barrier.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and tried to follow up immediately, but...
"Stop this now, poyo!"
An unexpected voice stopped me.
At the same time, my vision cleared.
It was as if the magic that had assaulted my body had been dispelled.
It seemed the light-based magic had sacrificed not only power but duration as well.
Thanks to that, I could understand what was happening.
It wasn't Af who had raised the barrier.
Un-ho had jumped between Af and me and raised a magic barrier.
"What is it, Un-ho?"
"I said, both of you stop! There’s no reason to fight, poyo!"
Like I give a damn. They threw the first punch.
"Brigadier General Un-ho. Move. If you interfere with the battle any further, I will view you as an enemy and attack."
As I thought, Un-ho wasn't a target.
This race was softer than I expected.
I didn't know if they were just born that way, or if it was the 'leisure of the strong' that Al’shel had mentioned.
"Yeah, move, Un-ho. Let’s think about what comes next after I beat her down. Whether we run or start a riot right here... we can talk about that later."
I got hit first, so I have to pay it back.
She’s Un-ho’s kin, so I won't kill her, but I’m definitely going to clip those butterfly wings.
A murderous atmosphere hung in the air.
Did they both realize it?
I immediately stepped back and gripped my hammer tight.
Af scattered new Magic Circles.
This time, she seemed to include Un-ho as a target, manifesting them in all directions, including her sides and front.
Neither of us looked at Un-ho.
There was a white mass in the middle, but it was merely an obstacle.
Her expressionless eyes.
And my eyes, filled with the heat of battle.
We were looking only at each other.
Just as we were about to clash...
"Brigadier General Un-ho is declaring his candidacy for the election, poyo! With this, Captain Af cannot interfere with the candidate, and the same rule applies to the members of the election office I have chosen to help with my campaign... uh... that was right, wasn't it?"
At those words, Captain Af immediately erased her Magic Circles and spoke.
"Legally, that is correct. Brigadier General Un-ho. I welcome your candidacy."
And just like that, the battle ended in an utterly absurd fashion.