Joint Suppression Operation (3)
The ash made from the fur of a Grimwolf and the feather of a wind spirit trembled in my hand вместе with the mana.
I needed to make the fusion point clear...
ZZZZT—
The instant the two materials touched, the mana violently repelled them, far more aggressively than I had expected.
Was it because this wasn’t shadow dust?
If this kept up, the fusion would fail. But just then—
Fusion Mage bonus activated.
Fusion success rate +30%
Fusion spell power +30%
Along with the blue window message, the mana in my hand began to stabilize.
The Grimwolf ash slowly turned into black powder and mixed with the wind spirit’s feather.
Whoooooosh—
A gray mist rose from my palm.
It felt ominous, yet strangely cold.
Fusion MagicLethal Corrosive Mist creation complete
Grade: 2
Power: 5
Effect: Slowly corrodes the target’s mana shield and physical defenses. Duration: 30 seconds.
Huh?
It had succeeded, but something was off.
The Corrosive Mist I’d originally intended to make only ate through mana shields.
But this one was Lethal Corrosive Mist. On top of that, the effect now included physical defense.
Did the +30% power bonus get applied?
Or was there something else I didn’t know about?
I couldn’t tell right away... but this—wasn’t this incredible?
Even if that leader-class Grimwolf’s shield were stripped away, its physical defense was still high. The other mages might not have been able to deal meaningful damage at all.
But if I had this...
BOOM—!
At that moment, another explosion rang out.
The leader-class Grimwolf shattered Mel’s barrier and swung a massive claw.
“Kugh...!”
Mel barely managed to dodge, but his robe tore and blood streamed from his shoulder.
“Mel-sama!”
The other mages shouted in alarm, but the Grimwolf pack blocked their approach; they couldn’t even get close.
This was the moment.
I hurriedly fitted the completed Lethal Corrosive Mist into my wand.
Then I cast it at once.
Whooooooosh—
Gray mist burst from the tip of the wand.
Riding the wind, it spread rapidly and began enveloping the leader-class Grimwolf.
“Kii...?”
The leader-class beast froze for a moment.
The red mana barrier wrapped around its body began to sizzle and corrode.
“Th-that is...!”
Mel stared at the mist, eyes wide.
“Its mana shield is being peeled away!”
He grasped the situation instantly.
“Now! All-out attack!”
At his shout, the surrounding mages raised their wands in unison.
“Fireball!”
“Ice Lance!”
“Blade of Wind!”
“Lightning Bolt!”
Dozens of spells shot toward the leader-class Grimwolf at once.
BOOM! Ratatatata! Clang-clang-clang!
This time, it was different.
With its mana shield gone, the spells slammed directly into the leader-class beast’s body.
“KIIIII—!”
For the first time, the leader-class Grimwolf let out a scream of pain.
Black fur burned, ice froze into its flesh, and wind blades carved into its body.
“It’s working!”
One mage shouted in excitement.
Mel didn’t miss the chance either. He gathered every ounce of mana he had left.
“Thunderbolt!”
KWA-GA-GA-GA-GA—!
A thick bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and struck the leader-class Grimwolf squarely in the back.
“Grrrhh—!”
The huge body lurched, black smoke rising from its back.
But—
“It’s still... not down!”
Someone cried out urgently.
The leader-class beast was staggering, but it still stood. Its red eyes burned with madness.
“Something’s wrong. This is all wrong. It’s only a Grimwolf, even if it’s a leader-class one! So why—?”
While the mages were still flustered—
“KIIIIII—!”
The enraged leader-class Grimwolf roared.
And at that very instant, the ordinary Grimwolves around it all started moving at once.
“Damn it, it’s rallying the pack!”
A mage gritted his teeth.
“Thirty seconds left. We have to finish it in thirty seconds!”
At my words, Mel finally turned and looked at me.
“Thirty seconds... understood.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Listen up! We need to bring that bastard down within thirty seconds! Don’t hold back any mana!”
The mages began chanting once more.
But I could see their mana was nearly gone.
“Fireball!”
“Ice Lance!”
The spells flew, but they were weaker than before. Everyone was exhausted from the prolonged battle.
“Damn it... my mana...”
One mage dropped to his knees. The others were in similar shape.
At this rate...
Then it happened.
ZZZZT—
The gray mist clinging to the leader-class beast’s body thickened.
And not just the barrier—its actual skin began to corrode as well.
“What the hell is that!”
One mage shouted in shock.
“The mist is eating through its skin too!”
So this is what defense corrosion did...?
The original Mana Corrosive Mist was a spell that simply stripped away mana shields.
But the Lethal Corrosive Mist I’d created was different.
After peeling off the mana shield, it kept gnawing away at the target’s very defense.
“Kik! Kiiik!”
The leader-class Grimwolf writhed in agony. The black fur and skin where the gray mist touched began to melt away.
“This is... our chance!”
Mel shouted.
“Its defenses are weakening more and more! If we attack now...!”
At his cry, the mages squeezed out their final strength.
“Everyone focus! Aim for one spot!”
Mel pointed at the Grimwolf’s neck. It was the place where the mist had corroded the skin the most.
“Go for the throat!”
“Fireball!”
“Ice Lance!”
“Blade of Wind!”
The mages’ final barrage struck the leader-class Grimwolf’s neck all at once.
Pop-pop-pop! Clang! Whoosh!
“KIIIII!”
The leader-class beast shrank its neck back and screamed. The skin tore, and black blood spilled out.
But it still didn’t fall.
“Damn it, why won’t it die!”
One mage shrieked.
The leader-class beast staggered, then made one last desperate charge toward Mel.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Block it!”
The imperial soldiers raised their shields, but they couldn’t withstand the beast’s weight.
CRACK—!
The shields splintered, and the soldiers were sent flying.
“Mel-sama!”
The mages shouted, but Mel was already out of mana.
He couldn’t even cast a barrier spell.
Before I could even think of a solution, the leader-class beast’s massive claw slashed toward Mel.
No...!
I moved on instinct.
I had almost no mana left.
Explosive Flame Vortex... could I still cast it?
I desperately squeezed out the last of my mana.
Then it happened.
My final mana flowed through the wand.
Power-30 fusion magic, Explosive Flame Vortex, was cast.
A scarlet vortex roared toward the leader-class Grimwolf.
Whoooooosh—BOOM—!
The blazing vortex slammed into the leader-class beast’s neck.
The power-30 fusion spell struck the same neck already ripped open by the other mages’ attacks.
“Kii...”
The Grimwolf’s cry was cut off.
KRRRRAAASH—
The huge body slowly pitched forward and collapsed.
With a shock that made the ground tremble, the leader-class Grimwolf finally ceased moving.
“......”
“......”
The battlefield was swallowed by silence.
“Did... did we kill it?”
One mage asked in a trembling voice.
“...We killed it.”
Mel checked the corpse of the leader-class beast and said weakly, “We really... killed it.”
The next instant—
“UOOOOOH!”
Imperial soldiers and mages alike burst into cheers.
“We won!”
“We brought down the leader!”
But the joy of victory was brief.
“Grrr...”
Though the leader-class Grimwolf had fallen, there were still ordinary Grimwolves all around us.
At the very least, there had to be dozens of them, the ones that had emerged from the forest.
“D-damn it...”
One mage muttered in despair.
“We’re out of mana. What do we do now...?”
The others were no different.
The mages had spent everything they had bringing down the leader-class beast, and now they were empty.
The imperial soldiers had reached the limits of their stamina as well.
“Kiiik—!”
One Grimwolf approached cautiously, as if testing us, and the others soon followed behind it.
“We have to... retreat...”
Mel murmured, clutching his wounded shoulder.
“But how are we supposed to do that in this state...?”
Then it happened.
Whoooooosh—
I sensed a powerful flow of mana from the opposite side of the forest.
“This is...!”
At once, Mel’s eyes widened.
KA-BOOOOM—!
A colossal pillar of flame crashed down from the sky.
The fire pillar pierced straight through the Grimwolf pack and swallowed dozens of them at once.
“Kiiik! Kiek!”
The Grimwolves’ shrieks were drowned in the blaze.
When the fire vanished, only charred corpses remained.
“Wh-what is that...?”
The mages stared blankly at the scene.
“Who... cast a spell like that...?”
A figure emerged between the trees.
White beard, deep navy robes, and in his hand, a finely crafted wand.
“C-Chief Mage Roimdel...!”
The mages of Vilheim Magic Tower cried out in shock.
Roimdel.
The chief mage of Vilheim Magic Tower, and a 6th-circle grand mage.
The mage known as the intellect of the empire.
“I’m late.”
Roimdel said calmly.
“I came as soon as I received the report, but... I never imagined the situation was this desperate.”
“Chief Mage, I’m sorry. We...!”
Mel hurriedly bowed his head.
“It’s all right. The important thing is that you’re still alive.”
Roimdel raised a hand.
“I’ll handle the remaining beasts.”
Whoooooosh—
Mana gathered at the tip of his wand.
Red, blue, and gray.
Three colors of mana intertwined in a complex weave.
Three-system... fusion?
I held my breath and watched.
The entire forest erupted in flame.
KA-BOOOOM—!
But it was not ordinary fire.
Flame fused with wind became a cyclone, sweeping after the Grimwolves.
“Kiek! Kiiik!”
The beasts that tried to flee were caught in the fire vortex and collapsed.
With a single spell, dozens were wiped out at once.
“......”
The mages had no words.
This was the power of a 6th-circle grand mage. And the might of a three-system fusion spell.
Ten seconds.
In only ten seconds, every remaining Grimwolf had been subdued.
“It’s over.”
Roimdel lowered his wand.
“Heal the wounded and start cleaning up.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The mages hurried into motion.
I sank to the ground and looked up at the sky.
We survived...
We had really survived.
And I understood it then.
The true potential of fusion magic.
If a two-system fusion could bring down a leader-class beast, then what would a three-system fusion—no, one beyond that—be capable of?
And then...
Roimdel slowly walked over and stood before the leader-class Grimwolf’s corpse beside me.
“Who killed it?”
Mel pointed at me.
“Over there. The Tower Master of the Fusion Magic Tower... Grace.”
Roimdel’s gaze turned to me.
For an instant, it felt as though my whole body froze.
The gaze of a 6th-circle grand mage. I could feel its weight on my skin.
“Fusion Magic Tower...”
Roimdel approached slowly.
“You’re the one who brought down the leader-class beast?”
“Not alone. Everyone fought together...”
“Modest.”
Roimdel examined the fallen beast.
“Burn marks on the neck. Flame-based magic, then. And...”
His eyes sharpened.
“Corrosion marks all over the body. This is... a fusion of dark and wind?”
“......”
“Did you create that?”
“...Yes.”
“Interesting.”
Roimdel looked at me again.
“What circle are you?”
“2nd Circle... sir.”
“2nd Circle?”
For a moment, Roimdel’s brows rose.
“A 2nd-circle mage brought down a leader-class beast?”
“...Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. He improvised and cast a fusion spell on the spot during combat.”
When Roimdel asked again, Mel nodded and said, “What? On the spot?”
Roimdel looked genuinely startled as he repeated the question.