Chapter 31

Kwa-kwa-kwa-

Elric simply couldn't understand.

'Why on earth are you touching citizens who have nothing to do with it?'

-Those with power must have the qualifications and obligations.

That was the teaching Elric had received since childhood.

When he asked why the family had fallen so low, his father had answered with a smile.

And even after his father passed away, his sister had continued to remind him of that.

So, Elric couldn't comprehend those who were breaking such 'common sense'.

Their intentions were easy to discern.

They were probably trying to find hidden Isabelle and others.

He knew there were those among the lions and magicians who didn't treat civilians as 'humans' in order to achieve their goals.

But this situation had gone too far.

So there was only one option left.

'I guess I should get rid of them.'

The world his grandfather cherished and wanted to leave behind wouldn't be like this.

With that thought, Elric resolved himself.

Not just them, but everyone behind them shouldn't be left alone.

***

"Where the hell did that guy suddenly pop out from!"

Squad 3 leader Simonan exclaimed in shock.

Although they had only used two scrolls so far, they were still spells of the 4th-Circle.

To be stopped with just one attack?

He couldn't believe it even after witnessing it with his own eyes.

Even if it was an ice-attribute magic spell, considered the natural enemy of the Fire-attribute.

To spread a mana field over such a wide range would require a tremendous amount of mana, wouldn't it?

Unless he had a separate magic tool, it was an absurd situation.

Whooosh!

Seemingly indifferent to Simonan's curiosity, the opponent was once again unleashing a new spell.

Ice Arrows.

Whether it was 1st-Circle or 2nd-Circle, it was still a low level spell typically used by novice magicians when they first grasp the Ice-attribute magic.

However, there was one problem.

'Why are there so many of them!'

The sheer number, nearly a hundred, was staggering!

Seeing icicles, each as thick as a human fist, condensed in the air and raining down, sent shivers down the spine of any observer.

As Elric, who was on the rooftop, fell towards them, and with snow swirling around and icicles pouring down, the sense of crisis only intensified.

In Simonan's mind, which had relied solely on animal instincts all his life, a red light turned on.

Get out of here now!

"Take cover!"

As Simonan's command rang out with terrifying urgency, the members of squad 3 quickly scattered in all directions.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-

Puff puff puff!

Suddenly, Simonan's muscles trembled in surprise at the sudden cold, causing a momentary hesitation in action. The icicle that fell without missing the gap was sharp and hard.

"Argh!"

"What is this?"

"My arm! My arm!"

"Darn it...! Where the hell did that guy come from!"

Amidst the wails of pain from the members of Blue Wolf Squads who had not managed to escape the range of the mana field.

Even though they managed to deflect the ice arrows by using Aura Chain to the maximum, the problem lay afterwards.

The durability of the arrows was so high that upon deflecting them, it felt like their wrists might dislocate due to the impact, making it difficult to block the subsequent barrage of ice arrows.

And it didn't stop there.

With the snowfall intensifying, visibility narrowed significantly, making it nearly impossible to discern the path ahead, resulting in even greater casualties.

"Maintain formation, you bastards!"

However, as Simonan shouted with a mana-infused voice and with their already familiar tactics, the members of squad 3 struggled to escape the range of the mana field.

Each squad possessed tactics tailored to their respective specialties.

Among them, the specialty of squad 3 was ambush utilizing cover.

And urban warfare, where many covers were available, was their preferred battlefield.

Thud, thud-

Thunk!

Squad 3 diligently hid behind buildings, alley corners, or piles of rubble.

Thanks to this, the ice arrows only pounded futile covers.

Two dead squad members.

There were many more with minor and major injuries, but still, considering it was magic, the damage was relatively low.

While inwardly relieved, Simonan resolved to crush the unknown magician's head in his mind.

But to do that, they had to secure safety first and then seize the opportunity.

So, intending to retreat like his subordinates.

"...Huh!"

At that moment, Simonan locked eyes with Elric.

It just so happened that Elric, who was chasing the fleeing squad member and smashing his head, looked up in Simonan's direction.

But there was something strange about his eyes.

'What kind of eyes are those!'

The moment Simonan was exposed to Elric's eyes, which were emitting a subtle iridescent glow, as if some other magic had been activated, he felt as if his whole body had been stripped naked.

The personality known as "Simonan" seemed to be disintegrating piece by piece.

It was a chilling experience that he would never forget in his lifetime, even though it was just a fleeting moment.

And then.

"Oh, it's you? The ringleader."

"...!"

Boom!

Elric lunged towards him.

Splat!

"Damn you!"

Simonan spat curses as he hurriedly reached for the scimitar hanging from his waist.

But for some reason, the magician's movements were lightning fast.

Before he knew it, Elric was right in front of him.

In terms of speed alone, he seemed much faster than himself!

"[Freeze], [Pierce]."

Elric reached out towards him.

His palm was filled with intense energy, emitting a bright white light.

A spell combining the 5th-Circle "Frozen Touch" and the 3rd-Circle "Curse Infusion".

The Frozen Touch forcibly imbues ice poison wherever the hand touches.

The Curse Infusion boasts the feature of forcibly transferring a specific curse to the opponent.

In other words, Elric intended to transform the ice poison into a curse and forcibly embed it into Simonan.

Just a touch would be enough; Simonan wouldn't be able to avoid it at all. It was so dangerous that depending on the situation, he might have to amputate the entire area where the ice poison penetrated to the blood vessels.

This was one of the techniques Elric had developed with confidence after obtaining the Seal of Cruelty.

However,

Swish!

Just before the hand could struck Simonan's chest, a gust of wind blew from below, skillfully targeting blind spots.

A threatening attack that could have been missed if it weren't for Mind's eye.

Instinctively, Elric took a step back.

The gust of wind narrowly passed through the spot where he had been standing, colliding with his palm.

Screeeech!

Crack!

The sword, which was the source of the gust of wind, instantly froze solid before exploding like a firecracker.

Amidst the countless flying shards of ice and swords,

Beskov, who had suddenly appeared, pulled Simonan back and said tersely,

"Formation B."

Simonan nodded in agreement with a grimace, then promptly hid behind a nearby building.

Squad 2 and 3 often conducted joint training and had already coordinated their formations for various situations.

The formation B mentioned by Beskov was quite simple in content.

The specialty of Squad 2 was close combat. While they tied up the opponent's feet, the hidden squad 3 would take turns launching ambushes, hunting down the enemy.

It was a tactic suitable for dealing with powerful opponents or small elite forces that were difficult to handle solely with their own strength.

Swish, swish, swish!

Beskov swiftly drew the swords hanging from his waist and rushed towards Elric.

His specialty was dual swordsmanship. Using two swords of equal size and weight consecutively made his art versatile and extremely difficult to counter.

'Especially against a magician who is a beginner at martial arts!'

Clang, clang, clang!

Sure enough.

In an instant, the tide turned, and Elric, who had been relentlessly attacking the Blue Wolf Squads, retreated, while Beskov took on the offensive.

Without a moment's pause, the relentless onslaught of sword strikes was enough to make Elric feel rushed just by dodging them.

Fortunately, his Mind's eye was open, and the Frozen Touch spell was still active in his hands, so he hadn't suffered any major injuries.

Still, the situation looked perilous in every aspect.

That's why Beskov didn't want to miss this opportunity.

'He's strong. So before his full power is revealed... We must defeat it!'

The sound of the double chain rang out fiercely as the dual swords relentlessly sought out Elric's vulnerabilities.

"We'll assist you, squad leader!"

Following Beskov's lead, squad 2 also rushed towards Elric.

Thunk, thunk!

They intended to support Beskov and anticipate his potential pushback.

In addition, Squad 3 was also busy moving around, looking for an opportunity to attack.

The onslaught of blades raining down on Elric increased. Surrounded by the bustling members of Blue Wolf Squads with no room to breathe, Elric appeared dangerously close to collapsing at any moment.

However,

'...Is he smiling?'

Beskov, not missing the faint smile that appeared on Elric's lips, also noticed that his eyes remained remarkably calm despite the danger.

It was like the gaze of a predator patiently waiting for its prey to reveal its vulnerability...!

'No way!'

Beskov swallowed his disbelief.

Come to think of it, there had been something bothering him all along.

Typically, magicians preferred to stay out of the frontlines of battle due to the complex processes of mathematical calculations and mana manipulation.

But Elric had completely disregarded this conventional wisdom and leaped directly into the battlefield.

Until now, they had only thought of him as arrogant, too busy dealing with him to deeply consider his actions.

But what if there was another motive behind all this?

Beskov, along with the others, couldn't help but hope that they hadn't all been baited into this situation!

'No...!'

In an instant, Elric dropped to the ground, planting both hands firmly on the ground.

Crackle, crackle...

At that moment, a surge of mana spread out from the ground where they stood, and thick ice formed like a ripple, covering the entire area they were in.

"[Burst]."

With a brief command, the ice panels all exploded outward.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Help!"

"Cough, cough! Save...!"

The members of Blue Wolf Squad who had approached Elric were swept away by the explosion, their bodies forcibly torn apart.

But even those who weren't directly exposed to the explosion didn't escape unscathed.

Thousands of ice shards shot into their bodies like projectiles, causing significant damage.

But that wasn't the end of their ordeal.

The ice that Elric exploded was made using frozen touch.

In other words, it contained a huge amount of ice poison.

As the ice shards pierced their bodies, the ice poison spread rapidly. Within moments, some found their arms frozen solid, while others found their legs stuck to the ground. Unfortunate ones who were struck in the abdomen found their insides frozen solid.

A lot of frost began to form on the skin, and people spouting white breath began to appear one after another.

Ice mines.

An adaptation of the flame mines they had favored using, now utilizing cursed ice poison to its maximum effect.

Squad 2 was effectively decimated.

And the remaining half...

"Now it looks good. [Whirlwind]."

With a flick of his finger, they were torn apart by the swirling ice storm.

None of them even thought of escaping.

If you were exposed to even a little bit of ice poison, one of your joints would be damaged and you couldn't escape from it.

Swoosh-!