Photon Cannon: Unleashing Light

There was almost no time lag between actions. Ulk hadn't even regained his posture after attacking when—

'Now!'

Shirone's eyes burned with determination as he fired the photons gathered in his hands.

The beam of light stretched forward in an instant, then compressed into a sphere just as it struck Ulk's abdomen. The force of the impact crushed into his body before expanding again, sending a golden line of energy surging outward.

"GRAAAAH!"

Ulk, unable to withstand the immense power, let out a monstrous wail as he was thrown back, colliding with another Ulk before both of them tumbled down the mountainside.

The group led by Artor watched in disbelief.

"No way… Did you see that? That massive monster was sent flying dozens of meters!"

The shock wasn't limited to the humans. The Ulk pack also hesitated at the sight of the blinding light.

The Ulk chieftain furrowed his brow, his gaze fixed on Shirone. His intelligence was higher than expected—enough that a low, guttural attempt at human language slipped from his lips.

"Ma…gic…ian."

At that single word, the previously aggressive Ulks flinched.

But the more rattled his enemies became, the more unwavering Shirone's focus was. If the Ulks had a strong social hierarchy, then targeting the leader was the most efficient strategy.

'I can win.'

The mass contained within the photons was minimal, but the impact of something striking at near-light speed was unimaginable.

And this was magic that only Shirone, an Unlocked, could wield.

'Photon Cannon.'

A blinding confrontation unfolded.

The standoff was nerve-wracking. Alone, Shirone held back a horde of Ulks, and the children watching from a distance found hope.

"We're saved! They're scared! Shirone did it!"

"No."

Artor disagreed.

"Ulks aren't just wild beasts. They're monsters. Even if they hesitate to attack recklessly, they're capable of calculating the advantage of numbers. They won't give up that easily."

As if proving Artor's point, the Ulk chieftain made no move to retreat. The magician's power was undeniably destructive, but if they were willing to sacrifice some of their own, victory was still within reach.

"Grrrr… Kill… him."

"GRAAAAAAH!"

From all directions, Ulks formed an encircling formation before charging at Shirone in unison.

The sight of dozens of massive monsters closing in made the children's breath catch in their throats. Yet Shirone remained calm.

'I can do this.'

Shirone shot into the air with instantaneous movement, analyzing their positions before unleashing a relentless barrage of Photon Cannons.

Like a hailstorm of light, beams rained down, splitting the ground and shattering rocks. Even if the Ulks weren't directly hit, the shockwaves alone sent them staggering.

"GRAAAAH!"

Yet their ferocity remained unshaken. When gathered as a pack, they were a species even ogres, the supposed kings of the forest, would avoid.

Undeterred by their fallen kin, they leapt at Shirone, claws slashing through the air.

Shirone swiftly descended, but as soon as he landed, seven Ulks had already surrounded him.

"Kh…!"

He instantly switched his Spirit Zone into an offensive mode, manifesting a spear-like mental construct that pierced through the Ulks. At the same time, another volley of Photon Cannons fired in rapid succession.

Ulks, unable to react in time, were blasted back with their bones shattered from the impact.

The children were left speechless.

"Whoa… This is unreal… Shirone…"

Even Artor could no longer claim that the Ulks held the advantage.

One human was fighting against dozens of monsters—and winning.

Tales of legendary heroes had always seemed like exaggerations, but seeing Shirone in action made Artor reconsider.

"Haa… Haa…"

Shirone's breaths grew heavier. Each successive Photon Cannon made his head spin.

Even with his immense mental fortitude capable of sustaining photon output for over ten minutes, he was beginning to reach his limit. That was the price of fusion magic—where light and mass merged into one.

A magician couldn't cast two spells at once. Just as a human couldn't focus on two things simultaneously, even high-level mages were bound by this limitation.

The only exception was someone like Iruki, who could wield a Double Spirit Zone.

To bypass this restriction, fusion magic was developed—embedding multiple magical concepts into a single spell.

Shina's Ice Tornado, which combined frost and wind.

Sade's Fire Sun, which merged light and flame.

These were prime examples.

But fusion magic required an extreme level of concentration. And Shirone had been casting it repeatedly.

'This is bad… I don't have many shots left. I can't take them all down.'

He suppressed his exhaustion. Ulks had an uncanny ability to sense fear and fatigue—any sign of weakness would only embolden them.

Even now, the Ulk chieftain, despite losing a third of his warriors, continued to send them to their deaths without hesitation.

As their fear began to fade, Shirone hurriedly fired another Photon Cannon.

A direct hit to an Ulk's abdomen sent it skidding across the ground. But this time, instead of collapsing, it dug its feet into the earth and endured.

Though it coughed up blood, it did not fall.

'My power is weakening.'

The Ulk chieftain realized it too.

Sensing victory, he bellowed the command for an all-out assault.

"Graah! Graah! Graah!"

The Ulks charged with renewed fervor. Shirone bit his lip.

'If it's come to this…'

The only option left was to activate Immortal Function.

But could he endure it?

Photon output was one thing—this was on an entirely different level.

Casting a fusion spell within the infinite realm of magic was akin to maintaining balance in a raging current.

"Grrraaah!"

As Shirone unleashed Immortal Function, an overwhelming pressure consumed his consciousness.

The concept of infinity engulfed him, and his Spirit Zone expanded without limit.

"AAAAAH!"

The moment his Spirit Zone, overflowing with light, erupted, a wave of mass energy blasted the Ulks away.

Shirone emerged from the golden storm, his palm radiating a sphere of light.

"…Ugh…"

Half-conscious, but still aware of what needed to be done.

'Photon Cannon!'

With the surge of mental energy, another flurry of beams shot out, scattering the Ulks in all directions.

In mere moments, he had wiped out over a dozen. But holding onto consciousness was becoming impossible.

'This… is worse than I expected…'

Shirone ceased his attack before he truly vanished into the void.

For just three seconds, he had fired continuously.

Yet the battlefield was completely transformed.

The land itself had changed shape.

"Unbelievable…"

Ulk bodies lay buried in the earth. Survivors trembled in the shadows, too broken to mourn their dead.

Even the Ulk chieftain had lost his rage. His facial muscles twitched, trying to suppress his fear.

"…We… leave… Let… go…"

Shirone, though barely standing, refused to show weakness.

"Never return. If you do, I won't stop at this."

The chieftain nodded in submission.

"…Strong… Magician…"

"Leave."

At his command, the Ulks vanished into the forest.

The moment they were gone, Shirone collapsed.

"Shirone! Shirone!"