Sonic Warfare

It wasn't necessary for a human voice to generate sound. By vibrating the air, one could create a variety of waves, and one of the most notable offensive spells utilizing this principle was the Sonic Cannon, which Marsha had just cast.

The sound pressure of the Sonic Cannon exceeded 150 decibels. At close range, it was powerful enough to rupture eardrums.

Since it was a directional spell, its effect didn't spread over a wide area. However, due to its invisibility, it was one of the more difficult spells to counter.

'This is a disadvantageous situation.'

Just as Shirone and Amy's strengths and weaknesses varied depending on the situation and environment, for Marsha, who specialized in sound magic, a confined space was the optimal battleground.

'I have to get outside...'

Shirone used Spirit Zone to detect the door behind him.

If it wasn't fully closed yet, he could teleport through it without sustaining too much of a shock.

As his body, imbued with Photonization magic, gleamed with golden light, Marsha's lips curled into a smirk.

'As expected, a rookie.'

Space was time.

Revealing one's movement trajectory before a magician was akin to laying bare one's future.

Marsha's eyes gleamed.

'There!'

The moment Shirone initiated teleportation, she fired the Sonic Cannon toward the door.

With a loud blast, the door was torn off and sent flying outward.

'What?!'

Shirone wasn't there.

In the split second of recollection, Marsha recalled a flash of light streaking past her.

'He circled behind me.'

Abandoning his escape route and choosing to subdue Marsha was the correct decision in hindsight, but it wasn't a judgment anyone could make in such a fleeting moment.

'He either has extensive combat experience or...'

A level of insight that compensates for it.

'Heh.'

As Marsha twisted her body, Shirone's Photon Cannon grazed past her, striking the wall.

Despite the repeated bursts of light, she avoided them with remarkable composure, and Shirone realized something.

'Sonar.'

The greatest strength of sound-based magic was its detection ability.

Though it was far more potent underwater, it was still highly effective in the air, allowing for precise exploration similar to a bat's echolocation.

"Sonic Cannon isn't that great..."

Marsha finally turned around and spoke.

"But this... I really like."

Shirone felt a sense of unease.

Regardless of skill level, a mage would never belittle the magic they had mastered.

Before he could piece his thoughts together, Marsha's eyes flashed with killing intent, and Shirone instinctively cast teleportation.

Instead of the usual 10-meter displacement, he broke it down to 1-meter increments, darting through the confined space in a complex pattern. But Marsha only observed the flashes with a calm smile.

"You made a good choice, but..."

As Marsha's sound-based magic, Side Looking, activated, the entire structure of the building was etched into her senses.

"You picked the wrong opponent."

Sonic Cannons erupted from all directions, causing Shirone's Spirit Zone to waver momentarily.

"Ugh!"

It wasn't enough to break his concentration entirely, but it was powerful enough to disrupt his teleportation rhythm.

'This is really dangerous.'

A Sonic Cannon wasn't a finishing move on its own, but since sound magic could disturb a magician's concentration—their most vital asset—it was akin to anti-magic.

That's why this situation felt even more perplexing. Based on what he had heard from the past and from Tess, the likelihood of Marsha having received formal magical education was slim.

'Sound magic is a specialized discipline...'

In reality, sound mages spent their entire lives studying and collecting sound.

Even if one had a miraculous encounter, creating their own sound spells without a foundational knowledge of magic was an immense challenge.

As if reading his thoughts, Marsha smirked.

"You're making quite the face. Annoyed that a non-magic school graduate like me is using high-level magic?"

Before Shirone could respond, Sonic Cannons roared from all directions.

Shirone clamped his hands over his ears. In this moment, no spell was more effective than this simple defense.

"Arghhh!"

As countless deafening blasts overlapped, sound itself transformed into an unfathomable sensation he had never imagined.

The shockwaves pierced through his hands, causing his legs to tremble uncontrollably.

Marsha approached.

"You really are a clueless rookie. I may not have gone to a magic school, but I do know sequence formulas."

By the standards of the magical world, Marsha was undoubtedly considered a non-academic, but she was also a seasoned veteran who had taken down numerous mages on the battlefield.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had learned the necessary theories for survival through experience.

"Banshee's Scream."

Marsha's Spirit Zone rippled like a wave, emitting a grotesque wail.

Shirone's eyes widened, but his vision turned pitch-black, as if he had gone blind.

'I can't see.'

Sound mages collected various sounds existing in the world. Among them, the banshee was a winged humanoid monster from high-altitude regions that emitted a special high-frequency scream to blind its prey before devouring them.

'I can't locate her.'

His sight was gone, and his Spirit Zone was disrupted by the echoes, making it difficult to perceive anything through synesthesia.

In reality, Shirone had lost over 90% of his senses.

Marsha extended her hand toward Shirone's ears.

At this distance, if she hit him with a Sonic Cannon directly, his brain functions would cease before he even felt pain.

'Goodbye, Shirone.'

The moment her Spirit Zone touched his face, Shirone furrowed his brow.

Immediately after, his Spirit Zone exploded with a golden radiance.

'What?!'

Marsha hurriedly retreated as a massive golden barrier expanded, pushing away objects in the room.

'A defensive spell?'

Judging by the speed at which objects were scattering, it was clear how fast the expansion was occurring.

Yet, despite this, Banshee's Scream continued to resonate, so Shirone sought an alternative solution.

'Where is she...?'

Shirone activated Laser Magic and rapidly rotated it, detecting Marsha's position.

Though improvised, this method was a legitimate magic technique known as Laser Radar.

'There she is!'

With precision, Shirone turned his body, prompting Marsha to hurriedly dive behind a desk.

'Sonar and lasers, huh...'

Both were excellent detection spells, but in a close-range, obstructed vision scenario, sonar had the upper hand.

'He won't be able to find me.'

Marsha used sonar to check Shirone's condition.

Then, she saw it—his Photon Cannon aimed precisely at her location, and her heart sank.

'He shouldn't be able to see!'

Banshee's Scream was still echoing in the confined space. Then, how had he found her?

'No way...'

Marsha recalled the laser waves that had swept through the room.

'...He cut through the sound.'

Banshee's Scream relied on special high-frequency waves, and even the slightest disruption in the sound wave would nullify its effect.

In other words, Shirone could see her now.

"Damn it!"

As Marsha leaped like a flying squirrel, a Photon Cannon fired, shattering the wall ahead with a thunderous explosion.