CHAPTER 252: OPERATION WOLF SLAYER. (PART 41)

Sorcery was a type of enhancement that granted a wide range of abilities, some easier to grasp than others. The one thing they all have in common, however, is the need for a certain type of energy to fuel those abilities. The energy known as mana.

Mana had been shrouded in mystery for a long as its existence became known to humanity, and to this day few of its secrets have been uncovered. What is its origin? What are the laws governing it? Why is it that only a few special people can wield its power?

Those questions have remained unanswered because those who sought the answers always reached a dead end, or were forcibly stopped before they could find the right path. After all, those who wielded such immense power had a strong interest in keeping it in their bloodline, and the thought of discovering something that might allow those who hadn’t been blessed at birth to wield it disgusted them to no end.

Times had changed, and Sorcerers were no longer as dominant as they once were. The blessing was beginning to fade, and even those who received it no longer grew as strong as those who came before.

Despite doom closing in on them, few chose to let go of their pride and let it drag them to the corners of forgotten history. The few smart enough to discard it found little success, but little by little, they unlocked more secrets, and what they once thought was impossible was now in the palm of their hands.

Klaus Stahlwölfe stared at the gauntlet enveloping his arm, now coated in liquid silver. He had yet to have enough practice, so the most he could do was shape it in a very simple way.

The Romano’s esoteric Art had a lot more to it than molding liquid silver. By imbuing the element with their mana, they’re able to change its state and properties, granting it effects that defied the established scientific principles.

One of the main applications of the Art was to enhance the created weapon’s endurance and the force of its impacts. The more detailed the design of the weapon, the more effects one can imbue it with, but since he only recently started practicing the Art, Klaus decided to keep the weapon’s design simple and focus everything he had on boosting its endurance and the power of its impact.

Having stacked several strength-enhancing Arts on his body, along with ones for endurance and speed, the Stahlwölfe scion gazed at the furry beast whose attack he had just blocked and smiled under his mask. The next moment, his posture shifted and his body twisted, his fist exploding forward like a launched missile and slamming straight into the beast with enough force to rip a human apart.

A wave rippled through Werewolf’s giant body, and an instant later, he blasted off into the distance, flying as if he had been launched from a cannon. Thanks to Night Gale’s quick reaction, the shield that could’ve shredded him to pieces went down a moment before the blue demon delivered his attack, but that only made things worse for the rest of the group.

[Impressive, isn’t it?] The blue-headed demon said, raising his silver gauntlet as if flaunting it. [The Romano’s Argentomancy. Who knew that one day a mundane human would get the chance to wield it.]

Ignoring his Ramblings, White Arrow shaped his radiant energy into a short sword and swung at their enemy while Sunray spread her arms and released a blinding flash, hoping to buy their leader the moment she needed to reactivate her barrier. It was a little too late, however.

A faint prickle on the neck slowed time for Sunray and her right hand shot up, grabbing at the air. She seemed to be struggling against something, but to everyone around her, it appeared as if she was trembling while holding on to empty air.

Cryonis saw the drop of blood trickling down her neck a moment before he felt the sharp edge cutting into his skin, and without moving, he activated his power. Ice spears erupted from both the ground and his body, only to shatter upon making contact with something invisible.

"How... troublesome!"

Night Gale pushed with both her arms and the air surrounding the heroes moved all at once as if blasted by the force from an explosion. The following moment, she commanded it to move in a single direction, turning it into a hurricane wind that took a spherical shape.

Though she might have shielded them from outside attacks, they still had a demon among them. The others turned to him at the same time, but instead of the black armor with the terrifying blue helmet, nothing was there for them to attack.

As the fear of an invisible blade cut deep into their hearts, the four heroes noticed the orange light cast on them a moment too late. Fire balls came down on the wind barrier like a meteor shower, and the resulting bombardment rattled the entire floor.

As powerful as she was, Night Gale had her limits, and every shield would eventually break if you hit it hard enough. If it weren’t for Cryonis raising a barrier of his own at the last moment, it might have been the end for them.

[Guess even the B-list heroes have some merit..] Klaus’s relaxed voice was the last thing the heroes wanted to hear at this moment, not that he cared about their opinions. [To think that you would survive this long.]

Likely for the sole purpose of mocking them, the rich scion removed his camouflage and made himself visible. Three more blue-headed demons revealed themselves, but unlike their leader, they all kept their distance.

[Unfortunately, your time has already run out. We extended the battle for this long only to give me a chance to practice. Now that I have-]

His words were swallowed by the roar of raging flames as a vast torrent slammed into him like a train. Everyone turned their eyes to its source—the demon who had a dragon for an arm. No one understood the reason why he would change targets, but at the very least, it seems that he considered the blue demons his enemies as well.

The dragon snapped its jaws shut, and the flames died at the source. Once the rest of the torrent vanished, a scorched sphere appeared in the spot where the blue demon had stood a moment ago. Soot scattered as the sphere crumbled into several streams, retracting into the black mechanical suit worn by the Stahlwölfe scion. Keeping his silence, he turned his demon-like helmet in the direction of the other demon, and for a moment there, it felt like two sworn enemies had just crossed paths, one of them blue, the other one red.

[This is... unexpected...]

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