There were a wide variety of mana techniques that had been developed by the time Kai had become a Mage in his past life.

Centuries of war and survival had forced Mages to invent techniques that stretched the limits of what a Mage body could do. Some methods helped a Mage control their mana with more precision. Others strengthened the elements they wielded. Most people knew these from books or basic training.

But mana techniques could do more than just that. With centuries of research, Mages have taken inspiration from everything, including the wards around the city.

Instead of stone, instead of carved seals… one of these techniques used people as the material.

A human Mage array.

In such a formation, four Mages acted like supports—linking their Mana hearts together. All their energy, all their reserves, all their control… flowing straight into the one standing at the center.

One person worked together with many Mana hearts.

During the great wars in the history Kai knew, arrays like this made armies tremble. Kai had once heard of a hundred-man array fueling a single Archmagus—turning a normal battlefield into a crater before anyone could blink.

But techniques like that had too many risks. And Mages hardly wanted to act as batteries of one person, especially because repeated use of it could harm your Mana heart.

Kai had believed this era didn’t have the knowledge of Mage arrays. Yet Killian’s words had painted a different picture entirely.

So now, Kai stood before the gathered nobles and Mages, his face firm as he explained Mage arrays.

“As I said,” he said, voice ringing through the room, “when a human Mage array is active, all supporting Mages are feeding their mana directly into one person. That person becomes the core. In this case…” He tapped the drawing of the Alparcan prince. “Prince Vhailor.”

That created a quiet dread that spread toward every corner of the room.

For a brief second, no one spoke, no one even dared to breathe too loudly.

Kai let the idea settle over the room before continuing.

“It’s not just mana sharing,” he said quietly. “Some arrays can even transfer elemental affinity. If the members are trained correctly, the core Mage can borrow their elements—fire, water, earth—whatever is linked into the circle.”

Several nobles sucked in sharp breaths.

“It’s… more complex than I’m making it sound,” Kai added. “Arrays take years to master. Years of breathing in sync, casting in sync, getting their bodies used to the foreign mana. But once a group succeeds…” He tapped the sketch again. “…they gain an advantage that can change the outcome of any battle.”

A thick, heavy, and from what he saw, scared silence followed.

Most of the nobles kept staring at the table as if hoping the wood would give them a better answer. One Baron’s jaw trembled. Another wiped sweat from his brow. Duke Blackwood stayed composed, but his eyes were colder than before. Leopold, sitting besides his father, had gone pale as if someone had kicked the ground out beneath him. Killian didn’t look frightened—just distant, probably replaying every second of that near-death clash in his head.

Finally, Duke Blackwood spoke, voice calm and tight.

“So… the Alparcan Kingdom has held such a secret all this time.” He exhaled sharply. “I doubt even Archine Tower has successfully created such techniques.”

Kai shook his head. “They haven’t,” he said. “At least not that I know of.” He folded his arms. “If I had to guess? This isn’t a common Alparcan tactic. It’s a royal secret. Something taught only to a handful of Mages—those who have sworn mana oaths directly to the crown.”

He didn’t mention that centuries in the future, arrays would be so common that even small militias could form crude versions. He didn’t mention that he had the knowledge to create one right now if he wanted to.

The reason he hadn’t?

Because an array only became deadly when those inside it knew each other’s breathing rhythm, casting rhythm, mana rhythm. It took years of training together, and Kai had not had years to spare. Especially when he was advancing so fast.

So he let that part stay silent.

“So how do we even fight something like that?” Leopold asked, sucking his cheek. “A fourth-circle prince is already terrifying. But with a whole array behind him… wouldn’t that make him as strong as a Magus?”

Kai met his eyes. “Stronger,” he said. “Arrays don’t only share mana. They could also generate a collective shield around everyone linked. It forces them to stay within a fixed distance of each other. They move as one. Think of the prince as the core… and the others as the circuits feeding power into him. I don't think they used that against Killian, but they will against me.”

Duke Blackwood leaned forward, brows knit deep.

“And if we kill one of these support Mages,” he asked, “the array breaks?”

Kai shook his head.

“No. It weakens… but doesn’t break. To truly shatter an array, you either kill the conduit—the prince—or remove half the Mages supplying him. Anything less and the bond holds.”

He tapped the parchment showing the prince’s sketch.

“And that,” he said, “is exactly why it’s so dangerous. Most Mages alive today don’t even know arrays are possible. I doubt the Archine Tower has ever studied one involving Mages. And if the Alparcan royals had kept this secret…” His jaw tightened. “…then few people in the world have ever tried—much less succeeded—in breaking one.”

Killian’s voice came low and bitter. “That explains why he came at us like a lunatic,” he said. “Charging alone. He thinks no one alive can touch him.”

“He doesn’t think,” Kai replied. “He knows.”

The room went quiet again. The nobles looked pale as if Prince Vhailor was going to attack them right this instant. Then Duke Blackwood turned to Kai fully, eyes sharp.

“But you, Arzan,” he said. “You recognized the technique. You must have seen it before or at least read about it. That must mean you know how to break it.”

Dozens of eyes turned toward Kai at once, hope and dread mixed together. Kai lifted a hand to his head, fingers scraping through his hair as he thought. The truth wasn’t comforting. He knew a few counter techniques and each of them needed at least three Mages to counter. One to shield, two to strike—each from a different angle till the array starts to break.

It was a very tight formation. But Kai knew no Mage who could fly among his forces.

Kai let his eyes run through the table one more time. The nobles looked anxious especially as his gaze moved across them. Kai wasn't looking at them. He was evaluating the Mages. Even if there were Wind Mages in the room, none was on the third circle. Only one at that circle was Ryn Vorr, the Water Mage that served Duke Blackwood. Due to his affinity, he wouldn’t know how to fly.

Therefore, if Kai had to break an array that sailed above the field, he would be doing it almost alone. Drones could help—they were small, and fast and were able to carry out attacks, but they were fragile. It was a good tactic if it worked, but there were more chances for it failing in seconds.

Still, when every pair of eyes in the room fixed on him Kai did the thing leaders did best: he smiled like it was nothing. “Yes. I can break it.”

Relief leaked out of the room. Leopold let his shoulders drop and exhaled. Other nobles shifted, faces loosening. They trusted his words, and that was all he needed for now. But only Killian and Duke Blackwood kept their tension. Killian’s jaw stayed tight. Duke Blackwood’s hands stayed folded, the map’s edge creased into his palm as he stared at him. Kai saw the questions on their faces but moved on before they could speak. “I will handle Prince Vhailor and the Array Mages myself,” he said. “If he wants a fight, he will get one. You all need to make sure the siege plan continues.”

A Viscount nodded. “We have worked the layouts. We can hold the lines and force them to follow the plan.”

Duke Blackwood pushed a parchment across the table and flattened it. The sketch showed Fort Valemount in plain, cruel lines. It hugged the mountain like a knot. Terraced walls climbed the slope in three tight rings, each ring higher and narrower than the last. Towers jutted from the cliffs, arrow slits cut like teeth, and a single choke point—a stony causeway—fed up to the main gate. Small outworks dotted the lower ridges, and the artist had shaded bands of seals around the inner wall to mark wards.

Duke Blackwood met Kai’s eyes. “It was carved to be held,” he said. “Built into rock, with natural cliffs on two sides. No broad field to throw men into. Wards along every parapet. This is one of the hardest places in the kingdom to break.” He tapped the sketch. “So we do what we can. We hit it hard where it is weakest, hard enough for it to crack.”

***

The meeting ran for hours. Plans, maps, arguments—until finally they ran out of words. Kai was the first to leave and Killian showed him an empty chamber in the Count’s estate. Once the Knight left, he didn’t bother to straighten the blankets. He fell across the bed and let sleep take him.

His body had been running on a thin thread for days. He had pushed until his chest felt hollow. Sleep had been a stranger these past weeks with him constantly flying around; when it came, it came all at once.

He did not know how long he slept. When he opened his eyes, a strip of morning sunlight colored the far wall. He blinked, shook the last of the dream loose, and remembered where he was. The meeting’s memories came back at once, and he realised he would be fighting a Mage array soon.

Kai’s mouth tightened. He sat up slowly and let a hand rest on his knees. Taking an array alone—his master would have called it suicide.

He had accepted the task for two reasons: there was no other way, and he believed he would be fighting a weaker version of the array he knew of.

Mana arrays could be built to share power and, in some cases, to shift affinities between linked Mages. That made them dangerous on a different level than ordinary spells, but sharing affinities was far harder. And something that was only developed in the second golden era of magic. That did not make him careless. Even a half-assed Mage array could be difficult to fight against.

He could brute-force it. Smash the barrier around the Mages by using all of his reserves, then kill them off. That was actually a solid approach if one has a lot of mana to spare. But that method shared a major problem.

He would be vulnerable after that.

If he went all-in on destroying the array, that left his defenses stretched thin. Even if he killed Prince Vhailor, he would be left with very little mana and in that case, if Aldrin attacked him somehow after that, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

It would be a fast death. A foolish one.

He frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose—

Then something clicked.

A single puzzle piece that refused to fit before suddenly fell into place. His eyes widened. The drowsiness he’d been fighting vanished as if someone had poured cold water over his mind.

He finally understood Aldrin’s plan. Not just the array and Prince Vhailor. The trap with Caelond Kingdom.

Kai sat up at once, heart pounding—not from fear, but from the thrill of solving a threat before it arrived. He swung his legs off the bed, ready to—

Knock knock.

Killian’s voice came muffled through the wooden door.

“Lord Arzan, it’s me. If you are awake… May I enter? I wanted to speak with you about something, if I’m not disturbing you.”

Kai stared at the door a moment, then crossed the room and opened it.

Killian stood there in full plate armor, helmet tucked under his arm, his hair damp with sweat. He must have come straight from weapons drills. The man trained as if every battle could be his last.

Kai stepped aside, gesturing. “If this is about breakfast,” he said, voice dry, “you have perfect timing. I might faint without it.”

Killian huffed a small laugh and walked in. “Actually… no. But yes, you should eat. The cooks here are surprisingly good. Better than most in the capital. But I’m here for a different reason.”

Kai shut the door behind him, mind still racing with the realization he’d just had. But when he saw the Knight's face, he forced himself to focus.

“You looked… far away in the meeting,” Killian said quietly. “Like you were saying things for the sake of it. That’s why I came. About the array, you said you’d handle it, and I don’t doubt you, Lord Arzan. But if you’re not certain, we can—”

Kai cut him off with a short, tired smile. “I can take the array. Even if I haven’t seen this exact one in person, I know the technicalities of one well enough. It’ll be bloody, but I have tricks. I won't be taken down on borrowed strength.”

He let his words hang a beat, then his face hardened. “The problem isn’t whether I can kill the prince. It’s the trap around the whole thing.”

Killian’s brow knitted together. “There’s a possibility of a trap?”

Kai laughed. “Not a possibility, Killian. It’s done. Aldrin set it already. A simple trap—simple enough to be invisible until it snaps. If he pulls it, I don’t think I will make it out of the whole thing.”

Killian’s gaze sharpened and he spoke in a low voice. “Then what do we do, my lord?”

Kai’s answer came slowly and carefully. “We use a favour.”

“A favour?”

“Yes.” Kai crossed the room, gripping the back of a chair as if the motion steadied him. “It’s a good time to use it. Aldrin has friends, and we need to show him that we do too. Let me explain…”

***

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