It was as if their numbers were endless. The Warriors had already closed in on him and attacked him from every direction. He cast a full-moon Mana Wave, pushing them all back and to the ground. Given brief respite, Michael looked around. Dozens upon dozens of enemies flooded the clearing.

This should be enough.

While the enemies were trying to close in on him once more, he started chanting and drawing in the air with his staff. The blades and arrows approached him at blinding speed. Yet, once the chanting was complete, it was all rendered moot.

“Mana Field.”

It was as if a god had descended. An explosion of mana with Michael at its center dominated the space, creating an unstoppable maelstrom. The incoming arrows were crushed mid-air, while the blades fell to the ground. Every single one of the attackers in the clearing either knelt or fell to the ground outright. The sounds of steel sliding upon steel and footsteps no longer echoed. Only the pained groans of the injured remained. In this overwhelming atmosphere, Michael reigned alone.

His domain covered nearly the entire clearing, empowered by the staff’s specific effects. At the same time, Michael took notice of something.

It’s difficult to move.

He had only had experience using Mana Field while standing still against the Elder Lizardman Chief. Moving while casting the Field was different from moving with Mana Shield; not only was there a difference in familiarity and proficiency, but Mana Field’s output was enormous and constant. Movements could disturb the whole thing. It was a weakness that needed to be remedied. If he could move normally while using Mana Field, its value would skyrocket. He looked at his enemies.

They continued trying to stand up and attack him. Michael could only assume that it was because of the imprint. Terror should have seeped into their bones and sapped their will to fight long ago. Of course, no matter how much strength they used, they couldn’t move in the least. He took a deep breath. Now came the most crucial part of this whole thing.

I need to get rid of the imprint.

So far, all of his attempts to do so had failed. Yet, he could feel the brand’s presence in most of the attackers. He was confident that he could find a way to destroy the brand before they all perished to it. So long as he managed to remove the imprint from even a single enemy, there was hope. He could obtain the necessary information regarding Lohann’s actual location. At the same time, if he removed it from a loyalist, he might not get anything out of it. He turned around carefully, trying not to disturb the Mana Field too much.

Michael stared at the three kneeling Warriors in front of him. They kept trying to stand up and wield their weapons, but couldn’t even move. Ever so slowly, while keeping an eye on his Skill, he inched closer to them.

He approached the one on the left, extending his hand towards the man’s head. The man tried to move but failed miserably. He focused. Momentarily, he was stumped. How was he supposed to try and remove the brand without dismissing his Mana Field? Maybe it was possible since it wasn’t the same as casting two spells at the same time?

Only one way to find out.

He touched the man’s head and closed his eyes. In an instant, he found himself within the man’s spiritual world. His clear, horned self faced the hazy, indistinct figure that was the Warrior’s self. A bright blue symbol burned in its center. Now came the difficult part, where he had failed every single time so far.

It didn’t mean my failures were useless.

He had learned a bit about the mark with each failure. Tentatively, he spread out his mana, focusing on the Warrior’s self instead of on the brand itself. As his mana touched the hazy figure, the brand burned brighter. His spiritual self scowled. The scales on the back of its hands shone as it touched the Warrior’s self’s indistinct frame. At that moment, the brand veritably screamed. It expanded as his astral flew backwards rapidly, devouring the warrior’s self in an instant. Michael pulled himself out of the spiritual world. The Warrior in front of him collapsed, dead.

At least I learned that my Mana Field won’t collapse from this.

Michael faced the remaining two people. There was a woman and a man. Both of their expressions kept changing in real time. Fear, conflict, hesitation, determination… Countless emotions passed by. They were the same expressions as the ones he’d seen among the enemies; it was as if two sides were arguing within their minds. It was a matter of course; the two could die at any time. Fear and hesitation were natural emotions. But, Michael could also see conviction. They were determined to do something despite their terror.

He walked up to the woman, who looked up at him with an expression that kept rapidly changing. He extended his arm, placing his hand on top of her head. Her body shivered. He closed his eyes. Once again, he tried to connect to her spiritual self. This time, he succeeded more quickly. A hazy figure could be seen with his mind’s eye, looking very similar to the dead man’s. The same brand burned on its back. This was the moment of truth.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Carefully.

In the case of the dead man, the imprint had “sensed” something wrong and immediately self-destructed, taking its host with it. Michael didn’t know what parameters it used to identify danger; it was a critical flaw, but he had no choice but to keep trying.

If it reacted to my mana, I need to mimic the Warrior’s mana to the best of my ability. Then, I’ll attempt to force out the mark.

His spiritual self’s brow furrowed. He strained his mind to make his mana similar to the one felt from the hazy soul. In the real world, he could feel his focus wavering. Mana Field trembled dangerously, while the pressure on his enemies decreased. He was certain that they would attack him if his concentration wavered once more.

Concentrate.

It was extremely difficult. Mimicking someone else’s mana signature was something he had never attempted, but needed to succeed at. He didn’t dare touch the hazy figure in his mind’s eye without perfectly reproducing the woman’s mana. Time passed. His mana pool continued to decrease as he kept up the Mana Field.

Finally, after striving for an unknown period of time, he managed to reproduce her mana somewhat. His mana extended itself tentatively, reaching out in tendrils. The tendrils wrapped themselves around the woman’s spiritual self. A wave of mana followed their lead, covering the spirit. The mana had mimicked the woman’s mana signature to the best of Michael’s ability. When it touched the imprint, however…

Michael knew it was a failure before it happened. The brand screamed like a living being, and expanded its markings over the woman’s soul’s entire outline. This time, Michael was prepared. The previously tame mana, which had only copied the woman’s, instantly became fierce like an army of bloodthirsty warriors. It pressed down on the imprint with overpowering force, cutting off its spreading. It desperately tried to find new paths, but Michael controlled his mana carefully and decisively. Then, as if it had been cornered and left with no other choice, the imprint collected all of its markings and shrank. He had a bad feeling, but it was too late. The brand expanded all at once, virtually exploding. A large hole was created in the woman’s spiritual self. It looked at Michael’s spirit, but no face or expression could be seen. Slowly, it faded.

Michael dragged himself out of the spiritual realm. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the woman. Just like the previous Warrior, blood poured out of all of her orifices. This time, the amount of blood was greater. The damage to her soul had been so great that it had affected her physical body, somehow. It was indicative of a connection between both of them, but Michael wasn’t in the right headspace to think about that. He turned to look at the last of the three Warriors as the woman’s corpse collapsed.

This might be my last chance.

His Mana Field had wavered too much during the process of trying to remove the brand from the past two Warriors. Some enemies had stood up and grabbed their weapons. If he failed again, they might be able to keep fighting, which would extend this encounter. The Warrior kept trying to stand up and slash at him, but Michael easily avoided the attacks and restrained the man’s sword-wielding arm with one hand. Once he put his other hand on the man’s head, both of them froze in place. Again, Michael entered the spiritual realm. It was even easier than the previous two times. It would certainly be helpful for Astral Meditation, but that didn’t matter at this time.

Just like before, he tried to mimic the man’s mana signature and made his mana approach the brand. Slowly, very slowly, it extended itself. Michael concentrated to the best of his ability, as if he really were going to activate Astral Meditation. Mana Field wavered. His mana covertly tried to get “underneath” the imprint. The plan was simple. After “removing” the brand with his own mana, he would destroy it in an instant, without giving it a chance to react. Based on his previous experience restraining the brand’s spreading, he determined that it was possible. However, “possible” didn’t mean “easy.” As if he were performing surgery, Michael moved his mana with great care, slowing down as much as necessary.

Finally, he achieved a small success. The top part of the imprint was lifted from the Warrior’s soul’s back. This encouraged Michael. His conclusion that this process was possible wasn’t wrong, after all. He continued. Progressively, the entire brand was removed, as if it were being peeled off. Michael didn’t let himself relax. This was the most crucial moment. All at once, quickly and powerfully, his mana flooded the imprint, drowning it in a layer of pure energy. It screeched, contracting and trying to explode again. This time, Michael wouldn’t let it. His enormous Intelligence value proved its value. The amount and density of the mana that constrained the brand were so great that even though it collapsed into itself and tried to expand, the imprint failed miserably. Michael’s mana effectively crushed it in place, containing the explosion with brute force. As the brand vanished into nothingness, Michael retreated from the spiritual realm and took his hand off the Warrior’s head.

His eyes revealed his exhaustion as he looked at the Warrior. He immediately strengthened his Field, making the blade aiming for his back fall to the ground alongside the attacker. The man’s expression had been replaced by a terrified one, though it was still conflicted. Many emotions went through the man’s face, but they were all negative. One of the clearest ones was regret. Michael spoke slowly, decreasing the pressure around the man.

“…I see that you have a lot you need to think about, but I need your help.”

The Warrior didn’t respond. He merely looked around, beholding the struggling figures of his comrades. His knees and shins were drenched in other people’s blood. Lastly, he looked at the two dead Warriors next to him. The man and woman were still bleeding from their orifices. Michael watched the man veritably die inside. It was clear from his expression. The Warrior lowered his head. Long seconds went by in silence. Finally, he raised his head and stared deep into Michael’s eyes. There was no light within the Warrior’s eyes. Michael spoke.

“Can you help me?”

He said nothing else. The man’s reactions showed that he had a conscience. There was no burning desire to remain steadfast and loyal to Lohann. At least, none that Michael could identify. He watched the desperation build up in the man’s eyes. In the end, the man spoke with a shaking voice.

“…Yes.”