The Wastelands surrounding the northern border were the territory of Commander Zarth, a Rank B Gigantes who considered himself the "filter" of Stone City. His job was to track and eliminate any moving Mana residue that might indicate the activity of hidden Low Ranks.
Grande's mission was not to kill, but to humiliate Zarth and steal his crucial device: the Mana Recognition Sensor, a small gadget capable of detecting Mana traces, even the faint Echo Energy Grande utilized.
Grande spent two days observing Zarth's patrol patterns. The Commander didn't rely on physical energy; he depended entirely on his Rank B Mana shield and the Mana Recognition Sensor to track enemies.
He chose the attack location: Black Ravine Valley, a narrow area filled with fog and unstable residual obsidian stones. The fog would obscure Zarth's vision, and the obsidian stones would aid Grande's strategy.
Exactly at 2 PM, Commander Zarth arrived, floating slowly above the ground with a light green Mana shield enveloping his body. He held a Rune Staff, and the Mana Recognition Sensor pulsed slowly on his wrist.
"I know you're here, Low Rank," Zarth's voice boomed, processed through Mana. "My sensor detects a wave of Saturated Echo Energy. I know you're the one stealing residue from Sirus's Quarters. Come out now, and I'll ensure your death is swift."
Grande stepped out of the fog, holding the Hardwood Sword in his hand. His torn Custodian uniform flapped in the wind.
"I'm not a thief," Grande said. "I am a Custodian. And I've come to cleanse your presence from this border."
Zarth laughed scornfully. "A Custodian? You think a wooden stick and a filthy uniform can penetrate a Rank B Mana Shield? Your Rank F Mana wouldn't even be enough to lift an iron sword."
Note: Zarth did not know Grande was not using his own Mana.
Zarth attacked first. He raised his Rune Staff, and a Rank B Mana Fireball hurtled towards Grande.
Grande couldn't parry it. He had no Mana.
He activated the Nimble Evasion Technique he learned in the narrow alleys of Stone City. He leaped aside, and the Mana Fireball struck the obsidian stone behind him.
BOOM!
The explosion was loud. Grande felt the Mana heat on his skin.
Zarth was surprised by Grande's speed. He expected a Low Rank to try to block and instantly be incapacitated.
"Nimble," Zarth grumbled. "But you can't dodge forever!"
Zarth began sending a slow-moving Rank B Energy Current along the ground, aiming to restrict Grande's movement.
This was Grande's opportunity.
Grande dashed towards the shattered obsidian rock hit by the Fireball. He knew obsidian absorbed Mana, and the fragments were now saturated with potent Rank B Echo Energy.
Grande swung his Hardwood Sword and struck the obsidian fragments.
SNAP!
He activated the Custodian Snap Technique on the stone. The strike wasn't meant to break the rock, but to forcibly release the Echo Energy from it.
The absorbed Rank B Echo Energy surged into his Hardwood Sword and then into him.
[Maximum Rank B Mana Echo Activation! Physical Strength +50% for 10 seconds.]
Incredible strength surged through Grande's body. He used the boost to leap across Zarth's Energy Current and close the distance.
Zarth panicked. "Where did you get that speed?! You're Rank F!"
Grande did not reply. He focused the attack. He knew he had only one chance to breach Zarth's Mana shield.
He executed the Three Consecutive Rapid Snaps, the attack he trained to break granite stone.
* First Snap (Sweep): Grande pretended to sweep residue in front of Zarth. The Rank D Snap hit Zarth's shield. The shield violently vibrated.
* Second Snap (Scrape): He scraped the side of Zarth's shield, focusing the Snap on a single point. Zarth's shield rang CLING!, and a small crack appeared.
* Third Snap (Thrust): He thrust the tip of his Hardwood Sword into the crack.
CRASH!
Zarth's Rank B Mana Shield shattered with the sound of breaking glass. Zarth staggered. Although Grande's sword was merely wood, the Rank D Snap strength activated had bypassed Zarth's Mana and struck the Commander's body.
Zarth dropped to his knees, shocked and in pain.
"Impossible! My shield!" Zarth screamed.
Grande now stood before Zarth, the Hardwood Sword resting against the Commander's neck.
"This isn't magic, Commander," Grande said, slightly breathless. "This is Efficient Cleaning. You were stubborn residue that needed removal."
Zarth, humiliated and shieldless, was helpless.
Grande reached for Zarth's wrist and ripped off the Commander's Mana Recognition Sensor. It was a small device pulsing with a green light.
He then performed one last action. With his Rank F broom (which he kept tucked in his uniform), he picked up Zarth's Rune Staff and swept it into the black mud.
"You've left your area in a mess," Grande said, discarding the broom. "I'll have to report that."
Grande fled, leaving Zarth crawling in the mud, without a shield, without his staff, and without his Mana Recognition Sensor. The Disgrace Cleaning mission was complete. Zarth would live, but his career in Stone City was destroyed.
Infiltration Preparation
Grande now possessed three critical assets:
* The Hardwood Sword and Custodian Snap Technique tested against Rank B combat.
* The Rank A Logistics Map revealing the Weapon Depot under Sirus's Quarters.
* The stolen Mana Recognition Sensor, allowing him to track guards and Mana shields from a distance.
Grande returned to his hidden cave to plan the assault. The Rank S Weapon Depot was protected not only by external Mana Shields but also by a Bio-Lock Shield that required Rank recognition and a High-Rank DNA scan.
He used the newly stolen Mana Recognition Sensor. By absorbing a bit of Rank B Echo Energy from the device, Grande learned to operate it.
"This Bio-Lock Shield," Grande whispered, referring to Vektor's map, "can only be externally disabled by a continuous Rank A Mana disruption."
Grande could not generate Rank A Mana. But he had the Rank A Echo Energy he collected every morning in Sirus's Quarters.
He formulated his plan:
* Infiltration: Using the old Custodian routes to enter Sirus's Quarters.
* Timing: Midday (Official Custodian duty time) to avoid the main guard shifts, disguised as a returning Custodian.
* Disabling the Inner Shield: Using the Hardwood Sword to strike the obsidian-laden wall of the Weapon Depot. The Snap strike would forcibly release the Rank A Echo Energy stored in the stone, creating a fake Rank A Mana Disruption to disable the Bio-Lock Shield.
This was an insane plan, requiring him to return to the most dangerous place in Stone City, right under Commander Sirus's nose.
But Grande had now proven he could defeat a Rank B with only a wooden broom. To get Fate Breaker, he was ready to face Commander Sirus himself.