A massive explosion shook the city, drawing the attention of soldiers on the wall.
Sora's expression was odd: "Someone check what happened!"
"Yes, sir!"
A moment later, a soldier helped Lulune up to the battlements.
Sora looked at her with a strange look: "That extra chaos, was that part of your calculations?"
"Not sure." Shiro paused, then tilted her head and added, "But I did make a prophecy."
"Prophecy?"
Shiro's eyes were distant, as if daydreaming: "Mm... I hoped she'd bring back fried potato balls. Heard they're tasty."
We're in the middle of a war! Sora muttered to himself. Using precious prophecy magic to ask for street food?
The soldier's face grew strange: "There were potato balls... but..."
Another soldier wheeled out a cart full of debris: "This is evidence left by the suspect."
It was clearly the potato ball cart destroyed in the blast.
Shiro's eyes dimmed: "What a waste."
"Pull yourself together, Shiro! Now isn't the time to mourn snacks Shaka's still being chased by the monster army!"
Shiro remained calm: "Everything's going according to plan."
Sora suddenly looked shocked: "If you predicted the potato balls, then what about the instructions you gave Shaka?"
Shiro gave a thumbs-up calmly: "All calculation results!"
The reason Blank was unbeatable lay in their clear division of labor: Sora handled schemes and surprise attacks, while Shiro acted as a future predictor with terrifying computational power.
"As expected... you really are something!" Sora gives Shiro a thumbs up then bent down to whisper in her ear, "Don't tell Shaka about this part."
"Mm!"
...
In the distance
Flames roared from behind Shaka as his grappling hook whirled, propelling him through the forest at high speed. Hundreds of elite monsters thundered after him, roaring furiously.
Leading the chase was a gaunt figure wreathed in lightning the goblin shaman itself, keeping pace with Shaka.
"Wow! You're a mage do you really need this much mobility?!"
The shaman wielded its strange curved blade and roared Shaka imagined it shouting "Call me Kennen!" as the scenery blurred past him. He kept changing direction, trying to shake off his pursuers while racing through his memory for the planned strategy...
"The monster can cast spells every 5 minutes or so. It should catch up again 6 minutes after I retreat."
"We've been out of the city for 9 minutes now its magic should be cooling down!"
Second by second ticked by. Suddenly, Shaka's forward momentum halted as his grappling hook tangled in a large tree, spinning him 180 degrees.
Flames erupted beneath his feet, leaving a trail of fire as he shot back toward the shaman.
At that exact moment, the lightning around the beast flickered wildly and vanished the instant Shaka raised his longsword.
"Now!"
The blade slashed down, striking the shaman's skull directly!
Clang!
The shaman was sent flying backward, raising its blade to block at the last moment but the flaming sword only left a shallow gash on its skull.
"What kind of monster has bones like this?!" Shaka clicked his tongue in frustration. Flames burst from his feet as he accelerated again, aiming for the shaman's chest.
The beast roared, rolling backward to dodge, then retreated while summoning its minions.
Shaka didn't pursue instead, he slipped away quickly.
Are you kidding me? It's at least Level 3. Even mages have decent stats, plus hundreds of underlings. Do I really think it'll just wait for cooldown without healing?
If not now, when?
Shaka used his 3D Maneuver Gear to weave through the trees toward an abandoned village in the distance.
Emerging from the forest, he saw the village black smoke still rose from fires that had burned all night.
Shaka felt drained. His magic power was exhausted; the flames died out, and his grappling device stopped working. He downed a vial of spiritual medicine, then pulled out the parchment.
"This is the final spot on the plan." He scanned the area but saw nothing. "What ace have they prepared here?"
Even after searching carefully, he found nothing.
"Did they trick me?" The thought crossed his mind as he double-checked the parchment to confirm this was indeed the final location.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead the monsters' roars were already close.
"Can't just wait to die." Shaka stood at the village entrance, expression grim as he watched monsters gather in the forest. He began chanting, spatial magic ready to activate.
The goblin shaman stood among its beasts, its gaze a mix of wariness and mockery. It seemed to be waiting for its forces to assemble, the scar on its skull a reminder that its opponent was no easy prey.
As more monsters gathered, Shaka's nerves stretched to their limit.
Finally, the shaman grinned maliciously, raised its eerie blade, and pointed it at him.
"Gabugagaga!"
Lightning crackled around it, dark clouds gathering in the sky.
"This is it!"
Shaka's eyes sharpened as he thrust his sword forward. A horizontal spatial rift opened before him, and the blade pierced through emerging directly from the shaman's heart!
PFFT!!!
Blood exploded outward as the beast wailed, black blood gushing from the deep wound that exposed bone. Shaka saw one of its purplish-black magic cores crack slightly.
"Hahaha! Still not dead?!"
Shaka wasn't skilled at parallel chanting intense escape and combat had left him no time to cast magic. Only now, with the monster letting its guard down, had he been able to finish his incantation.
As the clouds dispersed and sunlight returned, the shaman clutched its chest in fear. The magic core on its chest cracked further, like a countdown to death. It glared venomously at Shaka but retreated to the back of the horde.
They faced off for ten minutes until the shaman could no longer resist the allure of the dragon scales and sounded the charge.
Watching the monster tide surge toward him, Shaka's mind raced:
No flame acceleration, no maneuver gear escape is impossible. My injuries haven't even healed, and now this? Sora's really leaving me high and dry!
He let out a cry of frustration, ready to fight to the end.
Then a mechanical roar buzzed through the air.
The village ahead was suddenly cast in shadow, as if swallowed by a giant creature.
Shaka looked up to see a massive figure with blue wings soar past, blotting out the sky.
"What is that?!" He stared in horror. "Evangelion Unit-07?!"
In his confusion, a black dot leaped from the giant shape and a high-pitched scream echoed across the sky!
"Aa—"
"Servant Thunder Hammer Wielder, Sanae Dekomori! Reporting for duty!"
The dot grew larger and larger. Shaka recognized the voice, but the sight before him left him stunned.
The "dot" was a colossal metal warhammer like the thousand-ton hammer from a comedy anime. Dekomori swung it like a propeller as she plummeted from thousands of meters up.
"Incoming!" Shaka immediately dropped to the ground and covered his head.
The next second
"RAGING MOON THUNDER SHATTERING STRIKE!!"
BOOOOOOM----
The black metal smashed into the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying in an explosion like TNT. Smoke and dust billowed across the entire area.