[MA] 341. Filled With Water (Patreon)

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[Notice: There will be no chapters from 12/26 to 01/06. In other words, I'll take two weeks off. I feel more tired each day and believe it's the right thing to do. It's been forever since I took a real vacation to decompress.

If you want a refund this month, just comment below or DM me. No questions asked, no hard feelings.

Chapters this week: 1/3

Next chapter: Thursday]

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Taeral Miavalur had forged a reason to visit every mobile fortress First Lieutenant Shen locked down. He never disguised himself. Shen had given him a look but accepted the simple fact that people would keep watch over him. Taeral bet the lieutenant believed him to be a Justicar.

He had placed his primary mission on hold because he concluded better analyzing Shen took priority. The observations in the past days confirmed he was right. It also confirmed that the boy was too smart to be allowed to live long after joining SpecOps. They had hindered his growth by preventing him from getting multiple clearances, and he would figure it out and seek revenge. He knew how to unveil the truth based on little evidence as long as he was provided the right tools—which he would be given in SpecOps. He was also too upright to let go of his grievances. After joining SpecOps, he would be on borrowed time and most certainly decide to go out with a bang if given time to learn how they had ensured he didn't grow too strong.

Taeral didn't know which clearances had been blocked for Shen, but after what he had seen, he could think of at least two that would ensure his baseline fighting ability would become tier 8, even with his C- stats and lack of a mastered Law. And at tier 8, he would be beyond SpecOps's grasp.

Shen wasn't a hazard just because of his individual strength, either. As his military history showed, he was also an effective leader. His EQ was on the lower end, but he had just enough of it not to be resented as a cold-hearted Commander. He might convince other people to assist in his crusade for revenge.

The captured high elf was evidence enough. Shen didn't have access to as much data in the Recognition Interface as Taeral, who knew Luthdel Elafir had been manipulated to seek "revenge" on the girl his brother wanted to abuse. More importantly, Taeral knew Elafir had given up on his plans as soon as he learned Sergeant Marzia Martino was the Human Maiden. He had stopped for Shen, who, despite being aloof, had gained total loyalty from one of the sons of the Queen of Spring and Autumn.

Therefore, either SpecOps ensured Shen died quickly or compensated him, which would be stupid. No matter what job Shen was given, he would die. Taeral himself could feel his end approaching on his every mission, and his job was one of the safest. It only lost to becoming one of the B-rank bosses, but no C-rank survived long enough in SpecOps to rank up. Not a single one. Investing in Shen would be a waste of resources.

The way Shen dealt with the two drow regarding Elafir right now was further evidence of his resourcefulness. The exchange had been quick and sounded simple, and that was the issue. Shen had analyzed all military rules, predicted counter-arguments for everything else he could've attempted, and evoked the specific laws that would see him triumph over the drow no matter what they chose.

Then, the way he left them no way out showed his ruthlessness. They would only submit or fight right now; there was no alternative, no time to plan. Taeral could guess how the drow would try to hinder him in other ways, but Shen didn't leave them that option.

That concluded Taeral's investigation, and he wrote his report down while witnessing once more how powerful Shen was.

Maryon had an upper tier 7 combat ability. Nucio had a low tier 8. Two of their Lieutenant assistants were mid tier 7. They all had experience battling together and should be capable of crushing any other low tier 8 like Shen, even one with elite combat training.

Yet, the opposite happened.

Rayna had been on edge ever since she arrived, and as soon as Shen ordered her to prepare for battle, she started using her mana to raise a defense. When Maryon sneak attacked her, she was ready.

That was more her merit than Shen's, to be sure, but he had done well in expecting the drow to submit yet preparing for the worse. Taeral had seen many Guardians fall because they were too sure they were right in their estimates, and the other party would be too stupid to act against what the Guardians perceived as their foes' best interests.

The next instant, Shen's aura covered every C-rank around him, plus any D-rank in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then, Taeral finally witnessed the special skill that allowed him to temporarily reach low tier 8.

Taeral felt the Laws of Reality twist and bend in ways that reminded him of a domain, yet was different. Even breathing became harder because his Laws were being suppressed, and he was his Path. It also felt like he was pushing against something and failing, though he couldn't tell what was really happening.

By now, Rayna had retreated half a step while surrounding herself with mana and pulling her whip from her Inventory. Maryon was also releasing his mana and chasing her. His two C-rank helpers and every single one of his 99 Battalion-level C-ranks were starting to move ahead.

The Battalions' actions surprised Taeral. What had Maryon promised to get them to commit blatant treason in broad daylight?

Meanwhile, Nucio was halfway to Shen, though his fast speed had significantly decreased after Shen's aura trick. He swung his massive sword to distract his foe while his mana was almost reaching Shen with his actual attack. Only his two assistants were moving toward Rayna to join the battle, and the C-ranks from his Battalions looked confused at each other.

That increased Taeral's surprise. The weaker guy had convinced his subordinates, yet the stronger one hadn't?

Part of his mind checked their files. He discovered that most of Nucio's history before and during the Calamity was confidential even to him. SpecOps? Something else?

Except for Rayna, Shen's subordinates were as slow to act as Nucio's Lieutenants. The only C-rank nearby was Hukzun, standing beside the fortress's door. He had just started coming this way.

Then, the world was filled with water.

Taeral wasn't a fighter but had just enough experience to recognize the difficulty of using seven Laws together when materializing one's elements inside one's aura range. It was impossibly hard to do it to more than one target. Yet, Shen did it.

An absurdly fast water jet filled with seven Laws appeared between Shen and Nucio, pushing them apart. Another appeared between Rayna and Maryon. The same jets came from the skies, striking down against every enemy C-rank who had dared to move.

Almost every C-rank did the obvious: they tried to use their Laws to cut Shen's hold off their surroundings. Whoever had mastered a Law had an edge at that. Yet, the only stream that disappeared was the one between Shen and Nucio. Shen's willpower was enough to resist everyone else's attempt.

Sure enough, that was only because they had invested too little willpower in their first attempt to free themselves, but it was still impressive—and, to many, lethal.

A single water drop above every C-rank took the shape of an electrified spear and cut down with all seven of Shen's Laws. He timed it perfectly so everyone would get struck right after they failed to counter his Laws the first time. The minor backslash and surprise were enough to delay many Lieutenants' reactions. They didn't fill their bodies or surroundings with mana containing their Laws, and so they didn't defend against that single water drop.

Seven Laws of Reality unified into an attack that failed to pierce over half the targets' heads' defenses. Forty-two micro-spears weren't blocked by armor or defensive enchantments and struck a head. Thirty-three penetrated the skull and continued until they reached the heart.

Four C-ranks reacted after that and survived, but twenty-nine didn't. The spear-shaped water drop opened the damn, and countless other water drops and tiny lightning bolts followed in its wake. They ravaged those people's insides before they could do anything, turning them into minced, dead meat.

Meanwhile, Shen also thrust his spear against Nucio, who was still a dozen yards away. Qi left the tip, going against the drow, who didn't protect himself. He couldn't. The moment Shen's qi touched the mana coming to attack him, he and Nucio engaged in a quick willpower battle. Overwhelmed, the drow quickly cut his losses and retracted his consciousness, but Shen's attack had been so brutal that he was still dazed for a moment.

The sharp qi projectile broke through Nucio's plate armor enchantment to pierce his head, where it exploded. That didn't kill Nucio, but Shen followed with a swift and brutal vertical swing of his spear that cut the drow's heart and armor in half.

The armor's enchantment failed, and the wind itself turned Nucio into tiny meat cubes, marking the end of his life.

Rayna and Maryon were still being pushed away from each other. Maryon and his surviving C-ranks used their Laws again to cut off Shen's Laws from around them. They failed again because Shen let go of the materialized elements just before their attempt. The exception was the water jet between Rayna and Maryon. Maryon failed again to cut it down with his Laws, revealing how much willpower Shen had invested in it—and how stronger it was than Maryon's second estimate.

Hukzun was still one-third of the way to the tent when Shen started running towards the enemy C-ranks.

Only then did Taeral notice that the qi blade that had pierced Nucio's head hadn't stopped. It was already a few feet away from Maryon, who also widened his eyes in realization and turned to face it. He raised his fists and met the qi strike head-on. The qi dissipated, but then...

...Shen was already upon him?!

Taeral also widened his eyes in shock. Usually, only desperate people or arrogant imbeciles turned themselves into the materialization of one of their elements to move in a fight. At C-rank, it was faster than almost any biological movement but left the Guardian too vulnerable. If anything went wrong at any moment, the fighter would suffer grievous injuries. As such, almost everyone disregarded the ability.

But it could be a deadly tool for those with absolute control over the battlefield.

Shen had just done it. He had turned himself into the wind and materialized behind Nucio. His spear struck the drow from below while Nucio was still defending against the qi blast. It cut through armor and flesh unhindered, and after the drow was split in two, he also became tiny cubes of dead meat.

Taeral glimpsed Shen's smile before he dared to once more turn himself into the wind—right after showing his foes he was willing to use the move. The boy's face was filled with mockery and sheer glee. He loved extending his claws.

Every C-rank could follow Shen's movement this time because, like Taeral, they expected it. Shen was also not using his aura to mess with physical senses, as he had certainly done a moment ago. Yet, Shen simply returned to his original position. Regardless, all C-ranks filled their surroundings with mana and traps in case that was an illusion and the boy was heading toward them.

It was no illusion. Shen materialized where he had been. His smile turned into one filled with unwillingness as he declared, "As the Commander of an Exemplary Brigade, I'm required to give you another chance to surrender now that your leaders have fallen. As the offended party, I cannot judge you. Instead, I'll deliver you to the Detention Department. Surrender or die."

Only an idiot would keep fighting. Later, they might convince a judge that they had been misled by Maryon, but now, continued combat would have an obvious conclusion. After all, within moments, those people had lost their strongest fighters and a third of their numbers.

Shen's fighting style wasn't filled with flourishes or shining moves. He had attacked with total effectiveness, using the least amount of resources to bring the most damage to his foes. It didn't even look like a fight between C-ranks because so little energy had been used. It seemed too easy, almost staged.

If Taeral didn't have a good idea of how much willpower, training, and judgment was required to let anyone analyze and control the battlefield in real-time like that and decide on the best moves within split instants, he wouldn't have believed his eyes.

Unfortunately for half the survivors, they shared his disbelief. Maybe they thought Shen was using some kind of illusion. Maybe their minds couldn't accept what they had just seen. Whatever the case, they chose to attack.

The ensuing massacre was visually more impressive than the previous one. Attacks of all elements materialized, people used their weapons, the ground shook, and the air turned into plasma.

The C-ranks did their best, but it only served to crown Shen in the eyes of the onlookers.

He dodged what he could, cut down what he wanted, and escaped his foes with no wasted movement. He led them around for a few minutes, always escaping by the tiniest margin.

Then, suddenly, their attacks became weaker for no apparent reason.

Taeral then realized what his actions were pushing against: Shen's willpower. Taeral was using his willpower to even stand there, breathing. Likewise, those people's every move also consumed their willpower, and Shen's will held firmly against them.

How astonishing could his willpower be to accomplish something like that against over sixty C-ranks?!

Whatever the answer to that might be, magic was about knowledge and willpower. As the latter decreased, so did people's punching power. It also affected their reasoning and decision-making abilities. They made more mistakes. They timed their moves wrongly. Shen smiled again and exploited every opening.

A few minutes later, they were all dead.

Minutes ago, Taeral had thought he had seen enough, but he learned two new things in that fight. First, Shen's fighting ability was not low tier 8 when using his special moves. It was at least mid tier 8. Second, his baseline fighting abilities were not low tier 7. The discernment Shen had displayed, his tactical analysis, and his effective willpower usage were enough to put him at a solid mid tier 7.

Shen was a single mastered Law away from baseline tier 8. While pulling him into SpecOps was technically legal, it actually went against what SpecOps believed in, no matter their underhanded methods. He was too good to be wasted in some absurdly difficult mission somewhere.

So, either he was a first-class talent, which would justify wasting such potential, or someone was moving against him. Taeral bet on first-class talent, meaning the mission Shen would be sent on was too important for the Alliance. It would also be a move against Reality itself, which had marked Shen to solve another issue, whichever it was.

Taeral had no business even suspecting such grand ploys. Reality itself resented those who acted against it, and only A-ranks or stronger could survive its ire. The knowledge placed a target on him.

He was a Listener. He believed in the cause he fought for. He believed in the Alliance. He was willing to die for it. But purposefully seeking a faster death was something else altogether.

Running away now would be illegal and cause Shen to attack him. So, instead, he turned his back on the corpses and erased all his memories of this battle.

Taeral frowned. He had no idea why he had just erased his memories, but he could interpret the hints. He was looking away from whatever had happened behind him, which he cut his metaphysical senses not to feel. Then, he sat down and closed his eyes and most physiological senses.

He would only move again when he was told to.

Hopefully, whatever he shouldn't witness would've been cleaned by then, and he wouldn't notice it even by mistake.

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