Chapter 61: It Is An Excellent Reason!

There was a pause inside the connection, the kind somebody made after hearing exactly what they had expected and still somehow finding it disappointing.

’Soldier...’

’It’s Zishan... or Walker whichever you prefer...’

’Go back,’ she said, ignoring his reply.

But Zishan kept running. ’I’ll be fine.’

’That army contains thousands of soldiers, trained Mages, Beast Tamers, officers, and several people far above your Level. You are only a Soldier!’

’I know.’

Elinox’s irritation traveled through the connection. ’Then why are you still running toward them?! It’s not every day I’d have someone who understands baking desserts like cupcakes!’

Zishan’s foot struck the ground awkwardly.

For a moment, even the approaching army became less important.

’That’s your reason?!’

’It is an excellent reason!’

The enemy High General chose that exact moment to attack her again.

Elinox turned her attention toward him, except she was still thinking about the idiot Soldier who had decided that thousands of enemies were an appropriate testing ground for his new rewards.

Her Mana surged, and she had already pushed past half of her full power before she noticed.

Gravity crashed across the battlefield.

The enemy High General’s expression changed as the pressure around his body multiplied, crushing the ground beneath him before he managed to reinforce himself. Wind struck him from one side a heartbeat later while Lightning descended through the opening Elinox had created, and the combined impact drove him out of the air.

He hit the ground hard enough to create a crater.

Dust and broken soil burst outward.

Elinox stared downward.

The enemy High General remained on his back for several seconds before forcing himself onto one elbow. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and he spat another mouthful onto the ruined ground before looking up at her.

"You truly are as strong as everyone says." He wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of one hand. "But do you think I’m using my full power?!"

Elinox’s mouth twitched.

Of all the possible things he could have said while lying inside a crater, that was what he had chosen.

Her voice entered Zishan’s head again. ’Go. Back.’

Zishan had resumed running.

’Can’t! Busy!’

’ZISHAN!’ she yelled into his brain, calling him by his name.

’So you were listening... that’s right! I’m Zishan! Zishan Walker!’

He severed his attention from the conversation before she could distract him any further and focused on the front of the enemy army.

He had reached a position far enough away from Olmost’s defensive line that using Wildfire Requiem no longer risked dragging the fighting back toward his own people. More importantly, the enemy vanguard had entered a range that made the new Mana Capacity inside him suddenly feel very useful.

Zishan opened the Skill information while running.

He already knew the lower values.

One hundred Mana could mark ten targets within thirty meters. Every additional twenty Mana increased the capacity by another ten targets and expanded the effective radius by five meters.

His maximum Mana was now 1,590. The highest complete increase he could feed into the Skill was 1,580 Mana.

The System calculated the result.

[Wildfire Requiem]

[Selected Mana Expenditure: 1,580]

[Maximum Target Capacity: 750]

[Effective Radius: 400 Meters]

Zishan almost stopped running.

’Seven hundred and fifty?’

The last time he had been excited about Wildfire Requiem, two hundred Mana had given him enough capacity to threaten sixty targets. Later, with 540 Mana available, the Skill could reach up to 230.

Now the number in front of him was seven hundred and fifty.

He looked at the packed enemy formation.

Hundreds of soldiers were already within the effective area, with Magic Beasts moving between their ranks and even more troops advancing behind them.

A grin spread across Zishan’s face as several enemy soldiers finally noticed the white-haired figure running toward them alone. One raised his weapon while another shouted a warning toward the formation behind him, but Zishan had already planted one foot against the ground and lifted his hand.

Fire Mana gathered around him in such quantity that more soldiers began turning in his direction. Far behind him, Commander Holtz saw what he was doing and cursed under his breath.

"That fucking brat..."

One of the captains beside him stared at the growing concentration of Mana. "Commander... what Skill is he casting?"

Commander Holtz stared at the growing concentration of Fire Mana around Zishan. He had already received reports about what the young Soldier had done during the Stampede, but seeing this much Mana gather around him was something else entirely.

"Everyone stay behind the defensive line," the Commander warned.

The captain turned toward him, clearly confused, while the commander kept his attention fixed on Zishan.

"Just trust me!"

Fire Mana surged around Zishan’s arm, and the enemy vanguard finally seemed to understand that the lone Soldier running toward them was not simply some idiot who had lost his mind.

At least, not entirely.

Zishan laughed.

"WILDFIRE REQUIEM!"

The battlefield caught fire.

The first Pyre Marks appeared among the nearest soldiers and Magic Beasts before spreading outward with terrifying speed. Flames leaped from one target to another throughout the tightly packed formation, crossing between infantry, beasts, and anyone unfortunate enough to remain within range.

Some resisted.

Several higher-Level soldiers released Mana through their bodies and weakened the marks before the flames could settle properly. Defensive Skills activated across other sections of the formation, while Fire-resistant creatures endured enough of the initial ignition to break away from the densest groups.

Hundreds of weaker targets had no such protection. When one low-Level soldier finally collapsed, the Pyre Mark on his body exploded and sent the flames spreading into the soldiers around him.

Fresh flames spread through another section of the formation. A wounded Magic Beast fell seconds later, triggering a second Funeral Bloom that ignited several soldiers trying to escape the first chain.

The front of the army descended into chaos.

Zishan could only stare as Wildfire Requiem continued spreading through the formation. He had used the Skill many times before, but never with enough Mana to watch the chain reaction grow this large.

Another marked soldier collapsed, triggering a fresh explosion.

BOOM!

Three more explosions followed from deeper inside the formation.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The ground shuddered beneath Zishan’s feet as overlapping Funeral Blooms tore through the front ranks. Soldiers shouted for their formations to spread while Beast Tamers tried to drag their creatures away from burning groups, but every moment of hesitation gave Chain Ignition another opportunity to jump.

His System started flooding his vision.