The darkened sky loomed overhead, casting an eerie pall over the battlefield. Akira stood firm, his eyes scanning the encroaching group of sixteen werewolves. Their leader, a huge beast with grey fur and glowing eyes, remained at the rear, observing while his underlings attacked.
"Alright, the anti-magic barrier is in full effect. All of my magic enchantments are canceled. All I have is 95% of my mana left now. This barrier drains approximately 3% of my mana per second. It's a powerful magic-absorbing barrier... I wonder where all the absorbed magic is going. Well, I guess they can't use any magic either, so that's a plus. But werewolves have tough fur, so most of the attacks I could use right now won't be able to penetrate them." Akira's mind started thinking faster, and the world began to slow down around him.
He started analyzing his situation and trying to formulate a plan of attack. 'Thought acceleration', this was not a magic spell or skill, but something Akira began to develop after being killed too many times in training by his mother.
Whenever he entered this state, he could think so fast that it felt like time was slowing down for him. It helped when he was in a bind and needed to think of a solution to his problems, but he couldn't maintain this state for long, so he had to finish the fight quickly.
"Werewolves are weak against light magic and silver. However, energy-based attacks like light can be absorbed easily by the barrier. And transmuting silver with magic would use too much mana. Any other normal attacks won't be able to penetrate their thick fur. So, I have to use solid-based magic that uses little mana to target their weak points, and each attack has to be fatal. Maybe ice will do."
Just as he organized his thoughts, two werewolves entered the range where he calculated his magic could reach without losing much of its effect.
"Ice Needle," Akira thought silently as he used the magic he had chosen. He wanted to scream out the attack name, but had promised his mother he wouldn't shout attack names in real battles where lives were at stake.
The two werewolves at the front of the pack suddenly stopped in their tracks and collapsed. Their heads shattered as they hit the ground like blocks of ice.
The rest of the werewolves stopped in shock at the sight, and even their leader looked stunned.
"One, two…" Akira's voice echoed coldly amid the sudden silence, as everyone stood still in disbelief.
"How… How did you do it? How did you use magic inside this barrier?" The werewolf leader finally broke the silence, demanding an answer in shock.
"Ehhh? You don't know? Too baaad!" Akira said, sticking out his tongue, "Guess you'll have to die without finding out~!"
The werewolf leader glared at Akira as if he wanted to rip him apart and eat him alive. But soon he shook his head, steadied himself, and commanded his minions again.
"Tch… it doesn't matter! You can't keep this up forever! Rip him apart!! All of you, get him!"
The werewolves hesitated but obeyed their leader's command and charged again. Just like before, Akira raised his hand and said in a cold voice, "Three, four, five…"
Just like that, three more werewolves at the front froze in place and then fell forward. Their heads shattered like ice hitting the floor.
"He's targeting your eyes with ice magic! Guard your eyes and charge him together, he can't stop all of you!" This time, the leader saw through Akira's trick and shouted instructions to guard against it.
"Oh, seems like I was seen through. But I have more tricks up my sleeve, you know," Akira said calmly, despite his tactic being exposed.
Exactly as the leader had guessed, Akira was using ice needles to target their eyes, one of the few vulnerable spots on their bodies, freezing their brains instantly to kill them.
This was the first time he had killed someone in either of his lives, but he didn't hesitate. He wasn't the type to dwell on it. True, he had never taken a life directly before, but if there were a scoreboard, he would already have thousands of assists. The weapons he designed were used in wars, and he had always known what they were for, so he knows he is not an innocent person.
The werewolves began shielding their faces, realizing their eyes were the target.
Seeing this, Akira conjured a pair of small ice balls. This time, he didn't aim high, but he aimed low. Very low.
Two werewolves leaped into the air.
Thunk! Thunk!
They dropped like sacks of bricks, clutching their shattered groins and howling in agony.
Akira didn't even blink.
As they writhed, he calmly stepped forward and sent two more needles into their skulls.
"Six… Seven. Do you boys want headshots or nutshots? Choose wisely," Akira said with a smirk.