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*****
Looking at the pale-blue rock, Feny found himself momentarily curious about how a race like this even reproduced.
The scorched stone being, however, had no interest in biology. Roaring in a guttural frenzy, it charged again, its massive weight causing the ground to tremble with every heavy stride.
"Fall!"
Feny locked his gaze on the incoming behemoth, visualizing the command with absolute clarity. The Golden Golem took hold, and the creature's legs buckled mid-charge, sending it face-planting into the dirt and sliding right to Feny's feet.
"Explosion!"
Feny extended his palm. While the creature possessed magic resistance, it wasn't immune. After a series of rapid-fire blasts to the skull, even the toughest rock began to crack and bake under the localized sun.
Seeing their comrade fall, the remaining stone beings showed no fear. Their simple minds were fueled by a singular, burning rage. They converged on Feny simultaneously.
Feny scanned the encroaching giants, debating whether to take this opportunity to test his newer skills. Since obtaining Zafkiel, he hadn't had a proper chance to use the "City of Devouring Time" to harvest time. It was a power far too excessive for a friendly spar back in Asgard.
But against enemies on a battlefield? He didn't need to hold back. His only hesitation was whether using such an ominous ability in front of so many witnesses was wise.
He quickly dismissed the concern. He wouldn't be staying in Vanaheim for long, and even if "City of Devouring Time" was witnessed, his greatest strength—"Bullet Four"—remained a hidden trump card.
"Zafkiel!"
Feny's eye shifted into its clockwork pattern. Protected by the Incursio helmet, no one saw the change, but the massive, ornate golden clock manifesting behind his back drew the attention of everyone nearby.
"City of Devouring Time!"
Ignoring the bewildered stares, Feny watched the stone beings close in. He activated a blood-red barrier extending three meters around him.
The moment the stone beings stepped into the boundary, their movements hitched noticeably. However, overall, their physical actions weren't drastically hindered.
Feny dodged their heavy swings with fluid agility, focusing instead on the sensation of the time being siphoned from their bodies. It was a strange, almost indescribable feeling. The only downside was the rate of absorption; it was incredibly slow.
Stone beings possessed vast natural lifespans. If Feny tried to wait for the "City of Devouring Time" to drain them to death, he'd likely be waiting until the Nine Realms saw an era of total peace—and that was assuming the barrier evolved during the process.
He decided not to wait for the drain to finish. Having confirmed the effect, he figured it was better to turn them into experience points sooner rather than later.
Since their rocky hides were so resistant to fire and explosions, Feny did something rare: he summoned Incursio's auxiliary weapon, the spear Scream.
He looked at the long, red-backed spear in his hand, let out a small sigh, and thrust it with everything he had.
While stone beings were magically resilient, they also possessed high physical defense. However, that defense paled in comparison to the raw power Feny wielded while encased in Incursio.
With a single thrust, a gaping hole appeared in the creature's rocky torso.
Because he rarely used Scream, Feny lacked any sophisticated spear techniques. He simply resorted to the most basic method: stabbing. Again. And again.
Under the crushing gap in power, the stone beings were systematically perforated to death, ending their lives in a rather gruesome, "holey" state.
As the life faded from them, Feny noticed something unexpected: the time absorbed by the "City of Devouring Time" suddenly spiked.
"So, it truly is fueled by slaughter?"
Looking at the lifeless heaps of rock, Feny murmured to himself, his expression complex behind his mask. He silently withdrew Zafkiel.
The war raged on. This was but a small corner of the chaos. Feny didn't have the luxury of philosophical reflection; he moved on to find the next target.
Under the combined might of Thor and Feny, the rebels were quickly losing ground. But just as victory seemed within reach, the enemy's reinforcements arrived first.
A massive, dense swarm of combatants—a chaotic mix of species wielding a variety of weaponry—came roaring toward the battlefield from the distance.
Despair flickered across the faces of the Vanir defenders. Even Thor frowned, glancing toward the sky as if wanting to ask Heimdall when their own main army would arrive.
Feny, however, looked elated. This group was perfect: they were all enemies, there were no hostages or prisoners mixed in, and they were still a safe distance from the main engagement.
"Keep fighting here! I'll handle that lot!"
Feny shouted to Thor before taking flight, streaking toward the incoming reinforcements.
"Wait, what—?!"
Thor blinked in surprise. He had almost forgotten Feny's particular brand of "problem-solving." Remembering the sky-filling crimson flames from their spar, he began to realize exactly what Feny had in mind.
While Thor believed in him, the Vanir soldiers didn't. Seeing the enemy's numbers double, their morale plummeted. Thor was forced to bellow a rallying cry: "Do not fear! Our true strength is about to be revealed!"
By then, Feny was hovering high above the vanguard of the enemy reinforcements. Looking down at the teeming mass of aliens, he sighed. After a few seconds of consideration, he decided to give them a sporting chance.
Using the Golden Golem to amplify his voice so it boomed across the plains, he declared: "You are already surrounded by me! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"
The charging rebels stumbled, several nearly being trampled as they instinctively looked up.
"Hahaha!"
"Who is this guy in the silver suit?"
"Has he lost his mind?"
"Shoot him down!"
Watching the projectiles zip past as they mocked his warning, Feny sighed again. He ascended further to put some distance between himself and their ranged fire, and then he began to chant:
"I am the one and only wielder of Explosion Magic in this world. My calling is that of the Archmage, commanding the supreme offensive magic—the Explosion. I am the one who shall reach the ultimate pinnacle of this art..."
"Here and now, I decree your destination!"
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark,"
"I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson!"
"The time of awakening arrives! The twisted logic of the absurd church, manifest as an invisible distortion!"
"Dance! Dance! Dance!"
"Let the collapse of my power's origin burn all creation to ash! Descend from the abyss!"
Feny's voice resonated across the entire battlefield. Most combatants were frozen in confusion, but when they looked up and saw the gargantuan, crimson magic circle that now blotted out the sun and blanketed the entire rebel army, their confusion turned to sheer, paralyzing awe.
This was Feny's ultimate incantation—a convergence of emotion, the Golden Golem, the Breathing Technique, and the arcane secrets of Kamar-Taj. It was his most devastating attack.
"EXPLOSION!"
(End of Chapter)