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nStepping forward, he executed a vertical slash.

nAs the yellow light dissipated, with a sharp wailing sound, the white shadow gradually vanished.

n“Is that it?” Howard looked around, no new white shadow appeared.

n“That’s it? You wish. This is just the beginning!”

nNula retrieved a palm-sized mirror from her pouch, with silver light pulsing on its surface.

n“The defense system here isn’t just one spirit; it’s a cycle system that uses free-floating mana to continuously generate spirits!”

nNula’s words served as a signal, and the moment they fell, piercing shrieks ensued.

nOne after another, white shadows appeared within the hall, their numbers surpassing thirty in just two breaths’ time.

nAmong them were even more indistinct, slender grey figures, whose hands had shed their fingers, transforming completely into blade-like forms.

nHoward slowly stepped back, aligning himself with Nula, and asked, “In a situation like this, at a time like this, do you have any contingency plans we could consult?”

n“Yes.” Nula nodded.

n“Exterminate them!”

nNula’s words acted as a signal once more, and the instant they were uttered, shrill screams erupted again.

nOne after another, white shadows manifested inside the hall, with their quantity swiftly exceeding thirty in merely the time it takes for two breaths.

nAmong these were even more vague, skinny grey figures, whose hands had forsaken their digits, turning utterly into the shape of blades.

n“Heh,” Howard chuckled dryly, “Is there really no other way?”

n“If there was, I would have mentioned it by now!” Nula’s expression was sour.

n“Do you think I enjoy dealing with these beings, uncertain if they are alive or dead?”

nHoward paused for a moment, then with a swift step, his Ripper Mk II in hand, he swept horizontally, pushing back a spirit that lunged directly at him. 𝘪𝑎.

nSeveral screeches sounded at once, but Howard, with his agility, remained unaffected.

nHe moved with nimble steps, repelling the approaching spirits one after another, and even found opportunities to counterattack.

nMeanwhile, Nula’s situation appeared quite different…

nThe fear lurking in the depths of her heart seemed to only fuel her emotions further, as mana flowed from her without concern for conservation.

nAstonishingly, Nula directly used mana to weave a net aimed at disrupting the cores of the spirits.

nThese so-called cores are crucial for maintaining a spirit’s stable existence.

nDestroying a core means even the mightiest spirit will dissipate into nothingness.

nHowever, the stronger the spirit, the more concealed its core tends to be, evolving towards a pure mana state.

nOnce a core attains a mana form, all known methods of core destruction become ineffective.

nIt’s not to say such spirits are invincible, but for humans, they undeniably represent the most formidable foes.

nGiven the inherent fragility of spirits, their cores are not particularly robust.

nA net woven from mana might not trap a powerful spellbeast, but capturing these spirits’ cores posed no challenge whatsoever.

nWith a flick of her wrist, Nula unleashed a misty surge of mana brilliance, forming a net too fine for the naked eye to see, casting it towards the spirits ahead.

nThe ensnared spirits immediately ceased their movements, and then, with a swift stride, Nula closed in to deliver the coup de grace.

nThough unarmed, Nula’s speed in dispatching spirits surpassed Howard’s by a significant margin.

nIndeed, when women unleash their fury, they are forces to be reckoned with! Stealing glances at Nula’s combat, Howard couldn’t help but shudder.

nGiven Nula’s ferocity, akin to a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, the spirits within the hall seemed hardly sufficient for her alone to slaughter.

nYet, the remaining amount of mana post-battle remained an unknown.

nWith this thought in mind, Howard dared not delay and promptly accelerated his movements.

nNula was superior in every aspect; if there was someone whose strength was worth conserving, the answer was undoubtedly Nula.

nHer mana shouldn’t be entirely spent on these spirits; who knows what bizarre defensive measures might lie ahead.

n“Focus on defense, conserve your mana! Leave these spirits to me!” Howard declared, then took the offensive.

nWith two swift strokes, he split three spirits apart, following with a diagonal slash to eliminate one and a quick pivot and thrust to dispatch another, though the third managed to escape.

nThe spirits’ attacks and speed were formidable, yet their defense was practically nonexistent.

nBlades imbued with mana were their natural predators.

nAs long as he remained mobile and vigilant, Howard could single-handedly annihilate these spirits.

nStartled by Howard’s shout, Nula realized she shouldn’t squander her mana carelessly.

nShe stepped back towards Howard, raising her hand to cast a mana circle on the ground that momentarily halted the screeching spirits lunging towards them.

n“Can you handle them alone?” she asked.

n“Rest assured, watch me!” Howard responded.

n“Whirlwind Strike!” he bellowed, a golden light swirling in his eyes as the mana layer on the Ripper Mk II’s blade thickened.

nA pale azure hue, reminiscent of an unfettered, unrestrained wind, coursed through it.

nGathering mana took less than half a second, and Howard stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Nula.

nGrasping the Ripper Mk II’s hilt with both hands, he raised the blade above his head as a fierce wind suddenly rose.

nHis arm muscles bulged, immense power propelling the blade to slice through the air, emitting a piercing sound.

nThe mana clinging to the blade began to disperse as it moved, transforming into countless tiny blades that shot out in all directions.

nIn front of Howard, spanning a 120-degree arc and within a ten-meter radius, lay the attack zone of the Whirlwind Strike.

nWhat Howard unleashed was not merely the blade’s edge, but an unrivaled tempest.

nIn that moment, Nula’s vision was engulfed by endless swirls of white, the turbulent air currents carrying within them the pale azure mana blades, moving like fish through water.

nThe only sound was the roaring of the wild wind.

nAfter two seconds, the wind ceased.

nHoward sheathed his weapon, slightly out of breath.

nNot a single spirit remained in sight.

nHowever, the nearest bookshelf, too, had been torn asunder, its half completely shredded, with countless rune signages scattered across the floor in the aftermath of the calming storm.

nThough the Whirlwind Strike’s direct attack range was limited, the influence of the generated tempest knew no bounds.

nGiven the spirits’ inherently light weight, they were easily gathered together and annihilated by Howard in a single move.

n“When did you learn that? Quite an impressive move,” Nula commented, not lowering her guard, surveying their surroundings while protectively standing near Howard. 𝑖.𝑐ℴ𝑚

nShe nudged his shoulder with a glance.

nThe effectiveness of Howard’s move, achieving a complete wipeout, owed partly to the spirits’ peculiar nature.

nHowever, even against foes other than spirits, this technique could significantly disorient opponents.

nThe mana blades, hidden within the tempest, lay in wait for an opportune moment to strike.

nIf Howard could precisely control the trajectory of these mana blades, even a magus of equal standing might fall victim to a surprise attack.

nCompared to the lethal mana blades, the human body is undeniably fragile.

nThe best response to such an expansive attack would be defense, conserving mana to hold one’s ground, waiting for the storm to subside before seizing an opportunity to turn the tide.

n“Just a few days ago, I saw a move from Greg, and that inspired me,” Howard explained, catching his breath as it gradually evened out.

n“Right now, I can’t fully control it, and the mana consumption is quite substantial. If the enemy weren’t spirits, I wouldn’t use it.”

nThis technique was still in its nascent stages, and Howard’s assessment of it mirrored Nula’s.

nWith the spirits vanquished, the battle seemed to come to a pause.

nThe pair didn’t rush to gather the rune signages; instead, they stayed put, focusing on mana recovery.

nFor a magus, mana is always paramount, regardless of the circumstances.

nA magus without mana is merely an ordinary person with superior physical fitness.

nFortunately, the mana richness in their current environment allowed for a swift recovery.

nAlthough Nula had expended more mana initially due to her direct engagement with the spirits using a mana net, her understanding and affinity for mana were several folds higher than Howard’s.

nDespite the greater consumption, she recovered quicker than Howard and stood up before him.

nLess than two breaths after Nula had fully recovered, Howard too opened his eyes, ceasing his mana absorption.

nHe hadn’t returned to his peak condition, but given his different approach to combat compared to Nula, his immediate mana needs were not as critical and could be replenished gradually.

nUpon opening his eyes, Howard immediately sought out Nula and walked over to her, asking curiously, “Found anything?”

nHe posed the question because he noticed Nula meticulously examining the rune signages with a serious expression.

n“Some disturbing discoveries,” Nula paused before rising.

n“The rune configurations on these rune signages are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

nThe people from Eternal Flame have altered the structure of runes.

nNow, these signages do more than just absorb and store mana; they also serve to form part of a larger structure.”

nRead latest chapters at 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚 Only

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