Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 109

# Chapter 109: The Outbreak (3)

 

—

 

**”This… can’t be…!”**

Visar, a low-ranking combatant of Murcred, gritted his teeth and shouted.

He clenched his jaw so hard that blood seeped from between his lips.

Above the enemy’s armored vehicle, a massive fireball continued to grow in size.

**”Kalcar must have misreported.”**

**”He estimated it to be around the 2nd Circle, but that… that’s not supposed to be the 2nd Circle??”**

**”Even if the artifact is assisting in output…!”**

Visar wasn’t the only one in shock—his four comrades felt the same way.

One of the key factors that determined a mage’s level was their casting speed.

That ability was largely dictated by the number of circles they possessed.

The more circles a mage had, the more mana they could draw from them simultaneously to manifest magic.

**”3rd Circle… No, judging by the speed alone, it’s 4th Circle.”**

**”At that age?”**

The doubt was reasonable.

Even reaching the 2nd Circle was a lifetime achievement for most prodigies.

**”Unless… his mana control itself is just exceptionally advanced….”**

**”…….”**

Everyone fell silent.

Fire magic, among the elemental spells, was known for its overwhelming power but also for its slow activation speed.

Yet, if this massive fireball had been conjured purely through talent in such a short time…

Then the scale of that talent was—

**”…….”**

Everyone present felt a sudden chill run down their spines.

**”He has the ability to nullify magic. There might be something else we don’t know.”**

That was the only way to rationalize it.

Whether it was pure talent or a 4th Circle mage, either explanation felt like a cruel joke.

**Tap!**

All of them simultaneously pulled something from their pockets.

Small, red gemstones the size of fingernails.

They each popped a few into their mouths.

**Gulp!**

As the gemstones dissolved inside their bodies, red mana spread throughout their systems.

**”Yeah… taking it like this makes the effect hit harder.”**

**”Khh, khihihihi.”**

Their pupils dilated as euphoria set in.

An indescribable energy surged through their veins, electrifying their spines with an intense, tingling sensation.

Their bodies trembled involuntarily.

Their heads stiffened.

And then—

**”I’ll kill him.”**

**”Yeah. Let’s kill him.”**

**”Kill him.”**

**”Kill.”**

Rage burned.

An uncontrollable fury surged toward their distant enemy.

As hot as the fireball above their heads, which once again began to churn and expand.

**Whooosh!**

The fireballs of the five mages swelled to the size of a mid-sized vehicle.

**Kill himmmmm—!!**

**Kill himmmmm—!!**

With their screams, they launched their spells.

In a blink, the fireballs shot toward their target, disappearing into the distance.

**”Heehee, hihihihi.”**

**”Kkhee— kuk— kik—!”**

Watching the scene unfold, the five mages couldn’t stop laughing.

The overwhelming power surging within them made them feel like rulers of the world.

After all, the greatest virtue in this world was power.

With enough power, anything was possible.

Drunk on that thought, they failed to realize it in time.

That their fireballs, which had been shrinking into the distance—

**Had suddenly grown larger.**

**Whoosh.**

A fireball cast by Ray engulfed theirs.

**BOOOOOOM—!!**

It grazed past the enemy’s vehicles and crashed into the road behind them.

**”……!”**

**”W-what the hell is that?! What the hell just happened?!”**

The pursuing forces were horrified.

The fireball the enemy had sent was, at a glance, at least five times the size of their own mages’ combined attack.

The heat had warped the rooftops it brushed past, either denting or melting them.

The rearview mirrors reflected the massive crater now carved into the road.

But the most shocking part—

The five mages who had stood atop the enemy’s vehicles…

**Had vanished without a trace.**

Burned to nothing.

Not even a speck of ash remained.

Perhaps, by sheer luck, the boy had miscalculated his aim, causing the fireball to veer just above the vehicles.

But even that was enough to completely break their fighting spirit.

In that instant, the sheer magnitude of power had silenced the gunfire.

On both sides—ally and enemy alike.

**”…….”**

At that moment, the boy swept away his lingering fury.

**‘I can definitely control my emotions better than before. Compared to the past, my anger subsides much faster.’**

That realization felt like progress.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

**‘And this ring… its performance is better than I expected.’**

**Swish.**

As he unclenched his hand, the faint crimson glow of Walter’s ring came into view.

The ring’s red gemstone was far superior to other mana charging stones.

**‘The stored mana is still raw and unrefined, but…’**

Aside from its lower quality compared to purified mana, there were no significant drawbacks.

Normally, he kept his emotions sealed.

So, using raw mana wouldn’t lead to mana intoxication.

…The only reason he lost himself to rage in Sector 49 was—

**‘Because I was in an extremely mentally exhausted state.’**

As long as he remained cautious about that, using the mana stone wouldn’t be an issue.

**Vroooom…!**

The enemy vehicles slowed down, pulling away as if they were abandoning pursuit.

Ray’s sharp eyes caught sight of the drivers receiving orders over their radios.

—

Inside the container, everyone was in a daze.

They had witnessed it with their own eyes.

But they still couldn’t believe it.

**Thud!**

**”Ah.”**

When Ray jumped down onto the platform, revealing himself, they snapped out of their trance.

**”Ray… that magic just now…”**

**”He took out all the enemy mages in one go…”**

The lingering heat from his body grounded them in reality.

Their hearts pounded.

A deep sense of elation and excitement surged in their chests.

The terrifying enemy mages who had been like a nightmare—

Had been wiped out in an instant.

Five of them at once.

**”Incredible! Truly incredible!”**

**”Maybe we really can win this war!”**

Praises poured in.

Their bodies trembled with excitement.

But Ray remained indifferent.

He simply watched their swirling emotions with his usual unreadable expression.

Neither proud nor arrogant about his feat.

Instead, it was Veronica who beamed with pride.

**”That’s our Ray!”**

**”Oooooh! Ray!”**

**”Amazing!”**

Cheers erupted from all around.

**”I am Ray’s sun!”**

**”Oooooh! Veronica! The sun of Ray!”**

**”The sun! Incredible!”**

**”My god! The sun!”**

In truth, none of the organization members actually understood what “Ray’s sun” meant.

But seeing how Veronica was shouting it with such confidence, it had to be something great.

Right now, they simply couldn’t hold back their overwhelming emotions.

And Veronica was no exception.

**”I am Ray’s dazzling sun—!”**

Just as she was making a spectacle of herself—

**Boom—!**

A sudden explosion rocked the vehicle, sending it spinning.

Inside the container, the passengers instinctively grabbed onto the attached handles, unintentionally testing the limits of their grip strength.

**Thud!**

Only after the vehicle collided with something and came to a halt could they stumble out, regaining their balance.

**”Boss, are you okay? What about Veronica…?”**

**”I-I’m fine.”**

**”First, let’s assess the situation.”**

**”Understood! Cale! What’s going on up front?!”**

**”Here! The front right tire is blown!”**

**”What? All of a sudden?”**

A commotion broke out near the front of the vehicle.

Ray, the only one who stepped out without stumbling, scanned his surroundings as he approached the protective barrier.

When he cast his gaze into the distance, he saw the enemy vehicles that had stopped at the entrance of the bridge, halting their pursuit.

**‘That wasn’t their attack. The barrier is still intact.’**

Shifting his focus to the road they had just driven over, Ray quickly spotted the cause of the tire’s puncture.

**‘Magic. They targeted the underside of the barrier.’**

It was stone spikes.

The road had been transfigured, rising into sharp, jagged spikes about the size of a human palm.

And there were over a dozen of them.

Given their number and sharpness, they were lucky only one tire had been punctured.

**”…….”**

Needless to say, magic could only be cast if a mage was present.

Moreover, perfectly timing an attack to create spikes just as a speeding vehicle passed by was no ordinary feat.

However, all five mages who had been part of the pursuit had already been reduced to nothingness.

And they had only been 1st Circle mages.

The moment Ray grasped the situation—

He rolled his body.

**Thud!**

A pair of dagger, held in a reverse grip, stabbed into the spot where he had just been.

**Craaaaack—!!**

They tore through the protective barrier like paper.

**Boom—!!**

And embedded themselves into the ground with force.

Ray quickly recovered from his roll, drawing his knife and assuming a defensive stance.

**”He dodged our attack.”**

**”How?”**

**”Exactly.”**

Two figures had appeared before him.

Gray coats.

Chiseled, stone-like facial features.

A height well above the average—along with muscular builds that were evident even beneath their coats.

**‘And they each have two mana circles.’**

Ray looked up.

It seemed they had descended from the steel framework that stretched along both sides of the bridge.

**”He’s more agile than I expected.”**

**”Doesn’t look like the type to train his body like us. And that fire magic earlier…”**

The two men conversed with impassive expressions.

Red mana flickered and coursed over their entire bodies.

**‘Enhancement magic.’**

The circles they bore were predominantly infused with red and gray mana.

It was a clear indication that they were mages specialized in close-quarters combat.

At that moment—

Gunfire rang out.

**”They’re mages! Shoot them! Don’t give them time to cast magic!”**

At McCurley’s shout, everyone—except those changing the tire—simultaneously pulled their triggers.

But the two men were a fraction faster.

**Rumble!**

The earth rose, forming a wall in front of them.

The bullets that sliced through the air left only minor dents in the wall before falling to the ground.

**‘…Gray mana.’**

It was the mana used to form the wall.

Its primary attributes: **preservation, obstruction, and cohesion.**

Ray recalled his first encounter with Graham in Sector 49, where they had tested their control over elements through a magical tug-of-war using gray mana spheres.

Among all elemental attributes, **preservation, obstruction, and cohesion** had the strongest binding force and were the most resistant to external manipulation.

And now—

**‘This won’t be easy. Disassembling the wall is going to be difficult.’**

Not only was the elemental composition of the wall inherently resistant to breakdown, but its construction was also a testament to the casters’ skill.

**”B-Boss, what do we do? Should we keep shooting…?”**

**”W-where did these monsters even come from…?”**

The squad members’ voices wavered in distress.

McCurley clenched his teeth.

Until now, enemy mages’ barriers could still be destroyed with sustained gunfire.

But that thick stone wall—it didn’t seem like bullets would be enough to break through.

**‘What’s the best decision here…?’**

If they fired in alternating shifts, they could maintain continuous pressure without a break.

However, bullets weren’t infinite.

With supplies running low, every round was precious.

…But at the same time, if they stopped firing, the enemy might counterattack.

And perhaps keeping the wall up was draining the enemy’s **mana**.

These conflicting thoughts made it difficult for McCurley to give the order to cease fire.

**”Stop shooting.”**

Ray’s voice cut through the battlefield.

Though he spoke in a calm, low tone, his words, amplified by magic, reached every soldier clearly.

**”Cease fire—!!”**

The gunfire stopped.

Silence fell.

Dust trickled down from the stone wall as small debris crumbled off.

**Tap. Tap, tap.**

From within the haze of stone fragments, Ray’s voice rang out again.

**”I’ll hold them off. As soon as the tire is replaced, retreat to the base.”**

McCurley was the commanding officer on site, but no one objected to Ray taking charge.

Because they all understood.

Among them, the strongest wasn’t McCurley—it was the boy before them.

And following his command was their best option.

Staying would only hinder him.

McCurley signaled his men with his eyes.

They kept their guns trained on the enemy, but as soon as the repairs were done, they would board the container.

Meanwhile, the two men exchanged glances.

**”They’re running away.”**

**”Running isn’t a problem. But we can’t let them go unscathed. Otherwise, Allager’s fun would be ruined.”**

Nodding at each other, the two began advancing toward the vehicle.

And then—

**Rumble—!!**

A **massive** stone wall shot up in front of them.

No, calling it a mere **wall** wouldn’t do it justice.

It stretched high and wide, blocking all paths forward.

No openings to slip through.

Slowly, the two men turned their heads.

There, standing with his palm pressed to the ground, was a boy.

Expressionless—just like them.