Slash!
With a clean slicing sound, the tough vines were severed.
Rustling through the opening they made, Oscar emerged.
"Oscar, aren't we looking in the wrong place?"
Fran, who had been following close behind, asked with an expression that looked ready to melt at any moment.
Outside, spring had fully arrived, but the jungle was sweltering with humidity trapped beneath the dense canopy.
"No. This is the right place."
"But... there's really nothing around here."
In truth, the area was filled with nothing but trees, rocks, and vines.
No matter how hard one searched, it was terrain where a gigantic temple simply couldn't exist.
'The only ones who noticed... are probably Edna and Seiro.'
As expected of dragons, their talent for sensing mana was on a completely different level.
The two of them were staring at the exact same spot.
Meanwhile, the troublemakers merely stood there blankly.
"Everyone, close your eyes and focus all your senses. What do you feel?"
"It's hot."
"I don't know about anything else, but the humidity feels awful."
"The forest feels nice. It reminds me of home."
Listening to their various answers, Oscar walked past them as they kept their eyes closed.
"Open your eyes. Deep in a forest, the wind rarely blows. Especially in a tropical rainforest like this, where the humidity is high and the air is heavy."
"...Then what exactly were we supposed to sense?"
"The flow of mana. Though it's probably still difficult for you."
Ordinary mana currents could all be seen by reinforcing one's eyes with mana.
But the minute traces of mana deliberately concealed by someone could not be perceived that way.
Only those with innate talent like his, or high-ranking mages, would have developed that sort of perception.
"When a mage finds themselves in that situation, what they rely on is the attribute they specialize in. For example, mages of the Blue Tower can even read the surrounding mana flow through a stream."
That was why the White Tower, which wielded wind, naturally excelled at this ability more than any other Magic Tower.
Because the wind blew everywhere.
"Doesn't that mean it's useless in a place like this where there's no wind?"
At Fran's question, Oscar nodded.
"That's right. It's difficult in a deep forest like this. But if there isn't any wind, are you just going to accept it and move on?"
His gaze shifted toward Killian.
"Killian. Since you know forests well, you should know. If you wanted to find the wind in a place like this, what would you do?"
"You'd climb somewhere high."
Killian looked up at the pointed tops of the towering trees as he answered.
"Correct. Countless branches and leaves have become a wall, blocking the wind from outside. But beyond them, the wind is still blowing."
Looking pleased, Oscar tilted his head.
"What are you waiting for? Go."
At his words, the three of them quickly climbed to the tops of the trees.
The wind that struck their faces felt cooler than ever before.
"Wow... that's refreshing."
"Now I finally feel like I can breathe."
After cooling themselves down, the three began sensing the mana carried by the wind.
The moment they felt its flow, all three were startled almost simultaneously.
"In front..."
"...there's no wind."
"How is that even possible?"
They hurried back down.
As if he had been expecting that reaction, Oscar nodded.
"What's spread out ahead is a formation."
"A formation? Is it something like illusion magic?"
"No. Illusion magic deceives what you see. This manipulates the area itself."
"Huh? I think I've heard of it before. But aren't formations a technique from Yan?"
Fran spoke uncertainly.
"That's right. It's a technique from Yan. Looks like one of the Black Fingers is thoroughly versed in Yan’s knowledge."
"Hm. So in short, it's dangerous?"
"Very. If you recklessly step into an unfamiliar formation, you could wander the same place for ages until you die."
At that warning, everyone swallowed nervously.
Naturally, hardly anyone in the group knew anything about formations.
"Th-Then should we retreat for now and bring in a formation expert from Yan?"
"...Fran. Do you really want to let an opportunity this precious slip away?"
"But we don't have a choice! Do you know how to break that formation?"
"Hm."
Oscar reinforced his eyes with mana and stared ahead.
He could tell there was a formation there.
But formations, just as Fran had said, required the exact method to break them.
If one misplaced even a single step, they would become trapped in an endless maze.
'To be honest... I think I can see it.'
But he wasn't confident enough to gamble everyone's lives on it.
So Oscar spoke.
"Let's not make this difficult."
"Then what's the easy way?"
"What is a formation? In the end, it's just the ability to construct a special domain within space."
"...You can't possibly..."
Before Fran could finish speaking, Oscar nodded.
"If that's the case, then all we have to do is cut the space itself."
As he spoke, he pointed forward.
"Spatial Slash."
Slash!
A gigantic blade of space cleaved vertically through the empty space before them.
Then the space covering the forest peeled away like a sheet of luxurious silk.
"Eh...?"
Beyond it lay a vast expanse.
And at its center stood a massive temple.
"That worked out nicely."
Sometimes, simplicity was better than exhausting oneself trying to think of complicated solutions.
Killian gave him a thumbs-up from beside him.
"I like this method very much. It's worthy of a warrior."
"Glad to hear it."
Oscar chuckled and walked toward the opened space.
"Come on. Let's go in."
The moment they stepped inside, they felt the gazes of those moving about outside the temple.
"Huh? Who are—"
"Wait. Doesn't that space over there look kind of strange? Was it... cut?"
"Idiot. What do you think space is, paper? You think you can just cut it? More importantly, who are you people?"
Apparently never expecting an enemy to stroll in so openly, the members of the Black Fingers approached with innocent expressions.
Oscar smiled faintly as he looked at them.
Crack! Crack!
"H-Huh?"
"M-My body... huh?"
For a brief moment, they stared at their limbs, bent in impossible directions.
Then the horrifying pain hit.
"AAAAAGH!"
"M-My arm! M-My leg!"
Looking at them indifferently, Oscar spoke.
"Seiro. Begin."
"O-Okay."
Swallowing hard, Seiro stepped forward.
In an instant, he released his polymorph.
His body rapidly expanded into the enormous form of a dragon, and blazing breath poured from his jaws.
"Wow... he really did turn into a gigantic lizard."
"Doesn't he kind of... look like the dragons from fairy tales?"
"No way."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fran kept glancing at Edna.
"As far as I know, she's the only dragon left on this planet. Edna Sol Laplace."
That was common knowledge.
Fran looked at Seiro, who was spewing dragon breath, with absolute certainty.
"That's just a lizard."
"A really big lizard."
The destructive power of Seiro's breath suddenly increased.
"E-Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Prepare for battle immediately! Intruders have appeared!"
The inside of the temple erupted into chaos.
The Black Fingers members, unaware of what was happening, hurriedly gathered their equipment in confusion.
"An enemy attack? Here?"
"No way... You can't even get in here unless you know how."
"Did someone who got captured spill the information?"
"Don't be ridiculous. The moment anyone tries to reveal information, they die. We all swore the oath."
Given the Black Fingers' brutal initiation procedures, leaking internal information was virtually impossible.
That was why it was hard to believe that enemies had actually invaded this place.
"Maybe they got lucky and passed through the formation?"
"Don't be absurd. That's not something luck can accomplish."
Thirty steps.
Each one had to be taken with different stride lengths, placing every foot on the exact same spots.
If even the slightest mistake was made, one would fall into an infinite abyss, wandering the same place until death.
'That's why they don't even reveal this place to rookies or idiots in the first place.'
In other words, the hundreds of members staying inside this temple were elites handpicked even among the Black Fingers.
"Everyone move! The Fingers have ordered us not to let them reach the inner area!"
"Damn it, we just got back from the operation, and now these nobodies won't even let us rest!"
"Where are they?"
"Mana's been detected near the eastern gate. Squad 2-B4, prepare."
At the squad leader's cold command, the ten members under him grumbled while equipping themselves.
As they rushed out of the room and ran down the corridor, the leader at the front frowned.
'Hm? An eye...?'
Normally, whenever he walked through this corridor, he could see the blue sky beyond the exit.
But what he saw now was a yellow eye, like that of some enormous reptile.
'Am I seeing things?'
There couldn't possibly be a creature with eyes that huge.
Unless a dragon—an extinct dragon—had suddenly appeared.
The moment he rubbed his eyes—
Flap!
The eye disappeared, replaced once more by the familiar blue sky.
'I must be tired from not getting enough sleep.'
Nodding to himself, the squad leader sprinted toward the end of the corridor.
Then—
Fwoooosh!
A massive wave of fire, accompanied by overwhelming heat, swept through the entire corridor.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
"I-It's hot!"
"Save... save me..."
The members running through the corridor were instantly reduced to the brink of death.
"C-Cough!"
When the flames finally subsided, only three or four of them were barely still breathing.
"What's that smell?"
"Why is the corridor so hot?"
"Huh? Wait, who are these guys?"
The members who arrived afterward recoiled in shock upon seeing them.
However, they had no intention of saving them.
They merely nudged their bodies with their feet to see if they would react.
Among them, the squad leader, whose skills had barely kept him alive, desperately stretched out a hand.
"S-Save..."
"Save you?"
The leader of Squad 3-C2, who had crouched down in front of him, smiled maliciously.
"Aren't you from the Second Finger's people? We serve the Third Finger."
Even within the Black Fingers, factions were divided according to which Finger they served.
They spent a while snickering as they watched another squad die.
Then, from the entrance of the corridor, where the flames had yet to completely die down—
Step.
Step.
Someone began walking in.
"...Hm? What's that guy doing?"
"Must be the intruder."
"What? They made such a huge fuss over just one person?"
Had he really gotten lucky and broken through the formation?
Looking closely, the bastard was annoyingly handsome.
'...Still, that face. I feel like I've seen it somewhere.'
Tilting his head, the squad leader started to rise.
Or rather, he tried to.
"There's no need to stand."
In the temple corridor, where not even the faintest breeze existed—
An unprecedented wind descended, crushing the heads and shoulders of nearly thirty members.
"You belong on the ground."
"Ugh... UUUUGH!"
The Level 5 squad leader's eyes turned bloodshot as he struggled against the irresistible force.
But only for a moment.
Crack!
Both knees slammed into the floor.
Then his head was forced down after them.
The weaker subordinates fared no differently.
Their eyes rolled wildly toward the corridor walls.
'If it's wind... then don't tell me... a White Tower mage?'
A White Tower mage.
With those words came the image of the aristocratic-looking young man he had just seen.
'R-Right! Oscar Crucian!'
The mage about whom rumors claimed no one who became involved with him survived.
The undisputed greatest genius of the White Tower, who had reached Level 7 in barely a year.
Realizing the intruder's identity, the man swallowed hard.
At most, it was wind.
That was the Black Fingers' internal assessment.
Unlike the other Four Great Magic Towers, whom they frequently encountered during operations, they had never faced a high-ranking White Tower mage.
And so they remained ignorant.
They simply didn't know.
The same had been true for him.
He had only fought a few novice and intermediate White Tower mages, and had dismissed them as unimpressive.
'But this...'
The power of a high-ranking White Tower mage who controlled the wind.
Overwhelming magic so absolute that one was not even permitted to raise their eyes to meet his.
"P-Please spare me! I'll live an honest life from now on!"
In the end, the only thing that came from the squad leader's mouth was a pitiful plea.
Hearing it, Oscar let out a mocking laugh.
"How you choose to live from now on is none of my concern."
Creeeak.
The pressure of the wind crushing their bodies began to increase.
"N-No! D-Don't do it!"
"You bastard! Let us go!"
"You think you'll get away with this!?"
The terrified squad leader screamed, while the others hurled curses that were little more than desperate shrieks.
But once the pressure had begun climbing so steeply, it showed no sign of stopping.
Oscar glanced at the wretches squealing on the floor before walking past them.
"The way you've lived until now... is the reason you're dying."
Crunch!
With a sound like watermelons bursting, the heads of the members flattened against the floor exploded.

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