Chapter 130: Breaking the Link
After several failed tests, Nero sat in the dojo, staring at the remnants of his most recent attempt.
Scraps of parchment littered the floor, faint traces of residual magic still clinging to them before fading entirely.
His barrier, though intact, felt wrong.
It was still pulling from him even when he had no conscious connection to it.
He rubbed his temples.
If I severed the mental link, then why is my energy still draining?
The flaw was clear: while the Shikigami functioned independently, the barrier itself was still anchored to his reserves.
Every second it remained active, it was subtly leeching magic from him, even though it wasn't supposed to.
If he wanted this method to work long-term, he needed to create a true self-sustaining system.
He glanced down at the complex runic inscriptions he had carved into the wooden floor of the dojo.
The designs were meticulous, layered with precision, meant to create a stable containment field.