Chapter 118: Confrontation with the Guards
The guards stood before me, their faces etched in disbelief as my soft declaration hung in the air. After a tense silence, the captain grew a malicious smile.
"I was hoping you’d say that. I guess obedience is too much to expect from a filthy slut like you. Take her!"
Though their faces were hidden behind gleaming helmets, their eyes betrayed reluctance. They weren’t as oblivious as their captain and had sensed the seething discontentment of the crowd.
"Please come quietly," one said, her voice taking on a hint of pleading.
"Shut it and capture the bitch!" the captain snarled, fixing his gaze on the soldier.
The woman flinched and shrugged apologetically, moving toward me in unison with the rest. I sighed and dropped my staff, letting it shatter into stars. Perhaps it was unwise to make a scene. The guards straightened with a glimmer of hope, but they quickly stiffened in dismay as I raised my hand.
"Stop her!" one of the mages cried out. Instantly, several sets of magic circles materialized, heralding the fury of five fifth-level mages. Yet, as swift and skilled as they were, it was nothing before the raw power of Soul Casting.
"Dispel Magic," I murmured, pushing out my hand.
The air distorted, drawn toward the magic circle rotating before my outstretched palm. With a subdued roar, a surge of mana rippled outward, filling the entire street in front of me with a unidirectional shockwave. The sudden force whipped the air into a frenzy, tugging at clothes, armor, and swords, yet leaving the mundane townsfolk untouched.
The mages gasped, stumbling back as their half-formed magic circles collapsed, the feedback reverberating through their souls. Initially, nothing seemed to change, but then their faces paled.
Without warning, magic weapons and armor exploded, rocking the street with the force of the roiling mana. Shards of wood and metal buried themselves in the nearest surfaces, tearing the squad of guards into a gruesome mess. As shrapnel filled the air, I raised walls of wind and water, shielding the onlooking crowds from danger.