Translator: AnubisTL
Viola, locked in combat with the fourth-tier lava giant commander, caught a glimpse of Jieming being completely engulfed by concentrated fire. Her heart clenched.
She even saw several low-rank battle wizards caught in the blast's shockwave forcibly retreating, terrified of being caught in Jieming's "suicide truck" maneuver.
But Viola quickly noticed something was amiss, and the worry on her face involuntarily shifted to astonishment.
The lava giants were still visibly suffering, indicating that Jieming's high-frequency sound waves hadn't stopped.
"How is he still alive?!" A wizard exclaimed in disbelief, voicing the collective shock.
As the smoke cleared, Jieming's figure slowly emerged. Only then did everyone realize he had been wearing an energy shield all along.
Though the shield flickered erratically, Jieming remained completely unharmed, unscathed by the onslaught.
The wizards' shock at Jieming's survival far surpassed even the lava giants' astonishment.
They could clearly sense that Jieming's energy shield was merely a first-tier energy shield. Even though he had layered several protective spells around himself, how could a mere three or four first-tier spells possibly withstand such a relentless barrage of attacks?!
Before the wizards could ponder the logic behind this, the lava giants, seeing their initial assault fail, immediately launched another wave of attacks without hesitation.
Yet amidst the fiery onslaught and earth spikes, the protective shields around Jieming continued to flicker into existence, never faltering.
On his right wrist, he wore a bracelet inlaid with a defensive rune-imbued artifact.
Whenever an attack approached, the runes on the artifact's base would flash rapidly. Visible layers of protective magic—elemental shields, force field barriers, or atmospheric distortions—manifested one after another from Jieming's body, intercepting every strike.
Each shield lasted only briefly, typically shattering after absorbing a few dozen lava projectiles.
However, the defensive rune-imbued artifact on Jieming's wrist released protective magic faster than the shields could be broken!
As the old shield shattered, a new one materialized instantly, forming an unbroken, layered defense that shimmered with flowing light.
Jieming hovered in mid-air, engulfed by the luminous shadows of countless lava projectiles and earth spikes. Yet his figure remained steadfast, enduring the onslaught like a weathered reef weathering the storm.
"This kid... he's got some tricks up his sleeve."
Viola's initial worry transformed into overwhelming surprise and admiration. She had never witnessed a wizard fight with such an outlandish method!
Now assured of Jieming's safety, she abandoned all restraint, unleashing her full power to tightly restrain the fourth-tier lava giant.
Not only Viola, but the other second-tier wizards grappling with the third-tier lava giants also intensified their efforts, completely diverting their opponents' attention to prevent them from joining the assault on Jieming.
The wizards understood perfectly: Jieming's individual contribution far surpassed that of all the other low-rank wizards combined.
With his suppression, victory was only a matter of time. They absolutely couldn't allow any lava giants exceeding a certain power threshold to interfere with him.
Meanwhile, Jieming showed no intention of dodging the relentless, overwhelming barrage of attacks.
Completely abandoning agility, Jieming hovered in the sky, drawing the hatred of every lava giant present.
He continuously emitted wide-area, high-frequency sound waves, effectively suppressing the enemy forces and assisting the other wizards.
Moreover, he absorbed nearly all of the lava giants' firepower, diverting their attacks onto himself as a living "punching bag."
With Jieming's suppression and diversion of the bulk of the enemy's fire, the other wizards instantly felt the pressure ease!
Under the relentless sonic assault, the second-tier and first-tier lava giants moved sluggishly, their defenses rigid, making them practically "living targets."
The combat wizards seized this opportunity, unleashing a torrent of spells with renewed efficiency, swiftly eliminating the Jieming-restrained enemies!
In just over ten minutes, the massive rout of lava giants was completely crushed, thanks to Jieming's support and fire diversion.
Apart from the fourth-tier lava giant commander still locked in combat with Viola and a handful of lava giants who sensed the impending defeat and fled, the remaining thousands were either slain or captured by the wizards.
As the final dust settled, Viola, having exhausted most of her mental power, finally managed to severely wound and suppress the fourth-tier lava giant commander.
Yet, after the battle, none of the surrounding wizards immediately turned to Viola. Their gazes were instinctively drawn upward.
There, amidst the lingering dust and elemental aftershocks, Jieming remained suspended in mid-air, his rune-imbued shield flickering faintly around him.
They watched as Jieming raised his wrist. The light on his defensive rune-imbued artifact finally stabilized, ceasing its frantic blinking.
The magical aura that had enveloped Jieming's figure dissipated, revealing a man visibly fatigued but with eyes gleaming with excitement.
The wizards' gazes were filled with disbelief and awe.
Though Jieming hadn't killed or captured a large number of lava giants, every wizard knew who had been the true hero of this battle.
Their eyes now reflected pure shock and reverence for his power.
The embers of battle still smoldered, the acrid stench of burning flesh lingered in the air, but the wizard squad's atmosphere had shifted from tense combat to relaxed victory.
Viola extinguished her arcane aura and landed gracefully beside Jieming.
She raised her hand, a faint residual rune-imbued electric arc crackling around her fingertips, and gave Jieming's shield-protected wizard robe a firm pat on the shoulder, leaving it undamaged.
The force of the pat was surprisingly strong, revealing the depth of her shock and admiration.
"Jieming, you little... you've truly surprised me," Viola said, her voice tinged with an awe she herself seemed unaware of. Her gaze lingered on him, complex and appraising, as if she were seeing her junior brother for the first time.
"To have reached this level... soon, I won't be able to guide you anymore."
Jieming smiled faintly and shook his head, the fatigue vanishing from his face. "It's all thanks to studying the lava giants a bit more beforehand. I'm glad it came in handy."
Viola's admiration deepened. She clapped Jieming on the shoulder, gesturing toward the spoils of war. "Regardless, your performance today has earned you considerable military merit. Now, it's time to divide the spoils. We'll discuss the rest back at base."
The wizard world's emphasis on rationality and order meant that even the distribution of war spoils—a matter prone to conflict—was managed through a rigorous system.
The magic net terminal Jieming received upon registration wasn't just for receiving orders and communicating with comrades; it was also an authoritative system that automatically recorded each individual's contributions.
The intensity of each wizard's spells, the number and tier of enemies they killed, the effectiveness of their support spells, and even the value of captured prisoners were automatically recognized by the magic net and converted into "merit points."
The distribution of spoils was also based on this contribution data recorded by the magic net terminal.
"The fourth-tier lava giant commander and those few third-tier lava giants naturally belong to Master Viola and the second-tier wizards who provided support," a second-tier wizard responsible for tallying the spoils reported respectfully to Viola.
These high-tier prisoners and corpses, even as raw materials, were highly valuable resources. Given the lava giants' unique properties, such high-tier specimens were coveted biological materials for every wizard.
The distinction between third-tier and fourth-tier lava giants was now irrelevant; their primary concern was the allocation of the remaining massive numbers of second-tier and first-tier lava giants.
For low-rank wizards, these living captives and intact corpses were the most valuable currency on the battlefield.
"Jieming's contributions have been outstanding," Viola declared without hesitation. "Based on his share of the merit, he should receive the majority of the second-tier lava giants and a portion of the first-tier ones."
Though the surrounding low-rank wizards couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment, they voiced no objections.
After all, Jieming's contributions were undeniable. His miraculous "human fortress" support had earned him a share of the spoils far exceeding what he would normally receive in such a battle.
More importantly, it was clear to anyone with eyes that he shared a close relationship with Viola, the third-tier wizard. Their conversations hinted at an unusual intimacy.
Given Viola's deep connections within the Noren Workshop, no one dared to covet Jieming's merits and risk incurring her wrath.
Thus, Jieming effortlessly claimed the largest share of the spoils, including the healthiest dozen second-tier lava giants and a massive pile of first-tier lava giant corpses for his continued research.
After Jieming retrieved his share of the spoils into his space expansion pouch, he noticed the remaining wizards immediately erupted into a heated debate over the distribution of the remaining second-tier and first-tier lava giants, both living and dead.
"I killed a second-tier lava giant myself," a first-tier wizard argued, "my combat contribution should be at least 5% higher than his!"
"But I suppressed dozens of first-tier giants on the other flank!" a second-tier wizard retorted. "My support contribution should translate into a larger share of the captives! Besides, my spell consumption was far greater than yours!"
"Bullshit! What support? If I hadn't been holding the line, you wouldn't have been able to cast a second spell!"
Though no blows were exchanged, the venomous words, mocking tones, and the barely suppressed sparks in their eyes betrayed their true feelings.
Their argument, which began with calculating combat merit points and dividing the spoils, quickly devolved into mutual accusations and criticisms of each other's performance in battle. As the debate intensified, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense and rigid.
(End of the Chapter)
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