A Clash Beyond Human Limits

"...Did it hit?"

Above the river, Grant stared down at the water's surface. Yet just as he had expected, the threads of light quickly vanished into the water, and he saw no blood rising to the surface.

That meant the previous strike had missed.

Then, the endlessly flowing river suddenly changed. Layer upon layer of diamond-shaped ice spread like waves, nearly freezing the entire river. The rapidly plunging temperature coated the mountain walls on both sides with white frost in the blink of an eye, and Norman River Valley seemed to have fallen into an ice age.

Seeing this, Grant narrowed his eyes, his expression turning grave.

That was the power that shattered the Royal Capital's barrier...

He suddenly flew higher, ascending into the broader sky. It was as though countless convex lenses had appeared in midair, gathering the falling sunlight and concentrating it at his fingertips. Waves of magical fluctuations radiated from Grant one after another, like the tolling of mighty bells.

As the light gathered, a golden rune appeared at Grant's fingertips.

He aimed that rune at the river below, which had already frozen solid.

"Come out!" His voice echoed through the entire valley. "Let me see exactly where you surpass me in Claude's eyes."

What answered him was a rolling, thunderous roar.

After freezing over, the river suddenly began to shake violently, as though an earthquake had erupted beneath the valley. Then the entire world began to tremble with it. The terrifying force nearly surpassed the limits of what ordinary mages could achieve, as if a god of the earth were roaring in fury!

Amid the earth-shaking upheaval, the entire frozen river suddenly rose from the ground!

"M-My god, what is that..."

Several kilometers away, the commander had still been staring wide-eyed at his soldiers, unsure what