The next day, at the underground testing facility of Cassell College's Equipment Department.
Director Akadulla and the researchers behind him rubbed their hands in anticipation. "At last," Akadulla said, rubbing his hands together like an excited fly, "the day has finally come to test an S-Rank Word Spirit."
"Mingfei," Professor Guderian's voice came from the observation room, "you don't need to be nervous. This is only a basic test. The Equipment Department will maintain strict safety controls..."
"S-Rank!" Director Akadulla snatched the microphone. "Let's begin. Use your Word Spirit."
Lu Mingfei raised his right hand. Golden light emerged from thin air, and ripples flowed across a regular hexagonal screen of light beneath the lamps.
"Does it only defend in one direction?" Schneider asked through the glass.
"I can make more and combine them however I want, but nothing too complicated. My brainpower's limited," Lu Mingfei said.
As he spoke, the golden glow spread, forming multiple overlapping planes around him. A golden cube enclosed him.
Guderian slapped his thigh in excitement. "Good! Wonderful!"
"Begin the first test." Director Akadulla pressed the intercom button. "Mechanical arm one, Diamond Probe. Advance under constant force."
"Force set to... 1,000 newtons," Deputy Director Carl said.
"Too conservative!" Director Akadulla waved his hand. "Go straight to 5,000 newtons!"
"Director, safety-"
"The S-Rank will be fine. I believe in him!"
The mechanical arm advanced slowly until the Diamond Probe touched the surface of the golden screen.
Then the force increased sharply. Lu Mingfei felt a faint sensation, as though someone had gently poked his forehead with a finger. Slight ripples appeared on the barrier's surface, spreading outward from the point of contact.
The mechanical arm's motor hummed with electric current, but the probe did not budge.
"Increase the force to 10,000 newtons." Director Akadulla's voice grew excited. That was already a ton of force.
"20,000 newtons!"
"Maximum output, 70,000 newtons!"
"The connecting rod snapped!"
The observation room erupted.
"This light membrane isn't a repulsion field!" one researcher said. "It's a hardened layer! A solid, hardened structure!"
"Localized pressure at the contact point is approaching 100 GPa! The material is fluorescing under compression!"
Director Akadulla slapped the control console. "I knew it! I knew an S-Rank would be extraordinary! Ballistic testing! Begin ballistic testing immediately!"
The ballistics laboratory was one level below the testing floor, with energy-absorbing material covering all four walls. A fixed firing station stood in the middle, facing an enclosure of bulletproof glass. Lu Mingfei stood inside, with the aiming point set thirty centimeters to the left of his body.
"We'll increase the energy in stages," Akadulla announced into the microphone. "Everyone, put on your ear protection. S-Rank, activate your defenses."
Lu Mingfei nodded and spread a two-meter-wide force field in front of himself.
"First shot. Frigg Tranquilizer Round, kinetic energy 500 joules."
The automated weapon system behind the firing station gave a quiet report, sending a red projectile out of the barrel. The high-speed cameras' shutters rattled continuously, capturing every instant of its flight.
The projectile struck the golden barrier, raising a slight ripple across its surface like a pebble dropped into water. Then the bullet crumpled into a lump and fell straight down.
"Second shot. 7.62×51mm NATO full metal jacket round, kinetic energy 3.5 kilojoules."
The copper-jacketed bullet flew out at twice the speed of sound. The impact rang out sharply, like two pieces of metal striking each other.
"Third shot. .50 BMG armor-piercing round, kinetic energy 18 kilojoules."
The more powerful bullet became a flattened lump of scrap metal the instant it touched the screen, then ricocheted away.
"Fourth shot. 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon round, kinetic energy 60 kilojoules."
An explosive flash bloomed beside Lu Mingfei, but the golden barrier remained rock steady.
"Fifth shot." Akadulla's voice suddenly dropped. "GAU-8 Avenger, 30mm depleted-uranium armor-piercing round. Kinetic energy approximately 200 kilojoules."
The GAU-8 Avenger-the seven-barrel Gatling cannon of the A-10 Attack Aircraft. This was the most powerful ammunition the Equipment Department had in this testing facility. The recoil from a single shot exceeded four tons; if it could fire continuously backward, the recoil could propel the A-10 Attack Aircraft into the air.
"Director," Manstein's voice finally interrupted, "isn't this a little too-"
"Safe," Director Akadulla cut him off without turning around. "Everyone, put on protective goggles. You too, Lu Mingfei. The bullet will produce an intense flash when it hits the defensive layer."
The depleted-uranium armor-piercing round struck the golden barrier at more than three times the speed of sound, releasing a blinding white flash on contact. The shell's remains scattered in every direction at supersonic speed, scouring everything in their path like a sandblaster before embedding themselves in the bulletproof glass thirty meters behind him. The entire testing facility shook and hummed.
"A hundred rounds! Continuous fire! Use up all the depleted-uranium armor-piercing rounds!"
"Director! Won't that-"
"Shut up! This is for science!"
"Our observation window is going to shatter!"
Ratatatatatat-
The gunfire became one continuous roar. Flames spat from the muzzle, and spent casings rained onto the floor with a metallic clatter.
The deflected depleted-uranium rounds ricocheted wildly around the enclosed testing facility like a swarm of enraged hornets. They struck the ceiling, walls, floor, and support columns, each impact throwing off sparks and leaving deep craters. The observation window, made from five layers of bulletproof glass, was shattering layer by layer.
Professor Guderian clutched his head in both hands, muttering things like "I haven't gotten tenure yet" and "I don't want to die in the Equipment Department's testing facility."
When the firing stopped, smoke swirled through the testing facility, filling it with toxic gas. The golden barrier enclosed Lu Mingfei, carving out a pocket of clean space.
"Ventilate the room, now!"
The ventilation ducts hummed as fresh air poured in, allowing the people in the observation room to see again.
"Unprecedented."
"Incredible." Professor Schneider's breathing grew heavier beneath his mask.
"What Word Spirit is this? Realm of Dust couldn't possibly provide this level of defense! Realm of Dust is a repulsion field. This is a hardened layer! The mechanisms are completely different!"
"No, during the Day of Freedom, the S-Rank sent Blondie and the Black Dog flying! This barrier also has the properties of a repulsion field!"
The Equipment Department's researchers had gone mad.
"S-Rank... my student, my S-Rank student..."
Zero stood in a corner. A glimmer flashed in her eyes, but quickly faded. She tilted her head, looking a little confused.
"The art of explosions!"
When Director Akadulla shouted those words, the entire Equipment Department boiled over with excitement.
The explosive weapons testing chamber was at the very bottom of the facility, a spherical space thirty meters in diameter. Its walls consisted of reinforced concrete two meters thick and an alchemically reinforced layer.
The chamber was normally used only to test the highest-grade explosives. Today, it welcomed an even more distinguished guest.
Lu Mingfei was required to put on a bulky bomb suit, and an armor plate was erected in front of him.
Every researcher in the Equipment Department leaned over the control consoles like a horde of zombies, staring at the boy in the center of the blast chamber with bloodshot eyes.
"This is a safety measure," Director Akadulla explained regretfully. "Although I trust your Word Spirit, procedure requires us to provide physical protection. Please understand."
"Ready?" The director pulled out a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, his face flushed with excitement. "RPG!"
Boom!
The instant the rocket struck the golden barrier, a massive fireball erupted in the center of the chamber. The shock wave spread outward, struck the surrounding concrete walls, and rebounded in wave after wave.
The flames cleared.
On the monitor, Lu Mingfei stood where he had been, the golden barrier undamaged and the armor plate before him as pristine as new.
"He's mocking us! He yawned! He's mocking the great art of explosions!"
The Equipment Department's researchers shouted, "Bring out the C4!"
Professor Manstein frowned. "What about safety?"
"Don't worry!" Director Akadulla waved his hand. "Look at that armor plate. One hundred and fifty millimeters of depleted-uranium ceramic composite armor, enhanced with alchemy. It can withstand twenty kilograms of C4 from one meter away without any trouble. We promise never to use an explosive yield beyond the protection limit."
He paused, then added, "Today."
Manstein wanted to say more, but when he saw the anticipation in Professor Schneider's eyes, he swallowed his words.
The researchers looked at Lu Mingfei with reverence as they carefully installed three five-kilogram blocks of C4 in front of him.
The entire platform slowly rose into the air, surrounded by hydraulic shock absorbers.
"Detonate!"
Sound vanished, replaced by a dull vibration. Lu Mingfei felt as though an invisible giant hand had gripped him, squeezing him from every direction at once. Under the impact, the golden barrier's surface developed unprecedented optical distortions that rippled like waves.
The exhaust fans drew away the smoke, and Akadulla let out a long sigh over the communications channel.
"We really have reached the limit of this facility's safety measures." He took off his goggles. "We can't test the upper limit of the S-Rank's defenses here. I estimate that he could withstand a direct hit from a 155mm howitzer. That's defense on the level of a Third-Generation Dragon."
"A Third-Generation Dragon?" Manstein repeated, his voice a little tight.
"More or less," Director Akadulla stressed. "Possibly higher."
As Lu Mingfei stepped down from the platform, his stomach gave a loud growl.
"I'm a little hungry," Lu Mingfei said, taking off the bomb suit.
"Hungry?" A researcher's eyes widened. "He used his Word Spirit for that long, withstood cannon fire, depleted-uranium rounds, and C4, and all he feels is hungry?"
"Intensive Word Spirit use should place a heavy burden on the body," Professor Schneider said, frowning as well. "How are you still in such stable condition?"
"Terrifying," Manstein said. "That kind of endurance is terrifying in itself."
Zero walked over to Lu Mingfei. "Come on. Let's get dinner."
Lu Mingfei and Zero turned to leave the testing facility, but Director Akadulla suddenly rushed over and shoved Zero aside.
A murderous chill surfaced in Zero's eyes as she stared at Director Akadulla's back. He noticed nothing, enthusiastically inviting Lu Mingfei to visit the Equipment Department again next week. He insisted that Lu Mingfei try the department's specially formulated energy-replenishing drink, and promised to upgrade the testing facility until it could measure up to an S-Rank's power.
His enthusiasm left Lu Mingfei at a loss. All he could do was nod. "O... okay."
Then the Equipment Department's staff crowded around Lu Mingfei and escorted him out of the testing facility, talking over each other as they asked all sorts of technical questions-"Can you stack your defenses?" "Can you control the barrier's shape?" "Have you tried attaching the barrier to a weapon?"...
Zero was pushed farther and farther away. She clenched her small fists and silently memorized every one of their damnable faces.