Chapter 358: Perfect Protection

When the same spell circuit was strung together and triggered eighteen times in succession, the spell ignited—only to detonate at once before Wang Yu and Avia in a blinding flash of light. A thunderous roar followed. Almost inevitably, this untested, unprecedented structure collapsed in a maelstrom of chaotic mana.

“Ah, sorry,” Avia said sheepishly, dismissing the shielding spell that she had reflexively applied for protection. She stuck out her tongue. “I forgot why no one ever tried out such a design: it was sure to collapse, no matter how refined the hypermagic. But, Wang Yu, you…”

She had been too swept up in her excitement. Eighteen identical circuits chained together was indeed a brand-new design, but in the framework of magic she knew, it was sure to yield nothing but a violent breakdown.

Wang Yu only chuckled. “It’s nothing. Anyone who beholds this new Spellweaver’s Tome is bound to be carried away. It’s amazing. If you can keep pushing the frontiers of magic, this tome might truly become a miracle that can weave magic itself.”

His smile deepened. “Besides, I now understand the strange change I sensed in my body after training with Astartes. I know where it came from now.”

Naturally, Wang Yu didn’t mind the mishap. Failure laid the groundwork for success, after all.

Furthermore, the explosion hadn’t released its full fury. Wang Yu’s reflexes had been swifter than Avia’s—swifter than even her instinctive shield. By the time the spell model collapsed, he had already moved to her side.

He thrust out his hand, his fingers clenched. The torrent of chaotic mana froze, locked into a sphere that hung quivering in the air before Avia’s face. It had released light and noise, but no further destruction: Wang Yu had seized it tight and bound it with the power of the Chariot.

“As I suspected,” he murmured, eyes bright. “Now that my body has crossed a certain threshold, I’ve become able to grasp mana with the power of the Chariot.

“The sensation I felt earlier had to be a sign of the breakthrough. It’s lucky that I was able to figure out just what changed so quickly.

The realization pleased him. With a flick of his wrist, he tore the unstable mass apart. The light, heat, and force unraveled and vanished, powerless against his grip.

“So you can forcefully command raw mana itself?” Avia’s eyes widened in wonder. “Can you shape spells with it? Try the simplest spell, the Arcane Missile!”

When Avia saw Wang Yu seize the chaotic torrent of mana in his hand, she immediately guessed at the changes that had occurred within his body. Her curiosity mingled with excitement as he confirmed her suspicions.

“Uh, I don’t think I can,” Wang Yu replied. “I can force mana into the circuits, but I can’t activate them.”

Following Avia’s instructions, he tried assembling the mana into the framework of a low-tier spell. The structure took shape, but no effect resulted. The spell circuit existed, but it was inert without any practical function.

Avia sighed softly. “Just as I feared. Even if you can influence mana, its fundamental nature doesn’t change. Only when mana transitions from inert to active can it manifest its unique effects. You can shape it, but you lack the trigger to activate it.”

She approached and gently patted Wang Yu’s head. Despite the cascade of good news that day—his growing mastery of the Chariot’s power, and the creation of the enhanced Spellweaver’s Tome prototype—a small disappointment lingered.

“It’s fine,” Wang Yu replied, fingers resting against his chin. “It’s normal. Using mental energy and mana vortices to activate magic requires innate talent as a magician, after all. We might not fully understand those principles yet, but I can use the Chariot’s power for other things.”

He took a deep breath and reclaimed the Spellweaver’s Tome from her.

He decided not to let Avia rename it—he already had enough items with “flashy” names in his possession. For one, the alchemical revolver by his side was the Conqueror. Spellweaver’s Tome sounded classy, elegant, and succinct.

Flipping to the second page, Wang Yu released his mental energy as he tapped the circuits there in order. Twelve circuits aligned into the model for a defensive second-tier spell: Shield of Flowing Air.

Rather than draw from the Tome’s internal power supply, he extended the Chariot’s strength outward in all directions. The mana in the surrounding space was sucked toward him like water into a vortex and forced into the Tome to power the twelve-circuit spell.

Air surged and hardened under the influence of mana. A tangible, spinning barrier formed around his body. It wasn’t particularly strong, but it supplied more physical resistance than a typical mana shield. It also specialized in deflecting projectiles.

Avia moved with perfect timing, casting a second-tier offensive spell at the barrier: a barrage of basalt daggers.

The projectiles struck the shield and shattered into fragments that ricocheted across the room. Ordinary air shields simply deflected projectiles; this one crushed them outright.

The translucent white layer of air that cloaked Wang Yu was more substantial than a normal air shield, with a corresponding increase in defensive capacity.

“I might not be able to conjure spells on my own,” Wang Yu noted, “but I can draw mana from the environment to charge the Spellweaver’s Tome. The mana requirement should be much lower as a result. And this is one of hypermagic’s effects too, right?”

He channeled the Chariot’s power into the spherical shield of air, ripping it apart in an instant. From now on, any mana shield meant to obstruct him could be shredded in the same way.

“Precisely,” Avia agreed. “The surplus mana you add to a spell can amplify its strength. Even if the second page of the Spellweaver’s Tome only consists of second-tier spells, they’ll still have considerable power if you charge them up first.”

Mental energy flowed into the Spellweaver’s Tome as Wang Yu rapidly constructed a spell from memory. The power of the Chariot channeled ambient mana into the tome, while the excess bolstered the spell’s effects.

Lightning flashed. A spear of crackling energy began to take shape in his hand. The second-tier spell model strained under the infusion of excess mana, causing arcs of electricity to crackle outward and dance along his arm. The tingling was inconsequential to his fortified body.

“This spell’s potency rivals fourth-tier magic,” Avia concluded admiringly. “If your mastery of hypermagic continues to grow, even an eighth-tier Arcane Missile might be impossible—though it would need to be the size of a mountain.”

Wang Yu grinned. “Excellent. I’ll be able to cast spells with the help of the Spellweaver’s Tome, and I can even combine these magitech chips to create modular spells for attack, defense, and support, without any of the original limitations. This is amazing.”

He squeezed the Lightning Lance in his hand, reveling in Avia’s triumph. He continued experimenting, constructing a variety of spells with the Spellweaver’s Tome.

It wasn’t a delicate prototype like the original had been. After all, this enhanced prototype had been forged with the full breadth of Skyborne City’s materials and machinery. It was built to be sturdy and reliable.

“This is a huge boon,” Wang Yu murmured. “And I already know how to protect it effectively in battle.”

The Spellweaver’s Tome—and his regained access to magic—would be invaluable in battle. Despite the fact that he was already a grand knight, even access to the simplest spells could grant him strength inaccessible by other means.

Satisfied, he set the Tome on the table, fully aware of its potential. Its durability had improved due to the superior materials used in its design, though it might still take serious damage in intense melee combat. Fortunately, Wang Yu had a solution in mind.

“Are you going to use the Hammer of Fusion?”

Avia nodded knowingly.

“That’s right.”

Wang Yu placed his starsteel blade on the table beside the Tome.

The Hammer of Fusion could fuse two inanimate objects together, allowing him to switch between them instantly. Originally, he had considered merging the Conqueror with his starsteel blade for versatility in combat, only to realize that the effect would be offensively underwhelming.

After all, by linking the two objects together in such fashion, only one could be wielded at any one time.

On the other hand, defensively, the fusion would be brilliant. While one weapon was in use, the other would be invulnerable.

Wang Yu’s starsteel blade was the strongest material he possessed. He hadn’t been able to affect it with any known force besides that of the Chariot. It originated from beyond the dissociation layer, meaning that it was able to survive even the dissociation layer’s extreme conditions.

By fusing the Spellweaver’s Tome with his starsteel blade, he would be able to absorb any damage with the blade while leaving the Tome untouched, a nearly perfect combination.

The Hammer of Fusion had a five-year cooldown period. Perhaps Wang Yu would be able to find an even superior combination in the future, but given the circumstances, he had made up his mind. He needed to consolidate his current power, and he believed in the potential of the Spellweaver’s Tome.

“Let me refine the Tome further first,” Avia said, taking it from the table. “Two weeks should allow me to enhance its hypermagic abilities and embed all foundational third-tier circuits into it, too.”

Trying to upgrade the Spellweaver’s Tome after the fusion would be significantly more complicated.

“Thank you,” Wang Yu replied, pressing his hands together and bowing in an expression of gratitude unique to the two of them.

A knock sounded on the laboratory door. Wang Yu had already sensed the newcomers. He opened it to find Sieg and Noelle, the latter of which was carrying a large framed object.

“I knew you’d come this way,” Sieg said, placing the frame down on the table. “Avia’s Spellweaver’s Tome worked, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Wang Yu replied, eyes widening. “And the result exceeded expectations. Is this… a map of the Endless Sea?”

Sieg nodded. “I compared recent maps from Skyborne City and the Midnight Library against historical charts. I’ve found a viable route onward.”

He unfurled the massive fabric chart across the table. On it was marked a long maritime path leading to the legendary kingdom of dragons, an island once thought lost to the vast reaches of the Endless Sea.

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