Battlefield Mine - 2

No answer can be given.

The notorious mining site lies right in the heart of the combat zone, with fierce battles raging daily just in front of its widest entrance.

The kingdom was the first to strike.

They likely exploited their first-mover advantage to dig a passage toward the mine.

This mining site has several entrances, like an ant nest.

However, most of them are now battlefields.

It seems the kingdom has secured some of the entrances.

Expand from there and penetrate into the interior.

Of course, the tunnels dug by the kingdom's side are heavily guarded.

Attempting to force entry into the mining site's interior will inevitably lead to fierce combat.

Yet we can't afford to stand idle forever. Waiting until damage spreads will be too late.

Even if we charged forward with full defenses activated, what then?

We don't know the interior's detailed structure.

The more flamboyant the intrusion, the more soldiers will likely come chasing after us.

We might end up fighting Neumann. It's impossible to fight Neumann while also dealing with other soldiers.

A large-scale attack is out of the question. We don't want any unnecessary casualties.

What should we do?

"There's a saying: 'To hide a tree, go into the forest.' If you want to divert attention from yourself, isn't it better to draw attention to yourself?"

Alek's suggestion was extremely clear.

I understand the logic, but what exactly should I do to draw people's attention?

All eyes are on me.

"Drawing attention is your specialty, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone who stands out as much as you do."

"How about trying to grow really big?"

I can do whatever I want.

After a brief protest, I decide to seriously think about how to truly capture people's attention.

Something that people can't help but look at, and something I could actually do in this battlefield

Immediately, rainbows and fireworks come to mind. Rainbows do exist in this world, and in this battlefield where flames fly everywhere, colored fire isn't particularly rare.

It has to be something unfamiliar. Something not ordinary...

That's right—myself.

The people here were amazed by me flying through the air.

So if I made my own appearance even more bizarre... maybe I could capture their attention.

If I can properly use light and water vapor...

I immediately asked everyone for help and got straight to preparations.

I conducted a preliminary experiment with simple setup. The experiment was a success.

Now all that's left is to make it as large as possible.

With Noel and Coil's help, I began preparing to scale it up.

That day had been damp since morning.

Unusually, fog had also appeared.

The soldiers from both countries had been gloomy ever since morning.

According to those who had been on night duty, it was unbearable to have to fight on a day so damp and oppressive—apparently, fog had begun to rise from dawn.

Yet, there was warmth from the sun.

Once heated by the morning light, it would surely vanish soon.

The royal soldiers on watch at the quarry felt the same way.

But the fog did not clear; instead, it began to drift irregularly.

Everyone present sensed an unusual atmosphere and glanced around, but saw nothing particularly strange.

The fog began to surge more vigorously, forming a wall-like shape.

As everyone stared in confusion, the fog unexpectedly started shifting and deforming.

A human figure.

The strange flying humanoid they had been seeing lately in the sky.

Overwhelmed by the shock, none of the royal soldiers noticed the imperial soldiers, who were equally stunned.

The giant before me is said to be the only known magician confirmed in the modern era. His power is said to rival that of an entire nation.

Such a powerful and unknown entity had grown to an unimaginable size, beyond anything a human could conceive.

Kōkokuhei had, without realizing it, developed an immense fear of the mage.

Somewhere deep inside, he had already come to understand it. It wasn't unreasonable that the mage had grown so large. He had thought it effortless, this kind of power. No matter how hard he struggled, he would never win—this thought had taken root.

Eventually, the massive mage raised one arm high into the sky and brought it down, and lightning followed the motion of his arm.

Explosions erupted at the impact site, and trees burst into flames.

Though just a single, flashy spell, it was more than enough to shake every human present to their core.

The giant soon twisted out of shape, dissolving back into thick mist that spread around the area.

An incomprehensible fog approached. The humans present screamed in panic and scattered in all directions.

The kingdom soldiers, focused solely on fleeing, left the entrance to the mine dangerously exposed. In the brief moment the dense fog obscured vision, two shadows slipped inside.

The royal soldiers on guard were so preoccupied with saving themselves that they failed to notice.

The thick fog soon cleared, vision returned, and behind them remained the usual clear sky.

Indeed, well-trained royal soldiers.

They quickly returned to their posts and began preparing for the next defense.

Yet their faces were filled with despair.

"Success!"

"Yeah, it's a bit excessive... but what's the principle behind it?"

"It's simple. I temporarily generated fog to serve as a smoke screen and a wall. Have you ever heard of a mirage?"

"Yeah, I see those often in summer. Things far away appear larger than they actually are."

"That's right. I did something similar. Specifically, I collected light reflected from me and bent it further to magnify it. Well, if you look closely, there are plenty of rough spots, though."

"It doesn't feel like something very simple at all..."

I deceived the royal soldiers guarding the entrance to the mining site, using the illusion I created and flashy lightning, hiding their sight with the mist, and jumped into the mine alongside Alex.

Noel and Coil had been moving around to generate the illusion. They're probably preparing for emergencies in the imperial territory by now.

Inside the mine, there was only faint light, barely touched by human hands.

It's clear that the war started during the development process.

Yet, aside from unfinished structures, there are no insects, and nothing particularly noteworthy as we venture deeper.

"Wait!"

I slam on the brakes abruptly, prompted by Alex's shout.

Suddenly, a large axe swings down right in front of my eyes.