It was called the Great Splitting Technique, but the Ray was minuscule.

This was a trade-off Rorschach made for faster Casting—a way to win the charging phase of a duel without unleashing his full power as he had before. Fortunately, the Anti-Magic and Decompose effects were still outstanding, piercing the sword and the chest of the Full-Armor Warrior without any resistance.

Simplifying the Casting steps is a necessity on the battlefield, and restraint is a form of mercy.

The white light on the sword collapsed, and the Great Sword shattered along with it. Next came the warrior’s breastplate, followed by the Power Furnace made of pure Mithril, which the Magic blasted into dust.

The warrior’s heart was broken. A fine, silvery-white and bright blue powder erupted, spraying across the arena. Struck by the Ether shock, its body began to malfunction and disintegrate. The chest and abdominal armor crumbled into small pieces under the "Decompose" effect, while its limbs and head retained their original shape, bursting open along with internal mechanical structures like springs and crankshafts.

If Rorschach had been given enough time to cast, one shot could have turned the entire Alchemy Puppet into dust. However, watching it crumble from the center outwards was quite artistic in its own way.

"Aaaah—"

"No!!!"

The hearts of the guys from the Alchemy Department were also broken. Even the other, intact Full-Armor Warrior seemed to share their pain, falling to its knees in utter despair.

The barrier space had, of course, vanished. With tears in their eyes, the guys from the Alchemy Department walked up to the warrior’s remains, cupping the dust of Mithril and Fine Steel fragments in their hands.

The three-stringed lute from the banquet was brought out again, only this time it was used to play an incredibly sorrowful dirge.

The only one who was thrilled was Andre. He clapped and exclaimed, "You’re amazing, Teacher!" The good student successfully drew the ire of every member of the Alchemy Department.

’Andre, can’t you learn to read the room...’ Rorschach deactivated his Floating Skill and slowly descended to the ground. He walked up to the remains. "Um... it can be melted down and reforged, right?"

Snow was still relatively calm. He began Casting, and all the fragments gathered together, glowing red-hot before finally melting into a large, mottled, grayish-black lump of metal.

He frowned slightly, certain that the metal sphere before him was now mostly iron. A large amount of the Mithril had vanished into thin air, perhaps dispersed into the air as fine dust, impossible to recover.

’The loss is incalculable... My heart is bleeding!’

"It’ll have to be re-refined and reclaimed first. Rorschach Mage, you didn’t aim for the Power Furnace on purpose, did you? It was made of pure Mithril, worth... ah, never mind. We’re the ones who asked this of you. Rorschach Mage, congratulations on your victory."

The Alchemy Department had finally gotten what they’d asked for, but would these guys be defeated so easily? Rorschach was dragged into testing methods to resist this powerful Decomposition Skill. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Nested combinations of various Shield Skills.

ZZZZT— No good.

Armor made of other materials, even ceramic or everwood.

ZZZZT— Still no good.

Finally, a young genius designed a layered structure with an inlay of Dulled Transmuting Dust. When Rorschach’s Decomposition Skill pierced the surface, the Transmuting Dust would activate, and the two energies would annihilate each other.

’Is this what you’d call Reactive Armor?’

"I really... can’t cast any more!" Rorschach was exhausted from the ordeal. This Magic wasn’t something he could just cast at will. Although he had controlled his Mana Consumption, and all subsequent attempts were with Rorschach’s Small Dissociation Technique, the Magic was a triple combination of "Split," "Reversal," and "Exile." It severely drained Rorschach’s stamina, and he even felt a Soul-deep fatigue.

Fortunately, the guys were finally more or less satisfied with the "Reactive Armor’s" effect. Of course, installing it on a small-frame body was unrealistic; it could only be integrated into the surface structure of an 18-meter-tall behemoth.

"We also need to consider aerial combat... I noticed Rorschach Mage took off using a Feather Fall Skill Enchantment, pushing against the air for reverse thrust." Master Snow was indeed a careful observer of the battle, even remembering how Rorschach cast his spell to create distance.

And so, propulsion units and a Floating Magic Circuit were added to the blueprints for the 18-meter model. Flying was likely impossible, but according to the guys’ calculations, a super jump would be no problem.

’So are you guys planning to fight kaiju or something?’ Rorschach silently grumbled to himself while drinking a Purple Potion.

"If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back," Rorschach said, but the other members were already lost in their grand plans, paying him no mind at all.

Rorschach could only call over Andre and get on the small boat himself.

"Is it okay for us to just leave like this, Teacher?"

"You should be more worried about us capsizing. Let your teacher take a look." Rorschach gripped the rudder and channeled Magic Power into the Magic Array.

With a ROAR, a spray of water shot out from the speedboat’s stern, and the two of them sped off toward Valuva City.

...

「Earlier that evening.」

Pascal attended a Royal Palace luncheon on behalf of Master Kano. He was already well-accustomed to such occasions; over the past six months, as Kano became increasingly busy, Pascal had been representing his mentor more and more often.

After becoming an Official Mage, Pascal spent less and less time in the laboratory, gradually taking on the duties of his Master’s "secretary."

That night, there was a club meeting.

"Sorry I’m late." Pascal rushed in, but as he pushed the door open, he realized something was wrong. Everyone was dressed in black, their faces grim.

Pascal was startled. "What’s going on?"

"Thor, you missed the last meeting. We’re going to the cemetery to pay our respects to Mr. Meixie." Floran was wearing his finest formal suit and had made sure it didn’t smell of fish.

Pascal was a little reluctant to go. He had only heard of Mr. Meixie in passing, but since everyone else was ready to attend, he had no choice but to follow along.

"If you’re going to attend, you’ll need to wear more somber attire," someone reminded Pascal.

"I understand. My home is nearby, please wait for me."

Pascal didn’t own a dark formal suit. He simply took out the outfit he wore to the Royal Palace from his Storage Bag and began to cast Magic. He kept shaking the clothes, and with each shake, the color deepened until it was completely black.

And so, a Thor who blended in perfectly with the club members appeared. He walked with everyone else toward the cemetery.

Mr. Meixie, like the club’s leader Maxim, was a lawyer. In fact, many of the activists throughout Valuva were lawyers.

This was no coincidence. On one hand, they had opportunities to enter the courts and the Royal Palace to petition and communicate with the great lords, making them "members of high society" with one foot in the establishment. On the other hand, progressive and just lawyers were willing to defend the weak. They were exposed to a wide cross-section of society and could easily become trusted public opinion leaders.

In this era without "Twitter," lawyers were still active "posters." They were keen on publishing court briefings, allowing even the drunks in taverns to get a glimpse of how the Kingdom’s power operated and sparking the public’s "passion" for such matters.

In the Valuva Suburbs, three poor farmers were accused by a Manor Lord of stealing and killing a cow from his manor. Without any evidence, the court in the Royal Capital hastily found them guilty.

Meixie was a local judge with a strong sense of professional ethics and justice. When he saw the case file, he immediately realized it was a miscarriage of justice and volunteered to defend the three poor souls. The case drew the attention of the citizens of the Royal Capital, who saw it as a classic example of the common folk being oppressed.

The Royal Supreme Court, under pressure, overturned the verdict and cleared the three farmers’ names. However, Mr. Meixie, who had earned immense prestige from the case, was found dead in his home a few days ago.

This was the day of the respected gentleman’s burial. Maxim delivered the eulogy with a grave expression: "Ladies, gentlemen, citizens. Although as a defender of law and justice, I should not be presumptuous, my reason and strong emotions will not allow me to deceive myself. I must publicly declare to you all:

"Mr. Meixie died as a result of a conspiracy by evil forces!"