Elysia in Another World (Part 2)

Ch34: Acting Strange P1

Chapter 34: Acting Strange P1
~34.1~
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"Is everyone ready?" asked a middle-aged man standing atop a rampart. He received a round of confirmations and turned to a blonde girl standing next to the edge, looking out at the army stationed before them. "Can you really pull this off?"

The girl looked at him and nodded.

Does he really think I'm going to just kill tens of thousands of people? Emperor Aristide, you have a foolishly loyal soldier in command. I feel as though I should both praise and scold him at the same time.

"It's not a question of can I. It's a question of how much death are you ready to accept. I can kill every single soldier on their side with one big spell. But is that really the answer here? Can the emperor accept victory like that?"

I just want to go back to the academy. But I also feel a responsibility to use my power appropriately. Why does this feel so familiar?

"What alternative is there? Their forces outnumber us hundreds to one."

It was true. Standing before the gate they meant to defend, which was the only way to safely move anything across the mountain range for hundreds of miles, stood an army numbering in the tens of thousands.

She shook her head. "I can go down there and fight. I can destroy their weapons and knock them unconscious. However, that would also require a lot of manpower to deal with them after rendering them unfit for battle. I can also take down their command structure." She looked back at the massive army. "The emperor sent me here to make sure this gate does not fall. It won't fall. How do you want me to accomplish that?"

Please don't pick the bad option.

The commander grimaced, but ultimately shook his head. "Use your large-scale magic. We don't have the manpower to manage anywhere near that many people after battle."

Of course.

The blonde sighed and held her left hand out toward the enemy. "I imagine this is going to spark an even bigger conflict, though. Are you absolutely certain? I'm going to aim at their command, rather than eliminate the entire army."

"Do it, Lady Arbell. The empire is justified in defending its borders."

"Very well." Four orbs of aether formed around her and she poured an immense amount of power into them. Soon, they pulsated.

"What is that magic?" asked one of the nearby soldiers.

A mage added, "What in the world have you gone through to be able to force so much mana into not only one small space, but four?"

"It doesn't matter," she said. With her right hand, she began channeling aether for another spell.

"And you're preparing mana for another spell while managing this?" The mage narrowed his eyes as he examined the pulsating balls of aether. "Wait no, that's not mana, that's aether. This is leagues above what I thought it was. Nobody can wield aether like that. Just what are you?"

I wonder about that myself.

"I am merely a student at the Aristide Academy." Elise flicked her left wrist, and the orbs rocketed forward. "<<Detonation>>." The four orbs slowly closed in on each other as they approached the command group of the enemy army, then they rocketed upward before exploding violently. "<<Divine Aegis>>." A barrier quickly formed to protect the gate from the explosion which eclipsed the sky. Once it faded, the barrier was revealed to have provided cover for the entire enemy army as well.