‘Thinking’
“Talking”
[Attack]
Act 5 (Part 10) – Tactical Synapses and the Herrscher’s Lecture
[ Location: Pocket Dimension ]
[ POV: Kiana Kaslana ]
I snapped my fingers a second time.
Dozens of golden spatial portals tore open directly above and around the four of them, instantly releasing the entire stored payload of missiles, plasma beams, and freezing ice dragons straight back at their faces!
Mei reacted instantaneously, constructing a massive, dome-shaped [Ice Wall] to encase all four of them.
Overhead, Herta layered a glowing, hexagonal [Magic Shield] atop Mei’s ice dome to reinforce the structural integrity.
Stephen channeled raw thermal energy to summon a roaring fire dome to incinerate incoming plasma, while Screwllum rapidly deployed mechanical defense pods that engulfed their positions entirely.
The apocalyptic counter bombardment raged for two full, brutal minutes.
Once the explosions finally subsided, I waved my hand, summoning a strong gust of wind to clear the thick haze.
Shattered magic barriers, broken pod plating, ice shards, and smoking missile fragments covered the scorched lotus plain surrounding a ten meter deep crater.
Inside the crater, all four of them were on their knees in rough shape.
Herta and Mei leaned against each other to stay upright, their bodies covered in bruises and their battle suits torn in multiple places from sharp shrapnel.
Stephen’s armor was completely shattered around his legs and chest, his helmet destroyed entirely; he struggled to stand before his legs buckled, though he managed to remain conscious.
Screwllum had lost an entire arm, with severe structural damage running across his head and torso.
Without a word of complaint, he calmly picked up his severed arm from the ground and reattached it to the socket with a metallic click.
I clapped my hands cheerfully.
“A solid effort surviving that payload!
Now…
ready for the next part of training?”
All four of them let out a collective, exhausted groan.
Tapping into the [ Gate of Finality ], I materialized three leather pouches filled with Senzu Beans for Stephen, Mei, and Herta.
For Screwllum, I summoned a specialized temporal pocket watch designed to instantly repair synthetic chassis and replenish core energy matrices.
The items floated gently down before them.
“Inside those pouches are restorative beans,” I explained smoothly.
“Eat one, and your physical condition will be completely restored to peak performance while replenishing your energy reserves.
After that, channel your Path energy back into your Soul Gems to repair your battle suits each pouch contains a thousand beans.” I turned toward Screwllum.
“Press the crown on that watch, Screwllum, and it will execute the exact same restorative protocol for your chassis.
It holds a thousand charges as well.”
They followed my instructions immediately.
Within seconds, full vitality surged back into their bodies, their battle suits repairing themselves in flashes of light until they looked as pristine as when the match began.
They climbed out of the crater, dusting themselves off.
“Ready for round two?”
Absolute silence answered me.
Completely ignoring my cheerful prompt, the four of them exchanged sharp, calculating glances.
Screwllum quickly fabricated four encrypted communication earpieces and handed them around.
They slipped them on instantly.
‘Looks like they don’t want me overhearing their strategy.
Too bad for them…’
I quietly activated the [ Authority of Corruption ], instantly hijacking their private frequency.
They remained completely unaware that their secure channel was wide open to me.
Mei’s voice came over the intercom first.
“Long range bombardment won’t work against her.
She was clearly taking it easy on us during that opening volley.”
Herta chimed in, her tone sharp and analytical.
“I can see that clearly.
So this is the reality of facing a true Herrscher.”
Stephen added, “We need to break her focus with a multi directional, mixed formation assault.”
Screwllum analyzed the tactical parameters.
“Miss Herta and Miss Mei should handle long range suppression.
Stephen and I will take the vanguard close quarters offensive.”
Stephen raised a fair point.
“How are we going to distract her long enough to get close?
We need an army to clutter her line of sight.”
Mei’s eyes turned resolute over the channel.
“I will summon a swarm clone of Skaracabaz.
The Propagation swarm will clutter her field of vision and create an opening for both of you.”
Herta nodded over the link.
“I’ll summon my puppet legion to reinforce the visual distortion.”
Screwllum added, “I will provide aerial heavy artillery using simulated Destroyer class starships.”
Stephen gripped his weapon firmly.
“And I’ll be the close range anchor.”
Their tactical exchange took less than ten seconds.
Moving as a coordinated unit, they scattered across the expansive lotus field, creating wide tactical distance between one another.
Mei poured her energy into the field, summoning a grand swarm clone of the Propagation Aeon’s beast.
“Skaracabaz initiate propagation and swarm her!”
Herta deployed dozens of puppets that scattered across the battlefield, while Screwllum opened spatial rifts in the sky, summoning a fleet of heavy Destroyer-class starships locked directly onto my position.
Stephen materialized a pitch-black blade in his right hand, its edge thrumming with intense, dense energy.
With everyone confirmed ready over the earpieces, Stephen took the initiative.
“Commence the attack!” The source of this chapter is g.com.
He swung his blade downward, launching a massive [Zantetsuken] shockwave straight toward me, cleaving through the air and ground in its path.
I activated [ Truth ], instantly mirroring his exact attack and unleashing a matching slash.
The two crescent blades collided dead center, freezing in a brief, volatile stalemate before my slash shattered his, continuing forward along its trajectory toward him.
Capitalizing on that split second, Mei summoned massive wooden roots from beneath the earth, trying to bind my feet.
I stomped hard, shattering the roots and pulverizing the ground before they could wrap around my ankles.
The Skaracabaz swarm rushed my position at full speed.
Channeling energy into a single horizontal swing of my blade, I unleashed another [Zantetsuken] wave that cleanly wiped out every swarm unit in its path.
Herta’s puppets began raining down a chaotic storm of multi-elemental spells.
Spinning gracefully on my heel, I launched a series of sweeping [Zantetsuken] arcs, vaporizing the entire puppet squad in an instant.
Suddenly, Stephen materialized directly behind me, bringing his black blade down toward my spine.
Without even turning around, I flipped my sword behind my back, catching his strike with a sharp CLANG!
Twirling around to face him, I parried his follow up, knocking him off balance.
He dropped into a low thrust, aiming straight for my midsection; I redirected his blade downward with a flick of my wrist and drove a swift kick straight into his chest, sending him skidding backward across the green petals.
I lowered my sword slightly, looking at him with a stern, lecture ready posture.
“You’re holding a sword capable of cutting through nearly anything, Stephen, but you aren’t actually utilizing its true output.
You understand the theory behind your gear, but you aren’t applying it properly in real time combat.”
Seeing me stop to lecture Stephen, Mei didn’t miss the opening she launched a flock of towering [Ice Dragons], the remaining swarm units charged once more, and Screwllum’s starships opened fire with a heavy salvo of plasma missiles directly at my location.
I kept my eyes on Stephen, my voice turning serious.
“Watch my stance closely, and learn how to actually harness that power.”
I dropped into a classic Iaijutsu stance, pulling my blade back to my hip.
[Zantetsuken – Level 5]
A single, imperceptible flashs of silver lights split the world.
In an instant, every incoming missile, plasma bolt, ice dragon, and swarm unit was cleanly bisected and reduced to dust.
Chunks of severed debris rained harmlessly around us.
None of them even registered the stroke.
One second a catastrophic assault was bearing down on me; the next, the entire attack had simply ceased to exist.
I looked back at Stephen.
“That is the level of power your gear is capable of achieving.
Train your mind, adapt on the fly, and stop relying on a single trick.
Combine your elements, weave your authorities together, and push the parameters.”
I shifted my gaze toward Herta and Mei.
“That applies to all of you.”
All three of them gave firm, serious nods, taking the lesson to heart.
Mei immediately commanded the Skaracabaz clone to press forward once more.
As it moved, she materialized a giant wooden pillar beneath her feet, leaping into the air as she activated the [Thousand-Armed Buddha], raining down a barrage of divine, giant punches straight toward me.
Simultaneously, Herta summoned a roaring storm overhead, channeling hyper charged lightning bolts straight at my head.
Screwllum charged forward inside a giant, heavily armored mech chassis, while Stephen roared, unleashing a fully charged [Mega Flare] directly into the joint assault!