Infinite Mage

Chapter 71: At the Summit (4)

The wild animals were tragically torn apart, hanging on the tree branches like laundry. Among them were ferocious carnivores.

The children who arrived later covered their mouths in shock. Not screaming was all they could manage.

"Ah, A-Altor. What happened? Did a c-cow bear really do this?"

Martin's voice trembled, and Lumina, unable to bear the sight, turned her head away, eyes tightly shut. Shirone made a quick decision.

"Let's go down. This doesn't seem like something we can handle."

"No, let's go a bit further. We need to find out what's happening."

"Altor! This is serious!"

"That's why we're going! If this thing is in the mountains, all the animals will flee! We'll starve!"

"But it's too dangerous. Let's go down to the city and report this."

"Report? Have you gone mad hanging out with nobles? Who will care about us mountain folk?"

"Idiot, that's what I'm saying! This isn't a trivial incident to be ignored. Look at those animals. Don’t you see how dangerous our situation is?"

Martin intervened.

"Shi-Shirone. Altor. Look there."

The bushes rustled and crackled. Shirone and Altor readied their arrows, aiming in the direction of the noise.

Rustle. Rustle.

The leaves' movements heightened the tension. Each child drew their weapons, waiting for the mysterious entity to appear. When the creature responsible for the carnage showed itself, Shirone and Altor’s arrows pointed far above their original target.

"This can't be..."

Even the brave Altor's voice trembled with fear.

"Grrrr."

A monster resembling a wolf over two meters tall, with inflated chest muscles and slender waist, stood before them. Its arms, stretching down to its knees with hook-like claws as long as a human's little finger, supported its body on cat-like long feet.

Martin barely managed to speak.

"It's a monster."

Monsters, unlike animals, evolved from a completely different ancestral creature. This meant their animal-like traits weren't enough to fully analyze them. They were stronger, more agile, and even intelligent compared to regular animals.

'A bipedal wolf... an Ulk.'

Shirone recalled what he had read. Ulks, lacking language skills, could express hundreds of emotions through sounds and had social structures due to their communal living. Being balanced in strength and agility, hunters feared them, especially in groups.

'But why here? This area isn't known for monsters.'

The only explanation Shirone could think of was that these Ulks, having lost a tribal war, migrated here. His theory seemed right, seeing the wounds and blood on the Ulk's fur.

The Ulk, unable to contain its fury, howled. But the monster's anger wasn't as simplistic as a beast's instinct. Indifferent to its prey, it dashed towards the children, flaunting its speed.

The children scattered, their faces pale with terror. Only Lumina, paralyzed by fear, stood frozen.

"Lumina! Run!"

"Ah... Ah..."

Shirone extended his hand towards the Ulk, combining the omnipotence and omniscience of Photon Output. But Lumina was beyond the reach of his Spirit Zone.

'Ah! I can't reach her.'

Shirone switched to Target Form in his Four-Way Formation, finally capturing the Ulk in his empathic senses.

'Photon Output!'

Light flashed, striking the Ulk in the eyes. Blinded by the sudden glare, the Ulk cried out.

"We did it! Shirone took it down!"

The children, impressed by the impact of the light, assumed the Ulk's face had been smashed. But knowing photon output had no physical force, Shirone rushed towards the Ulk, shouting.

"Lumina! Run now! There's no time!"

Lumina hastily moved, but her legs, stiff with fear, failed her, and she collapsed. Realizing Shirone's magic lacked lethal power, the children grew anxious.

"What do we do? It's just shooting light."

"Grrr!"

The Ulk, recovering its vision, lunged at Lumina. Its hook-like claws snagged her hair tie, unraveling her hair. At that moment, Shirone teleported, taking to the sky with the Ulk.

"Shirone! No!"

"Grrr!"

Each time the Ulk struggled, Shirone repeated the teleportation. Although risky, it was necessary to keep the Ulk's attention. 

'What do I do? How do I handle this?'

Falling wouldn't kill the Ulk. Photonized, Shirone had no mass, meaning no fall damage. But fighting the Ulk in mid-air was impossible.

'I need mass...'josei

Suddenly, Shirone felt an intense sensation, unlike anything he'd experienced. It was a profound mourning sensation, a culmination of fragmented thoughts and deep realizations. The world's beginning, gauge symmetry, a swirling vortex above a bed – these weren't just physical forces, but the power of existence breaking symmetry.

The discord between omniscience and omnipotence was resolved. Shirone understood, the missing fragment was gravity.

With omniscience achieved, the omnipotence that haunted him in nightmares precisely interlocked. Shirone converted the Ulk into photons and hurled it downwards.

"Grrr...!"

Before its scream ended, the Ulk collided with the ground, bouncing off. Shirone landed gracefully, staring down at the defeated Ulk.

It was an instant kill. The Ulk suffered bone-shattering impact because the light was heavy. 

"Phew…"

Material doesn't inherently have mass; another element imparts it before vanishing.

An unknown particle beyond human observation.

That was the omniscience Shirone realized in the Infinite Realm, explaining the broken gauge symmetry. 

"Done. I've finally figured it out."

Shirone clenched his fists, overwhelmed with emotion and tears.

Suddenly, screams from the cliff's top reached him. Shirone regained his composure, looking up.

"No..."

He remembered Ulks were social. Even if defeated in tribal wars, it was unlikely for one to roam alone. 

"No good!"

Teleporting up, Shirone reached the summit, only to freeze. Dozens of Ulks surrounded them, the entire tribe on the move.

'I underestimated their social nature.'

The children's fearful murmurs filled the air.

"What do we do? We're all going to die."

"I'm not even married yet. I don't want to die like this."

Shirone didn't want to die either. And now, he had at least a minimal weapon against the Ulks.

"It's okay, kids. I'll try something."

"Don't. Just run. You can escape with magic."

"It's okay. It's not against the rules now."

Shirone approached the Ulk pack.

"Shirone! It's dangerous!"

Ignoring Altor's call, he just replayed his recent epiphany, fixating on the Ulks.

The silver-furred chieftain Ulk snorted disdainfully, and its right-hand Ulk lunged.

"Grrr!"

Shirone concentrated photons in his palm.

'More... More...'

The light in his hand turned blindingly white. As the Ulk closed in, Shirone focused on altering the photons' properties. Amid escalating screams, he launched the compressed light into the Ulk's abdomen. The photon sphere pressed against the Ulk, then shot out as a golden beam.

"Grrr!"

The Ulk howled, flying away, colliding with others, and tumbling down the mountain.

The children were astounded.

"Did you see that? That huge monster flew dozens of meters!"

"How did he do that? Is that magic?"

The chieftain Ulk pulled back its nose, recognizing Shirone's ability.

"Ma... ge..."

The Ulks' eyes locked on Shirone. But his focus was solely on the chieftain.

He felt confident of victory.

The mass within the photons, though minuscule, carried enough force at near-light speed to exceed expectations. This was Shirone's unique unlocker magic...

The Photon Cannon.

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