Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

[.....] = Unique skill

||.....|| = Ultimate skill

{....} = Magic art or spell.

(...) = Node

Kaede's charge was swift and decisive, her shield glowing faintly as it absorbed the ambient magic in the air. Her charge however was cut short as she rammed into a barrier. 'When did he?' Her gaze remained on the sorcerer.

He had on his robe, woven with magical fibers, a staff with untold stores of magicules in all of Falmuth. With a hand in the air, he had used his aspectual magic of magical force in one hand. This was Razen, court sorcerer and the greatest, he had easily cast a Magic Barrier in front of Kaede, nullifying her attack. This spell was normally used to build a shield over the caster, but Razen could adapt it to block his enemies' moves as well.

[Devour] The blue barrier instantly vanished in a puff of purple pixels, as Kaede barreled through, having been held for only a moment.

Razen's smirk vanished as he raised his staff, a complex magical circle forming in the space before him.

{Mental Crush!} he cast, his magic washing through the damp sewer. The air around Kaede shimmered as an invisible force attempted to seize her mind and crush her soul.

Kaede's pace didn't falter. She felt the attack crash against her mind like a wave breaking against a cliff. Her unique skill, Devour, pulsed in response, consuming the mental assault as if it were nothing more than a stray thought.

"Nice try," she said, her voice steady. "But I don't break that easily." She flipped landing on her feet in the damp floors of the sewers.

Razen's eyes narrowed. "A one time endeavour." he muttered. His staff glowed, and the sewer was suddenly filled with brilliant light as he unleashed a barrage of elemental spells. Ice Spears, Earth Spikes, and Fire Blasts converged on Kaede with deadly precision.

Kaede raised her shield, its circular surface shimmering with energy as she activated its node (Aegis). The spells collided with the barrier in a cacophony of sound and light, but all were repelled.

"Counter," Kaede said, her tone almost teasing. Her shield pulsed, reflecting the energy of the attack back at Razen.

Razen snarled, raising a barrier just in time to deflect the reflected magic. "You insolent little—"

Kaede cut him off, slamming her shield into the ground and activating {Cataclysmic Eruption}. The ground beneath Razen trembled before exploding upward in a violent eruption of stone and larva for metres around them.

The force of the explosion sent Razen flying backward and through the ceiling and out of the sewers, fountains of larva on his heels, but his winged shoes kept him aloft. He hovered above the destruction, his staff glowing with renewed power. "Where did you learn that magic?" he asked, his eyes glowing with his [All Appraisal]. 'Someone must have taught it to her. But, I don't recall any sorcerer in the kingdom who could cast such a spell.'

Kaede leaped out of the burning sewers. "If you ask nicely I'll think about it."

Razen scoffed. "No matter, I've mastered magic that can annihilate nations. Let me show you!"

He thrust his staff forward, summoning a massive orb of concentrated energy. "Nuclear Cannon!"

The orb hurtled toward Kaede, radiating intense heat and destructive energy. Kaede didn't flinch, the swirling darkness of her skill [Devour] expanding outward to consume the incoming attack. The energy was absorbed into her shield, leaving her unscathed.

"Thanks for the boost," Kaede said, her smile widening. "Counter!!"

Razen's expression faltered as Kaede flung her shield forward, releasing the stored energy in a devastating counterattack. The explosion rocked his barrier, forcing Razen to retreat further into the air.

Kaede didn't let up. She raised her hand high. "Now Hydra!" Ethereal, serpentine forms of glowing energy erupted from her hand, their fanged maws lunging toward Razen.

Razen fought back, summoning a Magic Barrier to shield himself. The serpents collided with the barrier, their energy eating away at its structure with relentless force.

Razen's eyes blazed with fury as he extended his staff. He activated Warp Portal, teleporting a short distance away to break free from Kaede's assault. He immediately unleashed a wave of Illusion Magic, filling the tunnel with flickering, disorienting images.

Kaede paused, her vision swimming as phantom copies of Razen surrounded her. "You can't fight what you can't see," Razen taunted.

Kaede smirked, 'Artificia.' Artificia happily hummed, mapping the surroundings with infrared in her mind and pinpointing Razen's true location.

"Found you," she said. "Right arm deploy!" Her round shield suddenly dissolved before reforming to replace her right arm with a massive sleek silver tube-like structure with a blue orb at the tip.

"Fire!!" She screamed as a massive blue beam slammed into Razen's chest with enough force to shatter his illusions and send him crashing into the wall.

He coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to rise. "What was that? A unique skill? You had more than one?" Activating {warp portal} again, he vanished appearing a few metres away in the air, his winged shoes keeping him hovering.

Kaede watched as Razen hovered above, his breathing heavy but his resolve unbroken. His robes billowed in the wind created by their clash, and his staff pulsed with ominous light.

"You've forced my hand," Razen said, his voice carrying a mix of frustration and pride. "Few have survived this long against me, but this ends now."

Kaede tilted her head, her shield reverting to its standard form on her arm, only for it to break apart entirely, immediately after. "Do you ever shut up? The bosses I've faced were more powerful than you and I don't remember them talking this long." She glanced at the wreckage of her shield. 'Shit I forgot this wasn't my tower shield. There goes my first shield in this world. Wait, this shield was from their armory right? Yeah good riddance.'

Stunned, Razen hovered in the air, his gaze locked on Kaede. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained resolute. "You're certainly an anomaly. That weaponry… two unique skills, perhaps more. But you're just what we've been searching for."

He tightened his grip on his staff. "I will admit, you've impressed me. But that only means I'll have to show you why I am called the greatest sorcerer of Falmuth."

With a wave of his staff, Razen conjured a web of glowing sigils in the air around him. The sigils spun and shifted, forming a matrix of magic that pulsed with raw power.

Kaede narrowed her eyes. "What are you up to now?"

The sigils glowed brighter before releasing a swarm of ethereal serpents, each one wreathed in crackling energy. They hissed and lunged toward Kaede, their movements fast and erratic.

Kaede stepped forward, raising her black tower shield, which instantly appeared on her arm. Her skill [Devour] activated once again, the serpents disintegrating into particles as they struck her shield. But as she countered one attack, another set of sigils materialized behind her, releasing a barrage of magical lances.

"Tch," Kaede muttered, spinning on her heel. Her shield expanded into a dome, deflecting the projectiles, but she could feel the pressure mounting.

Razen laughed, his voice carrying a note of triumph. "You may be able to absorb and reflect magic, but you can't outlast me. I'll keep attacking until you crumble."

Kaede smirked. "You still talk too much. It's like you never learn. You wouldn't last in PvP."

She activated [Magic Surge] once again, her body glowing faintly as her movements became a blur. She darted between the magical lances, closing the distance between her and Razen with startling speed.

Razen's eyes widened in surprise. "What—?"

Kaede leaped into the air. "Deploy left arm!!" Her shield shifting into a massive blade. She swung it toward Razen with enough force to cleave through stone, but the mage was quick to react.

{Force Barrier!}

A translucent shield materialized between them, catching Kaede's blade mid-swing. Sparks flew as the blade ground against the barrier, but it held firm. Immediately the barrier began to dissolve into purple pixels, but Razen just pumped more magicules into it reforming it even as it was being devoured.

"Not bad," Kaede said, her voice calm despite the strain. "But let's see how long YOU can keep this up."

She pressed forward, the force of her attack intensifying as her skill [Devour] persisted. Cracks began to spiderweb across the barrier, and Razen's confident expression faltered.

"Enough!" Razen roared, releasing a pulse of energy that knocked Kaede back. She landed gracefully, her shield returning to its normal state. This time though, the shield didn't break apart, thanks to the node [Adaptive Re-enforcement] causing Kaede to smirk. 'Nice.'

Razen floated higher, his robes billowing as he raised his staff once more. "I grow tired of this. It's time to end this farce."

The air around him grew heavy as he began chanting in an ancient tongue. The ground trembled, and the very magicules in the air seemed to bend to his will.

Kaede felt a slight chill in the air as she noticed density of the energy gathering around him. "He's going all out…" she muttered.

The earth beneath them began to rise, shaping itself into a massive humanoid figure. Its form was made of solid looking armour, its eyes glowing with an eerie green light.

Razen's voice boomed as he completed his incantation. {Summon Spirit: War Gnome!}

The colossal spirit stood before Kaede, its presence overwhelming. Razen smirked, his confidence returning. "Let's see how you handle a Champion-level spirit."

Kaede took a deep breath, her gaze never leaving the towering figure. "All right, big guy," she said, gripping her shield tightly. "Let's dance."

The War Gnome roared, its voice shaking the battlefield as it charged toward Kaede. Its massive fist came crashing down, but Kaede sidestepped the attack, her shield glowing as she activated [Impact Resistance] The shockwave of the attack dissipated harmlessly around her, but the sheer force still sent her skidding back.

"I can just blow it away -" she muttered, when suddenly, Artificia sounded in her mind.

Kaede froze. "Wait seriously?" She glanced at the charging champion level spirit. A mischievous grin graced her face. "What a coincidence."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" She said, her tone light as she braced herself for another attack.

Kaede blinked. "Wait, what?"

Before she could react, glowing lines spread across the ground, emanating from the War Gnome's feet. They pulsed with intricate, circuit-like patterns that climbed the spirit's massive frame, halting its movements. The War Gnome roared in defiance, its green eyes flaring as it struggled against the energy binding it.

"Artificia, what are you—"

<[Mechanomancy] engaged. Beginning disassembly and integration of spirit metal. Initiating [Magicule Integration] to stabilize process.>

The War Gnome's body shuddered, cracks of glowing light forming along its limbs. Chunks of it's body began to break away, dissolving into streams of light that flowed toward Kaede. The energy converged above her, taking shape as Artificia's mechanisms worked at blinding speed.

Kaede could only stare, her mouth agape as the streams of light and metal coalesced into a sleek, humming construct.

It was a sleek, futuristic robot with a smooth, white exterior and a minimalist design. Its shape resembled a floating capsule or pod, with rounded edges that gave it an aerodynamic appearance. A glossy black visor-like "face" displayed a glowing blue pattern, pulsating faintly as if alive. Small, articulated arms extended from its sides, equipped with intricate tools and weaponry. It hovered effortlessly, emitting a soft hum, its movements fluid and precise, as though guided by an intelligent purpose. (Basically Eve from the movie, Wall-E)

Kaede's breath caught as the construct stabilized, its form exuding an aura of technological brilliance and power. "What the actual—" Kaede began, her voice filled with a mix of shock and awe.

Kaede blinked. 'I just wanted you to change its composition and then stuff it in our materials inventory. This is...'

Razen, who had been observing the spectacle with growing disbelief, finally found his voice. "What have you done?!" he bellowed.

Kaede smirked, her initial shock giving way to exhilaration. "Thanks for the materials?"