However, another problem remained.
The protective mages were still trying to regain control by increasing the energy of the main barrier, and while they thought this was the right thing to do, they were making a huge mistake.
Rindo turned his head toward the commander.
"Stop feeding energy into the defensive barrier!"
The commander looked at him.
"What?"
"The more energy you put into it, the longer you’ll keep those enclosures active."
One of the mages immediately checked his control device, and a few seconds later, the color drained from his face.
"He’s right, Commander! The new energy is being transferred to the outer network!"
The commander immediately gave an order.
"Cut off the energy supply to the barrier! Right now!"
The mages immediately stopped the flow of mana, preventing the formation from using any more energy from the convoy.
However, a considerable amount of energy still remained inside the nodes, and the leader of the Black Vultures had no intention of letting his plan fail so easily.
"Subdue the one destroying the nodes."
The order was brief.
One of the two ground attackers immediately changed direction, moved toward Lian’s enclosure, and pulled a metal device from his waist.
The device was designed to restrain Awakened. It consisted of folding rings that could close around a target’s body once they got close enough.
However, before the attacker could reach him, Lian released the third strand of Eclipse Energy. This time, his target was a node located closer to Roderick’s enclosure.
The corrupted energy moved along the reflected light, and just as it reached the node, Roderick felt a change in the pressure against the walls of his enclosure.
Without hesitation, he raised his fist and focused his striking force on the point where he had noticed the disturbance a few moments earlier.
And then... CRACK!
His punch struck the wall, splitting the enclosure’s light around the damaged point, and this time, the cracks did not close.
He stepped forward and delivered a second punch, causing a large section of the wall to collapse.
He stepped out through the scattered light and immediately turned his fist toward the attacker who had been approaching Lian to restrain him.
The masked man was forced to change direction, and the two weapons collided with a heavy sound.
Roderick pushed forward, forcing the attacker to take one step back, but instead of trying to fight him head-on, the man turned his body and attacked from a lower angle.
Roderick deflected the strike with the side of his weapon, then closed the distance with a short forward movement.
The attacker had no choice but to retreat several meters to avoid the next strike.
Roderick did not chase him. Instead, his gaze briefly shifted toward Lian, who was still inside his enclosure.
But now, the light on Lian’s walls had also become unstable at several points.
Without saying anything, Roderick placed himself between the attacker and Lian’s enclosure.
Lian noticed the movement for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"At least you understand that this isn’t the time to settle personal scores."
At the same time, the leader of the Black Vultures finally realized where the real problem was.
The young man who was supposed to be one of the operation’s most valuable hostages was destroying the formation without using raw power.
And worse, the type of energy he was using was different from ordinary energy.
He looked at the reflective plates for a moment, then signaled to the person controlling the formation.
"Cut off the light paths."
The masked man immediately turned several of the remaining plates. The direct reflections decreased, but it was already too late.
Lian had already identified alternative paths, and he used the fourth strand of Eclipse Energy to reach the nearby node.
Sunlight reflected off the surface of one of the convoy’s armored carriages, and this time, the strand traveled along a shorter path before reaching the node.
A few seconds later... CRACK!
The fourth node stopped working.
Rindo’s enclosure shook for a moment before part of its wall collapsed.
Rindo immediately moved out of the enclosure.
Instead of heading toward the enemy, he went straight to the escort commander and passed on the information he had gathered over the past few minutes.
"There’s still one main node left. As long as it’s active, some of the enclosures won’t open completely."
The commander nodded.
"Where is it?"
Rindo pointed toward the northern side of the road.
"Behind the broken rock, near the man controlling the formation."
The commander immediately signaled to the guards, but before they could launch their attack, the light of the fifth strand of Eclipse Energy passed by Lian’s enclosure.
The young Vorhelm had found the final path.
This node was more resistant than the others, and a large part of the formation’s stored energy remained inside it.
He released more Eclipse Energy, causing a slight strain to form inside his core.
He immediately limited the flow.
There was no need to use up all his reserves, as the node’s structure was already under pressure.
He only needed to destroy the last part that kept it connected to the others.
The fifth strand reached the connection point. For a few moments, the node’s mana flow resisted, but then the corrupted lines spread throughout its structure.
And finally... CRRACK!
The fifth node broke.
At the same time, all ten separate enclosures lost their stability. The semi-transparent walls around the selected candidates collapsed and turned into scattered particles of mana.
Lian lowered his hand and let out a calm breath.
"Well, that’s done."
However, the battle was not over yet.
As soon as the enclosures collapsed, one of the masked attackers threw three restraining devices toward one of the selected candidates from France.
His goal was clear.
If they couldn’t capture all ten people, they might still have a chance to take at least one of them with them.
But before the devices could reach their target, the sound of something metallic opening rang through the air.
Click!
A round umbrella with twelve metal ribs opened in front of the target, and the first restraining device struck its surface before being deflected.
The second came from a lower angle.
With a short turn of his body, Noah moved the umbrella’s handle and changed the projectile’s direction.
The third device arrived almost at the same time, but this time, Noah closed the umbrella. Its narrow tip struck the restraining device, and a precise hit sent it toward the ground.
Thud!
The metal device sank into the dirt.
He took one step forward. His usual smile was still on his face, but his eyes had become completely serious.
"I don’t think you’re taking anyone with you."
The masked attacker charged without answering. He pulled a short weapon from his waist and made a direct attack toward Noah’s side.
The young Frenchman lowered his closed umbrella, and the two weapons collided.
However, instead of meeting his opponent’s strength head-on, he turned the umbrella’s handle and redirected the force of the attack to the side. Then he stepped into his opponent’s range.
The tip of the umbrella struck the attacker’s wrist, and in the same movement, its curved handle locked behind the man’s forearm.
Noah turned his body, disrupting his opponent’s balance and forcing him to take two steps back.
Everything happened within a few seconds.
However, Lian, who had been freed nearby, watched every movement. His eyes narrowed slightly for a moment.
Strange.
Noah’s stance did not seem completely natural for the weapon he was holding. The distance between his feet, the angle of his shoulders, and the position of his free hand.
It was as if he was used to fighting with a longer and different weapon.
Could that umbrella not be his main weapon?
But at that very moment, Noah opened the umbrella again.
With a very precise turn, he deflected the attacker’s next strike, then quickly closed the umbrella and delivered a heavy blow to the man’s wrist.
The masked man’s weapon nearly slipped out of his hand.
Noah immediately took one step back without stopping, keeping the right defensive distance between them. His movements were so natural and professional that even Lian began to doubt his own judgment for a moment.
"Maybe I’m overthinking it."
In any case, one thing was clear. This young Frenchman was far more skilled than his friendly appearance suggested.
On the other side of the battlefield, Rindo was helping the guards move the selected candidates away from the damaged area.
Without shouting or giving unnecessary orders, he passed on the information they needed and pointed out the paths that were still covered by the enemy’s long-range attacker.
Roderick had also forced one of the ground attackers to retreat toward the nearby rocks.
His sword moved with precise speed, and every strike was meant to limit his opponent’s movements.
However, the attacker was no inexperienced fighter either. After two heavy clashes, he realized that fighting Roderick directly was dangerous.
Therefore, instead of continuing the fight, he used the broken rocks around him to create distance.
At the same time, Lian turned his gaze toward the front of the convoy, where one of the injured guards lay on the ground.
The long-range attacker on the high ground had turned his weapon toward him.
The young Vorhelm saw the movement and acted without hesitation. Two enormous black wings spread open behind him.
[Wings of God]
A strong gust of wind swept around his body, and several guards instinctively looked up.
"H-How did he get those?!" Roderick whispered in disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing with his own eyes.
The shadow of the two black wings fell across the ground, covering part of the road for a moment. But before anyone even had time to take in the sight, Lian rose into the air.
He shot toward the high ground at incredible speed.
The long-range attacker noticed him approaching and turned his weapon, but it was already too late.
Lian appeared a short distance away from him and thrust his right hand forward.
BANG!
His fist struck the middle of the weapon. The metal broke under the pressure, sending shattered pieces flying in every direction, and the attacker threw himself backward to avoid the next strike.