In the common perception, lightning is the second fastest thing in nature, second only to light.
When the thunder sounded, even if Flat and Sfin realized that something was wrong, it was too late when they wanted to warn others.
Fortunately, the boys didn't have time to react, but someone could help - Yade. This consciousness attached to the "threshold" has rich combat experience and is connected to Grey in consciousness. Whenever Grey is in danger, he is the first to warn her.
When the magic power was accumulating abnormally, Yade had already noticed it, and because of this, Gray was able to put up the shield in time to block the lightning attack.
"Damn it, he actually attacked Gray and kissed her!"
Sfin was furious, and his roar, more terrifying than thunder, echoed in the forest.
This roar had the power to dispel the magician's power and had helped Sfen gain the upper hand several times. However, this time, the roar that had always been effective did not work.
The spell woven by the man who came out of the bushes was still solid. This could only mean one thing, the enemy's magic power was condensed and solid, difficult to interfere with, which was a sign that the magic level had reached a higher level.
The attackers' expressions also illustrated this point; it was a different kind of fear from the one they faced with Sphinx and Flatt, a mixture of awe and worry, an attitude unique to those of a lower status toward those of a higher status.
Seeing this man, Bailon's eyes were filled with obvious anger.
"Atram Gariyastha!"
The brown-skinned young man didn't even look at Bailon. All he had in his eyes was Flatt who was looking him up and down, Sfin who was grinning at him, and Gray who showed her face from the shield, unharmed.
"The El-Melloi classroom is great, very good!"
◇◇◇
In the spectator seats not far away, Shinji was also saying something similar.
"So he is the oil king. That's great, very good!"
"Oil King, this nickname is very descriptive." Lanis burst out laughing, and quickly stopped laughing. "But, he couldn't have achieved his current fame just by relying on oil. Are Gray and the others okay?"
"No problem. If it's just Gariasta, even if he brings a hundred people, they won't be a match for the three of them. But I'm worried that there are more enemies than just Gariasta. Then I'll have to rely on you to deal with the lightning of these guys."
As Shinji spoke, he melted another piece of brass. The copper liquid dripped under the action of gravity but did not solidify on the spot. Instead, it moved towards Lanis under the pull of an unknown force, and finally gathered into a liquid metal ball with a diameter of nearly one meter under the girl's feet.
"If that 'Faraday cage' you're talking about is really that powerful."
Hearing the uneasiness in Lanis's words, Shinji slapped his forehead.
"Forget that you haven't been to high school and haven't been exposed to high school physics. I don't know if Weber told you that if you don't understand science when playing with lightning, you will always be third-rate. Not to mention scientists like Edison, Tesla, Faraday, and Franklin, an electrician can make him lose his temper."
"So exaggerated?"
Even though she already knew that Shinji was very powerful, Lanice still felt a little uncomfortable hearing him belittle magic in this way.
"Cheese, no, Chise, that's not right either. Knowledge is power, girl. This is the truth that applies to everything except magic. Read more and learn more, and you won't suffer any loss."
"Yes, yes, you are only a few years older than me, but why do you talk like my brother? You look old before your time."
"Hey, don't compare me to Waver, the guy who died from overwork. I'll sue you. Hmm?"
Shinji suddenly stopped talking halfway, closed his eyes and sensed carefully for a while, then said helplessly.
"Oh, you're right. I really have to rely on you from now on."
"What about you?" Lanis's face changed slightly.
"I'm going to spar with an old friend."
Shinji raised his head, his gaze spreading forward through the mist, where he saw a pair of vaguely visible eyes, flashing with a golden light that did not belong to humans, and a barely perceptible hint of orange was faintly revealed in the depths of the gold.
◇◇◇
"I see. Not only the El-Melloi class, but you as well... Well, we're already at odds after just meeting again. I should have known better than to accept this request."
At the same time, the female magician in the Moon Tower opened her orange eyes, a trace of distress appeared on her intelligent face, and then she pouted in anger.
"No, it's not my fault, it's your fault. You didn't tell me the secret, so I agreed to this additional commission. This is the price for underestimating a woman's curiosity. You deserve it. However, being hostile to him is not just a small trouble. In a way, he is the worst opponent, just like Aoko. Maybe what is waiting for me will be the complete third magic."
Taking a deep breath, the woman who hated the color orange but couldn't live without it stood up from the sofa.
"I have no choice. Since I have accepted the commission, I must complete it. This is my creed. So, Shinji, let's have a long-awaited battle. Don't lose to me."
The woman took off her glasses, and at her feet was a strange leather bag that seemed a little bulky and too big compared to what she was holding.
◇◇◇
The moisture load in the cumulonimbus clouds finally reached its limit, and the water vapor condensed into raindrops, falling in large drops.
In an instant, heavy rain came pouring down.
In the heavy rain, the young man spoke with a voice colder than the rain.
"Melloi, you have nothing to do with this. If you leave now, I can still pretend that nothing happened."
"Sorry, the professor said he would beat you up."
If Atram's expression at this moment was like the dark clouds above his head, then Flat's expression was like the sunshine on a spring afternoon, so bright that it didn't look like he was on a battlefield at all.
"You must pay the price for attacking Gray's kiss."
Sifen, who was in the phantom wolf state, licked his paws, and his eyes were like a vicious wolf staring at its prey.
"That's a shame. I thought the recently famous New Age would be smart, but they are all idiots. It seems that the professor is just a name for himself for teaching such students."
Atram shook his head regretfully and took out a small object from his suit, an object that looked like a small pot.
"You may have heard of it, the primitive battery... or the Baghdad battery."
The oldest battery in the world was discovered at the ruins of Khujut Rabu in the suburbs of the Middle East.
It is generally believed that the device was developed by chance for the purpose of gold plating without knowing anything about the structure of batteries. However, this structure is also being passed on by magic hands, and is evolving along a completely different path from science.
When one of the clans that studied this structure fell into decline, Galiasta used money to buy it along with the history. For them, who originally studied minerals and cost magic, the original battery was a very suitable carrier.
After a period of research, the Gariasta clan succeeded in injecting their magic power into electricity. By controlling the "power" that has been worshipped as divine power or divine sound in many regions since ancient times, they have been able to prosper to this day.
This technology was used in Atram's "primitive battery" and the weather magic above his head. Now, the contemporary masters of this technology will unleash its true power.
"Gush Out."
Thunder is coming!!!