Paintbrush Summoner – 84

Chapter 84 – Crafty! Barrier! Mask Y!

---

This was the plan.

Separate the two forces and carve away at their strength. 

And the second stage of the plan was to chip away at what strength and spirit remained.

As Menew had taken care of the first step, it was up to Ralph and Mofusen to do the rest.

The Magikargia Army had magicians. They were not as good with close quarters combat, but due to their smart combinations of magic, they were doing well. Ling had even predicted that Magikargia could win, as long as they kept their distance.

However, Menew had not come to ensure that one side won.

As a third army, they wanted both to lose, without holding a grudge against the other.

While wearing the mask, Mofusen headed to the center of the Magikargia army.

With Mask Y covering his face, no one would be able to perceive him properly.

Even if they brushed against him, no one would think he was an enemy. They would assume he was someone from their army.

Within this camp of fifteen thousand soldiers, he searched for the commander.

“What! …Who are you!? How did you…!”

The commander and surrounding soldiers were startled, now that they finally recognized Mofusen’s presence.

Staffs were pointed towards him from every direction, but no one unleashed any magic. They must be cautious, after seeing that great rain of spears earlier.

(I see. The mask…)

It was quite effective.

“Right now, I go by the name, Mystery Mask Y. I am not from the Nadia Army, but I am not your ally either. I challenge you to a fight. If I win, you will quietly withdraw. And you will not be harmed.”

In the first place, Magikargia were the victims. They were just defending their lands. That being said, if they withdrew without doing anything, they would not know when they would be attacked again.

And so they had to win. The morale of the soldiers was high.

That strong morale had to be directed at something. Or some mistake would happen within the country. That much was clear. Mofusen wanted to avoid any such damages.

As this was a kingdom of magic, it seemed like there were some here who had a degree of resistance against Mofusen’s mask. Though, it was not much.

The commander was one such person. He looked straight at Mofusen and answered.

“Our country is merely defending itself. If this rain of spears, which I see as an act of god, is enough to make our enemy withdraw, then all is good. Otherwise, we will continue to fight.”

“You do not understand. This war. We are taking the victory. There is no victory for Nadar or Magikargia.”

The commander’s expression became grave.

They faced each other with their staffs.

“Very well. You foolish man in a mask. If you win, we will withdraw. And if I win, you will tell us about that foolish magic tool, and the rain of spears.”

As they were the country of magic, of course, their interest would go there.

“That is fine with me. If the time comes, I will call the magician responsible.”

“In that case, you will face everyone who succeeded in resisting you.”

Like that, there were about one thousand who could look at Mofusen directly. The rest all moved back. 

“That is a lot. Well, it cannot be helped.”

Mofusen stroked his bear and looked at the thousand men.

He scanned them. They were all decently strong, but none were a match for Mofusen.

For the most part, they were fledglings that had not reached the true level. Even now, many were barely able to stay aware of his presence.

If that was the case, then he had nothing to fear.

“Let’s go then.”

“Come!”

Said Mofusen calmly. The enemy commander answered excitedly. That is when it happened.

One hundred, including the commander, dropped their weapons and fell to their knees.

“Wh…at…?”

There was no pain. No sign of an actual attack.

But it was as if their hands and legs were no longer their own.

“Hahaha. I forgot to tell you. I am the Barrier Master, Mystery Mask Y. And I have cast barriers on your joints.”

“The flow of magic energy… All at once?”

The old man was able to heal an illness by creating barriers inside a person’s body. And so he had a ridiculous amount of control.

He could cast barriers on shoulders and knees.

“Don’t be afraid! Concentrate your magic attacks on him!”

The commander was still a leader, even when down on his knees.

But Mofusen had no intention of becoming an easy target.

He quickly rushed into the crowd of soldiers. They could barely recognize him as an individual. And so once he started moving, he was easily lost.

In the spot where Mofusen had been, spears of fire, ice, tornado, and lightning fell down.

However, Mofusen was long gone.

As he escaped, he continued to cast barriers on the shoulders and knees of the soldiers. The enemy did not want to hit their own men, and so the attacks stopped.

Not being able to be recognized. That in itself was a great great.

The soldiers that had been watching grew pale.

Their strongest men had all dropped their weapons without reason and fallen to the ground. Some had even collapsed in the mud.

And yet, they did not know why it was happening.

The disastrous rain in the morning, the giant spears, and now the mysterious attack on their comrades.

It was utter confusion. And the soldiers slowly started to retreat.

It wasn’t because they did not know the reason. They were running because they did. Their spirits and morale were broken.

They did not want to be there anymore.

It did not take long for this feeling to consume the entire army.

A staff was a magic catalyst. With your magic energy as the core, you gathered the energy from nature and unleashed it. 

It was their shield, sword and armor.

But they could not carry it. They could not move their legs to run.

They could die at any moment.

And like this, Mofusen squatted behind the commander and smiled behind his mask.

“Well, it looks like I win then?”

No one in the Magikargia Army objected.

Next Chapter