Chương 223

Orion stood over the reinforced worktable, rubbing the fatigue from his eyes. After a few more hours of much-needed sleep in the dormitories, he had returned to his makeshift laboratory with a clear head and a singular focus. Pauline had safely secured the biological core of the anti-air array after he'd extracted everything he could from it, awaiting its transport back to the Sanctum for Elder-level study. This left Orion with the mechanical and alchemical components of the Iron State's arsenal.

Currently, his focus was on the reactive plating he had stripped from the fallen engineer's armor. He had already established that the brass alloy was infused with Silence to disperse ambient mana, but the true defensive capability lay in the micro-pockets of alchemical powder embedded beneath the surface layer, and understanding that required more than a couple of hours of study.

Using a set of fine tweezers and a magnifying lens he had requisitioned from the quartermaster, Orion carefully extracted a pinch of the unexploded powder from a damaged plate. He placed it in a shallow glass dish and engaged [Hypotheticism] to analyze its composition. The powder was a complex compound. The main ingredient was undoubtedly the Silence, refined into a highly concentrated, crystallized dust.

However, it was mixed with a volatile accelerant, and the last component proved more difficult to identify than he had anticipated. Orion leaned back on his stool, tapping a stylus against his chin. He needed to understand the exact activation parameters of the compound if he wanted to create a countermeasure, and since it was magically inert, [Hypotheticism] couldn't provide more than basic readings. Maybe I've become a bit spoiled, being able to learn so much just by looking at something, he admitted to himself.

Shaking his head, he placed an unblemished section of the brass plating inside a heavy containment box at the end of the table. Closing the thick glass door, he prepared to run a series of controlled stress tests.

"Going back to the basics never hurt anyone," he muttered. For the first test, he formed a standard [Push], a simple projection of force similar to a heavy hammer strike. He aimed the spell through a small opening in the containment box, hitting the center of the brass plate. The impact was surprisingly muted, and the micro-pockets beneath the impact area ruptured. The shock ignited the accelerant, vaporizing the crystallized Silence and releasing a white cloud of anti-magic smoke that filled the containment box.

Orion activated a ventilation rune, pulling the smoke out through a filtration tube until the box was clear again, and he saw that the plate was slightly dented but still functional.

"Well, I already knew that burst damage triggers the accelerant, but it's good to confirm," Orion said aloud so his enchanted pen could record the observation in his notebook.

"The mechanism seems to depend on a specific threshold of sudden stress, below which it won't react." To ensure that no noise would compromise the validity of his findings, he replaced the dented plate with a fresh one, even though the old one could have been reused easily. This time, he decided to test heat tolerance. Drawing on a very low, steady flow of mana from the Field, Orion produced a continuous, low-intensity cone of flames.

He applied the fire to the brass plate, carefully maintaining a temperature just high enough to soften the metal over time. As he watched, the brass started to glow a dull red. A minute passed, and the metal warped, sagging under its own weight as its structural integrity failed. The micro-pockets melted, their contents breaking down into a dark, useless sludge that dripped onto the floor of the containment box.

The fire sputtered out and died upon contact with it, since it was still made of Silence, and the spell was too low-level to withstand such disruption. However, the fact remained that the cloud had never been deployed, despite the hostile conditions. Orion cut the mana feed, a satisfied smile on his lips. As he had guessed, the accelerant required a sudden energy spike to ignite, and by steadily applying low heat, the alchemical compound simply melted before reaching the necessary threshold.

That also explained how he managed to kill Neoas without his armor's emergency protections triggering.

"Eureka, I guess," he chuckled. He had found his bypass, but the real challenge was applying it practically. In the controlled setting of a laboratory, holding a low-power cone of flames on a stationary piece of metal for sixty seconds was straightforward. In a chaotic battlefield, asking a witch to maintain a steady, weak spell against a moving, heavily armed Iron State soldier was a death sentence. The Sanctum's entire combat doctrine centered on decisive, overwhelming force.

Witches were trained to end fights quickly by casting large collaborative spells on their targets, and if an enemy had a shield, the standard procedure was to hit the shield harder until it shattered. It was oddly barbaric for a faction that prided itself on finesse, but he doubted it would change anytime soon. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. It was likely that the Iron State had specifically crafted its armor to counter this exact philosophy.

Every time a witch launched a massive fireball or a high-tier light spell, they played directly into the enemy's hand, triggering the reactive plating and neutralizing their own offensive power, thus creating an opening that should not have existed. Of course, that would only work up to a certain level of power.

Orion was confident that his mother could vaporize an agent wearing that kind of armor with a single blast without needing to worry about secondary issues, but the truth was that very few witches could unleash that much overwhelming force. Most of those who went to fight were Magistrae and their subordinates, meaning tier two witches. Given how difficult Pauline found it to get rid of the powder, it seemed that the counter, although not perfect, still worked.

That was why he needed a strategy that offered the quick stripping power of high-tier magic without surpassing the burst-damage threshold that triggered the Silence, and was simple enough for even tier two witches to follow without risking themselves. I might be biting off more than I can chew. Or worse, this could all be pointless. I know Theresa sent me here just to keep me out of danger and doesn't really expect any results, since much stronger witches are studying similar remains back in the Sanctum.

But I can't shake the feeling that I'm the only one who can truly interface with this kind of technology. The others lack sufficient grounding to learn as quickly as needed. It took his mother weeks of exhausting effort to extract anything from the Silence, and even then, it only confirmed Orion's suspicions. No, if this could be solved, it would have to be him who did it.

"If continuous pressure is impractical, and burst pressure is countered," he reasoned, pacing around the worktable, "the solution is volume. Don't try to break the wall with a single cannonball. Erode it with a flood." Humming, he returned to his notebook and quickly sketched a series of tactical diagrams to visualize the feasibility. If a squad coordinated a massive volley of rapid-fire, low-tier projectiles, the sheer number of impact points happening simultaneously would overwhelm the armor's mechanical sensors.

The damage would spread across the entire surface, preventing a concentrated spike high enough to trigger the accelerant. Even if some pockets ruptured, the dispersed barrage would stop the Silence from forming a cohesive defense. So far, it seemed like a solid theoretical doctrine, but he needed to prove it if he wanted to be taken seriously. He needed a demonstration spell that could replicate the effect of a full squad's barrage.

With renewed resolve, Orion cleared his workspace and placed one of his final pristine pieces of Iron State armor inside the containment box. He stood a few paces back, closed his eyes, and drew upon the Field. To start off, he went with the standard structure of an [Infinite Laser], since, while too basic for battle these days, it was incredibly flexible, and he had long since mastered its ins and outs.

However, instead of focusing the light into a single point, Orion introduced a complex refractive matrix just before the spell's conceptual exit point. He used his deep understanding of optics to design a prism within the spell's structure, aiming to replicate his success in the spider cave without relying on numerous crystals. The modified matrix grew heavier with each passing moment, and he reduced its power output, not particularly concerned about that just yet.

The light gathered in his palm, humming with contained energy, and as he released the spell toward the containment box, the beam passed through the conceptual prism and fractured.

"[Infinite Laser: Rain]," he cast. Instead of a single lance of light, a hundred needle-like shards of energy burst across the room, hitting the brass plate all at once on its entire surface. A harsh screech followed as the intense volume of small impacts shredded the armor into metallic confetti in moments. The micro-pockets of alchemical powder were torn apart before the accelerant could ignite properly, providing barely enough power to penetrate the metal.

As a result, only a few wisps of white smoke sputtered weakly into the air, failing to form a defensive cloud. Orion exhaled slowly, lowering his hand. The plate was completely broken, reduced to a pile of smoking debris at the bottom of the box, and all of it had cost less than a single [Infinite Laser], despite how much more complex the spell was. System Notification +3 Mind +1 Attunement +57, 000 Exp Orion dismissed the prompt with a flick of his hand, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment.

That might not work against the heavy siege weapon they brought along, or even against something like the centurion, but against individual agents wearing their "special" armor? Oh, that's going to be a nasty surprise. He still spent the next hour carefully documenting his findings, outlining the chemical makeup of the Silence-powder, the trigger threshold of the reactive plating, and the tactical doctrine he had named "The Barrage."

He even explained how mixed-element squads could achieve the same armor-stripping effect by coordinating sustained volleys of low-tier spells, effectively making the Iron State troops vulnerable to lethal follow-up strikes. With the report finished, he collected his notes, sealed up his lab, and headed back across the courtyard. The base was blanketed by the early-afternoon chill, indicating he had lost track of time during his experiments.

The chaos of emergency logistics had become more organized in the meantime, but the underlying tension still felt strong. The support staff moved quickly, often pausing to look toward the northwestern horizon where the black smoke continued to darken the sky. Orion approached the central command pavilion, and the newly posted guards stepped aside to let him in, saving him from having to argue his case with them as well. I guess everyone recognizes me these days, and Mom is too important to deny me.

Antares too, and I suspect that will matter more as the rest of Cyril sends reinforcements. Inside, Magistra Theresa stood by the large topographical map table, nursing a cup of steaming, bitter-smelling tea. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened considerably since their last meeting the previous day, and her usually immaculate robes were slightly rumpled, clearly showing she was pushing herself hard.

Several communication crystals pulsed with light along the edge of the table, signaling open lines to the front. She looked up as Orion entered, setting her teacup down with a weary sigh.

"I hoped that would keep you busy a bit longer. Did you at least find anything useful?"

"I have mapped the activation parameters of their infantry armor," Orion began, placing his report on the table next to her.

"The plating uses embedded pockets of a Silence-based compound that react violently to powerful spells, so I took the time to develop a better solution. Theresa hummed, flipping through the report, and her eyebrows kept rising higher.

"This is highly actionable," she finally said with a hint of genuine appreciation in her tired voice.

"I will have the scribes duplicate this immediately and send it to the vanguard commanders to test out in the field." Orion held back a triumphant smile and asked something much more urgent.

"Have you heard anything from the front lines?" Theresa exhaled heavily and pointed toward the topographical map. A series of new green markers had been placed along the very edge of the Ironwood territory, encroaching slightly into the expansive forest.

"The vanguard engaged the enemy just after dawn," she explained, her voice dropping to a somber tone.

"Elder Varali and your mother led the assault. They managed to break the Iron State's front perimeter and reclaimed a small druid settlement called Oakhaven that sits about a hundred miles from the mountains."

"I'm guessing the cost was high," Orion said, noticing the large cluster of red markers just beyond the green perimeter.

"It was a bloodbath," Theresa stated bluntly.

"The intelligence you retrieved from the Sentinel was entirely accurate. The Iron State has deployed its mobile fortresses, which apparently project wide-area dampening fields and fire alchemical artillery. Our initial aerial bombardment was mostly ineffective against their shielding." She pointed to the cluster of red markers surrounding Oakhaven.

"The Vanguard secured the settlement, but the Iron State immediately entrenched their positions around it, and they are not retreating. We lost over forty witches in the initial clash, and twice that number are currently receiving critical care for Silence exposure."