Chapter 153

Evelyn examined the dummy in her hands, then looked back at Oliver, who nodded encouragingly. Her fingers tightened around the dummy, the weight of their upcoming demonstration pressing down on her.

She pulled her hand back and, with force, hurled the dummy into the air, aiming it at the floating water cage in front of Oliver.

The dummy flew in a graceful arc, landing squarely within the cage of water constructs. Silence descended, all eyes fixed on the dummy’s trajectory.

The moment the dummy touched the cage, a reaction unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Swish! Swish!

With a flurry of movement, the beams of light constantly reflecting within the cage collided with the metal surface, instantly distorting its smooth surface, slowly breaking it apart—melting it down as the ionized radiations surged through.

The metal hissed and bubbled, its form contorting under the intense energy.

Every observer held their breath, captivated by the terrifying beauty of the scene.

A cage of water reflecting light, melting metal—it seemed unreal.

Light and water, the two most delicate and docile elements known…

Elements primarily used for defense and healing…

Yet, what they were witnessing now was a destructive power far exceeding that of other elements. The water shimmered, refracting the light into lethal beams, while the light itself pulsed with raw power.

Suddenly, everyone felt their previous combinations pale in comparison, like mud before this display.

Was this the intended demonstration? Shouldn’t they have shown something related to healing or barrier arts? What was this? How could light pierce and damage metal? And what was the water doing other than deflecting the light?

Their young minds were overwhelmed with questions.

One person, however, grasped the entirety of the scene.

“Enraging! Utterly enraging!”

Sigfor’s mental state was in turmoil. Everything he had seen so far had lost its meaning.

He stared at the demonstration by the two children, his eyes wide with wonder, unable to tear his gaze away from this brilliant spectacle.

His hands trembled slightly, barely containing his astonishment. His body shook, overwhelmed by disbelief at what he was witnessing.

Two children, barely ten years old, had accomplished something even veteran exorcists could not achieve.

He meant it.

To understand the properties of light and water at such a young age, and then to apply them practically—it was nothing short of genius!

He couldn’t comprehend how they had deduced these principles to such a degree.

To grasp concepts that researchers dedicated their lives to in just a matter of days—how brilliant were they both!?

Setting aside the theoretical aspect, their practical application was what truly distinguished them.

He had encountered light exorcists before, but even with a thorough understanding of the element, implementing such a feat was impossible.

Not only would one need to precisely adjust the reflecting surfaces, but they would also require unparalleled control over their esper.

A vast amount of esper needed to be continuously supplied to the reflecting objects, and someone equally skilled needed to track all the light rays in that moment.

Finding someone with such coordination with the light element was extremely difficult.

How was Oliver keeping up with these light beams?

Sigfor narrowed his eyes, esper radiating from his vision; he still couldn’t track all the multiple light rays, no matter how much he focused.

How could he? They were moving at the speed of light. He would have to be superhuman to track them all.

But how was Oliver doing it?

He reasoned that, perhaps, Oliver wasn’t even seeing the light rays, but instead relying on instinct to adjust the water constructs to accommodate the light.

But then, how was he so accurate? Not a single light beam escaped the water matrix.

Sigfor believed it was due to the high level of synergy between Oliver and Evelyn.

Unbeknownst to them, they had achieved an incredibly high level of synergy, allowing him to connect with her and feel the flow of light.

Otherwise, there was no logical explanation for his perfect manipulation of the water constructs.

His eyes couldn’t possibly keep up with the speed of light, could they?

Sigfor shook his head. There was no way that was possible.

He had heard of cases where two people achieved extraordinary synergy, but most often it was due to strong emotions—essentially, couples in love.

“Well, that’s not necessarily the case. Both of them are geniuses among geniuses, so they might have reached that level,” he mused.

“Umm…”

Suddenly, a small voice caught his attention.

He looked at Oliver, whose face was contorted in a complex expression. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he heard him say,

“Elder, I am unable to dismiss it…”

Sigfor’s eyes widened at these words.

If Oliver stopped now, the water constructs would instantly revert to liquid form, and the high-energy light beams would explode.

The realization struck him like a cold wave.

He wasn’t worried about the other children, thanks to the barrier.

But he wasn’t so sure about the two children inside. They might not be unharmed if that happened.

“What are you doing!? Didn’t you practice this before coming here!?” Sigfor demanded, his voice laced with agitation.

“Well, the thing is… we didn’t do it to this extent. Whenever the light got a little too powerful, we would cancel it immediately…”

Evelyn replied softly, her gaze also fixed on the cage with concern. She was far away; Oliver would be the one most at risk if it exploded.

“You what!?”

Sigfor’s anger at their carelessness consumed his admiration for their talent.

His hands clenched, knuckles turning white.

It was a life-threatening situation!

Acting without considering the consequences, without caring about anything, they were risking not only their own lives but also the lives of their comrades.

He couldn’t help but grind his teeth in frustration.

This was a very risky situation. Both of them might not realize it, but he did.

“Step aside!” he roared at Evelyn, startling her. She looked at him, conflicted; she didn’t want to leave Oliver behind.

Should she try to control the light rays inside? It seemed difficult, but she wouldn’t let someone close to her get hurt because of her abilities.

She trembled as she reached out toward the light. Just as she was about to try despite the warnings, a loud voice cut through her wavering thoughts.

“JUST DO IT!” Sigfor’s roar was so loud, thanks to his esper, that everyone’s ears rang. He couldn’t tolerate her indecision any longer.

The boy might have tremendous esper, but it wasn’t infinite. He would run out sooner or later, and from the looks of it, he was close.

The moment he lost control, the explosion would happen. Before something unthinkable happened to either of them, he had to intervene.

His voice was so loud thanks to esper that all of them had a ringing sensation in their ears.

“Yes…” she said weakly, glancing at Oliver one last time before stepping out of the barrier.

Sigfor waved his hand, sealing off the barrier, preventing anyone else from entering.

He stared intently at the water cage. He could forcibly try to stop it, but he might hurt the child in the process.

He had no choice but to enter the barrier himself.

A sense of urgency propelled him forward.