Under an overcast morning sky, we quietly made our way toward the castle gate. There were no attacks on the way—likely because ambushing someone in the middle of the noble district would be too brazen, even for them.

“It’s unusually empty today,” I commented.

The bridge leading to the castle gate was deserted, and there wasn’t even a line of people waiting at the gate.

“They’re waiting for us,” Rio said, her voice calm.

My Presence Detection Skill confirmed her suspicions. Several individuals were stationed within the castle walls, their positions clear as day. Unlike last time, they were undoubtedly waiting for us, ready to strike from their advantageous position above the bridge.

“If it’s obvious something’s coming, it’s easier to deal with,” I muttered.

“Let’s just keep going,” Rio said.

As we crossed the bridge, our suspicions were confirmed—arrows rained down from the walls, and several knights and mages emerged from the castle gate.

“Wind Wall,” Rio said, her spell scattering the arrows mid-air.

Not a single one reached us, but it was clear these weren’t warning shots. A direct hit would maim or kill us.

Flashes of Rio’s stabbing incident from the previous day seared through my mind.

“Anything that threatens us needs to be destroyed,” I said grimly.

“Shu?” Rio’s worried gaze met mine, but I couldn’t afford to let her be distracted.

Focusing my mana into my hands, I created a swirl of flame and wind, compressing it into a dense sphere. Then, I enveloped it in a Gravity Field, adding another layer of compression.

This was the same experimental magic that had created a crater during testing yesterday. While powerful, it was also dangerously unstable. I made sure to hold back just enough to avoid overdoing it.

“Are you really going to fire that off already?” Rio asked, pointing toward the far end of the bridge.

I glanced at the target—she was right. If the bridge were damaged, it’d be a hassle to cross later.

“Good point.”

I coated the magical projectile with Earth Magic, shaping it into a cone for controlled impact. This would ensure it embedded itself in the wall before detonating, minimizing debris.

Adjusting my aim slightly, I targeted a section of the wall above and to the right of the gate.

“Here goes. Fire!”

The compressed spell shot forward with a crack and slammed into the wall. A deafening explosion followed, shaking the structure.

The side of the wall visible to us appeared mostly intact, but the far side had taken significant damage.

“Looks like that worked,” I said, shading my eyes to inspect the wall.

The arrows had stopped, and the enemies stationed there seemed to have fled. Apparently, their once-safe perch wasn’t as secure as they thought.

“This makes walking a lot easier,” Rio quipped.

“Yeah. No more distractions.”

“Should we take out a bit more, just to be safe?”

Without waiting for my answer, Rio conjured three of the same spells and fired them off—two to the left and one to the right. The explosions echoed across the area, sending the knights and mages at the gate into a frenzy.

“You! What have you done?!”

Crossing the bridge, we were met by a knight in ornate armor, his anger practically steaming off him.

“This is treason! You’ll be executed for this!”

“What are you even talking about?” I said, rolling my eyes. “You were trying to kill us from the start.”

“Nonsense! You’re under orders for capture—not execution!”

“Arrows don’t capture people. They kill them.”

Their hypocrisy was exhausting.

“And sending assassins after us doesn’t exactly scream ‘capture mission,’” I added dryly.

“Flame Javelin!”

A chorus of mages behind the knight began casting. Several flaming spears hurtled toward us. Dodging was an option, but where was the fun in that?

Stepping forward, I swung my left fist, enhanced by the Crimson Dragon Gauntlet, directly into the path of the spells.

The gauntlet glowed, absorbing a portion of the magic as the flaming spears shattered and dispersed.

“This thing’s amazing,” I muttered, flexing my hand.

“What the...?!” the lead knight exclaimed, his confidence cracking.

Behind me, I felt Rio gathering mana.

“Flame Javelin!”

With a graceful flick of her wrist, she launched twenty fiery spears—one for each of the enemies ahead.

“What?!”

The knights raised their shields while the mages scrambled to cast defensive spells.

“Earth Wall!”

Large stone barriers rose to block the assault, but the synchronized defense didn’t hold.

“Once more!” I shouted, charging forward.

“Got it!” Rio called back, her mana surging again.

With a punch powered by the Shining Dragon Gauntlet, I struck the Earth Wall head-on. The impact sent shards of rock flying toward our enemies, and Rio’s follow-up spears pierced through the chaos, hitting their targets.

Cries of pain echoed as their formation crumbled.

“That’s one way to break the ice,” I said with a smirk, ready for the next wave.