280 Surprise Attack
Weapons enchanted for sharpness don't simply become sharper, they also gain ability to cut through armor that has been buffed with magic.
That's apparently a common knowledge. Not only that, sometimes their reach also increases. I only knew about that way later down the line though. I had no idea about it at this point of time.
Apparently the mana enchanted into the weapon expanded out of the blade part. Clad in 'Sever' effect, it's capable of cutting through the target's mana.
This in effect expands the weapon's reach. However, the longest ever recorded expansion is only ten centimeter long. And since there's no way to guarantee this increased reach effect during the enchanting process, such weapons are rare and fetch for high prices.
And yet, my katana generates a tremendously long mana blade, about half of its original blade. This mana blade looks like glints of azure to the onlookers.
I only found out about it later.
"Blue flashes...? Was that light from mana...?"
Mary muttered. I've already gotten close to the bandits by that point. At a slow walking pace of course.
'Ah, again...', I had already swung my katana by the time I murmured that.
I felled one bandit with the drawing swing and another with the return swing.
'SHING', as my katana got in its sheath, I went after more of the still unmoving bandits.
As their comrades fell one after another, what seemed to be the leader guy shouted out loud.
"Ki-! Kill that guy first! Surround him! Jump at him all together!"
A sound decision. But that also has another unintended effect. And that is.
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'White Fang' made their move at once the moment the bandits turned their back on them.
The bandits reacted too slow against this since they were too focused on me. In fact, that was their biggest mistake.
There are no veteran adventurers who have overcome many carnage that would overlook this chance.
An opening to turn the table on their enemy who has an advantage in number.
"Burn down all obstacles in my way, cleave open a path... 'Hellfire Lance'."
That must have been Mary's spellcasting. A lump of flame the size of an adult was flung in my direction afterward.
(She's fully planning to shoot me along with them! That's not gonna hit though!)
I paused a bit when I heard that maximum Chuunibyo sounding chant but quickly got into 'Accelerated State' and scrambled away.
Only undoing the state after finding somewhere safe from the range of this 'Hellfire Flame' magic.
Which is behind Mary. There's no mages alive that shoot spells that also hit them so I deem this spot safe.
"Ah! Did he get hit too!?" the flame landed right in the middle of the bandit gang just as she said that.
It caused a huge explosion. Like a napalm you see in superhero movies. The shockwave traveled in all directions, carrying dust of cloud and pebbles even to this spot.
The explosion instantaneously dyed the surroundings white before the heat from the orange flame hit my face and the dust cloud spread out, lowering visibility.
Once the dust settled down, a crater has been formed at the impact point, the bandits are nowhere to be seen.
Broken down to pieces, minced, detonated, wonder what's the correct word to express it here?
(Ah... Not even the skeleton remained huh... Even the bandit who luckily didn't get directly hit must experience hell.)
The firepower took me aback. Only the bandit leader is alive, the rest has been utterly decimated. The bandit leader's stomach has been gouged out by some debris flung by the explosion, he's pretty much at death's door.
"Nasty...", nobody heard me muttering that in reflex.
I wasn't the only one surprised by 'White Fang'. Barid too.
"H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h...how!? How did it end like thiiiiiiiiis!"
As someone who just obtained a new perspective on the destructive power of magic, I agree.