‘Damn it. It is very difficult to get rid of these runic bindings.’

Miranda said frustratingly.

‘What are we supposed to do here, Kiara? If we don’t do something…’

Miranda spoke to Kiara telepathically while trying to free herself from the runic bindings that were part of the town’s protective array. Desperation could be seen on her face, especially in her eyes as a burning city hall was reflected in them.

Miranda and Kiara both felt the effects of the miasma when it was used. They couldn’t keep tabs on what was happening inside the city hall anymore. The isolation array had already made it difficult for them to keep track of what was happening inside.

Both of them understood that some underhanded tactics were being used inside the city hall by the demonic rankers. Otherwise, there would have been clear signs of fighting.

Unlike Miranda, Kiara was seen with her eyes closed. Struggling in this manner did not solve anything. Now was the time to get desperate and try to break free using drastic measures available at their disposal.

Kiara kept her calm and looked in the direction of the city hall. She pondered for a bit and made up her mind before responding to Miranda.

‘Mir, I’m planning to use a forbidden spell that can allow me to break free of these bindings. I’ll get to the wall’s control unit and free you after taking care of this Roland bastard and his subordinates.

But that’d probably be it. I won’t be able to do anything else. Using this technique is going to cause me to regress into my ranking journey, even if I don’t die. And I’ll stop being useful for quite some time. So you’ll have to handle the mission afterward.’

Kiara said with a straight face. Miranda, who was still struggling to get free of her bindings, suddenly stopped and repeated what Kiara had said in her mind. She couldn’t believe Kiara was planning to take it this far. She also wondered if she should follow her lead.

***

The forbidden techniques were what came after hyperdrive techniques. They were what their name implied- forbidden. In addition to harming the ranker’s body and mana circuits, they also damage the mana cores.

Some forbidden techniques were so powerful that they could allow their caster to bridge a dividing gap between two ranks. That is if their bodies and mana circuits were capable of doing so.

The spells cast while under the effects of the forbidden technique were called forbidden spells. As a result, these spells were way more powerful than their normal variants. So powerful in fact that they would allow the rankers to cast spells beyond the spell output set for their ranks.

However, a coin always has two sides to it. Everything in the world comes with a price tag in some form or the other. Those who used the forbidden techniques were walking on thin ropes. One wrong move and their mana cores would implode, resulting in them dying instantly.

Even if one managed to survive the effects of the forbidden spell, one would be incapacitated for a month or two. The possibility of regressing into ranking status was also present.

Only the veteran rankers who had practiced enough would be able to send their mana circuits into overdrive. Only a few of them could master the hyperdrive techniques. The forbidden technique followed the same logic in that those who would master it were even fewer.

Kiara’s somewhat confident claim that she might not die from using the forbidden technique was what surprised Miranda the most. It meant that the Awakened ranker was pretty confident at using the forbidden technique.

***

‘No Kiara! Wait. We need to think this through. What would happen if you get incapacitated like that?

You are our best bet against Bulal Blood. Even if I manage to contact the guild now, the backup team would not be able to reach there in time. Everything will be ruined. I… I’ll try using the forbidden…’

Kiara didn’t let Miranda finish. She cut her off right away by adding further.

‘This is not a child’s game, Miranda. Although I don’t look like it, I’m 20 years older than you. Do you think the experience I’ve gained is something you’d be able to match up with just with your talent alone?

You’d die trying to use the forbidden technique. You are not ready yet. Let…’

Kiara was about to say something to Miranda. But suddenly she stopped and looked at Roland’s changed expressions. The guy was confused and worried. It was as if things hadn’t worked out the way he was expecting them to.

Kiara stopped executing the forbidden technique and followed Roland’s gaze. In the next moment, the isolation array surrounding the city hall was broken and the flames that had embraced the entire building burst outward.

Something unexpected had happened. Roland’s expressions turned grim as he addressed his subordinates.

“My men, prepare to move. We don’t want to help the bastards. But we have to check what is going on.”

Roland was about to head to the city hall along with a bunch of soldiers when he sensed something coming toward him. He gripped his sword and turned in the direction from which he sensed a distinct mana signature coming at him.

The next thing Roland knew, there were a few shadows that had climbed the town wall by leaping onto it using their movement spells. He was just beginning to identify them but his attention was divided when one of them threw something toward him.

Roland was too stunned to fall back at this point. The object that was thrown seemed to be some kind of alchemy bomb designed to harm him and his subordinates. He drew his sword and prepared himself for the impact.

But he and all of his subordinates were shocked when they identified what the object was. It was the severed head of someone who they all knew too well.

“Jario!”

Roland yelled in utter disbelief when he carefully looked at the head that was lying not too far away from his feet. Someone had cut his head as a symbol to show what must have happened inside the city hall.

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