691 FAFO 7


    The humanoid continued its relentless efforts for over two minutes, pushing against the shield''s limits in a desperate bid to exhaust its durability before mana could replenish it.


    Eventually, it stopped, sitting down in resignation, mirroring Aron’s earlier decision.


    Rina, having defeated her opponent in just a minute, felt a mix of pride and caution. She had managed to showcase her prowess, a result of her dedicated focus on mastering magic, something she had selected as her official duty as the emperor''s spouse.


    “How many minutes have passed since we left the pce?” Rina asked, her gaze fixed on the defeated humanoid.


    Despite her apparent victory, Rina remained wary. She knew this was only a fraction of what their enemies might be capable of.


    The information from the three tree folks on their side had made her acutely aware of the potential threats, so she stayed on high alert, awaiting confirmation from Aron that the situation was fully under control.


    {Nine minutes} Nova responded promptly.


    “This should wrap up within twenty minutes before they resort to any desperate measures that might causesting damage to the and its inhabitants,” Rina said, settling back into her waiting stance and bracing for any potential esctions.


    Simultaneously, Nova projected the situation on Aron''s side. Seeing his current predicament, she appeared neither surprised nor particrly concerned, maintaining her focus on the unfolding events.


    …………….


    The humanoid on Aron''s side, who had been observing Aron''s situation with detached interest, decided it was time to act.


    “Let’s see if you can withstand the same treatment you’ve given us,” the humanoid dered, conjuring a shield that was roughly a meter widerpared to Aron''s still-active shield.


    With a decisive motion, the humanoid ignited a fire inside the shield. The intent was clear: to continuously inflict damage on Aron''s shield, draining the minimal mana he had managed to gather within it.


    This would force Aron''s shield to deactivate, leaving him vulnerable and unable to resist being taken over.


    The fire continued to assault Aron''s shield for the next minute, with the intense heat and pressure testing its limits. Despite the relentless onught, the shield held firm, causing visible irritation on the humanoid''s face.


    It was growing increasingly frustrated, as the time for the two tree folks to execute their next n was rapidly approaching. The dy was uneptable, and despite deploying their strongest representatives to handle the imperial couple, they had yet to achieve their objective.


    “I have ess to the entire’s mana while you’re limited to just what’s in your shield,” the humanoid said, his voice dripping with disdain. “I can keep this up all day.”


    His irritation was evident, however, as he not only wanted but needed to expedite the process and return back to their specific tree folk.


    The core root humanoids were crucial for the tree folks'' next n, but the dy caused by dealing with Aron and Rina was bing a significant issue.


    Since only one core root humanoid could be created at a time, they couldn’t afford to go back and create thousands from outer roots; doing so would risk Aron regaining ess to the’s mana, undermining their efforts. As for the one sent to Rina, he was still stuck in a shield.


    The main consciousness could take over the shield rune and continue the assault, but that would divert their focus from the impending n, which was critical to execute at this very moment.


    …………


    “I’m ready. What about you?” Oak inquired, havingpleted his preparations.


    “Just a second, and I’m done,” Mangrove replied, wrapping up his own preparations as he spoke.


    Once they confirmed their readiness, they turned their attention to their humanoids. The sight that greeted them was far from satisfactory.


    “It just alters a few aspects of the n, but nothing that will derail it entirely,” Oak said, his frustration evident but under control. He resisted the urge to take drastic action at ths moment that could damage the and provoke the traitors into action.


    “We’ll handle them after the n is executed,” Mangrove agreed, his tone resolute. “Let’s begin, before anything else interferes.”


    With that, they set to work, focusing on their preparations.


    …………….


    **Proimaxa B**


    From outside the, where the exploration fleet’s mothership was currently docked, now manned only by minimal security personnel and a few remaining scientists and researchers. The bulk of the military forces had been deployed to the surface to carry out the emperor’s orders. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The escort fleet ships, tasked with defending the’s four cardinal directions against potential external threats, were still en route back to the. They had received the emperor’s orders just ten minutes earlier and would require a few more minutes to return and resume their given imperial orders.


    Bianchi, the fleet admiral, was diligently overseeing the fleet''s operations, issuing directives and managing updates for various groups.


    However, he was momentarily stunned as a colossal magic circle thousands of kilometers in radius materialized above the. The magic circle began forming a massive shield making it obvious that it intended to surround the, clearly designed to iste it and prevent any interference from his fleet.


    Although magic circles activate almost instantly after creation and mana provision, theirpletion speed varies based on the scale of their intended effect. In essence, therger and moreplex the magic circle, the longer it takes to finalize the process.


    However, the shield''s creation didn’t continue peacefully, as it was soon met with resistance. It appeared that someone or a group of individuals had moved to disrupt the process, actively attempting to dismantle the magic cycle before it could bepleted. To these individuals, the shield''spletion threatened toplicate their given responsibilities significantly.


    “As expected, they didn’t remain passive and took action,” Oak said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. However, the disappointment was short-lived as he continued, “Then don’t me me for what I’m about to do.” His voice carried a tone of conviction, indicating that he was fully prepared to proceed with his next steps despite the interference.