Chapter 71: Infinite Shield Works (Please Keep Reading!)

Chapter 71: Infinite Shield Layering (Please Support with Reads!)

The creator of the Invisible Armor shattered conventions with revolutionary thinking.

Every mage knows one thing: only a single magic shield can exist at any given time.

Magic shields cannot be nested, layer upon layer.

This is tied to the very principle of how magical shielding functions.

A magic shield is a force-field barrier—complete, spherical, and seamless in its coverage.

Only one such defensive field can exist; a larger field will overwrite a smaller one.

Repeated casting merely refreshes the field—it does not strengthen it.

But the Invisible Armor is different. It is a spell of evocation, not force.

Ordinary evocation shields concentrate energy in a single direction, forming a magical barrier akin to a physical shield.

Its advantage? Focused defense, offering greater protection than a same-tier force-field shield.

Its flaw? It defends only one side.

The Invisible Armor spell transforms this directional shield into full-body armor, wrapping the caster entirely.

Yet this comes at the cost of reduced defensive strength.

Thus, the spell’s creator chose to consume far more mana to compensate.

That is why, despite being a zero-tier spell, the Invisible Armor drains three times the mana of a simple firebolt.

Because it belongs to evocation rather than force fields, the Invisible Armor possesses one crucial advantage—layering.

In theory, layers can be stacked infinitely, without limit.

In practice… when Li Wei cast the perfected-level Invisible Armor, he could layer no more than three before hitting a wall.

Even then, as he stood on the ground, his feet hovered ten centimeters above the floor.

The outermost layer of armor had already exceeded two meters in height—this was the maximum scale the zero-tier spell framework could sustain.

Li Wei extended his spiritual sense outward, probing the invisible armor encasing him.

“There are gaps between each layer—gaps wider than the armor itself. If I can shrink these gaps, I can stack more layers.”

He adjusted the armor with precision, striving to minimize the space between each shell.

It wasn’t difficult for him—only a matter of how far he could push it.

After effort and refinement, the number of layers climbed to five.

“If the gaps can be compressed, can the thickness of the armor itself also be reduced?”

Li Wei pressed further, using his spiritual force to compress the armor’s density.

Seven layers—his limit.

“This is as far as I can go now. Unless my spiritual power grows, or my control over mana ascends once more.”

Wrapped in seven layers, Li Wei felt like he was buried beneath a thick woolen coat—clumsy, weighed down.

When he deactivated five layers, the constriction eased dramatically. Movement returned to normal.

“In normal conditions, two layers won’t hinder me. In battle, I’ll activate them all.”

After brief experimentation, he reached his conclusion.

His gaze turned to Shadow Servant, now advanced to high-tier first-rank.

“Now, time to test the armor’s defensive power.”

He clad the Shadow Servant in seven layers of Invisible Armor and sent him several paces away—to avoid collateral damage.

Then, Li Wei gathered energy—Fireball, fully charged!

Boom—crash!

The Shadow Servant was hurled skyward. A crater scarred the ground where he once stood.

Thud!

He crashed back down—unharmed. Five layers of armor shattered into nothingness.

The Shadow Servant staggered upright, dazed, unaware of what had just occurred.

Li Wei smiled.

Seven layers could withstand most second-rank spells.

For a zero-tier spell to achieve such astonishing resilience, he was more than satisfied.

All his effort, all his sweat—worth every drop.

“If the perfected level is this powerful, what changes await at mastery?”

Li Wei grew increasingly eager for this wondrous spell.

“Where did Orin obtain this technique? Who truly created the Invisible Armor?”

He was deeply curious.

Now, he held immense reverence for the spell’s originator.

“Shadow Servant, return.” The figure drifted back like smoke.

With a thought, the room restored itself to order.

Taking the Shadow Servant with him, Li Wei stepped out—into the dream of Hansha City, filled with smoke and flame.

This time, he did not hide. He walked openly down the street, unafraid.

The Shadow Servant followed close, guarding his flank.

A nightmare swooped from the sky, spotted Li Wei, and dove—transforming midair into a beastman lunging toward him.

The Shadow Servant intercepted swiftly, grappling the descending nightmare in fierce combat.

Nightmares devoured one another’s power.

The Shadow Servant tore into the beastman’s form. As the broken flesh dissolved into gray mist, trying to reassemble, the servant inhaled sharply—and swallowed it whole.

Stunned by the assault, the nightmare hesitated, slow to retaliate.

Every strike it launched was stopped cold by the invisible armor.

What should have been a clash of equals became a one-sided beating—the nightmare enduring blow after blow.

Li Wei observed calmly—until suddenly, a glint of cold light flared behind him.

A razor-sharp dagger shot from the darkness, driving straight into his back.

Crack!

The blade pierced one layer of armor—then halted against the second.

Li Wei turned his head. A nightmare, transformed into an orcish assassin, emerged from the shadows.

"Is this what I fear?"

A faint smile crossed Li Wei's lips as he raised a finger and pointed at the nightmare assassin behind him. Flames gathered swiftly at his fingertip, forming a blazing fireball.

The nightmare assassin retreated—the first strike had failed, and now it sought to vanish into darkness.

Whoosh!

A small fireball shot forward, striking just before the creature could dissolve into shadow.

Li Wei’s spellcasting was faster than its retreat.

Boom!

The fireball exploded upon impact, the force hurling the nightmare assassin backward. It staggered, stumbling several steps before regaining its footing.

Now in the form of an assassin, the nightmare had become swift yet fragile—a single small fireball nearly scattering its form.

Seizing the moment the creature faltered, Li Wei unleashed a rapid barrage of fireballs.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Five fireballs flew in succession.

The nightmare twisted desperately—dodging the first, but failing to escape the second.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four fireballs struck in quick succession, tearing the creature apart into a swirling gray mist, revealing the core within.

Whoosh!

The first fireball, having flown past, curved back and slammed into the exposed nightmare core.

Boom!

The core shattered, then transformed into a streak of light that shot into Li Wei’s body.

[Great Dreamwalking Technique] proficiency increased by 100.

Effortlessly defeating a high-tier first-stage nightmare—the very type most feared by mages: the assassin variant.

Li Wei glanced toward Ying Shi. His opponent could no longer maintain its disguise, its true nightmare form now revealed.

After several minutes, Ying Shi tore the creature apart and devoured its exposed core.

"Took you long enough to finish off a mid-tier first-stage nightmare," Li Wei muttered, shaking his head. Ying Shi’s strength was still too weak—mainly due to lack of offensive means. Relying solely on instinctive devouring made combat painfully inefficient.

The attack from the nightmare assassin stirred memories of the half-orc assassin girl he’d encountered before.

Come to think of it, so many days had passed—why hadn’t the hidden orc assassins in Hansha City made their move?

Not a single report of any important figure being assassinated had reached his ears.

Could it be that the orc assassins had already been wiped out?

Li Wei shook his head, casting aside idle thoughts.

"What does it matter to me? As long as the blade isn’t aimed at my throat."

(End of Chapter)