As Ethan's words fell, he flicked his wrist.
Thoom—!
The golden liquid struck the energy barrier—not with an explosion, but with a deep, resonant impact.
It didn't blast outward.
Instead, it spread like water soaking into parched earth, instantly flowing along every energy channel in the defensive structure.
RUMMMMMBLE—!
The entire barrier shuddered violently.
Then, in the next breath, its structural integrity surged.
Not just thicker.
Something else—something higher—had intervened. A force that rewrote the very logic of the defense.
The barrier's glow shifted, its mixed hues settling into a deep, heavy dark gold.
Ethan's pupils narrowed slightly.
"…So that's what it does."
At this level of reinforcement—
Even sustained bombardment from a force of equal scale wouldn't break through anytime soon.
This wasn't just a city shield anymore.
It was a bulwark—temporarily reinforced by the laws themselves.
…
Outside the barrier—
The Crocaster Empire's army froze.
"What?!"
