After casually turning in the mission, Kanna looked at her newly acquired skill.
Pray for Rain: Condenses energy to induce weather changes, temporarily transforming the weather into rain. Duration, range, and intensity are controlled by the condensed energy. Under this weather, fire-type skills will be suppressed to a certain extent, while water and lightning-type skills will receive corresponding enhancements based on the intensity of Pray for Rain. (This skill originates from the Pokémon world)
Kanna's eyes lit up when she saw that water and lightning-type skills would also receive corresponding enhancements based on the intensity of Pray for Rain. She had just been worrying about the insufficient power of explosions and the lack of falling rocks, and now the system had delivered a perfectly suitable skill, like a pillow for a sleepy head.
She jumped to the mountaintop, ready to try it out, unaware of what was about to happen.
Upon reaching the summit, Kanna stroked her chin. Although the skill's description seemed detailed, the crucial parts were vague. What Kanna was most concerned about was how much energy translated to how much power?
Uncertain of the effect, she decided to be conservative and try with five percent of her energy first, thinking if it wasn't enough, she'd try ten percent.
When she condensed the energy in her hand and then tossed it upwards... "What? I thought it would start raining immediately, like in anime and games?"
She saw no clouds in the sky, only layers of clouds constantly gathering from the horizon towards their location.
Kanna, standing below, didn't realize that the moment she waved her hand and used the skill, the air pressure throughout the canyon suddenly dropped. Calamity Messengers nearby looked up with incredulous gazes towards the canyon, where layers of beautiful, colorful clouds abruptly appeared directly above it.
Ordinary people might have taken it as a natural wonder, but they knew it was not a wonder, but a warning. The suddenly appearing clouds had a specific term among the Calamity Messengers—Calamity Cloud.
It only appeared in places where a Calamity was about to erupt, but according to the Calamity Messengers' calculations and observations, there shouldn't have been a Calamity in the canyon, especially not so abruptly.
At this time, the border guards rushing to the canyon also stopped, because some among them were familiar with Calamities, and naturally recognized the Calamity Cloud hanging above their heads.
The commander of this army was greatly troubled. Capturing the escaped miners was a death order from the Grand Duke, one that he couldn't escape with any excuse.
But a Calamity was about to happen between him and the miners. According to the messenger in the team, the Calamity ahead was strange and sudden, and he couldn't analyze what type of disaster it was.
If the team continued to advance, it was highly likely they would run headfirst into the Calamity.
His team was lightly equipped, coming only to pursue unarmed miners, and carried very little heavy equipment. If they encountered a Calamity, they might be completely wiped out.
Before he could deliberate much longer, the sky ahead had already changed color. What was clear blue moments ago was now overcast, countless lightning bolts flowing like fish among the clouds, and a drizzling rain began to fall from the sky.
Seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly and ordered the rear of the army to become the front, retreating backward.
After leaving the terrifying thunderstorm area, he then sent a message to the Grand Duke.
Upon learning that the team pursuing the miners was blocked by a sudden Calamity at the entrance of the canyon, the Grand Duke, in a fit of anger, smashed the water glass in his hand against the wall. These damned miners, running away was one thing; even killing a minor noble wouldn't have a major impact, they could just replace him with a new minor noble to oversee the mine. But they actually blew up the entire mine when they escaped.
This meant that to continue using the mine, a large amount of manpower and resources would be required for re-excavation.
How could the Grand Duke be happy about being ambushed by these commoners? That's why he ordered his Shadow Guard and border guards to coordinate in apprehending this group of escaping miners.
Thinking of this, he inquired if there was any news from the Shadow Guard ahead, and the message he received made his heart sink.
From the moment they discovered the Calamity and retreated to the safe zone to report to the Grand Duke, there had been no news from the Shadow Guard ahead. They didn't know the Shadow Guard's current exact location or the situation they were facing.
The Grand Duke knew that as his confidants, the Shadow Guard would find a way to send frontline intelligence back as long as there was even a sliver of opportunity. If they lost contact, there could only be one situation—they were completely wiped out.
But these Shadow Guards were all handpicked elites, each with the strength to fight a hundred men, and in the military, they were all officers of captain rank. For them to all perish simultaneously without even sending back a message, the opponent's strength was far more formidable than he had imagined.
On the other side, while Kanna was still complaining that the skill's effect was too slow, JA's urgent and panicked voice came through the communicator on her shoulder.
"Kanna, come back quickly! We need to leave now!"
???
Kanna looked bewildered. Her plan had just begun, and the other party hadn't even arrived yet, so why was JA rushing her?
"Hurry! There's a Calamity coming above us!"
Noticing Kanna's lack of movement, JA's anxious voice came again.
Calamity?
Calamity!
Kanna looked at her skill in surprise.
Pray for Rain successfully used! Target area: twenty kilometers centered on the canyon. Effect: Thunderstorm. Duration: twenty-four hours. Intensity: Calamity-level! Under the effect of this thunderstorm, fire-type skills are severely suppressed, while water and lightning-type skills receive a two to ten times amplification! Calamity duration countdown: 23:55:37
A new string of text appeared after her Pray for Rain skill, and that countdown left Kanna dumbfounded.
Previous skills hadn't expressed such rich effects as Pray for Rain. She had never imagined that just five percent of her energy could directly trigger a full day of "temporary Calamity" above their heads.
After reading the message, she didn't linger any longer. With a few leaps, she darted out of the canyon and reached the vehicle JA had left on the other side.
Because under the Calamity, even if the enemy was a regular army from Victoria, they would have to patiently wait for the Calamity to pass before they could have a chance to continue their pursuit. And besides this canyon, the nearest road to the other end was two hundred kilometers away. By the time they Around around from there, she and her group would have long since left the border of Victoria.
The moment Kanna jumped into the car, the vehicle started immediately in a panic, the driver pushing the accelerator as if to break it, desperately driving the vehicle away.
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