I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 226: Mana Split (2)

"Success! Success! But, wait! Huh? This is going to overload...?"

"Get out of there, now!"

A massive red sphere occupied the center of the laboratory. Despite being a good ten steps away, Yuria could feel the heat searing through her body, and panic quickly took hold. The sphere, squirming and undulating as if alive, was still slowly expanding in real time, growing larger with every passing moment.

"It’s going to overload, but so what?! It’s a success! I wasn’t wrong! I was right!"

"Get out of there, now!!!"

Cutting through the heat, Yuria quickly dashed into the lab, grabbing the researcher by the collar and pulling him out. Despite being the cause of this chaos, he was someone who absolutely couldn’t die. He was likely the only person who understood the nature of that sphere and how to stop it.

"Hey! Don’t just stand there, do something! The whole lab will be engulfed in flames and melt away! Tell me how to stop it!"

"Hah! Hahaha! Stop it? That’s impossible! It’s already passed the critical point! The chain reaction has reached its limit, and we can only wait for it to finish!"

"What happens if the chain reaction starts?!"

"What happens? An explosion."

"...!"

An explosion, with that massive energy sphere?

Even now, the sphere, barely holding its shape, was hot enough to melt everything it touched. What would happen if it exploded? Just imagining it made Yuria's mind go blank.

It wasn’t just the researcher’s explanation. Yuria could feel it instinctively. That thing, there was no way I could stop it. The only solution was to evacuate everyone as quickly as possible.

Once that thought entered her mind, Yuria was already dragging the researcher out of the lab, pulling him along behind her.

"Yuria?! What is going on here?"

"Everyone, evacuate! Hurry!"

"...!?!"

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As they left the research building, a huge commotion greeted them, with professors and students who had rushed in at the sound of the explosion. They were all staring in one direction, stunned, and when Yuria turned to look, her heart dropped.

The red sphere was expanding, breaking through the outer walls of the building, and it was engulfing the entire research facility.

The uncontrollable flames surged higher, and the building began to warp and collapse. It had to be stopped. That thought flashed through Yuria's mind, but—

"Barrier? No... Somehow, I have a bad feeling that if I use a barrier, things will get worse..."

She couldn’t bring herself to cast the barrier. She had a gut feeling that using it would only worsen the situation. While it was still an instinctual thought with no solid basis, she quickly began analyzing the situation, trying to find a reason for it.

"The sphere is still growing. That means the energy is increasing... But no additional energy is being injected. That means it’s only expanding due to internal energy..."

Something didn’t add up. The mana inside the sphere felt no stronger than the amount a regular person could store. Even if that entire mana were consumed, the explosion could only devastate a single lab at best. So, how could it be consuming that little mana, expanding and swallowing the entire building, still growing?

"Wait, what if it’s not combustion...?"

What if the mana wasn’t being burned, but rather physically broken down to release energy?

That thought triggered a spark of realization. Yuria remembered a paper she had once read. It wasn’t about burning mana for energy, but breaking it apart to extract energy. The paper had stated that the process of splitting mana caused a loss of mass, which was then converted into a huge amount of energy. However, the theory had never been experimentally verified and had remained in the theoretical stage.

But if that theory were now reality?

Then it would explain how such a small amount of mana could generate such massive amounts of energy. No, it wasn’t just that—it wasn’t enough. The energy it was generating could easily destroy the entire campus, or even more, expanding by hundreds, even thousands of times!

"Then there really is no way but to escape...!"

In that case, she had to evacuate everyone at the academy immediately. As far away as possible, if she could!

Any attempt to stop the explosion would involve using mana, and that mana would only contribute to the chain reaction, increasing the explosion’s force.

The only way to stop it would be to remove the mana at the core of the sphere. But there was no way to break through that heat and get to the center—it was virtually impossible.

"I’ll deploy the barrier and suppress the explosion! Professors, support me!"

"Yes! We’ll do that!"

"No! Professors, don’t deploy the barrier! It will only increase the explosion’s strength!"

"Student, step back! There’s nothing you can do! Get out of here, now!"

At that moment, a professor deployed a massive barrier that surrounded the red sphere. Yuria, terrified, tried to stop them, but she was blocked by the professors.

More and more mana was being injected into the barrier. The mana of each professor—each one a strategic-level weapon—was flowing into the barrier without reservation. In an instant, the barrier became the most solid, impenetrable, and overwhelming force ever seen, as if nothing in the world could pierce it.

The sphere, which had been expanding endlessly, collided with the barrier, and its momentum began to dissipate. The professors’ faces, which had been covered in cold sweat, now started to show signs of relief.

"Phew. Did it work?"

"Everyone, great job. We almost lost the entire research facility."

"Someone must’ve broken safety protocols and experimented with high-level magic again. Who the hell did this?"

"Professors! It’s not over yet! We need to evacuate immediately!"

"...?"

As the professors let out a sigh of relief and began to relax, Yuria hurriedly pushed her way through to speak. The professors, still dazed, looked at her in confusion.

Of course, Yuria was just a student. But among these professors, no one had ever worked without Yuria’s help in their research. Everyone knew her abilities were on par with those of a graduate student, if not higher.

"The explosion has been suppressed, so it’s safe for now. I know you’re all capable, but in emergencies like this, you need to leave it to the professors..."

"No, that’s not it! This isn’t a typical explosion! A barrier won’t work against this!"

"What are you talking about? The explosion was already stopped with the barrier... Huh?"

The professors, sensing that something was wrong, turned to look behind them. The interior of the barrier was supposed to be a sealed environment with no oxygen, so no combustion could take place. Yet, the red sphere wasn’t stopping; it was still burning wildly, filling the entire inside of the barrier.

"Why isn’t it going out...?"

"That’s because it’s not just a simple explosion spell! Deploying a barrier is like throwing water on oil!"

"Then what should we do...?"

"Evacuate immediately! The entire academy campus... No, the whole city could be caught in the explosion!"

"...!"

The professors, now fully understanding the situation, turned pale. The barrier, which should’ve withstood even the strongest magic, was starting to crack and melt, and the sphere, now absorbing more mana, was expanding at a faster rate, growling as if ready to explode.

The professors, re-estimating the energy contained within the sphere, sighed in resignation. Yuria had been right.

Even rough calculations showed that the energy was more than enough to obliterate the entire campus.

Soon, the barrier would break, and an uncontrollable explosion would occur. Evacuating the entire campus, let alone the entire city, was impossible.

But if they kept reinforcing the barrier to buy more time, the explosion would only get bigger, and the evacuation area would keep expanding.

Buying time was completely pointless.

"Ah! Ahhh! Issue a citywide evacuation order! Get the citizens as far from the Imperial Magic Academy as possible!!!"

The harsh sound of a horn echoed throughout the city. People began to panic and run in all directions.

Amidst the chaos, Yuria stood frozen, unable to move.

"I have to save them... I have to save them..."

There was no time. Too many people to save, and the area to evacuate was far too wide. It was impossible to save everyone.

So who should she save, and who should she let die?

With the lives of everyone in her hands, Yuria felt her breath quicken.

If only I were stronger. If only I had the power to stop that explosion.

Those thoughts continued to race through her mind, and just as her vision started to blur, a familiar voice startled her.

"You’re such a soft-hearted fool. You should be running for your life, but instead you’re wasting time worrying about others."

"Ah, Aslan Vermont!?"

Yuria, startled by the familiar voice, looked up, and there, standing before her, was Aslan. What was he doing here?

"Ah, Count! You need to get out of here! The barrier...!"

"I know. I’m actually waiting for the barrier to break."

"What?!"

Aslan said something utterly ridiculous. Just then, the barrier cracked with a horrifying sound, and flames leapt out from the inside.

At that moment, a black mist-like aura began to ooze from Aslan’s body, quickly engulfing the red sphere, covering it completely. The black aura wrapped around the sphere tightly and then suddenly dispersed and vanished.

Where the black mist had dissipated, there was nothing left. Nothing at all.

"What!?"

The red sphere, which had been on the verge of consuming the entire academy, had disappeared, as if it had never been there. Yuria, stunned by the absurd sight, collapsed to the ground, utterly bewildered.