Chapter 54: Prison Break
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor as a group rushed toward the prison cells. Leading them was Michelo, the third seat of the Magic Council who had presided over the earlier trial, followed by several council members and enforcement mages.
"Ah! Wait, aren't you… who are you again? Sorry, I have trouble remembering people who aren't beautiful."
"Dino Maxim! The destruction outside—that's your doing!"
Dino raised his hands defensively, the magical restraints clinking. "What are you talking about? I've been sitting here the whole time! Ask these guards—did I do anything?"
"Councilman Michelo, it's true. Dino Maxim hasn't moved from that spot. The magic-sealing cuffs have been on him the entire time."
"See? So what happened out there? Divine punishment, maybe?" Dino grinned. "I'm a man blessed by fate itself. When someone blessed by the heavens gets wrongfully imprisoned, maybe the world itself takes offense."
"Silence! Don't play us for fools, Maxim! Everyone knows you're behind this, and we're here to deliver your new sentence—immediate execution!"
Dino's grin widened. "So we're finally getting to the scapegoating phase? Worried about keeping your positions?"
The faces of several councilmen darkened. He'd struck a nerve. With the Magic Council headquarters this badly damaged, someone would have to answer for it.
No wonder those three old-timers fled. They must have seen this coming and ran before they could be held responsible.
Only one solution remained to minimize the damage and save their careers: execute Dino Maxim and pin everything on him. Technically, he had caused the destruction, so it wasn't even a lie. Their only mistake was not killing him immediately.
"Heh… five years later, and the Magic Council hasn't changed one bit. Those bastards pulled the exact same trick back then."
"By all rights, I should've died five years ago. So why am I still standing here, alive and well?"
"Why… why is that?"
Dino's smile turned predatory. "Because they weren't strong enough to kill me."
Crack!
The magic-sealing handcuffs shattered.
"Impossible! Those cuffs were specifically designed to nullify a mage's power!" Gasps echoed through the prison. No mage had ever broken free from magic-sealing restraints before.
Councilman Reggie's voice cracked with panic. "What are you waiting for?! Attack! The prisoner is escaping! Fire!"
The warden stepped forward, trying to maintain composure. "Councilmen, please remain calm. This cell is constructed from the world's strongest magic-resistant metal, over one meter thick, inscribed with countless defensive enchantments. It automatically counterattacks any impact. Even one of the Ten Wizard Saints couldn't—"
Dino crouched low, clenching both fists at his sides. The air around his knuckles shimmered and warped as white spherical auras manifested around them—the devastating power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"HAH!"
He thrust both fists outward toward the cell walls.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The space itself fractured like glass. Spiderweb cracks spread through the air as the prison's defensive enchantments activated in a cascade of multicolored light.
SHATTER!
Every single magical barrier collapsed in less than a second. Decades of expensive defensive spellwork, obliterated.
BOOM!
Massive holes erupted through both walls of the cell. The "world's strongest metal" tore apart like wet paper.
"Not bad! Maybe make it ten meters thick next time—that might actually slow me down." Dino walked to the cell bars, gripped them with his white-glowing hands, and casually spread them apart. "Though honestly, bars are kind of pointless. You should just make the whole thing solid."
The warden stared, jaw hanging open. "That's… that's impossible! Not even a Wizard Saint could break through those defenses!"
"Really? You work for the Magic Council and you still think the Ten Wizard Saints are the peak of power?" Dino shook his head in mock disappointment. "There are plenty of beings in this world who could crush them without breaking a sweat."
"So what does that make you councilmen, who aren't even close to that level?"
"M-monster!"
"Open fire!"
The enforcement mages raised their weapons, but Dino simply stomped once.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shockwaves rippled through the ground. Everyone stumbled, unable to maintain the concentration needed to cast spells.
Dino swung one hand through the air almost lazily.
CRACK!
An invisible force slammed into the mages like a giant's palm, sending them flying into the walls.
Michelo struggled to his feet, magic energy crackling around him. "Don't underestimate us! We may not be Wizard Saints, but we're the Magic Council's strongest enforcers below that rank!"
The other three councilmen rallied, gathering their magic power. They unleashed concentrated beams of magical energy straight at Dino.
Dino stood perfectly still, one hand in his pocket. He raised his other fist casually.
Hmmm…
The white sphere reappeared around his knuckles.
SHATTER!
Space cracked again. The magical attacks froze mid-air, fractured apart, and dissipated harmlessly. The shockwave continued past the broken spells and slammed into all four councilmen.
CRASH!
Their bodies smashed through the wall, tumbling outside and hitting the ground hard.
Dino stepped through the hole in the wall and dropped down to land in front of them.
"'Not even Wizard Saints,' huh?" He tilted his head mockingly. "Then I really don't know what you were so proud of a minute ago."