One of Rest's signature techniques was composite magic—combining multiple spells to cast together.
His most frequently used variation involved amplifying and compressing a Fireball to boost its destructive power.
The new technique— [Inferno Genesis] —was a derivative of that same method.
"Flash!"
"GYAO!"
A blinding burst of light erupted before the Elder Worm's eyes, robbing it of its vision as Rest darted away from the spot.
Of course, he wasn't fleeing. He was simply buying time to prepare his spell.
"Fireball!"
Having put a sufficient distance between himself and the Elder Worm, Rest activated the magic.
A sphere of fire materialized above his palm.
A spell he knew by heart—the most basic tier of magic, one he could perform with his eyes closed.
"Amplify! Compress!"
And then... he layered those spells onto the fireball.
The flames surged in intensity, yet the sphere didn't grow any larger. Instead, it compressed, amplifying only its destructive force.
"Normally, I'd fire it off right about now... Even this alone would be more than enough to finish off an ordinary monster."
But... it wouldn't be enough against the Elder Worm in front of him. The firepower was nowhere near sufficient.
"So, what do I do?... It's simple, really. If the firepower isn't enough, I just need to add more fuel to the fire."
So... he would grow the ball of fire floating above his palm. Grow it until it could burn the Elder Worm to nothing.
"Incantation: Amplify!"
He layered another amplification spell on top of the first to intensify the flames.
The fire surged with renewed vigor, blazing ever higher.
Its power had undoubtedly grown, but... the ball of fire began to waver.
In theory, if he kept layering amplification spells, the spell's power would increase without limit.
(Though... that was purely theoretical.)
For all the increased destructive force, an amplified spell sacrificed stability.
An unstable spell would either dissipate or detonate.
(But right now, I have this spell...)
"Barrier."
Lines of light shot through the air, tracing geometric patterns as they went.
A three-dimensional magical formation enveloped the ball of fire, and the flames steadied themselves.
This was the new approach. The new method.
By applying barrier magic, Rest had expanded the possibilities of his spells even further.
"Amplify, Compress, Amplify, Compress, Amplify!"
Wrapped inside the barrier, the flames grew hotter and hotter with each layer.
Thanks to the compression spell, the ball's volume remained unchanged, yet its thermal energy climbed relentlessly.
It was like burning through a massive stockpile of coal inside a furnace.
"Enclose the spell within a barrier to stabilize it, then keep stacking more spells on top to amplify the power... It's a pretty straightforward idea, so how come nobody ever thought of it?"
Rest spoke with a sense of wonder as he continued nurturing the flame.
A simple idea.
That was how Rest described it, but that wasn't really the case.
If anything, it was a Copernican revolution — a paradigm shift that turned the entire world upside down.
The very notion of enclosing only a spell within a barrier was something no one would ever think of.
Even if, by some miracle, someone did come up with it… putting it into practice was nearly impossible.
Constructing a sturdy barrier alone consumed enormous amounts of mana. And when you factored in continuously amplifying the spell on top of that… you'd need enough mana to fire dozens of high-level spells in succession.
Only Rest, who possessed infinite mana, could pull this off.
"[Amplify], [Compress], [Amplify], [Compress], [Amplify]"
Furthermore, an ordinary mage couldn't maintain an active barrier while simultaneously casting another spell with their free hand.
Even among sage-class mages, how many could match Rest's dexterity?
"[Amplify], [Compress], [Amplify], [Compress], [Amplify]… Alright, that should do it."
The firepower had grown sufficiently.
The flames blazing inside the barrier… they looked like a miniature sun.
Rest was now certain that this fire would be more than enough to deal with the Elder Wyrm.
"The problem is… I have no idea just how powerful this thing actually is. It might even blow me away…"
"Gyraooooooooooooooo!"
"Oh, it noticed me…"
The Elder Wyrm had detected Rest's location.
It writhed its colossal body and surged toward him once again, ready to strike.
Fire reinforced by barrier magic — there was no way he could fly around and dodge like before with this state.
"Oh, there's no time to think anymore! Fine, I'm firing!"
Rest hurled the fireball wrapped in a barrier straight into the Wyrm's gaping maw.
"[Birth of the Flame God]!"
He had already decided on the name for this spell.
Inside the Elder Wyrm's body, the barrier was released, and the contained flames burst free.
A massive explosion of fire erupted at the heart of the wetlands.