Ryan couldn't help but sigh in the end. While one thing led to another, he should have understood that from the beginning… he could counter Hephaestus's skill by using the Mana Barrier. If his own barrier protected him from Vengeful Explosion, it was only obvious that would be the case.
Once Ryan found out the weakness of that skill, Hephaestus surprised Ryan. From the very beginning, he didn't have to make the swords fall… he could make them appear and fly toward the enemies from all directions. The very moment he used that for the first time, Ryan felt shivers when he saw Femradiel and Alissa surrounded by dozens of them. Fortunately, Femradiel had some crazy reflexes and used Teleport before they could get pierced by all of the projectiles.
"It seems that you aren't bothered that your friend is intervening now," Ryan said.
"This is a war, not a duel," Tyr said. "It is different from before."