I'm torn between appreciating Mephisto for acknowledging Iruma's king potential and lending the strength Iruma currently lacks, and being bitter that he stole Iruma's thunder 😂
When Iruma said "...through", I thought he envisioned an arrow that would fly Through the barrier's magical structure, instead of Colliding with its physical form. His intense expression and the flashback felt like they were building up to total destruction of the barrier (with Azz's support), yet somehow the small hole he made still managed to be impressive instead of anticlimactic. It's not about physical strength training or a mana boost from Ali-san, but about Iruma's willpower, and I'm impressed that the author managed to turn an old cliché into such an epic moment with the tension in their stunning art and sustained narrative callbacks.
Given how impressed I was, and the independent nature of the scala exam, I thought Iruma might eventually be the one to solve this issue, thus Mephisto's appearance (thankfully) burst my bubble, despite being a crucial source of assistance. I LOVE the parallel between the splintering cracks of Iruma's determined yet inadequate Perfect Shot, and the effortlessly perfect, clean circle from Mephisto's infiltration.
(Now, let Nova loose on Azami. He's worked hard and deserves to do a crime! ❤️)
Thank you for the chapter!