Chapter 1243 – 1243. Dark Moon
It was dawn, before the sun had risen.
I narrowed my eyes, standing guard on the mansion roof, staring straight ahead. In the distance, a cluster of lights was approaching at a considerable speed.
[Telescope]
I used magic to enhance my vision and identified the rapidly approaching lights.
They were bicycles.
More than 30 people were furiously pedaling their bicycles, coming this way. Their speed was close to 300 km/h. It was clear they had illegally modified their bikes.
I tapped my mask and sent a radio message.
“Unit 212! Unit 31! We’re under attack!!”
-This is Unit 212. What’s the enemy’s identity and location?!
“About 30 enemies. All riding illegally modified bicycles. They’ll reach the mansion’s front gate in about 3 minutes. They seem to be armed with guns.”
-Illegally modified bicycles…? Are they by any chance wearing angry-looking masks?
“I’ll check.”
I focused mana into my eyes. My vision sharpened, and the enemies became clearer.
“Unit 212, you’re right. They’re all wearing angry-looking masks.”
-It’s the Angry Cyclers.
“Angry Cyclers?”
-They’re a biker gang that operates around here. I heard on the internet that they went into hiding after losing a turf war… I think they must have been hired by the workers. They’re probably trying to pull off one last job before leaving the city.
“Well, they can’t expect to live in this city after messing with a noble…”
There was a commotion below the mansion. I glanced down and saw the guards, having realized the Angry Cyclers’ arrival, preparing for battle.
“Unit 212, even if they’re just a biker gang, this is too noisy. It might be a diversionary tactic. Check the barrier around the Baron’s room and prepare for the worst. Give the guards some support magic too.”
-Leave it to me. That’s my job.
“Unit 31, what about you? Do you want to get involved?”
-I’ll follow orders.
Unit 31’s voice was calm. She had a battle-maniac streak, so I asked, but it seemed she wasn’t interested in a biker gang.
“Stay with Unit 212 and protect Baron Ptelgar.”
-Understood.
As Unit 31 finished her reply, the Angry Cyclers crashed into the mansion’s front gate. They were firing guns and throwing bombs. The guards responded with the latest equipment provided by Baron Ptelgar.
‘Even for a biker gang, they’re fighting too recklessly. They don’t seem to fear death. There’s even a hint of madness. There’s only one explanation for this. Drugs.’
I opened my astral.
I could feel the mana around me, and the mana road was activated. I calculated the magic formulas, making sure not to use magic above level 4, and even adjusting the power of level 3 magic. Mana raced through the mana road, transforming into formulas and becoming magic.
[Fire Rain]
I activated a level 3 fire magic.
Flames created in the air fell to the ground. The surprised enemies retreated. No matter how much their fighting spirit was boosted by drugs, they didn’t want to throw away their lives like moths to a flame.
‘The power is weaker than Fireball, as expected.’
However, the purpose of Fire Rain was to control the battle area. I used Fire Rain to give the guards a chance to catch their breath.
-Thank you for the support. It helped break the momentum of those lunatics.
I received a radio message from the guard captain, Lake Mac.
“I was just doing what I had to do.”
-These guys… They’ve taken combat drugs. They’re not easy to deal with. Can you provide magical support?
“I told you. I’m doing what I have to do.”
Providing fire support was the role of a battle mage. They rarely went to the front lines to fight directly. Mages themselves were high-value personnel.
‘…But in the military, they’re just high-value expendables.’
I clicked my tongue and cleared my mind of unnecessary thoughts. Now was the time for battle.
“Yee-haaaaaa!”
One of the Angry Cycler bikers shouted. It spread like a contagious disease.
“Yee-haaaaa!”
“Yee-haw!!!”
“Yee-haaaaaaa!!”
The bikers were pedaling like crazy. But the bicycle wheels weren’t moving. They were just waiting, as if storing up power.
“Yee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
The bikers shouted. It was so loud that my ears hurt, even on the mansion roof.
‘Judging by their behavior… they’ve decided to become fireflies… no, turtles.’
The moment their bicycle wheels scraped the ground, ready to charge, I also used magic.
[Stone Wall]
Several walls rose from the ground. The walls were slightly tilted. The charging turtles couldn’t avoid the Stone Walls and were sent flying into the sky. They pedaled like crazy in the air. But bicycles couldn’t fly, and they fell to the ground.
The height was a full 10 meters. No matter how much their physical abilities were enhanced by combat drugs, they were bound to get injured from that fall.
Thud! Thwack! Thud!
The bikers fell helplessly. The guards mercilessly shot the fallen bikers, finishing them off.
‘That’s about half of them dead. The guards’ losses are minimal. This battle will end soon.’
I was thinking about the next step when I received a message from Unit 212.
-Unit 211! Unit 31 is in combat!
“In combat? No one got inside the mansion from outside! Where did they come from?!”
-I asked Baron Ptelgar, and it seems there was a secret passage he didn’t tell us about!
“…Shit.”
I cursed involuntarily.
We were risking our lives to protect Baron Ptelgar, but the person we were protecting didn’t trust us at all.
I swallowed hard and calmed myself. I knew beforehand that Baron Ptelgar didn’t trust us.
“What’s the enemy’s level?”
-Looks like a level 3 warrior. Unit 31 is fighting them. It doesn’t seem too dangerous.
“So Unit 31 is winning. Do you need my help?”
-No. It’s okay. Just focus on the outside.
“Understood.”
I ended the call.
This kind of thing happened often. And in these situations, you had to act rationally. I couldn’t abandon my duty just because a comrade was in danger. That would lead to an irreversible disaster. What I had to do now was deal with the turtles in front of me.
Whoosh.
Mana stirred.
I drew a pure white magic circle in the air. It was slower to cast than directly activating magic, but it had the advantage of increasing the power of the magic.
[Ice Spear]
An ice spear shot out from the center of the magic circle. The spearhead was aimed not at the bikers, but at the guard captain, Lake Mac. Lake Mac, who had been wary of me, didn’t panic and dodged the Ice Spear with a backflip.
The Ice Spear that hit the ground exploded, and cold air swept in all directions. The blue cold froze the surroundings. It also froze Lake Mac, but he shook his body and brushed off the ice shards. He wasn’t unharmed. Lake Mac’s body had become sluggish. It meant the cold had penetrated deep inside him.
-…What is the meaning of this? Is this betrayal?
“You’re the traitor. I just received a report that an enemy entered the mansion through a secret passage. You already knew about the secret passage in the mansion. Didn’t you?”
Lake Mac was the guard captain. Baron Ptelgar wouldn’t have put just anyone in that position. He must have worked under Baron Ptelgar for at least a few years and known about the secret passage in the mansion.
“Are you sure I’m a traitor just because of that? That’s ridiculous.”
“So you’re saying you’re not?”
“No. I am.”
Lake Mac kicked off the ground. He smashed the heads of the guards next to him with his fists and charged at me.
I shouted to the bewildered guards.
“I’ll handle the traitor Lake Mac. You guys stop the Angry Cyclers.”
The guards continued the battle, firing at the Angry Cyclers. The guards seemed to have been trained by soldiers.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Lake Mac.
‘He’s about a level 3 warrior. He was hiding his skills.’
He climbed onto the mansion roof in an instant, as if possessed by a monkey. The way he used his body was astonishing. As someone without any talent for sports, I couldn’t do that with pure physical ability alone.
“Are you a member of the Resistance Echoes?”
“Why do you think that? Shouldn’t you be suspecting Bill Claxon?”
“There are limits to bio-bomb magic. You can control the actions of small animals like mice, but it’s a different story when it comes to humans. Humans have mana resistance and a sense of self. It means a black mage can’t control a human who has become a bio-bomb.”
“So, what’s your point?”
“The important thing is the timing of the bio-bomb explosion. Someone inside the mansion has to signal the timing for the plan to succeed perfectly.”
“…Well, you’re right. It was a perfect plan. If you hadn’t been so suspicious of the whores, that is.”
“Did you hire the Angry Cyclers too?”
“Yes. Bill Claxon didn’t have the money to hire them. I hired them as soon as the plan went wrong. Here’s a proposal, why don’t you just pretend you didn’t see anything?”
“Why?”
“Baron Ptelgar must die here. It’s for world peace. As long as he lives, countless commoners will be exploited and manipulated by him.”
“That’s none of my business. I’m doing my job.”
“…I hate soldiers for this reason. They’re not human, they’re like machines.”
Lake Mac charged. I stepped back to create distance. At the same time, I activated the magic I had prepared during our conversation.
[Torrent]
Streams of water shot up from under Lake Mac’s feet. The sharp streams of water cut into Lake Mac’s body. It was a level 3 water-attribute attack magic that would have torn a normal person to pieces, but Lake Mac only suffered cuts to his skin.
[Ice]
The water froze.
Of course, the water soaking his body was no exception. He was forced to wear ice shackles.
“Haaaaa!”
He unleashed his aura with a shout. A transparent haze rose from his body. He glared at me with bloodshot eyes and charged.
I used telekinesis to attack him with the shattered ice fragments. It was useless. The ice fragments couldn’t penetrate the aura surrounding his body.
I retreated. There was nowhere to step. My body fell off the roof, defenseless.
“It’s over!”
Lake Mac, certain of his victory, raised his fist and jumped towards me.
And then, we both stopped in mid-air.
I turned my eyes and looked at the mansion window. I made eye contact with Unit 212. She stuck out her tongue slightly and playfully grabbed her right breast with her hand. Sexual harassment in this situation? It was a bit absurd.
“W-What kind of magic did you use?!”
“I didn’t use it. My comrade did.”
