## Chapter 1247 – 1247. Dark Moon
The 82nd anniversary celebration of the nation’s founding was held in a newly developed area on the outskirts of the capital. It was undoubtedly a ploy to promote the new city by broadcasting the 82nd anniversary event on TV.
Well, the location of the celebration was on the outer edge of the new city, though.
My unit, the 667th, had to remain in our quarters except for a brief appearance during the morning rehearsal. Even if some people already knew, the 667th was an unofficial unit. The Battle Mage Project that the 667th was working on was, of course, not something that could be revealed to the public.
Under the control of our instructor, we sat on chairs, blankly watching the broadcast of the celebration.
Several countries were scheduled to attend this anniversary event. From small city-states with populations of less than a million to the diplomatic corps of the currently in-truce Hapeil Republic, the Heist Empire, which possessed the strongest power in the current world, Divine France, and Neo London were all in attendance. The diplomatic corps in attendance were certainly dazzling.
What caught my attention was the Heist Empire.
This country, whose name itself meant “robber,” was notorious for its gangster diplomacy. All other countries criticized the Heist Empire. Recently, they had been relatively quiet due to internal problems. The Heist Empire was modeled after modern Germany.
‘According to the original game, the Kaiser is probably going through repeated purges and slowly declining right now.’
The Heist Empire’s diplomatic corps appeared on TV. They were wearing sharp black military uniforms.
‘Fifty percent of the reason why new players in the original game chose the Heist Empire was because of those uniforms.’
The camera mainly focused on a blonde woman.
‘Bridget. I didn’t expect her to attend the celebration.’
She was a woman with radiant blonde hair and blood-red eyes. With a black coat draped over her shoulders, she looked down at everything with arrogant eyes.
And then the camera turned to the sky. An airship with the red cross of the Holy Knights Order painted on its surface flew in and landed on the ground.
The doors of the airship opened, and the diplomatic corps of Divine France appeared. They were all dressed in black, wearing red cross badges.
At the center was a woman with long green hair. Her hairstyle covered her left eye.
It was Martha, one of the Divine Saints of Divine France, the Guardian Saint. She was wearing a black suit. She wore a tight-fitting jacket and pants. The upper part of her chest and her hips were slightly visible. She gave off more of a mafia boss vibe than a saint. A red cross badge was attached to her black jacket.
She was smoking a cigarette, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even while the camera was filming her.
‘Not only her appearance but her personality is also far from that of a saint.’
After she got into a luxury car, the screen moved back to the sky.
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
With a hearty laugh, the First Sword of London, Fuxival, appeared. The mechanical horse he was riding was running through the sky. He was wearing full plate armor that matched the horse, and he had a greatsword on his back. If you only looked at his face, he was a fairly handsome middle-aged man.
He was a member of the Neo Round Table, the highest institution in Neo London, and the First Sword of London, Fuxival.
Watching the broadcast, I felt a strange sensation. In my memory, they were just NPCs. NPCs were moving as people. They were breathing the same air in the same sky. I was once again realizing that I was in the world of the game.
After that, the King of the Freesel Kingdom appeared and began his speech. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties with almost no impact compared to Bridget, Martha, and Fuxival.
“Now, the real celebration will begin.”
Instructor Venus, who was sitting nearby, said.
The celebration was spectacular.
Thousands of soldiers marched through the city with tanks, and dozens of tanks fired simultaneously, showing off their firepower. And then there was a dazzling performance by a world-famous idol girl group.
They showed off their carefully crafted new weapons and awarded medals to nobles who had achieved some kind of merit. I could bet my right wrist that those medals were made with money and connections.
“Number 31, Number 211. Get ready. It’s almost your turn.”
Number 31 and I stood up from our seats. First, we checked our outfits and put on our masks. We took our pistols, knives, and elemental swords as weapons.
After we finished preparing, Number 31 and I followed Instructor Venus to the training ground. It was near the athletic field.
Number 31 and I were guided by a soldier and walked to the center of the training ground, facing each other.
“We are setting up the broadcasting equipment. Please wait a moment, it won’t take long.”
Spectators slowly gathered. The king and nobles were nowhere to be seen. They were going to watch it on TV instead of seeing it in person.
From my perspective, it was a relief. It was too much of a burden to have high-ranking people nearby.
I made eye contact with Number 31. She looked more serious than ever. Number 31 would be taking this duel seriously. I had to play along and lose to her appropriately.
‘…But I can be serious until the mid-early stages, right? No matter what, I have no intention of showing off magic above level 4.’
I simulated in my head how Number 31 would come at me.
‘Number 31’s specialty is wind attribute magic and martial arts centered around mobility. Her fighting style is very aggressive. It’s like, kill before you get killed.’
Officially, Number 31 was the strongest in the unit, excluding the instructors. She had a talent for combat.
“The broadcast is ready. Battle Mage Special Forces members, please prepare for battle… Announcer!”
“Yes! Shall we begin?”
A beautiful announcer ran from the back. A short, tight skirt that showed off her thighs and a voluptuous chest that swayed. She was an announcer who was currently enjoying great popularity.
She was a little different from the announcers I knew in my common sense, but anyway, she was an announcer that was pleasing to the eye.
“Start!”
The camera director said. A red light came on the camera he was carrying on his shoulder.
“Hello, viewers! This is a little away from the event venue….”
After the announcer’s brief explanation, the camera focused on Number 31 and me.
“We will now have a demonstration of combat between two members of the Battle Mage Special Forces!”
Right after the announcer finished speaking, Instructor Venus’s voice was heard from my mask.
-Begin combat.
Number 31 was the first to make a move. She raised her right arm high. A strong wind, visible to the naked eye, gathered on her right palm. And then, flames instantly rose around her, mixing with the wind.
Double casting. And it was a combination of wind and fire attributes, which had good compatibility.
‘Within expectations.’
The spread of fire through the wind. She was trying to dominate the space first.
I couldn’t just stand still. I responded in a similar way to Number 31. I opened my Astral and calculated the spell.
[Air Ball]
I used the level 3 wind magic that Number 31 had just used on my palm. The wind gathered. Of course, this alone was far from enough.
[Torrent]
Transparent water mixed with the Air Ball and was compressed.
As Number 31’s attack came flying, I also threw the prepared Air Ball. The two Air Balls collided in mid-air and exploded.
With a strong wind, flames and water spread in all directions, fighting for territory. As a result, white steam spread like a thick morning fog. It was not a normal phenomenon.
‘Is she holding the steam in place with magic?’
The broadcast would be clearly visible. The cameras in this world were more high-performance than I thought, so steam was not a big problem.
An attack came flying towards me. It was a spear made of wind. Thanks to the steam, the shape of the wind was clearly visible.
[Barrier]
I blocked the attack with a barrier and pulled out my pistol, firing three times at the place where the attack came from. The three bullets pierced through the steam and shot out. I didn’t feel any impact. I didn’t expect anything, so I wasn’t disappointed either.
[Detection]
I spread mana in all directions and used detection magic.
I gasped. Two on the right, one in front, two in the back. I detected a total of five reactions. She had used the level 2 magic, Decoy, to confuse me.
‘Is she going to keep fighting in this steam?’
It was as soon as I finished speaking.
Bang!
An air boom occurred next to me with a loud explosion. The barrier that was protecting my body shattered. I stepped back and used the barrier again. The aftereffects of the air boom caused some of the steam to disappear, and Number 31’s purple hair was briefly visible before disappearing again.
Wham!
This time, an air boom occurred from behind. The barrier broke again. I activated the barrier again as if it were natural. Maintaining the barrier was the basics for a battle mage.
‘I’ve taken enough hits. Shall I counterattack now?’
As the steam slowly disappeared, the approximate location of Number 31 became visible. It was highly likely to be a decoy, but it didn’t matter. I just had to attack everything that was suspicious.
I spread my left hand wide open. Crackle. Electricity flickered and burst out from the center of my palm.
[Electric Whip]
A whip of blue lightning lashed out, striking Number 31’s silhouette. The silhouette disappeared without a trace. It was a decoy. I rotated my body and immediately lashed the electric whip to my side.
This time, there was a reaction. The whip had collided with Number 31’s barrier.
‘Explode.’
I detonated the Electric Whip. This was not magic, but an ability I possessed. Well, from the perspective of the viewers, it would look like magic.
The Electric Whip exploded, and lightning spread in all directions. The steam disappeared. I saw Number 31, wearing a mask, running towards me with a knife in her hand. Her body was layered with barriers.
‘Is she planning to engage in close combat?’
Not bad. It was difficult to maintain a barrier in close combat. There was no need for unnecessary power struggles.
Any other ordinary mage would call me crazy, but Number 31 and I were battle mages. We were naturally prepared for close combat.
Kiiiiiing.
A blade of wind formed on Number 31’s knife.
I put away the pistol I was holding and took out my knife.
[Water Blade]
A long blade of water formed on the short knife. The water blade was moving at high speed, increasing its cutting power.
Normally, I wouldn’t engage in close combat. I was clumsy, and I had no talent for close combat. Among my peers, I was the worst at close combat.
‘Usually, in this situation, I would actively use magic to create distance, but…’
I had to lose this battle.
Therefore, I would engage in close combat and lose appropriately.
‘If I use magic a little desperately, it won’t look like I lost on purpose.’
Fortunately, I was confident in my acting.
Number 31 approached. The wind blade and the water blade collided.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Number 31 and I simultaneously stopped fighting at the sudden, enormous explosion. The place where the explosion came from was where the king and other dignitaries were gathered. In other words, something absurd had just happened.
“It’s a terrorist attack! Some crazy bastards have committed a terrorist attack!! This is a scoop! What are you doing, announcer! Get ready to move immediately!”
The camera director shouted. His voice was filled with a manic joy.
