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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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He was different. I could tell at a glance. He was nothing like the mediocre mages I had fought so far. I moved Platoon Leader Erwin back. Lumia, also sensing the difference, followed me with a tense expression.
“Welcome. How was the Lymansk Armory?”
His tone was relaxed, a veiled warning not to try anything foolish. I glanced at my company members. They were all tense, their guns aimed at the man before them.
“Don’t fire until I give the order.”
I firmly instructed my tense unit members. At this point, everything had to be under my control. If anyone acted rashly and we lost control… the consequences would be dire.
“Wise.”
The silver-haired officer nodded with a slight smile. He looked quite young. From the decorations on his epaulets and ribbons, I could easily guess his rank and position.
‘These bastards are from the General Directorate of Intelligence.’
As expected of a secret facility, they had intelligence personnel stationed here. It might be related to the Pearl of Premonition. The ones who had attacked Lumia back then also wore similar robes.
“Greetings, Lieutenant Colonel.”
“Well… it seems you haven’t been just reading fairy tales at your desk. Did you figure it out from my epaulets?”
“It would be rude to ignore them when they’re displayed so prominently.”
“Are you not going to reveal your identity?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not in uniform.”
The Lieutenant Colonel from the General Directorate of Intelligence chuckled at my reply.
“I like your guts and your sense of humor. I’ll be sure to remember that striking golden hair of yours.”
He had no intention of attacking. At least not for now.
‘The best-case scenario is that we part ways without incident… but that’s unlikely.’
But I couldn’t be submissive. We were in combat. Even though he was a skilled mage and an infamous Lieutenant Colonel of the General Directorate of Intelligence, we had the numerical advantage. If he wanted to break through, he would also have to accept casualties.
“What kind of horrific things were you doing in this facility?”
“As you can see, we were nurturing loyal soldiers for the Empire.”
“That?”
As I glanced at the Mutant’s corpse, the Lieutenant Colonel nodded.
“He was just a heinous criminal. If you knew what he’d done, you wouldn’t feel any pity. His name was Andrei Romanovich. He was caught after raping and murdering five women.”
I couldn’t be 100% sure it was true, but it wasn’t an unbelievable story. Using death row inmates for inhumane experiments was a common practice.
“Of course, you could say it’s ethically wrong, but we were giving those who had harmed innocent citizens of the Empire a chance to serve. I don’t think it’s such a bad thing.”
The Lieutenant Colonel’s red eyes gleamed. They were completely different from Bell Meyer’s. Unlike her warm and gentle gaze, his was sharp enough to tear flesh.
“The bad guys are you, who illegally crossed the border, attacked the armory, and killed our soldiers, aren’t you?”
“That’s a sophism!”
Lumia, unable to hold back, shouted. She had been a victim of the Belgorod Fortress attack, her life directly threatened. The evidence of the Soviet Empire’s involvement in the fortress attack was right here; she couldn’t just deny it.
“This is self-defense! That day, we also had to endure immense sacrifices!”
“Which day are you talking about?”
“Lumia, stop.”
I held her back. I couldn’t fall for his trap. Look at his expression. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking behind his mask, but it was clear that it wasn’t fear or sympathy. I decided to take a gamble, judging that a continued standoff would be pointless.
“We’re withdrawing.”
“What…?”
“Retreat in an orderly fashion, from the rear. He won’t be able to move carelessly.”
I nodded, and Erwin and Hilton, receiving the signal, began to withdraw their troops. Now, only Lumia, Roxanna, and I remained in the passage.
“Do you really think the three of you can take us on?”
“It’s not impossible.”
The Lieutenant Colonel’s eyes narrowed. He must have already assessed our capabilities. Both were 1st-class mages, so the amount of mana we exuded would be no less than his. That alone would make him hesitate.
Besides, the more allies we had behind us, the more disadvantageous it would be for us. Especially with Lumia here, friendly fire was a risk we couldn’t afford to take. She was still recovering from her trauma.
I wasn’t confident I could guarantee her safety if it resurfaced. Fortunately, the Lieutenant Colonel waited until our troops had safely withdrawn. Not knowing Lumia’s situation, he probably had no reason to refuse our withdrawal.
As the last of the 4th Platoon members left…
(Hand signal) On three, jump to the sides.
I took a step forward and gave Lumia and Roxanna the hand signal.
(Hand signal) One magic spell each, at full power.
They didn’t react. There was no need for further confirmation. We were already in sync.
(Hand signal) One.
(Hand signal) Two.
(Hand signal) Three.
I rolled backwards, drew my pistol, and fired. Bang! Bang! The revolver’s wheel spun, spitting out thick smoke. Simultaneously, different colors of magic erupted from Lumia’s and Roxanna’s hands.
High-level Red magic, Solar Prominence. High-level Green magic, Wind Shear.
The magic circles, drawn out at full power, activated, and the unleashed flames and storm mixed together.
“Now, go!!”
“Yes!!”
It was a direct hit. Their coordination was perfect. Solar Prominence, which created a physical flame like a solar flare, and Wind Shear, which generated a powerful storm, were a good combination. Lumia’s magic mixed with Roxanna’s, creating a massive firestorm, with enough power to instantly incinerate a person.
But…
Swoosh!!
A sharp blade of wind grazed my head. It was a good thing I had already ducked; if I had just run for the exit, I would have been killed instantly. As the sensation of a near-death experience washed over me, the Lieutenant Colonel emerged from the firestorm. In his hand was a charred, robed man. In the center of the robe were two holes where my bullets had hit.
“I seem to be missing a lot today.”
Crazy bastard. Did he use his own subordinate as a shield to escape the storm?
“Captain!”
“I’m fine, Lumia!”
“Sorry, but I’ll just have to take an arm or two.”
“You won’t have it your way.”
As the firestorm weakened, the General Directorate of Intelligence mages, who had also been deployed, began to cast spells.
Zzt
a fireball grazed my cheek. The flames that hit the wall flickered, and a wave of heat seared the back of my head.
I fired my revolver with one hand and activated my magic. A Violet magic circle appeared in the air, and I unhesitatingly cast it at the enemy. A bolt of Violet lightning pierced the mage who was foolishly peeking out from the rear.
Chain Lightning. Two mages, unfortunately close to each other, clutched their chests and collapsed.
I continued to use only Violet magic. Red magic was Lumia’s specialty. Instead of using flashy fire spells with a wide range, I judged that precise and sharp strikes with Violet magic were more suitable for the current situation.
Lightning shot out, and Lumia’s flames painted the underground. It was a stalemate. For now. But the problem, as always, was this damn body. The air quality in the enclosed underground was already bad, and with the continuous use of fire magic, I was becoming short of breath due to lack of oxygen.
“Are you a smoker, comrade?”
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had lightly dodged my lightning, asked. Instead of answering, I shot another bolt of lightning, and he smiled and moved back. A single bolt of lightning grazed his body.
“You should quit. You’re not even utilizing your talent to its full potential.”
“I don’t need your concern!”
Kaboom!!
Lumia’s flames erupted again. Roxanna immediately provided support, firing sharp wind spears. Blinded by the flames, the robed mages were easily neutralized by Roxanna’s wind magic.
‘Why are they so weak?’
The troops accompanying the Lieutenant Colonel were no different from ordinary magic soldiers. The spells they used were, at best, high-level, but mostly intermediate. Their skill level wasn’t much different from the 3rd Magic Battalion.
Even though the General Directorate of Intelligence was still in its early stages, the quality of their troops was too low. I thought they would be something special, with their mysterious robes. But it also meant that the Lieutenant Colonel was holding off the three of us on his own.
‘What is he aiming for?’
My mind raced as we exchanged attacks. He didn’t seem to be actively attacking, which gave me a strange, unsettling feeling. A bad feeling that the control of the situation had already shifted to him.
“Fire Rain—!!”
The moment Lumia unleashed another burst of mana at the mages who were fighting back despite being on fire, the Lieutenant Colonel’s lips curled into a slight smile. I finally realized his plan.
“R-Roxanna!! Air Breathing magic!”
“What?”
“It’s too late.”
The Lieutenant Colonel added, and the air was sucked into his palm with immense force. Intermediate Green magic, ‘Vacuum.’ Normally, it was a preparatory spell for an air cannon, where you would draw in air and then fire it, but in an enclosed space like this, with limited air intake, it naturally led to oxygen deprivation.
“Guh…!?”
Fortunately, I had taken a deep breath right before the spell was cast, so I could hold on for a while, but Lumia and Roxanna couldn’t. They were startled for a moment at the inability to breathe, then started choking, clutching their throats.
People are surprisingly insensitive to breathing. Except in extreme situations, their breathing is rarely obstructed. Therefore, from a psychological perspective, putting pressure on an opponent’s breathing was a very effective method.
He’d gotten one over on me. The two who had been holding on were instantly neutralized.
“……!!”
I pulled the trigger at the Lieutenant Colonel, who was smiling triumphantly, but instead of a loud gunshot, the click of the hammer hitting an empty chamber echoed. I was out of ammunition. As I grew more anxious, and the oxygen I had held in was also running out…
“You’re in a sorry state.”
Crack!
With a flash of purple light, reinforcements appeared.
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