c46 (1/2)
Chapter 046 – Rifleman’s Creed
Out in the distance, about 500 meters away, Chrisse was holding in her arms a long, black, cylindrical weapon.
Gigi saw it with his magically strengthened eyesight, and set out to give orders to his subordinates, but
BANG.
“GAAAAH!”
Another popping sound.
Almost immediately one of the vampires going after Lute collapsed, holding his stomach.
Hit by a bullet.
(No mistaking it now. I don’t know what magic or magic device it is, but seems she could strike from 500 meters away in the dark without any starlight.)
Gigi calmly a.n.a.lyzed the situation, the impressive range and accuracy of the attack made him shudder even though he could feel no magic power from it.
(d.a.m.n that cursed thing! Never in my long life have I seen anything like that. Chrisse-ojousama is going easy on us now so she only struck legs and stomachs, but just one shot of this to the head and it’ll be instant death. We’ll be killed before we noticed we’re dead.)
No matter how much Gigi concentrated, he could not perceive the flow of magic nor its outbreak. This is precisely why the magicians could be taken by surprise and killed without them knowing it.
The atrociousness of the weapon made the spine along Gigi’s back s.h.i.+ver.
Luckily it didn’t seem to be able to fire rapidly.
Everytime the popping sound is heard, Chrisse gave a pull on some lever-like thing with her hand.
Another interlude, then another popping sound, that was proof of that.
Gigi immediately gave his orders.
“Enemy attack, distance is 500 meters! Attack is from unknown magic or magic device! No rapid fire! Half of you tend to the wounded, the other half follow me!”
Being professionals they immediately moved according to the head of guards, Gigi’s orders.
As ordered, half the men tended to the wounded, the other half went in pursuit of Lute.
The number of pursuers were ten-odd people, beastmen and vampires.
All of them were the surviving B-minus ranked magician strongmen.
“Don’t let her aim at you, move forward while making evasive moves!”
They proceeded to pursue Lute, moving left and right as if avoiding arrows, all according to Gigi’s orders.
The distance to the target is 200~250 meters.
Gigi’s group proceeded using zig-zagging movement to not let her aim at them, creating a bit of distance with the target. However, it is now still possible for them to catch up with this distance.
Furthermore, beastmen and vampires, who have night eyes, have the advantage in the dark forest.
Then there’s the magic prevention choker attached to Seras’ neck.
As long as she has that on her, no matter where she goes they will be aware of her location, and then there’s also magic that will kill her if she tries to take the collar off without using the special key.
Even if they could run an hour’s distance away, there’s no way Seras would slip away.
Moreover, their fighting force is Lute, Chrisse, and the white magician— Snow.
Gigi, from his senses honed through the long years, was able to figure out Snow’s value from her magic power and her behavior as a mage.
She was an annoying opponent, but not one they couldn’t defeat as a group.
Lute and Chrisse had no talent as magicians, but they were armed with unusual weapons.
(Invisible attacks are certainly troubling, but it was that strong. There’s no way they could keep using it forever.)
As Gigi expected, there was a limit to Lute and Chrisse’s bullets.
They believed that they could take them down with the quant.i.ty of their magic power.
Even if the enemy had prepared more forces, it would be enough to hold them back when the time comes.
It would be enough if they bought time until their fallen comrades recovered.
(In other words, this escape drama is just a game of tag that we’re bound to win from the start.)
Gigi clenched his teeth, glaring at the backs of the escapees.
Lute, Snow, and Seras entered the forest.
After a delay Chrisse stopped her firing, and followed behind them.
About 200 meters behind them, Gigi and his troops stepped into the forest.
For Lute, this is a forest that he knew really well, but for Gigi, this place is practically his own backyard.
There should be no such thing as professionals who don’t understand a forest that was right beside them.
“GUAAAH!”
However, the first screams came up from among the pursuers.
“What happened!?”
“M, my leg! There’s something sticking into my leg!”
There was a pitfall trap containing thin blades with barbs attached that dug halfway into the beastman’s lower leg through his leather shoes.
Although they were thin, they were strong. They easily pierced through sole and foot just by the force of his body weight.
“GUEEE!?”
“T, there’s one here too! Darda’s squirming while holding his throat! T, this one is…. thin metal lines stretched out!?”
“G.o.ddammit! They, they’ve turned the forest full of traps!”
The young vampire man called Darda was shedding fresh blood from his throat and fell to the ground writhing.
His allies used healing magic on him in a hurry, but it seems there was silver in the traps.
His allies hurriedly made him drink anti-silver drug.
Not even 10 meters into the forest, and they already had 2 casualties.
The forest that should’ve been like their own backyard had been laid out with traps like the jungles of Vietnam.
Gigi chided his panicked subordinates.
“Get a hold of yourselves! These are amateur traps! We won’t get caught if we moved carefully!”
This is a trick they’ve used, and others used on them before.
Slowing down the enemy’s advance by laying traps on their path.
Gigi and his men took careful steps and proceeded, avoiding the traps.
—BANG.
“GUAAAA!”
The man carefully probing and disarming the traps was shot down in the shoulder with a [7.62mm×51 NATO round] and collapsed.
“Get down! It’s the invisible attack from earlier! Get down!”
Gigi’s men obeyed his orders and got down on the spot, but the screams didn’t stop.
—BANG.
“AAAAAH!”
—BANG.
“GAAA!”
“WHYYY! We got down but why do the attacks still hit!”
The man next to Gigi shouted out, half in panic.
(Ojousama is probably on a high spot and looking down towards us.)
There were gentle sloped hills in the forest.
It wasn’t hard to hit even a p.r.o.ne target when one aims from a high point.
(The one thing I don’t understand is how in the world could she accurately pinpoint our positions in the dark night without starlight…)
Like lightning, a flash ran through Gigi’s mind.
“!? Stop your body strengthening! She’s aiming by detecting your magic power!”
By Gigi’s orders, the men immediately cut off their magic.
The reason is obvious if they calmly thought about it.
Chrisse’s magic power was used from a distance and in small quant.i.ties so they couldn’t detect it. It was hard to find her from where Gigi and his men were.
Gigi and his men stood up once again, and proceeded forwards while on the lookout for traps… however,
—BANG.
“GUAAAAA!”
The shoulder of the man next to Gigi was. .h.i.t and fresh blood scattered everywhere.
“IT HURTS! IT HURTS! WHY?! I WAS SURE I CUT OFF MY MAGIC! WHY!?”
“Calm down! Calm down and use healing on yourself!”
“Nnn gigigigigi—”
The man put together all his concentration.
A whistling sound that froze the spine on Gigi’s back pa.s.sed by the tip of his nose.
“AAAAAH!”
The leg of the man who was about to apply healing jumped up.
It was because he was. .h.i.t on the b.u.t.tocks.
—BANG.