Chapter 102 (2/2)
Instead of panicking, they shifted to defense formation immediately.
[Conditional Barrier (Rank: S)]
[Aerial Shield (Rank: A)]
The two wizards each performed their own defensive magic.
A golden cloud cover enveloped one person’s body.
In front of the other, the atmosphere swirled, and a cohesive shield was formed.
Whooooooo!
The two swordsmen on the ground also prepared for an attack by concentrating Mana throughout their bodies.
That was because hundreds of caliber openings aimed at them were likely to shoot fire and pour bullets at any moment.
But then…
“… ?!”
– Warning! Warning! No further access is allowed. It will respond with immediate firing in case of non-response…
They clicked their tongue inside.
‘What a fool!’
Instead of attacking right away after summoning an item like that, he’s only threatening them.
‘That’s why they’re called rookies!’
Thanks to that, they were already perfectly in defense positions themselves.
It would be bearable even if it poured out attacks like that since it’s a shield formed by the Mana output of an SS-Rank hunter.
‘We must take him down first!’
Tat!
He kicked the ground, swallowing a laugh of ridicule inside.
When the sword’s trajectory was heading beyond the undead to Nate–
“… ?!”
Hibiki activated a spell targeting the air.
The target was not the swordsman who rushed immediately.
It was the wizards in the air, hidden behind defensive magic.
[De-spell!]
Right after that, the two wizards became baffled by the sudden change of scenery.
“… Huh?”
It didn’t take long for them to notice that they were falling.
Beyond the overturned vision, they wondered.
‘How?’
They couldn’t understand.
[De-spell] wasn’t a ranged attack. Once triggered, there was only one spell that could be voided.
What they noticed while they were crashing, amid the scenery that was flowing like water, was the fact that the two wizards were falling at the same time, and the shield that protected them also disappeared.
That was two floating magic and two protective magic spells.
Four kinds of spells were nulled instantly.
That phenomenon was impossible unless someone recited and activated four de-spell spells at the same time.
At that moment, a strange concept passed through the minds of wizards.
‘Multiple… recitation?’
They tried to recite the spell as a reflex, but their attempt was stopped as soon as telepathy penetrated their heads sharply.
– Fire!
As they were placed in a state where they were helplessly exposed to a beast, the two magicians fell.
Right about the moment when the swordsmen that wrapped their entire bodies with Mana Barrier rushed in–
Shhhh!
The zombies surrounding Nate and Hibiki disappeared instantly.
At the same time, when nothing but the air occupied the space, light exploded.
Pa-pa-pat!
Boo-boo-boo-boom!
The large-calibered multi-round cannon was aimed in both directions and started to fire.
The number of light bullets it shot in a second reached thousands of rounds.
The energy shells that struck their naked bodies literally ripped through and stirred up the wizards. The two crash-landers quickly disappeared amid a blizzard of light that poured in a straight line.
Boo-boo-boo-boom!
The swordsmen who were fully armed with the Mana armor, unaffected by the [De-spell], were better off.
However, it never meant that it was easy for them.
“Keeeup!”
The magic bullets that crashed on the thick shield shook his bones and crushed his muscles.
The trajectory of the attack towards Nate stopped. They simply couldn’t move any further in the face of the bullet barrier.
They, who experienced the might of an item beyond common sense with their bodies, were horrified that their souls would escape their bodies.
‘What… kind of ridiculous thing is that?! From where did they find that kind of weapon?!’
The freedom to hold such thoughts in their heads soon disappeared as well.
“K-Aaargh!”
In the middle of the storm of unforgiving bullets, each bullet struck them down with heavy shock.
The shooting continued until the item used up the fully charged Mana.
And finally…
“…”
Light bullets stopped firing.
At that moment, the telepathy rang in Nate’s head.
– Warning! Warning! The Mana charged in this security system has been exhausted.
– Confirming the survival of the threat target. Emergency! Emergency!
– Asking for aid from other nearby beings through the collective intelligence network… No connection. Access denied!
– Continuous protection by this security system is not available at this time. The protected subject must immediately escape to a safe place and request protection from the Imperial Government!
The face of the Spirit, which was mostly expressionless and hostile, had become pale.
Its expression was as if the fire had fallen on its foot.
It was always like that when the charged Mana was depleted.
Nate calmly replied because he didn’t experience it only once or twice.
“… It’s okay. I’ll take care of the rest.”
– It’s dangerous! Retreat!
The Spirit formed by blue light gradually turned blurry. It disappeared as if it was sucked into Nate’s neck. It required sufficient time to recharge once activated.
The Spirit continued to send anxious telepathy to Nate even as it disappeared.
– … Danger!
– I must… protect… you…!
Paht!
After the Spirit completely disappeared into the neck tattoo, Nate looked at the tragedy that unfolded in front of him.
Hibiki, who was reeling from Mana exhaustion, managed to get herself together by chugging a potion down.
“… Indeed, it’s incredible.”
The direction of the wizard, in which bullets were poured into the sky, was rather decent. The two, who received the attack with their bare bodies, were evaporated to blood fog before their bodies fell to the ground, leaving no trace.
A devastated landscape unfolded along the poured bullets’ trajectory in the direction that aimed for the targets on the ground.
Nate, who partially created a barren hill, noded, saying that it was a good thing he was as far away from home as possible.
“… Keee-!”
The two swordsmen, who were all battered up, were staring at them amid the smoke.
It was clear that they had spent a considerable amount of Mana to stop the bullet storm.
“You bastards!”
Instead of continuing to stare at them, Nate looked up.
At the same time–
Swoosh!
A strong wind, incomparable to that which took place while summoning the Orc zombies a while ago, blew.
“···?!”
The two swordsmen moved their eyes after Nate’s gaze while filled with overwhelming anxiety.
In the direction they stared, there it was.
Deeper darkness covered the night sky in a pointed form.
It was a humongous floating body.
Krrrrrrrrr!
In the strange sense of twisted law of perspective, two survivors recalled their memories.
The reason why four SS-Class members had to be mobilized to catch two S-Class members in the first place was because of the contingency they wanted to be prepared for.
“… Dragon!”
Seo Jin-Wook was not the one who could control the dragon.
The two people belatedly realized that it was not a living dragon but an undead dragon.
But as mentioned, they were too late.
Crrrrrrrrr!
Its yellow eyes looked down on them.
The giant creature’s mouth opened, reflecting a red flame blazing inside its sharp teeth on the swordsmen’s retina.
Kwhaaaaaa!
A river of flame connected the sky and the ground.
That was the last scene that the two swordsmen saw before they died.
*
“Oh, really? That’s great. I don’t have to go that far, then. Well done.”
I felt relieved as I ended the call with Hibiki.
The two seemed to have dealt with the invaders without any problems.
‘Yes, considering their abilities and items, the odds were good.’
It was an expected result.
I turned my eyes to the body of an S-Class hunter rolling on the floor.
‘Both of them are only called S-Rank, but they’re different from this guy.’
He was sprawled next to the bluely lit Gate, a hole visible on his chest.
Boosh!
After burning him completely without a trace, I headed to the next destination.
‘They must anxiously be waiting for the results right now, aren’t they?’
That day’s second destination was the Destructional Blade guild.