Chapter 359
Chapter 359
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 359
Chapter Title: Magic Association (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The anti-terrorist squad shot Shirone daggers with their eyes. It was only natural, considering he was serving as a perfect human shield for the terrorists, but as a hostage himself, Shirone couldn't help but feel wronged.
The strapping man with the flail holding Shirone was incredibly strong. The realization that he couldn't possibly escape without magic made Shirone grow anxious.
‘What do I do? Am I really going to die like this?’
Just then, Plu appeared, parting the anti-terrorist squad. Seeing her face, eyes glaring fiercely, Shirone felt a jolt of fear despite the life-or-death situation.
‘Why is Plu here?’
Plu shouted, jabbing a finger at him.
“Hey!”
All the members of the Black Revolutionaries turned their attention to Plu. Unexpected situations were never a good thing.
The terrorist holding Shirone asked in a threatening voice.
“Hey, who's that woman?”
“Uh, well… she’s my superior.”
Plu snapped, continuing her tirade.
“Are you out of your mind? I told you to go to the Alchemy Guild, so what are you doing there?”
Shirone hesitated, wondering if he should answer.
Of course, it was natural for her to be angry. But it was a ridiculous thing to bring up in a situation like this.
‘Why is she acting like that? Something’s strange.’
As Shirone was lost in thought, she pressed him even harder.
“I’m sure I told you to buy parts for the ‘Mana Control Device’! Because of you, ‘innocent people’ have been harmed! How are you going to take ‘responsibility’?”
Shirone’s eyes lit up.
‘Mana Control Device?’
Come to think of it, Plu’s gaze was also unusually tense, a stark contrast to her usual self.
‘Ah, this is a code.’
Putting it all together, the message was something like this:
The Mana Control Device will be disabled. You are responsible for the hostages.
‘So there’s one chance. But when?’
That was something Plu couldn't communicate.
While they could create any code, a longer one would arouse suspicion. Furthermore, trying to coordinate the timing could be a detriment in an operation where success hinged on a single moment.
From that moment, Shirone began to prime his mind. There was no set time. The key was not to miss the opportunity the moment the Mana Control Device was destroyed.
On the rooftop of an 8-story building, 200 meters from the Gold Tower.
A single gunner aimed a crossbow loaded with a mana bolt at the Gold Tower. Unlike a normal crossbow, its tiller was long enough to be shouldered, and it used a trigger mechanism.
Just as the gunner was blowing a bubble with the gum he was chewing, a voice came through his communication device.
-Alpha. Do you read me?
“This is Alpha. Sniper on standby. Over.”
-Relaying orders. Destroy the Mana Control Device in the Gold Tower.
The bubble on the gunner’s lips popped with a soft sound. It didn't seem like destroying the Mana Control Device would change anything, not while the hostages were still being held.
-This is our one chance. No mistakes.
The gunner stopped thinking and locked the Mana Control Device in his crossbow's scope. Strategy was for the brain; fighting was for the muscles. He was the nerve of the anti-terrorist squad.
Recalling the internal blueprint of the Gold Tower, lines in his head rose into planes, instantly forming a three-dimensional structure. He rotated it freely, calculating the trajectory.
The Mana Control Device was embedded in the wall, so it couldn't be seen with the naked eye. It was a situation that required opening his mind's eye.
“Roger that.”
Plu, having exchanged glances with Shirone, bit her lower lip. There were too many uncertain variables. Above all, even if they destroyed the Mana Control Device, there was no guarantee Shirone could evacuate the hostages.
‘Please. You have to do something. If you mess up, it's all over.’
Shirone desperately focused on altering the shape of his mind in advance.
The method he chose was Mass Teleport, a group teleportation spell. The plan was to get the hostages out the instant the Mana Control Device was destroyed.
‘Can I make it in time?’
He had to bypass the terrorists and enclose only the hostages in his Spirit Zone. Since it was a bizarre shape not found in any standard formation, it was crucial to tune his mind in advance. It would have been an easy task for Arin, a mental-type mage, but for Shirone, whose strength was in durability, it was a time-consuming process.
‘This is harder than I thought. Nothing can happen right now.’
Meanwhile, the gunner had finished his preparations. The speed at which he chewed his gum slowed at a steady pace, until he finally began to crush it slowly between his teeth.
Slowly… ever so slowly, following the sensation of the gum being crushed, the finger on the trigger gradually bent.
*Click.*
The moment his teeth met, the trigger was pulled. With a *ping* of released tension, the mana bolt shot out with the speed of a swallow snatching an insect.
‘Just a little, a little more!’
Shirone did his best to continue changing the shape of his mind. At the same time, he couldn't help but be aware of his surroundings.
A light flashed above the heads of the anti-terrorist squad, and something flew past Shirone and through the main entrance.
The sharp, metal mana bolt pierced the wall next to the vault and lodged in the Mana Control Device's circuit board. Electricity sparked from the mana bolt, melting the wires, and the overheated device exploded with a deafening roar.
‘Now!’
With fiercely focused eyes, Shirone entered the Spirit Zone. The hostages, including Aria, were captured within the Spirit Zone, which was shapeless like an amoeba.
“What! What’s happening!”
The members of the Black Revolutionaries were flustered by the sudden attack. But they too were men who had undergone grueling training, so it didn't take them long to regain their composure.
“How dare they trick us!”
The moment the flail fell toward his head, Shirone's eyes flew open. His body turned to light, and simultaneously, all the hostages were enveloped in Photonization magic.
‘Mass Teleport!’
Countless flashes of light seemed to erupt simultaneously, then twisted like a writhing dragon as they escaped the Gold Tower.
Shirone arrived at a spot 20 meters from the main entrance. He wanted to get as far away as possible, but being unfamiliar with the area, the limit of his range was what he could see.
After confirming the number of hostages, Shirone used Static Control to cut their ropes with Arman. Back at the Gold Tower, the anti-terrorist squad was arresting the terrorists.
Werewolves, Subterraneans, Goblins—their revealed identities showed they were of various races.
The giant with the flail was of the Gader tribe, also known as Forest Keepers. Characterized by a prominent, jutting jaw, he was roaring in a low tone reminiscent of a brass instrument while knights twisted his arms behind his back.
‘One of them is missing?’
Only seven terrorists had been captured. Glancing over their builds, he noticed the one called the leader was missing.
“Kraaaah!”
Shirone looked up at the sound from the sky. Floating in mid-air, Plu was in the posture of striking something with her magic staff.
With a *thud*, a transparent object fell to the ground. A moment later, the leader appeared on all fours, his battered back trembling as he revealed himself.
Plu landed on the ground as lightly as a feather and said.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Kugh! Annoying mage!”
The leader clutched his chest and tore off his robe.
The face of a man with lavender skin was revealed. He was bald, the rims of his ears were pointed like knives, and sharp fangs protruded from between his clenched teeth.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll at least take you down with me.”
“A vampire, just as I thought.”
The ability to turn invisible for a short time was unique to vampires. But seeing as he wasn't suffering under the sunlight, he wasn't a pureblood.
‘Then again, if he were a pureblood, everyone here combined wouldn't stand a chance.’
Keeping her eyes fixed on the vampire, Plu spoke to the anti-terrorist squad.
“I'll handle him, so please block all escape routes. Vampires have a knack for getting away.”
The anti-terrorist squad immediately blocked the paths around the Gold Tower. They knew that if they made a careless move, the vampire would vanish without a trace.
Plu twirled her magic staff habitually before gripping the end and aiming it forward.
“Come on, you punk.”
“Insolent wench!”
Claws like blades shot out from the vampire's ten fingers. His body blurred into an afterimage, then shot across the space like a torrent.
Vampires are fast. Their speed came not from physical strength, but from a unique incarnation art that made them half-body, half-soul.
With her eyelids half-lowered, Plu only moved her gaze from side to side.
*Clang!* The moment she twisted her body and thrust out her staff, the vampire's claws were intercepted.
“Kuuugh! This is…!”
“Looks like you underestimated me. A half-breed like you can't be faster than the Spirit Zone's synesthesia.”
“Shut up! I said, shut up!”
The vampire swung his claws at a speed of dozens of times per second.
As Plu retreated amidst the sharp shriek of metal, he circled her at an invisible speed. Plu gave up the chase and slammed her magic staff into the ground.
“Phoenix Ascent.”
A giant firebird rose from the crystal orb and spat fireballs in all directions.
The firebird, resonating with the Spirit Zone, shot fireballs at everyone within its radius. It couldn't distinguish friend from foe, but its reflex speed, faster than synesthesia, was simply overpowered.
“Kraaaah!”
Taking a direct hit from a fireball, the vampire rolled on the ground, his body burning. By the time the flames were extinguished, he had no strength left to move.
Plu pressed her magic staff against his solar plexus and said.
“You can endure the sun, but not fire, it seems. Surrender peacefully.”
“Don't spout nonsense! Do you know our suffering? Do you understand even a fraction of the misery of us who live in the gutter!”
“I don't. Humans can't even save other humans. We don't have the luxury of looking after your circumstances.”
“Foolish, arrogant human! I was once human, too. How long do you think you can rule the world! Someday, you will pay a great price for your sins.”
“Someday. But not today.”
“Kekeke, are you so sure?”
The vampire's body began to break apart like a jigsaw puzzle. At the grotesque transformation, Plu removed her staff and took a step back.
“What the…?”
“This is the result of your own making!”
The vampire's body scattered into hundreds of black bats, which then swarmed through the air toward the hostages.
Plu immediately aimed her staff. But she couldn't use Phoenix Ascent where the hostages were.
“Kyaaak! Help us!”
Spotting the swarm of bats, the hostages clung to each other.
Just then, Shirone stepped in front of them and thrust his fist downward.
‘Photon Pulse!’
A curtain of light pulsed at a rapid tempo, repelling the entire swarm of bats. The bats thrown outside the barrier tangled together, and the vampire returned to his original form, tumbling to the ground.
“Kraaaaaah!”
The vampire's fingers, spread-eagled toward the sun, slowly uncurled.
When he finally stopped moving, the rapid response team rushed in and arrested him.
The hostages slowly lifted their eyelids. The terrorists were being transported one by one into steel cages.
“They did it. They arrested them all.”
“It's over! We're alive!”
The hostages cheered and applauded.
The hero of the hour was Shirone. He had gone in as a hostage, stalled for time, and even delivered the finishing blow; he was certainly deserving of merit.
“That was amazing! Justice is alive and well!”
“What incredible courage! He's definitely worthy of a job at the Magic Association!”
Shirone's face flushed. He felt uneasy that people were mistaking him for a Magic Association employee. He didn't know where to put himself and bowed his head, just as Aria approached.
“Um, are you okay?”
“Ah, I'm fine.”
“Thank you so much for today. I'd like to reward you…”
“Oh, no! There's no need for that!”
Aria didn't want to let Shirone go just like that. Not only had he helped her, but the fact that he was the person she had shared a carriage with stirred a feeling of fateful impulse.
“I'm Aria of the Tesiya family. My father is the kingdom's first-rank diplomat. If I tell him about what happened today, it could be a great help to you in the future…”
At that moment, Plu grabbed Shirone's head and pushed it down.
“That won't be necessary.”
“Pardon?”
Plu bowed politely to the bewildered Aria.
“My apologies. This boy is not a full employee yet, but an apprentice. This was an operation carried out by the Association to catch the terrorists, so please be understanding.”
Shirone averted his gaze, his head still bowed.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't even an apprentice. But when his eyes met Plu's fearsome expression, he remembered what he was supposed to say.
“Yes, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.”
It didn't matter to Aria whether Shirone was a full employee or an apprentice. She just wanted to talk with him longer and get to know him a little better.
“No, I just wanted to express my gratitude…”
Plu cut her off with a firm wave of her hand.
“We were only doing our duty. Private rewards are strictly forbidden within the Association. We trust you understand, so we'll be on our way now. Follow me, you brat!”
“Ow, ow! That hurts!”
Shirone was practically dragged out of the Gold Tower by Plu's hand.
A look of disappointment filled Aria's eyes as she watched the two of them walk away.