Chapter 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Chapter 85 - 악연 (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Different. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on him. The sheer difference in skill compared to the half-baked Archmages I had fought until now was palpable.
First, I ordered Lieutenant Erwin to fall back. Lumia, having clearly felt the difference as well, followed behind me with a tense look in her eyes.
"Welcome. How was the Remansk Munitions Depot?"
His tone was overflowing with composure. A warning message telling me not to try anything foolish.
I glanced over at my squad members. All of them had stiff expressions, aiming their rifles at the man before them.
"Don't fire until I give the command."
I made sure to drill that into my rigid troops. At this juncture, every situation had to be firmly within my grasp.
If someone were to act impulsively and plunge us into a state of uncontrollable chaos... we would undoubtedly face a situation we couldn't handle.
"Wise."
The silver-haired officer nodded with a faint smile. He looked remarkably young at a glance.
I glanced at the decorations on his epaulets and shoulder boards and easily deduced his rank and position.
'These bastards, they're from the Intelligence Directorate.'
You'd think this was a secret facility, but there were Intelligence agents stationed here? Perhaps they were connected to the Omen Pearl.
The ones who attacked Lumia back then were also dressed in robes like these.
"It's a pleasure, Colonel."
"Ho... It seems you didn't just come from reading fairy tales at a desk? Did you figure it out from my epaulets?"
"It's a bit hard to pretend I don't know when you're standing there so obviously asking me to."
"And you have no intention of revealing your identity?"
"Coincidentally, I am not in uniform."
In response, the Colonel of the Intelligence Directorate let out a hearty laugh.
"I like your nerve and your sense of humor. I'll be sure to remember that conspicuous golden hair of yours."
The enemy had no intention of attacking. At least, not for now.
'The best-case scenario would be for us to pass each other without any incident... but that's unlikely.'
However, that didn't mean I could just act completely submissive.
We were in the middle of a battle. Even if he was a superior Archmage and a notorious Colonel from the Intelligence Directorate, we held a clear numerical advantage.
If they were to break through, they'd have to accept casualties just as we would.
"What horrific things were you doing in this facility?"
"As you can see, we were cultivating loyal Imperial soldiers."
"Is that what you call them?"
When I shifted my gaze to the Mutant's corpse, the Colonel before me nodded.
"In any case, they are nothing but heinous criminals. If you knew what that man had done, you wouldn't feel an ounce of pity. His name was Andrei Romanovich. He was captured after raping and murdering five young women."
I couldn't be 100% certain it was true, but it wasn't an implausible story. It was more common than one might think to use death-row inmates for inhumane experiments.
"Of course, one could say it is an ethical transgression, but I provided those who harmed innocent Imperial citizens with a chance to serve the Empire. I don't see how that could be considered a bad thing?"
The Colonel's red eyes flashed. They were completely different from Bell Mayer's. Unlike her, whose gaze was warm and gentle, his was sharp enough to tear flesh at any moment.
"The bad thing is illegally crossing the border and attacking our munitions depot, and killing our soldiers. That would be you."
"That's sophistry!"
Lumia, unable to hold back, shouted out. She was a direct victim whose life had been threatened during the Belgorod Fortress attack.
There was evidence here that the Sovye Empire was deeply involved in the fortress attack, so we couldn't just deny it outright.
"This was self-defense! That day, we had to endure a tremendous sacrifice as well!"
"What day are you referring to?"
"Lumia, stop."
I held her back for now. We couldn't afford to get swept up in his tempo. I couldn't tell what expression he was making behind his mask, but one thing was clear.
It was definitely not fear or pity.
Determined that a standoff would benefit no one, I decided to make a gamble.
"We are withdrawing as we are."
"Excuse me...?"
"Have everyone fall back from the rear first. They can't make a move so recklessly anyway."
At my nod, Erwin and Hilton, understanding the signal, began to gather their troops and retreat outside.
Now, only I, Lumia, and Roxana remained in the corridor.
"Do you seriously believe the three of you can handle us?"
"It's not impossible."
The Colonel's eyes narrowed. He must have already grasped our skill level. Since both of us were 1st-class Archmages, the amount of mana we felt was not inferior to the Archmage before us. That alone was enough to make the Colonel hesitate in his choice.
Moreover, having more allies in the rear was actually a disadvantage for us.
Especially with Lumia here, I absolutely could not allow friendly fire to occur.
Last time, our opponent was a thief, but now we were deep in enemy territory, facing an Archmage from the Intelligence Directorate.
If Lumia's trauma were to trigger here, I couldn't guarantee her safety.
Fortunately, the Colonel waited until his troops had safely retreated. After all, from their perspective, not knowing Lumia's situation, there was no reason to refuse when we were offering to pull our people out.
Just as the last member of the 4th Platoon had exited...
'On three, jump to the sides.'
I took a slight step forward, signaling to Lumia and Roxana with hand gestures.
'One full-power spell each.'
The two didn't react. There was no need to confirm further. We were already communicating through our bond.
'One.'
'Two.'
'Three.'
I rolled backward, immediately drawing my handgun and firing. Tap! Tap! The revolver's cylinder spun, spewing thick smoke.
At the same time, colors manifested from Lumia's and Roxana's hands.
Advanced Red Magic, Solar Prominence.
Advanced Green Magic, Wind Shear.
The magic circles drawn at maximum output activated, and the launched flames and storms mixed together.
"Now, jump!!"
"Yes!!"
Anyone could see it was a direct hit. The coordination between the two was perfect as well.
Solar Prominence, which creates a fluid, flare-like flame, and Wind Shear, which generates a powerful storm, were one of the best combinations among spells.
Lumia's mana mixed with Roxana's to be reborn as a massive firestorm, and that storm showed off its firepower without mercy, enough to turn a person into a charred husk in an instant.
However.
Shwaaak!! A sharp wind blade grazed my head. It was only because I had lowered my posture in advance that I survived; if I had simply fled toward the exit, I would have died instantly.
The moment the sensation of nearly dying swept through my body, the Colonel emerged from the firestorm. In front of him was a man in a blackened robe. In the center of that robe were two holes from the bullets I had just fired.
"You're missing a lot today."
This crazy bastard.
Did he use his subordinate as a shield to get through the storm?
"Captain!"
"I'm fine, Lumia!"
"Sorry, but I'll be taking a limb or two."
"I won't allow that."
As the firestorm's influence weakened, the other Intelligence Directorate Archmages who had also been deployed began to unleash their spells.
Tzzt, a ball of fire grazed my cheek. The flames hitting the wall rippled, and a scorching feeling stung the back of my head.
I fired my revolver with one hand while activating magic with the other. The moment the magic circle, dyed in purple mana, floated into the air, I didn't hesitate to cast the spell toward the enemy.
The manifested purple lightning pierced through an Intelligence Directorate Archmage who was foolishly sticking his head out from the back line.
Chain Lightning.
Two mages who happened to be standing close to each other clutched their hearts and collapsed to the floor simultaneously.
After that, I continued to use only purple magic. Red magic was already Lumia's specialty. I judged that the precise and sharp strikes of purple magic, rather than the wide-range and flashy fire attribute, were more suitable for the current situation.
As the lightning extended and the flames cast by Lumia colored the underground, it was, for the moment, an even match. For the moment.
The only problem was, as always, this rotten body of mine. The air quality was already poor in this enclosed underground space, and on top of that, we were firing fire-attribute spells left and right, so I was gradually getting breathless from lack of oxygen.
"Are you a smoker?"
The Colonel, who had easily evaded my lightning, threw a comment at me. I answered by shooting another bolt of lightning, and he retreated with a faint smile. A single bolt of lightning grazed his body narrowly.
"You should quit. You're not even making full use of that talent of yours."
"You're hardly in a position to worry about me?!"
Kwa-boom!!
Lumia's flames erupted once more. Roxana immediately provided support, launching sharp wind spears.
While the flames obscured their vision, the robed Archmages were easily neutralized by Roxana's wind magic.
'Why are they so weak?'
In fact, the troops accompanying the Colonel were no different from regular Archmage soldiers. The spells they used were, at best, Advanced. Most were Intermediate. In terms of skill, they weren't much different from the 3rd Magic Battalion we encountered earlier.
Even if the Intelligence Directorate was in its early stages, this quality was too poor. I thought they'd have something going for them since they were draped in secretive robes.
However, that also meant the Colonel was single-handedly holding his own against the three of us.
'What the hell is he aiming for?'
Even as we continued to exchange blows, my mind was racing. He showed no intention of attacking aggressively, which made a vague sense of unease continue to gnaw at my mind. A ominous premonition that control had already slipped into his hands.
"Fire Raaain—!!"
The moment Lumia unleashed her mana once more toward the Archmages who were desperately counterattacking despite being on fire...
The corner of the Colonel's mouth curled up slightly.
That was when I finally realized what his one move had been all about.
"R-Roxana!! Air Breathing spell!"
"Huh?"
"It is already too late."
The moment the Colonel added that comment, the air was sucked into his hand with tremendous force.
Intermediate Green Magic, 'Vacuum'.
Normally, it was a preparatory spell for pulling in air to charge and then firing it like an air cannon, but...
In a space like this, where the inflow of new air was restricted, the act of 'sucking in the air' naturally led to a lack of oxygen.
"Guh...?!"
Luckily, I had taken a deep breath just before the spell was cast, so I could hold out for a bit, but Lumia and Roxana couldn't. The two were startled for a moment by the fact they couldn't breathe, then started choking while clutching their necks.
Humans are surprisingly insensitive to their breathing. Unless it's an extreme situation, they rarely have their breathing obstructed. Therefore, from a psychological standpoint, pressuring an opponent's breathing is a highly effective method.
We took a hit. The two who had been holding on were neutralized in an instant.
"...!!"
I pulled the trigger toward the Colonel, who was smiling as if he had won, but instead of a loud gunshot, a 'click' sound of the hammer hitting an empty chamber echoed. I was out of ammunition.
Just as the situation was becoming increasingly desperate, and the oxygen I had been holding in was about to run out...
"What a pathetic sight."
Clank!
Along with a purple flash, reinforcements arrived.