Divine Guard
Esperro had different types of guards in each city. The Divine Guard who wielded holy power. The Raven Guard made up of assassins. The Steam Guard who used machines, and so on.
Among them, the ones tasked with protecting Brockton were the Divine Guard. Since they used holy power, they were beings who worshipped specific gods.
That's why they lose it over anything involving black magic.
The reason they were neglecting Brockton's protection right now was related. Descartes was rampaging through the outskirts with his power, which also fell under black magic. As a result, the Divine Guard had gone berserk, focusing more on the outskirts than internal security.
So how could I bring them here? There was only one way. Let them know that black magic—the kind that set them off—was present right here.
One of the ability users targeting this place was a black mage, after all.
Not your average guy, either.
Moreover, he wasn't your typical black mage. He specialized in the "destruction" aspect of black magic, and his power was immense. And this was just my guess, but if Descartes had gotten involved now, the situation would have changed for him too.
He's the guy who ends up as Descartes's disciple later.
Maybe that outcome had already happened. That was more than enough reason to flip the Divine Guard's eyes in rage.
"April."
I quietly spoke with April in the hallway.
"Take this and go find the Divine Guard."
"What's this?"
"The real document those bastards are after."
"...Huh? For real?"
April looked a bit shocked. But there was no time for that.
"Head out the back door. The front seems surrounded."
"Got it."
Now all that was left was holding off these guys.
* * *
The building's front entrance had changed completely. The lobby lights were all out, and roaring flames illuminated the surroundings. That wasn't all. The front door was no longer a door—trucks had smashed into the building, blocking the entrance instead.
Descartes's mafia thugs poured out endlessly from between the trucks.
Tududududu—!
The guards protecting the lobby unleashed a barrage. The thugs dropped powerlessly one by one, and the floor was littered with spent casings.
"To think they'd attack like this."
Elisa, in charge of the front entrance, was flustered. She'd known an assault was coming, but never imagined it'd be this blatant. She'd nearly been crushed by a truck herself if her defense had been a second slower.
"Uwaaaah!"
"Get in! Get inside!"
The thugs tried charging again. Elisa spread her hands wide, pointing at the truck that had poked its nose in.
Creeeak!
Kugugung.
The truck, buried in building debris, shuddered. It soon wrenched free and floated into the air.
What Elisa had used was one of her abilities, Telekinesis.
Whoosh!
Kwaaaang!
The airborne truck crashed back down. The mafia trying to push in were crushed flat, perfectly sealing the entrance.
⊳ Hurry over
⊳ Hold on, I'll be right there. Rooftop takes time.
Benjamin responded immediately. Deron was on standby underground too.
But there was no reply from Damian.
Ziiiiiing.
Chiiiik!
That was when it happened. A beam of golden light shot out from between the trucks blocking the entrance. The beam stretched straight, slicing the truck clean in half effortlessly.
Kwaaaang!
The severed truck exploded. Elisa blocked the searing heat with her hand, eyes fixed on the entrance.
Step.
Step.
A man emerged through the roaring flames. Two shields stood before him, and his upper body was entirely cybernetically modified. He had a Hitler-like mustache and wore a red uniform.
The man brushed the flames off his shields and spoke.
"Is this all you've got?"
"......"
"Is it? Or isn't it? Answer me!"
"Wh-what?"
"Answer me!"
He demanded a response like a drill sergeant. Then two more appeared behind him.
"Kekekeke! Etum! You think that'll make them answer? Sometimes I wonder if your brain's mechanical too... Anyway, it's too dark here. This hides my beauty!"
Whoosh!
The woman behind him, Jenna, swung her hand. The lobby lights, which had gone out, flickered back on.
"Ta-da! Yeah! Now you can see my looks properly!"
Blonde hair braided to her waist. Freckles on her face, and looks that didn't quite match her words.
...No need to light it up just to show that.
Elisa couldn't hide her dismay at the woman's unexpectedly plain appearance. Did she really have to show off like that?
"......That woman, you think she's ugly."
"What? Is that true? Beric! You finally open your mouth after ages, and that's what you say?"
Someone even more eye-catching than the woman appeared last. He looked like a teenager, hunched over with long black hair covering his face.
...Did he read my mind? More importantly, his power's no joke. Gold stage 2 at least.
The aura from him was extraordinary.
"Now, let's start over! Troops! Come out again!"
"Uwaaaak!"
"Kill 'em! Sweep 'em all!"
"You bitch... I'll kill you myself. How dare you think that?"
Etum with his twin shields shouted, and the mafia charged in again. Naturally, the Esteno guards responded...
Tududududu—!
Tingtingtingting!
This time, Etum's twin shields blocked them easily. Elisa felt urgency rising. Why wasn't Benjamin here yet? Could Deron hold them alone? Had the guy guarding the president's office fallen?
At least one of them...
Elisa reached out, gathering debris around her. But the woman cackled mockingly.
"Kekeke! Oh, that was you? But what now? This building has plenty of light, so I've absorbed enough. You're not getting forgiven."
Whoosh!
Ziiiiiing—!
"Gahk!"
A beam shot from the woman's hand. The thin, slender ray pierced Elisa's side in a flash. Incredible speed.
Elisa collapsed limply.
"Uglier than me, tsk. Let's go. Beric, you handle the rest."
"......"
"Ugh, annoying. Look at him not talking again. Be grateful a pretty big sis like me is with you. If not for the old man's orders, I wouldn't team up with a gloomy kid like you."
"Jenna! That's coercion! No coercing comrades!"
"......Ah, seriously."
Beric paused blankly for a moment. Then he raised his index finger, tapping the air a few times.
"......One on the rooftop. One underground."
"Is that all? Understood! Straight to the basement!"
He recalled Elisa's conversation and shared the positions.
* * *
The elevator stopped. Elisa's voice was no longer audible.
Would be nice if she answered.
There was a reason I hadn't replied to Elisa. The black mage assaulting this place had considerable power. He'd even grasped Elisa's Connection.
So I descended the stairs silently with the guards.
April went the opposite way, so she should be fine.
April would take time to return. Until then, I needed to track their positions.
"Don't let a single rat escape! Kill 'em all!"
That was when it happened. Just as we headed for the first-floor lobby, voices came from outside the door. The guards aimed at it.
But we couldn't fire and make noise.
Shing.
I positioned two-handers by the door.
Kiiik.
"Huh?"
"Th-the bastards...!"
Whoosh!
Slash!
Slash!
Before they could act, the two-handers severed their necks clean.
"Phew... Close call."
"...Thank you."
"B-by the way... D-did they all get taken out?"
The first floor beyond the door was a slaughterhouse. Blood pooled everywhere, and the elevator doors were wrecked.
Roarrr.
"Wh-what's this? Black flames?"
Black flames burned on the elevator doors. Definitely that guy's doing. The corpses had burst open too, his handiwork.
His power feels stronger.
It had always been impressive, but not this much. Probably changed due to Descartes's involvement.
We passed the first floor and headed underground. Guard corpses strewn about. Destroyed structures. The path underground was no different.
"......"
Benjamin stood blankly before the ruined iron door. Elisa lay on the black panther.
"These bastards got Deron..."
Deron was nowhere. With so many mangled bodies tangled, they must've assumed he was too.
"Looks like they took the documents."
"Don't worry. They'll come back."
"What? What do you mean?"
"What was here was fake."
"...What?"
Benjamin's eyes widened. But no time to explain. They'd escaped for now, but they'd return. They'd notice halfway through it was fake.
"Pull yourself together. We need to prepare to greet them."
Now it was time to lure them into my trap.
* * *
We changed the ambush spot. Not the lobby—the president's office hallway.
To reach here, they had two paths: elevator or the two stairwells. But the elevator was wrecked. So only stairs.
"Benjamin on the right stairs, Elisa on the left. I'll support both from the middle."
"What the hell, man? Why so competent? Looks like Silver grade stage 1."
"Doesn't matter. I'm excited. Wonder what that man's power is like."
"You can say that even after your side got pierced?"
Elisa had recovered. Her side had a hole from that guy, but she said her mental power could handle it.
Anyway, more firepower was good.
Preparations set.
Positions complete. Benjamin on the front-connected stairs. Elisa on the back. Plus five guards from the president's office.
Kwagwagwang!
"They're here."
"......For real. There was a real document?"
A massive explosion from the first floor. They'd figured it out and were pissed.
How much time passed? Footsteps climbed the stairs.
Bang!
Kwajik!
A mafia peeking from the stairs had his face blown apart. Benjamin's insane reaction speed.
"They're here! They're here!"
Position exposed. Their assault would follow.
Bangbangbang!
Tududududu—!
They poured out. Guards and Benjamin fired back.
Kugugugu.
Elisa relentlessly pulled objects to block the entrance.
Whoosh whoosh!
Shrrrk!
-Grrr!
The black panther and I shredded any who slipped past.
We held for over ten minutes like that.
Tingting!
Finally, not mafia—them. The twin-shield guy from the left stairs blocked all bullets.
"Damn tough."
Benjamin and the guards' shots bounced harmlessly. But he didn't advance. Tanking aggro with shields?
Then why?
"Deron? You're alive?"
Right then—Elisa's voice. Turning, Deron stood blankly on the right stairs.
"Wh-what? Deron's alive! You okay?"
Benjamin reacted too. But I knew he hadn't died. He was the traitor.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
I summoned all weapons, flinging daggers first.
Tingting!
Deron swung his halberd skillfully, blocking. His face, hidden by the bowler hat, showed. Smirking annoyingly, as expected.
"You knew?"
"Of course. Knew you were the traitor ages ago."
"Then you knew about the separate document too."
"Guess you'll have to check yourself."
I used Look On him. He was skilled. Halberd excelled in range and destruction.
From now, all attacks on him.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Weapons targeted him again, from varied angles. They pinned him, keeping him from exiting the stairs.
"Kekeke! The rats are here!"
Ziiiiiing—!
Jenna attacked. Light mage, right? Then.
Thung.
I thrust a square shield forward—with Shadow Strike.
The shield trailed black smoke, darting swiftly.
Ting!
Her attack bounced via Reflection. The light headed straight for the twin shields—Etum.
"Kuhk."
I handled all three alone in an instant. I knew each class's weaknesses. My level was lower, but it more than compensated.
"Wh-what? Handling three solo?"
"Amazing... Really amazing! No wonder I was drawn in!"
Benjamin and Elisa exclaimed. Attack them instead of gawking...
The real one's not even here yet.
Bangbangbang!
Whoosh!
Kwaang!
Heard my thoughts? Benjamin and Elisa joined. His gun and panther targeted light mage Jenna.
Elisa hurled objects at Etum.
Whoosh!
Kwajik!
"You can't block me with this trash!"
But his defense was solid. He smashed Elisa's projectiles with shields effortlessly.
Ranged meaningless against twin-shield guy. Melee his weakness, but...
Hard to stick to him sustained in this setup.
If alone, maybe. But not now.
Swipe.
I positioned Jeanne's scimitars from the swamp around him.
Tatadak!
Led two scimitars and two-handers at him. He had no ranged options. Minions fired, but Lightning Barrier handled it.
Whoosh!
Aimed his right. First strike—two-hander. He blocked skillfully, as expected...
Kaaang!
"Kuhk!"
Chiiik!
Not one—two two-handers struck. Metal clash filled the hall. The burly guy staggered back.
No matter the defense, enduring two-handers' weight was tough. His guard opened slightly, as planned.
Now!
Gap open—I shoved the two scimitars.
Whoosh!
Shrrk!
He tightened shields instantly. Not fully sliced, but sawteeth on scimitar blades tore deeper.
Bleeding has been triggered.
Scimitar's bleeding activated. Blood poured from him.
"...Kuhk."
Drip.
Drip.
Blood fell. He pressed the wound, but it wouldn't stop.
Bleeding effect continues.
His wound widened over time. Left alone, sustained damage would whittle his HP.
"Shoot! Fire!"
But we weren't alone. Etum's aggro freed the mafia. They advanced one by one.
Soon over twenty aimed guns at us.
Snap!
Jenna snapped her fingers. Shimmering light appeared before the mafia.
"Know what this is? Anything passing through gets light attribute! Kekeke!"
"......"
Benjamin and Elisa's faces hardened at her words.
"......Meaning bullets become light mana rounds."
Difference between ability user guns and normal: mana-infused bullets or not.
Jenna's skill infused the mafia's bullets with mana. Dangerous even for us.
Step.
Step.
"Hey, didn't you hear her? Those aren't normal bullets! You're in danger too!"
I stepped forward. Elisa panicked, trying to stop me...
This should be enough.
Dangerous, yes. But time to test that skill I'd learned.
Swipe.
I lined up all weapons before me. Etum and Deron focused, intrigued. Probably eager to see how I'd die.
"Hm, thought you were skilled, but dumb as rocks."
"On the battlefield, know the power gap! Fools die—that's the rule!"
Yeah. Keep mocking.
"Kekeke! What're you waiting for? He wants to die! Shoot!"
"Shoot! Fire!"
Tududu—!
Bullets passed through the light, becoming gold mana rounds pouring down. Even Lightning Barrier couldn't hold.
But this can.
Snap!
The lined weapons spun rapidly.
"Bye-bye! Kekeke... Huh?"
Tingtingtingtingting!
No bullets hit. All weapons deflected them in place.
Via the Deflection skill.
"Keep shooting. I'll block it all."
I solo-deflected countless mana bullets.