Corporate Commission (5)
Golden bullets ricocheted in every direction.
Deflect.
This was one of the Weapon Summoner-exclusive defensive techniques. It literally bounced projectiles away with the blade. But normally, deflecting this many mana bullets would be impossible.
Deflect
'It's gotta be thanks to the Reflect option applying to all of them.'
I had the Reflect option from the shield. It bounced back anything that touched it. The option applied to my weapon's blades too, letting me deflect mana bullets fired by twenty people alone.
"W-What the hell is this guy? He's blocking all those bullets by himself?"
"And they're not even regular bullets—they're mana-coated ones..."
Benjamin and Elisa couldn't believe their eyes. Well, they wouldn't know what kind of character the guy I possessed was, so it made sense. I was a being with the power to devour this world—child's play like this was nothing.
"E-Etum. Is that even possible?"
"Impossible... I might handle one gunner, but that many bullets? No way..."
"D-Don't stop. K-Keep firing! Fire!"
Jerina screamed, refusing to accept the situation, forcing her men to keep attacking. But...
Tick! Tick!
"Th-The bullets... we're out..."
I wasn't even tired. I wasn't controlling them directly, after all. Their ammo ran out first. Hundreds of bullets littered the floor in front of me now, steam rising from my blades. Just blocking them had generated serious heat.
"...I made a mistake. But no worries. We have our secret weapon."
Deron, who'd been silent, finally spoke.
Secret weapon? Yeah, he meant that guy.
Whiiiir—
That's when it hit—an enormous surge of mana. I'd sensed his presence before, but now... his power amplified in an instant. For the first time, chills ran down my spine from sheer overwhelming force.
Kaboooom!
"Ugh, I said take it easy."
The stairs where Jerina stood exploded into rubble. Black flames rose from the debris, revealing Beric.
'Did that guy awaken or something?'
Black smoke poured from Beric's body. His level showed as 43 now. It definitely hadn't been that high before. So, a skill-induced change? As a Destruction Dark Sorcerer...
Devil Descent
Temporarily lending your body to a devil for a massive power boost. It didn't last long. But long enough to wipe us all out.
"Jerina, get back."
"What? You just used informal speech with me?!"
Bang!
Benjamin fired from the hip. But Beric had warned her ahead, so it missed.
"Etum, smash the table in front."
"...As expected. He's been reading my mind since earlier."
Elisa had planned to covertly move a desk, but he'd caught her.
"..."
He stared right at me. Then he tilted his head and spoke.
"...But why can't I read your thoughts?"
What? He couldn't read mine?
"Strange... It feels like a wall blocking it..."
The guy spouted nonsense. His power was definitely superior to mine. Reading my thoughts should've been easy. Wait...
'No way... is it Composure?'
Yeah, that seemed right. The description said it blocked mental attacks too. Just a passive skill with this kind of effect.
"Hurry, Beric!"
Deron yelled, frustrated he couldn't touch me. Beric must've felt the same—the smoke leaking from his body thickened. His eyes started turning pitch black. He was seriously pissed.
—Don't command me.
A dissonant voice echoed. Like a woman and man speaking at once. Full awakening, it seemed.
Black light gathered in Beric's hand, slowly forming a spherical orb. The mana radiating from it was insane. No idea how much he'd poured in.
Whish!
Kaboooom!
He swung the orb. Luckily, it missed us and slammed into the office wall... but its power was so immense, the entire office vanished in one hit.
"W-What the... He blew away the whole building?"
"...There's a cliff behind us now."
The office was gone. Wind from outside rushed in. One step back, and we'd plummet.
"Kekeke, so? Still wanna keep going? Benjamin, Elisa—for old times' sake, I could spare you. Why not convince him to hand over the documents?"
"Deron, you crazy bastard. You know what you've done? The client's messing up the job! Think Avalor will let that slide?"
"Avalor... Hm, Benjamin. You don't get it. The world ahead won't care about Avalor's power."
Deron stood tall with his halberd, looking utterly relaxed. Like he didn't need to fight anymore. Like he'd already won.
"Choose. Die, or do as I say."
"..."
Things weren't great, just like he said. I could handle the other three, but Beric was a real threat. Who knew the story would diverge like this? Descartes' influence was growing.
⊳ "I'm here!"
That's when April's voice came through Connection.
⊳ "The guards totally lost it? Something like, 'How dare... devil spawn invade this place!'"