Italy Gate (2)
In the center of the twisted space inside the gate, acrid cigarette smoke billowed upward.
"Hoo..."
A gloomy breath echoed through the dim, shadowy expanse. Beneath it lay the massive corpse of the boss monster we'd butchered—easily over ten meters long, its presence overwhelming. But even that paled in comparison to the amethyst gleam piercing the blackness like a predator's glare amid the blood-soaked carnage.
Lightly juggling a black knife up and down, the figure perched atop the fallen beast revealed herself as Marie Rose Eva. The woman with an $80 million bounty on her head, boss of the Los Eva Family.
"Got a guest, huh... Honestly, didn't see that coming."
"Creating unexpected crises is a fine quality in a king."
The voice that made even this heavyweight tense up drifted in along the bloody path Marie had carved through life. The moment I sensed that intense pressure, I knew. If Marie's eyes shone like moonlight on a night sky, this was something absurd—like a sun blazing in the same heavens.
Golden halos surged like tidal waves with every breath, parching my throat. Yet her calm retort showed no tremor.
"Is stalking me over some petty online spat and picking a fight part of that too?"
"Who knows... But first off, your vibe's way off from what I expected. Confirming: 4242. That's you, right?"
"Haha... Pot calling the kettle black?"
Marie let out a scoff at the question. The drifter nick raging over age issues in the gallery, and the incarnation of scorching flames now melting even blood before her eyes.
'Anyone clueless would never guess those two are the same person.'
She must've flown straight from Seoul. Kishea Arcradiel wore only a plain white short-sleeved tee and long jeans. Yet it conjured the illusion of a war goddess armored in sacred platinum brilliance. No denying it.
'What an absurd woman. Did I poke the wrong hornet's nest...'
But Marie was a returnee who'd clawed her way back from another world. No way she'd roll over meekly.
"Need confirmation?"
"Nah."
Kishea's pale hand gathered a glow of light as she replied indifferently. In an instant, she hurled a long flash shaped like a golden spear.
"Consider it an honor that we came personally to punish you."
"!!"
"Pathetic worm."
The spear tip hurtling toward its target—me—froze in a violet haze the next instant. It detonated silently, swallowing all sound. The gate's depths drowned in pure white annihilation.
'One hit and my consciousness fades—that insane power... And even faster.'
That strike had clinched the gate clear right before. Bursting through the explosion's smoke that reached even the abandoned factory on Earth, Marie's mind raced.
"No breather here!"
"To think you'd crave such luxury with us right here..."
Don't get cocky. Kishea pressed her palm to the black back of Marie's coat without warning, unleashing stellar inferno. Flames shot skyward, devouring half the factory in one gulp. Even clouds drifting high above weren't spared.
"Tch..."
Touching down, all that remained was the Los Eva Family's factory reduced to a patch of molten-red flooring. Kishea, who'd wrought such devastation with casual sweeps, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"You blocked the flames midway, right? I can see you're still kicking—come out already."
"As ordered."
Before pinpointing the voice's source, firepower surpassing any modern cannon rained from the side. Hundreds of rounds per second. Each bullet vaporized tanks effortlessly—not metal slugs, but eerily clear green-glowing...
'Mana bullets. And not the ordinary kind.'
Dodging or countering would raze nearby civilization. Even without that, my pride wouldn't allow evasion against this barrage.
So... time to show this futurist something rare.
"《Halt, space before me.》"
A miracle via mana long lost from Mother. Ancient magic bypassing circles to command the world directly.
Ancient Magic: World Word.
"Ho...?"
Marie whistled softly. The suspended mana bullets wasted seconds exploding harmlessly in midair—plenty of time for chain reactions away from Kishea.
"Quite the fireworks show. I'll give you that much."
A festive boom like fireworks shredded the ground. Marie emerged from the same direction, grumbling at Kishea's assessment.
"Even if you blocked it easy, calling it 'just that' stings a bit."
"Don't worry. Without prep, even we might feel it. If without prep."
Marie's outfit had changed facing Kishea. Her fur coat—worn even in this summer heat—had burned away. Acrid gunpowder smoke rose from her body. Now just a sleeveless top and dual pistols gripped by the young mafia don.
"Light and flame. So this is the Unique Mana: Holy Flame Emperor from the old histories?"
"As expected of a futurist—figure you'd know?"
That padduk from the gallery seemed from a later era. As Professor's vast knowledge proved, info leaking via archaeology was a real hassle.
'Well, true powerhouses wouldn't care anyway.'
"From my view, you're the ancient one."
Shrugging at the unfazed Kishea, her lips parted with words to escalate things further.
"Fair point, though? Gramps?"
"...Shall we rip that insolent mouth first?"
"Grandma" never sat well. As Kishea murmured low and reformed her flash spear, Marie scanned the ruins.
"By the way—not a gate where you can smash freely. In the heart of Turin, packed with industry. Keep lobbing those nukes okay? Evac's probably done, but still risky."
"Risky? Childish nonsense."
"Huh...?"
"Prioritizing punishment for those who dared wag fingers at us over some foreign land's safety? Obvious as multiplication tables. Why hesitate?"
"You planning to brawl every gallery user you meet?"
"Don't delude yourself. This isn't equal combat—it's our judgment from on high."
"Ah... You're a riot."
Like most returnees rampaging other worlds and back—including Marie—this queen was no ordinary soul.
"But I hate being dismissed as 'just firepower.'"
The spear gleaming to hurl evaporated from her hand. Instead, a voice echoed—the desert melody the Los Eva mafiosi had heard moments ago.
A fierce sandstorm whipped up post-chant, birthing dramatic change.
"Compact mode here."
"That's not unique mana—a Mana Attribute: Sand...!"
Before Marie, caught flat-footed, could finish, a punch packed with enhanced strength smashed her face. Then, via Holy Flame Emperor, flames roared fiercely enough to buckle knees. Lit aflame literally, Marie arced dizzily through the air.
Don't know why, but world's a bit cleaner now!