Inquisition Onslaught: Cadre Escape and Lingering Shadows
Selnia voiced her doubt. Inquisition vs Reverse Star cadre vs...? Here, of all places? Catching a Reverse Star cadre was one thing—whether it was even possible was secondary—but causing this much chaos right here was sheer madness.
[Of course not. Korean is until the end... no, hear me out.] Standing on tiptoes, I gazed toward the teleportation magic circle. Sparks danced along its edges, emitting faint wisps of purple mist.
[That magic circle—judging by the flickering effects at the rim, it's a mid-range emergency teleport. Destination around 1km away. The mana flow dissipating westward-northwest.]
[...Wait, how do you even know that? I'm an eighth-rate mage myself, and to me, it all looks the same.]
[Just trivia I picked up.] Things you naturally learned after playing the game 'a little' too long.
[So what I'm saying is, let the cadre escape via teleport, then track them.]
[Hmm...] She let out an ambiguous hum of admiration.
[Aren't you trusting this big sis a bit too much? Knowing the direction alone won't cut it—we'll lose them for sure.]
[Perfect, I've got just the countermeasure. Come back here?]Whoosh— The moment I sent the message, a faint presence appeared beside me. Invisible this time. I casually extended something toward where Selnia likely was.
[Ah, the bracelet you got from the desert? But what was the effect again?]
[Simple effect.] Focusing on the bracelet, noise flickered in the corner of my vision, summoning a translucent window. As expected—not an ordinary item; the system reacted automatically.
◈ Touch target with bracelet-wearing hand to imprint Tracking Mark.
◈ Stores up to 3 targets.
◈ Reveals position within 2km radius!
◈ Continuous mana drain while active.
Hidden Pieces—items crafted by the goddess or Hismea, each with bizarre, unique effects. Many were entertainment fodder like their creators, but this was a jackpot.
I explained the effect to Selnia, then glanced toward Earth Worker.
[In short, Selnia sneaks through that mess, touches Earth Worker, and we're golden.]
Hm. Even I cringed at my own proposal. Crossing the professors' and students' zone. Past the rampaging inquisitors. Breaching the countless rock barriers Earth Worker piled up. Even academy professors would throw up their hands.
[...Heh.]
But if she'd refuse, I wouldn't have suggested it.
[Sounds fun. Good plan.] Crisp response, no hesitation. That was all we needed between us.
The presence vanished in an instant. I left one final reminder.
[Oh, and Black Star Lesian's data is already saved, so watch out—don't touch anyone strict and overwrite it.]
[...How the hell did you pull that off?! You didn't mention it earlier!]
Ah, skipped that in the summary. Selnia sounded exasperated, but there wasn't much to it. Things got messy, so I nudged her actions a bit.
[I'll explain later. Count on you.]
[You better. Promise?] The telepathy cut off as she moved for real.
My gaze naturally returned to the scene. No way we'd miss a Reverse Star cadre with eyes wide open—the inquisitors were going berserk.
But still. Could they breach Earth Worker's defenses in 10 seconds and drag him from the magic circle? Group Master and his ants were holding out too.
Likely escape as-is.
—Or so I thought.
"Hoo. I tried keeping the mood in check, but this won't do." Lesian tore her suit's left sleeve, roughly rolling it up her forearm. Stroking her arm with her right hand, light leaked from the runes etched in a line.
"What?! Runes carved into her own body? And that number...!" A nearby magic professor gaped.
Understandable. This was Lesian's infamous 'true intent' pattern from the original story—force-raging her body, no aftershock blasts.
"Heretics who don't know their place."
Shaaa— Mana prickled my skin. Her soft expression sharpened into a feral smile. Aiming her cane at Group Master, she chanted briefly.
ᛒ - ᚲ - ᛁ
(Crush - Pierce - Single Point)
And there was light.
Kwaaaaang! A flash blinded us. The roar slammed eardrums a beat later.
"Kyaaak!"
"Urk!"
The devastation matched the screams. One thrust of her cane vaporized most of the black liquid ahead.
Kaaa... Group Master wasn't unscathed. Nearly stripped of his black liquid shroud, half his body was gone. No strength left to reform it—he just staggered.
Lesian closed in on the exposed foe, palm-thrusting his solar plexus.
Jejejeok! Picture-perfect hit. His body burst like jelly, scattering black liquid.
Without glancing back, Lesian kicked off toward Earth Worker.
He noticed. Raising both hands, the auditorium floor warped and heaved. Pouring mana without reserve, terrain shifted as double and triple earthen walls erupted.
Then Lesian's eyes flashed purple again. Nearby inquisitors moved in sync, like puppets under precise control. Perfect coordination, all attacks converging on one point.
Kwagwagwang! First and second walls shattered.
Lesian wove through the spent inquisitors, thrusting her cane.
ᚲ - ᛁ
(Pierce - Single Point)
"Haaaaah!"
Jejeejeong! The third wall exploded whole. The fourth crumbled slowly.
Simultaneously, Lesian's cane shattered.
"!"
Through the crumbling debris, Earth Worker appeared. That last wall was his final line.
Gritting his teeth, he reached to raise more. But Lesian was faster.
Snatching a longsword tossed by an inquisitor without looking, she aimed the mana-infused, rippling blue blade at him.
Oh crap, he's done for.
Not rooting for Reverse Star or anything. But if he got caught or killed here, Inquisition influence would balloon. Plus, my plan with Selnia would crumble.
[Selnia!]
[Got it! Leave it to me!]
Lesian's sword lunged at the defenseless Earth Worker. Telepathy from Selnia cut off.
Puuk—
The blade pierced his gut.
"Khek...!"
Earth Worker's face paled instantly. Time crawled.
His body swayed slowly. But Lesian, successful in her stab, looked dissatisfied. Not the picture she wanted.
Her blade had hit slightly right of his heart.
And then.
The magic circle at their feet blazed blindingly.
Timeout.
Earth Worker at its center vanished—sword in belly and all.
"Earth Worker escaped!"
"Damn it! Form pursuit teams now!"
Panic erupted. Inquisitors freaked, yelling chaotically.
I covered my mouth slyly.
[Twisted the heart strike, huh?]
[Heh, sharp eye? Even the Black Star herself wouldn't notice easily.]
That Black Star knelt, getting hasty treatment from inquisitors. No time to suspect.
[Well done. Selnia, disengage and track Earth Worker.]
[On it! Oh, tell Pielsha nicely? She begged me not to leave you alone.]
[Of course. And...] I hesitated, then added shortly.
[If Earth Worker doesn't leave this territory by night, I'll join you.]
[Ooh, sweet! Hope the bastard doesn't flee far?]
[Not letting him off easy. Rare chance like this.]
[Heh, what do you take me for? Leave it.]
Mind quieted again. Main threads tied up? Group Master's clone dead, Earth Worker escaped. Just how this mess gets cleaned.
...Or so I thought.
"Professor! The black liquid's swelling again!"
"What?! Wasn't it dead?!"
Where Group Master burst, black liquid flooded anew. At its center, a red core bobbed.
Not dead? Thought Lesian's attack destroyed the core—barely survived, huh.
Tough little bastard.
"It's coming this way!"
No time for sentiment. As Runes said, the black wave surged toward us. Red core mixed somewhere within.
Slipping through a broken wall gap? Unlucky—we were nearest.
"Whoa, too fast!"
Speed was on another level. A literal wave. Even ants swept up, hurtling our way.
"Harne! Skala!"
Runes grabbed us, hurling sideways. Too late.
Wave already upon us. Thick shadow loomed instantly.
Black, sticky filth poured overhead.
Peobeobeong!
"...Huh?"
No apocalypse. The oncoming wave shattered midair.
"!"
Liquid split into streams. Mana bolts, slashes, spells rained through gaps.
Ants burned, froze, split, crushed. Black wave burst like fireworks, battered every which way.
"Don't stop attacking!"
Professors. With ants cleared, they'd focused solely on student protection. Now unleashed.
Venting pent-up frustration from holding back.
Liquid fragmented into dots and lines. Instead of filth, acrid smoke wafted our way.
Three seconds, maybe. Before coughs, Bastian Professor dispersed the smoke.
Crisis over in a flash.
"Hoo, haa... Thought we were goners."
"Yeah... no, loosen your grip first? Can't breathe."
Skala and I dangled from Runes' arms. Skala blushed, pounding Runes' side.
"Ah, sorry. Body moved on instinct."
Runes finally set us down gently. Hesitation flickered as she looked at me.
No time to call her on it. No mental bandwidth.
"Harne? What's wrong?"
"Something to check."
In that thick smoke, I'd seen it. Something utterly suspicious.
Group Master's core. Destroy it, and black liquid evaporates to dust instantly.
But the last bits in the smoke... different. Didn't scatter.
They seeped into the ground, vanishing.
One conclusion.
Core unbroken.
But how? No gap amid professors' carpet bombing. Unlike liquid, solid core can't phase through walls or floors.
Ha. Ominous thoughts flashed.
That smoke-filled instant. What if the core was smuggled to someone then?
...What if the black liquid fled here for a reason?
Absurd. But puzzle pieces fit too well.
Only one hypothesis left.
Top-class students close enough to touch the black liquid.
One cooperating with Reverse Star. Or a Reverse Star member themselves?