Chapter 84
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"Don't move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."
Adrenaline hit Orisa when she realized the situation. Her heartbeat was deafening, and sweat began to drip from her forehead. She took a quick look at the crowd in front of her.
A pair of shooters equipped with rifles stood behind the vehicle parked at the center of a small village square. To their left and right were hiding two casters with wands. Assuming their weapons, Orisa guessed that they were of a support class, either healers or buffers. Another duet of casters hid behind the corner of the repair workshop. From their battle staves, she thought that they were damage dealers of some sort. There were around twenty meters between Orisa and the car in front of her, and combat mages were a bit farther away. However, midway towards the transport stood a mountain of a man, a bulky fellow clad in gray metal plate armor with a sword and a tower shield. The last person of the raid was to her right. To get a better look at him without any suspicion, Orisa decided to start a discussion after calming herself a bit with a deep breath:
"Don't you think it's a contradiction? I mean, don't move a single finger but try to resist."
"Listen up, lady," the burly shield-wielder addressed her after a short chuckle, his voice sounding fatherly and friendly, "we don't want it to get ugly-."
"I do!" interjected the fellow to her right. The cocky voice belonged to a boy around twenty-five. He smirked, glaring at Orisa with a provoking gaze. His equipment consisted of light chainmail and leather pants, leaving his head with a short yellow hair unprotected. A two-handed sword he was gripping was lowered to the ground level, ready for a swing. "I fucking do!"
"-so, please, don't make ours and yours share any worse than it is supposed to be. Just come with us nice and quiet, please."
"You, good sir, are asking me to march obediently to my execution? And on top of that, for the things I didn't even commit?" Orisa asked, trying to calm temper.
"It's not for me to decide, lass. My job is to bring you back, that's it. I'm only doing what I am supposed to do."
"Awesome stance, but I don't like it. Shaking off all responsibilities on your superiors is a coward's way, an easy way," her blood was almost boiling.
"Gajef, can I kick her already!?" the same boy asked impatiently.
"We are negotiating," the warrior, Gajef, said in a tired voice.
"By the way, who might you be, gentlemen? It's rude to talk without introducing yourself first." Orisa decided to ask, still thinking of a solution. Her main concern was to leave Mirai out of this, but there lay two problems in front of her. First, she didn't know whether her friend was reported alongside her or not. Second, if they were to start fighting here and now, Mirai would rush outside and try to help.
"Fancy of you to ask, babe!" the boy let out a mad laugh and even licked his lips in anticipation. "Our folk is called Inquisitors, but I doubt you've ever heard of us. Don't worry, love! We aren't that tough, so let's get violent."
The mention of a top force of the Police sent chills down her spine, cooling down her boiling blood. She gulped nervously and didn't even notice how the ring on her neck began to burn her skin, so hot it was.
While thinking about the mess she ended up in, Orisa felt another source of Mana to her left and moving along the wall of the inn. She couldn't hear any sounds from that direction, and her peripheral vision provided no clues either. Despite that, the Mana source was slowly getting closer, and she came to trust her Seals more than her senses.
"Don't you think, mister Gajef, that it's insulting to try and ambush a lonely girl with nine people first thing in the morning?"
"But there are only eight of us here, lass," he tried to argue, but Orisa spotted a change in his expression and tone even from a distance.
Orisa didn't need to hold the core in her hand. She swiftly stretched her Mana layer and connected it to the unevolved crystal, sensing its power. The invisible foe was too close to comfort, so Orisa let out a short sigh to psyche herself up, and began:
"-Fury!-"
The calming cold wave ran through her veins, and everything around Orisa became slower. She could see the boy's eyes lit up with mad joy as he began to swing his sword. The source of Mana to her left also shifted and jumped at her. Two shooters aimed at her but didn't shoot, waiting for a better moment. At the same time, all four mages shouted in unison:
"-Major Break!-"
"-Major Takeover!-"
A barrage of counter-magic spells shot towards Orisa, but from Youko Satou's notepad, she knew what to do with them. As soon as they would come in contact with Mana containing any intent, they will activate and try to convert or dissolve it. Orisa swiftly constructed the non-verbal Fog of War and shot it in all directions. The Fog was made of numerous independent particles, so it could easily intercept the counter-spells.
Right when the Fog began to spread, Orisa also created two Flip spells to throw both melee attackers away. The moment her platform touched the person to her left, the camouflage wore off, revealing a short girl in a light grey leather set and a strange mechanism with grappling hooks around her waist and thighs. She was sent into the air by the Flip but did a spin and landed on a nearby roof. As for the cocky brat to her right, he wasn't as agile and ended up plastered over the wall of another building.
"Shoot!" shouted Gajef.
"-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"
Two shields were conjured in front of Orisa to block attacks and spells, and the last one she placed in front of the door of the inn, sealing Kanai inside. She couldn't risk starting a fight right here, so her next move was to launch herself into the air and away from the inn.
Amidst her flight, several rifle shots exploded with magical shrapnel, damaging her Launch sphere. A moment later, a barrage of dispels and counter-magic hit her, dispelling everything except Fury. Orisa didn't waste a single moment and activated the Force Armor, hoping to block some damage and avoid more dispels. Next, she aimed at the two mages hiding behind the repair workshop. For a split second, Orisa debated the usage of Blast Shells but decided to go with the less-lethal Chilling type. Three projectiles shot in their direction and exploded, creating a freezing cloud.
When Orisa was about to land, she sensed a surge of Mana below her. Two trap spells appeared beneath her, and the only thing she could do on time was to throw a Force Block into the ground. It exploded, triggering the traps and sending a blast wave in all directions. A fraction of the blast hit Orisa and did enough damage for her to realize that Inquisitors were serious. She dropped on the ground and activated the Regeneration Seal on her glove.
Immediately after her landing, two Fireballs shot towards her in an arc, threatening Orisa from above. She conjured three Safe barriers facing upward to meet the projectiles only to hear two rifle shots a moment later. The Fireballs were a distraction from the beginning and only served to pull her attention from the shooters. The first projectile was of explosion type and threw her to the ground. That helped her avoid the second shot entirely.
Orisa fell on her back and created a Five-Seal barrier before getting up. She sensed two Mana sources approaching her and launched herself away once more. While in mid-air, she released another Fog of War to get at least some level of cover from the shooters and threw two Block Waves towards the car. They exploded midway, intercepted by focused fire. Several spells and shots flew past her Launch sphere. She safely landed on the ground and conjured more Barriers above and in front of herself.
'Why the hell am I fighting the bunch in the first place? I should just run,' she thought for a moment but was quickly pulled back to reality.
A meter away from her, two grappling hooks with wires attached struck the ground. Orisa didn't sense them because they were completely Mana-free. However, she sensed a Mana source rapidly approach her. Another barrage of offensive magic forced her to conjure more Barriers. Less than two seconds later, the stealthy girl landed right by Orisa's side, pulled by the wires from the mechanism on her waist. Using the inertia from the pull, she swung two short swords, aiming at Orisa's legs.
Orisa remade a compressed shield that she had used during the panther fight, and it was able to block both blades. The hooks kept the girl in place even with the strong recoil from the barriers. Instead of another swing, she made a twin stab towards Orisa's stomach. Robbed of any time to think of a good solution, Orisa launched two Palm Push Strikes at the girl's hands. A piercing shriek rolled through the area as the foe dropped on the ground, her palms melted together with the blades' handles.
Grimacing from the horror she inflicted, Orisa threw a quick Blood Blockade spell at the girl and turned to refresh the barriers. One of the two Mana sources leaped into the air, but its trajectory wasn't threatening to Orisa, so she switched to the second target. It was the annoying brat with a two-handed sword that managed to get into striking distance. His blade glowed red and rushed at Orisa. She conjured a pair of reinforced blocks that saved her from the swing and was about to strike back when a volley of counter-magic dissipated her defensive shields. More dispels followed after, immediately removing any defense she could conjure.
"-Jack Field!-"
An anti-projectile field covered Orisa from the ranged attacks for a moment. It was constantly supported by her Mana flow, automatically regaining its form after each dispel. Another Mana source that had previously leaped into the air landed several meters away from Orisa. It was Gajef. He muttered something and smashed his shield into the ground. A semi-transparent wall appeared in the air and blocked Orisa her escape route. She would need to go through the raid to flee in a different direction.
She didn't have time to curse, however, as the boy's blade glowed purple and charged at her. A compressed shield appeared at the last moment. The sword struck it and released a shockwave that hit Orisa and pushed her. She tripped over a now unconscious girl and fell, throwing the Fog of War and covering herself with the barrier.
The Fog played a great role in her survival by making precision shots useless. Instead, the mages and shooters switched to area attacks, and those were less damaging. They still hit her hard, but at least she was alive. Several shots exploded nearby with electricity, trying to stun her.
"Raj, take Mika away!" ordered Gajef, and charged at Orisa.
The moment they were left alone after Raj obediently took the injured girl away, Gajef stomped the ground, sending a shockwave at Orisa. Her body trembled, and she fell on the ground again. The warrior shouted and stomped again:
"-Anchor!-"
Orisa felt another wave of Mana move through the ground towards her, but she didn't know any way of dealing with such spells. She tried to roll to the side, but the wave still hit her. It clung to her like an animal, forming shackles around her legs, waist, and wrists. A moment later, the spell solidified, and Orisa became trapped, unable to move.
"-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"
Covering herself with the shield, Orisa closed her eyes and focused only on the Mana sense. Gajef was moving closer to her, and several spells were flying in her general directions. When the warrior was just a few meters away, Orisa conjured three Shock Volleys. The darts struck him, sending shock and chaotic Mana through his body. Gajef dropped on one knee, groaning.
"You aren't going anywhere after what you did to Mika!" he muttered through his teeth.
"You left me no choice!" Orisa yelled, trying to find a way out. Thanks to her Mana control, she could activate Mana blades anywhere on her wrist protectors, so she cut through the shackles on her hands and freed them. While cutting through the rest of the shackles, Orisa eyed the stunned man and spat aggressively: "I could have killed her, but instead, I even treated the bleeding! If I were that crazy murderer they are painting me to be, you all would have been dead already."
"Coming through!" yelled Raj and dropped down on a distracted Orisa. She rolled to the side the last moment, so the two-handed sword only struck the ground. The boy didn't waste time pulling his weapon free and gave her an empowered kick instead. Out of breath and blinded by pain, Orisa flew ten meters and fell on the ground. She ended up outside the Fog, and two shots immediately rang. Both attacks hit her right leg.
"Fuuuargh!" Orisa cried out, raising the barrier by reflex. Several spells struck it a moment later.
Cursing inwardly, Orisa stopped the bleeding. She sensed Mana gathering beneath her feet - there was a spell forming there. Acting without a second thought, she removed the barrier and used the Launch just in time to avoid an explosion. The leap, however, disturbed her injured leg even more, and its spontaneous trajectory led Orisa directly into the nearby wall. Blinded by pain, she blacked out for a moment. A burning sensation from the ring on her neck woke her up.
When Orisa opened her eyes again, Raj was already close. A moment later, his empowered kick rammed into a barrier she hastily conjured.
"-Safe!-"
"-Flip!-"
The barrier blocked two Ice Lances shot by the mages. Orisa tried to flip Raj, but he either anticipated or reacted on time by smashing the flipping platform with his glowing fist. A volley of dispels removed all her shields and even Force Armor, so Orisa launched herself into the air again, refreshing the body protection. She landed not far from Gajef, who immediately closed the distance and pointed at her with his sword:
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"-Leash!-"
Orisa saw a faint Mana thread moving towards her and conjured Force Block. The thread, however, bent around it and struck her. She immediately felt foreign Mana inside her body agitating her flow. Something strong began to pull her towards Gajef.
"-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-"
"No use now, heh," muttered immobilized warrior after dropping on both knees. Orisa sensed another barrage of spells and covered bother herself and Gajef with a shield.
"They might hit you, too! What's wrong with them?!" she shouted angrily.
"They are doing their job and nothing more."
Orisa activated Mana blades and tried to cut the thread that kept pulling her closer to the warrior, but it didn't help either. A moment later, Raj appeared to her left and swung his sword. Orisa conjured a compressed barrier, but Raj let go of the sword midway and kicked her in the stomach with his glowing fist instead. She rolled on the ground but was immediately yanked back by the Leash.
It hurt so much even after going through her Force Armor. Orisa dropped on the ground, moaning from pain. She tried to conjure a shield, but a fist rammed into her head. And another one. Her vision turned dark.
"Raj, wait for a-."
"STOP IMMEDIATELY!" a vaguely familiar voice rang through the surroundings.
---
---
Forty days earlier.
"Okay, pumpkins, I don't know what you plan to do with the information I accidentally overheard from a very reliable source. Tomorrow starts your two-week annual leave, so I don't care where you are going. Be sure to get back on time, ciao!"
With that, Dippo departed. The note he had left earlier on the table was passed down through the rest of the team.
"Good, now we can make our move," Iten said, going through the note once more.
"Isn't it too early? Only two weeks has passed since her trial, right?" Onuki tried to reason with him in a worried tone.
"I promised her to do whatever I can. Whatever WE can," Iten emphasized the most important part and gave the team one of his looks.
Onuki frowned and turned away. Marina nodded with a serious expression, while Shou shrugged indifferently. Nene and Nana kept playing cards that they came to like after their game with Orisa. They would gladly go with anything suggested by Iten and involving Orisa's business anyway. After carefully folding the note and tucking it into his pocket, Iten said in a firm voice:
"Tomorrow, we begin the operation."
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"Don't move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."
Adrenaline hit Orisa when she realized the situation. Her heartbeat was deafening, and sweat began to drip from her forehead. She took a quick look at the crowd in front of her.
A pair of shooters equipped with rifles stood behind the vehicle parked at the center of a small village square. To their left and right were hiding two casters with wands. Assuming their weapons, Orisa guessed that they were of a support class, either healers or buffers. Another duet of casters hid behind the corner of the repair workshop. From their battle staves, she thought that they were damage dealers of some sort. There were around twenty meters between Orisa and the car in front of her, and combat mages were a bit farther away. However, midway towards the transport stood a mountain of a man, a bulky fellow clad in gray metal plate armor with a sword and a tower shield. The last person of the raid was to her right. To get a better look at him without any suspicion, Orisa decided to start a discussion after calming herself a bit with a deep breath:
"Don't you think it's a contradiction? I mean, don't move a single finger but try to resist."
"Listen up, lady," the burly shield-wielder addressed her after a short chuckle, his voice sounding fatherly and friendly, "we don't want it to get ugly-."
"I do!" interjected the fellow to her right. The cocky voice belonged to a boy around twenty-five. He smirked, glaring at Orisa with a provoking gaze. His equipment consisted of light chainmail and leather pants, leaving his head with a short yellow hair unprotected. A two-handed sword he was gripping was lowered to the ground level, ready for a swing. "I fucking do!"
"-so, please, don't make ours and yours share any worse than it is supposed to be. Just come with us nice and quiet, please."
"You, good sir, are asking me to march obediently to my execution? And on top of that, for the things I didn't even commit?" Orisa asked, trying to calm temper.
"It's not for me to decide, lass. My job is to bring you back, that's it. I'm only doing what I am supposed to do."
"Awesome stance, but I don't like it. Shaking off all responsibilities on your superiors is a coward's way, an easy way," her blood was almost boiling.
"Gajef, can I kick her already!?" the same boy asked impatiently.
"We are negotiating," the warrior, Gajef, said in a tired voice.
"By the way, who might you be, gentlemen? It's rude to talk without introducing yourself first." Orisa decided to ask, still thinking of a solution. Her main concern was to leave Mirai out of this, but there lay two problems in front of her. First, she didn't know whether her friend was reported alongside her or not. Second, if they were to start fighting here and now, Mirai would rush outside and try to help.
"Fancy of you to ask, babe!" the boy let out a mad laugh and even licked his lips in anticipation. "Our folk is called Inquisitors, but I doubt you've ever heard of us. Don't worry, love! We aren't that tough, so let's get violent."
The mention of a top force of the Police sent chills down her spine, cooling down her boiling blood. She gulped nervously and didn't even notice how the ring on her neck began to burn her skin, so hot it was.
While thinking about the mess she ended up in, Orisa felt another source of Mana to her left and moving along the wall of the inn. She couldn't hear any sounds from that direction, and her peripheral vision provided no clues either. Despite that, the Mana source was slowly getting closer, and she came to trust her Seals more than her senses.
"Don't you think, mister Gajef, that it's insulting to try and ambush a lonely girl with nine people first thing in the morning?"
"But there are only eight of us here, lass," he tried to argue, but Orisa spotted a change in his expression and tone even from a distance.
Orisa didn't need to hold the core in her hand. She swiftly stretched her Mana layer and connected it to the unevolved crystal, sensing its power. The invisible foe was too close to comfort, so Orisa let out a short sigh to psyche herself up, and began:
"-Fury!-"
The calming cold wave ran through her veins, and everything around Orisa became slower. She could see the boy's eyes lit up with mad joy as he began to swing his sword. The source of Mana to her left also shifted and jumped at her. Two shooters aimed at her but didn't shoot, waiting for a better moment. At the same time, all four mages shouted in unison:
"-Major Break!-"
"-Major Takeover!-"
A barrage of counter-magic spells shot towards Orisa, but from Youko Satou's notepad, she knew what to do with them. As soon as they would come in contact with Mana containing any intent, they will activate and try to convert or dissolve it. Orisa swiftly constructed the non-verbal Fog of War and shot it in all directions. The Fog was made of numerous independent particles, so it could easily intercept the counter-spells.
Right when the Fog began to spread, Orisa also created two Flip spells to throw both melee attackers away. The moment her platform touched the person to her left, the camouflage wore off, revealing a short girl in a light grey leather set and a strange mechanism with grappling hooks around her waist and thighs. She was sent into the air by the Flip but did a spin and landed on a nearby roof. As for the cocky brat to her right, he wasn't as agile and ended up plastered over the wall of another building.
"Shoot!" shouted Gajef.
"-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"
Two shields were conjured in front of Orisa to block attacks and spells, and the last one she placed in front of the door of the inn, sealing Kanai inside. She couldn't risk starting a fight right here, so her next move was to launch herself into the air and away from the inn.
Amidst her flight, several rifle shots exploded with magical shrapnel, damaging her Launch sphere. A moment later, a barrage of dispels and counter-magic hit her, dispelling everything except Fury. Orisa didn't waste a single moment and activated the Force Armor, hoping to block some damage and avoid more dispels. Next, she aimed at the two mages hiding behind the repair workshop. For a split second, Orisa debated the usage of Blast Shells but decided to go with the less-lethal Chilling type. Three projectiles shot in their direction and exploded, creating a freezing cloud.
When Orisa was about to land, she sensed a surge of Mana below her. Two trap spells appeared beneath her, and the only thing she could do on time was to throw a Force Block into the ground. It exploded, triggering the traps and sending a blast wave in all directions. A fraction of the blast hit Orisa and did enough damage for her to realize that Inquisitors were serious. She dropped on the ground and activated the Regeneration Seal on her glove.
Immediately after her landing, two Fireballs shot towards her in an arc, threatening Orisa from above. She conjured three Safe barriers facing upward to meet the projectiles only to hear two rifle shots a moment later. The Fireballs were a distraction from the beginning and only served to pull her attention from the shooters. The first projectile was of explosion type and threw her to the ground. That helped her avoid the second shot entirely.
Orisa fell on her back and created a Five-Seal barrier before getting up. She sensed two Mana sources approaching her and launched herself away once more. While in mid-air, she released another Fog of War to get at least some level of cover from the shooters and threw two Block Waves towards the car. They exploded midway, intercepted by focused fire. Several spells and shots flew past her Launch sphere. She safely landed on the ground and conjured more Barriers above and in front of herself.
'Why the hell am I fighting the bunch in the first place? I should just run,' she thought for a moment but was quickly pulled back to reality.
A meter away from her, two grappling hooks with wires attached struck the ground. Orisa didn't sense them because they were completely Mana-free. However, she sensed a Mana source rapidly approach her. Another barrage of offensive magic forced her to conjure more Barriers. Less than two seconds later, the stealthy girl landed right by Orisa's side, pulled by the wires from the mechanism on her waist. Using the inertia from the pull, she swung two short swords, aiming at Orisa's legs.
Orisa remade a compressed shield that she had used during the panther fight, and it was able to block both blades. The hooks kept the girl in place even with the strong recoil from the barriers. Instead of another swing, she made a twin stab towards Orisa's stomach. Robbed of any time to think of a good solution, Orisa launched two Palm Push Strikes at the girl's hands. A piercing shriek rolled through the area as the foe dropped on the ground, her palms melted together with the blades' handles.
Grimacing from the horror she inflicted, Orisa threw a quick Blood Blockade spell at the girl and turned to refresh the barriers. One of the two Mana sources leaped into the air, but its trajectory wasn't threatening to Orisa, so she switched to the second target. It was the annoying brat with a two-handed sword that managed to get into striking distance. His blade glowed red and rushed at Orisa. She conjured a pair of reinforced blocks that saved her from the swing and was about to strike back when a volley of counter-magic dissipated her defensive shields. More dispels followed after, immediately removing any defense she could conjure.
"-Jack Field!-"
An anti-projectile field covered Orisa from the ranged attacks for a moment. It was constantly supported by her Mana flow, automatically regaining its form after each dispel. Another Mana source that had previously leaped into the air landed several meters away from Orisa. It was Gajef. He muttered something and smashed his shield into the ground. A semi-transparent wall appeared in the air and blocked Orisa her escape route. She would need to go through the raid to flee in a different direction.
She didn't have time to curse, however, as the boy's blade glowed purple and charged at her. A compressed shield appeared at the last moment. The sword struck it and released a shockwave that hit Orisa and pushed her. She tripped over a now unconscious girl and fell, throwing the Fog of War and covering herself with the barrier.
The Fog played a great role in her survival by making precision shots useless. Instead, the mages and shooters switched to area attacks, and those were less damaging. They still hit her hard, but at least she was alive. Several shots exploded nearby with electricity, trying to stun her.
"Raj, take Mika away!" ordered Gajef, and charged at Orisa.
The moment they were left alone after Raj obediently took the injured girl away, Gajef stomped the ground, sending a shockwave at Orisa. Her body trembled, and she fell on the ground again. The warrior shouted and stomped again:
"-Anchor!-"
Orisa felt another wave of Mana move through the ground towards her, but she didn't know any way of dealing with such spells. She tried to roll to the side, but the wave still hit her. It clung to her like an animal, forming shackles around her legs, waist, and wrists. A moment later, the spell solidified, and Orisa became trapped, unable to move.
"-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"
Covering herself with the shield, Orisa closed her eyes and focused only on the Mana sense. Gajef was moving closer to her, and several spells were flying in her general directions. When the warrior was just a few meters away, Orisa conjured three Shock Volleys. The darts struck him, sending shock and chaotic Mana through his body. Gajef dropped on one knee, groaning.
"You aren't going anywhere after what you did to Mika!" he muttered through his teeth.
"You left me no choice!" Orisa yelled, trying to find a way out. Thanks to her Mana control, she could activate Mana blades anywhere on her wrist protectors, so she cut through the shackles on her hands and freed them. While cutting through the rest of the shackles, Orisa eyed the stunned man and spat aggressively: "I could have killed her, but instead, I even treated the bleeding! If I were that crazy murderer they are painting me to be, you all would have been dead already."
"Coming through!" yelled Raj and dropped down on a distracted Orisa. She rolled to the side the last moment, so the two-handed sword only struck the ground. The boy didn't waste time pulling his weapon free and gave her an empowered kick instead. Out of breath and blinded by pain, Orisa flew ten meters and fell on the ground. She ended up outside the Fog, and two shots immediately rang. Both attacks hit her right leg.
"Fuuuargh!" Orisa cried out, raising the barrier by reflex. Several spells struck it a moment later.
Cursing inwardly, Orisa stopped the bleeding. She sensed Mana gathering beneath her feet - there was a spell forming there. Acting without a second thought, she removed the barrier and used the Launch just in time to avoid an explosion. The leap, however, disturbed her injured leg even more, and its spontaneous trajectory led Orisa directly into the nearby wall. Blinded by pain, she blacked out for a moment. A burning sensation from the ring on her neck woke her up.
When Orisa opened her eyes again, Raj was already close. A moment later, his empowered kick rammed into a barrier she hastily conjured.
"-Safe!-"
"-Flip!-"
The barrier blocked two Ice Lances shot by the mages. Orisa tried to flip Raj, but he either anticipated or reacted on time by smashing the flipping platform with his glowing fist. A volley of dispels removed all her shields and even Force Armor, so Orisa launched herself into the air again, refreshing the body protection. She landed not far from Gajef, who immediately closed the distance and pointed at her with his sword:
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"-Leash!-"
Orisa saw a faint Mana thread moving towards her and conjured Force Block. The thread, however, bent around it and struck her. She immediately felt foreign Mana inside her body agitating her flow. Something strong began to pull her towards Gajef.
"-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-"
"No use now, heh," muttered immobilized warrior after dropping on both knees. Orisa sensed another barrage of spells and covered bother herself and Gajef with a shield.
"They might hit you, too! What's wrong with them?!" she shouted angrily.
"They are doing their job and nothing more."
Orisa activated Mana blades and tried to cut the thread that kept pulling her closer to the warrior, but it didn't help either. A moment later, Raj appeared to her left and swung his sword. Orisa conjured a compressed barrier, but Raj let go of the sword midway and kicked her in the stomach with his glowing fist instead. She rolled on the ground but was immediately yanked back by the Leash.
It hurt so much even after going through her Force Armor. Orisa dropped on the ground, moaning from pain. She tried to conjure a shield, but a fist rammed into her head. And another one. Her vision turned dark.
"Raj, wait for a-."
"STOP IMMEDIATELY!" a vaguely familiar voice rang through the surroundings.
---
---
Forty days earlier.
"Okay, pumpkins, I don't know what you plan to do with the information I accidentally overheard from a very reliable source. Tomorrow starts your two-week annual leave, so I don't care where you are going. Be sure to get back on time, ciao!"
With that, Dippo departed. The note he had left earlier on the table was passed down through the rest of the team.
"Good, now we can make our move," Iten said, going through the note once more.
"Isn't it too early? Only two weeks has passed since her trial, right?" Onuki tried to reason with him in a worried tone.
"I promised her to do whatever I can. Whatever WE can," Iten emphasized the most important part and gave the team one of his looks.
Onuki frowned and turned away. Marina nodded with a serious expression, while Shou shrugged indifferently. Nene and Nana kept playing cards that they came to like after their game with Orisa. They would gladly go with anything suggested by Iten and involving Orisa's business anyway. After carefully folding the note and tucking it into his pocket, Iten said in a firm voice:
"Tomorrow, we begin the operation."
"Don't move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."Adrenaline hit Orisa when she realized the situation. Her heartbeat was deafening, and sweat began to drip from her forehead. She took a quick look at the crowd in front of her.A pair of shooters equipped with rifles stood behind the vehicle parked at the center of a small village square. To their left and right were hiding two casters with wands. Assuming their weapons, Orisa guessed that they were of a support class, either healers or buffers. Another duet of casters hid behind the corner of the repair workshop. From their battle staves, she thought that they were damage dealers of some sort. There were around twenty meters between Orisa and the car in front of her, and combat mages were a bit farther away. However, midway towards the transport stood a mountain of a man, a bulky fellow clad in gray metal plate armor with a sword and a tower shield. The last person of the raid was to her right. To get a better look at him without any suspicion, Orisa decided to start a discussion after calming herself a bit with a deep breath:"Don't you think it's a contradiction? I mean, don't move a single finger but try to resist.""Listen up, lady," the burly shield-wielder addressed her after a short chuckle, his voice sounding fatherly and friendly, "we don't want it to get ugly-.""I do!" interjected the fellow to her right. The cocky voice belonged to a boy around twenty-five. He smirked, glaring at Orisa with a provoking gaze. His equipment consisted of light chainmail and leather pants, leaving his head with a short yellow hair unprotected. A two-handed sword he was gripping was lowered to the ground level, ready for a swing. "I fucking do!""-so, please, don't make ours and yours share any worse than it is supposed to be. Just come with us nice and quiet, please.""You, good sir, are asking me to march obediently to my execution? And on top of that, for the things I didn't even commit?" Orisa asked, trying to calm temper."It's not for me to decide, lass. My job is to bring you back, that's it. I'm only doing what I am supposed to do.""Awesome stance, but I don't like it. Shaking off all responsibilities on your superiors is a coward's way, an easy way," her blood was almost boiling."Gajef, can I kick her already!?" the same boy asked impatiently."We are negotiating," the warrior, Gajef, said in a tired voice."By the way, who might you be, gentlemen? It's rude to talk without introducing yourself first." Orisa decided to ask, still thinking of a solution. Her main concern was to leave Mirai out of this, but there lay two problems in front of her. First, she didn't know whether her friend was reported alongside her or not. Second, if they were to start fighting here and now, Mirai would rush outside and try to help."Fancy of you to ask, babe!" the boy let out a mad laugh and even licked his lips in anticipation. "Our folk is called Inquisitors, but I doubt you've ever heard of us. Don't worry, love! We aren't that tough, so let's get violent."The mention of a top force of the Police sent chills down her spine, cooling down her boiling blood. She gulped nervously and didn't even notice how the ring on her neck began to burn her skin, so hot it was.While thinking about the mess she ended up in, Orisa felt another source of Mana to her left and moving along the wall of the inn. She couldn't hear any sounds from that direction, and her peripheral vision provided no clues either. Despite that, the Mana source was slowly getting closer, and she came to trust her Seals more than her senses."Don't you think, mister Gajef, that it's insulting to try and ambush a lonely girl with nine people first thing in the morning?""But there are only eight of us here, lass," he tried to argue, but Orisa spotted a change in his expression and tone even from a distance.Orisa didn't need to hold the core in her hand. She swiftly stretched her Mana layer and connected it to the unevolved crystal, sensing its power. The invisible foe was too close to comfort, so Orisa let out a short sigh to psyche herself up, and began:"-Fury!-"The calming cold wave ran through her veins, and everything around Orisa became slower. She could see the boy's eyes lit up with mad joy as he began to swing his sword. The source of Mana to her left also shifted and jumped at her. Two shooters aimed at her but didn't shoot, waiting for a better moment. At the same time, all four mages shouted in unison:"-Major Break!-""-Major Takeover!-"A barrage of counter-magic spells shot towards Orisa, but from Youko Satou's notepad, she knew what to do with them. As soon as they would come in contact with Mana containing any intent, they will activate and try to convert or dissolve it. Orisa swiftly constructed the non-verbal Fog of War and shot it in all directions. The Fog was made of numerous independent particles, so it could easily intercept the counter-spells.Right when the Fog began to spread, Orisa also created two Flip spells to throw both melee attackers away. The moment her platform touched the person to her left, the camouflage wore off, revealing a short girl in a light grey leather set and a strange mechanism with grappling hooks around her waist and thighs. She was sent into the air by the Flip but did a spin and landed on a nearby roof. As for the cocky brat to her right, he wasn't as agile and ended up plastered over the wall of another building."Shoot!" shouted Gajef."-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"Two shields were conjured in front of Orisa to block attacks and spells, and the last one she placed in front of the door of the inn, sealing Kanai inside. She couldn't risk starting a fight right here, so her next move was to launch herself into the air and away from the inn.Amidst her flight, several rifle shots exploded with magical shrapnel, damaging her Launch sphere. A moment later, a barrage of dispels and counter-magic hit her, dispelling everything except Fury. Orisa didn't waste a single moment and activated the Force Armor, hoping to block some damage and avoid more dispels. Next, she aimed at the two mages hiding behind the repair workshop. For a split second, Orisa debated the usage of Blast Shells but decided to go with the less-lethal Chilling type. Three projectiles shot in their direction and exploded, creating a freezing cloud.When Orisa was about to land, she sensed a surge of Mana below her. Two trap spells appeared beneath her, and the only thing she could do on time was to throw a Force Block into the ground. It exploded, triggering the traps and sending a blast wave in all directions. A fraction of the blast hit Orisa and did enough damage for her to realize that Inquisitors were serious. She dropped on the ground and activated the Regeneration Seal on her glove.Immediately after her landing, two Fireballs shot towards her in an arc, threatening Orisa from above. She conjured three Safe barriers facing upward to meet the projectiles only to hear two rifle shots a moment later. The Fireballs were a distraction from the beginning and only served to pull her attention from the shooters. The first projectile was of explosion type and threw her to the ground. That helped her avoid the second shot entirely.Orisa fell on her back and created a Five-Seal barrier before getting up. She sensed two Mana sources approaching her and launched herself away once more. While in mid-air, she released another Fog of War to get at least some level of cover from the shooters and threw two Block Waves towards the car. They exploded midway, intercepted by focused fire. Several spells and shots flew past her Launch sphere. She safely landed on the ground and conjured more Barriers above and in front of herself.'Why the hell am I fighting the bunch in the first place? I should just run,' she thought for a moment but was quickly pulled back to reality.A meter away from her, two grappling hooks with wires attached struck the ground. Orisa didn't sense them because they were completely Mana-free. However, she sensed a Mana source rapidly approach her. Another barrage of offensive magic forced her to conjure more Barriers. Less than two seconds later, the stealthy girl landed right by Orisa's side, pulled by the wires from the mechanism on her waist. Using the inertia from the pull, she swung two short swords, aiming at Orisa's legs.Orisa remade a compressed shield that she had used during the panther fight, and it was able to block both blades. The hooks kept the girl in place even with the strong recoil from the barriers. Instead of another swing, she made a twin stab towards Orisa's stomach. Robbed of any time to think of a good solution, Orisa launched two Palm Push Strikes at the girl's hands. A piercing shriek rolled through the area as the foe dropped on the ground, her palms melted together with the blades' handles.Grimacing from the horror she inflicted, Orisa threw a quick Blood Blockade spell at the girl and turned to refresh the barriers. One of the two Mana sources leaped into the air, but its trajectory wasn't threatening to Orisa, so she switched to the second target. It was the annoying brat with a two-handed sword that managed to get into striking distance. His blade glowed red and rushed at Orisa. She conjured a pair of reinforced blocks that saved her from the swing and was about to strike back when a volley of counter-magic dissipated her defensive shields. More dispels followed after, immediately removing any defense she could conjure."-Jack Field!-"An anti-projectile field covered Orisa from the ranged attacks for a moment. It was constantly supported by her Mana flow, automatically regaining its form after each dispel. Another Mana source that had previously leaped into the air landed several meters away from Orisa. It was Gajef. He muttered something and smashed his shield into the ground. A semi-transparent wall appeared in the air and blocked Orisa her escape route. She would need to go through the raid to flee in a different direction.She didn't have time to curse, however, as the boy's blade glowed purple and charged at her. A compressed shield appeared at the last moment. The sword struck it and released a shockwave that hit Orisa and pushed her. She tripped over a now unconscious girl and fell, throwing the Fog of War and covering herself with the barrier.The Fog played a great role in her survival by making precision shots useless. Instead, the mages and shooters switched to area attacks, and those were less damaging. They still hit her hard, but at least she was alive. Several shots exploded nearby with electricity, trying to stun her."Raj, take Mika away!" ordered Gajef, and charged at Orisa.The moment they were left alone after Raj obediently took the injured girl away, Gajef stomped the ground, sending a shockwave at Orisa. Her body trembled, and she fell on the ground again. The warrior shouted and stomped again:"-Anchor!-"Orisa felt another wave of Mana move through the ground towards her, but she didn't know any way of dealing with such spells. She tried to roll to the side, but the wave still hit her. It clung to her like an animal, forming shackles around her legs, waist, and wrists. A moment later, the spell solidified, and Orisa became trapped, unable to move."-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"Covering herself with the shield, Orisa closed her eyes and focused only on the Mana sense. Gajef was moving closer to her, and several spells were flying in her general directions. When the warrior was just a few meters away, Orisa conjured three Shock Volleys. The darts struck him, sending shock and chaotic Mana through his body. Gajef dropped on one knee, groaning."You aren't going anywhere after what you did to Mika!" he muttered through his teeth."You left me no choice!" Orisa yelled, trying to find a way out. Thanks to her Mana control, she could activate Mana blades anywhere on her wrist protectors, so she cut through the shackles on her hands and freed them. While cutting through the rest of the shackles, Orisa eyed the stunned man and spat aggressively: "I could have killed her, but instead, I even treated the bleeding! If I were that crazy murderer they are painting me to be, you all would have been dead already.""Coming through!" yelled Raj and dropped down on a distracted Orisa. She rolled to the side the last moment, so the two-handed sword only struck the ground. The boy didn't waste time pulling his weapon free and gave her an empowered kick instead. Out of breath and blinded by pain, Orisa flew ten meters and fell on the ground. She ended up outside the Fog, and two shots immediately rang. Both attacks hit her right leg."Fuuuargh!" Orisa cried out, raising the barrier by reflex. Several spells struck it a moment later.Cursing inwardly, Orisa stopped the bleeding. She sensed Mana gathering beneath her feet - there was a spell forming there. Acting without a second thought, she removed the barrier and used the Launch just in time to avoid an explosion. The leap, however, disturbed her injured leg even more, and its spontaneous trajectory led Orisa directly into the nearby wall. Blinded by pain, she blacked out for a moment. A burning sensation from the ring on her neck woke her up.When Orisa opened her eyes again, Raj was already close. A moment later, his empowered kick rammed into a barrier she hastily conjured."-Safe!-""-Flip!-"The barrier blocked two Ice Lances shot by the mages. Orisa tried to flip Raj, but he either anticipated or reacted on time by smashing the flipping platform with his glowing fist. A volley of dispels removed all her shields and even Force Armor, so Orisa launched herself into the air again, refreshing the body protection. She landed not far from Gajef, who immediately closed the distance and pointed at her with his sword: Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "-Leash!-"Orisa saw a faint Mana thread moving towards her and conjured Force Block. The thread, however, bent around it and struck her. She immediately felt foreign Mana inside her body agitating her flow. Something strong began to pull her towards Gajef."-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-""No use now, heh," muttered immobilized warrior after dropping on both knees. Orisa sensed another barrage of spells and covered bother herself and Gajef with a shield."They might hit you, too! What's wrong with them?!" she shouted angrily."They are doing their job and nothing more."Orisa activated Mana blades and tried to cut the thread that kept pulling her closer to the warrior, but it didn't help either. A moment later, Raj appeared to her left and swung his sword. Orisa conjured a compressed barrier, but Raj let go of the sword midway and kicked her in the stomach with his glowing fist instead. She rolled on the ground but was immediately yanked back by the Leash.It hurt so much even after going through her Force Armor. Orisa dropped on the ground, moaning from pain. She tried to conjure a shield, but a fist rammed into her head. And another one. Her vision turned dark."Raj, wait for a-.""STOP IMMEDIATELY!" a vaguely familiar voice rang through the surroundings.------Forty days earlier."Okay, pumpkins, I don't know what you plan to do with the information I accidentally overheard from a very reliable source. Tomorrow starts your two-week annual leave, so I don't care where you are going. Be sure to get back on time, ciao!"With that, Dippo departed. The note he had left earlier on the table was passed down through the rest of the team."Good, now we can make our move," Iten said, going through the note once more."Isn't it too early? Only two weeks has passed since her trial, right?" Onuki tried to reason with him in a worried tone."I promised her to do whatever I can. Whatever WE can," Iten emphasized the most important part and gave the team one of his looks.Onuki frowned and turned away. Marina nodded with a serious expression, while Shou shrugged indifferently. Nene and Nana kept playing cards that they came to like after their game with Orisa. They would gladly go with anything suggested by Iten and involving Orisa's business anyway. After carefully folding the note and tucking it into his pocket, Iten said in a firm voice:"Tomorrow, we begin the operation."
