Juan’s laughter echoed through the air, rich and full.
“Stay right there and observe. Once I’ve rid ourselves of all these fools, I’ll attend to you,” he declared with a chilling confidence.
A resounding thud punctuated his words.
His fist clenched nonchalantly, and he swung his arms in eager anticipation. The man standing beside him blanched, his face draining of color like a sheet of paper.
Before the man could muster a response, Juan swiveled his head with swift precision. With a deft motion of his two fingers, he intercepted a knife hurtling from behind, promptly thrusting it deep into the man’s chest.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air.
“Gargle…!”
“Dail!”
While Dail convulsed and frothed, Jaun managed to insert a gem into his mouth, taking advantage of the falling man’s state. A forceful kick to the chest followed suit.
With an unsteady retreat, Dail’s form suddenly erupted into a burst of brilliance, the surroundings swallowed by a dazzling flare.
Crash! Thud! Boom!
Amidst the mystical radiance that momentarily stunned all perception, the tumultuous echoes of Jaun’s havoc resounded.
The freelancers, their wits slowly returning, hastened to compose themselves. Yet, Jaun, evidently attuned to the duration of his enchantment, dispatched five more before deftly pivoting.
“Hehehe! Is this the extent of your prowess, you minuscule pests?! Let’s indulge in further amusement!”
Swiftly hurtling down the elongated corridor, he cast two gems onto the ground. These gems swiftly ascended, coalescing into a colossal pillar, which then morphed into an arch-like doorway.
A faint squeak signaled the emergence of a formidable entity from within.
A gargantuan wolf, its fur an immaculate white, eyes aflame in vivid crimson, displayed its bared fangs in a grim grin.
“He can even summon…?” The words murmured in incredulity captured the sentiment aptly. Employing an extraordinary incantation, he had wielded three spells already: area slicing, paralysis, and summoning, each exuding astonishing diversity.
“Damn…… we’re caught right in front of our noses.”
Chen’s observation is right on mark.
Jaun, in spite of his potent magical abilities and adept martial skills, displayed a preference for hit-and-run tactics rather than direct confrontations, his strategy evident.
Evidently, he aimed to keep Lennok’s group engaged, obstructing their descent while waiting for the malevolent energy emanating from below to intensify.
How long would it take to incapacitate Jaun Odyss and clear the path? And at what cost would such an assault come?
Lennok swiftly calculated, shaking his head.
“We need to divide our strengths.”
“Agreed,” Chen concurred promptly.
It was the same scenario as when Lennok met Mad Manson in the subterranean waterway, who was probably busy demolishing Falcon’s other temporary bases by now.
Within this intricate underground labyrinth, Lennok found it challenging to employ his long-range, high-impact magic.
The issue lay in the impossibility of competing with Jaun without such formidable measures.
Even after a brief exchange, the observation was clear.
The terrorist who proclaimed wealth’s supremacy was, at minimum, a potent wizard surpassing level 5.
Factoring in his exceptional martial prowess and his mastery of rare gem magic, his combat capability could easily be ranked at level 6 or beyond.
Measured against the forces present in this locale, descending even at the cost of a sacrifice seemed unavoidable.
Facing Jaun within the confining corridor or eliminating lurking Craig below, the greater risk was evident.
Chen’s grin surfaced as he remarked, “You go down first.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’ll summon the agent stationed outside, and we’ll endure until their arrival. Somehow, we can orchestrate a coordinated strike.”
With those words, he began to rhythmically stroke the pair of blades in his grip.
SPARK!
The blades’ friction generated sparks that grew increasingly intense until they adhered to Chen’s weapon like a blazing torch, erupting into fierce flames.
Gripping the fiery, curved blade, Chen glanced back at Lennok, his grin widening.
“Last time, you drew the short straw. This time, let’s call it my turn.”
Even Lennok couldn’t resist a chuckle at Chen’s unexpectedly cheeky remark.
His knack for pleasing people was profound, and the proposition of alternating misfortune was surprisingly appealing. Such talent was unequivocally his.
As Lennok ignited his Father Fall cigarette, he jested, “You certainly know how to capture attention.”
“Naturally. Even if victory eludes me, I excel at tenaciously enduring.”
“You’ve likely never lost a verbal spar.”
“How’d you guess?”
Engaged in dialogue, the two began to gradually amass their mana.
Lennok initiated a sprint, channeling the amassed energy into his legs after a prolonged hiatus.
Despite his [Mana Addict] trait, which led him to minimize direct mana infusion into his body, this was the mission’s culmination.
Even if recuperation lay in his future, it paled in importance. Enduring limited mobility for the ensuing fortnight was acceptable, given the circumstances.
Particularly after hearing Jaun’s earlier pronouncement.
Poof!!
Navigating through the perplexing junction where Jaun’s summoned creature battled, Lennok commenced a sprint.
Employing Feather Fall to lessen his body’s weight and engaging physical augmentation from mana infusion, even Lennok himself was taken aback by his newfound velocity.
A momentary loss of equilibrium due to unsteady motor nerves barely deterred him; he persisted and surged down the corridor.
Jaun, who hadn’t fathomed Lennok’s direct frontal assault, found his perpetually serene demeanor contort ever so slightly.
Direct contradiction to his confidently espoused theory seemed to irk him. His lips twitched as he hastily extracted a gem from his sleeve and lunged forward.
Swish!
Clang!!
Metal shards hurled by Lennok expanded abruptly, transforming into a massive iron plate that completely obstructed the passageway.
“Merely with this!”
Snap!
Jaun tore the iron sheet asunder using his bare hands, poised to pursue Lennok. However, his advance was halted by the sword blade of Chen that emerged before him.
Splat!
Seizing the opportune moment, Lennok dashed through the corridor that Jaun had sought to block.
“Where do you think you are going!?”
Even amid the chaos, Jaun relinquished the gem he held, employing a well-aimed kick to propel it toward Lennok.
Lennok found himself grudgingly impressed by Jaun’s fluid agility.
His instinctive combat awareness synergized seamlessly with his unique weapon, gem magic, to achieve optimum efficacy.
The gem dispatched by Jaun emitted a luminous glow, transmuting into a solid crystal barrier that obstructed Lennok’s path, sealing off the descent.
Jaun harbored the belief that if he detained Lennok even momentarily, he could stave off Chen and reseal the corridor.
Yet, Lennok smirked and manipulated his mana.
“You’re countering me with a mere wall?”
“What…?”
Simultaneously making contact with the barrier, he initiated a mana interference.
Screech!!
Amidst a jarring and persistent clamor, the crystal wall fragmented like a shattered glass pane.
Myriads of shards refracted light into a multitude of trajectories, diffusing enchanting hues throughout the purplish hallway.
Observing Jaun through the descending fragments, Lennok’s lips curled slightly as he hurled himself down the hallway.
“You wretched son of a b**ch!!!”
A lapse of vigilance, and he hadn’t anticipated his magic to be dispelled so swiftly.
Perceiving Lennok’s elusiveness, Jaun’s bellow of fury echoed.
Chen, beads of sweat mingling with a grin, had just deflected Jaun’s punch before him.
“Why? Just a feeble wizard, aren’t you?”
Clank!
Twisting the handles of his two curved blades in unison, a lengthy chain shot forth from within, merging the two blades into one unit.
Swish!
As he swung the chain, a resounding sonic burst erupted.
“Let’s play here for a long, long time.”
“Hehaha… Do you realize the sums I’ve squandered… dealing with vermin like you?”
“I’m well aware.”
Lennok had discerned it, and so had Chen.
Jaun’s gem magic encompassed a broad spectrum of capabilities, renowned for its potent force and exceptionally brief activation time.
Even at considerable distances from the caster, its activation remained seamless, rendering it adept for deployment during intense combat situations.
The complexity of Jaun’s abilities surpassed mere mastery of superior gem magic; it implied an associated cost or reliance on a commensurate catalyst.
For Jaun, it was undeniable that he employed expensive, intricately crafted gems as conduits for his magic.
Should he attempt spellcasting without these precious gems, his prowess would likely be halved, at best.
Jaun’s conspicuous fixation on monetary matters might be intrinsically linked to this fact.
Boooong!!
With the chain nonchalantly draped over his shoulder, Chen beamed, remarking, “Let’s see whether your gems run out first, or I fall first.”
Or perhaps the reinforcement he had just reached out to, Hina O’neil, would arrive sooner.
As his final words lingered, Chen swallowed hard and lunged toward Jaun.
***
Oooooong!!
His progress along the corridor deepened the intensity of the resounding vibrations.
The seemingly interminable passageway suggested an endless expanse, until a vast subterranean cavity abruptly unfurled before him.
Cigar Bang’s base in the power plant’s basement bore semblance to this space, yet it was dwarfed thricefold in scale and notably more rudimentary.
Dust danced through the air, mingling with remnants of construction strewn in corners. Hard hats lay discarded, gloves torn.
Surveying the scattered remnants and detecting the potent odor, Lennok swiftly grasped the chamber’s original purpose.
‘It was a quarry.’
A domain crafted for excavation, a dual-purpose cavern for both resource extraction and storage, if Lennok’s intuition held true.
Conceivably, Falcon had established their base in this location to leverage the labor camp and the concurrently evolved construction site.
In the quest to completely dismantle this terrorist organization, the swifter route entailed locating and incinerating all data pertaining to their chain of command and communication security…
Yet, a more pressing matter demanded attention.
Summoning mana and deftly surveying the environs, Lennok gleaned a rough comprehension of this area’s utilization.
The apex of the cavern housed a control chamber encased in transparent glass, brimming with operational computers. The ground was marinated in an adhesive magic of enigmatic origin.
‘Or perhaps, this is… a magic circle.’
A colossal magic circle pervaded not only the cavern’s confines but extended beneath Lennok’s feet as well, having just entered.
Lennok endeavored to obliterate it on the spot, but it resisted elimination even as he delved into the flooring, its presence seemingly ingrained within the spatial framework.
This appeared to be a masterpiece forged through protracted application of enchantment and installation magic, pushed to their zenith.
Recognition was instantaneous.
This magic circle represented the genesis of the curtain that shrouded the labor camp’s skies.
Prolonged deliberation proved unnecessary.
Unhesitatingly, Lennok raised his right arm, channeling his mana to its zenith.
Kwaah!!
A fire spiral extended from his two fingers, impacting the computer-laden control chamber.
Some manner of resistance, akin to security magic, manifested, yet Lennok maintained his magical grip.
The twin fiery streams he wove pierced the glass, igniting the operational computers ensconced within the control chamber.
‘Perhaps those computers were the foundation for building the artificial intelligence algorithm.’
In cases where interference with the magic circle remained unviable, the original target must have been determined beforehand.
“I hope this ends it…?”
“It’s futile.”
Gazing upwards at the conflagration-engulfed computers, a subdued voice reverberated from a distance.
“All computations are already finalized; all that’s left is to sustain the phenomenon. Incinerating those machines won’t alter the outcome.”
A profound, dense resonance.
A voice radiating unwavering determination, inevitably provoking tension within the listener.
A countenance etched with fortitude, wrinkles carving a map across the visage. An intricate root tattoo adorned beneath the eyes.
Though their first direct encounter, the sense of familiarity hung in the air, as if an extended wait had culminated.
The leader of the Practical Faction of dark wizards, Craig.
The malefactor who aided the terrorist acts with a weapon in Vulcan, now stood before Lennok.
Juan’s laughter echoed through the air, rich and full.
“Stay right there and observe. Once I’ve rid ourselves of all these fools, I’ll attend to you,” he declared with a chilling confidence.
A resounding thud punctuated his words.
His fist clenched nonchalantly, and he swung his arms in eager anticipation. The man standing beside him blanched, his face draining of color like a sheet of paper.
Before the man could muster a response, Juan swiveled his head with swift precision. With a deft motion of his two fingers, he intercepted a knife hurtling from behind, promptly thrusting it deep into the man’s chest.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air.
“Gargle…!”
“Dail!”
While Dail convulsed and frothed, Jaun managed to insert a gem into his mouth, taking advantage of the falling man’s state. A forceful kick to the chest followed suit.
With an unsteady retreat, Dail’s form suddenly erupted into a burst of brilliance, the surroundings swallowed by a dazzling flare.
Crash! Thud! Boom!
Amidst the mystical radiance that momentarily stunned all perception, the tumultuous echoes of Jaun’s havoc resounded.
The freelancers, their wits slowly returning, hastened to compose themselves. Yet, Jaun, evidently attuned to the duration of his enchantment, dispatched five more before deftly pivoting.
“Hehehe! Is this the extent of your prowess, you minuscule pests?! Let’s indulge in further amusement!”
Swiftly hurtling down the elongated corridor, he cast two gems onto the ground. These gems swiftly ascended, coalescing into a colossal pillar, which then morphed into an arch-like doorway.
A faint squeak signaled the emergence of a formidable entity from within.
A gargantuan wolf, its fur an immaculate white, eyes aflame in vivid crimson, displayed its bared fangs in a grim grin.
“He can even summon…?” The words murmured in incredulity captured the sentiment aptly. Employing an extraordinary incantation, he had wielded three spells already: area slicing, paralysis, and summoning, each exuding astonishing diversity.
“Damn…… we’re caught right in front of our noses.”
Chen’s observation is right on mark.
Jaun, in spite of his potent magical abilities and adept martial skills, displayed a preference for hit-and-run tactics rather than direct confrontations, his strategy evident.
Evidently, he aimed to keep Lennok’s group engaged, obstructing their descent while waiting for the malevolent energy emanating from below to intensify.
How long would it take to incapacitate Jaun Odyss and clear the path? And at what cost would such an assault come?
Lennok swiftly calculated, shaking his head.
“We need to divide our strengths.”
“Agreed,” Chen concurred promptly.
It was the same scenario as when Lennok met Mad Manson in the subterranean waterway, who was probably busy demolishing Falcon’s other temporary bases by now.
Within this intricate underground labyrinth, Lennok found it challenging to employ his long-range, high-impact magic.
The issue lay in the impossibility of competing with Jaun without such formidable measures.
Even after a brief exchange, the observation was clear.
The terrorist who proclaimed wealth’s supremacy was, at minimum, a potent wizard surpassing level 5.
Factoring in his exceptional martial prowess and his mastery of rare gem magic, his combat capability could easily be ranked at level 6 or beyond.
Measured against the forces present in this locale, descending even at the cost of a sacrifice seemed unavoidable.
Facing Jaun within the confining corridor or eliminating lurking Craig below, the greater risk was evident.
Chen’s grin surfaced as he remarked, “You go down first.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’ll summon the agent stationed outside, and we’ll endure until their arrival. Somehow, we can orchestrate a coordinated strike.”
With those words, he began to rhythmically stroke the pair of blades in his grip.
SPARK!
The blades’ friction generated sparks that grew increasingly intense until they adhered to Chen’s weapon like a blazing torch, erupting into fierce flames.
Gripping the fiery, curved blade, Chen glanced back at Lennok, his grin widening.
“Last time, you drew the short straw. This time, let’s call it my turn.”
Even Lennok couldn’t resist a chuckle at Chen’s unexpectedly cheeky remark.
His knack for pleasing people was profound, and the proposition of alternating misfortune was surprisingly appealing. Such talent was unequivocally his.
As Lennok ignited his Father Fall cigarette, he jested, “You certainly know how to capture attention.”
“Naturally. Even if victory eludes me, I excel at tenaciously enduring.”
“You’ve likely never lost a verbal spar.”
“How’d you guess?”
Engaged in dialogue, the two began to gradually amass their mana.
Lennok initiated a sprint, channeling the amassed energy into his legs after a prolonged hiatus.
Despite his [Mana Addict] trait, which led him to minimize direct mana infusion into his body, this was the mission’s culmination.
Even if recuperation lay in his future, it paled in importance. Enduring limited mobility for the ensuing fortnight was acceptable, given the circumstances.
Particularly after hearing Jaun’s earlier pronouncement.
Poof!!
Navigating through the perplexing junction where Jaun’s summoned creature battled, Lennok commenced a sprint.
Employing Feather Fall to lessen his body’s weight and engaging physical augmentation from mana infusion, even Lennok himself was taken aback by his newfound velocity.
A momentary loss of equilibrium due to unsteady motor nerves barely deterred him; he persisted and surged down the corridor.
Jaun, who hadn’t fathomed Lennok’s direct frontal assault, found his perpetually serene demeanor contort ever so slightly.
Direct contradiction to his confidently espoused theory seemed to irk him. His lips twitched as he hastily extracted a gem from his sleeve and lunged forward.
Swish!
Clang!!
Metal shards hurled by Lennok expanded abruptly, transforming into a massive iron plate that completely obstructed the passageway.
“Merely with this!”
Snap!
Jaun tore the iron sheet asunder using his bare hands, poised to pursue Lennok. However, his advance was halted by the sword blade of Chen that emerged before him.
Splat!
Seizing the opportune moment, Lennok dashed through the corridor that Jaun had sought to block.
“Where do you think you are going!?”
Even amid the chaos, Jaun relinquished the gem he held, employing a well-aimed kick to propel it toward Lennok.
Lennok found himself grudgingly impressed by Jaun’s fluid agility.
His instinctive combat awareness synergized seamlessly with his unique weapon, gem magic, to achieve optimum efficacy.
The gem dispatched by Jaun emitted a luminous glow, transmuting into a solid crystal barrier that obstructed Lennok’s path, sealing off the descent.
Jaun harbored the belief that if he detained Lennok even momentarily, he could stave off Chen and reseal the corridor.
Yet, Lennok smirked and manipulated his mana.
“You’re countering me with a mere wall?”
“What…?”
Simultaneously making contact with the barrier, he initiated a mana interference.
Screech!!
Amidst a jarring and persistent clamor, the crystal wall fragmented like a shattered glass pane.
Myriads of shards refracted light into a multitude of trajectories, diffusing enchanting hues throughout the purplish hallway.
Observing Jaun through the descending fragments, Lennok’s lips curled slightly as he hurled himself down the hallway.
“You wretched son of a b**ch!!!”
A lapse of vigilance, and he hadn’t anticipated his magic to be dispelled so swiftly.
Perceiving Lennok’s elusiveness, Jaun’s bellow of fury echoed.
Chen, beads of sweat mingling with a grin, had just deflected Jaun’s punch before him.
“Why? Just a feeble wizard, aren’t you?”
Clank!
Twisting the handles of his two curved blades in unison, a lengthy chain shot forth from within, merging the two blades into one unit.
Swish!
As he swung the chain, a resounding sonic burst erupted.
“Let’s play here for a long, long time.”
“Hehaha… Do you realize the sums I’ve squandered… dealing with vermin like you?”
“I’m well aware.”
Lennok had discerned it, and so had Chen.
Jaun’s gem magic encompassed a broad spectrum of capabilities, renowned for its potent force and exceptionally brief activation time.
Even at considerable distances from the caster, its activation remained seamless, rendering it adept for deployment during intense combat situations.
The complexity of Jaun’s abilities surpassed mere mastery of superior gem magic; it implied an associated cost or reliance on a commensurate catalyst.
For Jaun, it was undeniable that he employed expensive, intricately crafted gems as conduits for his magic.
Should he attempt spellcasting without these precious gems, his prowess would likely be halved, at best.
Jaun’s conspicuous fixation on monetary matters might be intrinsically linked to this fact.
Boooong!!
With the chain nonchalantly draped over his shoulder, Chen beamed, remarking, “Let’s see whether your gems run out first, or I fall first.”
Or perhaps the reinforcement he had just reached out to, Hina O’neil, would arrive sooner.
As his final words lingered, Chen swallowed hard and lunged toward Jaun.
***
Oooooong!!
His progress along the corridor deepened the intensity of the resounding vibrations.
The seemingly interminable passageway suggested an endless expanse, until a vast subterranean cavity abruptly unfurled before him.
Cigar Bang’s base in the power plant’s basement bore semblance to this space, yet it was dwarfed thricefold in scale and notably more rudimentary.
Dust danced through the air, mingling with remnants of construction strewn in corners. Hard hats lay discarded, gloves torn.
Surveying the scattered remnants and detecting the potent odor, Lennok swiftly grasped the chamber’s original purpose.
‘It was a quarry.’
A domain crafted for excavation, a dual-purpose cavern for both resource extraction and storage, if Lennok’s intuition held true.
Conceivably, Falcon had established their base in this location to leverage the labor camp and the concurrently evolved construction site.
In the quest to completely dismantle this terrorist organization, the swifter route entailed locating and incinerating all data pertaining to their chain of command and communication security…
Yet, a more pressing matter demanded attention.
Summoning mana and deftly surveying the environs, Lennok gleaned a rough comprehension of this area’s utilization.
The apex of the cavern housed a control chamber encased in transparent glass, brimming with operational computers. The ground was marinated in an adhesive magic of enigmatic origin.
‘Or perhaps, this is… a magic circle.’
A colossal magic circle pervaded not only the cavern’s confines but extended beneath Lennok’s feet as well, having just entered.
Lennok endeavored to obliterate it on the spot, but it resisted elimination even as he delved into the flooring, its presence seemingly ingrained within the spatial framework.
This appeared to be a masterpiece forged through protracted application of enchantment and installation magic, pushed to their zenith.
Recognition was instantaneous.
This magic circle represented the genesis of the curtain that shrouded the labor camp’s skies.
Prolonged deliberation proved unnecessary.
Unhesitatingly, Lennok raised his right arm, channeling his mana to its zenith.
Kwaah!!
A fire spiral extended from his two fingers, impacting the computer-laden control chamber.
Some manner of resistance, akin to security magic, manifested, yet Lennok maintained his magical grip.
The twin fiery streams he wove pierced the glass, igniting the operational computers ensconced within the control chamber.
‘Perhaps those computers were the foundation for building the artificial intelligence algorithm.’
In cases where interference with the magic circle remained unviable, the original target must have been determined beforehand.
“I hope this ends it…?”
“It’s futile.”
Gazing upwards at the conflagration-engulfed computers, a subdued voice reverberated from a distance.
“All computations are already finalized; all that’s left is to sustain the phenomenon. Incinerating those machines won’t alter the outcome.”
A profound, dense resonance.
A voice radiating unwavering determination, inevitably provoking tension within the listener.
A countenance etched with fortitude, wrinkles carving a map across the visage. An intricate root tattoo adorned beneath the eyes.
Though their first direct encounter, the sense of familiarity hung in the air, as if an extended wait had culminated.
The leader of the Practical Faction of dark wizards, Craig.
The malefactor who aided the terrorist acts with a weapon in Vulcan, now stood before Lennok.
