—BOOM!
With a loud explosion, it was Jan's signal to act. His mana burned through his body; everything seemed to be at a standstill as he dashed toward the watchtower. But as he was about to eradicate them all in one sweep—a barrier? He thought.
With no time to stop, pressured wind swirled beneath his feet—DUM! The dome erupted, shattering into a million pieces. Recoiling from the kick, Jan adjusted himself mid-air. With the casters notified in an instant, they frantically looked for him.
"Shit!? Here too!?" they exclaimed, setting up another barrier.
"…" Jan took a deep breath, cooling down. What a pain… he thought.
He couldn't even tell there was a mana dome until he got close enough—it would've crushed him even if it was weak and easily demolished.
That being the case, he didn't worry about the failed attempt as he glanced toward the guards. They'd slowly recovered as the mages had stopped their chant. The mages called for their patrols; however, the guards began to retaliate as they gained consciousness.
—Now then… six mages, two swordsmen…
Taking yet another deep breath, Jan took out ten throwing knives, infusing them with [Wind Screech]. He got to the tree tops and threw them from all directions. They'd bounce upon contact with the barriers, but…
—EEEIIIK!
The blades spun uncontrollably, sending white wind blades everywhere, distracting them as he closed the gap. Jan clenched his fist and punched through the barrier. Chaos unfolded as the mages had to deal with wind blades and an assassin.
Misfired spells scattered in all directions as they tried to lock down Jan. But the agile foxkin dodged his own blades and their spells without much effort, driving his dagger into their neck, chests, and skulls, injecting crystallized shadow thorns, twisting his dagger for them to die faster than they'd be able to use any healing.
—One… two… three… down.
Just like that, three mages were out of commission, but… the others tried trapping him in a prism, shards of ice, and beams of flames were rapidly fired. But unfortunately for them… Jan was too fast, escaping just before the barrier was formed. Vulnerable and casting spells.
With a destructive wind kick, one was crushed, crashing into the prism; the second was stabbed in the back, a shadow crystal bloomed, and thorns protruded out of their heart; the third had been cut to pieces by wind blades, having focused too much mana into the prism instead of [Mana Armor].
As for the swordsmen, they'd already fallen due to the mages' misfiring powerful spells. Still connected with the knives, Jan stopped their spin. As they fell from the sky, he too fell to his knees.
"…Urgh… haaah…" he panted, clenching his chest, as his body reeked steam as it rapidly cooled down. 'This damned damaged body…' he murmured as he looked at his shaky hand.
—Ailz… just give me a moment, he thought, falling flat on his back, looking at the sky as he clasped a healing core.
..
"—Are you alone? Probably not," Ulos remarked, shrugging. "From the looks of it, you're an adventurer. But… I've seen what you've left behind." His expression darkened. "That's not a catalyst, is it? Chemical? Magisteel?" he asked, glancing down toward the concealed PARC-PN6.
"…"
Alum pulled the trigger, firing a bullet straight down, ricocheting from a sheet of [Abyssal Depth].
—DUN…
The bullet was suspended in the air, right in front of Ulos' face, spinning until he grabbed it with his hand, shrieking as metal ground against metal. Mages behind him burst with mana, enhancing him as well as spells to be released.
"How rude—"
—DUN-DUN!
"…" Ulos frowned as two additional bullets were suspended mid-air. "You seem eager to fight, is that it? Or…" He glanced to the side as he grabbed the bullets. A transparent blue barrier cut the entrance to the room.
"…" Alum unbuttoned the cloak, letting it fall off. "You two, come here," he told the youths, but they couldn't move.
"Boss—"
"Shh, let's watch," Ulos said, amused—it would be meaningless wasting mana on a powerful barrier either way, and… it was beneficial to waste a mage's precious mana; even if only a little.
"Hey, little guy," Alum used a softer and warmer tone, calling out the green-eyed boy. "It's okay, take her hand. It'll be alright."
"…"
The boy's eyes widened, he seemed reluctant but took the girl's hand, but she clung to his arm, teary-eyed and not looking.
"How touching," Ulos remarked, smiling as he watched the two slowly make their way to Alum. "No need to rush," he added with a chuckle.
"…" Alum sent him a death stare, fully aware of what he was thinking—bastard…
"So? What's the plan thereafter?" Ulos inquired, voicing genuine curiosity. "You're surrounded, outnumbered, and tied by hostages."
"…"
Not answering, Alum knew he didn't have many options. Getting away would be difficult to impossible—he'd lose in attrition, but it was his best option. Knowing they want their goods to be as fresh as possible, it was unlikely they'd outright kill every hostage. If possible, he could stall and be at a standstill, but his opponent didn't act purely out of intrigue. Combat will be inevitable.
Abusing the moment, Alum materialized the cloak he'd been given before leaving the base, putting it on as another source of protection.
"Oh? You're saying our cloaks aren't good enough?" Ulos inquired, but then shrugged. "Well, can't argue with that."
In an instant, mana heavily suddenly erupted from Ulos' body; he placed a hand on [Abyssal Depth], his fingers slowly dug into the barrier that rejected him with all its might. "Aaargh," he grunted with a satisfying expression. Clenching his teeth as he tore an opening—only for Alum to release the barrier, causing his arms to flail—his gloves dug straight into the chests of two of his own men.
"…" The mages who stood further back flinched as the two swordsmen fell to their knees.
"Tch…" Ulos clicked his tongue, annoyed that his gloves got dirty. "What are you doing? They're not dead, are they?!" Ulos exclaimed. "Heal them—"
—BOOM!
Alum blew up the wall behind him with a vapor bomb—don't die, Jan, he thought, giving Jan the go sign and jumping out while vision was obscured.
He pulled the victims with him; the two youths held onto him.
"!?"
—THUMP!
Right before he landed, he raised Depth Cutter, activating [Sanctuary of Depth] to block Ulos' attack; his spear, inbound with lightning, barely did anything but push the barrier into the ground.
"That's a nice barrier," he said, then crystallized spears surfaced from the ground. He looked up, grinning.
Alum frowned. The victims he'd encased in water bubbles slowly descended.
"…"
"Oh?" Ulos raised an eyebrow. "You're going to let them die?" he inquired. Then, asked another question, "Or do you already consider them dead?"
"!?" Alum's eyes widen, snapping out of it as his old image shattered. He covered them in Abyssal Depth, dragging them down as Ulos launched his crystal spears.
—BOOM-KRRrrch-krrrch!
"…"
As Ulos tried to pierce through the sanctuary again, he realized Alum wasn't the one activating it, but the sword—I wasted mana on nothing, he scoffed inwardly as he jumped back and dodged Alum's icy hails of blades.
—Click…
"!?"
Ulos tried to dodge, but the bullet broke through the mage's barrier; the best he could do was use the spear's handle to redirect. Bouncing, the bullet shattered his mana armor and tore off a piece from his shoulder plate, ricocheting into the building, leaving behind a slightly molten hole as it kept over-penetrating—VRRRRRNnnnn…
Having switched to the AAP6 during the cloak change, Alum could finally use the ammo designed for PARC-PN6 using unsafe mode. But he shattered his [Mana Armor], his shoulder was sore from recoil, and his hands were numb. But with that small distraction, he activated [Sanctuary of Depth] again, now that he had secured the victims.
With increased cover, Alum handed Depth Cutter to the boy. "Take this. If I die, take it and run. It'll keep the two of you safe for a while—"
"Hahahaha, as I thought… neither the sword, nor gun is a Divine Instrument…" Ulos cackled. "Non-market item—military?"
Alum clenched a healing core and regenerated [Mana Armor]. Then, he created a gap to get out of the barrier, layering it with [Abyssal Depth], and closed it off when he got out.
"You talk too much," Alum said plainly as he threw Ulos a used healing core.
"Oh? So I'm not a ghost?" Ulos replied, catching the healing core with a grin.
In an instant, Alum blasted Ulos's men with [Plasma Ray], incinerating the room. But they survived, hovering inside two barrier layers that originally consisted of six layers.
But Ulos didn't let it slip and lunged toward Alum; his spear was redirected with sheets of [Abyssal Depth], but he dug a knee to Alum's abdomen, sending him flying.
"Urk…" Alum gritted his teeth, rolling as he stabbed a mana blade onto the ground, to break the momentum—Thuh… he crashed into a tree, clenching his chest.
Without time to rest, he froze the ground as he sensed mana erupt from underneath, barely preventing the spears from penetrating the surface. However, the ground began to sink, eating him as the dragon's jaw closed—BOOM! Debris of shattered rocks was scattered everywhere.
"Hahaha," Ulos laughed, clasping his hands the way the earth crushed Alum. "And you're telling me you're not a barrier mage?" he murmured, his body twisted, ready to throw a lightning spear the moment Alum surfaces.
"…"
Inside [Abyssal Depth Alum increased the range of [Static Field], but it didn't help since the earth was too dense with Ulos' mana. Thus, he sat down and began snacking on Amethely's treats, drinking something as well.
"Nom…" he chewed as he lay down, hands behind his head.
[Sanctuary of Depth] won't break any time soon, and Jan was likely finishing his task. They won't be able to take the youths and likely won't kill the hostages—they were valuable resources alive, after all.
He could channel [Droplet Bomb]. But what would the point be if he was going to blow up the village? The best course of action? Plotting and doing nothing.
Mm, two healing cores left, four V-T's, and seven shells of AAP6. Ulos is a tough opponent; telekinesis would probably not go through his resistances unless I catch him off guard. Not engaging at all is the correct choice, but… he'll realize he's giving me breathing room—
Mid-thought, a lightning spear dug into his barrier. Lightning crackled as it slowly tore his mana armor. Using [Plasma Ray] and getting out, Alum was met with a punch to the side—or so Ulos thought.
The ice statue shattered as Alum blasted through another hole—Ulos sensed a faint electrical discharge on his shoulder as he turned around. [Plasma Ray] melted through his mana armor as he barely dodged the beam, scorching a small part of his shoulder.
"Urrrhg…" he groaned as he tried to cool it down with his hand.
With his opponent staggered and in pain, Alum stomped the ground, and a burst of water erupted beneath Ulos, sending him into the air, but Ulos, expending a lot of mana to reach the ground, pulled the earth Alum stood on toward him.
"Nnh," Alum flinched, his back practically stuck on the platform as he rapidly accelerated.
Ulos steadied himself, smirking as he prepared [Lightning Gauntlet]. With a powerful punch, he sent Alum crashing back onto the ground… But…
"What the fu—" his eyes widen at the absurdity.
Alum coughed, blood gushed out of his mouth, nearly all the bones inside his body had fractured, his chest was exposed to the air, but he barely clasped his hands, crushing Ulos with two massive glaciers.
Before losing consciousness, he barely took out a healing core, gasping for air as his bones healed, he clenched his now closed chest—his body was overheating, distressed from the healing. His vision blurred from blood loss and massive mana strain, yet he managed to get up, only to fall to his knees as the headache from mana backlash punished him hard.
"Cough-cough-cough… uurg… ahh…haa…ha…"
Alum panted, twitching as he watched shards of ice rain down. A loud,"THOMB!"Could be heard from a distance, followed by powerful shockwaves, sending him tumbling as he lost consciousness.
But just as he thought he'd dealt with Ulos, a fully gray beast the trice his size looked at him from a distance—its head bent over its shoulder, its mouth red, and blood dripped from its claws. The eyes glowed white in the night; it looked similar to a human, though its back was severely bent and completely bald…
—Crunch…
Its whole body twisted as it charged toward Alum.
"…"
—Click… Th-VRRRmmm…
Alum fired the PARC-PN6; he was sent tumbling until he hit a tree, breaking his arms from recoil. "—Right, of course…" he murmured, casting [Abyssal Depth].
The beast he shot was none other than a Greedeater. Although he blew it to pieces, huge amounts of mana surged—it regenerated as if nothing had happened. Dashing and crashing into [Abyssal Depth], buying Alum enough time to use the last healing core.
Alum made a run for it, dizzy and pushed to his limits, he closed his eyes, solely relying on [Static Field] as the beast chased him. As he entered the village, he dodged cultists and their spells; he could hear the Greedeater shriek, as well as cultists' panic, but also… guards.
"!?"
Alum's eyes flung open. The creature's scorched claws tore down buildings, mincing cultists—he'd unleashed a menace into the town square. But with the guard's help. He managed to lock it inside a barrier.
"Cult leader dealt with—presumably fled, and alive somewhere."
Jan's eyes widened briefly before he cleared his throat. "…Good job, I saw the glaciers. There are hostages left, but the guards are slowly dwindling the cult down… You okay?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm… alright," Alum sighed, clenching his head.
Jan lent him a shoulder. "You're not…" he sighed.
Suddenly, the night sky became bright like a full silver moon—the source was a dragonoid creature—something slowly descended from the dragonoid, and landing on the barrier was a petite girl with moon-like eyes, silver/black hair.
Assessing the situation, she looked around, glanced at the cultists—she couldn't see faces, but criminals vs non-criminals. Moon Fracture materialized in her hand. In an instant, a path was indicated by a small white beam—she vanished as [Lightning Trace] activated.
—THOMB-KRRrrch-ch-ch…
A trail of silver-black lightning crackled between the cultists. At the same time, their heads fell off their bodies as they fell to their knees. Physical armor, mana armor, barriers—resistances didn't matter for Moon Fracture.
"Are there any water mages that specialize in ice?" he girl calmly spoke as she walked up to Jan.
"There is but…" Jan voiced reluctantly. "My friend here is too mana-strained…"
"He can stand, can he not?" the girl coldly inquired as she sent Alum a glance.
"But… Princess Luna…"
Alum, dazed and without complaint, walked up to the barrier, filling it with water, and froze the beast.
"Enough," Luna commanded. She touched the ice, hijacking it and compressing it was easier than expected—like she'd done it before. "…" The sensation of mana was familiar. "…Al?" she gently voiced and stared at Alum's lightless eyes as hers shook.
Somehow still able to stand, Alum reached out to her, his hand resting on her cheek, which sent Jan and the others into a panic. But Luna didn't mind. "Thanks… Luna," he uttered hoarsely, patting her head.
"…" she relaxed, now able to see faces again, and seeing his, albeit different eye and hair colors, it was still him.
The way he called her was warm and gentle—it tickled her heart. It was the way he promised to call her to make up for her lack of nicknames.
"There are still captives… The leader is presumably alive—I'll leave the rest to… you…" He said, his body giving him.
Luna caught him in an embrace as he fell. Her chest tightened, her heart ached—stabbed by a sharp pain, tears formed at the corners of her silver eyes, running down her cheek. Luna didn't get it herself. Why did it hurt so much seeing him like this?
"Mm," she softly leaned her cheek on his head as she stroked his hair. "Leave the rest to me."