Chapter 2: Bloodline Front
Two people lost for words, a faint melody reaching their ears.
The man played his instrument with such abandon, as if oblivious to their presence, then abruptly quickened the tempo.
As the melody grew frenzied, the pool of blood at his feet rippled in time, erupting into a massive fountain.
It was absurd to stand still in the face of such nonchalance.
Kilian growled, ready to shift into wolf form, but Lennok restrained him with a hand on his shoulder.
The brief performance ended. The man slowly set down his violin and rose.
“I don’t want to work.”
“…….”
“I’m only doing overtime because the boss asked… but I need this kind of fun to keep my sanity.”
Despite his suit, his frame was slender, his face unnaturally pale.
His aura lacked any hint of power or authority, yet the metallic tang of his magic was undeniable.
Kilian tensed, eyes locked on the man, but Lennok’s gaze shifted to the scene around them.
A body, drained of blood, lay nearby.
Bloodstains carpeted the area.
And hanging from the ceiling, preserved in macabre display, were ‘blood containers.’
The clues pointed to one thing.
“No wonder blood mages aren’t well-regarded in this city.”
Lennok remarked.
“If you kill like this every time, who’d want to deal with you?”
“Can’t argue with that.”
The young man smirked, bowing politely.
“First time meeting face to face. Avid Jonssen.”
Lennok stepped forward, rubbing his shoulders.
“You’re different from the blood mages I knew in District 44. Different faction?”
“Don’t lump me with those antiquated fools.”
Avid laughed.
“Those cowards, scraping by under the city’s thumb, don’t deserve this magnificent magic.”
“…….”
To Lennok, this man’s magic felt different from Ryan Aiter, the young blood mage he knew.
Unlike Ryan, who used only his blood and lifespan, Avid was a full-blown murderer.
“Wielding power that turns trash into fuel, yet you work for a detective agency… disgusting. You agree, don’t you?”
“Hardly. Without those types, blood mages would’ve been eradicated. They couldn’t set foot in this city.”
Lennok replied casually.
“Want to end up like necromancers?”
Black magic and blood magic—both survived by softening their cruelty, becoming palatable to the city. Necromancers, refusing to compromise, were banned everywhere.
Even Avid’s display of blood magic was possible because some mages had compromised, accepting the city’s counsel.
But his slaughter suggested no turning back.
Avid shook his head.
“You’re wrong. The shadows of Balkan are deeper than you think. Our Cartel’s foundation is stronger, more beautiful than yours.”
“…….”
He spread his arms, head held high, drunk on his words.
“We have our own order. Under this cloudy sky, we’re free. Why?”
“Why?”
“Because we have power.”
Silence fell.
The young man’s smile stretched, sinister.
“A world merciless to the unworthy, yet kinder than any to those who qualify. I love this world.”
“Hmm.”
Lennok thought him less mad than Girard, but still insane.
Reasoning seemed impossible, especially given the carnage.
“Girard Ozette told me everything.”
Lennok began gathering his magic.
“You chose us as sacrifices to hide the Cartel’s internal transfers.”
“Oh?”
Avid smirked.
“That bat already sang that much?”
Lennok ignored him, continuing.
“Honestly, I hoped for a constructive talk. Thought you’d want to bargain for my silence.”
“…….”
“But I was wrong.”
Lennok’s gaze fell on the upside-down corpses.
The display, meant to intimidate, was transparent.
“You planned to silence me permanently.”
“Impressive.”
Avid clapped slowly.
“You’re absolutely right.”
Zziiing!!
Dozens of red laser pointers locked onto Lennok’s slender frame.
Simultaneously, armed figures emerged behind Kilian.
Then, an intense presence filled the workshop.
Every person here was a skilled magic user.
Lennok’s eyes narrowed. As a mage, he knew.
Not just organized, but perfectly synchronized, as if sharing a consciousness.
Their eerie, hive-like movement centered around…
“Let me reintroduce myself.”
Avid said.
“Avid Jonssen, Cartel executive, leading the execution squad under CEO McQueen.”
He smiled at Lennok, hands loosening.
“Today’s agenda, approved by McQueen: Securing Girard Ozette. And second…”
Whoosh!!
A blood whirlpool surged from the pool at Avid’s feet.
It tore through the workshop roof as rain began to fall from the darkening sky.
Roar!!
“Executing an arrogant mage.”
Avid walked towards Lennok, asking,
“Perfect weather for a death, don’t you think?”
As the downpour drenched them, Lennok raised his gaze skyward, unshielded.
His cigarette, forgotten in his mouth, was extinguished.
“Before we begin, one question.”
“What is it?”
“Where’s the magic core?”
Lennok asked.
“Tell me, and I’ll reveal Girard’s location.”
“You’ll talk after I tear you apart…”
Avid laughed.
“Not a difficult request.”
With a gesture, hidden operatives revealed the engine room, where the core glowed brilliantly.
In the hands of a werewolf over 2 meters tall.
The werewolf smirked.
“Busted?”
“…….”
Avid’s expression hardened. Simultaneously, the operatives surrounding Kilian struck.
Swooosh!!
Instead of Kilian’s body tearing apart, smoke dissipated. Avid realized he’d been fooled.
“You insect! How dare you deceive me!!”
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
The lasers vanished, replaced by a hail of bullets.
Coated in dense magic, the bullets spun from Mosin-Nagant rifles, converging on Lennok.
Outside the workshop, a barrage of light erupted, engulfing him.
Even in his rage, Avid’s judgment was clear.
Killing Lennok took precedence over the core. Victory and Girard’s location were paramount.
But in that instant, Lennok’s magic, launched skyward with intent, raced back to earth.
Desiring lightning, armed with unwavering will.
The bolt, striking from the storm clouds, was blindingly white.
Electrical Magic: Property Transformation.
[White Fall]
As Lennok’s shield glowed blue, deflecting the bullets, a pillar of white light descended through the rain.
With a twist of his wrist, Lennok muttered,
“Redirection.”
In that moment, the Archangel’s Compassion flashed between his wet cardigan, and Davi, perched on its wings, glowed brilliantly.
Lennok, harnessing Davi’s calculations to overload the artifact, unleashed its power.
[Linked Overcharge]
The forbidden magic that annihilated the Arashak expedition now targeted the Archangel’s Compassion.
Overcharge meant pushing the artifact beyond its limits.
A new frontier. Enhanced intuition pushed the relic’s power further.
All calculations were complete.
The red-hot Archangel’s Compassion spun in mid-air, emitting white waves.
Whrrrrr!!
The bullets and raindrops aimed at Lennok vanished.
Using Davi’s algorithm, the ‘mediums’ were randomly scattered within a 300m radius.
[Electrical Resonance]
[Cyclonic Spin]
Crackle…!!
White lightning split the rain, riding the bullets, striking in all directions.
As the rotating current swept the area, intense heat waves engulfed the Cartel operatives.
The white waves formed a giant hemisphere.
Roar!!
“Gaaaah!!”
“Ughh!! Aaahh!!”
“Sir!! Noooo!!”
The Cartel’s execution squad, over a hundred strong, all skilled mages,
Selected for their ruthlessness and obedience, trained into an elite unit,
Regularly injected with Avid’s blood serum, they were his loyal weapons.
Now, they screamed, collapsing helplessly.
“This… this…”
Avid barely contained the blood whirlpool, his lips trembling.
His strategy—surrounding Lennok with long-range fire—was prudent, based on experience.
Denying time to cast spells, attacking invisibly, and striking fatally—the correct approach against a mage.
But the rain, the core distraction, the failure to detect Kilian’s illusion, and Lennok’s swift incantation…
All these factors converged, claiming over a hundred lives in an instant.
Had they focused their power on Lennok, they might’ve lasted longer.
But Avid, unaware of Lennok’s depth, couldn’t make that call.
Avid’s gaze locked onto Lennok, unfocused.
Meeting the mage’s blank stare, he felt a chilling terror and looked away.
Lennok walked forward slowly.
“You chose a rainy day, knowing I’d use lightning.”
“…….”
“Weather manipulation is inefficient, but using existing conditions isn’t hard. You knew my specialty…”
For Lennok, facing his desired scenario, using lightning magic was instinctive.
Creating an undetectable illusion, he’d deceived everyone.
In an instant, he transformed his magic into a white lightning strike,
Riding the rain, he radiated the lightning’s power omnidirectionally, creating a thermal wave.
No one could escape the electrical surge carried by the rain.
Lennok glanced at where Kilian had stood. He was gone.
The plan, though expected, had worked better than hoped.
The Nyx Badge, disguising life signs, and Lennok’s illusions were key.
Lennok had brought Kilian for this very reason.
With a werewolf’s speed and stamina, he could escape faster than anyone.
They’d secured the volatile core and eliminated the execution squad, preventing further losses.
Now, to sever the right arm of the mastermind.
Lennok stepped forward, murmuring,
“McQueen, you said.”
Crackle…!!
Blue light spilled from his eyes.
“The CEO behind this.”
Avid’s shoulders twitched. Lennok gathered his magic slowly.
“The Cartel’s a conglomerate. Large, but loosely allied.”
“……”
“If I kill you here and offer the traitor’s identity, what will the chairman do?”
As Avid raised his head, Lennok smiled faintly.
His opponent was a 6th-level mage, capable of turning blood into magic.
A perfect gauge for Lennok’s current strength.