Chapter 300: Assassination Plot (2)

Rumble!!

“I… see…! I understand.” Meyer’s expression turned serious as he instantly grasped Lennok’s words.

“If they went this far to kill me, they must be desperate. It’s best to root them out, even if it means some trouble.”

Instead of answering, Lennok glanced inside his coat.

Davi was replying on his behalf to the flustered Panua’s messages sent to his phone.

It seemed they weren’t very interested in the other people left in the meeting room. Was Meyer their only target?

Thinking so, Lennok gripped the throttle firmly.

Vroooom!!

The moment they exited the dense city area, the bike accelerated once more. It sent small sparks flying across the road, blurring the surrounding scenery into streaky lines.

From the moment they left the Sector 10 core area, he felt a sharp increase in the number of vehicles tailing the bike.

All of them were black vehicles with dark tints. Though varied in type, they were strikingly repainted with matte finishes to reflect no light whatsoever.

“…”

The scale was so massive it surprised even Lennok. It was believable that an entire military unit had been mobilized.

Whizz!!

The windows of the cars lined up behind the bike opened.

What emerged from them were not human faces, but dozens of gun muzzles.

As Meyer’s face hardened, Lennok sharply swerved the bike.

Tatatatatatatatatat!!!

The muzzles, spitting fire in unison, created a wide impact zone, showering the road with countless sparks.

“Aaaah!!”

Meyer, unable to turn back, gripped Lennok’s shoulder tightly and screamed, but Lennok ignored him and drove the bike without pause.

Simple gunfire couldn’t damage the shield, let alone this monster bike prototype.

The opponents must know this, so if they started their attack in the middle of the city, there could only be one reason.

They wanted to somehow hinder Meyer here and prevent him from escaping far.

Bam!

Beyond mere gunfire, pitch-black jeeps flanked the bike, closing in on either side.

An incredibly bold approach, even knowing who Lennok was.

Was their calculation that he wouldn’t be able to use powerful and precise magic while directly driving the bike?

It was a reasonable judgment, but if he were so vulnerable and easily trapped, he wouldn’t have attempted it in the first place.

As he re-gripped the bike’s brake, Lennok murmured.

“Davi.”

[Riding assist algorithm overhaul complete. Entering evasive maneuvers.]

Screech!

The bike, speeding to avoid the bullets pouring from behind, suddenly lowered its center of gravity and tilted sharply.

Lennok, and Meyer’s shoulder, came perilously close to scraping the asphalt, as the bike dramatically slowed.

Screeeeeech!!

“…!!!”

Other cars, unable to follow the sudden maneuver, narrowly missed the bike, passing by a beat too late.

The moment he re-energized the bike, which had nearly come to a halt, and brought it upright, was fleeting.

A feat impossible without exquisite balance, timing, and perfect control over the throttle’s intensity.

While some of the pursuers, recognizing the difficulty of the stunt driving, gaped.

Lennok immediately changed direction and began traversing the empty road vertically.

The thick tires were headed not towards the road blocked by a dozen vehicles, but towards the commercial buildings lined up alongside it.

Skreee!!

He lifted the bike, placing its front wheel onto the wall of a commercial building where people weren’t milling about.

Understanding Lennok’s intention, Meyer’s face turned pale.

“…I’m not sure if my grip can hold out.”

“You can relax your grip. The seatbelt is sufficient.”

“What in the world are you talking ab… Ugh!!”

Vroooom!!

Lennok didn’t reply, simply twisted the throttle.

In response, the violently spinning bike began to ascend the building wall vertically.

This option was only possible because Lennok, a mana user, could control the bike’s center of gravity and assist with levitation magic.

Even the pursuers, who had been incessantly firing at the bike’s unconventional path, instinctively stopped pulling their triggers.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!!!

The bike, having turned at a right angle, began racing vertically up the exterior walls of the buildings.

An unrealistic movement, seemingly defying the effects of gravity.

“Ca-can mages escape like that…?”

“An ordinary mage struggles even to levitate their own body with mana. That’s only possible because he’s him.”

“Snap out of it and drive! If we lose him here, all our preparations will be for nothing!”

“…He won’t get away. We’ve already called for aerial support!”

The pursuers quickly regained their composure and stepped on the accelerator, watching the bike disappear into the distance.

Thump-thump!!

Lennok, having instantly broken through the encirclement, descended from the building wall and sped down the middle of the empty road.

“To reduce traffic to this extent at this hour…!”

Meyer tried his best to look around and relay useful information to Lennok.

“It’s impossible unless they’re controlling traffic density by regulating intersections with more than four lanes! We need to avoid sections where multi-lane roads meet!”

“Understood.”

It’s not impossible if they hacked traffic lights to redirect or detoured traffic by claiming construction.

In fact, the very act of instantly identifying Lennok’s escape route and carrying out such actions proved the opponent organization’s meticulousness.

Following the map route Davi displayed on the bike’s AI interface, Lennok instantly changed direction, and just as he was about to accelerate.

Tatatatatatatatatat!!

With a deafening roar that crushed the air above, a helicopter blocked the bike’s path.

An unreal monster of steel appeared in the middle of the wide-open six-lane road.

Its incessantly spinning and vibrating rotor blades emitted a deep tremor, and its glossy black body silently looked down at the bike.

Lennok looked up at it and smiled.

“This is unexpected… Do they think this is their only chance?”

While shootouts and explosions like this are common in the outer districts, it’s rare for equipment used only by the military to be mobilized.

Unless it’s a life-or-death battle between superhumans, deploying large-scale firepower like helicopters invites intervention from the city government.

But to openly deploy equipment like this to kill a city councilman in the inner areas of Sector 30…

[Was there ever any common sense in this city to begin with?]

Davi murmured indifferently, but Lennok had no time to respond.

Whirrrrr!!

Because a missile, hanging directly beneath the helicopter’s heavy fuselage, spewed flames and descended directly onto the middle of the road.

Meyer’s mouth dropped open at the absurd, excessive show of force,

And before a hoarse scream could escape his throat, Lennok moved first.

Shaaaraarak!!

Still gripping the throttle with his right hand, he extended his left, indiscriminately scattering hundreds of mana threads in all directions.

Over a hundred strands of mana threads enveloped and supported the buildings rising alongside the six-lane road like a spiderweb, forming a spiraling, twisted cone in the center.

He caught and held the missile flying precisely through them, reducing its rotation and impact, seizing it in mid-air just before it exploded.

Hiss!!

“…!!!!!”

An absurd feat of stopping a launched missile in mid-air with bare hands.

While those watching the spectacle, and even the very person who fired the missile, froze in shock.

Lennok instantly drove the bike, passing beneath the helicopter and speeding down the road.

Meyer, clinging to Lennok’s back and witnessing all these miracles, silently clicked his tongue in awe.

“…I’ve thought this before, but you truly don’t seem like the same species as us. Do you even realize what you just accomplished?”

“I eliminated the potential charge of mutual negligence for almost causing civilian casualties by using powers in the city.”

Screech!!

Lennok replied, glancing at the map on his interface.

“My associate must have already secured all the CCTV data. So, we can assume there’s no chance of us being framed for this.”

In truth, it was all thanks to the cyber-spirit curled up within his coat, but there was no reason to explain that much to Meyer.

Leaving Meyer’s constant exclamations of admiration behind, Lennok murmured coldly.

“All that’s left is to find the bastards who made this a hassle and crush them.”

After shaking off a few more pursuers, Lennok quickly arrived at his predetermined destination and brought the bike to a halt.

Screeeeeech!!

The bike’s engine was blazing hot from the intense maneuvering.

Signs of wear were visible on various parts of the thick tires due to continuous friction with the road surface.

It was a bike acquired through a deal with Sebastian. Its mobility and durability were beyond words, but despite its size and class, it surprisingly required delicate maintenance.

Lennok clicked his tongue briefly, dismounted the bike, and quickly looked around.

An abandoned dockyard with stacks of old containers.

The ships visible behind them lay rusted and toppled on the dried-up seashore.

Meyer, following Lennok off the bike, looked around.

“…This is Altara Harbor, located in Sector 29.”

“You knew.”

“I heard it’s been abandoned ever since construction stopped after a chemical accident at a nearby factory. It’s one of the areas the city government promised to redevelop, so I’ve been keeping an eye on it.”

Meyer, murmuring with a pale face, gripped his trembling legs and slowly sat down.

“I apologize. My old body isn’t cooperating.”

“It’s fine.”

He was an elderly man, much older than Jordan, the old man who worked with Lennok.

The fact that he hadn’t lost consciousness while escaping on the bike with Lennok until now proved his resilience.

It wouldn’t be strange if all his strength was gone now that the tension had eased.

Lennok looked down at Meyer, who was breathing heavily, and fell into thought.

‘What should I do…?’

If it were merely a matter of lacking stamina, he could use Remnant Thunder Body or potions to restore his energy, but he couldn’t guess if Meyer’s body could withstand it.

The medicines and magic Lennok used were all thoroughly crafted and researched to match his own condition and symptoms.

In terms of inherent weakness, Lennok and Meyer might not be that different, but precisely because of that, artificial doping had to be avoided.

‘Support will arrive in about 10 minutes. It’s easier to just assume it won’t.’

He had contacted Panua and Jenny about the destination in advance, but they said movement was difficult due to blocked roads.

They said they had contacted Killian, a member of Dyke Corp., but if so, the arrival speed of Lennok’s other allies wouldn’t be much different.

Lennok quickly made a decision, pulled out a charm from his pocket, and placed it in Meyer’s hand.

“It’s a Druid’s Charm. It will help conceal your presence if you carry it.”

“I apologize for not being able to help.”

Meyer said, breaking into a dry cough.

“With no way to tell who the traitor is among my retainers, it’s difficult to call for aid…”

“Conversely, it means that once this is over, you can clean up your internal affairs thoroughly.”

Saying so, Lennok left Meyer and turned his head.

“It won’t take long.”

The abandoned harbor, lined with old containers.

The charm’s presence-concealing ability, which even Lennok hadn’t fully recognized before, would be enough to hide Meyer.

While he took out another cigarette and checked his condition, the pursuers, arriving a step late, began to encircle the harbor.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!!

Two massive helicopters appeared almost simultaneously in the sky from both sides.

On the ground, a dozen jeeps simultaneously blocked the harbor’s entrances, and people who disembarked from them quickly began to encircle Lennok.

Rumble!!

Lennok saw an armored vehicle that had smashed through a container wall and even an old tank, and let out an involuntary scoff.

“It’s rare for even those in undeveloped areas to move like this. They came here fully intending to cause trouble, didn’t they?”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t needlessly made things so complicated.”

A man walked out from among the lined-up people, spitting as he spoke.

His nose and ears were adorned with all sorts of tattoos and ornaments, and his clothes were ostentatiously colorful.

He looked far from a soldier. The strange glow flickering from the spear in his hand was striking.

The man sauntered up to Lennok, stared up at his face, then let out a scoffing laugh.

“So this is what Adamant Thunder looks like? You’re quite neat-looking, much more than I expected. With you always covering your face, I thought you were some ugly monster.”

“Judging by your clothes, you don’t seem to be part of the Defense Force… A gang, then?”

“Listen up. I won’t say this twice.”

The man said, thumping his spear against the ground.

“Hand over the old man you’ve got. Then I’ll let you go, nicely.”

“…”

“You’re from the same back alleys as us, and it’s commendable that you didn’t mess with our guys while escaping, so I’m giving you a special pass. Got it?”

The man’s eyes gleamed strangely.

A dangerous aura, as if he could pounce and tear someone limb from limb at any moment.

But Lennok silently looked at his face and murmured.

“So, it’s the Bardiche Brotherhood.”

“…”

“The last news about you was a single newspaper article from this sector, saying your deputy leader, sentenced to death, attempted to escape… There’s been an odd lack of updates since then. If you’ve appeared today, there’s only one reason.”

He cross-referenced the faces of everyone present with the city government’s network database. He collected news articles where their identities had ever been exposed to trace their affiliations.

Lennok scoffed, looking into the man’s wavering eyes.

“Did you save your deputy leader’s life by becoming someone’s dog among the city councilmen? Quite a loyalty for a lawless group with no foundation.”

Craaash!!

At that moment, a flash erupted between the man and Lennok, and a light shockwave rippled through the foggy dockyard.

The man, having thrust his spear into the shield Lennok erected, snarled.

“Keep babbling if you want to die.”

“It seems not all the other councilmen want this operation to succeed.”

Lennok, lifting the cigarette he held in his mouth with his hand, slowly walked forward and murmured.

The infuriated man tried to swing the spear he held, but the spearhead, embedded in the shield, wouldn’t budge.

Squeak…!!

“Damn it! What?!”

A tangle of mana threads, which had somehow bound his entire body, gripped him so tightly that he couldn’t even move a finger.

A restraint perfectly controlled, gathering the weight of dozens of old containers scattered around.

The power control was so precise that even a high-level mana user wouldn’t be able to guess where to apply force to break free.

“Were you planning to deliberately kill Meyer and then frame underground figures for it? With a city councilman’s power, it wouldn’t have been impossible.”

“N-noooo!!!”

The man frantically struggled, seeing the flickering light of the cigarette before his eyes, but it was useless.

Lennok slowly flicked the cigarette’s flame onto the man’s head, murmuring.

“So you chose the day you arranged to meet us to make your move. But me escaping with Meyer made all your efforts for nothing.”

Aaaah, aaaaaaah!!

Whoooooosh!!!

The moment the cigarette’s flame flickered, the man’s body burst into flames, as if he’d been doused in oil.

The man’s body, tightly bound by mana threads, convulsed and writhed as it burned alive, yet the mana threads didn’t budge.

The flames illuminated by a human becoming firewood.

The gang members standing behind him collectively gulped at the sight of that brutal declaration.

With ordinary perception, one wouldn’t even notice the mana threads.

To their eyes, the Brotherhood’s vanguard had just struggled on his own and burned to death.

The man’s breath ceased as his insides burned, and the spear he had held until that moment clattered to the ground.

Thunk!

Lennok slowly bent down, picked up the spear, and said.

“It’s been three years since I started working in this city.”

“…”

“If you knew about me, wouldn’t you know that this kind of thing is meaningless?”

Even without emitting any aura or killing intent, the mage before them exuded a strange pressure.

It was a power only a warrior who had traversed countless battlefields and stages, surviving by trampling untold adversaries, could possess.

Awe towards a being who had passed through countless corpses in this city, where defeat meant direct death.

You will die. Who was the one who made them feel this unchanging truth more strongly than anyone else?

A chilling silence fell among those who had surrounded the harbor. People began to back away, one by one.

“I’ve also heard countless stories about Adamant Thunder.”

Before the chaotic atmosphere could spiral out of control, someone spoke from the very back of the crowd.

As the voice spoke, the crowd parted, and someone walked through the parting waves of people.

“A madman who loves to fight despite being a mage, who enjoys dueling monsters alone, a ghost-like man who craves blood more than money… How could I not be scared?”

The one who stepped forward, receiving everyone’s deference despite being the last to arrive, was a young man who still hadn’t shed his boyish appearance.

The young man looked up at Lennok and smiled brightly.

“But when it comes to what’s scarier, money is more terrifying.”