Chapter 308: Gears (1)

Dray and Weian. Kiddel and Eyck. Mad Manson, Soo-ryun and Asi. Panua and Killian from Dyke Corp., even the blood wizard Ryan Aiter.

Everyone gathered here was either a Commander Wizard equivalent to Level 6, or possessed specialized aptitudes no less formidable.

It would be far more convenient to take them along and have them cooperate in this matter than to coordinate with the freelancers summoned by Meyer.

Dray’s expression, especially, seemed quite complex, knowing that his former comrades were involved in this operation.

But Lennok, fully aware of this, shook his head.

“Once the operation begins, there’s a high probability that confusion will increase between the outer districts. It’s better to keep some spare forces inside the company in case of an emergency.”

“That’s not wrong, but…”

“The Agents and Councilman Meyer’s side have also separately hired freelancers for this operation. If they’ve planned the operation and selected suitable members, there’s no reason not to use them.”

Click, clack!!

Lennok spoke, placing a disassembled rechargeable shotgun on the bar table and rapidly assembling it.

Given Lennok’s utterly clumsy hands, it wouldn’t be strange if he’d already lost a dozen parts, but the act of fixing parts with mana and assembling the shotgun itself wasn’t particularly difficult.

Lennok nodded, looking at the shotgun that was disassembled and reassembled in an instant.

Jenny sighed deeply as she watched him.

“Van, I don’t want to argue with your decision, but… haa, I don’t know about this one.”

She swept her curly hair back with a flick, frowning deeply.

“All I can do is gather information on Gearsight and the nearby chaos faction members. I hope it finishes without any major issues, but…”

“That’s enough.”

Shlick!

He cast a shrinking spell on the shotgun again, and in an instant, slipped the shotgun, now shrunk to the size of a finger, into the sleeve of his coat.

Lennok, having finished checking the last of his equipment, immediately rose from the bar.

“The Antares Mercenary Group will also begin to move separately for this operation. Considering their forces, it won’t take long.”

As he stepped out of the bar, seeing off the others, the cold air of dawn greeted Lennok.

Watching his breath escape his lips, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

Lennok sat on the motorcycle parked in the open lot behind the bar, immediately lit it, and gripped the throttle.

Vroooom!!

A powerful engine roar that vibrated his diaphragm.

Lennok slowly hunched forward, taking in the noise that echoed through the dawn air.

Davi wagged her tail in Lennok’s arms, and simultaneously, the AI interface activated, drawing a map.

[Shall we go?]

Vrooom!!

The motorcycle’s sleek form transformed into a streak of light and shot out onto the road.

The operation to eliminate the Defense Force special operatives who had infiltrated the city.

The operation devised by Hina and the Agent’s operations team, in collaboration with the councilman’s secretarial office, was simple.

Analyze the components of the Defense Force uniforms acquired through previous battles, specifically classifying only the high-grade materials not commonly used in the outer districts.

Then, use these classified fibers as a medium to activate a large-scale spell.

All sorcerers who could be contacted within the mega-city were summoned, and an artificial magical link was established across the sprawling Districts 40 and 50.

While it was impossible to pinpoint individual locations within the vast Districts 40 and 50 with just this, it was possible to observe the noise patterns generated when the spell contacted a target, thereby estimating their general movements and narrowing their routes.

After approximately 30 hours, they succeeded in narrowing down the whereabouts of the Defense Force special operatives to the vicinity of Districts 48 and 52.

Underground contacts who had decided to participate in this operation were then organized into several teams to search each district.

Tat-tat-tat!!!

“Found them!”

“Pursue immediately!!”

Thud!!

“Don’t let them get away!”

From the intelligence unit’s perspective, they wouldn’t miss the chance when those who were originally targets for data acquisition came to them of their own accord.

The operatives, unaware that an operation was being launched against them, naturally began to fight, and their secured locations were immediately transmitted to several individuals.

“Stall for time!!”

“Just hold on a little longer, someone will come!!”

[Wait, surely, support from the start…!!]

Vroooom!!

Before the operative, who belatedly realized something was amiss, could hastily spread the transmission, the heavy wheel of a motorcycle that burst out from nearby rolled over the operative’s form, scattering blood.

Crrunch!!

[Aargh!!]

The operative, still conscious and struggling despite the situation, tried to escape and plan their next move, but was utterly pulverized by a flash from the shotgun fired from the motorcycle.

Bang!! Bang!!

Lennok silenced the other operatives who were still struggling, firing two more shots in quick succession, then finally turned around.

“Anyone escape?”

Donovan, holding a heavy weapon, immediately answered, intimidated by Lennok’s murderous aura.

“There were five when we found them. Probably two got away.”

“Two, huh.”

Rumble rumble rumble!!

Lennok said, gripping the throttle.

“I have a rough idea who they are.”

Two presences were moving away in different directions within his sensory range.

Did they realize that staying grouped was a problem even in this urgent situation?

Lennok didn’t hesitate and immediately rode his motorcycle out of the narrow alley.

The other freelancers, staring blankly at his retreating figure, let out hollow laughs.

“Those guys who were struggling so fiercely, taken down with just a motorcycle and three shotgun shots…”

“There’s a difference in skill, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.”

Just now, they had been engaged in an intense back-and-forth battle after locating and pursuing a group of five intelligence operatives who were moving as a team.

The soldiers, who displayed significant superiority not only in handling firearms but also in close combat, with their weapon skills and martial arts, showed the sheer toughness of trained superhumans.

Yet, with just a few attacks from Lennok, who appeared right beside them, they couldn’t even resist and lost their lives.

But instead of being surprised, Donovan calmly checked his hand cannon and said,

“Don’t say that, just look at our communication network now.”

“What?”

“If you check the performance reports that are constantly coming in, you’ll understand who this operation was centered around from the beginning.”

Those who heard him immediately pulled out their cell phones, scrolled through the communication screen, and their mouths dropped open slightly.

[District 50: Three operatives killed. Two pursued: Van]

[District 52: Five operatives killed. Three pursued: Iriya]

[District 49: Two operatives killed. Eight pursued: Rundell]

[District 50: One operative killed. One pursued: Rundell]

[District 51: Two operatives killed. Four pursued: Van]

[District 51: Two operatives killed. Three pursued: Van]

[District 51: Three operatives killed. Moving: Van]

[District 51: One operative killed. Moving: Iriya]

…

On the constantly updating performance reports on their phones, almost only three names appeared.

Donovan also gazed down at his phone and muttered,

“It’s a tactic that funnels information to three people with overwhelming skill, and expects results from them. In other words, we are merely buoys bringing in that information in this operation.”

But even so, for Lennok, a wizard, to keep pace with the mobility of the other two physical ability users was absurd.

Donovan knew well that such performance reports wouldn’t be coming in without divine motorcycle driving skills that seemed to defy distance.

“Van, well, assuming that, Iriya and Rundell are also amazing.”

“I’ve never heard of either of them… Are they not freelancers?”

“That’s right.”

Donovan nodded with a serious expression.

“Rather, that’s the biggest problem with this operation.”

District 51. The parking lot of a dilapidated building filled with trash.

Lennok sat on his motorcycle, lighting a cigarette.

With the rechargeable shotgun resting on his shoulder, he quickly scrolled through the communication screen on his phone with one hand.

Only three names appeared in the automatically recorded performance report: Lennok himself, and two others.

[All pursuit signals in this area have disappeared. The operative left in front of you is the last one.]

“The progress is faster than expected. It looks like we can wrap this up within half a day and move on to the next phase.”

“Ugh…!”

Lennok gripped the shotgun handle, looking at the injured operative lying on the ground.

Click!

[Automatic Reload]

[Trajectory Correction]

[Rapid Charge 300%]

[Pellet Concentration]

[Single Shot]

Whirrr!!

Pale mana light streamed from the barrel of the shotgun, which had five auxiliary spells stacked on it in the blink of an eye.

The moment he was about to pull the trigger, aiming at the fallen operative’s head.

“…Wait.”

Lennok’s eyes glinted sharply.

[Master?]

“The color of the insignia on his suit shoulder is slightly different. There’s no big difference externally, but it’s noticeable in the dark.”

“Tch!!”

He pulled back the shotgun and immediately extracted mana threads.

“I need to take him alive. He might have other information.”

The moment Lennok was about to bind the struggling operative’s body with his mana threads.

Whoosh!!

A streak of high-speed light shot from behind, piercing the operative’s head.

A blade with an alien glow. It clearly had the shape of a blade, yet its form was barely visible.

The rapidly fired short spear penetrated the operative, vibrating violently and scattering blood everywhere.

Shudder!!

“Cough…!!”

“…”

The operative groaned in pain beyond his limits and then died. Lennok’s eyes grew cold as he confirmed this.

Not only was the assailant’s keen eye and swift hand impressive, striking in the brief moment Lennok was using mana threads, but the way the operative died was also unusual.

The short spear, already impaled, was violently vibrating, completely destroying the victim’s internal organs.

This was difficult to achieve without fully modifying the equipment itself, beyond martial arts or techniques that used mana.

Pshk!

At that moment, the short spear that had penetrated the operative’s body floated into the air and instantly began to return to where it had flown from.

Instead of staring foolishly, Lennok redirected his extended mana threads and instantly snatched the short spear.

Chrrrk!!

“This is…”

Only after stopping it in mid-air and examining its form could he roughly grasp its appearance.

An abnormally elongated blade, approximately half the height of a person.

There was no handle or blade guard, only an extremely simple appearance designed solely for remote operation.

Even now, held by mana threads, the short spear itself vibrated violently, maximizing the destructive power it generated.

Davi, who instantly scanned the blade, retrieved the answer from her database.

[It’s a remote-controlled spear created by combining monomolecular cutting and hyper-vibration cutting technology. It’s an object that combines several rare metals with good durability to maximize mana conductivity.]

“Hyper-vibration cutting, huh…”

[Even assuming the skill of a workshop, it’s an incredibly high-quality item. It’s a piece of equipment so meticulously crafted it’s hard to believe it’s an artificially made artifact. It looks like most mana users wouldn’t even be able to control it.]

It was an object where the technology of magitech engineering was densely concentrated, rather than simple spellcasting.

Correspondingly, Davi’s explanation continued endlessly.

Kagagak!!

The spear, violently struggling while bound by mana threads, snapped Lennok’s restraint.

The result of its extreme cutting power through vibrations too numerous to count with the naked eye. A few strands of mana threads, extracted to capture one injured operative, were insufficient to hold it.

The spear then streaked through the parking lot, flying up the inner wall of the building, returning to its owner.

Lennok’s gaze naturally followed it upward.

On the uneven inner wall of the building, tens of meters high, a single woman hung like a spider, looking down at him.

With hair emitting a strange luster cascading down, her appearance clinging to the wall was so alien that she hardly seemed human.

Behind her, as she looked down at him with a visor obscuring her face, five identical spears floated.

“…”

The gazes of the woman on the wall and Lennok naturally met.

Even without speaking, they both knew who the other was.

Iriya, of Sybrid Echo.

The very person who, just moments ago, had been dominating the performance report window alongside Lennok, eliminating Defense Force operatives, had now appeared before him.

The one who had thwarted Donovan’s attempt to funnel all the rewards of this operation to Lennok, and conversely, had changed the atmosphere of the meeting.

She was also a key figure suspected of being sponsored by another councilman in this operation, not Meyer.

“The decision was to report special cases alive, not to kill them, wasn’t it?”

Lennok said, watching Iriya leap from the wall and walk lightly towards him. Even after falling from a height of tens of meters, her movements seemed as light as a feather.

“If you’re not going to adhere to pre-agreed terms, what’s the point of the operation?”

“I merely carried it out because I judged it to be an issue where killing would not cause a significant problem.”

Buzz!

As Iriya lifted her visor, not a trace of agitation showed on her face.

“This is a case I’ve never seen among the operatives we’ve encountered so far. There’s a possibility he was a team leader or had a direct line to headquarters.”

Lennok glanced at the dead operative’s corpse.

“Because you pulverized the body, it’ll be hard to find anything even if we search his belongings.”

“…”

“It almost looks more like evidence destruction than operation execution.”

Their gazes clashed sharply, and the air in the vicinity instantly turned cold.

Lennok’s remark just now was tantamount to questioning Iriya’s fundamental reason for participating in this operation.

It seemed like an excessively aggressive statement. However, it had been hinted at in advance before the operation began.

Pallard O’Con and Hina had also demanded decisive action regarding any unusual behavior from those suspected of being sponsored by other councilmen.

If Iriya intended to obstruct this operation under the sponsorship of another city councilman, it would be wise to eliminate her here before the fortress capture operation began.

Lennok keenly observed Iriya’s unresponsive face.

‘Five hyper-vibration spears. Considering a combat style that remotely controls all of them, she might be surprisingly vulnerable in close-quarters combat.’

In his mind, he had already assessed her weapons and capabilities, and calculated how to get the first strike.

‘Blast her with high-firepower at point-blank range and decide the next move based on her reaction. Considering the weapons she uses, I should also think about luring her deeper into the parking lot to narrow her range of movement…’

Given her agile ability to cling to walls freely, her strangely powerful cutting force, and her precise spear manipulation skills, she would likely operate most efficiently when she had ample space.

Of course, a slight change in environment wouldn’t drastically reduce her combat ability, but at this level of skill, minor variables and psychological factors could never be ignored.

While Lennok was devising ways to defeat his opponent right here, Iriya, who had been quietly watching his face, softly shook her head.

“The Defense Force intelligence operative I just killed. You wouldn’t have obtained any meaningful information even if you had interrogated him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Wearing an insignia that can only be seen at night means he was an intelligence soldier responsible for transmitting data through the mega-city’s magnetic storm, which weakens at night… It would have been impossible to obtain significant results from a mere transmitter whose job was simply to send acquired data to headquarters.”

“…”

“Killing him as quickly as possible was a way to prevent the collection of combat data.”

The explanation was excessively detailed. It would be impossible without knowing the Defense Force’s purpose and methods.

More accurately, without knowing the true masterminds hidden behind the Defense Force headquarters in this matter.

Lennok’s gaze deepened.

“Do you know why the Defense Force is collecting data like this?”

“I have some idea. It’s a method once attempted, and failed, by those at the forefront of the Machine City, at the pinnacle of bioengineering.”

“…”

“Gearsight… We must prevent the heretical technology that broke away from the Machine City Machina from being used in the wrong way.”

Iriya continued, looking at Lennok with unwavering eyes.

“That would be the duty given to us, Sybrid Echo, who received the blueprint of the Gate of Ascension.”