Chapter 347: Two People, One Team (3)
Whoosh!
A cliff scourged by a fierce blizzard.
Maiya casually tossed aside the corpse she held in her hand, then slowly rolled her shoulders.
Following the path she had ascended, a gruesome trail of corpses and blood flowed down.
Originally an enforcer from the Machine City, and now affiliated with the Demonic Lair, she was one of the powerful agents specialized in solo operations.
Performing her role even in the harshest terrain was no challenge.
Wiping the blood from her fingertips, she muttered,
“It’s endless… Is this whole area just full of these guys?”
[There’s a lot to gain from occupying the entire snowy region, I suppose. It’s not an incomprehensible decision.]
A ball of fur floating behind her emitted the voice of a middle-aged man.
Maiya recoiled, turning her gaze away and putting some distance between them.
“I told you not to come close. Don’t dirty my ears with that voice.”
[…I told you it was merely a means for efficient communication. I’d like to focus on this side, but I have too much to do, you see.]
“Do you think I don’t know what that ball of fur is made of?”
For a complete stranger, perhaps, but Maiya had worked with the Doctor several times and knew what kind of materials he preferred for his research subjects.
Experimental subjects of a researcher who had long since discarded human ethics and morality.
Though circumstances forced them to work together, it was clear he was not someone easy to get close to.
[I know you don’t like it, but it can’t be helped. Most of the other members operating in the Northern Continent aren’t responding to Agneta’s calls, and the only ones who are reachable are lunatics who can’t be left alone.]
“Jindun has started moving, and the organization is a mess. What is the Director doing and where?”
[Don’t you know what kind of person the Director is? He sees things differently from us. Especially regarding organizational discipline, it’s best not to expect anything.]
“I never expected that from a criminal organization like this. What I mean is, is collecting traces of the Old World more important than this right now?”
Even as she bickered endlessly with the ball of fur, Maiya diligently carried out her tasks.
She waved her hand towards the warriors who were hiding somewhere on the cliff and then charged, and incomprehensible flashes of light streaked through the air, splattering blood.
She trampled over the bodies, many missing limbs, that lay dead all around, and continued straight to the edge of the cliff.
Many of them could use Property Transformation, but Maiya, expressionless, swept her hand down as if such resistance was nothing.
A weariness, as if she were simply performing a routine task.
However, the flow of magic and light that burst from her gestures was so exquisitely precise that even the Doctor marveled at it.
[It’s a method of splitting the magic into three directions and deflecting it, recreating powerful cutting force through the friction. She’s perfectly calculating all directions and repulsions of the magic she unleashes.]
“…”
[Incredible computational ability. Does she have a separate processing unit attached to her body or something?]
“Quiet. I need to concentrate now.”
Maiya, standing at the edge of the cliff, pulled a wire from her waist, hooked it in, and threw herself over the cliff.
Whirrrrr!
The wire rapidly unspooled as Maiya’s body accelerated downwards.
A fall without proper safety measures.
In a normal situation, one’s palms would be sliced off before even gripping the wire, leading to death.
But Maiya nonchalantly gripped the wire with her bare hands, stopping midway down the cliff, and began to survey her surroundings.
[With your physical abilities, you wouldn’t even need a wire.]
“It’s a habit.”
Maiya dismissed the Doctor’s words with a single phrase, then ran vertically down the steep cliff and threw herself into something.
Whoosh!
Breaking through an invisible barrier, she landed in a hidden cave inside the cliff.
Maiya landed lightly and immediately picked up speed, rushing further into the cave.
The cave she was heading into was one of the hidden secret passages of Jindun, the Ascendant’s Domain, the Hanghasa Labyrinth.
It was a gateway that allowed entry to an intermediate point without going through the main entrances scattered throughout the labyrinth.
She didn’t know if this passage, found solely by the Doctor’s words, was still active, but if it successfully connected to the intermediate point, she could achieve her objective and escape before others gathered in this snowy region.
However, Maiya’s thoughts vanished like a clean slate upon feeling an unknown magical presence at the end of the cave.
A dilapidated stone gate with intricate carvings.
And a robed figure, slumped against its base, head bowed.
Beyond their slender frame, a sticky, viscous magic oozed forth.
This was not an opponent to be underestimated.
Maiya, instantly braking and stopping, opened her mouth.
“Doctor.”
[Strange. To think there was someone else who knew about this passage besides us.]
The ball of fur floating behind her murmured.
[The Director said there wouldn’t be anyone from this era who knew… If this has happened, there can only be one reason.]
“What? You knew the Director interfered and didn’t tell me?”
Despite Maiya’s exasperated words, the ball of fur calmly stroked its chin.
[Focus, Maiya. Your opponent is likely an elder who has lived since this labyrinth was created.]
At those words, the robed figure, who had been bowing their head, slowly rose.
The face revealed by flipping back the hood was that of a remarkably young man. Even considering his somewhat sharp features, he did not look like an old man who had lived for hundreds of years.
The moment Maiya slightly furrowed her brows at this fact, the young man opened his mouth.
“What did you do with the guys outside the cliff? I told them to keep watch.”
“I killed them all.”
She answered indifferently.
“I see. Good.”
The young man nodded.
“Good?”
“If you hadn’t done it, I was going to kill every single one of them myself.”
The young man, who had casually delivered such a chilling reply, slowly stretched his body as he spoke.
“To be so incompetent as to not even properly watch outside and interfere with my work… Useless fools should be culled here and now.”
“Oh, that’s a very… familiar way of thinking.”
Maiya replied, raising her magic in sync with the young man’s movements.
“So, did you get the results you wanted, young friend?”
“Do I look like it?”
Maiya chuckled at the young man’s irritable reply.
“No.”
If the secret passage had truly worked, the young man wouldn’t be squatting there, idly wasting time.
On the way to meet the Ascendant, unfortunately, there was no shortcut.
“Your name?”
“Jawoon Audis. But you don’t need to remember it.”
The young man replied.
“Because I’m going to kill both of you here anyway.”
Clatter!
With that declaration, two dazzling jewels shot out from between the young man, Jawoon’s, sleeves and nestled between his index and middle fingers.
The ball of fur, the Doctor, immediately let out a groan upon confirming the identity of the jewels.
[What incredible artifacts. Those jewels are at least a hundred years old. The concentration of magic contained within is no different from Archmage-level.]
“They are legacies of the Old Empire.”
Jawoon answered calmly.
“Traces of a nation that served a ruler called the Emperor, who no longer exists.”
Only then did the Doctor nod.
[I see. From those musty old facts to his actions… hearing it gives me a rough idea. I thought he was hiding inside the robe, but did he decide to become one with it?]
“Doctor, what nonsense are you talking about?”
In contrast to Maiya, who frowned at the Doctor’s words, Jawoon grinned upon hearing them.
“You’re quick-witted. Indeed, I can’t let you leave alive.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a fierce magical force swept through the cave.
Whoooooosh!!!
The oppressive aura emanating from Jawoon’s body was so complex and alien that it was hard to believe a single human had accumulated it.
But Maiya, even with such an incomprehensible opponent before her, let out a deep sigh.
“Haa… I have to fight another monster.”
[Think positively.]
The ball of fur clinging tightly to Maiya’s back said.
[Wouldn’t it be better to think of it as eliminating competitors before entering the labyrinth?]
“Quiet.”
Maiya slowly lowered her stance, her eyes glinting ominously.
“I’m about to find out.”
The moment Maiya’s body vanished from the spot, the jewels in Jawoon’s hand shone brilliantly.
Boom!
A collision. The cliff trembled, slowly beginning to crumble.
It was the third day since the Eyes of Blue attempted to enter the canyon where the labyrinth was located.
Not only the other Watchers, but also the organizations focused on holding off others in various parts of the snowy region were slowly peeking into the canyon.
Naturally, sporadic battles were breaking out all around the labyrinth.
The canyon had turned into such a battleground that even the Watchers, who had been calmly observing and waiting, found it difficult to stand by.
Boom!
“No, what’s that house-sized lizard?!”
“It’s a spirit beast native to the Southern Continent. It would be faster to ask Grisha.”
“Isn’t that a cold-blooded animal? Is it okay to summon it in such a cold place?”
“Asking me…”
As someone’s summon appeared in the middle of the battlefield, other summons appeared from various places as if on cue.
Among those riding the summons, the expressions of the Watchers changed strangely upon recognizing a familiar comrade’s face.
“…I didn’t know Godin had that kind of talent. But what on earth did he summon?”
“Leave that side alone. It seems they have some plan, teaming up with another summoner.”
The Watcher who said that looked up at the sky and muttered,
“Ah, a missile is falling. This is the fourth one today.”
“Tell me quickkkk!!!”
KWA-AAAAAANG!!!
Everyone gathered here was an excellent warrior and sorcerer, capable of fending for themselves even in such a chaotic battle.
They were avoiding large-scale skirmishes just in case, but there was no way to avoid the battles erupting everywhere.
Many of those who had been fighting for control around the labyrinth for three days straight were thoroughly heated.
Comrade’s deaths, financial losses, personal gains and losses. The reasons were varied, but many had forgotten their original purpose.
“For Jindun’s Domain to become such a mess… I really can’t understand the Ascendants’ thoughts. What would he be thinking as he watches this scene?”
“Hey, stop spouting nonsense and focus.”
The voice of the Watcher who had just been screaming dropped to a chilling calm.
“They’re coming this way.”
New forces had found them, resting after finishing a battle in a corner of the canyon.
The two Watchers simultaneously grimaced upon confirming the identity of the opponents.
“That wolf bastard… looks familiar, doesn’t he?”
“I think we butchered quite a few of them about five days ago.”
“They’re coming back for revenge, aren’t they?”
“Is that even a question?”
“Damn it…”
The two men cursed and stood up, drawing their weapons to face the warriors riding beasts. At that very moment,
Pow-pow-pow-pow!
The heads of the warriors charging at the front exploded, splattering blood.
“…!!”
It was an incomprehensible sight, but the two Watchers put aside their questions and moved immediately.
They swiftly cut down the wolves wandering aimlessly after losing their masters, and engaged the warriors following behind.
Shwoosh!
Immediately after, a black arrow shaft whizzed past their eyes.
Only then did the two realize the identity of their reinforcements, and they let out hollow laughs.
“It was those two. They’re truly monsters.”
“Was it Divine Bow? Where on earth are they shooting from?”
Even as they exchanged words, their hands did not stop, and arrows and bullets, smoothly passing between the two of them, continuously pierced the enemies before them.
In an instant, the battle was settled. A victory where the roles of vanguard and rearguard perfectly aligned, overwhelming the enemy’s numbers with sheer force.
It was clearly a perfect team play, except for the fact that the rearguard was so far away that they couldn’t even be detected within the vanguard’s sensory range.
Only then did the two Watchers sigh in relief, slumping among the corpses to catch their breath.
“Where on earth are they putting in those snipes from? We aren’t the only Watchers who’ve received help from them, are we?”
“What’s more surprising is that Divine Bow isn’t the only one capable of such sniping.”
The Watcher with the serious demeanor quietly lit up his eyes.
“Evan, the wizard. To think he’s capable of ultra-long-range sniping comparable to Divine Bow… He seems far more versatile than I heard. It’s no wonder she hasn’t complained about being on the team.”
“Thank you, Sniper Duo!!”
The Watcher shook his head, looking at the man who was vaguely waving his hand in the direction the arrows had come from.
“…Never use that strange nickname in front of Divine Bow.”
“Why?”
“Hmm, as far as I know, Divine Bow is surprisingly very embarrassed by her nickname…”
Shwoosh!
An arrow embedded in the ground right by their feet before he could finish his sentence.
The two Watchers simultaneously fell silent and exchanged glances.
“…”
No unnecessary words were needed.
Only the sight of the two men diligently waving their hands in the direction the arrow had come from remained.
Lennok chuckled, pressing his eye to the scope and confirming their figures.
“Interesting fellows. They won’t die easily in a place like this.”
“Just spouting useless words. I shouldn’t have saved them.”
Evelyn, her earlobes slightly reddened, grumbled and raised her bow again.
Click!
The bow, wider than her height, unfolded like black wings, and as she drew the string, an arrow shaft rose between the limbs.
The arrow naturally rested on the string between Evelyn’s slender fingers, and upon release, it accelerated.
A black flash, plummeting from an unimaginable height, streaked for several kilometers and pierced its target.
“Slightly off.”
She muttered, drawing the string again, her eyes without any device or telescope. The sight of her assessing distance by observing thousands of meters as if it were right in front of her was the essence of archery.
That ideal form of every archer was being displayed without reserve on the snowy mountain summit, hundreds of meters above the canyon.
Lennok raised his sniper rifle, re-calibrated the distance, and said,
“The wind direction keeps changing. Given what we’ve experienced for three days, it will continue for at least two more hours.”
“It’s fine.”
Evelyn murmured, drawing the string again.
“I won’t miss more than once.”
Shwoooosh!
Sure enough, through the scope, enemies scattered blood and collapsed.
A miraculous feat of piercing through at least five targets with a single arrow, instantly killing them.
But even more astonishing was that this entire series of snipes was carried out purely by her intuition.
An ultra-long-range snipe, incomparable to Lennok’s, which relied on Davi’s help to precisely analyze wind speed, direction, and change patterns, supporting him with auxiliary magic. To properly utilize this genius, who possessed a heaven-sent talent in the field of archery, Lennok had set up camp with Evelyn on this snow-covered mountain peak, continuously pouring sniper fire down into the canyon below.