Chapter 518: Curtain Call (1)

[Evelyn Marcia.]

[Tracker level 5 or higher. Hunter level 6 or higher. Combatant level 7 or higher. Mana user level 7 or higher. Specific accomplishments unmeasurable.]

[Many assessments state she has already transcended Hierarchy in archery alone. Judgment grade: off-spec.]

[Enlisted in the agency at a young age. From that time, unmatched in sniping ability.]

[Presumed to be of Eastern Outer Lei tribe descent. Has one blood relative in Blaiver Tower.]

[Special Agent. Divine Bow. Graduated top of her class from Machine City Enforcer’s 446th training curriculum.]

[Discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Defense Force Special Operations. Specific operational details are classified.]

[Confirmed participation in the Trama Sanctuary Battle.]

[Confirmed participation in the Cult’s 7th Apostle Extermination Battle.]

[Confirmed participation in the Southern Continent’s 4th War.]

[Presumed participation in the Vulcan Suburban Civil War.]

[Presumed participation in the Defense Force Shadow War.]

…

[Scheduled for participation in the Central Front Annihilation Battle.]

It hadn’t been long since Lennok completed his 7th-level Hierarchy.

He had once embarked on a journey to Blaiver Tower with Evelyn.

It was after he had killed Parden McQueen, the first leader of the Cartel, and first manifested the Kaleidoscope Domain.

Passing through the plains on their way to the Magic Tower, Evelyn and he had engaged in a few light spars to gauge each other’s skills.

Since then, Lennok had never once seen Evelyn fight at full strength.

‘This is the worst.’

Lennok thought as he watched Evelyn lightly jump off the swaying train.

What did it mean that she appeared on the very train Lennok intended to use for escape?

It would be impossible without knowing the flow and location of dozens of trains inside Bailuts.

While continuing her monstrous sniping and bombardment from outside the city, she analyzed the train’s route and confronted Lennok with a single movement.

It was absurd, but Lennok knew it was certainly not impossible for the archer with emerald eyes.

“……”

Even the slightest twitch of his fingertips was under her emerald gaze.

Evelyn’s eyes observed Lennok with an utterly cold expression.

It wasn’t the gaze she’d give an acquaintance, but a chilling stare reserved for an enemy to be eliminated.

Her clear green eyes measured Lennok from head to toe, analyzing his posture, balance, and center of gravity, instantly drawing a conclusion.

“You’re high on something.”

That was the first thing Evelyn said upon seeing Lennok.

“You’re barely standing, relying on something. No, are you clinging to it?”

She gauged Lennok’s height and weight through his loose robe, and from that alone, she saw that he wasn’t standing properly.

She even figured out that it was the effect of a drug and that he was only maintaining his balance using mana threads.

“You’re at leisure. You don’t seem to have overexerted yourself in combat. A Geas or a trigger? Spell casting conditions… No, it’s closer to a personal preference.”

Click, click!

Evelyn tilted her head, lightly touching and inspecting the short bow attached to her forearm.

“The closest thing I can think of is a variation in style… but why now? I don’t understand.”

“……”

Just by looking at his stance, she perfectly deduced how Lennok had dealt with Logier and his current condition.

It wasn’t that she estimated the motive and then inferred the result, but rather, she confirmed the result and then terrifyingly traced back the motive.

Evelyn’s talent and strength don’t just come from her divine archery.

Her senses are so keen, and her perception so sharp, that even Lennok, who had worked with her, was sometimes surprised.

She possessed the senses and judgment to perform her part in close combat, even with her archery talent.

Even if she didn’t have talent in archery, Evelyn would undoubtedly have become as strong as she was now.

Clang!

Evelyn drew an arrow from her waist, spun it once, and lowered her head.

“I won’t say much.”

“……”

“That werewolf you’ve captured. Put him down and slowly step back.”

Her green eyes glowed coldly.

“Then I’ll let you live.”

“…The Agent’s Divine Bow. I never expected to run into you here.”

Lennok slowly opened his mouth only after checking his voice modulation.

It was completely different from dealing with a stranger. Evelyn was one of the very few acquaintances who understood many of Lennok’s secrets.

He had to be careful not to arouse even a shred of suspicion due to differences in tone, accent, or nuance.

“I wondered who was firing such deadly shots from afar, but you weren’t even drawing the bowstring yourself, were you?”

“……”

“That’s an incredible technique. Though I’m not sure if it should be called archery.”

Evelyn didn’t respond to Lennok’s amused compliment.

She realized that her opponent had figured out how she was showering the satellite city with arrows.

She hadn’t been individually notching arrows and sniping from outside the satellite city.

Evelyn had merely shot arrows long before entering this city, ensuring they would fall throughout the city at delayed intervals.

It was an archery technique where she used a greatbow to shoot volleys of arrows into the sky, then had them bombard the city’s outskirts with a time delay.

It was an almost miraculous feat, impossible to attempt without the judgment and vision to predict dozens of minutes ahead.

All arrows, except those that directly struck Vernon or the train, had left her bowstring long ago.

Evelyn had fired a rain of arrows from outside the satellite city beforehand, making people believe she was still outside.

Then, taking advantage of that misconception, she had personally entered the city’s outskirts and was directly tracking members of Pandemonium.

“If it weren’t for this werewolf, I wouldn’t have been caught by you, but it’s a mutual situation, isn’t it?”

Lennok said, letting out a low chuckle.

“I was waiting too, knowing the risk.”

“…That man is a suspect who profited by going back and forth between Pandemonium and Aegis.”

Evelyn stated calmly.

“If you hand him over, I have no intention of holding you.”

“……”

“I’m just cooperating with Aegis’s operation, so I don’t intend to take all the credit… but I have to do my job. Decide.”

Her green eyes shone coldly.

“I won’t listen to any more answers.”

A declaration of absolute resolve.

Lennok knew better than anyone that the confidence in her words was built upon legitimate ability and qualification.

She was an overwhelmingly strong opponent, one with whom Lennok couldn’t guarantee a clear victory even if he fought at full strength.

Evelyn was a superhuman perfected in both power and technique, so much so that Lennok had occasionally received advice from her while working together.

Even though she had stepped down from her Agent position and was living a semi-retired life, that was entirely her own decision.

Every time she drew her bowstring, she put someone’s life on the line with her fingertips. That was the true essence of Evelyn Marcia, the archer.

Lennok stared at the Divine Bow, which exuded an endlessly sharp presence, and came to a conclusion.

‘It’ll be difficult if I seal off my elemental magic.’

As Victor, he could only use manipulation and spatial type special magic.

Although he added tricks using the shadow robe and various items, that was not his true essence.

Lightning magic was impossible, as were his own Domain and Ouroboros.

There was no need to explain how difficult it would be to face Evelyn while most of Lennok’s most powerful cards were hidden.

Upon encountering such a powerful opponent, Lennok’s course of action was set.

He adjusted the mana threads in both hands as if doing string figures, quickly steadying his breath.

‘The chances aren’t high. But…’

He had no intention of meekly handing over Logier.

As Evelyn said, Logier’s existence was the only way to secure information from both the Underworld and Aegis simultaneously.

He had somewhat expected Aegis and the City Government to try and reclaim him.

Although bearing the risk of facing Evelyn at this point was a heavy burden.

He couldn’t hand over Logier prematurely while the detailed adjustments weren’t finished.

Not until Lennok had organized the memories extracted from his Mind Imprint and confirmed that Logier was unlikely to reveal Lennok’s secrets.

Lennok slightly bowed his head on the swaying train roof.

“I’m afraid that’s difficult.”

“You think you can escape?”

Lennok quietly chuckled before answering.

In that fleeting moment Evelyn slightly frowned at his laughter.

“I’ll do my best.”

There was no answer.

Immediately after thinking that her green aura flickered faintly in the darkness, she was already within Lennok’s close proximity.

Whoosh!

She casually thrust an arrow held bare-handed into his side. The brevity of her movements, utterly devoid of hesitation, approached the speed of sound.

He reacted to the subsonic first strike purely by intuition.

‘Should I grab it? No…!!’

He snapped the rotating strands of mana threads in both hands, deflecting and narrowly twisting the arrow’s trajectory.

Screech…!!

The missed black flash in the darkness grazed the hem of the shadow robe and cleanly severed the asphalt.

Evelyn’s eyes gleamed as she confirmed Lennok’s response.

“You reacted? You’re not empty-handed.”

“……”

“To be able to parry a first strike at this range, your senses are flawless, and your judgment to deflect rather than catch is sharp.”

She paid no mind to the fact that the first attack missed.

Her attitude was as if she had been waiting for Lennok to react properly. That fact sent a chill down his spine.

“Let’s take a closer look.”

Evelyn’s hand, gripping the arrow in reverse, darted a few more times on the spot, and Lennok’s hands danced along with it.

The mana threads that had risen around the two of them rippled like waves, deflecting all the flashing light and embedding it into the ground.

Crackling!!!

A chilling cutting sound echoed at their feet, slicing through the incredibly sturdy train car plates and joints like garbage.

Lennok and Evelyn’s figures swapped positions dozens of times in an instant, clashing, disappearing from one spot, and reappearing with an explosive burst.

It was a stark contrast between Lennok, who barely dodged and endured by manipulating his body with mana threads, and the hunter who vanished into darkness with every step.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!!!

Amidst the train wreckage, he leapt over several incredibly dangerous lines of attack, far beyond anything he had faced before.

It was an exchange of offense and defense so sharp that the very air felt chilling just from the presence of their intent.

But the expression on Evelyn’s face was increasingly leaning towards curiosity and interest.

“Manipulation type. Mana threads. Thickness 0.2mm or less.”

Evelyn said, rubbing her cheek, having instantly realized the nature of the weapon Lennok was using.

“Tension and length seem to be adjusted in real-time, and you’re manipulating more than 54 strands of mana threads at once… You’re even separating your body and external combat, manipulating them independently.”

In a moment that lasted only a few breaths, she analyzed Lennok’s abilities and conditions with chilling accuracy and precision.

Beyond merely seeing what was visible, she speculated on what was invisible, seeking to confirm its true nature.

This was the inhuman intuition that only a monster who had completely awakened and transcended their own essence could possess.

It made Lennok acutely aware that he was directly confronting Evelyn.

“You seem skilled in close combat, but your movement details don’t match. But it’s not wrong either. It’s quite a unique style. Is it the effect of the drug?”

“Hmph…!!”

Unlike Evelyn, who spoke calmly, Lennok’s nerves, enduring the offense and defense relying solely on mana threads, were on the verge of fraying.

He had to maintain an equal or superior position in a battle of wits against an 8th-level extreme ability user.

No matter how overwhelmingly superior Lennok’s combat judgment and intuition were, it was difficult to endure without even using his Mystic Eye.

“I don’t know where that organization finds such eccentric individuals like you.”

Evelyn said, re-gripping her arrow and stepping forward.

“Every time I deal with Pandemonium, I wonder if there truly exists a natural disposition that can only be obtained after being twisted in some way.”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself…!!”

Lennok said, manipulating his body with mana threads, and narrowly dodged the arrow by sharply tilting his head back.

As the follow-up attack grazed the edge of his mask, simultaneously, the unconscious Logier and Lennok’s body began to be pulled as if snatched by something.

Whoosh!

He attached a mana thread to the end of another train passing overhead, forcibly creating distance.

An agile maneuverability that instantly opened up dozens of meters of distance.

At the same time, Lennok tore off part of his shadow robe, wrapped it around Logier’s body, and processed it into a shape similar to his own, splitting it into two.

“You created distance? Do you think you can evade?”

Evelyn, immediately realizing what Lennok was about to do, gripped the arrow in reverse and pulled back her shoulder.

“I won’t let you escape.”

Creak…!!

With the illusion that Evelyn’s arm below her shoulder momentarily vanished, a faint black flash shimmered from her fingertips.

As it left her hand, it shot forward at a speed exceeding sound.

Bang!

An arrow piercing the night sky instantly penetrated the shadow robe that was gliding between building walls.

But immediately after, the robe crumbled, and Lennok instantly appeared on the rooftop of a building across the street.

An incredibly swift and agile speed, unbelievable for simply changing his presence.

Evelyn’s eyes, realizing the opponent’s extraordinary mobility in an instant, grew cold.

“A hair’s breadth from a throw. You read the speed. You predicted it?”

Taking out two more arrows, she took a step forward, and Evelyn’s figure instantly ascended to a rooftop dozens of meters high.

As she rapidly sprinted across the rooftop and swept her left arm down, a black shortbow unfolded and assembled from within her forearm.

Her primary greatbow was currently being used for the widespread sniping across Bailuts, making it unavailable for immediate use.

However, this shortbow alone was sufficient for Evelyn to demonstrate her archery talent.

Screech!

She lowered her posture on the wide rooftop, sliding as she lowered her center of gravity.

She drew two arrows from her waist, nocked them onto the shortbow’s string, and infused mana into her fingertips.

The moment a black-green radiance seemed to flow and spin along the arrow shaft, the bowstring had already left Evelyn’s hand.

Whoosh!

Two arrows, piercing between buildings in a double helix, instantly chased after Lennok’s rapidly moving figure.

Lennok blinked once more, changing position in the same way, but a trailing arrow directly struck the first arrow fired.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!!!

The arrowheads exploded, scattering fragments like buckshot, tearing apart the railway area where the robe had been.

It was an incredibly powerful buckshot explosion, strong enough to make Logier’s body, swaying behind Lennok, twitch.

But even so, Lennok continued to flee ceaselessly out of Bailuts.

An absurd evasion maneuver where, despite Evelyn herself drawing the bowstring, it didn’t even come close to hitting, let alone directly striking.

Only then did Evelyn realize that her opponent possessed more than just manipulation-type spells, and she re-adjusted her stance.

“The life signature itself is incredibly peculiar. And the ability to leap across space itself. I see…”

Her green eyes glowed, scattering a faint, sharp light.

“You know me. Are you aware of my abilities?”

A monster using two special-type spells: manipulation and spatial.

Such talent and aptitude must be why he was calmly moving in and out of this city as a member of Pandemonium.

It was not surprising.

However, it seemed she needed to change her attitude, which had been evaluating her opponent until now.

Clang!

Pulling the end of the shortbow twice, the length of both limbs extended slightly, transforming it into a longbow.

This was a temporary measure to increase range and power, though it reduced stability.

But Evelyn was confident she could perfectly control even that minute sensation.

“Can you evade this too?”

As she pulled back the longbow’s string, her overwhelming Mind Imprint, located within her, emerged along the arrow’s tip.

‘I know how Evelyn uses archery.’

Lennok, rapidly thinking, created distance by repeatedly using his remaining flicker spells.

‘If I plan my movements to anticipate three or more evasions, I can stay ahead in the initial five shots. This is according to plan.’

Evelyn Marcia was an excellent warrior and a great archer, but her essence leaned more towards being a hunter.

Therefore, before beginning combat, she had a habit of evaluating and assessing her opponent rather than immediately going all out.

Lennok, aware of this, had managed to buy himself a brief moment by evading Evelyn’s first few arrows with movements that exceeded her expectations.

‘The problem is from now on, as Evelyn begins to use her Miniature Universe.’

Evelyn’s Miniature Universe, Inertial Deviation, was an ability that allowed her to freely manipulate the direction and inertia of objects imbued with her will.

It was a power that monstrously elevated all aspects of her combat style, both offense and defense, as a wondrous archer and an outstanding warrior.

It was also a truly powerful and versatile force that freed her arrows from the limitations of archery.

Until now, he had managed to make her shots miss by forcibly twisting his movements and distorting the trajectory, but such attempts would be completely ineffective under the power of Inertial Deviation.

No matter how much he tried to dodge the arrows, since she could change the arrow’s direction itself, whether he was hit was purely a matter of psychological warfare.

‘It’s a matter of when to use Miniature Universe and flicker spells. As long as she has the initiative, it’s a disadvantage.’

She was an opponent Lennok couldn’t predict victory against even if he fought at full strength.

There was no way he could endure as Victor, having to hide his identity and full power.

To finish adjusting Logier’s memories, he had no choice but to dodge her arrows and escape outside the city.

However, Lennok wasn’t simply creating distance without any countermeasures.

‘By now, the cross-continental train should be passing near the satellite city. Reaching near the station will be enough.’

Unlike the trains within Bailuts that Lennok had forcibly activated, there was a cross-continental train circulating between cities.

If he could board the cross-continental train passing near Bailuts and return to Vulcan, he could escape Evelyn’s pursuit.

No, more than that, it would be enough just to erase Lennok and Logier’s presence, avoiding Evelyn’s gaze.

All he needed was a brief opening.

Just as Lennok thought so, clinging to a mana thread and climbing onto a nearby train.

Click!

A flash of imagery, like a colossal black line piercing his brain, filled his mind.

“…!!!”

A massive black-green trajectory, cutting across the bustling district of Bailuts as if dividing it in two.

The moment Lennok perceived it with his mana sense, it had already struck at a speed exceeding sound.

The arrow, which narrowly grazed his feet, directly pierced the entire train car through its very center.

BOOM!!!

Dozens of impacted train cars exploded like balloons, swelling up like gigantic aluminum cans before scattering.

“Gah!”

The impact shattered all his shields, blood seeped from where the arrow grazed his skin, and even stained the torn shadow robe.

Evelyn, too, had immediately started to raise her Miniature Universe ability as soon as she sensed Lennok’s movements were quite strange.

‘She already noticed…!’

The arrow’s trajectory was so complexly twisted that even Lennok found it difficult to predict the initial path.

It was almost certainly a layered shot that had undergone at least five trajectory changes.

If the distance increased further, it would become even harder to read the trajectory of Evelyn’s arrows.

As distance increased, he wouldn’t be able to dodge Evelyn’s shots, but if he didn’t create distance, he couldn’t escape.

Furthermore, in this situation, with the unconscious Logier as baggage, it was unknown how long Lennok could protect himself while evading her attacks.

Screeching!!!!

A chilling, unerring presence, rising from beyond the building rooftop, as if hundreds of meters of distance meant nothing.

Her second shot, fired with her Inertial Deviation Mind Imprint at full power.

Whoosh!

But instead of timing a flicker spell, Lennok sharply twisted his body in reverse and spread his arms wide in the air.

He hadn’t decided to flee from Evelyn without any chances or basis.

On the contrary, there was one countermeasure that was only possible once this much distance had been created.