Chapter 709: Housebreaking (2)

BOOM!!

“Aarghh!!”

The shapes of trucks and armored vehicles burning fiercely. The screams of soldiers who couldn’t endure, echoing from everywhere.

Four High-Hierarchy Superhumans raged unchecked, smashing through the ruined military encampment.

“Adamant Thunder!!”

Meryllda, with a sword taller than herself slung over her shoulder, gestured towards Lennok.

“Found the logistics warehouse! Come on over!!”

This was the Deadrise-affiliated military encampment, discovered for the first time in Restricted Zone 59.

Lennok, along with the Cartel executives, had sprung into action as soon as they found the encampment.

In less than five minutes, the entire facility was incapacitated.

All four superhumans who had joined the operation were 7th-level or higher High-Hierarchy Superhumans who had completed their Hierarchy.

Moreover, each individual possessed different abilities and Hierarchies, and all were veterans of combat.

There was no one among those gathered who didn’t know how to face a group with the power of a single individual.

“On my way.”

CRACK!

Lennok drove a bolt into the brow of the soldier he was gripping by the collar, then immediately turned around.

Inside the logistics warehouse Meryllda had found, Anghel was already sweeping up all sorts of data and documents.

He removed the electronic equipment’s connector, pulled out a terminal from his pocket, and plugged it in, rapidly copying the internal data.

Documents were quickly scanned, trash incinerated, and only the necessary parts tossed into a box he’d brought.

Anghel performed all of these tasks while half-obscured by a misty, blurry form.

“I’m mostly done here. It seems there are several similar encampments within the zone, as expected.”

Anghel, having quickly finished his work, returned to his human form and spoke.

“Communications within the zone aren’t smooth, so it seems adjacent encampments are communicating with each other to transport supplies. The destination continues deep into the zone.”

“Your work speed is impressive. Have you done operations like this before?”

“It’s because of my ability, you see.”

Anghel smiled, rubbing his cheek.

“I’ve been deployed as a scout for information theft more than once or twice.”

“Good. I had more evidence that there were multiple encampments anyway.”

Lennok chuckled, gesturing towards the encampment.

“Considering the size and noise of the cranes, the facility must have noticed our presence. Yet, they didn’t react until they were attacked.”

“Perhaps they didn’t want to pay for a broken crane…? My apologies.”

As Tatiana and Meryllda turned their heads with annoyed expressions, Anghel quickly apologized.

[Pffft.]

“……”

Feeling Davi squirming in his arms, seemingly pleased by the unexpected response, Lennok replied.

“All the crane operators in this vicinity have been bribed. That’s why they don’t pay much mind even if a crane passes by here.”

Lennok spoke again, watching Meryllda press down on Anghel.

“Bribing surrounding cranes means that there isn’t just one military encampment. If we find and connect the locations of the encampments, at the end of it—”

“We can secure either a satellite factory or a launchpad, right? Got it.”

Meryllda said, kicking open the warehouse door and stepping outside to stretch.

“Anghel, you go northwest. I’ll take the southeast.”

“Understood.”

“Are we splitting up already?”

As Tatiana looked between the two Cartel executives, Lennok checked the time and replied.

“Both Meryllda and Anghel have sufficient mobility, and they are special forces capable of handling a few encampments alone.”

“If we disperse our forces too much here, there’s a risk of being defeated individually. We also have to consider the possibility that Flame Pillars or other executives might still be there.”

“Peshia Grisbern won’t be tied up in the casino forever.”

Lennok said, checking his phone screen again.

Her figure was still lingering around the casino.

He could monitor her for now, but the deeper they penetrated the zone, the more outside communication would be cut off.

He had left arrangements in place for that contingency, but conversely, it also meant it wouldn’t be strange if Peshia also had a way to receive news from inside the zone.

They had to deal with this as quickly as possible before the Ghost Princess noticed the anomaly in Zone 59.

“We’ll split up and move in opposite directions. Find and destroy facilities, then mark their locations.”

Lennok said, pulling out several long, slender fireworks from his pocket and tossing them to Anghel and Meryllda.

“These leave a trail in the sky for about an hour. They’re usually forbidden for use over cities, but…”

“No one in a restricted zone will care, will they?”

“Once anti-gravity airships start flying around the city in earnest, won’t these become completely prohibited items?”

Anghel said, picking up the fireworks and tucking them into his pocket anyway.

At the same time, he cupped his hands around his mouth and began to gather his breath, exhaling in deep, steady puffs.

Hssss…!!

A pure white mist seemed to seep from between Anghel’s fingers, and then the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

“I’ll go first~”

WHOOSH!

The moment he blew another breath into the gathered exhalation, the bitterly cold breath spread straight down below the crane.

Anghel, who had carelessly tucked the bundle of fireworks into his pocket, flung himself onto his breath, which instantly turned into a frosty mist.

That cold breath of mist became a chilling fog, supporting Anghel’s lean body as he slid swiftly over the surface of the garbage.

WHOOSH!!!

Through the garbage plain, condensed frost consumed the surrounding area, swelling in size and gaining speed.

It was an overwhelming sight, as if it had become part of a natural phenomenon, sweeping across the entire land.

Among cryokinetic innate abilities, Anghel’s superhuman power undoubtedly covered the most vast domain.

Upon seeing this, Meryllda also leaped headfirst backwards from the crane.

In place of Meryllda falling, a massive wolf with pure white fur exploded into view.

Its two glowing, fluorescent eyes flickered before it dashed away on all fours.

Lennok nodded, looking satisfied at the sight.

“With the Cartel executives lending a hand, things are easier. High-hierarchy superhumans with experience in these kinds of operations are rare.”

The Cartel executives were not only skilled, but each was filled with powerful individuals who had mastered rare abilities or talents.

Whether it was the bewilderingly vast cryokinetic superhuman power, or the mixed blood of ancient phantom beast species.

They possessed unique talents, yet they didn’t neglect their fundamentals and had abundant experience.

Meryllda and Anghel, too, understood exactly what they needed to do without much explanation and moved accordingly.

This was why Olivera had personally selected the Cartel executives, each of whom reigned as a formidable and powerful superhuman.

“We should descend soon too. Now that Meryllda and Anghel have moved, they’ll have noticed us on their end.”

The figures of a pure white beast and a cold mist, bursting forth from both sides of the giant crane.

It was unlikely that the Deadrise-affiliated military forces would overlook such a sight.

On the contrary, for veteran soldiers experienced in battle, it wouldn’t be strange for them to react to such a situation faster than anyone else.

Lennok left the crane and immediately descended with Tatiana onto the scattered piles of garbage.

Thump, thump, thump!!

The crane, with its steering wheel fixed by magic threads, continued to stubbornly advance on its own.

The crane accelerated at an incredible speed, charging towards another military encampment visible in the distance.

Tatiana, confirming the crane’s direction, offered a bitter smile.

“I’d say you look more accustomed to this kind of work than the Cartel executives, actually.”

“I do have some experience. Here, take this.”

Lennok pulled out a heavy chunk of iron from his pocket and handed it to Tatiana, who received it with a bewildered expression.

“W-what?! It’s too heavy for fireworks…!!”

“Fireworks? You could say it’s a firework, if you stretch it.”

“……”

Tatiana, realizing only then that what Lennok had given her was a much larger heavy machine gun, was speechless.

A rotary magazine type, with dozens of large-caliber muzzles attached, using large-caliber rounds.

It was an item that used rounds so massive that a normal human body would leave no trace if merely grazed.

The very act of a human holding and using such an object with bare hands was—

“Huh?”

Tatiana, belatedly realizing she was holding it perfectly fine, tilted the machine gun with a puzzled expression.

“It’s not as heavy as I thought?”

“Because I based it on fluid-type internal metal and layered lightweight magic on top of it.”

Lennok turned to Tatiana and said.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t use powerful flame magic without a proper ignition source?”

“But I replenished my ignition source for this mission…”

“There’s no need for that.”

Lennok smiled, tapping the bandage wrapped around his left arm.

“If you need an ignition source, you can replenish it with this.”

Tatiana offered a wry smile, realizing why Lennok had handed her such a heavy weapon.

“I see. So you’re saying I should supplement my long-range firepower through other means?”

“You didn’t have a single artifact that a Magic Tower wizard would invariably possess.”

“……”

Though Tatiana didn’t know it, Lennok had already met her once before, as Victor, in the Well of the Codex.

Her martial prowess, sweeping the battlefield with powerful conflagration magic, was still vividly etched in his memory.

But the powerful artifacts she possessed at the time were now nowhere to be seen.

Spell-infused armaments that assisted a wizard’s combat, such as the mirror with red threads, the red cube, and the red ring.

Lennok had never seen the artifacts that amplified Tatiana’s flame magic to its limits since their reunion.

She wouldn’t have refrained from using them even in life-threatening situations, so they must have been confiscated or left behind when she escaped the Magic Tower.

That’s why Lennok had specially crafted combat-assisting items for her.

“I took a Predator Machine Gun as a base, reduced its weight as much as possible, and cast enchantment spells on its magazine.”

Lennok said, pointing to the machine gun’s magazine.

“With the authority of the Phoenix Hall, I can designate the bullets as your ‘ignition source.’ If you just mix a little mana when you fire…”

“It’ll be enough to serve as an ignition source, you mean.”

Tatiana instantly understood Lennok’s words and nodded.

CLACK! (Sound of cocking a gun or loading a magazine)

Tatiana, raising the machine gun with surprisingly skillful movements for someone handling it for the first time, moved first.

“Alright, Tower Lord. Then let’s begin.”

At that moment, the crane that had been racing ahead of the two arrived first at the military encampment visible in the distance.

Immediately after, it emitted a bluish magical light and exploded right there.

BOOOM!!!

A massive heavy machine, meters tall, exploding with its engine, unleashing flames.

A heavy shockwave and bluish flames rose like a mushroom cloud, relentlessly sweeping through the military encampment.

…!!!?!?

!!!!!!!!!!!

Desperate shouts and intense gunfire echoed from afar.

The makeshift containers melted helplessly, and the armored vehicles’ tires slowly stuck to the heat.

Flames raging everywhere spread to the transported supplies, but no one was there to contain them.

Dudududududu!!!

Each time violent gunfire rang out from beyond the flames, another spark of fire erupted amidst the blaze, incinerating the soldiers’ bodies.

“Return fire!! What are you doing?!”

“Rear units, focus on putting out the fire!! Bring all the fire extinguishers attached to the vehicles!!”

“We can’t put out the fire. It’s not an ordinary flame…!!”

BOOM!

The barricade they used as a shield melted helplessly, and the soldiers hiding behind it were instantly incinerated into ash.

“Aarghhh!!”

Bullets fired faster than the speed of perception exploded hundreds at a time in the blink of an eye, forming a concentrated impact zone of fire.

The machine gun’s firepower itself became a moving barrage, an impenetrable line of defense.

[Incendiary Arrival]

[Blazing Bullet Enchantment]

Amidst the non-stop rapid fire, the fully chanted Conflagration magic activated.

Using the sparks that erupted from the bullets’ impact as a medium, it began to raise a wall of fire on the spot.

[Harmonized Calamity Wall]

RUMBLE!!! (Sound of something huge and fiery rising/spreading)

The soldiers’ faces turned pale as they witnessed the colossal wall of fire engulfing the entire encampment.

“Goddammit!!”

“It’s flame magic!! Everyone get your insulated gear!!”

Only a Warmage of the Blaiver Magic Tower could unleash flame magic of this magnitude with a mere gesture.

And a high-hierarchy flame mage attacking them at this very moment… there was no need to state their identity.

Realizing their opponent’s identity, the superhumans of the Deadrise-affiliated military encampment began to scream at the top of their lungs.

“The Witch of Conflagration has appeared! All units, battle stations!!”

“Target designation complete. Single individual confirmed! She’s alone!!”

“Contact other encampments! We’ll capture the Witch here and trade her to the Magic Tower!!”

BOOOM!!!

The superhumans, donning thick gas mask-like visors from their pockets, rapidly burst through the flames.

The flames of the conflagration magic surged, piercing their combat uniforms and scorching their skin, but they charged forward, ignoring the pain.

They knew that as long as their heads and respiratory organs were protected, combat itself was possible.

Tatiana, watching them from afar, glared at them coldly.

“So they really did bring equipment prepared for anti-mage combat from before?”

The encampment’s superhumans approached rapidly, ignoring the damage, as if they had anticipated such a situation all along.

It was proof that they didn’t trust the Blaiver Magic Tower they had allied with, but rather, had even trained for situations where they would face them.

Their meticulousness and preparedness were impressive, but knowing the source of their motives, Tatiana felt only anger, not admiration.

Holding the machine gun with both hands, she stamped her foot firmly, and a red jeweled necklace shot up from her neck.

Tatiana snatched it with her mouth, and while holding the jewel, instantly chanted a conflagration spell.

[Armor of Conflagration, Type 14]

[Designated Incineration]

[Rites of Rebirth]

WHOOSH!!! (Sound of flames erupting and swirling)

Instantly, the flames that had surged around Tatiana’s neck transformed into a cloak of fire, fluttering like the robes of a giant phoenix.

Clad in the Rites of Rebirth, protecting her entire body, Tatiana wildly sprayed bullets from the machine gun amidst the pillars of fire.

Dududududu!!!

Standing alone at the entrance of the encampment, she pulled the trigger, and her conflagration magic, fueled by the ignition source, chanted at high speed.

The superhumans who had charged from all directions began to fall helplessly.

“Goddamn it, when did the Witch get such heavy weaponry?!”

“They came in with that kind of weapon, no wonder everyone’s getting shot to death…!!”

“Support from other encampments?!! What are the communications officers doing?!”

[W-we’ve reached the barracks with a connected line. We’ll contact right away… Aaargh!!]

“Communications—!!”

BOOOM!!!

Before the scream could even die down, a makeshift structure standing right beside them exploded.

Lennok appeared, dragging a blood-soaked corpse.

His figure, leaning on a silver staff and holding a musket in his other hand, was profoundly incongruous.