Daron’s movements momentarily paused, and in that instant, all the battle patterns he had envisioned exploded in his mind.
Ssssaaaack!!
Lennok swiftly distanced himself from Daron, rising from the sand and replenishing his mana. He utilized shock magic to disrupt Daron’s balance from swinging his fist and targeted his frozen legs.
Kwaang!!
A spear made of sand was thrust into Daron’s staggering thigh, followed by a flash spell that covered his eye.
Paaaang!!
Dodging Daron’s flailing tail, Lennok slid back and struck him with a shotgun he had pulled out.
Amidst wielding his magic, Lennok continuously moved to disturb Daron’s line of sight, limiting his angles of evasion.
Although he currently enjoyed superior mobility on the sand, Lennok yearned for the day when he could move freely like this on solid ground.
With this thought in mind, Lennok advanced once again, conjuring a fireball above his head and releasing it.
Kwaaaaaang!!
As soon as Daron’s vision was obstructed, Lennok launched another attack.
He spread the palm of his left hand and inserted two fingers of his right hand between the middle finger. Focusing on the powerful image in his mind, he channeled his thoughts.
[Bolt of Lightning]
Wiiiiiiiiing……!!!
The two strands of electricity on his palm twisted into a double spiral, covering the arrow and the spear.
In the next moment, the lightning pierced accurately through the bursting flames and Daron’s chest.
Fizzzzzzzzz!!!
“Krooooooooo!!”
Daron’s reaction to the small fist-sized bolt was intense. He screamed in agony, showing a completely different expression of pain.
From his cheek, where the surface of the metal was exposed, a liquid, whether tears or oil, flowed down.
Daron possessed a skeletal and nervous system made of steel, and the complex structure was severely affected by the shock of electricity.
The protection spell earlier might have withstood the White Thunder’s flame, but this pain was something else entirely.
His close proximity to being a machine made him more vulnerable to specific attacks like electricity.
Had he undergone body modification using magic engineering, he might have developed spell resistance. However, Daron’s body, lacking mana, made it impossible.
Fzzzzzzz……!!
Trapped in a prison of blue lightning, Daron’s entire body stiffened, constantly emitting blue sparks.
The Bolt of Lightning was indeed powerful, a focused electric magic, but its true might was displayed after hitting the target.
The highly compressed flow of electricity burst from within, completely shattering the target.
This reaction was particularly fatal for a body that was mostly machinery.
“Not yet, not yet……!! Not yet, not yet……!!”
Lennok witnessed Daron walking slowly toward him, repeating a single phrase like a broken machine, and saw the desperation in Daron’s eyes.
The burning neural network within Daron slowly paralyzed the machine equipment that composed his being, extinguishing his life responses.
Lennok gazed at the motionless Daron and calmly withdrew the cigarette from his mouth, which he had been silently biting.
“Hoo…”
He likened the feeling to the aftermath of using Feather Fall. The backlash hit him quicker than expected.
However, Lennok had prepared for such situations and managed to keep his composure.
From his trembling hands, he retrieved a healing potion gifted by Dray. This potion was a refined version of a regeneration spell called Headlock, known for its ability to restore internal and external damage. It would be highly effective for Lennok, whose body was battered from the intense battle.
“… Ugh.”
Lennok grimaced in displeasure as he consumed the potion. Its bitterness was almost unbearable, causing his tongue to sting.
Suddenly, he felt a faint vibration in his earpiece.
-…This was more than just biding time.
Hina’s voice came through the earpiece.
-How could you so easily take down one of Falcon’s high-ranking officers…
Though she tried to sound composed, her voice quivered with shock and admiration.
The other freelancers present were also overwhelmed by the aftermath of Lennok’s magic, keeping their distance in awe. They had witnessed the power of a wizard whose individual might surpassed that of a whole group. The destructive force of his lightning-based magic left them dumbfounded and incapable of approaching.
The violence that unfolded before their eyes left them stunned, unable to snap out of it.
Lennok’s prowess had far exceeded what the gathered freelancers had imagined.
Injured members from team 1 shook their heads, exchanging glances with team 2.
“You all had a reason to believe in that wizard. I didn’t expect he was such a thoroughly trained combat wizard….”
“No, we had no idea he was that capable either….?”
The chloride manipulator awkwardly scratched his cheek.
How many of them had worked with a wizard who could manipulate sand and summon bright lightning bolts from the sky?
It was not surprising that events had turned out this way, despite Lennok initially intending to buy time.
Once they realized that stopping the pursuit meant targeting the spine that granted Daron’s mobility, the outcome had already been decided.
As always, this was an operation that wouldn’t end without someone’s death.
And Lennok had no regrets or remorse about it.
He touched his earpiece and promptly called Chen.
“I took care of the base commander. How’s your side?”
There was a brief silence before Chen responded in a flustered voice.
-Did you just defeat that scorpion-like monster?
“Did you handle the pursuit team assigned to you?”
-Yes. Two of them are dead, but we dealt with all the pursuers. We’ve joined the drivers now.
“Tell me your location.”
-No, we’re coming to you.
Chen roughly grasped the location of the sand mound while fighting, so driving the vehicle shouldn’t pose a significant issue.
After speaking with Chen, Lennok proceeded to search Daron’s motionless body.
This was the first time he had encountered someone who had undergone such extensive modifications, and he was particularly interested in the regenerative alloy tail that Daron had.
He saw this as an opportunity to acquire items that could enhance his own strength right then and there.
Hina seemed to have an idea of what Lennok was up to, but she remained silent, seemingly unbothered. After witnessing Lennok’s skills in action, she must have realized the baselessness of her previous doubts about him. Considering his significant contribution to the operation, it was only fitting that he should claim such spoils.
KiiGigik…!!
Using magnetic control, Lennok opened Daron’s metal skeleton and extracted something from within.
It was a fist-sized engine that had replaced Daron’s heart. Although it was heavily damaged from the aftermath of Lennok’s White Thunder, its structure was still discernible.
This engine provided valuable insight into how body modifications could be done without the use of magic engineering.
Additionally, Lennok salvaged some of the regenerative alloy near Daron’s spine and the laser attached to his tail. There were numerous valuable items to take from Daron, given that he had undergone almost complete mechanical modification.
As Lennok continued to search for the artifact that had blocked his [White Thunder], he unexpectedly heard a soft voice from behind.
[So it came to this in the end?]
“…”
The voice was unfamiliar, and Lennok swiftly turned his head to see the sudden apparition.
The figure appeared thin, with eerie, narrow eyes and peculiarly braided hair.
The young man, who identified himself with his hand on Daron’s chest, seemed enigmatic, his head bowed low.
Though Lennok momentarily frowned at his failure to notice the newcomer’s arrival, he quickly realized the situation.
‘It’s not real… It seems like a projection using a medium.’
Indeed, it was a small earring that had fallen from Daron’s ear.
The residual magic emanating from the jewel likely projected the image of someone distant.
It was evident that the young man possessed extraordinary wizardry skills to utilize such a spell with a pre-used artifact.
Lennok remained composed despite the unexpected encounter.
[You fool.]
It was a message for his friend, who could no longer hear him.
[I warned you that switching bodies like that would make you vulnerable to electric attacks. I even created an artifact to reduce your conductivity… but I guess I expected too much.]
The young man muttered as if sighing, slowly turning his head.
His expression appeared extremely indifferent, an eerie demeanor that didn’t fit the situation at all.
Though Lennok knew it was a projection, he instinctively readied his mana in response to the strange emotions intersecting with this unreal image.
“Hina.”
-It’s Jaun Odys, the leader of Falcon. I never thought I’d encounter him like this…
Hina’s voice reflected tension.
She appeared more uneasy than Lennok, who was actually present at the scene.
The young man, Jaun, glanced at Lennok and spoke.
[Daron’s engine.]
[It was quite expensive. I had to trade over 200 lives, shooting through the desert, just to acquire it. I hope you’ll put it to good use.]
Even in the face of a comrade’s death, his words seemed oddly detached.
Lennok couldn’t help but ask him, without realizing it.
If he could provoke Jaun, he wanted to find out whether the indifferent facade, even in the face of death, was his true nature or simply a thoroughly crafted mask.
“Why did you ally yourself with the dark wizards?”
[What?]
“Originally, the inner city wasn’t your concern. I’m curious as to why you suddenly started to meddle in Vulcan.”
-…Van?
Ignoring Hina’s voice, Lennok posed the question, causing Jaun to faintly smile with an emotionless expression.
[You ask interesting questions. It would’ve been more fun if you had dared to ask that in person.]
“……”
[I’m someone who is honest with myself. I don’t care about complex webs of interests. All I want is money, women, and toys to play with.]
Jaun’s eyes glinted sharply for a moment.
[And while I’m at it, I seek revenge on the fucking bastard who killed my friend.]
As Jaun muttered, Lennok sensed the faint emotions seeping beyond his smile.
A profound and unbearable hatred, along with an incredibly strong bond.
Yes.
Those contradictory words were merely a mantra to console himself. He, too, was a human burdened by the sorrow of losing a comrade.
Realizing this, Lennok faintly smiled and said, “Then we might meet face-to-face soon.”
The two gaunt wizards locked eyes in silence.
[Is that so.]
Jaun, who had been quiet, grinned.
As the illusion gradually faded, Jaun murmured, [I wonder if you’ll still wear that expression when we meet again, Van.]
Thud-!
After the illusion dissipated, Hina, coming to a realization, whispered softly.
-He knew your name from the beginning…
“It’s not surprising. They must be gathering information from their end as well.”
Lennok didn’t find it strange. During the operation, they intentionally allowed a few members of the organization to escape, leaving the encryption key at the trade center. Gathering information about those involved in the operation wouldn’t have been difficult.
Tossing the dying cigarette into the sand dune, Lennok muttered, “The problem begins now. They must have realized that we tracked down the location of their temporary base.”
Unveiling Van’s identity or the agent’s involvement was not a significant issue. Those were risks they took when hiding the dummy data in the encryption key.
However, revealing that they could track the location in such a way might cause problems in future operations.
-Leave that part to us.
Hina’s voice remained calm.
-Considering they only started this after collaborating with the dark wizards, we only need to find the hideout of the dark wizards. We should get a lead from interpreting the data you acquired in this operation.
It was a natural course of action after enduring a relentless chase to safely extract that data.
“Good. Then this operation is… over for now.”
Apart from extracting the data from the temporary base, Lennok himself gained valuable items. Various parts were extracted from Daron’s body, which resembled a living robot, as well as a grimoire of necromantic spells taken from the tent.
By incorporating the techniques of necromancy he had encountered while dealing with the dark wizard, he could potentially understand the specific principles of the spells and create his own destructive magic, akin to those used by Practical faction dark wizards.
(To be Continued)
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