Lennok had always yearned to ride a bike, yet a biking opportunity had never presented itself for him.
“Take the back seat,” Hina beckoned.
After swiftly donning a helmet, Hina turned around to reveal a tandem bike, managed by her firm grip on the throttle. Her face was hidden behind the helmet, but her elongated, upturned eyes suggested a smile.
Had he anticipated this turn of events, Lennok would have finished his supportive biking enchantment magic sooner. Feeling a tinge of regret for the first time in ages, Lennok climbed onto the bike’s rear without a word.
Roar!
This behemoth of a bike was twice the size of the typical freelancers’. The machine, with its booming exhaust and pulsating vibrations, boasted customized features that set it apart from any other.
Spotting Lennok’s curious gaze, Hina looked back and casually asked, “Impressive, isn’t it?”
“Seems practical.”
“I use it only for out-of-town trips, and it’s a modified version that I invested my own funds into. It took me six months’ worth of bonuses.”
“Not interested.”
For someone who doesn’t appear overly energetic, it seems her interest lies in this direction. Even though Lennok’s response was grumpy, it didn’t deter Hina from continuing her playful banter.
“Alright…I get it. Being a freelancer doesn’t mean you have to be a biking enthusiast. Perhaps I should have offered to lend you a bike instead?”
“Quit the jokes, let’s move.”
Hina, unfazed by Lennok’s annoyance, continued her ribbing.
“I presumed there wasn’t anything beyond your skills, but who’d have thought riding a bike would be an exception?”
“I said, I requested a car.”
Nevertheless, Lennok recognized why this mission required bikes. Unlike the solitary temporary base situated in the desert outskirts, Falcon’s main headquarters were nestled in a dilapidated industrial sector far from Vulcan.
Previously earmarked for an abandoned satellite city development project, the region is a forgotten wasteland. This struggling urban area, far removed from the mega city’s buzz, houses a forced labor camp that employs aimless wanderers.
Given the urban combat expected to take place around the labor camp during the operation, individual mobility was prioritized over group movement.
Hina chuckled at Lennok’s words.
“Apologies. The thought of an outstation trip after such a long while got me so thrilled that I unknowingly spent all my time with the operations team.”
“Enough chit-chat, let’s roll…!”
With a light-hearted laugh, Hina twisted the throttle, releasing a thunderous sound.
Roar!
Immediately, the new beast of a machine raced uphill, leaving several other bikes in its wake.
Roar!
The rumble of following engines resonated as the remaining freelancers embarked on their journey.
The sprawling barren plateau lay ahead. Riding across an unobstructed field with the horizon in clear sight was not half bad. Lennok found himself at the back of Hina’s bike, clutching the handlebars tight.
“Amazing vista!”
“We might lose our lead!”
The freelancers were in high spirits, racing with their counterparts amidst such spectacular scenery. The inclusion of enforcement agents in the mission further boosted their morale. The agents were seen as the real deal, and their presence was the strongest reassurance that the freelancers weren’t expendable.
Chen chose a slim-framed bike, embraced the wind with a bright smile, and fired up the exhaust. Ignoring his surroundings, he zoomed ahead, with the Vulcan landscape receding swiftly behind him.
Catching a glimpse of the receding skyscraper forest, Hina suggested, “If the handlebars make you anxious, you can hold onto my waist. Don’t be afraid.”
At her teasing smirk, Lennok let out a long sigh.
“When will you cease your jesting?”
“Until you dismount the bike?”
“I can ride a bike, but my intention is to preserve my mana to the fullest extent…”
“It’s a joke.”
Hina looked at the wordlessly brooding Lennok and gave a soft smile.
“I have witnessed your formidable wizardry during the base recapture mission.”
“……”
“I am certain we can achieve victory in this operation. And for that, it’s wise for you to preserve your mana till the absolute end.”
His magic’s spectacular deployment against Daron had left an indelible impression on her.
It was something she couldn’t fathom.
Though they had been on multiple operations together, it was the first time Lennok had showcased his magical abilities in action.
Despite being cognizant of his battle tactics through the data screen, witnessing it firsthand had significantly altered her perception.
In time, Lennok, who had been quietly taking in the surrounding scenery, furrowed his brow.
“What’s wrong?”
A vaguely familiar vista.
His icy gaze fixed on the landscape, stirred by the sense of recognition. He should have suspected when he heard the term ‘forced labor camp’, but it only dawned on him when he observed the run-down alleyway.
“I see.”
The jumbled array of neon signs and fading lights. A labor camp cluttered with crushed metal sheets and worn signs.
The memory of his face and head being pummeled for the first time.
Those sleepless nights, eyes wide open, forcing his exhausted body to carry on.
The peculiar sensation of taking a life for the first time and the chill of the pilfered pistol in his grip.
All were etched vividly in his mind.
This labor camp was the site of the factory where Lennok had first awakened in this world.
‘I presumed it would be outside the city…’
He had never attempted to find it on his own.
The pre-magic-learned Lennok was simply one of the factory workers who narrowly escaped death by fleeing.
He had eliminated more than three individuals with a stolen supervisor’s firearm before leaving.
But as Lennok honed his innate abilities obsessively, developed his strength, and became a wizard, he also buried these memories out of fear.
More than a year has passed.
He never anticipated returning to this place in such a manner.
Old memories persistently resurfaced, chasing their own tail.
‘Now that I think of it, the supervisors here were paying some goods to a group called the Union. And the thing that union sells was…?’
“It was a grinder that dark wizards use to pulverize corpses.”
“Van, what on earth have you been mumbling about?”
Hina looked puzzled at his soliloquy.
Lennok started to explain his newly understood revelation, then simply shook his head.
While he was aware that the ties between Craig and Falcon were older than he’d thought, it’s irrelevant now.
The current priority is to locate and assault Falcon’s headquarters from this labor camp’s proximity.
“It’s nothing. We’re closing in, what’s our plan?”
“Falcon’s base is deep within the labor camp. Can you spot it?”
Upon Hina’s query, Lennok raised his head to scan the sky.
A massive slave market blanketed by the sky. A dark, cloud-like curtain descended, shrouding the area.
“The closer we get, the clearer it becomes. It’s starting to show itself.”
“……”
“It’s a spell cast by dark wizards, the ‘Raven’s Curtain’… It allows entry but forbids exit. It’s renowned as a fortress.”
Lennok grasped the implications of those words effortlessly.
“Seems we have to breach it regardless. They probably figured there was no need to conceal their base once its location was disclosed.”
“That’s plausible. We have two options. Either wrap things up before the curtain fully descends, or…”
“Or decapitate the dark wizard known as Craig.”
Cheisha interrupted, blowing a bubble gum.
Massive cartridges, almost the size of a person, were affixed to either side of her bike, lending it an unusual look.
The design suggested that it wouldn’t be out of place to expect a hail of bullets when traversing a narrow alleyway.
An immense black curtain large enough to cloak an entire sector.
Its descent, like a gargantuan sky-blocking veil, was perplexing, but the objective at hand remained the same.
“Indeed, it would be prudent to send a preliminary greeting before we enter. They’re likely aware of our approach by now.”
“A greeting?”
“You’re asking because you’re not sure?”
The retort came not from Hina, but from Cheisha, piloting a monstrous bike several times Hina’s size.
Clank!!
With her words, a cartridge on her bike swung open, revealing a machine radiating a bright red wave.
Cheisha released the bike handle, gripping the machine with both hands.
Observing her control the bike purely with her thigh strength caused Lennok to wince momentarily.
However, as the device in her hands unfolded into a massive bazooka over 2 meters long, even Lennok found himself agape.
“Moments like these call for heavy artillery.”
Thud!!
She snatched a missile mid-flight from the bike’s wheel, loaded the hefty iron mass into the cannon, and adjusted her stance.
Simultaneously, the immense red mana exuding from her wrapped around the cannon, transmogrifying into a dense wave.
Whiiiiiiiiing!!!
She aimed the cannon skyward and fired without hesitation.
Kwa-a-a-a-ng!!
A flash of light streaked into the overcast sky, dispersing the red wave.
In response to the sonorous boom that seemed to rupture the air, all trailing freelancers simultaneously craned their necks.
-What’s her target?
Chen’s voice echoed through the earphones, overcoming the bike’s roar.
Predicting Cheisha’s intentions from her seemingly random initial attack shot would be challenging.
However, Lennok, having observed her mana flow before she fired, had an inkling of her plan.
Perhaps, because Lennok himself had been utilizing shooting support magic for a while, he could empathize with the unfolding scenario.
“A wide range attack, is it…?”
“Eh?”
Cheisha, grasping Lennok’s mutterings, swiveled her head.
Her eyes, visible beyond the inflated bubble gum, were wide with surprise.
“How did you figure it out?”
-What are you guys…
Before Chen could complete his sentence, the clouded sky split open.
Dozens of fragmented red flashes descended from the ruptured curtain.
Du-du-du-du-du-du!!!
A sound akin to machine gunfire.
An unending shell shower accurately targeted the slave market’s center.
Dust explosions sporadically erupted, transforming the street into an instant warzone.
In the ensuing chaos, no one noticed the freelancers, on their bikes, infiltrating the slave market.
Everyone finally realized the source of the skyward bombardment.
Witnessing her sudden onslaught, the other freelancers looked on, horrified.
-Is this the power of an execution agent?
-To focus fire so accurately while bike riding…!!
Just as the freelancers admired her candidly, Lennok, who had predicted her finely fragmented magical flow, was equally taken aback.
Cheisha, unperturbed by their admiration, stowed the massive bazooka, larger than herself, back into the bike’s cartridge.
As if such feats were mundane.
“Let’s proceed.”
Without waiting for a response.
Whoo-a-a-ang!!
Dozens of bikes charged into the slave market’s decrepit streets.
The smoky streets remained unguarded, posing no obstacle to their entry.
(To be Continued)
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