Lennok, too, employed his levitation skills to enchant his shoes, propelling himself downwards.
Kwaahh!!
Upon touching down on the dimly lit floor, a spacious corridor stretched out before him.
Unlike the rundown landscape above, the interior of the corridor was meticulously designed, with robust metal walls.
At first glance, it was evident that this place was artificially crafted.
Observing the dense traces of negative mana he sensed, Lennok nodded.
‘It appears they’ve erected a barrier to contain the mana within, delineating the realms above and below ground.’
Surveying the charred remains scattered across the area, it was evident that they had faced the full impact of Lennok’s fireball while defending the base entrance.
However, there was little time for contemplation.
Dudududududu!!!
As the members of the Falcon organization spotted the invaders entering through the massive crack in the road leading underground, they promptly unleashed a barrage of bullets.
“Damn it!!”
Even for those who possessed superhuman abilities strengthened by mana, bullets posed a genuine threat.
Yet, the freelancers surrounding Lennok showcased their experience by swiftly obliterating nearby walls and flooring to create cover, deftly evading the relentless bullet onslaught.
“Van, get in here!!”
“There’s no need.”
Fzzzzzt!!
[Thunder Flower]
Lennok propelled a surge of electricity into the air, sweeping through the underground corridor with tremendous force.
At the fork in the corridor, where it branched into three directions, the electric bundle came to a halt and started revolving, eventually blooming into a mesmerizing blue electric flower.
Drrrrr!!
Kwaahh!!
“Aaaargh!!”
“It’s a wizard, not a bomb!!”
“It seems their mana user hasn’t joined the fray yet.”
Chen’s murmured words were met with agreement from everyone.
The fact that they initially mistook Lennok’s fireball for a bomb indicated they hadn’t considered the presence of a mana user among the invaders.
With her hand on the sword hanging from her waist, Hina spoke with determination.
“We deal with this quickly and move deeper in. Our objective is to locate Jaun Odys and Craig. We’ll pave the way for Cheisha and the others to enter.”
With [Thunder Flower] having quelled attacks from both sides, there was no reason to remain idle.
Chaak!!
“Aaahh!!”
“It’s a mana user!! Call for backup!”
Hina, unsheathing her sword, swiftly cut down the remaining Falcon organization members in the corridor alongside the first team.
Their previous sluggish pace now replaced with agility, a chilling flash illuminated the dark basement.
As they moved farther away, voices filtered through their earphones.
-Teams 1 and 2, split forces to locate the targets. Teams 3 and 4, handle the escaping organization members. Our focus is on advancing deeper into the base. Let’s go!
Chen’s words rang out, calm yet swift, easily comprehensible to all.
The ability to effectively motivate people was a rarity, surpassing even simple superhuman combat prowess. Amidst the chaos, Chen exemplified true leadership.
Lennok understood the importance of periodically reiterating their mission to ensure they didn’t lose sight of their original goal in the midst of battle.
Following Chen’s instructions, the freelancers formed small groups, branching off whenever the path split.
Observing this, Lennok and Hina each selected a corridor and proceeded forward.
Via their earphones, Lennok addressed the team, “Focus on finding paths leading deeper underground, check areas with congregations of people, and then retreat. Avoid unnecessary battles.”
Through mana detection, he had discovered that apart from a massive underground cavity at the very bottom, Falcon’s base was composed of numerous narrow corridors, resembling an anthill-like structure.
‘It makes sense.’
The structure maximized the utilization of limited resources to create an underground space.
The intricate layout would confuse infiltrators, making it easier for the organization members familiar with the corridors to engage in guerrilla warfare.
For a terrorist organization like Falcon, always on high alert for attacks and potential relocations, this layout proved highly optimized.
As Lennok maintained his focus, utilizing his mana detection to locate Jaun Odys and Craig, he sensed a distinct magical presence rapidly approaching from a distance.
Wham!
“Cough!!”
“It’s the enemy!!”
“Ambush… uh…!!”
In an instant, blood sprayed from the shoulders of the two freelancers accompanying Lennok. One of them had his neck brutally severed and was flung into the air.
The remaining three quickly gathered around Lennok, but they were helpless against the swift and elusive adversary, whose light bounced off the walls and ceiling of the corridor, making it hard to pinpoint their exact position.
Lennok furrowed his brow, observing the attacker’s movements closely.
Tatatatadak!!
The figure leaped, striking the ceiling, corridor, and floor with remarkable speed, which seemed to increase with every step.
At the moment the dazzling figure twisted their head three more times, someone wielding a sharp blade landed behind Lennok.
“Van!!”
Kwaaang!!
Reacting swiftly, Lennok employed anti-gravity magic and clashed with shock magic on both sides, resulting in a massive explosion. However, the swordsman calmly evaded the blast and charged back at Lennok.
Lennok raised his shield and drew his revolver, but the swordsman anticipated his actions, quickly changing direction by twisting his knee.
“This is…!”
Lennok realized the swordsman’s true intention, his brows slightly furrowing, but the remaining freelancers were already exhausted and unable to keep up.
Staring at the swordsman, who was gradually distancing himself, Lennok murmured, “You never intended to target me from the beginning.”
“I’ve been waiting for the day we meet again,” the swordsman calmly replied as he adjusted his sword.
The night they crossed paths at the trade center flashed in Lennok’s mind. It was this man who fled with the encrypted key, leaving the wizard behind.
Lennok checked if the effect of the Feather Fall was still active in his body and slowly gathered his mana before asking, “Your speed has greatly improved since then. Do you have some special secret?”
Despite single-handedly dispatching the other freelancers, taking full advantage of the restricted environment of the narrow corridor, the swordsman’s movements were completely different from what Lennok remembered.
If the speed the swordsman displayed at the trade center was comparable to this, the confrontation back then wouldn’t have ended so quickly.
Upon hearing Lennok’s words, the swordsman fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“How did Devon die?”
“Devon? Are you referring to that wizard?”
“Yes.”
“You and he shared an unbreakably strong friendship.”
“Tell me!!”
“Much like your organization’s practice of kidnapping and selling people, Devon met a gruesome end. His belly was sliced open, his intestines twisted, and all his organs were sold.”
Lennok faintly smiled as he exhaled smoke.
“Did you really expect him to have a peaceful death while remaining loyal to a terrorist organization?”
“Ughh…!!”
The swordsman’s pupils darkened, and the blood vessels near his face began to bulge.
Simultaneously, Lennok sensed an abnormal surge in mana emanating from the swordsman’s body, raising his eyebrows.
‘Doping…?’
He had witnessed a similar phenomenon before during the operation to reclaim the building occupied by scavengers with Dray Krimgal.
The leader of the 50th district scavengers they encountered had used a drug to produce a similar effect. Considering that it involved black magic doping at that time, it was reasonable to assume the swordsman was employing a similar method now.
It made sense, given that they had allied with Craig, a dark wizard of the Practical faction.
Moreover, his unnaturally heightened agility could also be attributed to the doping.
As Lennok was about to smash the cigarette butt onto the floor, he saw the swordsman’s body vanish before him.
Whoosh!!
“….!!”
Even though Lennok couldn’t visually track the movement, his mana detection kept him aware of the astonishing speed.
Kaaang!!
In an instant, the swordsman’s blade reached Lennok, clashing against his shield before swiftly aiming for his neck.
[Upper Ground]
Stepping back, Lennok swiftly manipulated the ground beneath the swordsman’s feet, causing the iron plate of the corridor to be ripped apart, and metal shards began falling from the ceiling.
Reacting quickly, Lennok reached out towards the rain of iron fragments and employed his magic.
[Magnetic Control]
[Metal Tempo]
Clatter!!
He suspended the falling metal shards in mid-air, scattering them around like seeds.
Invisible hands dispersed the shards, filling the corridor with sparkling metallic particles.
In the midst of this, Lennok’s lightning surged with intensity.
[Chain Lightning]
Zap!!!!
The combination of metal and lightning caused the lightning to branch into hundreds of strands, forming a dense network of electric currents, guided by the small metal shards.
No matter how agile the swordsman was, dodging this attack was near impossible unless he could shrink his body to the size of a fingernail. If he possessed the advanced ability to manipulate mana beyond mere swordsmanship, he might have stood a chance of evading it. However, relying on the power of the drug indicated he lacked that level of skill.
Zap!!
“Cough……!!”
Though the swordsman’s method of wielding mana remained unchanged, the power he displayed now far surpassed the days when Lennok first learned Chain Lightning.
Enveloped in an electric net, the swordsman writhed and convulsed, his body sizzling under the immense firepower.
“Th-this can’t be!!”
Despite the drug likely numbing his pain, he couldn’t escape the accumulating overload in his body.
With a struggle, he managed to throw his sword toward Lennok.
Clang!!
Lennok effortlessly caught the sword in mid-air using telekinesis, and with a firm grip on its handle, he approached the fallen swordsman.
Gazing down at the wounded and bleeding swordsman, Lennok raised the weapon in silence.
Accepting the intense hatred in the swordsman’s gaze, Lennok swiftly thrust the blade downward.
The swordsman, his body torn and battered, offered no resistance and allowed his own weapon to impale his heart.
Thump!
“Guh……Ugh!”
With a gurgling groan and trembling, the swordsman’s eyes, filled with animosity towards Lennok until the very end, slowly lost focus.
His once-bulging dark eyes now drowned in blood, which continued to gush over his face.
With such speed, he could have escaped, yet it seemed he chose to meet his end right there.
For that reason, Lennok held no regrets.
Leaving behind his profound emotions at that spot, he pressed forward.
Before leaving the scene, Lennok inexplicably stashed a few pieces of the metal shards he had used to subdue the swordsman into the pocket of his coat.
Sensing the increasing negative mana, Lennok continued his journey deeper underground.
Through his mana detection, he could feel the life force of the surroundings rapidly dwindling.
From the very start, it was a strategy that couldn’t be drawn out, nor should it have been.
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