Chapter 117 – A Flower Blooming in the Mud (Six)

Mercread’s mid-level combatant, Behelart.

Raising his head, his eyes met the boy on the rooftop.

White hair. White pupils.

An expression revealing no emotion.

‘Is that the kid?’

He first became aware of the boy’s existence five days ago.

─It seems an interesting kid has joined the enemy forces.

─An interesting… kid, you say?

─Yes. He’s a wizard, and it seems he has some connection to the Loyalist Faction.

To be honest, he was surprised.

It was truly rare for the person he had served for so long to use the word ‘interesting’.

The boy’s existence was promptly reported the very next day.

─Th-the wizards who came to su-support us have all… been defeated.

It was a report from the Nisohwa operatives.

The bridge connecting 28th and 30th streets.

It was said that Malik and Stony were defeated there.

And by a single boy, at that.

‘At first, I thought it was nonsense. Malik and Stony are veterans of combat.’

Especially masters of close-quarters combat, they held overwhelming superiority when facing other wizards.

Yet they lost their lives to a single kid?

While he showed an interested reaction, I couldn’t believe it and concluded the report was mistaken.

Inferior beings often distort or misrepresent what they see due to fear or terror.

But Malik and Stony did not return as days passed.

Nor the next day.

Nor the day after that.

Upon personally visiting the scene,

there were indeed traces of battle on the great bridge.

However, it was outside his observation range, and with few clues at the scene, there wasn’t much information to be gleaned.

‘But I’ll know soon enough. Whether he truly defeated Malik and Stony with skill. Or if there was something I’m unaware of.’

Thud. Thud.

Continuing his steps, he looked at the abandoned building.

One thing was clear: the boy was quite sharp.

Choosing the abandoned building as the lure location was undoubtedly a judgment made with the awareness that this side had many explosive magic users.

He must have intended to block the opponent’s main magic.

Furthermore, the narrow building entrance was a very troublesome element from the attacker’s perspective.

Naturally, one would look for other entry points, directing their gaze upward, and at the end of that…

“……”

They would discover the rooftops of nearby buildings of almost the same height.

The gaps between buildings were relatively narrow.

With just a little help from magic’s power, it would be entirely possible for the boy to jump across to where he was.

However, the moment a certain number of allies entered that rooftop, the fire-type magic circle the boy had prepared would activate.

‘Crafty.’

Meticulous and crafty.

To an unbelievable degree for a plan concocted solely in the mind of a young boy.

And, coincidentally, the boy currently possesses a gem that could be a Rainbow Shard.

The probability of it being ‘real’ is low, but since it was observed within the detection range, it needs to be obtained and confirmed.

‘In conclusion, it means the method of collapsing the building from outside with magic is impossible. There’s a risk the gem might be damaged, after all.’

The boy is lucky.

Crafty, and the situation aids him.

But that’s all.

He has the wrong opponent.

There is no case where the scenario designed by him goes awry.

Everything is in the palm of his hand.

The boy, running with manipulated hope, will plummet into the abyss of endless despair the moment that palm is overturned.

Then he will laugh.

When he sees humans floundering in the sticky currents of emotion.

‘That moment is…’

The only moment when he sheds the boredom and tedium always present on his face and breaks into a broad smile.

A kind of feast, a delicacy.

He had the duty to safely deliver the boy’s despair and frustration before him.

Then, a radio transmission came in.

“Yes, a high-intensity Ward is widely deployed on the rooftop… I will cooperate as much as possible, understood. I will move as instructed.”

Behelart, finishing the transmission, manipulated the device attached to his left ear.

Drrrrrk— Thunk!

Then, the microphone that had been exposed outside was sucked into the device.

Brook, who was looking at this with an envious gaze, looked at his own hand.

An old-fashioned radio with a long antenna and crude buttons full of them was visible.

‘As expected, it’s good that the organization has money. If only that bastard Niles had invested in equipment instead of hoarding the money…’

Frankly speaking, he was envious, and it made his stomach ache.

All Nisohwa operatives also wore plug-type receivers in their ears.

But they were low-end models that didn’t allow two-way communication, which is why squad leaders carried old-fashioned radios capable of both transmission and reception.

Behelart spoke to Brook, who was groaning with envy.

“You enter through the first floor and come up. From below to above. We will enter from above to below via the rooftops of other buildings.”

“Huh? Aren’t the wizards coming together?”

Brook was greatly flustered.

Because he had planned to stick right next to the wizards during combat to ensure his safety.

“Do you have a complaint about the order?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it, but…”

As Behelart narrowed his eyes, Brook flinched.

Yet, driven by an uncontrollable survival instinct, he managed to squeeze out one more sentence.

“Th-that is, if you could attach even a few wizards who can use Wards…”

“That is impossible.”

Behelart was firm.

Allager-nim had already given all instructions regarding the situation.

“All Mercread wizards will enter via the rooftops. I alone will enter via the ground.”

“Ah! Ah! I see!”

Only then did Brook feel a little relieved.

He didn’t know much about magic, but he knew Behelart was among the top-ranked combatants within Mercread currently in Sector 46.

‘He should be able to sufficiently protect at least my one life, right?’

His subordinates’ lives weren’t really of great concern to him.

This battle would almost certainly end the war.

Considering future loot distribution and such, it might even be better if the headcount reduced now.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A hazy sky. Stuffy air.

Beneath it, the sticky footsteps of over two hundred and seventy pairs advancing.

“Behelart-nim. We’ll see you above.”

The Mercread wizards split left and right.

Forming groups of several, they quickly headed towards the entrances of other buildings adjacent to the target building.

Simultaneously, the boy disappeared from the rooftop.

In the tense air.

As the Nisohwa operatives continued their movement.

“What the hell are you doing! Fuck! You bastards—! Are you gonna go all day with this slow-ass pace——!”

Brook pressed his mouth against the radio and spewed venom.

“What traps! It’s just that we’re outnumbered and can’t even think of sticking our faces out the windows! Run! Sweep them away! The one who caught Colin! And the one who took the key case from Colin! I promise these two! One million Shillings! On top of that, I’ll raise you to Executive when the organization is restructured!”

A grating, neurotic voice pierced loudly into everyone’s ears through the receivers.

At first, everyone flinched.

Their ears hurt, and their faces twisted.

But, soon.

“Wooaaah! Sweep them all away!”

“One million Shillings! I can’t resist this!”

“Fuck! Everyone move aside! I’m gonna shoot all those little shits dead!”

Those who understood the content began shouting and rushing out in unison.

They were all Brook’s loyalists, but the neutral faction, who had been hesitating and watching the mood, followed one by one, and soon a massive human tidal wave surged towards the target building.

────!

A massive vibration shaking the earth.

──────!

A roar deafening the ears.

────────!

Dust and sweat thickly smeared on faces, humidity in the air, all kinds of emotions.

Behelart, watching their backs, suddenly brushed his cheek with his palm.

“……”

A water droplet was there.

Plop. Plip-plop.

Looking up, black raindrops began falling one by one.

‘The weather isn’t on your side, boy.’

Lowering his gaze, he slowly moved his steps towards the abandoned building.

“Get in quickly! Push forward!”

“Go around the side! There are more places you can climb over!”

The Nisohwa operatives were swarming like ants before the entrance.

Perhaps due to the old-fashioned design.

The abandoned building had a narrow entrance.

Because of this, the operatives were spreading to the sides, attempting to enter even through broken windows.

Pshh! Pshh!

Each time, they fell, hit by bullets shot from inside, but they did not stop entering.

“Damn it! They were hiding inside after all!”

“So what! Push forward! We far outnumber them!”

The war had begun, madness was already ignited, and the pushed emotions had become unstoppable.

Behelart approached one wall and drew up the Enhancement Element of his Ring.

And.

Kwaang—!

He threw a punch.

The wall crumbled noisily, and nearby operatives made dumbfounded faces.

Behelart, entering through the hole, surveyed the interior once.

A high-ceilinged interior.

Trash and junk piled everywhere.

Amidst them, visible collapsed stalls and products of unrecognizable shapes indicated this place was once a large store.

Tududududu——!

And enemies taking cover in various positions.

Around them, firing towards the entrance and windows, were small hemispherical Wards.

‘It was said there’s one more wizard besides the boy.’

He had already received all information about the situation through his radio transmission.

The situation unfolding on the rooftop.

The situation unfolding inside the building.

The enemy’s force composition, everything.

Therefore, he wasn’t flustered.

But he was a little surprised.

Installing the Ward divided into so many separate areas like that.

It was something one couldn’t even attempt without considerable skill and elemental quantity.

‘Breaking through that might be a bit tough for these guys.’

He glanced sideways.

He saw Opposition Faction operatives, struggling to avoid gunfire as they entered, hastily taking cover.

Frankly, it wasn’t his concern.

The lives of inferior beings and such.

‘…They’re mere consumables.’

His target was the boy.

There was no reason to care about the situation unfolding around him now.

He turned his gaze.

There were stairs at the far end of the interior opposite him.

The moment he was about to dash out, enveloping himself in a Ward.

“J-just a moment! Are you planning to go upstairs? If you could take me along…!”

It was Brook.

Having already looked around and confirmed Colin wasn’t on the first floor, his mind was now filled with only one thought.

‘I, I have to catch that bastard Colin myself. That way, there won’t be any need to pay out rewards or any such money.’

An incomprehensibly huge greed was boiling up in his chest.

“Fine.”

Though the strange heat flickering in Brook’s pupils was unsettling, Behelart permitted him to accompany.

Of course, being alone was more convenient in truth.

However, as the leader of the Opposition Faction, he thought the enemy might try to capture Brook alive if possible.

Perhaps there was some use for him in the confrontation that would unfold above.

If needed, he could be used as a human shield.

“Th-thank you… uh, ugh!”

Behelart tucked Brook under his large arm and shot forward.

Blocking the hail of bullets with his Ward, he ran, and his view rapidly approached the stairs.

The moment he reached right before the stairs.

“……!”

Tat!

The content coming through the receiver.

And Behelart, whose instincts sounded an alarm, immediately changed direction, throwing his body to the right.

Swoooooosh——─!!

Dozens of stairs connecting each floor.

The boy, drawing a line in the air, omitting all those steps, flew into the spot where Behelart had been like a comet.

Kwaaaang——!

The floor being crushed.

Fragments scattering in all directions.

The boy, clad in high-intensity Enhancement Magic over his entire body, was like a massive shell.

“Ee, eeeek!”

Brook was terrified.

In the hazy dust, the figure of the boy slowly rising could be seen.

“……”

Behelart was puzzled.

The boy should have been preparing to activate the magic circle against the other combatants who would have arrived on the rooftop by now.

‘My role was to arrive just in time to disrupt that.’

While wondering,

a voice reached his ear,

“…Understood.”

and he learned the reason.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward.

It seemed his thought that luck followed the boy was his own misconception.

“You’re the wizard who joined the Loyalist Faction.”

Behelart took out a hilt without a blade from his bosom and swung it as if scattering something.

Then, the blades inside the hilt were pushed out and bound together lengthwise.

Chak! Chak!

A blade length of about 60 centimeters.

It was a long sword.

“First, there’s something to confirm. You have a gem, I hear. Take it out and show me.”

Even at the menacing tone, the boy showed no reaction.

He just stared at the long sword in his hand with unreadable, emotionless eyes.

“My order is…”

The moment he tried to speak again.

Kuduk! Kududuk!

Suddenly, multiple stone fragments began forming in the air around the boy.

They clung as if sucked onto the knife the boy was holding, completing a weapon of almost similar length to his own.

It was a stone sword.

One imbued with a sharpness akin to metal.

The corner of Behelart’s mouth twitched.

Was that the boy’s answer to my question and order?

Feeling the air grow taut, Behelart increased the output of his muscle-enhancement magic.

And the moment he thought he saw an opening in the boy’s posture.

“J-just a moment! If you could put me down…! Ugh!”

Swoosh——!

Grabbing Brook and throwing him towards the boy.

And following right after, he shot his body forward.

Taang——!