#510

True Worth of the Sniper (3)

On top of the completely shattered theater roof, the arms of the divine statue scatter into the air. 

At least, it seems clear that Maya was unable to deflect the last arrow shot by Evelyn.

‘If the divine statue is damaged, Doctor’s plan is likely to be rendered useless.’

The original plan devised by Doctor was to forcibly extract the accumulated power from the divine statue and open a spatial transfer gate. 

Given the uncertainty about the full strength of the Aegis agents and the foreign forces, it’s more reasonable to withdraw from this place rather than wasting energy fighting them.

To protect the divine statue and divert their attention, they had stepped outside the theater to engage in combat. However, Evelyn’s sniper shots were far more powerful than expected. 

The great sniper shots, imbued with microcosmic inertia deviation, mixed with magic and mental imagery, carried overwhelming power that couldn’t be easily blocked.

With two arms of the divine statue shattered, it’s now impossible for Doctor’s plan to proceed as originally intended. 

Inside his mask, Lennok’s once shaken expression now settled into cold determination.

‘Killing them all is impossible. They know that, which is why they’re coming at us so aggressively.’

If Lennok were to unleash his full power, he could potentially annihilate most of the Aegis agents in this city today. 

However, doing so would risk revealing not only his true abilities but also Victor’s identity to some extent.

Evelyn, who keeps firing consecutive sniper shots from an unknown location, and another foreign powerhouse would surely confirm this if it happened. 

That’s probably why the other members, knowing this too, opted to blend into the situation instead of exerting their full strength.

The mere presence of the foreign forces outside the city makes Aegis cautious about expending too much energy against them. 

The current opponents aren’t the only enemies. If a full-scale war breaks out, they might have to face the foreign forces head-on as well.

The issue isn’t just Lennok and Soryu; even the Aegis agents are not entirely unaware of this fact.

[Time is on our side; everyone, stay calm.]

[Missile has started moving. Push slowly!]

Realizing they couldn’t easily take down Lennok in the previous intense battle, the agents openly switched to a war of attrition, dragging things out.

They, too, sense that Evelyn’s sniping from the rear is forcing Pandemonium to make a choice.

Swoosh!!

Above the frozen river and ice shards, half-frozen Soryu and the black-clad visor clash relentlessly in a fierce battle.

Soryu, with one side of his face shifting back and forth into a white skull, and the black-clad visor, crushing the cold with bare hands while casting consecutive dark magic spells.

As Lennok briefly glances at the two, attempting to channel more magic— 

Whirr...!!

A peculiar force pulls strongly from behind Lennok’s head. 

“……”

It can be resisted with a targeted resistance spell. However, this technique possesses enough power to require an immediate decision.

Moreover, the direction from which this spell originated isn’t from the other Aegis agents but from Doctor’s position at the theater.

Lennok recognized it and immediately surrendered to the flow of the technique without resistance. 

Fwoosh!!

Before he could even close and open his eyes, Lennok’s body was completely transferred, reappearing in the theater’s main hall.

Soryu, exuding cold air from his entire body, walked in, followed by other members whose menacing auras suggested they had just been in the middle of battle.

Before they could say anything to one another, Doctor, who was sitting on the divine statue with two of its arms missing, spoke up.

"I summoned you. I don’t think there’s any reason to delay further."

"What do you mean…?"

Doctor shifted his gaze.

"The gate can no longer be opened now that the divine statue has been damaged by the recent sniper shot. Instead, I used the remaining power to teleport you all inside the theater."

"That was pointless."

Soryu looked up coldly at Doctor and dismissed him.

"It will only buy us a little time. If we show signs of retreat, they’ll just push in harder. What are you thinking?"

"I needed just that short moment."

As Doctor spoke, a tuft of fur wiggled, and the massive statue of Imenfal, which he was sitting on, began to collapse.

Rumble...!!

The statue crumbled into sand-like particles, revealing ten softly glowing gems within.

Judging by the number, they likely represented the ten crystal eyes of the statue. 

Without saying a word, Doctor rolled the gems evenly to the other members—one each for eight members and two more for Maya.

"The moment the statue began to break, I gave up on opening the gate and instead compressed and backed up the internal data from this settlement, dividing it among these crystals."

Doctor nodded slightly toward the crystal Lennok was holding.

"As long as four of these ten crystals remain intact, the causality from this settlement will be fully preserved. I’m counting on you."

“……”

The members, realizing why Doctor had entrusted them with the crystals, couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. 

From the moment Evelyn’s sniper shot hit, Doctor had abandoned the idea of opening the gate and focused solely on preserving the data from the settlement.

"The existence of the divine statue was meant only to organize the causality of the old world into a manageable data format for easier input and output. The accumulated causality of the old world won’t vanish. However, the newly updated information from this settlement is different."

A beast’s eyes gleamed clearly from within the tuft of fur.

"Until proper synchronization is complete, the original form of the data must be preserved. So, from now on, each of you will carry a crystal and find your own way out of this city."

“Heh, doesn’t sound like my problem… Can’t I just kill everyone and be done with it?”

Hyulno chuckled darkly, twirling the blade in his hand. 

Doctor responded promptly.

"The stronger the opponent’s power, the more likely our abilities will be exposed. There’s no reason to engage in a losing battle."

The purpose of this settlement was not combat in the first place; continued fighting would only increase the risk of further damage to the statue, a concern primarily for Doctor’s side.

Moreover, most of Pandemonium’s members were individualists who had little regard for organizational cohesion. 

Rather than forcibly involving them in protecting the statue, it was more reasonable for Doctor to ask them to simply secure their own safety while carrying the crystals.

However, Hyulno didn’t seem convinced.

"I was having such a good time fighting, killing, and savoring it all… And now you just cut the fun short and say this?"

He dropped the crystal he was holding.

Thud!!

Instead of shattering, the crystal rolled and came to rest at Hyulno’s feet.

"What happens if I just leave this thing here?"

"Not much changes," Doctor replied nonchalantly. 

"But unfortunately, you won’t be able to participate in the next settlement."

"......"

Hyulno quietly picked up the crystal and wiped it off with his tattered clothes. 

Even the battle-crazed Hyulno seemed to regret missing the spoils from participating in the settlement.

"If you get the gist, let’s wrap up this settlement early. Any final words?"

"Distributing the crystals to everyone here seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it…?" 

Chevien, the lanky puppet, glanced back.

"Aren’t there injured among us?"

"No, don't worry about me!!" Vernon, looking slightly pale, took a swig of liquor and then spat it on his injured shoulder.

Sssss…!!

Steam rose from the shoulder as the wound began to clot rapidly. 

The response was far too quick and precise to be mere disinfection from alcohol.

‘Is this some sort of healing and coagulation technique using alcohol as a medium?’

Judging by Vernon’s actions, his power might be related to alcohol-based effects.

Seeing that each member had taken a crystal and was ready, Doctor nodded.

"Good. This is where I leave."

Doctor glanced up at Maya, who had silently appeared behind him, and smiled.

"Today’s settlement brought interesting people, and there’s still much I want to ask… but it’ll have to wait for the next time."

"......"

"Farewell for now."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Maya’s palm struck the top of Doctor's head.

Crunch!!

Without a sound, the tuft of fur turned into a splash of blood and vanished. 

Lennok had witnessed a similar scene once before in the Ganges sand Labyrinth. 

Maya had once killed a life that represented Doctor's will to activate forbidden arts and reverse the situation in the Labyrinth Race.

If Doctor intended to help them in a similar manner, there should be more visible changes.

The answer came from Maya.

"Avoid the drawbridges and the temple entrances in the northwestern and southwestern parts of Byrutz. Astrological signs indicate ominous portents strongest at those locations."

"......"

"Find your own escape route from any other direction. This is Doctor’s final message."

"Did you figure that out just now, Maya?" Lennok asked.

"Who knows." 

Instead of replying, Maya crossed her arms and nodded.

"If we stall any longer, Marcia’s bombardment will start soon. Move."

As he brushed past Maya’s icy gaze, Lennok asked, "Are you planning to stay behind and clean up?"

"Don’t be ridiculous." Maya shot back sharply, lifting her gaze.

"I was just debating whether to watch the person firing these arrows before leaving."

"You sound like you know them."

"That’s none of your business," Maya replied coldly.

Lennok nodded. "True, it wouldn’t be strange for officials from the two cities to be acquainted."

"......"

Lennok met Maya’s piercing stare and spoke.

"If you have something to say, spit it out."

"I have a way to disrupt Missile’s sniping."

Lennok turned to the other members as he continued naturally, "If you plan to follow the strategy, stay here. Sabrina, can you create some druidic talismans using your Wordcraft?"

"That’s not too difficult. What’s your plan?"

Lennok smiled at Sabrina's question. 

"I’m going to manipulate the transportation systems across the entire satellite city."

  *

Lennok quickly made his way through a side passage behind the theater, heading to the adjacent building.

The terminal, now in ruins, was located right next to the theater. 

It must have been designed that way from the start to keep cultural and transportation hubs close together.

Without hesitation, Lennok forced open the door to the terminal's power room and reconnected the severed power lines with his magic.

"Why are there so many broken parts?"

[The wiring materials can be sold for a good price in bulk. You can find similar stolen goods at auctions. That’s probably what happened here.]

"The connections are one thing, but it’ll be hard to repair the missing internal components. Can you handle it?"

[What do you take me for?]

Grumbling, Davi leapt out of Lennok's arms and spread its tails wide. 

As its four tails waved gently, mana surged from the cyber spirit’s body, flowing into the broken power room and rapidly restoring the damaged systems.

Vrooooom!!!

Lights flickered on across the dusty control panel, and one by one, the monitors powered up, displaying dozens of camera feeds.

These cameras were located underground, showing views beneath the tracks of the old terminal. 

Dimly lit and partially broken, the railway cameras struggled to provide a clear view. Beneath them, dozens of idle trains sat abandoned, having stopped running a long time ago.

[System recovery at 34%. Power connection at 78%. Full operation not possible. Forcing emergency operation mode.]

Wail, wail!!

As Davi made the adjustments, Lennok immediately channeled his mana, converting it into raw energy.

Crackle…!!!

He supplied a large amount of the required power directly to the engine facilities inside the terminal, forcing the system into emergency mode and activating the trains on the tracks.

[Initiating signal based on current stopped positions. Commencing power-assisted evacuation toward the city outskirts.]

The once-stalled trains lit up simultaneously and shot forward along the tracks. 

They collided, crunched, and crumpled, but still, dozens of trains emerged from the underground tracks, rising onto the path toward the surface.

Rumble, rumble!!

The trains accelerated outward from the terminal near the theater, swiftly dispersing throughout the satellite city. 

The members holding out in the main hall looked at each other with slight surprise.

"…Victor’s doing?"

"So that’s what he meant by creating a distraction."

"Was he telling us to hop on one of them?"

Even if they didn’t use the trains, the sheer number of trains moving simultaneously would be enough to scatter the incoming arrows. 

It would be impossible for the Aegis agents or Evelyn to ignore the sight of trains sprinting toward the city outskirts.

There was no need for Lennok to force confusion; simply repairing the broken train system temporarily provided an easy means of escape.

"His maneuvering is oddly natural…."

"Can’t deny the possibility of a trap," Chevien and Logia muttered skeptically.

But with arrows raining down continuously from above, most couldn’t afford prolonged hesitation. 

While these arrows were smaller than the massive ones that had struck Vernon, they were numerous enough to restrict movement.

The sniper’s shift from powerful shots to widespread bombardment indicated their intention to prolong the confrontation.

Time was running out.

"Screw it, I’m out of here!!" Vernon shouted.

"Vernon."

"It’s each person’s choice. The deal is done!! Figure it out for yourselves, you fools. Hahaha!!"

Clutching his wounded shoulder and laughing, Vernon climbed onto the theater’s roof and boarded one of the departing trains. 

He continued to drink from a bottle as the train sped away.

Simultaneously, as Sabrina gripped the Wordcraft talisman she had crafted, her presence began to fade rapidly. 

The druidic talisman allowed the user to blend seamlessly into the surroundings, provided they remained still. 

Vernon quickly understood why Lennok had requested so many of them.

With a grin, Sabrina followed suit and leaped onto another train.

"Well, trust or no trust, see you all later!"

She waved playfully as she disappeared into the distance.

"Pathetic… depending on others’ help like that…," one member muttered.

"Hmph, pretty suspicious for a supposedly reliable plan. I’ll go my own way."

"Heh, no problem with killing more trash on the way… don’t need anyone’s help…," another grumbled, choosing not to rely on Lennok’s arrangements.

Whether they used the trains or not, the chaos caused by their movement served the same purpose. 

In the end, only Lennok, Soryu, and Maya remained.

Soryu looked coldly at Lennok, who had returned from activating the terminal.

"Not a bad idea. You seem quite experienced with this sort of thing. Am I wrong?"

"Think what you like," Lennok replied with a smirk.

Soryu raised an eyebrow, appearing lost in thought as if trying to guess Lennok's motives.

"A sorcerer adept at creating chaos… Neither the Reading Revolutionaries nor the Terragaide teach such methods. I noticed this at Kaiushu too. Your approach and scale are certainly unusual."

"……."

"No point in refusing an efficient escape route. I’ll go ahead."

Soryu then turned into ice and reappeared atop another train, vanishing. Maya, the last to remain, shifted her gaze toward Lennok.

"I’ve had a strange feeling about you since earlier."

"…That ice wielder?"

"No, you."

Maya’s eyes sharpened. 

"You, we’ve met before in the Ganges sand Labyrinth, haven’t we?"