Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 107

#107. Opening of the war (1)

Nero considered climbing down the wall and shaking the guy off for a moment.

But if that happened, there was a concern that the persistent pursuit would continue.

Because it was the law of the streets that anyone who trespassed into the area would be followed to the end of the sector and made a clear example of it.

Haaa …

When Nero showed no intention of turning over in surrender, the Scarred One approached him again, hissing.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

And the moment the guy jumped up from his seat and ran at me!

fault!

Taat!

Nero also leaped forward.

The paws, which had become plump and fleshy from eating well, radiated explosive power on a different level from that of current street cats.

Boooo …

Nero’s vision soared.

Behind the vision, a scar was visible, rolling down into a trash can at the bottom of the wall due to the missing target.

widely!

Nero landed lightly.

Meow meow! Meow meow!

There was an angry cry behind me, but the gap between me and that sound did not narrow.

Scar couldn’t get up because of the slippery trash bags.

[Nyaaaaaaa──]

Nero, who roared in victory in his heart, turned his head forward again and continued to advance.

As I was moving like that, I suddenly noticed some wild chives growing under a streetlight.

The pupils were dilated.

As if they had found their prey.

The moment when your butt is twitching in preparation to jump.

“It’s not there.”

I heard a boy’s voice in my head.

“I’ll give you something delicious when you get back. For now, focus on what you have to do.”

The voice of a white-haired boy.

His voice was not as affectionate and cheerful as the red-haired girl’s.

There was no ups and downs.

But still, it gave me an inexplicable sense of comfort and stability.

That was why Nero liked the white-haired boy.

And the brown-haired boy… … .

I hated it because of the weird leather smell.

Nero, resisting the temptation of the dandelion, bravely continued to advance.

The place we arrived at at the end was street number 1.

It was a 10-story building at the center of it all.

The jewel on the ring in his mouth was blinking rapidly, scattering red light.

*

Early in the morning, on the rooftop of the hideout.

Ray looked out across the vast expanse of the sector.

The sunlight streaming through the hazy clouds was gradually removing the shadows on the street.

Far away, on the rooftops of several buildings.

Little by little, small silhouettes began to appear.

They were members of the support group who stood guard at three-hour intervals at dawn.

In fact, their presence could be felt even before daybreak.

Because the colorful emotions in their bowls showed their location like a lighthouse’s light.

“… … .”

I cast my gaze a little further afield.

There were no lighthouses in enemy territory.

Only a hazy darkness.

“At first, I tried to infiltrate because there were no guards.”

Ray turned his head at the voice heard from the side.

A figure was looking into the distance with a complex expression on his face.

A man in his early 30s.

A rough impression with thick facial lines.

It was McCully, who was currently serving as the 2nd platoon leader of the supporters’ faction.

“But somehow they knew we were coming in and the enemies quickly swarmed around us.”

Ray looked at his bowl.

Anger, anxiety, dissatisfaction, fear, etc.

There were only negative emotions everywhere, and not a single positive emotion could be found.

‘It’s not just this guy.’

The vast majority of supporters were like that.

It would be extremely difficult to maintain positive emotions when the war is looking set to be lost.

Also, it seemed that not many people thought that this would turn the tide of the situation around.

I understand.

It is certainly surprising that a boy with a connection to someone he respected would show up with the shocking truth.

But the power gap that has already developed is too overwhelming.

Not only the general power but also the number of magicians differs by more than ten times.

‘Unlike them, they seem to think that we can leave this place regardless of the outcome of the war.’

I don’t have much confidence in this.

I think the boy and girl wizards would be of some help, but not as much as Colin’s fuss.

With that thought, I turned my gaze forward again.

“You said it felt like you could read the movements. Didn’t it feel like magic?”

“We tried to figure out the cause, but we couldn’t find any clues that suggested magic or anything else.”

“okay.”

That was when.

A truck was seen appearing in enemy territory, unloading supplies in the middle of the street.

There were several boxes with canned goods and dried foods painted on the outside.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Every morning, they drop off supplies like food and ammunition at the border.”

It’s as if he’s telling me to take it if I want.

As if they knew that supplies were running out.

“The purpose of today’s infiltration is to secure those materials.”

There was a hint of anger in his voice.

Because he knew that the enemies’ actions were blatant and obvious mockery.

I also knew that if I went to get it, I would be constantly toyed with by the enemy and many of my men would return with terrible injuries.

Still, I had to go.

If you want to endure, you have no choice.

Because we can’t give up war.

“The number of squad members and departure time are….”

“… … .”

The briefing continued.

Ray listened to the story, his gaze focused on the enemy lines.

At the end of the field of vision, between other buildings.

A ten-story building standing tall.

It was the enemy’s hideout.

‘The element that was attached to the wizard I released yesterday, stopped moving shortly after arriving there.’

Several scenarios were hypothesized, but there was only one most likely guess.

Killed.

Your own subordinates.

The attached elements would have dispersed into the atmosphere and settled back in that place.

Perhaps he thought his location was discovered because his subordinates returned to the hideout.

They probably couldn’t find any traces of binding magic or any other magic, but they still had doubts and took action.

‘But the actual location of the hideout hasn’t been moved. Considering the danger, it would have been the right decision to move it right away.’

This was something I confirmed through Nero last night.

Walter’s ring is said to flash light at a faster rate the closer it gets to another officer’s ring.

The hideout hasn’t been moved.

… and on top of that, they are deliberately prolonging a war that could be ended.

While toying with the opposing camp.

As if enjoying the situation itself.

That’s what I thought.

Could all of this be a reflection of the other person’s tendencies?

So what parts can I use?

The boy’s head tilted.

*

A rattling tow truck.

The dark interior of the container, with light streaming in through a small window.

McCully asked Ray, who was sitting across from him.

“Aren’t you nervous?”

“That’s not true.”

“… … .”

Is this just the typical bravado of that age group?

Even though he grew up on the streets, he must have been used to rough times.

Rattle─ Rattle─

The top car had a capacity of 14 people.

Ray and Veronica, two people.

And 12 people in 2 squads.

Everyone was wearing bulletproof vests and holding guns to their chests, revealing a deep sense of tension.

The only person who was currently maintaining peace in this place was the boy.

In addition, he was not wearing a bulletproof vest because it was inconvenient to move.

Of course, there was a bit of a fight with Veronica along the way, but Ray’s opinion prevailed.

Rattle─ Rattle─

Inside the shaking container.

At that moment, everyone was holding their breath.

Squeak─

“We have arrived!”

The driver’s voice was heard through the hole between the driver’s seat and the container.

Crunch! Creak─!

The thick door opened, and everyone rushed out, as if to explode with the tension that had been building up.

“1st Squad is on guard! Jerry and Liam, North Street! Bruno and Derek, East Street! Me and Finn, South Street!”

“2nd platoon, load up the food! Hurry!”

The destination was the center of the intersection between the buildings.

Under the command of the squad leaders, the members of the organization moved in unison.

The first platoon took drums out of the truck and made cover.

The 2nd platoon immediately began loading food boxes under the cover of the 1st platoon.

Ray asked McCully.

“How can we help you?”

“I would appreciate it if the wizards would also be cautious of their surroundings. However, for your own safety, you must not go outside the large area.”

Ray nodded and looked around with Veronica.

Traces of previous battles remained all over the streets.

Broken windows or streetlights.

Things like dark red blood stains on the floor or walls of a building.

All residents have long since been evacuated.

A thick, suffocating silence settled over all around.

Chin─! Boom─!

Chin─! Boom─!

The only thing that can be heard is the busy sound of boxes being loaded.

“I’m keeping my mana up so I can deploy defenses at any time.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Veronica nodded with a determined face.

After making sure there were no special signs on the street, Ray looked up at the sky.

“… … .”

I remembered Colin’s words.

“The enemy was clearly reading our movements. It was as if they were looking down from the sky.”

The first thought that came to mind when I heard that was ministry magic.

If you tame a flying beast with your ministry magic and use sense synchronization, you will be able to see the entire sector at a glance.

But now.

There were only gloomy, gray clouds drifting across the sky.

Not a single bird was seen.

“Veronica. A spell that allows you to observe the movements of an opponent without revealing yourself. You said you couldn’t think of anything, right?”

“Yes. As far as I know.”

Ray nodded slightly and lowered his gaze.

Bam! Boom!

As the work progressed, the tension among the members of the organization grew to the point where it seemed like it would explode.

His expression hardened and he broke out in a cold sweat.

My heart was pounding like crazy.

Because I knew.

As the number of boxes on the road decreases, it gets closer to when enemies will appear.

Bam! Boom!

When there was about a quarter of the box left.

“The enemy──! Take cover!”

Along with McCully’s screams, the deafening sound of gunfire began to fill the air.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo───!

The directions from which the enemy appeared were north, east, and south, excluding the west where the supporters’ organization entered.

The end of each road in each direction.

The number of enemies is around 10 each.

Nearly thirty guns fired fiercely toward the center of the range.

Tidding─! Tidding─!

Drums and food boxes.

The side of the body is covered with thick steel plates.

Bullets tore through the air and rained down on the cover.

McCully returned fire and shouted.

“Wizard! Could you please set up a defense? First, we need to gather all the remaining food…?”

In that moment, everyone there lost their minds.

Before I knew it, a translucent film had formed in the air.

In the form of a circular arc blocking all three directions except the west.

The white light emitted by the shield was clearly visible to the naked eye.

Tidding─! Tiddidding─!

The hail of bullets didn’t leave even the slightest dent in the armor.

“Uh… this is… .”

“Hey, is that Veronica’s magic?”

A mixture of shock and excitement surged through the supporters’ organizations.

The enemy defenses they had seen so far were so small that only a few people could step through them.

While stopping bullets was certainly a huge advantage, it was true that its tactical versatility was limited due to its range.

But now.

Veronica’s defense was on a different track.

Tidding─! Tiddidding─!

It not only provided sufficient defense, but also a wide radius of activity.

“Aren’t you carrying food?”

The members of the organization who came to their senses at Ray’s words quickly clung to the box.

At first, his movements were cautious for fear of breaking through the defenses, but after a few seconds, they began to become smooth.

“I loaded everything!”

“Everyone! Get on board!”

Everyone climbed onto the container amidst the noise from all directions.

The urgency continued as the enemies continued to approach the defense while continuing to shoot.

widely!

Ray, who had helped Veronica board by making a step with both hands, looked around.

There were four people left.

Ray and 1st Squad member Bruno.

Two squad leaders recovering cover.

“Just upload this and get on board…!”

The eyes of the squad leaders who were rolling drums toward the containers opened wide.

Between the alleys on the left side of Runo.

The enemy had appeared.

The west direction where the defenses are not deployed.

It seemed like he had turned around the alley and arrived here.

Veronica, who was to deploy protection, was already on board the container and was not immediately aware of the outside situation.

Perhaps the only fortunate thing is that there is only one opponent.

However, everyone who saw the other person’s face had their pupils shake greatly.

“What are you doing! You’re not shooting!”

McCully shouted.

The only person who could fire right now was Bruno.

“… … !”

But Bruno just kept his gun pointed at his opponent and was unable to fire.

With trembling eyes.

With rough breathing.

It only takes a matter of seconds to pull the trigger and pierce someone’s heart.

And it was the same for the enemy.

“Shoot! Bruno! If we don’t get going, we’ll be surrounded!”

McCully’s urgent cry.

The air felt like it could explode at any moment, like damp gunpowder.

The boy’s white eyes were filled with the emotions of everyone present.

‘This is….’

Heart pounding.

The boy’s heart began to beat.