Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 303

#303. Land of Disaster (2)

Following the quickly passing scenery, we reached the northwestern outskirts of the city.

Two vans appeared in the distance, moving away into the wilderness, and Ray quickly removed the sheet covering a large object nearby.

Chomp!

What appeared was a heavily armored jeep modified for crossing the wilderness.

It was one of the vehicles Ray had hidden around the outskirts of the sector for pursuit.

Boooo …

I quickly got in, started the engine, and stepped on the accelerator.

The jeep, which had suddenly gained acceleration, cut through the wind with a loud noise.

'There are two enemy vans.'

The characteristic wavelength of the red stone was detected in both vehicles as they gradually diverged in direction.

Could this be a diversionary operation?

You can't chase both of them.

Ray made a quick decision and turned the steering wheel sharply to chase the van heading to the right.

Squeak! Squeak!

I dodged all the fireballs that were constantly spawning and flying around the van by just the right distance.

Large craters formed on the ground and were reflected in the rearview mirror.

After a furious run, the distance between us and the van was now only a few meters.

'There are 32 children who have gone missing in the city so far.'

Judging from the fact that no special mana was detected in the van other than the red bloodstone, it was assumed that they were all trapped in some kind of subspace.

At least he's not in the van in front of me.

It means that you can attack without worrying about anyone getting hurt.

Ray overtook the van in an instant, then used his psychic powers to lock the steering wheel and accelerator before launching the new model out of the open roof.

Whioooo──!

The wind that passes through my body like a wave.

The heat of a fireball licking your skin.

and.

Boom!

The next moment I landed on the van.

After quickly regaining his balance, he tore off the roof above the driver's seat with his metal-covered hands.

Crunch! Crunch!

A man was behind the wheel.

Fedora, mask, coat, large build.

'Golem.'

Is the doctor riding in another vehicle?

Or maybe the driver on that side was a golem, and the doctor didn't come to the forefront this time either.

Along with the guess, Ray confirmed that there were no other passengers or objects of note inside the van other than the Golem.

Kik!

Then the golem turned its head at an odd angle and looked at Ray on the roof.

The face, revealed by the mask blown away by the wind, had its mouth wide open.

Inside, a red mana vortex was spinning with fierce momentum.

Boom!

The golem's face was blown away by the shockwave fired by Ray.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Because I could feel a huge expansion of mana inside the golem's body.

'explosion.'

As soon as I realized it, I kicked my seat and flew out of the roof.

In the fleeting moment when his body was floating in the air, many things appeared in Ray's field of vision.

A van running forward.

A jeep explodes along with the flames that expand in a circular shape centered around the golem.

And the flames don't stop there, they grow even bigger.

Ray, who was about to surround himself with protection, sensed something rapidly approaching from behind him.

He changed his mind and wrapped the wind under Walker, then kicked the air away, putting distance between himself and the pursuing flames.

Pfft!

I passed through the protective barrier with white mana flowing from my back, and landed on the roof of a vehicle with a crash.

When I raised my head, I could see the pursuing flames disappearing without being able to penetrate the defenses.

A voice was heard from next to me.

"are you okay?"

“It’s okay, Veronica. You arrived just in time.”

Ray looked around after receiving healing magic on his tanned skin.

The current location was on the roof of a running bus surrounded by a huge hemispherical shield.

“What about Philip?”

“Of course I’m driving right now!”

Ray nodded.

Philip and Veronica, who were patrolling the outskirts of the city on a bus, sensed Mana's vibrations and rushed over.

“Veronica, are you sure you’re okay? Chasing the Doctor is going to be extremely dangerous.”

“Blood, when was it not dangerous? Don’t worry. Philip and I both wanted to come.”

Ray's original plan to pursue the doctor alone was changed by the two people who showed no sign of backing down.

I appreciate it, and I think it's very likely to be of great help.

The kidnapping of children by the doctor led to speculation that pure emotions might be involved in his passage through the land of disaster.

Because Veronica and Philip were friends with the purest feelings of any person I've ever met.

Ray climbed down the roof with Veronica and headed towards Philip in the driver's seat.

“Philip, this one was bait. You have to chase the other one.”

“You know, I saw where you were going. Hold on tight. I don’t plan on hitting the brakes anymore.”

The bus ran through the wilderness with an engine noise so loud it was deafening.

Under the pale sky, I could see the tire tracks of another van.

“Ray, this is still a long way off. Their speed is not bad either.”

“It’s okay. Even though the enemy’s van has been modified, it’s a model that has limitations compared to ours. Since it’s still a distance to the Disaster Land, we can easily catch up before that.”

While Philip and Ray are talking through the windshield.

Veronica said as she looked at the items prepared on one side of the bus.

“I brought along fairy tales, toys, and cassettes that Curie had prepared for me, but will these really help me get through the land of disaster?”

Ray came up next to me.

He answered while putting back the items that had been scattered due to the speed of the bus.

“According to Lael, fairies are the only race that has not participated in war. He also said that they have the purest emotions.”

The air was tense and heavy.

Veronica wiggled her fingers, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“And it is said that he often played pranks on other races, which caused him a lot of trouble.”

"oh."

Veronica's finger, which was about to poke Ray's nape, suddenly went down.

“Pure emotions. Things that children mostly use. I don’t know the exact method, but it will definitely help. The doctor has prepared the same things.”

“Well, yeah, yeah.”

It was then that a shout was heard from the driver's seat.

“Over there! I see the enemy!”

Beyond the windshield, on the horizon, the rear end of a van was visible.

The bus quickly closed the distance, cutting through the dust the van had left in its path.

Ray and Veronica climbed onto the roof, only to be met with a dozen-meter diameter fireball forming above the van, ready to take flight.

'Are you saying you don't intend to give in easily?'

It was a size that was impossible to block or destroy. There was nothing to worry about.

Because here, there was a 4th circle magician who was extremely specialized in defensive magic.

“Veronica, can you stop it?”

“Yeah! Not in this life, but in the next life!”

Kwaaaaang──!

The defense exploded with a confident answer.

The momentarily destroyed defenses were immediately restored, but hundreds of red stones that had dug through the short gap flew in, scattering through the smoky smoke.

Pfft!

Red aura emanating from it.

Homunculi are created in an instant.

Most of them fell to the ground and were pushed back into the scenery, but because there were so many of them, up to a hundred of them managed to cling to the bus.

Fierce battles took place on the rickety rooftops, and boys and girls danced in elemental attire.

Fire, ice and lightning flew.

A wind that cut, struck, and pushed swept across the battlefield.

Although the number of enemies was large, the two of them worked well together as one, and there was no problem in carrying out the battle.

The fact that the homunculi's movements and magic were less sophisticated than before also played a role.

'The doctor is clearly losing strength.'

A positive sign that the enemy is being cornered.

Ray looked around and spoke to Veronica behind him.

“Can you stand it alone?”

“It’s okay here!”

Ray, who had just launched himself, soon closed the distance and landed on the roof of the van that was running alongside him.

Is it because I'm focusing on controlling the homunculus?

Inside the car, on the driver's side, there was silence without any reaction.

'Is this a golem too?'

Just as I was reaching out to tear off the roof.

Gooooooo──!

The surrounding space began to ripple like angry waves.

It looked like they were trying to move the van itself by space jumping.

─You thought I'd just take it easy! Don't give up, you punk!

When I turned my head, I could see the homunculus stuck to the windshield of the bus.

There was a danger that the glass would break at any moment and put Philip in danger.

The moment of choice.

The worry didn't last even a second.

fault!

Ray, who returned to the bus after kicking his seat, immediately knocked the homunculus off the windshield with lightning.

Meanwhile, the van was sucked into the gap in space and disappeared from its spot without a trace.

After a few minutes of fighting, the group got off the bus, which had stopped for a while, and caught their breath.

“Oh… Didn’t you miss your chance to catch the doctor while helping me?”

“Just chase after them. The destination has already been decided. It’s not even clear yet whether the person riding them is the real doctor or a golem.”

Ray shook his head at the sight of Philip fidgeting.

The bus, after its maintenance, started running again, and the tire tracks of the van that had been cut off reappeared after quite some time.

However, the distance was not easily narrowed, and it was after noon, after a long run, that the group discovered the van.

“Oh my god, what the hell is this…?”

“Wow, I’ve never seen a place like this before.”

What surprised Philip and Veronica wasn't the van just sitting there in the wilderness.

It was because of all the indescribable, enormous natural phenomena that were raging before him.

Hwaruk.

A rotating firestorm emitting tremendous heat.

Kwarung──!

A mass of dark clouds drifting across the sky, striking down purple lightning.

Whioooo───

A blizzard is raging, spewing cold air that freezes even your breath.

In addition, phenomena whose identities were impossible to guess were moving around here and there, intertwined like paints scattered across a single canvas.

Philip muttered in a dazed voice.

“Uh… I feel like my lifespan is being cut into chunks just by being near it. It’s not even a small area, it’s a huge barrier. How on earth do I get over a place like this?”

“There must be a way. The Doctor seems to have already gone inside.”

Ray said, checking the empty interior of the van.

Judging by the pressure marks on the driver's and passenger's seats, there were two occupants.

It also seemed like all the luggage in the back seat had been taken down.

widely.

Standing before a land of disaster.

A scene where an unimaginably large amount of mana is rushing in.

But rather than feeling confused, I felt at peace.

'I think I know.'

The colorful mana that formed the disaster swept in furiously, but they remained pure without mixing with each other.

The screams of mana that usually occur in such oversaturated areas were not heard.

The sound that the manas are making now as they collide is more like a scream than a scream.

'Close to the sound of laughter.'

And it was the innocent laughter of children, not adults.

Ray, who had been watching the flames in front of him for a moment, reached out his hand towards them.

“What are you doing…!”

“Hey, Ray, wait a minute!”

Philip and Veronica, who were about to run, stopped dead in their tracks.

Because the fire didn't hurt Ray at all.

It was a movement that seemed to be searching for an object, and it just spread throughout the body without causing any damage.

That was when.

─Who are you?

A voice was heard from the flames.