Chapter 34
A Family that puts forward magic as its symbol possesses at least one Symbolic Magic.
Symbolic Magic is different from Unique Magic, which is usable from the 5th tier.
Family Magic might sound plausible, but if you look inside, most of it is just Common Magic modified by incorporating the Family’s desired properties.
Therefore, it is obvious to someone who knows it well.
[It’s certain.]
Max lowered his stance, glaring at the opponent’s muzzle.
For Max, who perfectly remembered the system even if he couldn’t use it, his memory gave him the certainty that the opponent was someone from Steiger, even if their face was covered.
Even the magic that had just pierced his Shield was familiar.
[Hornet.]
It was Steiger’s Shooting Magic that maximized penetration.
Magic focused on killing opponents who chose defense over evasion.
[Who is it? Based on the output, they’re the same 4th tier…]
Within Steiger, the 4th tier was not low. It was a position that wouldn’t engage in petty acts like earning pocket money.
Various deductions flashed through Max’s mind.
Was the Harbor’s monopoly not happening under Neptune’s protection, but rather that Steiger was above Neptune? Could there possibly be someone above Steiger as well?
What was the Bohemian Mercenary Association’s angle to do this kind of work?
What was inside the Container? Did they know me?
Max clenched his teeth to forget his distracting thoughts.
[Turning my back on Steiger is something I’ve constantly thought about.]
However, the fact that his Godfather, Layton Steiger, had forged a connection with Crimson Howl bothered him.
Am I making an enemy of Crimson Howl as well as Steiger?
Was this a setup to kill me in the first place?
[No. That’s just me being overly self-conscious right now.]
Even a little thought showed it wasn’t. It was different. There was a gap in information.
Besides, Layton Steiger didn’t use this kind of method.
If he were going to kill his son, he was the kind of Person who would coldly kill him in front of everyone, claiming it was for the benefit of the Family. There was no way he would throw away an opportunity to prove himself and attempt a quiet disposal.
[Phew…]
His thoughts accelerated.
He remembered his father, who had tried to send him to Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals while forging a connection with Crimson Howl.
[There is only one conclusion.]
There was no clear answer to be found by thinking about it here.
Even conversation was meaningless until he took them down.
[I’ll subdue that bastard and make him spit everything out.]
Max vigorously poured magic power into his circuits.
The opponent already had their hand on the trigger. Magic circles were drawn in layers at the muzzle.
[Ripper]
Crackle!
The Magic Blade collided with the bullet tearing through the atmosphere.
The projectiles that advanced without colliding with the bullets were blocked by the Shield.
[What just appeared at the muzzle was the Bullet Acceleration Magic Circle created by Steiger.]
It was a magic called Driver within Steiger.
His thoughts did not stop, and he paid attention to the opponent’s actions. - click! The bolt smoothly retreated and advanced.
The equipped rifle was, as expected, the Bolt Action favored by Steiger.
It was an operating mechanism that had recently become rare in Haze.
Unlike the Magic Noble Family Esra, which incorporated Shooting Magic into rapid fire, Steiger’s desperate measures and stubbornness stemmed from his failure to solve the firearm’s overload.
[Alright… If it’s a Bolt Action, I’ll push with speed and close the distance.]
Max held the advantage of completely knowing the opponent’s magic.
He walked slowly backward, falling away from the Container.
While falling, he aimed his finger.
[Impact Shell]
Bang!
He struck the Container Stack, which had been used as a foothold until just now, with a Shockwave.
Multiple crumpled containers flew at the opponent.
He saw the guy in the combat suit leap up.
With his back to the moon, he aimed his muzzle this way.
Rat-tat-tat!
A swift Triple Shot that was hard to believe came from a Bolt Action.
One bullet grazed the edge of his eye, delivering a burning sensation.
[Wire]
He set a trap, anticipating the opponent’s landing spot.
It was followed by Psychokinesis.
[Manipulate Hands]
Invisible hands grabbed a stacked bundle of rebar and struck the guy suspended in the air.
Clang!
With a crisp sound, the opponent fell to the floor, but it was hard to see it as an effective hit.
He had definitely defended in mid-air.
[He’s fast at deploying a Shield.]
The guy who had been hit by the lump of iron and smashed into the floor jumped up.
He even managed to avoid the Wire set at the landing spot.
[His senses seem good too.]
Max, who had come down to the floor of his own volition, unlike the opponent, moved his Shield and body so as not to be caught by the muzzle.
His body ran without rest, and his mind plotted a path.
He took his time to formulate a plan.
4th-tier Psychokinesis magic.
[Poltergeist]
Autonomous Psychokinesis that grants simple commands to a specific range.
Because it was magic designated by range, its precision was the worst. The downside was that even the caster didn’t know which objects would move.
Therefore, it was hard to expect destructive power, but it was perfect for creating chaos.
[Here…]
Max erased his broken Shield before continuing to the next.
He newly assembled a compressed Shield and moved it along the muzzle.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Using his enhanced body to increase the shooting speed like rapid fire, he once again fired three shots.
[Does the gun become a problem beyond that?]
Max added the information, continued the stalemate, and steadily narrowed the distance.
The scattered Psychokinesis began to create anomalies.
Vroooom!!! Rumbllle──!!!
The trucks and vehicles previously parked in the Harbor, recklessly rushed at the enemy.
The Driver’s seats were empty.
“?!”
The guy who checked the vehicles hesitated as if flustered, then climbed on top of a Container.
The Container right next to him suddenly opened and struck the opponent with its door.
“Keuk!”
A vehicle running at full speed smashed into the enemy who had been pushed down.
Crash!
It was a gruesome sight, but Max did not stop.
[A traffic accident isn’t a fatal blow to a 4th tier. It’s a minor injury at best.]
The vehicles that continued to push while rolling their wheels heaved.
The guy would soon break out.
[I’ll seize the momentum with Atlas Fall. At the very least, there is a defect in the gun…!]
As Max hurried to prepare the magic, the guy’s struggle grew stronger, perhaps feeling the unusual magic power spreading across the ground.
This was the moment he was about to complete the skein of magic.
An unknown Person rushed Max and swung a sword.
“!”
As he urgently evaded the spot.
Usagi appeared where Max had been standing and blocked the blade.
Clang-clang-clang!
They pushed each other’s blades away and opened up the distance.
Each took a position next to their comrade.
“”…””
Max and Usagi quietly exchanged glances.
It seemed she had drifted here while fighting the enemy. There were quite a few wounds on Usagi’s body.
The prosthetic arm replacing her left arm also showed damaged parts.
“Ah, I hate this, I hate this! I should quit field work or something.”
The enemy who retrieved his blade was a man with a languid voice. The opponent also looked to have quite a few wounds like Usagi’s.
The Cyberware visible through his torn clothes looked like a similar model to Bivol’s.
Above all, what caught the eye was the mark attached to his outfit.
That was not affiliated with Aqua Shell.
[Is he a high-ranking official of Neptune?]
Swinging his sword languidly, he approached the Steiger who had escaped the Poltergeist.
“Are you alright? You said you’d go and come back confidently, so I didn’t know you’d struggle like this.”
“…Shut up.”
The Steiger spoke for the first time. Even though it flowed out as a modulated voice, its irritation was palpable.
For Max, it was an incredibly gratifying situation.
The Steiger probably didn’t think his identity had been discovered, but the scene Max witnessed was different.
It was blatantly showing in the picture that Steiger had a connection with Neptune.
“I had the impression that a Ninja was weak in a Direct Confrontation, but that Ninja is quite strong. A lot of mercenaries were killed by that woman.”
“That guy is a rare 4th-tier Psychokinetic.”
“Ugh~ 4th tier with Psychokinesis? That’s a category I don’t want to fight. Can I clock out?”
“Turn your body around if you want to die. I’ll put a hole in your head.”
Unlike Steiger and the Neptune Employee who openly exchanged information, Max and Usagi exchanged information concisely and quietly.
“Shooting Magic. It’s a style focused on penetration, so evade instead of defending.”
“He is a textbook Swordsman with a rigid feel, unlike his appearance.”
That was enough information about the enemies.
He wouldn’t avoid it if the situation were unavoidable like the Gaia Food request, but Max didn’t want to get close to a Warrior of the same tier in the first place.
[Is Bivol alive?]
Where was he fighting? If he was alive, he wanted to settle this quickly before Bivol was defeated.
If a Person capable of subduing Bivol existed and joined them here, it would be the worst, regardless of life or death.
“Can you Continue Combat?”
“No problem.”
At Max’s question, Usagi took a low stance, saying she was fine.
The other side also formed a formation with the Swordsman defending the Steiger.
“I’ll assist appropriately with Psychokinesis, so take advantage of it on your own.”
With a nod, Usagi took a step forward.
Usagi must also know that they had to bring this to a quick conclusion.
The four people, each with their own tactics, began to move at the same time.