Chapter 19 – Glitches [3]

The Guardians that entered the Level 1 Glitches ran in formation through the warped space. Two ran in the front while three ran behind them, creating a perfect five-sided men's team.

"Remember the plan."

A boy with short black hair, Eric, ran beside the only girl on the team and spoke while running, holding a beam rifle with both hands.

"Don't underestimate it even though it's only a Level 1 Invader. Just do it like in the simulation."

"Got it." The girl, Ciel, replied with a serious face.

The other members nodded slightly, not opening their mouths. They were nervous, as this was their first time dealing with real Glitches, not a simulation they conducted in Guardian School.

Noticing it, Eric gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry too much. If we do it like how we practiced, it would be fine. We are not the second-ranked team for nothing."

Hearing their leader's words, the other boys smiled. Right, they were the second-ranked team in the Guardian School, only below the first. Even if they were still students, that was already a feat that they should be proud of.

Their strength wasn't that far behind from the real, active Guardian team. Realizing that fact, their confidence returned, and they replied simultaneously.

"Yes!"

"I can see it now!"

Ciel exclaimed loudly as she saw the broken maze stop. The space reached a clearing, and 6 creatures stood in the middle of it in front of a red portal.

Their figures were clear, unlike when they were seen from outside with shattered and twisted space. One bipedal creature and five quadrupedal creatures.

The bipedal figure stood tall with a stick figure. His body was skinny, and his legs looked like a twig. What stood out was his top hat, looking like a noble from the 19th century, and his body that was shrouded in darkness.

Something that looked like a chain ending with a circular shape was hanging on the side of his body.

As for the quadrupedal creatures, they looked similar to a wolf with no eyes. Their sharp, red fangs had yellow saliva dripping. Once that saliva touched the ground, it made a hissing sound. It was acidic!

*Tick Tick Tick*

*Ding!*

A sound similar to a pocket watch getting close to 12 PM rang in the area as the Guardians stepped Into the clearing.

Then suddenly, the Invader moved his long hand.

"Be careful!" Eric warned his team, and they immediately took action.

With a swift movement, they pointed their rifle toward the Invader without hesitation. The ones who brought a blade strapped it on their back, as it was only needed in a close-range fight.

They were expecting the Invader to move and attack them, but no. Instead, that shadowy figure just raised the circular shape on his waist.

At that moment, when the Guardians were tense, and the Invader made a strange movement, a voice that was so twisted as if it came from the depth of the abyss rang.

"I-T's TimE for DinNeR!"

"Grr!"

"Raawr!!"

The Demons responded to the voice and growled. They lowered their stances and pounced at the newly arrived Guardians at once, jumping as high as a two-story building.

"Shoot!" Eric commanded in a low voice, and the others followed immediately.

*Zap!*

*Zuu! Zuu!*

A humming sound from the beam released through the muzzle echoed in the warped space. The rifle was semi-automatic, and it could shoot 5 bullets per second.

Soon, the sky was dyed blue from the beam released. The black metallic gun turned slightly red from the heat coming from inside.

Those rifles also didn't use real bullets or any kind of energy but instead used the Magicule of the shooter to shoot the beam, as that was more effective and cost friendly.

Besides… using Magicule as a bullet was more effective than using a physical or electric-powered bullet when it came to Invader and Demons. As they were creatures made from Magicule and could only be harmed by it.

*Pa! Pa! Pa!*

Some bullets hit the Demons, but some also missed and went toward the ceiling. Three Demons were killed at once. They couldn't defend the Magicule beam with their soft fur.

However, two Demons managed to survive and raised their claws, attacking the group.

"Ciel, Hansen!" The leader called out two names, the ones who brought bladed weapons in their back.

"Yes!"

"Got it!"

The only girl and a man with long blue hair and a large body threw their gun to the sides and pulled out the long blade strapped on their backs.

Stepping forward, they swung their blades at the incoming Demons. The nightmarish creature only came from Level 1 Glitches and Invader, so they were pretty weak but still stronger than a normal wolf.

The blade was made from a new metal mixture found by the extraterrestrial spirit named 'Spirit Metal' hummed, and the edge was covered in a soft, blue light infused by the wielder's Magicule.

It was sharp and could cut through even tungsten with some effort. As such, the Magicule body and bones from a weak Demon could easily be severed.

*Swoosh!*

As both people swung their blades at once, the remaining Demons got sliced in half.

Their bodies fell to the ground, slowly disappearing, and rose like a black fog returning to the red portal. This phenomenon was called 'Disintegration,' and why they returned to the red portal was still unknown.

More importantly, all Demons were dealt with almost instantly, raising the team's morale and confidence. They were sure they could deal with the Invader as easily as those Demons.

"Don't get distracted."

But Eric knew better. The Invader didn't even react when his Demon minions attacked and got killed easily. And in the simulation they had tried many times before, Invader was way stronger than the Demon.

"It's not over yet."

The Invader now would see them as a threat. And this creature was famous for attacking the biggest threat inside the barrier.

But…

"Why is it staying still?" Ciel commented in a confused voice as she looked at the Invader still holding its circular-shaped object.

Yes. For some reason, the Invader stood still and didn't attack them yet. Instead, it turned its head, covered in darkness, to another direction. A pair of red eyes appeared, narrowed sharply in that certain direction.

"Is there something over there?" The large man holding the blade asked.

The team then followed the monster's gaze, except for Eric, who was on standby to command them if something happened.

Inside the warped space was silent. A nervous gulping sound came from one of the members, afraid that something unexpected happened. Something that made this Invader act strange.

It was then the silent atmosphere was broken by the sound of light footsteps and a loud sound of something made from wood tapping against the hard surface.

"Hmm hmmm, oh? Am I late?"

A deep, clear voice rang from the direction where the Invader was looking.

Then, a young man with handsome features and an all-black appearance appeared from behind a maze created by a kaleidoscope of color and shattered glass that made it impossible to see what lay behind it.

"A civilian?" Another member of the team asked.

This time, Eric turned around. Among the others, he was the only one equipped by the application to detect Magicule amounts in his System Watch. And when it detected Dark Magicule of a certain amount, it would ring.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

Eric's expression hardened as he glanced at his System Watch. On it appeared words, and his face paled slightly.

"No." He replied with a trembling voice out of worry and fear. "He has Dark Magicule, and…"

He looked at his System Watch again, ensuring he read the words correctly. And once he did that, he continued.

"He's at least a Vice-Commander level."

The others' faces paled almost immediately. Ciel and the large man were no exception. Instead, sweat dripped down their foreheads because they knew they would be the ones who would deal with the danger head-on as they served as the team's vanguards.

"Aha!"