Unyielding Assault

The first squad leader of the mercenary corps' eyes gleamed sharply.

It was the perfect moment—the positioning of Rian, the distance between him and the cover, and the precise opening for a surprise attack all aligned flawlessly.

"Charge, all at once!"

Three squad members rushed in toward Rian simultaneously.

However, they were merely bait. The one delivering the fatal strike would be the squad leader.

"Kugh!"

Realizing this too late, Rian twisted his body in the opposite direction and swung his greatsword, but a tree stood in his way.

"Puhahaha! Fool!"

The moment the squad leader lunged to pierce Rian's heart—

"Hyaaaah!"

Rian let out a fierce battle cry, his greatsword tearing through the tree trunk and surging toward the squad leader's neck.

'Huh?'

Shocked, the squad leader hastily pulled back his thrusting sword to defend his throat. The greatsword crashed against it with a deafening clang.

Clang!

"..."

The impact wasn't overwhelming, but only because the tree had absorbed some of the shock.

'I almost died.'

Even a seasoned warrior trained in Schema would find it difficult to cut through a tree in such a tight space and launch an immediate counterattack.

Snapping out of his daze, the squad leader quickly regained his composure.

Curiosity about the enemy had no place in war. One should think only after the opponent's head had been severed.

"You bastard...!"

Maintaining his guard, the squad leader advanced, scraping his blade against Rian's, aiming to slash his abdomen—

"Guh!"

A rapier suddenly pierced through his open mouth.

His severed central nervous system sent his eyes rolling upward before his body went limp and collapsed onto the ground.

Beyond him stood Tess.

"Rian, are you alright?"

Her expression remained calm, but Rian's gaze briefly shifted downward, scanning the fallen body.

Tess figured this must be his first time.

'Seeing a dead body and witnessing the moment life fades into death are two entirely different things.'

It was akin to a religious experience.

A person who had just been moving, expressing emotions, and fighting moments ago now lay motionless, stripped of all will, turning cold.

It was in such moments that one truly perceived the essence of life.

"Rian, are you alright?"

At Tess's voice, Rian snapped out of his thoughts. As always, he flashed a bold smile and answered.

"No problem. What about the others?"

Looking around, Rian saw that the Parrot Mercenary Corps was utterly overwhelmed by Shirone's firepower.

Even though they had experience fighting against mages, Photon Cannon was on an entirely different level in both speed and destructive power.

The scattering flashes of light pulverized trees and rocks alike, leaving the mercenaries unable to find a chance to strike.

"Damn it! What kind of magic is that?!"

The second squad leader barely peeked out to observe the battlefield but quickly ducked back as the ground exploded with a deafening bang.

'Does that guy never get tired?'

With such devastating firepower, there should have been some kind of limitation, yet Shirone showed no signs of exhaustion.

'Hmph! But even so…'

Glancing to the side, he saw one of his subordinates concealed behind a boulder signaling their plan.

An archer's position had been set. If they could lure Shirone out of his safe zone, they would shoot him right between the eyes.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo!"

Taking three quick breaths, the second squad leader leaped forward, and a flash of light chased after him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each explosion sent his heart pounding, but he gritted his teeth and sprinted toward the designated location.

'It worked!'

The moment he tumbled behind the hill, he saw Shirone's position, now perfectly exposed to their sniper.

"Heh, you're done for—"

But at that instant, a streak of fire shot toward the hidden sniper's location.

A few moments later, a faint scream echoed.

"Aaaaagh!"

Eyes wide with shock, the second squad leader turned his head and saw Amy standing there.

'Another sniper... A mage, at that.'

His teeth clenched in frustration.

A perfect ambush, ruined in an instant.

"Retreat! All units, retreat!"

At the command, the Parrot Mercenary Corps simultaneously emerged from cover and dashed toward the mountains.

Their concealment had been so effective that Shirone's group felt as if the scenery itself had shifted in an instant.

"You think you can run?!"

Led by Tess, the group gave chase, but the mercenaries maintained their distance with ease.

'Tch! Of course, they know this terrain inside out.'

The Parrot Mercenary Corps had trained in this landscape for five years, memorizing every inch of it, whereas Shirone's group inevitably wasted movement.

"Let me handle it."

Amy ignited a flame in her right hand and hurled it like a projectile. The explosive fireball arced through the air, crashing down onto their path.

The second squad leader shouted.

"Now!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire mercenary corps shimmered with light before vanishing into thin air.

Shirone stood there, dumbfounded.

"...Spatial teleportation?"

Amy's fireball landed a moment later, erupting into flames and heating the air around them.

"Damn it! What just happened?!"

Waiting for the heat to subside, Shirone's group rushed to the impact site.

There were no enemies in sight.

"I wasn't seeing things just now, was I?"

Amy nodded.

"That was teleportation magic. I don't know how they pulled it off, but... Let's check our condition first. Is anyone injured?"

After battle, the first priority was always to check for injuries.

Unlike casual street fights where a bloody nose was obvious, in life-or-death combat, adrenaline often masked pain, making wounds go unnoticed.

Only after confirming their conditions did they regroup to analyze the situation.

Tess spoke first.

"This isn't going to be easy. Their individual skills aren't exceptional, but they're highly organized and experienced. And this territory… it's a huge advantage for them. More importantly..."

She hesitated for a moment before asking.

"How did swordsmen teleport? That's high-level magic. I was watching closely during the battle, and there were no mages."

Amy activated her Red Eyes and reviewed her memory from the fight.

"...Magical artifacts."

Just before teleporting, a faint glow had emanated from the sleeves of every mercenary at the same time.

"They must have been wearing enchanted bracelets. It's too much of a coincidence—all their arms glowed right before they vanished."

Shirone narrowed his eyes.

'If that's the case, we need to adjust our strategy. This fight is far from over.'