Shadows in the Battlefield

A lingering ringing echoed in her ears as Amy briefly scanned the other side of the forest.

The lack of return fire meant total annihilation. However, within her Spirit Zone, she could still sense someone exuding a chilling killing intent.

Casting Fly magic, Amy soared hundreds of meters through the air before landing in a clearing within the forest.

Just as she had expected, Freeman stood in the center, his expression cold and unwavering.

Amy took a step forward while surveying her surroundings.

"Your subordinates were completely wiped out, yet your face doesn't change at all? Aren't you being too cold? Or maybe... you're just a coward?"

"If disliking battle makes one a coward, then I suppose I am."

Amy had been stalling to assess the battlefield, but now she snapped her gaze back to Freeman.

'The deputy leader of the Parrot Mercenary Corps... a coward?'

If this was some kind of psychological warfare, it was a high-level technique. However, Freeman appeared completely unfazed.

— Hey, look, it's Freeman. The coward Freeman.

— If you make Freeman cry, Marsha will come. A pathetic guy who relies on a woman to save him.

"..."

Freeman, recalling a memory from long ago, shifted his gaze back to Amy and spoke.

"Let's stop this."

"What?"

Freeman glanced toward the hideout.

"I'm worried about the commander. I think I need to check on her. I don't want her to be hurt."

"Hah! Who in the world wants to get hurt? If that's what you were afraid of, you should've lived a good life from the beginning."

"That's not what I meant. She must not lose to anyone. Even if it means her death."

Amy furrowed her brows.

"What are you talking about?"

Freeman didn't respond. He merely spoke with conviction.

"The commander is strong. Your friend will die. But I… I want to protect Marsha."

Amy stopped thinking.

At first, she thought he was insane, but there was something unsettling, as if he knew something she didn't.

'Focus on the fight.'

Closing the distance, she spoke.

"You should worry about yourself. If you're scared to fight, just release Yuna."

Freeman fell silent.

Disobeying Marsha's orders would be the same as condemning her.

"…I have no choice."

Freeman pulled out two guns, and Amy steadied her stance, preparing for battle.

Her focus was at its peak. She wasn't letting her guard down.

Yet, she still lost sight of Freeman's movements as he disappeared before her eyes.

'What?!'

All she could remember was a fleeting afterimage, blurred like a mirage.

Then, through her Spirit Zone, she sensed something rapidly approaching from behind.

"Ugh!"

She twisted her waist and leaned back just in time. Freeman's foot barely grazed her chin as it passed by.

Amy gritted her teeth.

'Close combat...?'

While gunners weren't entirely without melee techniques, such tactics were only considered a Plan B.

If the opponent was close enough to kill with a blade, then bullets became meaningless.

"Hah! Do you think a trick like that will work?"

Regaining her posture, Amy took to the air.

Freeman's enchanted bullets followed her, exploding around her in quick succession.

The turbulence disrupted the air, making it impossible to maintain her Fly magic. Rather than aiming directly at her, Freeman was destabilizing the flight environment itself.

'He's got experience.'

The moment she landed, Amy lunged forward, rapidly firing Flame Strikes.

Freeman sprinted across the ground while returning fire. Their battle was neck-and-neck.

'He's fast.'

Even compared to Amy, who could teleport short distances, his reaction speed was nearly equal.

Closing the distance, Freeman unleashed a flurry of kicks.

At high speed, one of his strikes landed on Amy's stomach.

"Ugh!"

Tumbling backward, she realized she had no chance in a hand-to-hand fight.

Crouching low, she cast Fire Mist. The intense heat distorted the air, sending waves of scorching wind across the battlefield.

Freeman, who had been pursuing her, gave up on his follow-up attack and backed away.

By then, his guns were already aimed forward, and the cylinders spun as they fired more enchanted bullets.

The air shook violently as smoke and debris erupted.

"..."

As Freeman impassively watched the rising smoke, Flame Strikes suddenly rained down from a 45-degree angle to his left.

Then from 60 degrees, 75 degrees, and finally directly from above at 90 degrees.

Amy gritted her teeth as she circled around him using short-range teleportation.

'Hah! Try dodging this.'

The flames came so fast that they seemed to weave together into a spiraling inferno.

Freeman's eyes changed.

'Compound Eye.'

A visual technique that divided his surroundings into segmented images, akin to an insect's multifaceted vision, allowing him to analyze every detail.

With all the information processed in an instant, Freeman's body swayed in unpredictable ways, narrowly dodging every single flame strike.

"Tch."

Amy clicked her tongue.

If he could use Compound Eye, then close combat was an even worse option.

'I have no choice.'

Swallowing her pride, she dashed into the forest, increasing the distance to over 300 meters before activating Sniper Mode.

She sensed Freeman swapping out his gun's cylinder.

His relaxed demeanor irritated her even more.

'Let's see how long you can keep that up.'

Channeling her focus, she cast Fire Call.

She only needed one shot. And this time, it would be on an entirely different level.

'This will end it.'

For a gunshot to be effective, it had to be faster than sound itself. Otherwise, a sensory-type Schema user like Freeman could react the moment they heard the gunfire.

'It has to exceed the speed of sound. No, it has to hit the target the instant the sound reaches him…'

The method was clear—create an air tunnel and use the explosive force of the fire attribute's Burst to propel the bullet forward.

"Hoo…"

Amy's crimson eyes flickered dangerously.

Then, with a thunderous roar, she fired.

Her ears rang, but it didn't matter. The bullet had already surpassed the speed of sound.

By the time Freeman heard the explosion, he would have already lost consciousness.

For her, time seemed to stretch infinitely due to her heightened concentration.

Seeing the bullet tear through the air toward Freeman, Amy was certain.

He didn't even react. He just stood there.

'Got him!'

But to her shock, the Fire Call bullet crashed far off the mark.

Amy's expression went blank.

'A missed shot? No… impossible.'

She had locked onto him in Sniper Mode. Her focus at the moment of firing had been absolute.

'This wasn't my mistake.'

There was only one possible explanation.

"…Anti-Magic."

Freeman's gun was undoubtedly imbued with Anti-Magic.

A sniper's nightmare.

And at that moment, Freeman turned his gaze toward the forest, where Amy was concealed.

"Is that where you are?"

Pushing off the ground, he advanced toward her.

Amy gritted her teeth.

'What do I do now…?'