Chapter 85
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Chapter 85: Gun Against Sword
A scorched land of molten lava pulsed with heat as a sapphire-blue glow flowered open.
Five human silhouettes materialized within the light, solidifying rapidly through the Teleportation Array.
The Elven Kingdom should’ve been a vast forest shielded by layered magic arrays and illusions. Instead, Midi’s group found themselves facing rivers of liquid fire.
Blistering winds howled through charcoal ruins. Meteorite craters pockmarked the terrain, while buildings melted into misshapen basalt mounds under high temperatures—this ground zero of the Skyfire’s wrath bore no resemblance to its former self.
“This is the King’s—” Norton pushed up his round glasses, craning his neck eagerly, but his words died mid-sentence.
Midi had lunged at him the instant the teleportation completed. Like a cannonball, he slammed into the wiry alchemist, hurling him aside. Even as Norton flew backward, Midi pivoted fluidly, raising the Black Sky sword in a defensive crossguard. Silver fire erupted in his eyes as Ultimate Intent surged.
A deafening clang split the air.
Sparks showered from the vibrating blade. Forged from void-forged steel to withstand Ultimate Intent, the longsword bent into a shallow curve from the impact. Midi skidded thirty meters before halting, boots carving trenches in ash.
One bullet. One impossible shot.
The Blood Blade Thieves Guild’s welcoming gift.
No orders were needed. The four veteran adventurers dove for cover as sparks still danced in the air. Norton scrambled behind a basalt outcrop, wheezing against the rock. Only Midi stood exposed, fingertips grazing the humming blade as he gauged the bullet’s trajectory.
Two kilometers away on a high ground, Mason—a lanky dark elf—narrowed his eyes. His darksteel Rifle wasn’t ordinary. Common firearms relied on gunpowder, but his accelerated rifle needed neither casings nor explosives. Magic converted to magnetic force propelled its slugs. A level 45 roaming gunslinger’s refined mana dictated their speed and reach.
Beyond visual range. No magic waves. Since surpassing level 40, Mason rarely missed—especially when ambushing foes disoriented by teleportation. Yet this plain-looking youth had blocked his guaranteed kill-shot. Worse, the boy now stood defiantly in the open, inviting a second shot to pinpoint Mason’s location.
This enemy couldn’t live.
Cold calculation sharpened Mason’s gaze, but beneath it simmered absolute killing intent.
Midi mirrored the thought.
Attacking Norton—not the leader, nor famed Odel, nor fragile-looking Alyn—showed terrifying instinct. The future alchemist had no reputation, yet the sniper had instantly marked him as the priority target. Let such a shadow haunt their steps, and one slip during rest or travel meant death.
One exchange. Mutual recognition. Twin resolves hardened.
“Cover me from the side and advance to eliminate them!” Midi ordered.
“Activate all ambush teams and intercept!” Mason coldly declared, chambering an armor-piercing bullet.
Both sides acted simultaneously, as if in sync.
Midi avoided frontal assault. Though confident in blocking regular bullets, specialized rounds like armor-piercing or explosive types would overwhelm his swordsmanship.
He took cover behind a massive basalt rock, rapidly drawing magic from the surroundings.
Though Skyfire had destroyed the Palace, it couldn’t disperse energy from the underground magic veins. The ambient magic here, while less concentrated than Autumn Ancient City villa’s, remained plentiful. Fire element fluctuations surged intensely. Within moments, Midi’s Explosive Flame Wave Sword took shape.
Flicking his longsword, Midi launched a glowing spark from its edge. The projectile arced around the rock, homing toward the bullet’s origin. As it flew, the spark absorbed surrounding magic, swelling into a colossal fireball trailing crimson flames like a blazing comet.
Mason’s sniping mastery prevented precise location tracking from a single shot.
But precision wasn’t needed. The Explosive Flame Wave Sword’s wide attack range engulfed entire directions, flushing out hidden foes.
Yet the fiery sphere abruptly detonated mid-flight, erupting into a blinding sunburst—the sniper had shot it prematurely!
This counterattack backfired, revealing Mason’s exact position through the explosion’s epicenter.
Though thwarted, Midi remained composed. Magic swirled around him again. This time, gray sickle-shaped shadows shot from his blade instead of flames.
Asura skill: Evil Light Wave Blade.
Razor-thin and swift as cicada wings, these energy sickles outpaced fireballs, drenching the sniper’s position like metallic rain.
Simultaneously, Midi burst from cover.
Certain the sniper would dodge, he charged to close the distance. Odel’s flanking team exploited this, advancing through pre-selected covers to support Midi’s spearhead push.
But disbelief flashed across Midi’s face. He skidded to a halt, Black Sky sword raised defensively.
Another metallic clang!
Sparks erupted anew.
Mason hadn’t dodged. The dark elf swayed through the sickle barrage like a leaf on stormy seas, evading with minimal movements. Blades grazed his clothes yet never forced him from his perch or disrupted his reloading.
The instant Midi emerged, Mason fired.
This wasn’t a suppressed ambush round but a full-powered armor-piercing bullet. Midi gripped his sword’s hilt and blade edge, channeling Ultimate Intent to withstand the impact.
Overwhelming force tsunamied through his arms. Boots grinding through gravel, he slid backward uncontrollably.
Stagger!
Outwardly calm, inner turmoil stormed through Midi.
Stagger—a debilitating state leaving victims immobilized, vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Normally requiring control skills like Demon Swordman’s Ice Binding Array or Elementalist’s paralysis spells.
Yet this sniper induced stagger with a single armor-piercing bullet against Ultimate Intent!
This foe might rival Wiseman of the Hand of Nightmare in skill, with colder ruthlessness.
Midi’s instincts screamed danger.
Twisting Black Sky sword, he deflected the spent bullet. Reversing grip, he rammed the greatsword into the ground, plowing twin furrows until halting.
No respite—he rolled aside as another armor-piercing round cratered his former position.
Understanding the gap, Midi abandoned reckless charges. He ducked behind cover, waiting for his four comrades.
“Encirclement on both flanks!” Odel’s warning came abruptly.
Midi’s brow furrowed deeper.
