The second encounter (2)

"Can you handle it? His schema won't be at the level of cadets."

"Still, we don't have another choice, right? I have to do it."

Rian slowly advanced with the Ogent symbol, the great sword, hanging down from the ground. On the contrary, Tess stepped aside as if to exit Falkoa's line of sight.

It was a standard two-person formation, but Falkoa seemed unfazed by it.

If he, known as the 'demon of the battlefield', were to be controlled by these novices, how much would those who lost their lives to his sword mock him?

Rian honestly stated, extending his great sword.

"Come at me. I will accept you."

But before he could finish speaking, Falkoa was already close. It was an instant acceleration beyond imagination.

"Keuhahahahaha!"

Rian's nose twitched as he defended against the long sword that was struck vertically. It wasn't a collision between swords but rather the impact of a sledgehammer.

"What's this? Have you already given up?"

Falkoa savagely attacked the great sword. Rian's knees bent with each impact. In the end, he couldn't hold on any longer and placed his knee on the ground.

"Ugh!"

The muscles of the arm holding the straight sword spasmed. At that moment, Falkoa's kick struck his solar plexus.

Rian's body rolled on the ground like a ball.

"Rian!"

Tess let out a cry of regret. The situation seemed to have already concluded. However, contrary to Falkoa's expectations, Rian suddenly stood up.

In addition to physical strength that went beyond common sense, tenacity was also one of Rian's strengths.

"Ugh, now I have a general idea. You're at this level, huh?"

Falko's eyebrows arched. However, Rian didn't stop there; He pointed his great sword straight and taunted his opponent.

"Fine. The real fight starts now. Come at me as much as you want."

"Kekekek, I'll kill you."

The corners of Falkoa's mouth were torn up to his ears.

He was exactly the same as when he was called the demon of the battlefield.

***

Shirone opened the door and entered the building. Inappropriate for a place used by a band of mercenaries, a tidy living room was revealed, with potted plants lined up under the window where the sun shone.

"Where is Jiss's sister?"

Shirone went through each room. When he opened the third door, he froze and grabbed the knob.

A pleasant fragrance wafted from the room. A red carpet was laid, and beds and desks were arranged to a standard.

Shirone looked at the woman sitting on the bed. He had only vaguely thought she would be there when he heard Tess speak, but the impact of finding her was immense.

"Oh, you came, Shirone. Have you been well?"

"Marsha noona..."

Marsha was undoubtedly the leader of the organization that kidnapped Yuna. However, she was smiling with such a warm face that it was impossible to harbor those thoughts.

"Did you safely get home that day? Have you reconciled with your friend?"

Shirone swallowed the response that had stuck in his throat. Marsha seemed to know he would come but hadn't handed over Yuna.

"You already know, right? You must have heard everything."

"Oh, why are you doing this, Shirone? It's scary. Are you angry with this noona? I'm sorry for deceiving you back then."

As Marsha coquettishly approached, Shirone withdrew to the same distance.

"Wow, you really seem angry. What should I do to make you forgive this noona? Should I kneel down and beg here? I'll do it if you want."

"Please, return Jiss's sister to me. That's all I ask."

"Aha! So, that's it? Oh my, you should have told me earlier. I misunderstood and thought you were looking for a fight with me. However, kind Shirone wouldn't do such a thing. What a relief!"

Shirone was confused. Who is this person? He couldn't understand her behavior, as if she were experiencing a different world and situation.

"Where is Yuna?"

"She's on the second floor. If you want to take her, go ahead."

Shirone turned around. He didn't want to think about Marsha anymore. He just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Oh, right. Shouldn't you take some clothes to cover her?"

Shirone's steps abruptly stopped. When he looked back, Marsha was smiling mischievously.

"It's a bit uncomfortable to see a stranger naked, right? That's why I'm telling you in advance. Don't be too surprised. She might have gone crazy. My men were too rough."

As Shirone's eyes turned colder, Marsha spoke faster.

"I saw it too, and the screams weren't a joke. Well, I wouldn't have been able to endure it either. Now that I think about it, I think I went too far. But Shirone, you know what? It was all by my order? Even so, I think you'll understand. Because you're a kind-hearted Shirone, aren't you?"

Shirone simply kept his mouth shut. That fact brought great joy to Marsha.

"How do you feel, Shirone?"

"What do you mean, 'how do I feel?' What do you want to hear?"

Shirone no longer found any value in respecting Marsha. But this seemed to be a delightful event for Marsha.

"Hohoho! Do you really seem angry? Why are you angry with me? You said someday my kleptomania would get better. But your thoughts have changed now, haven't they? Wouldn't it have been better if you had scolded me harshly back then? Then maybe I wouldn't have kidnapped Yuna. Honestly, you were very unlucky."

Shirone turned fully towards her. It wasn't just about Yuna now. Marsha had done something she should never have done.

"Eh? Answer me? How do you feel? Are you about to go crazy? Do you feel miserable because this noona you once adored is like this? Do you now think there's nothing left to believe in this world?"

"So, others' feelings... Do you have to hear them from their own mouths to feel relieved?"

Marsha's laughter stopped when Shirone asked.

"If you really want it, I can do it. So, why do you care about my feelings? Are you afraid I'll be disappointed?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm mocking you!"

"Really? Should I tell you what I think of you right now?"

Marsha's face hardened. She seemed like someone who had been robbed of the option to speak, only waiting for Shirone's response.

"I don't hate you. You're still a good person in my memories."

Marsha's expression changed in real-time. Her perplexed face gradually turned into disappointment and finally into anger.

"Stop talking nonsense. If that's really how you feel, can you forgive me? Can you smile at me as you used to, after I trampled Jiss's younger sister?"

"No. You did something you shouldn't have done at all. If you really did that, I'll never forgive you."

"Haha! Don't tell me you think I'm lying? But what should I do? I mean, it's real. Go up and check."

"Even if it's true, I don't hate you. But..."

Shirone looked at her and bit his lip.

"I'm saddened that you, who know pain better than anyone else, have done something like this."

Fire sparked in Marsha's eyes. Her face contorted threateningly, and she gritted her teeth.

She wouldn't have felt aggrieved if she had really trampled on Yuna. She couldn't bear it. Shirone, who seemed to know everything about her, was annoying.

"You! You really make me angry!"

Shirone hurriedly stepped back. Marsha's zone, which penetrated with synesthesia, was sharp enough to provoke a tingling sensation.

A star-shaped zone.

It was a one-way sense only for the offensive type among the four types.

Preparing for Marsha's attack, Shirone adopted a defensive stance. But they caught Yuna on the second floor.

The terrain was quite difficult for mages. It wasn't just about reducing the radius of the spiritual zone.

To put it in a warrior's perspective, it was like throwing away the long sword he used as a main weapon and fighting with a short sword.

'What kind of mage could she be...?'

Shirone observed Marsha and preemptively released Photon Magic so he could immediately dodge any attack.

But Marsha's magic exceeded Shirone's expectations. When she narrowed her eyes and let out a piercing scream, a loud noise invaded his eardrums.

"Ugh!"

Shirone was taken aback and stumbled. There was a stab of pain as if a needle had pierced through his ear and come out the other side.

'Sonic Cannon. She was a sound mage. This is dangerous.'

Sound mages are those who study sound. Even if it's not a human voice, it vibrates the air to create various sound waves, and the representative attack magic was Sonic Cannon demonstrated by Marsha.

"The sound pressure from the Sonic Cannon exceeds 150 decibels. It's potent enough to rupture eardrums and induce deafness at close range.

Because the magic is directional and amplifies sound wavelength, it doesn't spread widely like a laser. However, being invisible makes it one of the most challenging magics to counter.

'I'm at a disadvantage here.'

Just as Shirone and Amy's effectiveness drastically varied depending on the situation and environment, for Marsha, who handles sound, fighting in a confined space was akin to a stroll in a garden.

Shirone racked his brain to overcome the current situation. The method he ultimately chose was high-speed teleportation in a narrow space.

Blending Patrol and Rainbow Drop, he moved around the room, disrupting Marsha with a complex pattern of flashes.

As soon as he had her at a disadvantage, Shirone unleashed Photon Cannon. However, Marsha effortlessly evaded the magic coming from the blind spot by swiftly rotating her body.

'How?'

Unless she had eyes in the back of her head, there was no way to detect an attack from a blind spot.

No, even with keen sight, it was impossible to evade Photon Cannon from this distance.

"Hehe, surprised, aren't you? Surely, that's not all you've got?"

"Could it be… Sonar?"

"Well, as someone who graduated from a magic academy. You've been studying a lot, haven't you?"

Sonar is the ability to read sounds. Originally, its use is maximized only underwater, but mages can materialize their zones in any medium as much as they can, thanks to their omnipotence.

It's said that the search capabilities of an expert in sonar far surpass those of a typical radar in terms of density.

Therefore, it was natural for her to react simultaneously as Shirone cast Photon Cannon.

"'Amplification magic is bothersome. It's so dull."

Shirone tilted his head. It was a topic that could easily be overlooked, but upon reflection, it was odd. No mage would belittle the magic they master.

"But this one I like."

If you master Sonar, there's no need to amplify sound. As she extended her arms, the air in front of her vibrated, and Sound Cannons flew from both sides.

Shirone quickly cast Teleportation. However, the sound was faster than his reflexes.

High-decibel sound waves stirred his brain, and his spell unraveled. For a mage who had to concentrate their mind, sound magic was genuinely perilous.

Marsha enveloped the entire building with a sidelong look magic.

Like a dolphin, this powerful detection magic fired sound waves and read the echo, allowing her to accurately measure presence, direction, and distance regardless of obstacles.

Shirone was cornered. Defending against sound cannons was impossible. Moreover, Marsha easily dodged even the Photon Cannon thanks to instantaneous Side-Looking detection.

'It's really odd. Sound-based magic is highly specialized. How can Marsha, who is a mercenary, wield sound magic?'

Mages specialized in sound spend their entire lives studying and gathering sound alone.

Even if they had innate talent, this was a magic hard to perform without academic knowledge.

"You have a quite interesting expression. I can clearly see the emotion written all over your face."

"How can you do this?"