C153
“It’s definitely true that we came close. Just about one more kilometer to go..."
Just as Amy was about to explain, she saw a fireball burst out of the forest, making a fierce noise.
"It's an ambush! Scatter!"
Shirone and the group scattered in different directions. The flame that hit the ground grew larger as it absorbed the air, then dispersed as heat.
"Fireball?"
“Amy! Be careful!"
The second and third attacks flew in simultaneously.
But Amy didn't avoid it. Instead, she took a combat stance and pierced the fireball with an equal number of Flame Strikes.
"Show yourself! Stop ambushing like a coward!"
"Your skills are quite impressive. Coming this far wasn't just luck."
Shirone and the group looked back at the mountain path. A man walked out of the forest. Although he was similar in height to Rian, he had a slim body that gave off a sense of agility.
Even though he didn't have eyebrows, he was a man who looked like a snake with his confidence and pale impression of his swept back hair.
"Who are you?"
“Vice leader of Parror Mercenary Band. Agado Freeman.”
Tension filled the faces of Shirone's group at the word 'vice-captain.' But on the other hand, it meant their destination wasn't far off.
"Shirone, let me handle this. When I signal, take Rian and Tess and go to the cliff."
"I can't do that. It's too dangerous."
“Then what about you? Have you forgotten that you've already plunged into a trap alone? Are you going to keep ignoring me like this?"
"It's not that I'm ignoring you. There are about 20 more people hiding in the forest."
Amy had also already confirmed that with Spirit Zone. But that's why she wants to send Shirone away first.
If they were held up here, it would only buy time for reinforcements at the first checkpoint.
Amy, trying to somehow convince Shirone, raised her hand and pointed at Freeman.
"Shirone, look at that man's weapon. It's a gun."
Shirone turned his head and looked closely. The man clearly held a weapon that looked exactly like the one he saw in the book.
Magic Projectile fired with a bow require replacement of the arrow tip, but gun was a specially manufactured weapon to use only Magic Projectiles.
It is a device that loads a small amount of magic bullets and fires them forward. Looking at the design, it was a revolver type that could fire continuously by rotating the cylinder.
"See? You know what a gun is, right? It can replace bullets faster than bow and is a direct-fire weapon. Unlike arrows that explode after impact, it fires in an already activated state, making it specialized for medium to long-range combat. Probably all the guys hiding in the forest are using that weapon too."
Shirone understood what Amy meant.
"Alright. I'll leave this to you."
Rian and Tess looked back with puzzled eyes. They had heard the explanation about the gun, but it only made the situation seem more dangerous. Why would Shirone suddenly change his mind and leave Amy alone?
"I'll create a Fire Wall to buy time and prevent their pursuit. Use that chance to break through."
"Okay. Ryan, Tess, get ready.”
If it was Shirone's judgment, Rian could only follow. She didn't feel good leaving her colleague alone, but Tess also gulped and prepared to rushed out because it wasn't a situation to take time and discuss.
"Now! Go!"
Amy, who had finished concentrating, opened her eyes and shouted. As Shirone led the way and ran, Rian and Tess followed him to his left and right.
As expected, spark from guns flew from all directions in the forest.
Amy cast a Fire Wall in the shape of a massive circle.
The ground began to boil like porridge, and the flames that began underfoot rushed with frightening momentum and penetrated into the forest.
She then amplified her mental strength, causing the Fire Wall to violently blaze, obstructing the enemies' sight.
At the same time, Shirone grabbed Rian and Tess and initiated Teleportation. The range is shorter than that of a high-ranking mage, but it was effective enough to suddenly disappear before the eyes of enemies.
After hearing the noise of Teleportation, Amy stopped casting Fire Wall and gasped.
The Fire Wall, known as a mana-consuming spell, required continuous mental focus to maintain.
The reason it was not overpowered even though it was powerful was because the cost of casting was too expensive.
But Freeman was gennuinely impressed. The girl standing in front of him was in her teens at most.
As far as he knew, it was extremely rare for a mage of that age to cast a Fire Wall of that scale.
“Impressive. To sacrifice for your comrades.”
“Hmph! Don’t talk like it's a sacrifice. I sent it because I can handle this myself.”
“Really? You seem quite worn out. Sorry, but we’re in a hurry too, so we can’t wait.”
As soon as Freeman's words fell, his subordinates appeared.
The fact that no one was able to extinguish the fire in the forest was proof that none among them were mages. However, they were all Schema users and, like Freeman, were holding guns.
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
