He lunged toward a row of rusty shipping containers, smashing open a heavy door and darting between them.
With a grating sound of tal against tal, Maquiel slipped into the container's interior, narrowly avoiding yet another round of sniper fire from the Imperial agents.
Maquiel let out a long breath, his back pressed against the icy surface of the container wall, feeling his heart thumping violently in his chest.
From the depths of the shadowy alley, several figures clad in combat uniforms from the Empire's Special Operations Departnt moved swiftly forward.
The short-haired squad leader at the front cast a cold glance around and issued orders into a communicator.
"Captain Nikola, requesting support. Second squad, remain alert. The target has moved to Zone Four. Repeat, the target is now in Zone Four. Sniper team, get into position imdiately. Capture him at all costs."
The sound of machinery and hurried footsteps rged into one, piercing through the tranquil winter holiday morning like a blaring alarm.
The citizens of Bulida City had no idea that a fierce battle was taking place in the gray port district.
Maquiel's beyond-human physical abilities made him move so fast it was nearly impossible to track him with the naked eye. His escape was unpredictable and startling.
He didn't continue pushing toward the outskirts of the port district. Instead, he sprinted fearlessly in the direction of the city's bustling central zone.
"Is he insane? That man is actually running toward the marketplace!"
The squad leader froze montarily upon catching sight of Maquiel's route before quickly realizing his intention.
Causing chaos in the marketplace wouldn't just result in a failed mission—it would likely lead to severe punishnt for their unit.
"We must stop him before he enters the marketplace!"
The agents urgently accelerated their pace.
Maquiel, on the other hand, was intimately familiar with the area. He maneuvered skillfully through the tangled alleys and high-rise buildings, climbing up old fire escapes and darting through narrow tunnels.
Boom!
The deafening sound of explosions reverberated as thick smoke engulfed the alley within monts. The blast sent shockwaves that rattled the bricks and mortar of nearby walls, dislodging chunks of debris and spraying snow off the ground in white arcs through the air.
The heightened firepower caught Maquiel off guard, and he was hit so hard he tumbled several tis across the ground before finally shedding the impact.
He looked up alertly.
"Nikola..."
Maquiel crouched in the shadows of the container, his chest heaving violently, wisps of fog escaping through his gritted teeth.
His gaze darted around. A dozen agents from the Special Operations Departnt had completely surrounded him.
The squads had finally regrouped in full force.
"Maquiel, this is where it ends. Will you cooperate and return with , or shall we make this painful?"
Red Falcon Nikola erged from the crowd at the back, his hat brim still pressed low, while the cold, tallic gleam of the magic conductor firearm, [Blazing Light], shone upon his forearm.
He raised his hand to signal the agents nearby, indicating they could fire suppressive rounds at a mont's notice.
"Heh..."
Maquiel responded with a chuckle.
"You damned inferior beings... You have no idea what you're up against!"
A force roared within him, adrenaline ignited by the spark of survival-driven hope.
The next second, flas erupted between the containers!
Maquiel launched a sudden offensive, lunging at Nikola like a raptor hunting a hound, intent on finishing him off.
Nikola showed no inclination to take the hit directly. He stepped back, and the unit's magic barriers instantly unfolded.
Other elite agents joined the fray, deploying the Empire-standard magic conductor devices in an array around the containers. A crystalline blue network ford, completely blocking Maquiel's assault.
An invisible pressure field descended, and Maquiel imdiately felt his entire body shackled by unseen chains. His movents slowed dramatically.
"They brought out [Gravity Field] as well?!"
Maquiel roared at Nikola.
"You have no chance of winning."
Red Falcon Nikola spoke as agents flanked him, using magic conductor chanical dolls to silently unfurl the [Optical Maze]. The kaleidoscopic projections of magic power overwheld Maquiel's vision, making it impossible to discern reality from illusion.
The agents' silhouettes flickered in the shifting light, rendering them impossible to track.
Anxiety gripped Maquiel's heart.
Before he could formulate a counterasure, a soldier atop the container wielding a chanical heavy cannon clasped the weapon's handles, causing luminous wings to expand rapidly from the cannon's recesses.
The glow from the weapon's barrel resembled sothing divine descending from on high—a crushing force plumted straight toward Maquiel!
The impact resonated across the port, shaking the earth and mountains, echoing like thunder between the containers.
Debris flew in all directions, dust and gravel scattering wildly.
At the center of the battlefield, a massive crater several ters wide appeared.
Mud filled the pit, and steaming scorched earth nearly engulfed Maquiel's figure entirely.
"..."
Red Falcon Nikola remained on high alert, his gaze sharp as a hawk fixing on its prey.
From within the pit, Maquiel slowly rose to his feet.
His jacket was torn to shreds, yet he hardly seed gravely injured. His eyes burned brighter than ever, as though flas were about to erupt from them.
Nikola understood that a seventh-order Maquiel could not be fatally wounded so quickly. It would take an extended battle to wear down his life force enough for capture.
In the Bulida Mafia-controlled industrial zone, flas periodically erupted skyward, illuminating the gloomy heavens with brilliance.
Under the terms of their treaty with the military, should any fugitives enter Bulida Mafia territory, the Mafia was prohibited from interfering in military operations.
Though the gray zones outside the City State Barrier around the capital remained unresolved historical issues, the pacification and agreent after the "Blood Cleansing Day" years ago had established these territories as neutral zones specially authorized by the Cerryti Empire.
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