The appearance of Shirone’s group, having escaped the valley, was a complete ss.
They had washed their faces with water, but their torn clothes were stained with blood—whether it was theirs or soone else’s, they couldn’t tell.
It was fortunate that there were no additional troops.
Considering that the fortress built in the valley was a strategic stronghold, the 40 soldiers they had just annihilated were likely the elite of the Parrot rcenary Group.
Even if there were remnants, they wouldn’t pose a significant threat.
Amy: "This way."
Amy pointed in the exact direction.
According to her mory of the map, they had moved approximately 12 kiloters from the point where the battle had started.
Taking into account the slope’s angle, it translated to about 7 kiloters of progress on the map.
Tess marveled at how Amy used her red eyes like a compass.
’Karmis. Truly a jack-of-all-trades.’
As they crossed the mid-slope, a path finally appeared.
Tess took the lead and checked the traces. Though faint, there were clear marks of a carriage having passed through.
Tess: "From here on, this is their living area. In other words, we’ve broken through the outer defenses."
It was welco news for the exhausted group, but it wasn’t a situation where they could let their guard down.
Even though they had wiped out most of the troops, they still hadn’t encountered any of the higher-ranking officers.
Tess: "The hideout should be at the end of this path. Yuna will be there too. We have no choice but to proceed."
At that mont, Tess’s eyebrows twitched.
Tess: "Take cover!"
From the dense forest beside the path, a projectile faster than an arrow ca flying.
Shirone’s group had already dodged, but they couldn’t escape the shockwave of the explosion.
Shirone: "Ugh!"
Shirone, pushed back by the shockwave, slamd into a tree trunk before launching himself forward.
He hid in the bushes and confird that the spot where the projectile had landed was now engulfed in flas.
Shirone: "A fireball?"
No, if it had been a fireball, Tess would have noticed it sooner.
Amy: "Shirone! Be careful!"
The second and third attacks ca flying.
As Shirone dodged, Amy’s gaze quickly moved.
’Over there.’
Calculating the trajectory, she unleashed a series of Fla Strikes toward the depths of the forest.
"...."
She couldn’t be sure if the enemy had been hit, but no further attacks ca.
Tess: "Co out! Cowardly ambushing us like this!"
The bushes rustled, and a man revealed himself.
Judging by the distance, he had moved incredibly fast.
Man: "Not bad. It wasn’t just luck that brought you this far."
’Who is he?’
The man was about the sa height as Rian, but his slender build suggested agility over brute strength. His pale complexion and the way he slicked back his hair gave him the appearance of a snake, even without eyebrows.
’No, he’s stronger than that.’
Everyone felt the sa.
After exchanging glances, Amy spoke.
Amy: "Who are you?"
Man: "The vice-captain of the Parrot rcenary Group. Agado Freeman."
The appearance of the second-in-command made Shirone’s group tense.
But conversely, it also ant that their destination wasn’t far.
Amy: "I’ll handle this. You guys go rescue Yuna."
While nurical superiority is a basic tactic, it’s an exception when hostages are involved.
Even if they subdued Freeman, they wouldn’t be able to rescue the hostage without executing the operation simultaneously.
Shirone: "But..."
Shirone glanced into the forest.
There were 10 soldiers hiding there.
Though he had thought there wouldn’t be any more elites, their level didn’t seem inferior to the enemies they had faced in the valley.
’Did they deploy two units from the start?’
For a rcenary group, not a formal army, to divide their forces into two branches was impressive.
In fact, the soldiers in the forest were Freeman’s direct subordinates.
Given their different tactical operations, they couldn’t mix with Falcoa’s n.
In any case, if the vice-captain and his direct subordinates were here, it ant this was the final barrier for them.
’Even if we break through here, the hostage will be in greater danger. Soone needs to slip through now.’
As Shirone pondered, Amy pointed to the weapon in Freeman’s hand.
Amy: "Shirone, look at that. It’s a gun. The hidden soldiers will also be using guns. They might not be as strong as him, but..."
Shirone had also learned about this at school.
While bows used interchangeable arrowheads, guns were specially designed to use only magic bullets.
Though the specifications were narrow, making them more expensive than arrowheads, their rapid-fire capability made a huge difference in combat.
Judging by the design, it was a revolver with a rotating cylinder.
Shirone understood what Amy was getting at.
Shirone: "Got it. I’ll leave this to you."
The enemies’ range was likely several hundred ters.
Even if Shirone closed the distance with teleportation, the enemies would just retreat further.
On the other hand, soone specializing in sniper mode could return fire from the sa distance.
Above all, Amy, being a graduate, was the only one who had trained in this type of tactic.
Amy: "I’ll block their path with a Fire Wall. When I give the signal, slip through in the anti."
Shirone nodded and stepped back, while Rian and Tess finished preparing to move.
Amy, who had been glaring fiercely at Freeman, suddenly focused her energy.
Amy: "Now!"
A ring of fire raced across the ground, trapping Amy and Freeman.
Before anyone could react, a wall of flas several ters high erupted.
Even in the scorching heat, Freeman calmly observed the flas.
Fire Wall was an advanced spell that allowed fla mages to diversify their tactical options, but it consud far more ntal energy than other active spells.
After maintaining the Fire Wall at its maximum height for over three seconds, Amy released the spell, and Shirone, Rian, and Tess had already slipped away from the battlefield.
Freeman was genuinely impressed.
’Three seconds.’
It was a short ti, but enough to evacuate allies during battle.
Moreover, creating a wall over five ters high was a feat even professionals found difficult.
Freeman: "Impressive. Sacrificing yourself for your comrades."
Amy’s pale complexion, even paler than before, showed her exhaustion.
Amy: "Hmph, don’t talk about sacrifice. I sent them away because I can handle you alone."
Freeman: "Is that so? You seem quite tired. Sorry, but I’m in a hurry, so I can’t wait for you."
Freeman let his left arm hang, and another gun slid out from his wide sleeve.
’Dual guns. As expected, this guy’s a gunner.’
Among the various combat professions based on schema usage, gunners were unique.
They focused most of their physical abilities on agility and speed, compensating for their lack of firepower with magic bullets—a fusion-style combat thod.
As Freeman gripped a gun in each hand, a series of clicking sounds echoed from the depths of the forest.
Amy’s eyes narrowed.
"...."
The sound of hidden soldiers reloading.
If they were using the sa model as Freeman, each gun held six bullets, aning twelve bullets in total for dual guns.
Assuming there were 20 enemies, the firepower cycle would amount to 240 bullets.
’This is serious.’
She thought about calling her friends back, but there was no one to joke with now.
Freeman aid his guns.
Freeman: "Your reckless adventure ends here."
His cold aura was the complete opposite of Falcoa’s.
A gunner who moved solely to eliminate enemies, without arrogance or pleasure.
Amy’s lips curled into a smile.
If Shirone’s role had been crucial in previous battles, this ti it was her turn to shine in the fight she was most confident in.
Amy: "You’re challenging to a duel?"
Her red eyes glowed, and a stream of flas wrapped around her.
Amy: "This ti, you’ve picked the wrong opponent."
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