5. Conflagration
5. CONFLAGRATION
Rain still couldn’t quite fathom what had just happened.
“Athly!”
He may have fallen asleep, but he wasn’t particularly careless. He’d only taken a short, appropriate rest. However, his sleep had deepened more than he’d expected, and when he woke up, he saw someone taking his pistol. Since the pistol contained the Devil’s Bullet, he’d instinctively attacked and grabbed them by the neck, intending to snap it.
Unfortunately, he’d hesitated upon realizing the person in question was Athly.
“Where’d she go?!”
Athly had run into the forest so suddenly that he’d lost sight of her.
“Shit…!”
She’d left behind the Exelia, and while Rain could manage basic driving, he was by no means skilled enough to catch up to a person fleeing in this darkness. And besides, he didn’t know why Athly had run away in the first place. Sure, he’d grabbed her neck pretty hard, but he couldn’t imagine Athly screaming and having a hysterical fit over that. She was a soldier, after all, so she knew the implications of holding a weapon in front of someone.
That act of violence couldn’t have been the reason. Something else had made her lose her composure. And all that came to mind…were the silver bullets scattered at his feet.
Did seeing these make her panic like that?
The bullets had a peculiar color to them, but other than that, they looked normal. Only people who’d seen the Devil’s Bullet’s power in action would’ve thought them odd.
…It can’t be!
Only someone who’d recognize it as the Devil’s Bullet would’ve reacted like that, so…
How would Athly know…? And why’d she run off like that?
…the answer was simple. Somehow, Athly knew about the power of those bullets.
“What do I do…?”
Rain had no way to question Athly now that she was gone, but he certainly couldn’t allow her to roam free. He couldn’t afford to let the secret of the Devil’s Bullet leak. Its unparalleled, mysterious power was Rain’s greatest weapon on the battlefield.
He had to protect that secret at all costs, which meant he had to find Athly. But by the time he’d come to that conclusion, Rain finally realized something.
Assuming I do catch Athly, what next?
Ask her not to tell anyone? Have her join their crusade?
Those notions seemed absurd. The Devil’s Bullet was a secret that had to be safeguarded, and letting Athly learn about it was a huge misstep. She’d lost her parents to the war, in a battle between Ghosts that involved Air. If she learned that, Athly would never forgive Air.
Rain realized that deep down, but even still, he felt driven to catch Athly. He knew he had to permanently silence her if he caught her, but he ran after her all the same.
What am I thinking?! Rain was dumbfounded. The fact that he’d thought of killing her, even subconsciously, shook him to his core, forcing his legs to stop.
A layer of clouds hung over him, darkening the forest as if to match the silence enveloping it. And the only thing Rain could do was gaze into that darkness…
Three days had passed. O’ltmenia’s capital, Alestra, prepared to hold an annual festival. A national holiday was celebrated with a three-day festival that spanned the entire capital.
Originally, it was a form of prayer for a good harvest. But ever since Alestra had developed into an industrial city, it had become a fun festival marked by large feasts. O’ltmenia remained in the middle of war, so the risk of invasion loomed, but people set aside their anxieties to enjoy themselves for once.
“Your ID tag’s been confirmed. Head for hangar number 5, please.”
Rain had to guard the freight heading into the capital. When the cadets were first assigned the task, they’d heard it would be an armed escort, but on reaching their destination, they realized that it was mostly carrying in supplies and directing freight trains to their allotted hangars.
In other words, they’d been assigned chores. Rain didn’t complain, though, since every department seemed shorthanded.
Since it was a festival, much more cargo than usual had arrived at the capital, so security couldn’t keep up. Left with no choice, they’d asked the cadets to go on patrol and help manage the inspections as well. Everyone acknowledged this was something of an emergency and tacitly agreed to the unusual arrangement.
As the freight trains arrived, Rain would inspect their ID tags and direct them to the hangar listed. Nearly fifty trains had arrived during just the morning hours. And since they were in the middle of a war, all trains, without exception, were subjected to rigorous checks.
Four hours after he’d started working, Rain began to run out of energy.
“Morning team, take a break,” instructed their commanding officer.
Rain and the other members of the morning team stopped working at last. They exchanged grumbled complaints about how tired they felt, then took the rations and water provided and entered their break.
The light meal wasn’t particularly tasty, but it did come in plentiful amounts, making it a perfect fit for the situation. Rain, however, didn’t touch his food or water.
He didn’t eat anything else, either. He remained empty-handed as he walked away from his fellow workers and headed toward a platform that allowed him to look down at the checkpoint.
As soon as Rain climbed up to the top of the platform, he sat down, dangling his feet off the edge to relax. There was no one else around. The spot was built to serve as a lookout position for scouts, meaning no one usually came near here. He didn’t do anything, though. He simply watched the passing trains and got lost in thought.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh…?”
When those words reached his ears, he felt someone press down on his head.
“From the looks of it, I’d say you skipped another meal.”
Something rested atop his head. And when Rain tilted it to the side in confusion, a red apple fell into his hands. Looking up, he fixed his gaze on a silver-haired girl.
“At least eat something,” she told him grumpily.
“Air…”
“You’re working pretty hard today, huh?” she said, obviously insincere. And honestly, that dry sarcasm suited Air.
Instead of the Alestra Academy uniform or her combat attire, she had on a casual outfit. It was still the cold season, but she wore a short skirt that prioritized mobility. Unlike Rain, she had the day off to celebrate the festival, which made her sudden appearance odd.
“I’ve already sampled most of the food there, and walking around alone is no fun,” she replied. Then she pointed at the apple in Rain’s hands and said, “Think you can eat that for me?”
“……”
“I went out of my way to pick the best one I could find.”
“…Wow, you’re looking out for me now? This really is a special day.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“That this festival’s bringing out the best in you.”
“I look out for you all the time! Ugh, look, if you’re not going to eat it, just give it back,” Air said, extending a palm toward him impatiently.
“No, I’ll try it. Thanks.”
Rain evaded her fingers and bit down on the apple. The suppleness of the skin was evidence that it was most definitely fresh; O’ltmenian markets were overflowing with fruit at this time of year. Some entire freight trains exclusively carried apples, even. It was the peak of their harvest season, so they tasted extra delicious. As further proof, Air, who had an insatiable sweet tooth, had picked them out specifically.
But even so, Rain couldn’t stomach it.
“Ngh… Ugh, urk…”
He felt hungry, but after a few bites, Rain started vomiting.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah…,” Rain muttered, still overcome with nausea.
Dammit!
Despite how sick he felt, he realized he had to eat something, so he slowly took a few more bites from the apple to placate his empty stomach.
Air stared at him silently as he did, then eventually asked, “Is it still bothering you?”
“……”
“Have you made up your mind?”
“About what…?”
“Athly, of course,” Air answered concisely. She was cutting to the chase.
“Look, Rain, I’m not going to tell you what to think. This isn’t my choice to make,” Air spoke calmly, but her words came from a cold and rational understanding of the situation. “But you should decide quickly. The longer you draw this out, the more people you endanger.”
What should I do…? Rain felt conflicted. And that conflict had plagued him during every waking moment of the last three days.
Three days ago, Athly Magmet had become a deserter. She’d seen Rain’s silver bullets, lost her temper, and disappeared without a trace. That left Rain with a choice. He had to decide whether to report her desertion to the eastern army or not, since she would be treated drastically different based on his choice.
However, the biggest issue was why she’d fled in the line of duty. Somehow, Athly had learned of the Devil’s Bullet. And seeing that bullet in Rain’s pistol had made her flee. He couldn’t tell the army about his secret weapon, of course, so he’d lied and said they’d gotten separated in the middle of the operation.
And yet, they’d still sent a search party out to find her, which marked her as a criminal. She’d disappeared in the middle of a military operation, so the law dictated that she would be charged with desertion under enemy fire, even if no enemies were present.
Athly had been branded a criminal…and the punishment awaiting her was death.
The weight of that choice tormented Rain. His personal feelings and cold, hard logic constantly clashed in his mind. He had difficulty sleeping, and the stress had robbed him of his appetite.
“I think you should report it,” Air advised him.
Three days ago, shortly before Athly parted ways with him, she’d apparently had a run-in with Air. They happened to get in the bath together, and Athly had hinted that she knew about the Devil’s Bullet.
“Why would Athly do that in the bath, of all places?”
“I doubt she meant to. It probably just slipped out.”
“You sure?”
“If I was in her shoes, I’d have at least brought a gun with me. Wouldn’t want to get erased while questioning the suspect, you know?”
Good point…
Athly had to have known that questioning Air was dangerous. Coming to the interrogation armed would make sense, but she’d been empty-handed. That meant she didn’t have definitive proof of Air’s guilt. She’d simply asked due to the doubts in her mind.
One thing still made no sense, however.
“How’d Athly even find out about the Devil’s Bullet?”
They’d kept its existence a complete secret. And by the bullet’s very nature, no one but Rain and Air should’ve noticed the shifting of the world.
“I have a theory,” Air said. “I think she used it at one point.”
“So you’re saying—?”
“Yeah. She must’ve shot Kirlilith.”
Early on in their partnership, they had fought Kirlilith Lambert, a Ghost who wielded a bullet that delivered unconditional death. But following their battle, someone else had shot her with the Devil’s Bullet.
Thus far, they’d failed to identify her killer, but the answer suddenly seemed clear.
Athly had shot Kirlilith, which had granted her the ability to notice the shifting of the world. She’d witnessed every single change in reality Air and Rain had caused.
“She used the Devil’s Bullet, which led her to suspect that we were working together. Still, she couldn’t be completely sure, so she let that slip in front of me.”
“……”
“Anyway, letting her stay on the run is too dangerous.”
As long as she remained alive, Athly could expose the power of the Devil’s Bullet. Rain knew they had to keep that from happening, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find a peaceful way to end things. They had to kill Athly…
“Tch…”
…but Rain refused to accept the answer that had been tormenting him over the last three days. He couldn’t eat or sleep from the stress. And worse yet, his inability to find a peaceful solution whittled down his mental fortitude.
“……” Air looked at Rain’s pained expression as she sat by his side. She silently peered at his face, then eventually decided that Rain wouldn’t be able to think things through on his own for much longer.
“Hey, Rain.”
“What?”
“Give me your hand.”
“…My hand?”
“Just hold it up.”
“Why…?”
What’s that gonna do?
Rain didn’t understand, but he followed her instructions all the same. In response, Air held up her own right hand and interlocked their fingers.
It was a gesture commonly associated with lovers, which made Rain freeze.
“What do you think?” Air asked.
“My hand.”
Rain fell silent, feeling stumped.
“It’s small, isn’t it?”
“Oh, uh, well…yeah?”
“But when it holds a gun, even this little hand can kill many people.”
“That’s…true.”
“People underestimate me because of my looks. In fact, I’ve turned the tables on countless enemies because they assumed I was helpless. It’s almost funny how humans tend to base their opinions of people on appearance.” As Air spoke, their fingers still enmeshed, Rain understood what she’d been trying to convey.
“You’re saying I shouldn’t let my feelings cloud my judgment.”
“Exactly. In the end, you can never truly predict someone’s actions. I’ve seen far too many people suffer because they based their decisions on groundless assumptions.”
In other words, sparing Athly would be careless. Air claimed that the idea that someone else would never hurt you—never betray you—was foolish.
“It’s fine to trust people, but that doesn’t mean you can abandon all logical thought. And honestly, it’s obvious that you’re just letting your own selfish wishes toward Athly dictate your actions.”
“…I know.”
She gave him a clear warning, which was rather unusual. She rarely spoke her mind, which gave those words extra weight.
The fact that he hadn’t reported Athly’s desertion was wrong.
“All right,” Rain finally said, having accepted her words. “I’ve decided. I’ll do it. I’ll go tell the army that Athly’s disappearance was desertion.”
“I see,” Air replied, her expression clouding over slightly.
That surprised Rain. He’d expected her to be happy he’d heeded her advice, but her expression had grown bitter and rueful instead. Rain couldn’t tell if those were her true feelings, since he often found himself struggling to understand people. However, she had tightened her grip on his fingers considerably.
Two rails passed through the western checkpoint where Rain was stationed. The passing freight trains moved one by one along them, separated by a tall wall, which made it a functional checkpoint. Charging through it was almost impossible, especially in the middle of a war.
The checkpoint had a drawbridge in front of the barrier to guard against attacks from enemy operatives and armed forces. It was usually lowered to allow passage, but they could lift it during emergencies, blocking the rails. If an enemy attacked, they’d pull the chains and prevent them from crossing, thereby shoring up their defenses.
In addition to that, many Exelias were stationed there, and several dozen people, including mages dispatched by the army and cadets like Rain, occupied the checkpoint. If anything happened, they’d be able to function as a platoon to guard the city.
“When does your break end?”
“I’ve still got another hour.”
“That’s a pretty long break,” Air replied, then paused for thought. “Guess I’ll stick around until it’s over.”
She’d apparently decided to remain on the platform with him. The place was made for scouts, so its only redeeming feature was the nice view it provided. Wind blew through the platform ruthlessly, buffeting them in an area that had nothing in the way of a guardrail. If someone slipped over the edge, they’d suffer a sixty-foot fall.
Rain didn’t want to move much due to the danger. Air, by contrast, bounced around the platform with unusual vigor to take in the sights. Looking down, she saw trains passing through the checkpoint, while looking behind them offered a view of the festivities.
Rain felt detached from the very idea of festivals, so he couldn’t get into the same mindset as the celebrating citizens. Over the last few days—no, ever since he got the Devil’s Bullet—he’d been pressing forward without a chance to truly rest. And his heart had been whittled down as a result, little by little, beneath his notice.
The matter with Athly had exacerbated his worries…and Rain couldn’t deny that it’d shocked him to his core. She had not only discovered the Devil’s Bullet but used it as well. And now he had to capture and silence her.
Air looked down at the rails while Rain looked in the opposite direction, which gave him a good view of the capital.
……
The town bustled with activity as the celebrations reached their peak. The festival lasted three days, but it was always liveliest on the first. Despite the afternoon sun illuminating the city, people lit bonfires and shot pretty fireworks into the sky.
Come nightfall, even more would light fires and send up fireworks. It was customary to do so, as the fires were considered guideposts for the gods, a means to thank them for their protection. But of course, that was only part of the reason. The other half was that the townsfolk truly enjoyed the sight.
Rain had once shared in that belief. He’d participated in every festival since moving to the capital and shot fireworks…with Athly by his side.
“……”
They’d stuck by each other since enrolling in Alestra Academy, so they’d taken in the festivities together the past three years. Rain could never forget those moments. The memories would never fade. Each year, he took part in the festival with Athly to clear his mind of the fires of war that threatened to burn his heart. Frankly, those peaceful memories served as a crucial anchor that kept him sane.
Unfortunately, this year was different. This year, there was no Athly.
Had Rain truly chosen the correct path? He’d always assumed so, but perhaps he’d drifted in a terrible direction. After all, he had no way of proving he’d made the right decisions.
I might’ve caused the worst possible outcome… What if he’d hit the point of no return that led to their doom?
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he heard Air mutter something.
“Huh…?” she’d said in response to something happening down at the rails. “This isn’t good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“That train over there’s been waiting for an inspection, but it hasn’t moved.”
“Wait, seriously?”
Only a few trains could be inspected at a time, so the incoming ones had to line up and wait for their turn. The rails were especially congested because of the festival, but one among them didn’t seem to care. Said car hadn’t budged an inch since it’d arrived.
Most cars in the lines advanced as inspections in front of them finished, but that one refused to, even though it should have wanted to get as close as possible. And as more and more cars got inspected, a six-hundred-foot gap had formed between it and the checkpoint.
“…Maybe their engine malfunctioned?”
If their engine had stopped while they waited, they naturally wouldn’t have been able to proceed. Though, in that case, it needed to be towed to make room for the traffic behind them. No one had disembarked from the stopped car to report any issues, however, which was what alarmed Air…as well as several inspectors at the checkpoint. Since it packed the horsepower needed to tow it, an Exelia approached the car to check.
The area between the train and the checkpoint was flat ground, so the Exelia closed the gap quickly. Unfortunately, when it got within one hundred and fifty feet…
…it exploded, unleashing a flurry of flames and a deafening roar.
“What…?!”
The sight Rain and Air saw from the platform was visible to everyone at the checkpoint as well. When the Exelia approached the train, a barrage of Bullet Magic flew out from the first car.
That barrage ruthlessly ripped through the unit faster than its manipulator could dodge, and the bullets that missed their mark hit the checkpoint’s wall instead.
Shit!
The blast created shock waves that Rain felt all the way up on the platform. Looking down, he saw that the checkpoint had gone up in flames. They were under attack…and this wasn’t an act of vandalism or terrorism.
The enemy had launched an organized attack. As that realization struck Rain, the situation worsened. Ten western AT3 units sprang out of the stationary train cars, greatly outnumbering the Exelias in the checkpoint’s garrison.
“Gatekeep!” Rain leaned in from the edge of the platform and yelled at the person in the checkpoint below. “Raise the bridge! Hurry, before they make it in!”
If they could reel back the chains, the drawbridge would both remove the rails and form a new section of the wall, blocking the enemy’s advance. However, the gatekeepers had panicked because of the surprise attack. They only snapped out of it and started reeling in the chains once Rain called out to them, which left an exploitable gap.
They won’t make it.
The enemy had already closed most of the distance. If even one of them made it inside, the bridge would be destroyed. It was weak to attacks from the inside, after all.
“Fuck!” Rain exclaimed, realizing the drawbridge wouldn’t stop them.
There were ten enemy Exelias out there, and if they got into the capital, the losses would be catastrophic. Looking down, he saw the other soldiers running around like headless chickens. The mages stationed to defend the place had failed to respond in time. Their Exelias weren’t even turned on, and the situation no longer allowed them to shoot any suppressive fire.
…Guess I have to handle this.
Rain took hold of the rifle strapped to his back and squatted down. Then he fixed the barrel against his knee and shoulder to aim at an enemy Exelia.
Twenty seconds… That’s all the time I need.
He needed to stall the enemy for that long. That way, the gatekeepers could finish reeling in the drawbridge. But that meant he had to force back ten Exelias at once, even though shooting down just one would’ve been a miraculous feat. He needed to pull off the impossible with essentially zero margins for error.
“I’ll handle the right side.”
Luckily, Rain wasn’t alone.
“Air…”
“We’ll shoot them at the same time,” Air said as she assumed the same stance as Rain. “If we each land two accurate shots, we can stall them with the explosions.”
Rain understood that missing that shot would result in the slaughter of thousands.
“—Now!” Air gave the signal, and Rain pulled the trigger.
Bullet Magic capable of reducing even the largest of trees to splinters flew toward the rails the Exelia were on. Rain hadn’t aimed at the units themselves but at the ground near them. His goal was to create a large enough blast to stall all ten Exelia, so he didn’t worry about killing any enemies. However, he and Air could only manage four shots in total with the time they had, which meant their timing and aim had to be perfect. And even then, they needed a great deal of luck as well. Thankfully…
“…I was worried for a second there, but we made it,” Air muttered.
…within several seconds, the four shots they’d fired hit the mark. The sudden blasts directly in front of the rapidly moving Exelias forced them to brake, curbing their momentum.
The stalled group of Exelias immediately accelerated once more, but that momentary lag had changed everything. They charged forward, but when they got within one hundred feet of the entrance, the drawbridge rose with a rumbling roar. And once it began, it only took seconds for the gate to close with a thud and bar their path.
Rain felt all the tension drain from his body. He relaxed his posture and let go of his rifle; his heart was beating so fast, he thought it might burst.
They had successfully delayed an enemy invasion. But unfortunately, they had no room to breathe. After all, the enemy still threatened to beat down their gates.
Rain called out his partner’s name. “Air.”
“I’m on it,” Air replied as she nodded back toward him.
The two of them ran down the platform and into the checkpoint’s interior. But on reaching the command station, they found themselves in a veritable hell.
“Ugh…”
Countless bodies littered the floor in a gruesome sight. Bullet Magic from the AT3s had struck the checkpoint’s interior, causing severe damage.
Flames burned all around them, while they could hear screams and moans from other places nearby. Most of it came from noncombatants, which was understandable.
Dammit… How many people died here?!
The dispatched soldiers and cadets had mostly maintained their composure and split up to either evacuate the noncombatants or assume battle positions. Rain and Air chose to join the latter group.
Their side had eight mages who could use Bullet Magic. All of them cautiously peeked through the iron gate’s gaps, where they saw the ten Exelias from earlier assuming a formation that allowed them to move quickly if they were fired upon.
“Why aren’t they falling back…?” Air mumbled to herself. Rain had asked himself the exact same question.
The West had started their surprise attack by easily destroying the unit that had carelessly approached to check on them. They’d also fired a barrage of Bullet Magic at the checkpoint, effectively crippling the East’s ability to function properly.
Had it not been for Rain and Air, they would’ve broken through the gate, but excuses like that didn’t matter. They’d failed all the same, so why hadn’t they started retreating?
The drawbridge had lifted without any of the enemy units getting in, which meant they no longer had a way to get through the checkpoint. Their other options were the north or south gates, which were miles away. And yet, the ten Exelias simply drove in circles…
“They’re waiting for something.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not sure what, but they’re moving like a unit with an objective to fulfill.”
Air’s keen observation skills told her that the enemy had a specific goal in mind, but she had no way to narrow down the possible options. The two of them pondered over the matter as the two eastern Exelias in the checkpoint roared to life. One unit had been destroyed earlier, but these remained operational. The commanding officer had already sent a report to HQ, so their only choice was to hold out for reinforcements.
“There’s no telling how long it’ll take for aid to get here. The emergency passages are in use already, which means it’ll take a while for Exelias to get here.”
Had it not been the day of the festival, Exelias or extra personnel could have hurried over from nearby garrisons in less than five minutes. But that was the one day where that wasn’t possible. All of the capital’s roads were clogged with people and goods because of the festival.
Hold on… Rain’s thoughts ground to a halt. His intuition, sharpened due to immense pressure, screamed at him.
The enemy intentionally picked today to attack! It’s so obvious! Rain realized the enemy had knowingly decided to attack on the day of the festival. With that in mind, it made sense why they’d targeted the poorly guarded western gate. It was a position far from military HQ, meaning it would take ages for reinforcements to arrive. They’d isolated the best time and location possible, then gone after it.
Honestly, their whole assault seemed so meticulously planned that it would’ve been weird if they didn’t have a backup option. After all, there was no guarantee that they’d make it through the gate. Blitzes were prone to failure, which made retreat rather common. No intelligent force would just keep driving around in circles. And yet, that was exactly what they were doing.
“What do we do?” Rain asked.
“Well, it’s not like we’ve got a whole lot of options,” Air snapped back at him.
If they insisted on sticking to that position, the East’s only recourse was to gun them down. However, just as Rain started wondering why they’d stuck around…
“They’re coming!”
…a scout raised his voice. The very next moment, a blinding flash erupted outside the gate. Countless luminous points unleashed bursts of dizzying light that crashed against the drawbridge. The enemy had unleashed a fusillade of Bullet Magic.
Intense vibrations and a deafening blast reverberated through the checkpoint’s interior, shaking the ground under their feet like an earthquake.
Ugh…!
The shock waves were overwhelming. Rain and Air had grabbed on to the wall, but even they staggered back. The iron gate proved sturdy enough to withstand the attack, but that didn’t keep them entirely safe.
“They’re trying to brute-force their way in.”
“Yeah. But luckily, it’s not really working.”
The wall formed by the drawbridge was exceptionally sturdy, so even a barrage of Bullet Magic wasn’t enough to break it. It had taken some damage, but it stood firm. It’d take another hundred shots like that to crack a hole in it.
The enemy’s attack only served to prove that they were safe inside the checkpoint, so all they had to do was hole up in there and wait for reinforcements. They lacked the numbers and firepower to push back their enemy, but the wall in front of them acted as their final bastion.
Unfortunately, the force sent to invade the capital had no intention of letting up.
“That’s…”
After the shots ceased, Rain took another look at the enemy’s behavior.
The units circling outside the gate stopped, and the soldiers inside the checkpoint rose to the challenge, holding up their rifles and taking aim from the lookout windows.
When they got a better view of outside, they saw a new threat. Namely, the fake train that’d carried the ten Exelias. It had a false identification plate on it that said it was an eastern train and three containers that the hostile Exelias had burst out of.
Or, at least, that was what they’d initially noticed, but on closer inspection, Rain realized something terrifying. Only two of the containers had opened thus far.
Ah…!
Rain held up his rifle, preparing to shoot whatever rushed out of the container. A thousand feet separated them, but that was still within the range of his Bullet Magic.
Still, he’d reacted far too late. The moment he fixed his sights on the container, it burst open. A pillar of flames billowed upward, accompanied by a rumbling blast. And it wasn’t because Rain, or anyone else for that matter, had attacked the container. The unit stored within it had blown its way out.
The blast released a shock wave and immense heat that no ordinary Exelia could’ve withstood, but that unit remained undeterred. No matter how anyone bombarded it, that unit wouldn’t so much as budge.
“The Razor-Edge Model…!”
A pitch-black Exelia crept out of the flames, standing twice as tall and carrying fifty times the weight of its peers. The unit’s massive frame plunged out of the freight train, its four wheels landing on the ground.
Time slowed to a crawl in Rain’s addled mind as that entire sequence of events unfolded. Frankly, it felt similar to how things slowed down when he was plummeting from a great height. And as soon as Rain snapped back to the real world, the Razor-Edge Model accelerated, achieving a speed that didn’t suit its massive form.
“What?!”
The giant Exelia sped toward the iron gate, crossing the distance in mere seconds. Rain immediately realized its intentions and fired Bullet Magic at it. His destructive attack whizzed through the air, heading straight toward the black beast. However, the Razor-Edge Model easily avoided Rain’s shot by changing its trajectory ever so slightly. And that was no coincidence. It’d executed a perfect dodge that relied entirely on the manipulator’s skills.
Seeing that, Rain knew that the person onboard the Razor-Edge Model was far more skilled than anyone else he’d seen handle it.
Shit!
After dodging, it continued its charge toward the gate. A few seconds later, the other mages followed Rain’s example and opened fire. Their Bullet Magic proved entirely ineffective, though. None of the blindly shot bullets hit their mark, so they did nothing to stop its advance.
“Get away from the gate!” someone ordered in a booming voice. And moments after that shout, an intense whirlwind blew everyone away.
The mages who’d failed to get away in time were torn apart like tissue paper as the Razor-Edge Model crashed through the drawbridge, scattering their bodies like pomegranate seeds and reducing them to red stains.
It was honestly hard to tell if the enemy had even intended to do that. Perhaps the Razor-Edge Model’s manipulator had simply gambled on getting through. Whatever the case, the facts remained clear. The die had been cast.
The western forces had succeeded. A decisive battle for the O’ltmenian capital, with the lives of tens of thousands of civilians hanging in the balance, was about to begin.