Dieh couldn't believe his eyes. He was supposed to take a projectile straight to the head due to his negligence, yet not only had he survived without understanding why or how, but the appearance of a third figure had slightly unsettled him.
"So, you're the last one."
...
The man in front of me flinched at my words. He held a revolver in his hands and looked like a perfectly normal businessman: a long black coat and a hat, the ideal outfit to go unnoticed.
He was part of a group that had taken over the train. With security being insufficient, things had been going in their favor so far—at least until we, or that woman, intervened.
I saw his reaction tense, and I immediately understood why. Upon arriving, he had been channeling a certain amount of energy through his team. But since Azimus and I had taken care of them as soon as I got here, the link had been severed, causing him to lose a significant portion of his strength.
I tossed some heads at his feet. They rolled before stopping, the completely ruined faces of three beautiful women staring back. They had been providing him support. Now, they were dead due to an absurd initiative.
A nervous voice echoed beside me.
"What is that?" asked a young boy around my age. He was the one who had barely escaped death—if not for that woman behind him.
This kid is so reckless. Does he have suicidal thoughts? Why is he standing so close to the enemy in a situation like this?
"Hey, brother, you should step away from him!" I said, staring at the boy. If he wanted to get shot, this was the perfect opportunity.
He awkwardly backed away before asking me, "Who are you? Did you kill them?"
I had cornered them, but I hadn't killed them. Still, bringing their heads here made it easy for anyone to assume I had. What had really happened was that all three of them had committed suicide while trying to cast a large-scale spell, knowing they couldn't face us.
"You are...!" The man seemed about to say something, but I caught him off guard. I closed the distance between us. He managed to follow me with his eyes but couldn't react fast enough.
I had no clear idea of his level, nor the luxury of testing him. The worst thing he could do right now was to replicate the same actions as those women.
Even though he had been surprised by my speed, he still managed to dodge my punch. The shockwave sent his hair and coat fluttering.
"It's not ready yet?" I asked the woman behind me. I knew she was preparing something.
She smiled before removing her top.
Random Quest Completed: Meet the One Who Started It All!
I see... So, the quest was simply to meet a particular person? Normally, the system should be fully operational after this.
But I didn't have time to dwell on it. I had to focus on this man. Even though the energy flow from his supports had been cut off, he had managed to store enough. I could feel it in the pressure surrounding him and his confidence.
His gaze, both angry and smug, signaled that he was about to use magic.
"It's hard to call me a warrior, but as support, my abilities are not negligible. Young friend, you don't seem to be an enemy, so I will help you. One of my abilities is to increase my protective powers as I remove my clothes, so there's nothing for you to worry about. All the passengers are safe."
Saying this in front of the enemy was an obvious provocation. A vein throbbed on his forehead. He took it very badly. Sparks crackled around him, followed by crimson lightning.
"Dodge!" yelled the boy accompanying the young woman. She had successfully placed protective spells in the compartments where people were, reinforcing the train's security system. On top of that, she had sent out a distress signal without anyone noticing.
I'm in trouble.
That thought came just after I was struck head-on. I hadn't been able to dodge. Normally, I would have emerged unscathed, but the fact that I hadn't been able to react made me sigh. I was still far—very far—from the level I was aiming for.
And this woman's defensive abilities were truly versatile. I noticed it a few seconds later— a thin barrier covered every inch of my skin like armor. On top of that, it didn't interfere with my innate power.
Who is she? I vaguely recall hearing about someone like her… That was my thought as I looked at her before redirecting my gaze to the enemy.
He had a decent level. Azimus was handling the big fish, so I didn't have to worry. And with this woman here…
"Hey, kid," I said, addressing the boy who seemed to be following her. Since he looked disoriented, I thought it would be good to give him a little push.
"I'm not a kid! My name is Dieh!"
"Doesn't matter. How about a co-op mission?"
"A co-op mission? What's that?"
Hmmm, co-op?! Right… What was that again? Well, whatever.
"Follow me. Let's finish this."
"The joke has gone on long enough!" the man shouted. He had finally reached his limit. His nerves had snapped. Even I would consider what was happening now as pure insolence.
He launched his previous crimson lightning spell again, but this time, by observing his movements, we managed to dodge. I didn't look back at Dieh, who was behind me.
"Don't close your eyes, my friend. Keep up the pace. I know you're a fighter, so take advantage of this experience—it will benefit you."
"Yes!" Dieh shouted as he followed my lead.
As we rushed toward the enemy, it was safe to say that the real fight had finally begun. The opponent was determined to end it.
This time, the corridor became too narrow as we moved at high speed, shattering the door. In the next compartment, everything was swept away in our wild tornado of combat—between the crimson lightning spells and our close-quarters techniques.