Chapter 61: Luto's Power
Misura of the "Magic Eye," Erina of the "Infinity," Yuri of the "Reversed Mirror," Sadina of the "Sky."
The four were well-known S-Rank magic knights in the empire, not easily contained. With the amount of magical power required to reach S-Rank, they could break free from restraints to some extent through unaffiliated magic body strengthening. Even someone like Misura, who struggled with physical activity due to her "Magic Eye," could easily snap an iron chain.
"Oh? Weren't you trying to knock me away?"
Luto Rayvan, known as the "Boundary Breaker," appeared in this scene as the captain of the Rayvan Squad. He intended to make his impudent subordinates understand their place.
This specialized unit, designed to combat this "Grim Reaper," consisted solely of eccentric S-Rank magic knights. Luto, as their captain, aimed to firmly establish a chain of command.
By the way, Luto Rayvan was slightly famous in the imperial capital as a sadist.
"Just that much?"
Accompanied by a triumphant smile, he taunted further.
Seeing the lively Luto, Erina of the "Infinity" became annoyed.
"W-What... No way!"
She was naturally spirited and rebellious. Her brawls were easily won due to her cheap-fighting nature.
Magical power surged, and numerous chains emerged from thin air. These chains writhed against gravity, rushing towards Luto. Chains moved by magical power could overcome the constraints of gravity. Furthermore, the chains created by Erina didn't melt due to heat and could insulate against electricity.
Manipulating the properties of the chains freely, she could restrain and crush her enemies.
This was Erina's way of fighting.
"Oh?"
Luto was impressed by Erina's skill in manipulating chains even within the intense gravity. However, he knew she was an S-Rank magic knight. He was impressed but not surprised. Besides, Luto didn't consider her a threat.
Because Luto was a true S-Rank.
A awakened magic knight.
Defying the laws of humanity, he had gained unlimited magical power. He had transcended his limits, promised an endless lifespan, and limitless magical growth. Luto and Erina were no longer on the same level as beings.
"Crush."
Luto shattered the chains using his gravity magic. He compressed them into a single point using supergravity. This caused a tiny black hole to form, but even that he could control.
The tiny black hole that appeared here vanished with just a snap of Luto's fingers.
Not only Erina, but also Misura of the "Magic Eye," Yuri of the "Reversed Mirror," and Sadina of the "Sky" were left speechless by this extraordinary feat.
Yuri of the "Reversed Mirror" possessed the ability to invert kinetic energy with her magic. Essentially, she could escape from supergravity. However, in this scenario, if she reversed her kinetic energy, supergravity would also reverse, exerting an immensely powerful upward force, resulting in a skydiving-like ascent. Unfortunately, she couldn't cleverly reverse only a portion of the kinetic energy.
Sadina of the "Sky," who possessed the ability to fly through the air, couldn't make use of her power. At best, she was capable of using magic to a certain extent.
So, Sadina demonstrated her magic without incantation.
"Hmm?"
A small amount of magical power—by awakened magic knight Luto's standards—swelled, and Luto sensed the activation of magic. Simultaneously, a strong explosion struck his head. It had enough power to easily blow away a human body.
Sadina had activated the fourth tier of flame magic, "Explosion Bomb."
It caused a powerful explosion at specific coordinates, making it quite effective as an individual-target magic. It was often used for assassination, so many prominent figures had defenses against this type of magic.
That explosion struck Luto's head.
But it seemed to have no effect at all.
"You should conceal your magical power more. It's pointless if there are signs of magic activation visible, right?"
Luto enveloped himself in an unaffiliated magic barrier, protecting himself from the "Explosion Bomb."
These unaffiliated magic barriers were quite popular among magic knights, with various variations. They could take the form of clothing, walls, dome-shaped barriers, and even be manipulated to crush enemies. However, these barriers didn't protect against all forms of magic or magical equipment.
There were some gaps.
"I'll handle this."
Misura, with only one eye open, used her petrification magic. It forcibly turned the target to stone upon direct eye contact. Essentially, it was an instant death attack.
Since the unaffiliated magic barrier was semi-transparent, light could pass through it. Powers like the "Magic Eye" that affected targets through visual contact, or attacks that utilized light, couldn't be blocked due to physical reasons.
Luto was seemingly about to be turned to stone.
However, unfortunately for the convenient petrification magic, it had a weakness. While it had the strong ability to instantly petrify any target, it had a crucial weakness: it was ineffective against opponents with immense magical power. In other words, since Luto was superior in magical power as an awakened magic knight, Misura's "Magic Eye" had no effect whatsoever.
"No way..."
Until now, Misura had never been bested in terms of magical power. Indeed, she had only been defeated by long-serving S-Rank magic knights who had served the empire for ages. She had attained her S-Rank status despite having a defective magic outfit that rendered her useless without sufficient magical power, precisely because she possessed substantial magical power.
Unfortunately for her, she couldn't measure up to Luto, and with a deflated voice, she gave up.
Despite being prone to laziness, conceding defeat when petrification didn't work was typical of her nature.
"Well, is this about right?"
Luto, who had rendered four people powerless, nodded with satisfaction.
The four S-rank Magiknights weren't weak. Each of them was among the top tier of combatants within the Subarokia Grand Empire. It was only because Luto had awakened that she could control S-rank Magiknights like this.
Now, among the five members of the Ravean Squad, four of them should have understood the hierarchy.
The remaining one was the 'Flame Dragon,' who had launched a surprise attack from behind.
"Hmph!"
"You're the last one... the 'Flame Dragon,' right?"
The one with the title 'Flame Dragon,' who attacked with a sword, was the last one. Despite having just graduated from the academy and been granted S-rank status, he still had the appearance of a young and inexperienced boy.
When Luto focused her attention, the gravitational force acting on Ike suddenly increased, slamming him into the ground.
"You're the new S-rank, Ike Ariuuru, I presume?"
"Ugh..."
The true identity of the 'Flame Dragon' was Ike, the son of Schmidt Ariuuru, who had been taken down by the 'Death God' Shuu. Despite having just graduated from the academy, Ike had been granted S-rank status through immense magical power and potent Magiknights.
Perhaps he was favored due to being the son of a former general. To avoid such malicious rumors, Ike's information had not been widely disclosed.
(His magical power is substantial. I suppose being the son of a former general has its advantages.)
Pinned to the ground by gravity, Ike glared at Luto with sharp eyes. His magical power surged, and Ike activated his Magiknight.
"Take this! I won't lose!"
Ike's Magiknight was a possession type.
It belonged to the category of Magiknights that enhanced oneself by infusing magical power into the body. Heat generated around Ike, swirling into a red, shining flame. The flames took on the form of a dragon, without harming Ike, embodying his title, 'Flame Dragon,' in the shape of a massive dragon.
The possessed fire dragon attempted to bite Luto without being affected by gravity.
"Oh?"
Luto raised a corner of her lips slightly and snapped her fingers again.
Localized gravity intensified drastically, causing the head of the fire dragon to be crushed. It turned into an extremely small black hole. When Luto controlled her Magiknight, the black hole evaporated and disappeared.
"Kuh, damn!"
Struggling to breathe under the overwhelming gravity, Ike regenerated the crushed head of the dragon. The fire dragon was a manifestation through Magiknight and could be easily regenerated with magical power. Additionally, the possession type involved strengthening oneself by enveloping the attributes and forms of magic. By forcibly manipulating the magic infused into the possessed fire dragon, Ike could move himself as well.
"Aaargh!"
The fiery dragon, with crimson wings spread wide, attempted to bite Luto. Ike, who resided in the dragon's chest, continuously emitted tremendous magical power.
Although a possession type Magiknight was a powerful fusion of offense and defense, it required delicate control over magical power. It couldn't be wielded by someone crude. Ike had just graduated from the academy, making him around sixteen years old. To fully manifest a possession type at his age was a testament to his skillful magical power control.
The fire dragon attempted to strike Luto with its claws while hovering over her.
Though he controlled it as a possession, it was still a fiery dragon. Touching it would result in burns.
That's when Luto utilized a new ability acquired as an awakened Magiknight.
"Blow away."
With that command, the fire dragon was blown away.
Its mass was repelled by a force opposing gravity... in other words, repulsion. Awakening had transformed Luto's Magiknight, granting her not only attraction but also a new power of repulsion.
She blew the dragon away and generated a gravitational sphere, capturing Ike within it.
Luto's Magiknight was an area-type, capable of manipulating gravity – a devastating combination of abilities. It could be used for both annihilation and capture. At this stage, incapacitating Ike, who was beneath her in rank, was an easy feat.
"Do you understand the difference in strength? I am Luto, the captain of the Ravean Squad. Let's work together from now on."
While suppressing the five S-rank Magiknights, Luto declared. The Subarokia Grand Empire was a nation of power. If they were to be subservient, they had to demonstrate their strength. Following the empire's culture, Luto led with her strength.
Ike, Mysla, Elina, Yuri, and Sadina had all recognized Luto as their superior.
"Our objective is to kill the 'Death God.' The 'Death God' aligned with the Revolutionary Army Liberation is of no use. His Imperial Majesty has made that judgment. Now, let's get started with our first plan, shall we?"
Luto's smile captivated Ike.
And above all, her words ignited Ike's hatred.
◆◆◆
Meanwhile, Shuu Arklight, the 'Death God' and Dark King, received a letter from a shadow spirit at his residence. The shadow spirit, in the form of a snake, communicated secretly between the Shadow World and the Black Cat's Tavern.
Shuu dispatched shadow spirits to the tavern, where they received assassination missions entrusted to them by the Black Cat, and passed them on to the 'Death God.'
Such exchanges were taking place.
"Hmm..."
"Shuu-san? Is it a request?"
"Yeah, seems to be an assassination request. Probably from the Grand Empire. They seem to have decided to resort to assassination since there's no concrete evidence for the corruption charges, and they can't be tried by law."
"Are you going to accept it?"
"That's the plan."
The request Shuu received was for the assassination of a corrupt noble. A substantial amount was attached as upfront payment, and the target's photograph was provided in the request. It was meticulous.
Though he needed to bring back the target's head, that posed no particular issue.
There was no reason to decline.
"I'll take care of it tomorrow."
"Understood."
Assassins and hunters.
Both began to move simultaneously.