"Security is tight today," a guard muttered as he leaned against a pole, gazing up at the starry sky.
"Yeah, don't you hate it when the boss leaves? We're always made to work overtime during those periods," another guard replied, sounding exasperated.
"What can I say? The pay's good," the first guard shrugged. "Anyway, look, the supply ship has arrived. Let's get back to work."
Far off in the main building on Ceres, in the security room, a red-haired woman was instructing her team to be extra cautious. Their leader and the main forces were gone, leaving them responsible for the facility's safety.
In the shield maintenance section of the security building, the group on duty appeared to be working diligently. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that everyone had passed out. Illusion magic was at play, masking the reality.
"I've redirected the signals and sent them through a different route. The detection barriers have also been compromised—you won't be noticed. I've also planted the bug in the defense system. It'll take thirty minutes before they notice it. The stealth virus is dormant as you instructed," a lone figure in the room reported, surrounded by holographic keyboards and screens.
"And what of the data?" a voice asked through the communication device.
"It's being transferred now," the figure replied.
"Good. Stay hidden for now," the call ended.
"All the preparations are complete. I've sent out the detailed map of all the facilities. It will synchronize with their mission orders on their HoloBracelets," Ethan reported to Elaine.
They had planted a spy, and now it was time to strike. They planned to attack from all sides.
"Good, send out the order. We'll stealthily use flight magic to head to our assigned locations, then we'll proceed with the—" Elaine suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes lighting up as if she saw something repulsive. "Move out," she commanded, raising her hands as mana manifested around her.
"Delayed casting, Heavenly Thunder Lance! 8th Class Magic! Caster's Blessing!" Elaine chanted, casting a second spell that encased everyone in the ship with a thin golden light. The spell was designed to protect them from any AOE and any other spells that might harm them—an invention by the Federation to shield civilians and coworkers from friendly fire.
"Ethan!" Elaine called. Hearing her, Ethan signaled for everyone to move out. He, Dianna, and Hector accompanied Elaine as they descended from the ship. Using invisibility magic, they spread out like shadows in the sky.
"We have a problem. There's a bug in our system!" a random staff member yelled as he barged into the security department.
"What!" the red-haired woman exclaimed. "Quickly, sound the ala—" Her command was cut short by a deafening thunderclap. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she activated her battle suit, which lit up with red mana, forming a thin barrier around her body. Those who sensed the danger acted swiftly, but those who didn't...well, they didn't stand a chance. Gigantic thunderbolts struck the ground, reducing the facilities covering the dwarf planet into rubble.
"Reddy, are you seeing this?" the red-haired woman received an incoming call on her comms.
"Yeah, that was 8th Class Magic. It means there's a High Wizard among the enemies," she replied.
"Damn it! What are we going to do? The strongest among us is only a peak 6th Class. How can a Supreme Mage face such a monster?" the person on the other end panicked.
"We can't just give up. The boss will end us. Besides, classes aren't everything. Maybe we can summon our strongest—you, me, and the special security force—to face her together," Reddy suggested.
"I'm sure a Supreme Mage, four Grand Mages, and ten Court Mages can handle her to some degree until backup arrives," Reddy said, but the other person stopped replying.
"Can you hear me? Hello?" she called, but there was no response. "Damn it!" She punched the ground, knowing the silence meant he had been taken care of. She got up and looked around. The building she was in was half blown to rubble. She could see the calming storm and the people fighting—explosions, clanging weapons, and the sound of blasters filled her ears, fueling her rage.
"Victor, you heard her, right? Go take down the Supreme Mage she mentioned. Ethan, you and Dianna take out those Court Mages and make sure no one disturbs me," Elaine commanded. The others nodded and vanished like shadows.
Reddy had been speaking to Elaine herself, who had disguised her voice as Reddy's comrade. Elaine had already taken care of him. She instantaneously cast a barrier protecting herself as she knelt and touched the ground with her right hand, casting a spell as runes emerged and circled her.
On the other side, a woman in a strange purple suit with projections of two additional hands from her back wielded four blades. She was struggling to maintain her magic barrier while protecting a group of people. "Fuwuu! I think the storm is over...!!!" she said as the thunder died down. Suddenly, something crashed down from above, shattering her barrier and repelling her with immense force.
"Miss!" the people she was protecting screamed.
"Cough, cough! What the hell was that?" she exclaimed. From the smoke, two blue eyes lit up, cold and menacing. The eyes vanished in a flash. The woman immediately drew her swords, knowing exactly where the intruder had gone. The people struggled to follow, hearing a loud clang as the woman blocked a giant axe with her four blades.
The muscular attacker had eyes as cold as a monster. "I didn't sign up for this! What the hell is this? I'm a pharmacist, dammit! I can't fight this!" the people panicked, realizing the gravity of the situation.
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