Night Battle

Michael walked through the dense forest, where thick, damp fog obscured his vision and made it difficult to see his surroundings. A heavy, frigid atmosphere permeated the entire woods. Aside from the faint murmur of running water, only the crisp snaps of dead branches beneath his shoes could be heard.

Azure light glimmered in his eyes. Combined with a Dead Apostle's naturally exceptional night vision, ordinary fog like this could not block his sight.

In his field of vision, two humanoid shapes without any sign of life stood not far away. Their magical energy signatures were nothing remarkable. They were likely puppets of some sort, tasked with driving mages out of the forest.

Michael's figure suddenly blurred, seeming to meld into the surrounding darkness. Then he darted through the forest toward the two puppets.

The first dangerous life-form encountered.

Autonomous Circuit activated.

Measurement Circuit switched to primary power.

The instant they discovered Michael, the two Slit-Mouthed Mannequins began operating according to their preset instructions. The specialized offensive Slit-Mouthed Mannequin, whose arms resembled cutters, charged straight at Michael, while the other fled in panic as soon as the battle began.

Recording the opponent's information and completing its report was its mission. If anything unexpected happened, one would remain to engage the enemy while the other withdrew to report to their employer. That had always been their tactic.

Its malformed feet left a string of bird-claw-shaped prints across the damp forest floor. Its magically specialized legs were enough to shake off any enemy, allowing it to run faster than a howling winter gale.

"Do puppets these days really have such advanced intelligence?"

Watching the other Slit-Mouthed Mannequin rapidly flee the battlefield, blue light flared across Michael's body. Magical energy gathered beneath his feet before erupting outward.

Boom—

A pit half a meter deep exploded beneath his feet. Amid the flying damp soil, Michael shot forward like lightning. A blue sonic cone formed behind him, and the roaring airburst shattered the forest's silence, startling countless birds into flight.

The Slit-Mouthed Mannequin trying to hold him back was left far behind. Michael extended his hand and projected a crimson Cross Longsword.

His eyes narrowed slightly as though calculating the distance between them. Then he hurled the cross-shaped sword in his hand with all his strength.

The crimson blade traced a graceful arc through the air, setting the gloomy night sky ablaze before pinning the fleeing Slit-Mouthed Mannequin to the ground. Milky-white flames ignited along the sword, and the pinned mannequin instantly turned to ash.

Michael slowly approached the still-warm remains and pulled out the Cross Longsword. Milky-white flames danced across its blade, raising the temperature around it considerably.

"You're next."

He casually spun the sword before pointing it at the offensive Slit-Mouthed Mannequin that had finally caught up from behind.

Seeing the still-warm ashes of its companion, the offensive Slit-Mouthed Mannequin's aura changed violently, and it could not help taking a step back.

If Michael merely possessed a powerful Familiar, strange methods of attack, and outstanding magical energy... it would not have been worth its surprise. Its employer was also that sort of person. But the monster before it had far surpassed the bounds of humanity.

This was something inhuman—

This was not a monster it could handle. If it insisted on fighting, it would only follow the other mannequin's fate. Yet its programming forced it to remain here.

But even if it tried to leave, the other side had no intention of letting it go, did he?

The offensive Slit-Mouthed Man groaned in pain. Its blade-like arms, capable of cutting through steel, offered it not the slightest sense of security. In this situation, it could only make a desperate final stand.

Fortunately, it still had a trump card: artificially created Mystic Eyes, paired with Mage Circuits specialized for inducing myocardial infarction. If it could get close to this monster...

Suddenly, its thoughts froze along with time. It seemed as though only a brief instant had passed, yet it also felt as if a hundred long years had gone by. The sensation of time being out of place nearly drove it mad.

By the time it regained its senses, that monster had vanished from before it. After carefully surveying its surroundings, the Slit-Mouthed Man let out a deep breath, immensely relieved to have survived.

It tried to take a step away, only to find itself unexpectedly unable to control its limbs. The joints connecting its body silently came apart. The cross-sections were smooth as mirrors, severed along with its Mage Circuits. The sharpness of the cutting mechanism was evident.

Its shattered body toppled along the smooth cuts. Milky-white flames licked over its surface, gradually engulfing the entire mannequin.

Without struggle or wail, this Slit-Mouthed Mannequin, like its companion, became a pile of still-warm ashes in the dense forest.

"Peeping from the shadows is terribly rude."

The air twisted, along with the cold moonlight. Michael's body gradually emerged from the blur and became clear. He looked ahead, his azure eyes growing brighter as they reflected the flickering flames.

"There is no need for courtesy toward intruders."

Soft rustling footsteps sounded. A slender black silhouette passed through the darkness behind him, like a small boat sailing across a sea of mist. Her footsteps were light and steady. Without question, the owner of the Ley Line had appeared in person.

Her cold eyes held neither joy nor sorrow. Alice Kuonji had never shown mercy to intruders.

"My apologies for disturbing you so late at night, but I still have an unreasonable request."

Michael bowed slightly, placing his right hand over his chest. "I hope you will transfer control of the Ley Line to me."

Alice Kuonji raised an eyebrow slightly. To be honest, she had driven off many mages coveting Misaki City's Ley Line, but this was the first one to be so direct and arrogant.

Words were pointless. Let blades decide the victor! Two dice appeared in her hand, and she rolled them both at once, each landing on six.

Two black-and-white creatures appeared before Alice Kuonji. They had plump bodies and looked completely unthreatening, more like a young girl's toys.

"Half a Pound, Eight Ounces."

The girl calmly called their names.

"Don't worry, leave it to us."

"Finally, we get to come out for a stroll."

The pink piglets looked like lively little footballs. They bounced through the forest, rapidly closing in on Michael.

That was not all. She took a Glass Cat Pendant from her breast pocket. It looked gloomier than the night itself, with ominous crimson light gleaming from one eye.

"Diddle Diddle."

The pendant slipped from Alice Kuonji's hand. It was not an act of discarding it, but part of the ritual that activated a spell.

The Glass Cat seeped into the damp forest floor like liquid. An unknown pulse spread outward from her in all directions, rapidly radiating through the entire forest. Everything here became part of the night, subject to her control.

"Since you are an unwelcome guest, stay here."

Alice Kuonji's tone did not change in the slightest as she calmly pronounced the fate of Michael, the intruder.