Chapter 270

"Valeria covered for me..."

As Nana used her feet to step against the wall, slowly moved backwards while sitting on the ground, and then suddenly pulled out a shotgun and fired a burst of bullets at the family soldiers' defenses, the blond former Eradicator bit his lip, then leaned out slightly and flicked his wrist to throw three throwing knives.

But hearing two of the blades being knocked down mid-air, and the third spinning towards its target, only to be met with a spirited howl because everyone had upgraded their armor, the blades that could have pierced the body now merely elicited a spiky roar from someone... This made Valeria frown in annoyance.

"This can't go on... Judging by the time, our family's soldiers are also on their way to reinforce us. If we continue to wear them down, forget about attacking their meeting place; we might just be trapped here and die!"

Seeing Nana patting her shorts as if lost in thought, Valeria tugged at her armor-upgraded clothing:

"If that doesn't work, I'll do it..."

There's no need for that.

Interrupting her mother's agitated state at the opportune moment, Nana watched the countdown timer set by the PRTS system and connected to the intercity communication maintained by the Abria Family. The group waiting in the temporary teleportation room immediately heard Nana's request for her third piece of equipment:

"Takina, give me the Bastion Shield."

[Learn!]

The alleyway, which had been under intense surveillance by the arrow spell, once again experienced electrical discharges and intense light caused by teleportation. Accompanied by the low-temperature ice shards unique to the Warp turning into white mist and dissipating, it was exactly the same as the DHS Agent Folding Shield used by Agent Number One, Cat. However, the pure metal fortress shield, which clearly had been handled by Rhodes Island's Engineering Department, was delivered to Nana's hands.

Unlike DHS's use of high-strength plastic for lightweight purposes, Rhodes Island's replica is simply made of three thick pieces of D32 Steel. When folded, it is about half the size of a suitcase, and when unfolded, it is secured with bolts of the same material. The entire body is coated with a matte black anti-magic paint, and the shield features Rhodes Island's triangular 'castle' symbol in the center.

"Valeria!"

"Ah... Oh!"

Watching Nana carry the 'door panel' that could cover her entire body and probably weighed over 120 kilograms out of the corridor, Valeria had once again tied steel wire to her short sword, rushed out after her as the continuous roar of shotguns sounded outside.

Even though Valeria had prepared herself for at least one or two spells to hit her as she took her first step, she only realized after leaving the alley that Nana, armed with a shield and a musket, had already charged up to the soldiers' line of defenses.

The constantly fired crossbow bolts clanged against the thick shield, and the fireballs and Thunder spells struck the shield's surface, creating ripples of blue defensive magic... but otherwise, not even a black mark was left on the shield.

Facing the family soldiers who were also arrayed in a square formation with shields, the girl with heterochromatic eyes bombarded them with shotgun shells, making them not even dare to peek out. As the last shotgun shell missed, Nana released the shotgun shell, letting the gun attached to the sling fall to the ground, and then pulled out the 'short stick' from the side of her backpack.

The soft 'click' was the sound of the retractable handle unfolding, and the 'bang!' of the shields colliding was the assassin's last act of pity for the soldiers before her... As half of the shield formation formed by four rows of men collapsed, the chilling sound unique to the operation of Originium weapons, wielding 'weapons' roughly the same length as their own height, swept across the entire street.

Seeing the forked pink beam of light emitting a low-frequency hum illuminating the street corner, and witnessing the heterochromatic-eyed Feline advancing unstoppably with his composite beam gun, the family soldier swallowed hard, letting his deformed riot shield fall to the ground.

"... It's... it's Originium Lightsaber!!"

As soon as the screams faded, a beam weapon, three and a half meters long, swept across the battlefield. The high-temperature, high-pressure Active Originium vapor emitted light and heat, clearly serving more than just a visual effect. The pink beam tore apart everything in its path... whether or not they intended to obstruct it.

Just as an ordinary person without armor upgrades feels fear when facing a activated chainsaw, even armor upgrades and the judge's riot shield cannot give soldiers any sense of security when facing Originium- powered weapons.

Gripping her shield and 'spear' tightly, Nana swung it once, effectively killing the antagonist who was preventing the family soldiers from escaping. Then, she lowered the beam's output, the pink beam gradually dimming, and the dark red blades drew dark red lava lines on the road... Facing the roar of engines in the distance, clearly a fully loaded dump truck rushing towards them, Nana silently tilted her head, and reinforcements arrived just in time.

That was the black lightning striking from the opposite side; the Sarkaz girl wielding the giant black bow was, to these enemies, both the incoming storm itself. II.

As the custom-made, enormous bow and arrow, like cannonballs used by city defenses, rammed the incoming dump truck, cab and bed sideways, into a house beside the road, Nana stood and listened for a while to the sounds coming from inside the house.

After confirming that there were no other injured people needing assistance besides the driver, the heterochromatic cat holding the shield recalled the model of heavy infantry it had once witnessed... namely, the commander of the Ursus Shieldguards, the Wendigo figure leading his troops forward.

Tiny Feline wasn't very tall, and she couldn't take any heavy steps. (Afternoon)

The beam spear was unlike the forged halberd; such a valuable item wouldn't be used by Nana as a javelin, as she remembered.

But... even though it was her first time fighting like this, Nana had already grasped its essence.

The heavy shields that covered the body and the entire formation deterred the enemy from attacking, while the beams of light pointed diagonally at the ground emboldened them to refrain from blocking.

Standing firm on the battlefield like an iron tower, marching like an avalanche unhindered by anything... Under Nana's protection, Valeria, considered dead by her family, walked openly and proudly on the city-state's roads. (8)

No matter how the thugs described her using code names like "that woman," or tried to distort her image, Valeria, at this moment, was like "Guns and Order" that forcefully pierced the heart of Siracusa sixty years ago, shattering the "established facts" set by the families with her overwhelming, absolute violence.

Ignoring the doctors summoned by the Continental Hotel who were treating the wounded on the ground, Nana checked on the pale-faced Angelina and the quiet, obedient Lisa to see if they were injured. Then, everyone looked towards the building where the family leaders were supposedly holding a meeting.

As a huge building occupying a significant portion of the storefront on a not-so-wide street, Nana frowned slightly as she looked at the numerous large posters hanging on it.:)

"... This is... a theater?"

"Drama and cuisine are the two most prominent cultural elements of Siracusa, and many Siracusa have an almost obsessive-compulsive requirement for both... Even Mr. Corleone often discusses the operation of the city-state and policies with other family stewards while watching plays at the theater... It's perfectly normal for this group to be discussing how to deal with me and the Abria Family here."

As she explained this to Nana, Valeria picked up several short swords along the way, removing their hilts to adapt to her silk-manipulation magic. She glanced at the shield in Nana's hand and the composite beam gun, then shrugged.

"If we're going to fight in here, shields and one-handed spears might not be very flexible... Although I don't know how many there are, I'm sure there are other families' Eradicator inside."

"Of course, Miss Medic, I fully acknowledge your combat capabilities. However... the theater is a very complex battlefield environment. Not only can the various soft-walled structures be breached to allow the enemy to infiltrate the ranks... some floors and ceilings may not be safe either."

"I know."

Seeing Nana's completely expressionless face, Valeria could only purse her lips:

"What I mean is... how about we let Lisa, along with these two... Angelina and Ms. Su Sulo, go to Corleone's place to avoid them for a while?"

Seeing Valeria's worried expression, Nana glanced at the half-open doors of the theater in the distance, dark and gloomy, wondering what kind of danger lurked within.

But is placing the children and Su Sulo with a third party really any safer than facing that dark, unknown future?

Nana still held the same thought... Once is enough for what Narcissa did.

I will protect her.

Nana said this to the worried Cole.

Seeing Nana's response, Valeria stopped insisting... As Feline, with her heterochromatic eyes, reloaded all her Firearms Arts ammunition and calculated the time for PRTS's next and final teleportation, Nana once again spearheaded the firing of her Guardian Gun Etch Rounds, now loaded with flashbangs, towards the theater.

Accompanied by a piercing explosion and a blinding light, Nana, gun in hand, was the first to rush into the theater.

The M4's muzzle would instinctively point at anything that moved... However, because the theater lights seemed to have been deliberately turned off, Nana could barely make out that she was pointing her gun at a group of theater staff dressed in tuxedos until she saw a green flame in her left eye.

"..."

Upon realizing something was wrong Nana immediately crouched down and used the theater's partitions to block any possible view. Almost simultaneously, a crossbow bolt imbued with a dark purple armor-piercing spell shot out from deep within the second floor of the theater, piercing through a theater employee and part of the decorative partitions along with it.

Fortunately, Nana reacted quickly enough, and the second equally dangerous crossbow bolt struck Nana directly on the shield that was hanging on her left shoulder, folded like a handbag, as the crossbow was released.

The resounding metallic clang silenced the theater, which had been filled with screams. Nana then quietly used Rhodes Island's radio to call the others one by one. After confirming that Su Sulo, Angelina, and Lisa were all in the theater and hiding properly, Nana nodded.

As the heterochromatic-eyed Feline drew her Guardian Gun and fired a flash spell at the spot where the crossbow bolt had been fired, Typhon, who had also been waiting for a long time, simultaneously aimed at the bald man in a suit and a barcode mask holding a heavy crossbow and drew back his giant bow.

"Found you!"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

It's still Ray... However, this picture feels a bit dangerous... Never mind, if you want to see this picture, come to the group chat. I'll change the illustration.

It's been replaced with a cat that's snuggling up to the Doctor!

The 8th Spring of Siracusa: 305 Levels of Challenges

The second battle began with a giant arrow carrying a storm. The Eradicator, wearing a barcode mask, ran in the bright light. Part of the stairs on the second floor of the hall collapsed with a roar. Everyone's shadows were stretched long under the light of Nana's flash bullets.

"That tail...no, no! They're not family members! Medic, be careful, that guy is--!"

Valeria was forced back into cover by three crossbow bolts before she could finish speaking, but Nana could guess what she was trying to say.

"The Shadow Eliminator, I know them."

It was just like bumping into a familiar face from the neighboring company while having drinks after work. Nana calmly reloaded the Guardian Gun, as if they were exchanging greetings:

"Hello, this is Rhodes Island operator Medic. I know you are not the Lupo or Feline races commonly found in Siracusa, but rather Archosauria recruited from elsewhere... As a non-native, your scales have been removed, your fur washed off—all to eliminate any traces that might be left during a murder. A violent machine designed solely for superiors shouldn't be involved in this farce... So, are you obeying the family within, or the court?"

It doesn't matter who you obey, since obeying the court is just another way of saying you're loyal to Lady Sicilia.

But it seemed that Nana's conversation with him was rather unexpected. Just after the Rhodes Island black cat introduced himself, a hoarse voice, neither male nor female, answered hastily, accompanied by the sound of the stairs collapsing from Typhon shooting:

"Blood Contract, blood debt... blood for blood."

"... I see. Being shown Blood Contract leaves nothing that can be done... However, I don't acknowledge any blood debt, since I didn't kill anyone on my way here. As for Valeria, that's even more absurd; she hasn't even had a chance to wipe out those entire families yet."

As they talked, they shifted their position. Nana had previously thought the barcode on the other person's mask looked very familiar. After hearing the word 'Blood Contract,' Nana finally understood... Wasn't that an ICA term? No wonder the other person's suit and demeanor seemed so familiar.

The so-called 'Blood Contract' is a contract from the outer circle of the ICA, a top-level contract that Continental Hotel 'freelancers' risk their professional skills and reputation to complete, even at the cost of their lives.

Although it was a bit unsettling that the highest combat power in Siracusa's dark side was outsourced, knowing that the other party was fighting her through Blood Contract made Nana realize that she probably wouldn't be able to handle the thugs and soldiers as easily as before.

Whether it's the peripheral organization platform Erlingba (five) Lingjiu Liujiu Continental Hotel, or the ICA within Columbia, the assassins who can accept Blood Contract, if not outstanding, are at least the type with their own unique skills, and they already belong to the 'backbone' of freelancers.

According to Rhodes Island's rank system, this already puts her in the ranks of Elite Operator. Even Nana, as she straightened up against a pillar, unconsciously raised her cat ears and kept turning them to be on guard against her surroundings.

But this rare period of silence couldn't last long. Nana knew she had to attack first... otherwise, what if the other side couldn't find her and turned to attack Su Sulo and the others?

Taking a deep breath... the backpack engine switched from silent mode to a sharp, explosive sound, like a gas turbine in operation, drawing everyone's attention.

As the posture nozzles on her legs and backpack spewed out eerie blue flames with Mach rings in the dim light, Nana leaped into the air and, using her equipment to levitate, aimed her shotgun at a strange shadow on the second floor.

While stealth is a required skill for all assassins, there are always more experienced assassins who can more quickly identify the best places for concealment and ambush.

There was no need to actively use magic to detect them. As the experienced assassin pointed his gun directly at the enemy, the Shadow Eliminator was surprised and immediately moved to retaliate with his crossbow.

Heated to a high luminosity by magic, the tungsten steel deer bullets emitted a blinding light, while the dark purple crossbow bolts, following Nana's slight tilt of her head, struck the ceiling behind her.

The continuous roar of shotguns indoors without any silencing was enough to make everyone on the field dizzy. After dodging the opponent's crossbow bolts, Nana's superior rate of fire of the semi-automatic shotgun was immediately put to full use.

Two seconds, eight shots!!

The lack of a shrinking attachment resulted in the projectiles being distributed in a circular pattern roughly the size of a fist. Nana relentlessly fired at the figure that exhibited a slight Optical Camouflage Spell reaction.

The scorching bullets tore through the luxurious wooden finisher gun, smashed the soundproofing material, and burned straight through the solid wood flooring and leather upholstery, thus planting the potential for flames, which then began to sizzle.

To conserve backpack fuel, Nana didn't stay in the air for too long. To an ordinary person with poor dynamic vision, she probably just jumped to the second floor and fired her shotgun during that time.

Just as Nana's feet left the second-floor floor, the Shadow Eliminator had previously appeared to be escaping, bravely fired a second arrow at Nana, simultaneously throwing out his briefcase and drawing a curved knife from it mid-air... allowing the expensive vulcanized hard leather case to smash towards Nana like a weapon.

The black-haired Feline responded by landing and gracefully dodging the crossbow bolts. The alloy folding shield that his body spun created collided with the flying box in mid-air, smashing it open with its weight.

An empty white shotgun and a black heavy crossbow, both needing to be reloaded, were hurled at each other by their respective owners as blunt weapons. The crossbow's winch broke off, and the bowstring was sliced through by the sharp, pointed striking head. The shotgun's barrel, fitted with tactical equipment, shattered, sending its glowing headlight flying.

The dimly lit second floor of the theater was illuminated by the flashing lights of the guns that flew out while spinning, and the scimitars with a distinctly Sargon style reflected a dazzling light in the flashes. But even in the pure darkness, the butterfly knife at Nana's fingertips, which shimmered like the night sky, was the most impossible thing to ignore.

The flash of light clashed with the darkness of the night, the ear-piercing metallic scraping sound echoing through the room as the scimitar dragged on. The two, locked in a stalemate, simultaneously raised their legs to kick at each other, only to fail once again... As the Eradicator suddenly turned and swung his tail like a cleaver at Nana from behind, the mechanical arm on Nana's backpack activated its Composite Light Spear, raising it high and thrusting it straight at the opponent.

In the blink of an eye, the first floor heard a series of fighting sounds from above, followed by spells being unleashed simultaneously, and the distinctive hum of a lightsaber being activated.

Both stood firm, and then fell silent.

Nana swapped the shotgun in her right hand with the weapon mounted on her mechanical arm. After confirming that the surrounding Collapse had not spread because she had taken out the Night-Sky Blade, the assassin calmly put away her folding knife.

The girl then picked up the folding shield that hung on her body like a handbag with her left hand and locked it with a pin. She patted her side, which was still bruised and purple from the blue magical glow, and frowned slightly... Her opponent had targeted the gap in her waist protection and launched an attack, and the force was not to be underestimated.

Let's give them a compliment. To be able to injure an ICA Silent Assassin, their combat ability is already among the best of the freelancers.

But what will be the price?

Looking at the hem of the other person's suit jacket riddled with holes from the blast of shotgun shells, the scorching steel balls were causing massive damage, and the high temperature embedded within was constantly destroying the bulletproof structure of the reinforced armor. One side of the barcode mask with the face-concealing spell had changed color due to the high temperature, and the left shoulder that had been struck by the suddenly activated lightsaber was charred black.

"It seems that the armor upgrade is ineffective against high temperatures and magic."

"Really..."

"After you go back, you can lodge a public protest with the Continental Hotel... if you can still go back."

"Doesn't that mean they're admitting the armor upgrade is effective?"

As she spoke, Invisible Hand automatically inserted a quick-loading shotgun shell into Nana's backpack, while two mechanical arms 'holding' two pistols emerged from the waist of the person in front of her... As Nana fired the mechanical arms, the Eradicator, who only had a curved knife in his hand, tumbled down to the first floor.

Chatting during combat is a well-known stalling tactic among assassins. Nana is waiting to reload, but what is the Eradicator waiting for?

The answer to this question is a crossbow bolt deeper inside the second floor of the theater.

Like a fireball or a meteor, a ball of flame rushed in quickly. Nana, who had just finished emptying two pistol magazines, raised her shield to meet the attack... As the huge fireball engulfed the second floor, sending various wooden floorboards and railings flying like shrapnel, the Eradicator on the first floor, who was being beaten and howling, raised his scimitar and aimed it at Nana, who had not moved.

"Medic!"

Nai 1ling also wept and covered her mouth with wine (four) Nai could hear Valeria's worries downstairs, but compared to interfering with her own battle, Nana still hoped that she would continue to protect Su Sulo and the others.

"I'm fine... and don't get in my way."

While saying something that might lead others to misunderstand that the two of them had a bad relationship, Nana turned her shield around to block the jumping strike... The blow was quite heavy, and Nana's legs even shattered a layer of the floor.

Then came a second 'meteor' deeper into the corridor... This time Nana saw it clearly; it was a crossbow bolt imbued with an explosive spell.

The second Eradicator?

There was no time for deep thought. Compared to someone who was already wielding a knife and putting pressure on her face, Nana could easily dodge this black gun by simply turning her head.

However, as the arrow reached the back of Nana's head, the sudden change in the spell mark made Nana click her tongue.

The specially designed airburst fireball directly blasted apart the second-floor corridor where Nana was located, followed by a violent structural collapse caused by the explosion.

This explosion not only targeted Nana, but also engulfed the first Eradicator was being held back in close combat.

"(Extremely vicious Siracusa profanity)--!"

"What are you barking about? I only helped you because you couldn't beat that little guy!"