The magician was distracted by the sight of the golden knight. That was his mistake. He should have swiftly prepared his next spell, but being so inexperienced, his response was delayed.
But it couldn't be helped. Who could maintain their composure when faced with a knight wearing armor that blazed like the sun descending to earth?
Don Quixote stepped forward. Wearing silver armor, the [La Mancha Suit] gifted by Antique Gear, he ran much faster than before.
Charging like an arrow, Don Quixote wielded his sword and swung it toward the old magician.
The magician was still unable to respond. However, Don Quixote's sword failed to strike his neck.
-Clang!
Sparks flew. Someone had suddenly intervened, blocking Don Quixote's sword and the impact of the collision caused Don Quixote to retreat slightly.
"Hey, you were so confident, but you can't even handle an enemy and you're getting distracted?"
The newly appeared person was a man in his early thirties.
He was wearing a steam suit, but hadn't put on the helmet that would cover his face. Because of this, his neatly combed-back hair and slick smile were fully visible.Belatedly regaining his senses at the man's rebuke, the magician exclaimed defensively:
"Even without your help, I could have finished off someone like him!"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you could. As if our noble magician would ever be caught off guard."
The man in the suit held a weapon that appeared to have been used to deflect Don Quixote's sword. It was a long spear. Not just any spear, but a specialized one covered with all sorts of modifications.
The most noticeable feature was the blue magical power flowing throughout the entire spear. The mana wrapped around the weapon wasn't fluctuating but maintained a neat, fixed form.
He was a mana user. And an extremely skilled one at that. It was evidence that both the amount of mana he possessed and his skill in handling it were exceptional.
"Shut up, half-wit. You just need to properly perform the role you've been given."
"Ha. Really. Maybe I should have just let you die."
Despite having saved the old magician, the relationship between the two didn't seem particularly good. It couldn't be helped. One was a magician and the other was a mana user.
Magicians looked down on mana users as half-wits who could manipulate mana but couldn't use magic. Conversely, mana users thought of magicians as ignorant of worldly matters due to their obsession with magic.
Having risen to considerable skill in their respective fields, they tended to dislike each other even more. A relationship like oil and water that would never have reason to join hands if not for this situation.
Yet the reason these two were together was because they had been hired by Battle Trench. Even oil and water can be temporarily mixed by a major corporation.
"Hey. I don't know what you're thinking, but save the fighting for after we finish the job."
A third person appeared. No, not a person. It was a giant with a body made entirely of machinery. What they wore on their face was a mask made of metal. With every movement, small amounts of steam and the sound of mechanical devices came from various joint parts.
A modified human. More specifically, a human who had replaced most of their body with machinery.
Usually, modified humans try to maintain their human form as much as possible, but this one was different. Even with a coat on, the bulky mechanical parts visible on the outside were additional components that no modified human would normally attach.
Perhaps feeling the gaze, the modified human spoke, illuminating their red single eye:
"Korun. Have you heard of me?"
The modified human introduced himself as Korun. His confident voice suggested he was certain his name alone would be recognized.
However, Don Quixote wasn't interested in such matters, so he didn't know. The same was true for Osian.
"What's this, Korun? There's no reaction? Don't tell me they don't know who you are?"
The mana user said mockingly.
"Shut up, Meltrio. Shall I tear that fragile mouth of yours right here?"
The mana user named Meltrio shrugged. Korun's pride was hurt after showing off, but that was only because Don Quixote and Osian were unusual cases.
If someone with an ear for such things had been present, they would have recognized Korun instantly.
Korun, the modified human known as [Over Tuning]. A madman obsessed with strengthening his mechanical body by attaching all sorts of parts.
In the past, he had been a man with considerable muscle. He had affection for his natural physique and confidence in his intense masculinity. However, after realizing that the human body has limits even when building muscles through injections, Korun became interested in machinery.
Thus, he became a modified human by replacing his body with machinery. His twisted belief in excessive physical beauty, which he had even when he was a regular organism, remained intact after becoming a modified human, and he continued to strengthen his body endlessly.
"Whatever. If we stop the intruders here, we'll get a bonus. That would be more than enough to cover the funds needed to replace my new arm."
"Sigh. I just can't understand modified humans."
Meltrio gripped his mana-infused spear. As a highly skilled mana user, he was a formidable expert with considerable standing in the industry, along with Korun.
The magician who kept his mouth shut, not wanting to get involved, was named Gilliam Fisher. He was the dean of a small to medium-sized magic school.
Magician, mana user, and modified human. People who absolutely don't mix, like oil and water, gathered in one place.
"Whatever, we need to take care of that first."
Korun aimed his arm at the brilliantly shining Osian. His right hand transformed, creating a massive gun barrel. At the same time, enormous energy gathered inside and was fired toward Osian.
The blue line that advanced straight ahead collided with a bright yellow flame in mid-air before it could reach Osian's body. The bluish energy was neutralized before the power of the sun ring.
"It blocked this?"
He hadn't expected it to be blocked from a distance. Gilliam Fisher frowned.
"How stupid. That's the one who blocked my magic. Do you think that kind of attack would work?"
No sooner had those words ended than Osian moved. A sun ring rose behind his back. It was only about the size of a halo floating above his head.
From there, Osian drew a small sun ring sword. Proportional to the size of the sun ring, it was actually closer to a dagger in length.
Osian gripped it and threw it with all his might. Although its shape was small, it was a weapon imbued with the power of the sun. As it traversed the corridor, a wave of intense heat surged forward.
"Hup!"
Korun stepped forward, clenched his fists, and stretched them out in front. His forearms unfolded like opening umbrellas. Above them, ether water rapidly supplied energy, creating a magical barrier in the air.
-Crash!
The sun ring sword collided with Korun's barrier. Korun had prepared to easily deflect such a dagger, but reality wasn't so simple.
"What is this!"
His massive legs slowly pushed backward.
-Clank!
Support struts shot out from his shins to fix his body in place. Even so, his arms trembled.
The tremendous pressure caused his parts to overheat. It was Gilliam who provided assistance. He scattered mana and implemented a spell.
Frost formed over the sun ring sword engaged in the test of strength. A white and bluish ice barrier was created, swallowing the heat of the sun ring.
-Ssss!
With the cooperation of Korun and Gilliam, the power of the sun ring sword was exhausted and disappeared. Ice was poured onto Korun's overheated arms, cooling them rapidly.
"Don't let your guard down. That one is dangerous, after all."
Meanwhile, Meltrio and Don Quixote had clashed separately. Wielding his sword, Don Quixote quickly pressed against Meltrio. Meltrio moved his spear dazzlingly, calmly deflecting Don Quixote's sword.
"Leave that to the half-wit. We need to deal with that dangerous monster first."
Gilliam's assessment of Osian was nothing more or less than that of a monster.
Even if Korun was a modified human who had only enlarged his body, Gilliam did not doubt his skill. And yet, even if he was caught off guard, he had been pushed back.
Naturally, the other side must also be a skilled expert hired by Antique Gear, a major company. While Gilliam wasn't sure what power the opponent was wielding, he knew it was dangerous enough that his head could fly off if he lost focus for even a moment.
Gilliam prepared a spell. During this time, Korun pulled out a machine gun from his shoulder and aimed it at Osian. This was to buy time for Gilliam to use his magic. Even if not, it would be appreciated if the opponent died from this.
-Boom!
The massive machine gun exploded in mid-air before reaching Osian, unable to overcome the heat of the sun ring. Seeing this, Korun rapidly shook his red eye light.
"Damn it. Does it break down approaching external elements within a certain range with high energy?"
If regular bullets were fired, they would vaporize before even touching that body. With that level of energy, even his own body inside wouldn't be intact, so he was impressed that the opponent could withstand it.
"Or maybe it only blocks external dangers."
Korun's eyes turned toward Osian's surroundings. Unlike the massive heat energy swirling around, the corridor itself was undamaged and fine. He wasn't sure of the operating principle, but it was clear that it at least acted on external projectiles.
Korun discarded his weapon and approached Osian with big strides. There was no winning against that golden knight from a distance. Even the dagger thrown earlier had considerable power.
He would fight up close. As he approached, Gilliam's magic was finally completed.
4-star ice element magic Frost Hydra.
Three ice hydra heads rose in front of Gilliam. Each hydra looked at Osian and opened its mouth wide, spewing an intense breath.
A breath mixed with intense cold, sharp ice spikes, and frost passed over Korun's head toward Osian as the protection of the sun ring activated to protect Osian.
The bright yellow power of the sun created a barrier to counter the cold.
-Whoosh!
As the intense heat and cold met, misty steam rose around them.
Korun charged toward the thick steam.
'I'll finish this in one strike, taking advantage of the obscured vision.'
The steam didn't bother Korun. Unlike the vision of an ordinary person, his eyes could track people by their heat.
Just as he was about to thrust his high-pressure piston fist, Korun realized that Osian had disappeared.
'Disappeared? How?'
That flickering heat wasn't something that could be hidden by merely hiding somewhere. This was especially true for Korun, who tracked using thermal imaging.
But Osian's figure had vanished as if it were a mirage. It wasn't a blind spot, he simply wasn't visible.
"What is this...?"
At that moment, Gilliam, who was preparing a new spell for support from behind, discovered something strange and shouted:
"Hey! Fall back!"
Korun didn't understand the meaning of those words. Even if he had understood and tried to respond, it would have been useless because it was already too late.
-Slash!
A man in a blue martial arts outfit, faintly appearing from nowhere, wielded moonlight swords in both hands with flair. The countless slashes that occurred in the blink of an eye accurately targeted Korun's joints and weak points.
Korun's body froze and was cut into several pieces. Korun, who had undergone modification after modification to achieve considerable durability, died without even making a sound. It was a pathetic end compared to his strength.
"Oh no!"
Gilliam hurriedly prepared an attack spell at the sight. The hydra heads, which had not yet disappeared, increased to five. Each head spewed breath toward Osian.
It was a powerful cold magic spell that the [Arctic] school, specializing in ice elements, prided itself on. If struck by it, a person's heart would freeze while still alive.
But Gilliam made a serious mistake. He dared to launch a cold attribute attack against Osian, who was wearing the Moonlight Martial Outfit. It was a mistake to counter in that way based on the brilliant heat that had blazed until now.
Osian's figure disappeared like a mirage. The breath swept through the empty space but to no avail.
'Where? Where is he?!'
Gilliam projected mana around to find Osian's vanished figure. The fellow hides his appearance like a mirage. If he hadn't seen what happened to Korun, he wouldn't have known either.
After spreading waves about three times, the mana detected the enemy's presence. Finally, he had identified the enemy's position.
'Right, behind?!'
As he tried to turn around, a cold moonlight sword pierced toward his heart. The hydra heads that had bared their teeth at Osian to protect their master melted away like mirages.
Osian, who had drawn his moonlight sword and defeated Gilliam, looked at Don Quixote.
"No need to help, I see."
It wasn't long before Meltrio, who had been pressing Don Quixote with his mana-infused spear, was overcome. Brilliant starlight surged from Don Quixote's sword.
It instantly shattered the mana imbued in Meltrio's spear and broke the shaft.
"What is this...!"
Meltrio backed away, shocked that his prized mana had been so easily defeated. But Don Quixote pursued him relentlessly, swinging his holy light sword and slashing his chest.
Even wearing a supported suit was useless before the power of the starlight and Meltrio too fell, spraying blood.
"They weren't easy opponents."
"Still, the fact that such important personnel were here means we're heading in the right direction."
And they would no longer have the strength to stop them. Just as they thought this, a massive wave swept through the entire underground laboratory.
It was some kind of spiritual wave with an unknown source, and along the path it traveled, light like an aurora remained as an afterimage before disappearing.