# 107. The Outbreak (1)
—
Nero briefly considered dropping down below the wall to evade his pursuer.
However, that could lead to a relentless chase.
The law of the streets dictated that any intruder in a sector must be pursued to the very end and made an example of.
**Haaaaaaahk──!**
Seeing that Nero showed no intention of flipping onto his back in surrender, Scar let out another metallic screech and approached.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
And the moment Scar leaped forward to attack!
**Tat!**
**Ta-at!**
Nero also sprang forward in a powerful jump.
Thanks to regular meals, his well-fed paws had developed a level of explosive power far beyond that of street cats.
**Bwooooong──!**
Nero’s vision soared high into the air.
Below, behind him, Scar tumbled down into the garbage cans under the wall, his target having disappeared.
**Tak!**
Nero landed gracefully.
**Miyaaaong! Miyaaaaooong!**
Angry cries echoed behind him, but the distance between them did not shrink.
Scar was struggling to climb back up, hindered by the slippery garbage bags.
**[Nyaaaah──]**
Roaring his victory in his heart, Nero turned his head forward again and continued on.
As he moved, a patch of silvervine growing under a streetlamp suddenly caught his eye.
His pupils dilated.
As if he had spotted prey.
Just as his hindquarters twitched in preparation to pounce—
「Not there.」
A boy’s voice echoed in his mind.
「I’ll give you something tasty when you get back. For now, focus on your task.」
The voice of the white-haired boy.
Unlike the red-haired girl’s voice, his held no warmth or cheerfulness.
It was completely flat.
Yet, despite that, it gave him an inexplicable sense of comfort and stability.
That was why Nero liked the white-haired boy.
As for the brown-haired boy…
He smelled weird. Like leather. Nero didn’t like that.
Resisting the temptation of the silvervine, Nero pressed on with fearless determination.
His destination was Street No. 1.
At its center stood a ten-story building.
The gemstone on the ring in his mouth flashed red, blinking rapidly.
—
Early dawn, on the rooftop of the hideout.
Ray gazed out over the vast sector.
Sunlight filtering through thin clouds gradually peeled away the shadows of the city.
In the distance, on the rooftops of several buildings, small figures stirred.
The guards of the Pro-Nishoa faction, stationed at three-hour intervals through the night.
Even if the sun hadn’t risen, Ray would have known they were there.
The emotions contained in their vessels glowed like lighthouse beacons, revealing their locations.
“……”
He cast his gaze further.
In enemy territory, not a single beacon existed.
Only a murky darkness.
“At first, we thought we could infiltrate because there were no guards.”
A voice beside him made Ray glance sideways.
A man stood there, looking into the distance with a complicated expression.
He was in his early thirties.
A rugged face with a rough demeanor.
This was McCurley, the second squad leader of the Pro-Nishoa faction.
“But somehow, they knew the moment we entered. The enemy immediately swarmed us.”
Ray observed his vessel.
Rage, anxiety, resentment, fear…
It was filled with nothing but negative emotions. Not a single positive one.
‘It’s not just him.’
Nearly all the Pro-Nishoa faction members were the same.
With the war turning against them, maintaining optimism was nearly impossible.
And few seemed to believe that Ray and his group could turn the tide.
It was understandable.
The sudden arrival of a boy connected to their respected leader, bearing shocking truths, was certainly unexpected.
But even with that revelation, the gap in strength was overwhelming.
Not only in raw power but also in the number of mages—the enemy outnumbered them ten to one.
‘They probably also think that unlike them, we can leave this place whenever we want, regardless of the war’s outcome.’
There wasn’t much trust in them.
A couple of young mages might provide some help, but it wouldn’t be anything like the fuss Colin had made.
With these thoughts, Ray turned his gaze forward again.
“You said they seem to be reading your movements. Did you sense anything that felt like magic?”
“We tried to figure out the cause, but we couldn’t find anything that seemed like magic or any other clues.”
“I see.”
Just then, a truck entered enemy territory and began unloading supplies in the middle of the street.
Boxes marked with images of canned goods and dried rations.
“Is that it?”
“Yes. That’s the one. Every dawn, they drop supplies
—food, ammo, and other resources—right at the border.”
As if to say, “Try and take it if you dare.”
As if they knew supplies were running low.
“Our mission today is to secure those supplies.”
McCurley’s voice carried an undercurrent of anger.
Because the enemy’s actions were blatant and taunting.
They knew that attempting to retrieve those supplies would result in a brutal struggle, with many of their own suffering grievous injuries.
But they had no choice.
They had to endure.
Surrendering was not an option.
“The squad members and departure time….”
“……”
The briefing continued.
Ray listened, his gaze fixed on enemy territory.
At the edge of his vision, between other buildings—
A ten-story tower stood tall.
The enemy’s hideout.
‘The elemental trace I left on that mage I released yesterday… It stopped moving shortly after reaching that building.’
He had considered various possibilities, but the most likely was—
They had killed their own subordinate.
The elemental trace had dispersed into the air and reaccumulated in the same spot.
‘They probably suspected their location had been exposed.’
Even though they wouldn’t have found any traces of magic like binding spells, their paranoia must have led them to act.
‘But they haven’t relocated their hideout. That’s odd.’
Through Nero, Ray had confirmed it last night.
Walter’s ring blinked faster the closer it got to another officer’s ring.
The hideout had not moved.
…And they were deliberately prolonging a war they could end at any time.
Toying with their opponents.
As if they were enjoying the situation.
If that was the enemy’s true nature, what could he exploit?
Ray tilted his head, thoughtful.
—
The rattling truck.
Dim light seeped in through a small window in the dark container.
McCurley, sitting across from Ray, asked,
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“Not really.”
“……”
Was it just youthful bravado?
No matter how tough a street-raised kid was, they shouldn’t be unfazed by this.
**Clunk— Clatter—**
The truck carried 14 people.
Ray and Veronica, two.
And twelve members of two squads.
All wore bulletproof vests, gripping their guns tightly, their tension palpable.
Only one person remained calm.
Ray.
He hadn’t even put on a bulletproof vest, saying it restricted movement.
It had led to a brief argument with Veronica, but in the end, Ray’s decision prevailed.
**Clunk— Clatter—**
Inside the shaking container, everyone held their breath.
Then—
**Screeeech—**
“We’re here!”
The driver’s voice came through the opening between the cab and container.
**Clang! Creeeak—!**
The heavy doors swung open, and the squad members burst out, their bottled-up tension erupting into motion.
“Squad 1, take defensive positions! Jerry and Liam, the north street! Bruno and Derek, the east street! Finn and I will cover the south!”
“Squad 2, load up the supplies! Hurry!”
Their arrival point was the center of a four-way intersection between buildings.
Under the squad leaders’ commands, the members moved in perfect coordination.
Squad 1 pulled out barrels from the truck, creating makeshift cover.
Squad 2, shielded by Squad 1, immediately began loading food crates.
Ray asked McCurley,
“What can we do to help?”
“We’d appreciate it if you mages kept watch on our surroundings. But for safety, please don’t leave the formation.”
Ray nodded and, along with Veronica, scanned the area.
Traces of previous battles were scattered everywhere.
Shattered windows and streetlights.
Dark, dried bloodstains splattered on the pavement and building walls.
The residents had long since evacuated.
A suffocating silence blanketed the streets, thick enough to choke on.
**Thud—! Clunk—!**
**Thud—! Clunk—!**
Only the sound of crates being loaded filled the air.
“Keep your mana circulating, ready to deploy barriers at any moment.”
“Got it.”
Veronica nodded firmly.
Confirming that nothing unusual lurked in the streets, Ray tilted his gaze toward the sky.
“…….”
Colin’s words resurfaced in his mind.
*”The enemy was definitely reading our movements. As if they were watching from above.”*
When Ray first heard that, his initial thought was *familiar magic.*
Taming a bird with familiar magic and using sensory synchronization would allow them to survey the entire sector from the sky.
But now—
Only heavy, gray clouds drifted above.
Not a single bird in sight.
“Veronica, you said there’s no magic you know of that lets someone observe movements without revealing themselves, right?”
“Yeah. Not within what I’ve studied.”
Ray gave a slight nod and lowered his gaze.
**Thud—! Clunk—!**
As the loading continued, tension among the faction members swelled, ready to burst.
Expressions hardened, cold sweat dripped.
Hearts pounded wildly.
Because they knew.
The fewer boxes left on the street, the closer the enemy was to appearing.
**Thud—! Clunk—!**
When only about a quarter of the crates remained—
“Enemy sighted—! Take cover!”
McCurley’s shout was followed by an ear-splitting barrage of gunfire.
**Tududududududu───!**
The enemy attacked from all directions except the west, where Pro-Nishoa faction members had entered.
The ends of the north, east, and south streets.
Around ten enemies in each direction.
Nearly thirty gun barrels roared, all aimed at the center of the intersection.
**Ting—! Tiding—!**
Bullets rained down, ricocheting off barrels, crates, and the armored side of the truck.
McCurley fired back and shouted,
“Mages! Can you deploy a barrier? We still need to load the rest of the supplies…?”
For a moment, everyone froze in shock.
A translucent barrier had already formed in midair.
A perfect arc, shielding them from the north, east, and south.
The white light of the barrier was so bright that it was clearly visible to the naked eye.
**Ting—! Tiding—!**
The relentless gunfire couldn’t even scratch it.
“Wh… what is this…?”
“Is this… Veronica’s magic?”
Shock and excitement rippled through the faction members.
The barriers they had seen the enemy use before were always small—barely covering a few people at a time.
While blocking bullets was a tactical advantage, the limited range made it less versatile in battle.
But this—
Veronica’s barrier was on an entirely different scale.
**Ting—! Tiding—!**
It provided complete protection while still allowing for full movement inside.
“Aren’t we supposed to be loading?”
Snapped out of their daze by Ray’s voice, the faction members rushed to load the remaining crates.
At first, they moved cautiously, as if afraid the barrier might break.
But within seconds, hesitation vanished, replaced by confident efficiency.
“Everything’s loaded!”
“Everyone, get on the truck! Move!”
Amid the cacophony of gunfire, everyone climbed into the container.
The enemy kept firing and was now advancing toward the barrier.
**Thud!**
Ray clasped his hands together, creating a foothold to help Veronica up.
Then, he turned to scan the surroundings.
Four people remained outside.
Ray and Squad 1 member Bruno.
The two squad leaders, retrieving the makeshift cover.
“We just need to load these, then we can—!”
The squad leaders, rolling barrels toward the truck, suddenly froze.
Bruno’s eyes went wide.
A figure had appeared in the alley to his left.
The unprotected west side.
The enemy had circled around through the alley and arrived unnoticed.
Veronica, already inside the container, couldn’t immediately react.
The only silver lining was that there was only *one* enemy.
But when the others saw who it was—
Their eyes wavered.
“What are you waiting for?! Shoot!”
McCurley’s desperate shout rang out.
The only one in position to fire immediately was Bruno.
“……!”
But Bruno just stood there, gun aimed, finger trembling on the trigger.
His pupils shook.
His breath turned ragged.
He had only seconds to pull the trigger and put a bullet through someone’s heart.
And the enemy—
Was hesitating, too.
“Shoot! Bruno! If we don’t leave now, we’ll be surrounded!”
McCurley’s urgent yell.
The air, thick with gunpowder, felt ready to ignite.
In the white-haired boy’s eyes, the emotions swirling in everyone’s vessels flared in a kaleidoscope of colors.
*‘This is…’*
Thump.
Ray’s heart began to race.
