#111. The Outbreak of War (5)
—
KUUUUNG───!!
The two men collapsed forward with a thunderous noise as massive as their bodies.
A cloud of dust and debris scattered into the air.
The surroundings fell silent.
So silent that it was hard to believe that the area had just been filled with deafening noise.
The boy approached the two fallen men and flipped them over.
Thud!
He rummaged through their belongings.
Apart from a few daggers and some small red gemstones the size of fingernails, he found nothing of significance.
Pocketing the gemstones, the boy rose and surveyed his surroundings with calm eyes.
“…….”
The entire area was in shambles.
The road was cracked, shattered, and cratered as if it had been bombarded.
The major roads and bridges on the outskirts of the sector were rarely used by residents.
‘Did they say that businessmen from the lower-numbered sectors installed and used these themselves?’
Would they come demanding accountability later?
Using some unknown tracking method unique to them?
It was a little confusing.
Still, it seemed best to erase as many traces of magic as possible.
Step— Step— Tap.
He moved forward and placed his palm against the barrier.
‘Solid.’
The texture and feel of the material transmitted directly to his palm.
It was about five meters high.
A wall stretched across the entire road, blocking it completely.
Creating it had consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.
After all, he had to use a massive amount of mana from the atmosphere—a mana that was densely packed like hardened cement, thick and gray.
But now, things were different.
Wooong──
With a mere gesture, the gray mana in the air moved smoothly.
…It seemed that if he encountered a similar situation again, he would be able to use the same magic with much greater ease.
‘And the ratio of mana in the circles is changing too.’
Currently, the nearly depleted two circles were drawing in atmospheric mana.
Refining it at a steady pace.
The mana took on clearer colors and a higher elemental density.
Red, light pink, purple, white.
And other radiant hues.
This was usually the order in which the mana occupied the circles.
“…….”
But now, things were different.
The gray mana, which had previously refused to budge, was now flowing in, rapidly filling up the space in the circles.
…Judging by the overall speed at which the mana was accumulating—
‘Once the charging is complete, gray mana will take the position right after white mana.’
Sustainment, blockade, fusion.
Recalling the primary properties of gray mana, Ray focused his mind on the palm pressed against the barrier.
And then—
Saaahhhh──
The barrier began to dissolve.
From the center of his palm outward, it turned into tiny particles.
Gray dust scattered over the river, and before long, the barrier vanished without a trace.
“…….”
This was the result of gaining greater control over the elements that comprised gray mana.
Whish.
Ray turned his body.
The remnants of the earth magic on the road crumbled into dust as his gaze swept over them.
Having erased most traces of magic, the boy then used telekinesis to lift the two men’s bodies and tossed them into the river.
Plop! Plop!
The two bodies floated away.
Ray watched them drift for a moment before turning his gaze and scanning the area.
‘This should do.’
It wasn’t perfect, but the cleanup was sufficient.
Satisfied with his work, the boy turned his eyes toward the entrance of the bridge.
……!
……!
Enemies who had not yet fled were staring at him, their mouths agape.
Tap.
The moment he made a move—
The enemies scrambled into their vehicles and sped away.
Tap. Tap.
Unbothered by their reaction, he continued walking.
Last night, reconnaissance through Nero had its limits.
The night was dark, stray street cats got in the way, and the amount of purple mana he could use at once was restricted.
‘I wasn’t able to directly infiltrate the enemy’s headquarters. I was afraid my summoning magic would be detected.’
So, he decided to conduct reconnaissance himself.
He wouldn’t be able to penetrate deep into enemy lines, but he could at least gather some useful intelligence.
Although his mana circles weren’t fully recharged yet, he was confident he could escape if things became dangerous.
He also wanted to experiment further with gray mana.
Tap. Tap.
Ray briskly moved toward the enemy-occupied Sector 46.
This, too, was a border area.
The residents had all evacuated, leaving behind only an eerie silence and a desolate wind.
The enemies who had fled earlier were nowhere to be seen, likely having retreated to their base to report what they had witnessed to their superiors.
‘No, they wouldn’t even need to report it.’
He shook his head internally.
There was a high probability that the enemy leader had already been watching the battle.
The escape route he had planned with McCurley had been perfect.
And yet, they had been herded.
As if their movements had been completely anticipated.
「I’m watching all of you from the sky.」
According to Colin and McCurley’s testimony, that statement seemed to hold some truth.
If so, the enemy was likely observing him even now as he entered the area.
Tap. Tap.
He kept moving, thinking.
‘But their sight is definitely limited.’
The enemy wasn’t watching from the sky.
Beyond the fact that there were no birds in the air, there was additional reasoning behind this belief.
The enemy leader had once borrowed a subordinate’s body and, while looking around a room, said:
「So this is their hideout, huh? You’re really going to help them all the way?」
If he had been truly watching from above, that statement wouldn’t make sense.
He would have already identified the hideout and seen their people being dragged inside.
‘I considered that they might be observing from the rooftop.’
But that wasn’t it either.
The enemy’s headquarters was in an eight-story building.
Through Nero, he had confirmed that the building’s height wasn’t particularly impressive.
It was indeed the tallest building in the sector, but not high enough to overlook every numbered street.
‘There are plenty of structures blocking the view.’
The chase earlier, which took place far from the enemy’s base, confirmed it.
He could rule out rooftop observation.
Tap— Tap—
How exactly was the enemy detecting his movements?
If they were tracking him now, were they sending reinforcements?
Would there be another Second Circle mage among them?
Tap— Tap—
…Even if their forces were spread out, the fact that there were no patrols at all was suspicious.
Lost in thought, he stepped into the next numbered street.
Drrrrrrr──
A sound reached his ears.
Not from just one place.
‘A drill…?’
A deep rumbling noise vibrated through the ground, emanating from the first floors of various buildings.
─Hurry… dig… if we don’t….
─Why do we have to… do this kind of… damn it….
Focusing his mind, he caught snippets of conversation.
It was unlikely that any residents remained.
The enemy was working on something.
Ray cast an stealth spell to disrupt perception and carefully approached the nearest building where the sound originated.
*”Digging? They’re trying to excavate something from the ground….”*
Tap.
The moment realization struck, he halted in place.
But only for a brief moment.
His legs naturally broke free from their frozen state and continued walking.
Tap— Tap—
However, his direction was no longer toward the building where the noise originated.
He was now retracing his steps, exiting the area the way he had come.
Remaining vigilant of his surroundings, he suddenly realized he had ventured too deep into enemy territory. He maintained a calm demeanor as he withdrew.
He was certain now—the enemy officer was watching him.
And so, he put on an act.
*”I was too fixated on the word ‘sky.’ “*
Realization dawned upon him the moment he considered the word ‘ground.’
Why had he assumed the enemy’s familiar magic was limited to birds?
It didn’t have to be birds.
Even a wingless quadruped, if controlled in sufficient numbers, could provide an extensive field of vision.
Tap— Tap—
This also explained why the enemy’s surveillance had limited visibility.
Familiar magic had a range limit.
If a familiar moved beyond a certain radius from its master, the connection would be severed.
*”The enemy didn’t seem to have any intention of relocating their base.”*
If the enemy officer was a summoner, then their familiars would also be restricted to a certain radius centered around their base.
That radius likely did not extend as far as the western frontline, where the resistance faction’s hideout was located.
Now, only one question remained.
What kind of animal were they using as familiars?
*”It must be a single species.”*
Controlling multiple species at once was inefficient.
The difficulty would increase exponentially, and the mana consumption would be immense.
*”They must be numerous.”*
On the other hand, if it were a single species, the summoner’s ability could allow them to control a large number.
*”And small-bodied.”*
Mana consumption and control difficulty were proportional to the size of the familiar.
The smaller it was, the easier to control.
The larger, the harder.
Even a high-circle mage would struggle to maintain surveillance over an entire radius using only large creatures.
A single species.
A high number of individuals.
Small bodies.
The deduction wasn’t difficult.
In fact, he had already noticed the gaze of certain animals watching him for the past few minutes.
A four-legged creature that appeared everywhere in human settlements and outnumbered any other species in the city.
*”Rats.”*
As soon as he consciously acknowledged them, he became fully aware of their presence.
*”Next to the trash can ahead. Between the cracks in the building wall. Under the utility pole by the garbage bags. And…”*
Just in his immediate view, there were nearly ten of them.
A faint purple mana chain was fastened to each of their legs.
Trailing along the ground.
Leading somewhere.
Most likely, all the way to the enemy’s base.
*”The color is very faint.”*
The chain was almost transparent, only noticeable when he focused intently.
That was proof of a weak bond between the summoner and the familiars.
It was likely impossible to maintain a strong bond with every familiar within the radius.
And that explained why they had avoided detection by his mana perception until now.
Tap— Tap—
He continued his act.
Pretending to withdraw, aware of the enemy’s surveillance.
At the same time, he observed the rats’ movements.
Some followed persistently along the path he had taken. Others appeared at new locations as he moved.
He naturally weaved through the alleys and buildings until he emerged onto Street 26.
*”They can’t follow beyond this point.”*
He had arrived at the entrance to the main bridge.
As he subtly glanced back, he spotted them peeking out from between the junk scattered on the street.
Ray turned forward and crossed the bridge.
If he returned to the hideout and checked the sector map, he would be able to determine the range of the enemy’s familiar magic.
*”A major breakthrough.”*
Knowing the enemy’s surveillance range meant he could selectively control the flow of information.
The truth, falsehoods.
Or even a mix of both.
Depending on how he used this, he could end the war immediately.
Tap— Tap.
Ray crossed the bridge and reached Street 22, the occupied zone of the resistance faction.
But instead of heading directly back to the hideout, he stopped.
Srrk.
He pulled something from his coat.
A chocolate bar he carried to replenish his energy.
Rustle.
Tearing off a small piece, he placed it in front of a hole at the base of a nearby building’s wall.
Then, he stepped back into an alley and watched.
Before long.
*Squeak— Squeak, squeak—*
A gray-furred rat emerged from the hole, approaching the piece of chocolate.
It happened almost simultaneously.
As soon as the rat bit into the chocolate—
*Vwoom!*
A purple mana strand coiled around its waist.
The rat flinched, trembling for a moment, before scurrying into the alley with the chocolate.
It climbed onto Ray’s outstretched palm and began eating its prize contentedly.
*Squeak! Squeak, squeak!*
Ray slowly raised his hand.
Much information about him had already been relayed to the enemy.
But there was one thing they didn’t know.
That he, too, could command familiars.
“……”
Holding the rat in his palm, Ray stepped out of the alley and stood at the entrance to the bridge.
He crouched down, gazing toward the distant enemy street where the drilling noises had echoed.
*
*
*
And four days later.
At the border between the resistance and opposition factions.
The outskirts of Street 38, inside a five-story abandoned building.
“Hold them back! Keep them off Ray until he finishes casting! Give your lives if you must!”
“Don’t let them reach the rooftop!”
A battle was raging.
