Chapter 32

Vroom!!

Hardly a minute had passed.

Renock got into the old jeep the couple had been riding in and chased after the freelance duo from earlier.

There was no need to mention what had happened to the couple he had aimed his gun at.

This time, he cast [Bloody Chase] on the woman's blood and pursued them, turning into the alleyway.

Unlike the man, it seemed the woman had enough magical prowess to notice Renock's spell, but she had no time to counter it while being pursued.

He attached a red thread to the front windshield of the car and changed direction as the vehicle swayed.

It would have been difficult to chase a regular vehicle, but pursuing a car missing one of its rear wheels was entirely possible even with Renock's rough driving skills.

As they weaved through the worn-out alleyways, a swaying car came into view after a short while.

He stepped on the accelerator and rammed into it.

Kaboom!!

Renock's body, along with the car, shook violently, but the shield wrapped around him, compressed by his magical control, protected him from bruises.

He abruptly turned the steering wheel, slamming the sedan into the side of the road and blocking the door.

Screech!!

The old stone wall was scratched, and the passenger-side door of the sedan was damaged.

Hearing the indistinct shouts from inside, Renock smirked.

He wanted to keep pressing until the car was completely wrecked, but soon the narrow alley opened up to a wide open space.

The courtyard of an abandoned five-story building.

To the side, a long, closed railway track stretched, rusted and showing signs of its past.

The sedan, taking advantage of the open space, quickly swerved to avoid the jeep's ramming.

Renock could see the car speeding away in the distance, but instead of accelerating again, he calmly watched them.

'There's nowhere to run.'

He had already confirmed this using his magical detection before they entered the open space.

The path back to the alley and the open railway were blocked by Renock.

If the two didn't plan to climb the abandoned building to escape, they had to stop here.

Even if they did, they wouldn't want to show their backs to Renock, who was right in front of them.

And by now... it was time for them to show their teeth, taking advantage of their numerical superiority.

Indeed, the car, which had been swaying but still driving well, came to a sudden stop, and the door opened.

Instead of running away, the two people got out and slowly walked towards Renock.

Mount rubbed his stiff neck and gritted his teeth.

"It's been a long time since I've been hit while driving. It brought back old memories. I'm really grateful, you little shit."

"Mount."

"Trisha. Don't stop me. The way you've chased us without missing a beat shows you have a good sense. We need to clean this up here and now."

"......You're not wrong."

The woman called Trisha finally noticed the [Bloody Chase] Renock had cast on her and dispelled it with her magic.

She glared at Renock and snapped sharply.

"Hey, you're a freelancer too, right? It seems Madison was desperate and reached out to anyone. Selling company secrets won't do you any good now. Why are you getting involved in something that's already over?"

"If I really thought it was over, I wouldn't have let Madison live."

Renock replied indifferently.

"......What?"

"If a buyer for the blueprints had already been found, there would be no reason to let Madison live. Wasn't someone needed to take the fall while you sold the blueprints elsewhere?"

Unfortunately, in this line of work, stabbing someone in the back means just that.

In a place where interests and losses are life and death, and where trust can be shattered like a piece of paper, if you're going to betray someone, you should do it properly.

The steps Mount and Trisha took to betray Madison were awkward to the extreme.

They seemed like seasoned professionals who had rolled around in this world, but sparing Madison, who was naive, with just a bruised lip, was likely due to a different reason.

And that meant the blueprints were still in their possession.

Renock, preparing for battle, took out a new cigarette and flicked his fingers.

"Hand them over. If you give them to me now and leave, I'll spare your lives."

This was the maximum consideration Renock could offer to fellow freelancers.

But it seemed his words were quite offensive to the two.

"Hey, fuck you... We're actually trying to resolve this peacefully. If you can't understand that, we have no choice but to use force."

From their perspective, standing in a position of numerical superiority, Renock's high-handed attitude was incomprehensible.

It was strange that they could even have a conversation when their thoughts were so different.

And none of the three gave any meaning to such a conversation.

Trisha, with a murderous expression, muttered as she gathered her magic.

"Will you spare our lives? I'll just kill you, so beg for mercy!!"

Vroom!!

At the same time, ten long threads of magic shot out from her hands, instantly attaching to the sedan and charging towards Renock like a wild horse that had been started.

Vroom!!

Renock immediately recognized what kind of mage Trisha was.

'Manipulation-type innate magic. And a very sophisticated type at that. If she can manipulate a car from this distance and crash it... '

Earlier, he had been too busy with the smoke bomb and the chaotic situation to notice their presence, but now he understood everything about Trisha being a manipulation-type mage.

The sudden start of the unoccupied sedan and the reason it could still drive here despite a damaged rear wheel were all due to her.

Manipulation-type magic is notorious for requiring extremely precise techniques among various spells, but it has the advantage of being able to respond flexibly to various situations if the user is skilled enough.

However, the inherent difficulty of the magic and the challenge of expanding the range and distance of 'magic threads' make it difficult to excel without innate talent.

Or, like Renock, one must have the ability to modify magic on the spot.

[Marionette]

He connected the magic thread extended from his index finger to the jeep behind him.

By pouring magic into the magic thread, which has a limited range as a common spell, he extended its range and broadened its application.

The headlights, which had been off, suddenly lit up, and the jeep, which had been idle, shot forward.

Vroom!!

Collision.

Kaboom!!

The cars, colliding at an angle, made a loud noise and flew in different directions.

Scattered bumpers and car parts.

The sedan narrowly missed Renock, while the jeep flew far and crashed into the old abandoned building.

Beyond the black smoke rising from both cars, Trisha's eyes were wide open.

"Wait... How did you... manipulate magic like that...?"

"Idiot, focus!!"

It seemed the one who regained his composure was the man who looked rather sloppy.

Hearing Mount's shout, Renock immediately gathered his magic.

Vroom!!

A purple whip scattered in the air and shot quickly towards the two.

Mount and Trisha both easily avoided the attack, but the whip, passing far beyond them, extended—

and grabbed onto the rebar of the abandoned building behind them.

Squeak!!

As [Gravity Bind] mixed with the rebar, which was already shaking from the collision with the jeep, the balance was thrown off and pulled down by a powerful gravitational force.

Trisha's face turned pale as she finally realized Renock's plan, but it was too late.

Pulling his arm back, he grabbed hold of it.

The old, rusted rebar of the abandoned building, unable to resist the pull, collapsed like dominoes and covered the open space.

Shield

Kaboom!!

The concrete supporting the wall crumbled, and hundreds of rebar pieces fell, shattering upon impact and scattering metal pieces in all directions.

Having set the stage as he wished, Renock immediately unleashed a powerful wave of magic.

Vroom!!

Taking a step forward, he extended his arm.

The magic flowing between his fingers solidified into a specific shape along a path of intense will and imagery.

Gathering the remaining magic quickly, he drew a new, bright blue ball of lightning in the air.

[Lightning Bound]

Crack!!

A sphere that seemed to condense dozens of bolt spells flickered intensely.

A burst of intense heat and light, enough to turn the darkening sky blue, erupted.

Boom!!

The rusted rebar responded strongly to the intense lightning, and a wave of blue light illuminated the ground.

A wide-area attack that was hard to avoid unless one had exceptional skill.

He hadn't used excessive force against the couple in the old jeep earlier, but these two were different.

They were directly related to his mission and had started by ramming his car, so he had no intention of holding back.

"......"

He was sure he had hit them, but beyond the dust, there was only a deathly silence.

Renock, holding a cigarette and inhaling the smoke, waited quietly.

He didn't think they would die from just this, and it would be problematic if they actually did.

If the blueprints were not in their possession, he would need to find the broker named Madame through them.

And the life reactions within his sensory range did not betray his expectations.

Kaboom!!

Like a mole burrowing through sand, Mount burst out from between the rebar and swung his arm.

In his hand was a straight sword resembling a sharp spike.

A bright blue magic light flowed from the blade and collided with Renock's shield.

Crack!!

The intense momentum of the strike tore through two