ALL NOVEL Chapter 25
Red flames, dark and dense smoke. And the beeping of a fire alarm. Elements that disturb the five senses of humans are condensed together.
But Nardanit has one more sensory organ. Biotic Fiber Hair. The biotic fibers wrapped around the entire engine room like vines rooting down.
The function of the biotic fiber hair didn’t stop at merely detecting enemies.
When Nardanit attempted to cast a self-destructive spell, the fibers intertwined as if sketching a magic circle, showcasing their true potential as a spellcasting device.
Replacing the hand signs made by mages with control of biotic fibers.
Each strand of hair filled with magic power supplied from the Mage Tower Core. The glowing red hair was charged with deadly magic.
The simple reason for preparing an attack instead of extinguishing the fire with water was that the fire was more advantageous for Nardanit himself.
At first glance, this situation seemed fatal for the motionless Nardanit, tethered to the power line.
However, the reality was different. Nardanit, continuously supplied with magic power from the Mage Tower Core, could use unlimited magic to protect himself from the flames.
Creating a layer of air to block the heat, purifying the toxins mixed in the smoke, and preparing his stance. Such waste of magic was something his opponent couldn’t afford.
If Orthes couldn’t withstand the heat and moved first, Nardanit could simply eliminate him with the magic he’d calmly prepared.
Even if the biotic fibers discovered Orthes first, it would only hasten the promised execution.
The movement of the hair, covering the entire engine room, was swift yet precise.
Clank!
A noise distinct from the remnants of explosion magic. Lightning and flames descended toward the source of the sound. Hair, sharpened by hardening magic, turned into spears, piercing in all directions.
The hair used for this attack comprised about 20% of the total. Nardanit knew his opponent was a skilled Combat Mage.
The initial noise was likely a decoy to lure an attack.
First distracting and then dealing a deadly blow. A common reading technique in battles between mages.
Nardanit held his strength in check, intending to intercept the ambush. The attack he had just unleashed was noisy but consumed little magic.
One second passed.
Orthes’s movements were not detected.
Two seconds passed.
Scanning the previously attacked area again. Nothing.
Three seconds passed.
Still not moving? What the hell…
Grrrr—!
A colossal sound shook the entire Magic Engine Train.
The violent shaking riled the insides of the train. The engine room creaked as if a localized earthquake had occurred.
‘Since he’s at a disadvantage in a magic vs. magic output duel, he must be planning to target the battlefield.’
Damn. For a guy who received the title of Secret Inspector, he’s quick-witted.
Nardanit contemplated severing his connection to the Mage Tower Core. Without the almost unlimited magic assistance from the core, he would be somewhat disadvantaged in a full frontal battle.
However, being connected to the power line had its downsides—it meant a loss of mobility. While he could overcome this to some extent with the biotic fiber hair—
Nardanit froze while checking the status of the power line.
Magic was not being supplied.
“Seriously?”
Nardanit immediately forcefully severed the connection with the power line. Despite the pain that shredded through him, his mind remained clear.
Ka-cha-chak!
The sharply reinforced hairs surged upwards, carving through the top of the train. Normally, he wouldn’t have made this choice unless to pressure Orthes by exploiting the fire situation.
The smoke filling the engine room poured toward the sky.
Beyond the torn ceiling, a desolate plain rushed past.
The passenger cars that should have been connected appeared far off like abstract shapes.
Only the very front car of the Magic Engine Train, the engine room, was racing ahead.
‘Orthes detached the train!’
His win condition was to kill that guy, but Orthes’s was to relay this information to the Ten Towers. Nardanit had mistakenly assumed they would engage face-to-face.
It was natural that the magic wasn’t being supplied from the power line. He had severed the connection with the Mage Tower Core located at the rear of the train.
‘Did he start the fire to mask the warning of the power line disconnection?!’
In a situation where the fire alarm was already blaring, focusing on another alarm was not easy. The massive influx of magic had backfired against him.
Had he not accumulated magic in the engine room beforehand, the train would have stalled long ago. At least thirty seconds passed since the train had detached.
He couldn’t hesitate any longer. Nardanit jumped toward the outside of the train. The gathered wind supported his body while pulling the ripped-off roof of the train with it.
The top of the train was swept past by the refinement magic. Supports emerged to hold him up as the edge of the metal plate sharpened like a blade. Having grabbed the support, Nardanit soon infused electric magic along both sides of the rails.
The piece of iron he mounted on crackling rails floated amid the sizzling lightning, resembling an explosive round.
The biotic fiber hair burrowed deep into the ground. Lightning continuously concentrated and shook the plate, yet the hair embedded in the earth stood firm.
The crackle was no longer just noise; it roared to the point of being called thunder.
The moment the two bolts of lightning held by Nardanit hit critical mass, he withdrew all the biotic fibers.
A massive blade shot forth at phenomenal speed, following the line drawn by the lightning.
*
‘That crazy guy is using magic to make a railgun?!’
The term railgun was something he’d only seen in novels or occasionally in the news, but he had vaguely heard of the principle. A weapon that propels a projectile using electromagnetism placed between two rails.
That corrupt branch manager was closing in with a makeshift railgun made from the severed top of the train and the lightning magic on the tracks.
No, saying “closing in” is too mild.
It was barreling towards him!
“Crap!”
‘Wasn’t it in America where they developed a railgun that exceeded speeds of 3 km/s? Judging by its approach, it’s not quite that fast.’
But it was already faster than the average train. More than enough power to blow a person apart.
The front cab had been detached, yet this train was still gently moving along the tracks.
Simultaneously, the tracks unfortunately were straight. He was auto-piloting toward the magical railgun.
Staying here would mean his upper and lower halves would be bisected by that metal plate.
So then, what should he do?
*
Acceleration due to current. Nardanit, dashing backward along the tracks at hundreds of meters per second, spotted Orthes.
He appeared boldly right in front of the passenger car. Was he trying to brace for the collision with some kind of station magic?
No, Nardanit saw the right hand, pointed like a gun.
What he was aiming for was Nardanit’s head. A magic attack of the bullet type?
Exerting additional magic to control the trajectory of the metal plate was difficult. Only a few seconds remained until the collision. Even his auxiliary brain’s processing power was already maxed out from preparing the shock-reducing defensive magic.
If he cast the prepared defensive magic now, he’d block Orthes’s magic.
But there was still a warning message that hadn’t been fully transmitted. He couldn’t choose to die alongside others; he had to relay this information.
The only means available to him now was the biotic fiber hair.
Nardanit collected the hair to form a barrier wall.
At this point, less than three seconds remained until the collision. The sharply carved steel bullet was aimed at Orthes.
However, the hunter’s eyes, trained on the muzzle, were obscured by his own fingers.
Ku-gwa-gwa-gwa-ng!
The metal plate that Nardanit hung onto sliced through an entire passenger car and crushed part of the second passenger car before finally halting.
As the vibrations ceased, Nardanit released the barrier. He had to confirm Orthes’s corpse—
Turning his head, Nardanit faced the two strands glowing with blue light staring back at him. They were the eyes of Orthes, seemingly aware.
The clusters of biotic fibers, hardened into shapes of blades, surged toward Orthes. It was a reflexive attack.
Orthes’s left hand knocked one fiber cluster away. The deflected hair blade cut his companion. In the area where the two fiber clusters collided, an opening for attack emerged.
Diving through that gap, Orthes seized the severed fiber cluster. The remaining magic allowed the blade shape to endure. He charged forward.
Nardanit’s blade, reinforced to the limit, easily pierced Orthes’s body. The strike aimed at his heart clicked perfectly into place.
“W-what…?”
The last breath came with a thrown question.
“I jumped. The plate you used as a bullet was long horizontally but not tall vertically. If you had a clear line of sight, you’d have used magic to oversee, but you covered your own eyes.”
He had leaped over Nardanit and hung behind the plate. Nardanit realized that the defensive magic he cast had protected Orthes, who was behind him.
“Damn it…”
Nardanit bowed his head, his body no longer able to move.
*
Those guys really fight with grit. This is why I hated dealing with Blasphemia.
While I took a moment to catch my breath, I heard the hurried footsteps approaching.
Ah, no.
“B-boss!?”
A little one, Niobe, stood in shock, staring at the corpse.