Chapter 31: The Ambush on the Streets
"EVERYONE! ACTIVATE YOUR OPERATION ORBS! PREPARE FOR A FIGHT!"
In an instant, Felix's mana spread throughout the location, shaking the ground and the very car he is on.
As soon as Felix activated his operation orb, his Imperial Guards also followed through, save from the new recruit who was a tad bit late for half-a-second.
Immediately right after Felix's group activated their operation orbs, they heard some men shouting from the other side.
"HOW THE FUCK! GO ATTACK! RAIN HELL!"
Afterwards, loads of bullets were fired upon Felix's group. Although it might seem they are pinned down by a hail of gunshots, these bullets were instantly repelled due to Felix's group's shield.
Felix himself came close to his uncle, Adolf, to repel the bullets with his own shield, since his uncle does not have a shield since he is not a mage,
Felix's Imperial Guards also surrounded the car that their prince is currently in.
Within the safety of Felix's shield, his uncle is proned down within the car, hands atop his head, as a sign of taking cover.
Felix then immediately saw a huge line headed towards him, he knew that this was a huge spell most likely a bullet coated with a penetrative spell. The area that will be damaged would most likely be large, since the line that Felix can see is a rather large line.
Felix can see that the line becomes bigger and bigger, until he and his Imperial guards felt a rather large chunk of mana coming towards them.
Now, Felix can't just dodge since his uncle might be peppered by bullets, so the only choice is to block it, or somewhat divert it. He can't afford to fly his uncle away because the bullet would most likely reach them before he can do anything. He cannot also directly block it with his shield since the magic itself is so fucking large. He cannot also risk himself being wounded in this fight.
And then, Felix remembered that he had a katana in his waist.
Whilst still sheathed, he immediately coated the sword with his mana, as dense as possible, just like how he coats his gun and bullets with mana. He also added multiple penetration spells on top of the sword, in the hopes that the sword would cleanly slice the spell coming towards him.
Due to the multiple penetration spells that were casted upon the sword, the people around Felix, the Imperial Guard and his uncle, can feel the raw sharpness of the katana.
Felix then counted in his mind the different variables that the spell would take before it reaches them. Once Felix had calculated the timing of the spell that was coming towards him, he immediately rushed forward, in order not to implicate the people around him.
Felix estimated that there is a second before the large magic spell reaches them, Felix knew that even if he calculated the trajectory, speed, and the different variables that were needed, Felix's body cannot handle the sheer force necessary for the counter.
His still underdeveloped body cannot handle the speed and weight of the bullet coming towards him… He needs something that can change his predicament. He needs to do something in order to save himself, his guards, his uncle, and his citizens.
¾ of a second before the large magic spell reaches them, Felix's brain starts to think rapidly. Due to the blessing of Idun's apples, Felix cognitive thinking is much more advanced and faster than other people. His brain is much more far ahead than a normal person..
He can think much much much much much much much faster than a normal person. However, usage of such rapid thinking will immediately fry the user's brain, since it generally overheats once brain. So he tends to not use it only for a split millisecond.
Need block. How block? What do? What can do? Should? Could? Would? No. No. Can't. Cannot… None? None. NONE! Need. Want. Protect. How?
In order to cope with Felix's rapid thinking, he opted to limit the words he thought of in order to slow down his brain from overheating.
How? HOW? HOW?...... Ah!
½ of a second before the large magic spell reaches them, Felix immediately puts a huge amount of mana into his eyes. He thought that he needed to do something in order for something to change, and that something would most likely involve something that is god-given, or… goddess-given.
Felix can feel a huge amount of mana building up in his eyes. It was hot, hot to the point that he was looking straight at a burning flame that was at least a centimeter away from his eyes..
He wanted to scratch his eyes, scratch the heck out of it, to the point that he wanted to pluck out his eyeballs, but Felix knew he shouldn't.
¼ of a second before the large magic spell reaches them, Felix stilled his eyes to remain open in order to see the changes this move might bring to his eyes. It took a quarter of a second for Felix's mana to be still in his eyes.
Felix can immediately see the changes that the reckless move he made brought unto his eyes. Through his eyes, Felix felt a new world. He can now see the world in a new lens, a much much much greater lens than before.
To compare, if how normal people see the world is equated to seeing through a 2015 phone's camera, then in normal circumstances, Felix's eyes are equated to seeing the world through a DSLR.
However, now, Felix eyes can be equated to seeing the world through a broadcast news camera. It is much more detailed,has a much better quality, and a much better frame rate.
Felix can now see the rapidly approaching chunk of mana that is coming towards them. Felix can see the chunk of mana, even though it is rapidly approaching, because the world Felix sees right now is in a slowed state.
Yes, Felix currently sees the world in slow motion.
However, the changes are not just limited to this. The other change that Felix can now see with his eyes, is that there were rune-like characters all around him.
For example, his Imperial Guard's heart were full of the rune character ᚢ, or 'uruz' meaning life force, strength, or vitality.
Going back, Felix can now see deep inside the rapidly approaching chunk of mana. Inside the core of this chunk of mana, Felix can see a singular bullet. However, the bullet is surrounded by a multitude of rune characters. The most prominent of this rune characters is the rune ᚺ, or 'Hagalaz', which symbolizes destruction.
⅛ of a second before the large magic spell reaches them, Felix immediately knew that he needed to destroy the core of the magic itself. He needed to slash, or at least cut, the bullet embedded inside the magic spell.
He immediately adjusted the position of his left arm that was clutching the katana sheath by bursting his mana (Arthuria style) in his left elbow, in order to position his arm in front of his chest. Felix also grabbed his katana's handle with his right hand. He positioned his katana so that the bullet would intercept it.
Felix knew that this was not enough to block the incoming bullet so he immediately set up his very own shield that would hug his body closely with mana.
All of this is possible because mana is fast. It was theorized, or even proven on some occasion, in this world, that mana is much much faster than light. The only problem that limits humans is the problem of the speed of their cognitive thinking, and their own body.
In an instant, Felix can now see the bullet that is at least half-a-meter away from Felix's chest. Felix immediately unsheathed an inch of his katana, by bursting his mana to make his right hand move in the slowed world.
The bullet immediately collided with the exposed blade.
Instantly, a large explosion happened and a black figure passed through the Imperial Guards and sent it back for at least a hundred meters away.
The figure, also known as Felix, was dragged through the cemented road, also leaving large holes whenever he bounces. He then stopped in the middle of the road.
Now, Felix's body and face are marred with small wounds and abrasions. He also let out a bloody vomit which immediately removed the contents of his stomach.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!!!!!"
Immediately, Felix's Imperial Guards attempted to rush towards their prince, but… Felix shouted at them.
"YOU GUYS! DON'T LEAVE YOUR POSTS! PROTECT MY UNCLE AT ALL COST!"
Now, they were torn apart. They wanted to protect their prince at all cost, but their very own prince ordered them to protect his uncle.
All they wanted to do now was to tend to their prince's wounds… however, they saw their prince stand up, while still bloody. They then heard.
"Don't worry about me. I am a fucking tough boy. Come one now, ladies and gents. Send these fuckers to hell. The more people one kills, the more bonus they will get!"
Instantly, Felix's Imperial Guards were reinvigorated. Seeing the standing bloody prince motivating them, albeit semi-jokingly, gave them the necessary motivation to send the fuckers that are firing upon them to hell.
"Before I forget, segregate some 5 people for torture."
""YES! YOUR HIGHNESS!""
Looking at the fiercely shouting Imperial Guards, their enemies, the one who surrounded them, the one who were relegated to mere trash to be segregated, immediately felt a chill down their spines.
Immediately, Carl fired numerous homing magic spells towards the people in the checkpoint, immediately decimating them.
Looking at this, the men from the rooftops were startled. Originally, their plan was to mow them down after the large magic spell landed on them, since that spell has the necessary capacity to dispel and break any mage's shield.
However... who could have imagined that the Imperial Prince possessed the power to cut through and obliterate the spell itself? Now… They are truly doomed.
Since they are doomed, the people opted to do the time-old tradition during losing battles…. escape.
Since they are now losing, and because they do not have the necessary power to confront the Imperial mages, they attempt to escape…. Key word is attempt......
The Imperial Guards hunted them down one-by-one, going through the building themselves, making use of their flight capabilities, whilst some others were left for the Grand Admiral's protection.
Going back to Felix. Felix currently feels his head is spinning. He felt that his head is so fucking heavy. He had already lost a lot of blood, in addition to the heavy toll of his rapid thinking. His eyes are also starting to hurt and blur.
Felix wanted to see the location of the one who fired the magic spell so he tried to focus his remaining vision prowess.
Atop a mountain, at most 10 kms away, he can see a passed out person. This person was garbed in a white uniform, clutching a sniper rifle that looks like an M21 sniper rifle.
Felix wanted to order his Imperial Guards to quickly arrest the man however… another person grabbed the person and went away immediately.
Felix was a bit nervous because he might think that the newly arrived man would snipe him to death but… he was relieved that he just grabbed the passed out person and quickly left.
Glad that he was kinda safe for now, Felix immediately felt that his eyes started to darken. He starts to panic.
Felix's heart raced as darkness began to consume his vision. The pounding in his head intensified, each beat a reminder of how much blood he had lost, how much energy he had expended. He clenched his fists, trying to anchor himself in the moment, but the creeping blindness threatened to rob him of his sight entirely.
He knew that this might be the side effect of him overusing his power, or as a consequence to the sudden surge of mana to his eyes.
After a few seconds, Felix's red crimson eyes turned into dull red. Darkness had now consumed Felix's vision. He felt lonely, alone, isolated, deserted, abandoned, forsaken.
In addition to his blindness, Felix's head is now burning hot. He contracted a fever of at least 41 degrees celsius, or 105.8 fahrenheit. This is due to him overtaxing his brain by activating his rapid thinking.
This fever of his further intensified the delirium he is currently suffering. He wanted someone to be with him right now. Due to this desire, his brain immediately made it so.
"Pfft, look at the state you are in right now! How weak!"
He heard a female voice. This voice is a familiar voice for Felix…. He knew the owner of this voice since he loved this maturing, sultry yet smug voice of hers.
Felix's breath caught in his throat as he heard the voice. He couldn't see anything, but the voice was unmistakable, cutting through the fog of his fever like a blade.
"What… are you doing here, Tanya?
Tanya's voice echoed to Felix's ear.
"What do you think, Felix? I'm here because you're making a fool of yourself. Look at you, blind and burning up, barely able to stand. Pathetic."
"You should've…. been in the Empire… Why are you… here?"
"Of course! I am here to berate my dear Felix!"
Felix weakly smiled towards the direction of the 'voice'.
'Tanya', amidst the smirk, continued berating him
"Don't smile at me! Look at the state you are in now! You are weak. Yes, you are weak, yet you still save your guards… why? They are meant to save you and not the other way around! Tell me why?!!"
Felix softly smiled.
"Because… I can."
"Can? Are you stupid or something?"
"I know my guards…. cannot handle that spell…. It would definitely…. destroy their shields… and would most likely…. be evaporated by the sheer… strength of that spell. The others would be up… for picking by the surrounding enemies ...."
"So? So what?! They are your guards, they should've been the one protecting you!"
Felix weakly smiled towards the 'voice' he was hearing.
"Because… I have the power to do so… I can… and I would… even if you… are the person I would protect… I would also gladly… give my life… for you…"
The atmosphere was suddenly silent. Felix was waiting for a reply, however, instead of a reply from Tanya, Felix heard a male voice.
"Your highness! Are you okay?!"
"Ugh… where's Tanya?"
"Major Tanya? She is at the Imperial lands, your highness."
"Ah? Then who-"
Carl interrupted Felix by touching his forehead.
"OH MY GOD, YOUR HIGHNESS! YOU ARE BURNING UP!"
"Ah…"
"Come follow me, your highness! I cannot carry you since my hands are currently full but…. we need to bring you to a nearby hospital! IMMEDIATELY!"
".....Carl… where are you?...."
"Your highness?"
Carl immediately faced Felix. Although Carl didn't immediately noticed Felix's eyes when he touched his forehead previously, the reality of the situation starts to horror him.
Carl immediately dropped the 'people' he was clutching with his hands and rushed towards the prince. He then grasped the scorching hot head of the prince.
"Prince! How?! What?!"
Felix smiled towards Carl, with his dull crimson eyes and said.
"Don't worry about it… It's temporary... maybe? ... I think?"
Yes, it was temporary. Currently, Felix feels that his optic nerves are full. Maybe it's his mana working hard on restoring his eyes, or maybe his eyes are currently full of mana due to it being overloaded, and it is looking for a way to discharge said mana. Since it is temporary, the situation does not merit a use of Felix's precious apple.
"Don't worry… about me. How's the truppe? Are there any casualties?"
"There are no casualties from our truppe, your highness…. Though the new recruit has some minor wounds here and there..... But.. your highness… the drivers… the drivers are dead…"
"I see…"
Felix immediately showed a face full of sadness and fury.
"Then… compensate their family… from the Imperial family's coffers. If they have wives…, help these wives… to secure jobs, or help them build… a restaurant or business they… like. Additionally…, their children, if they have one…., should be given a… full scholarship for up to their college."
"Are there still… any alive enemies? We need to… interrogate them. We need to know… who did this. We need to... exact vengeance from them. We need to make… them pay."
"Yes, your highness. We secured 5 'hostages' for interrogation."
"That's good… Secure any information… coming from them…. Use whatever… you have to acquire it. Make sure they… fess up some names before dying."
"Roger that, your highness. We also plan to."
"Gut. I'm gonna… pass out right now, Carl."
Instantly. Felix passed out. Lying down in the middle of the concrete road.
'Your highness? YOUR HIGHNESS!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Carl then felt a large fist slamming on his head.
"Don't be fucking dramatic. The kid's just passed out."
Carl immediately clutched his head and looked towards the man who slammed his fist onto his head.
"Gra-Grand Admiral."
"Don't worry about it, my nephew's unconscious. Since the kid is now unconscious, it is time for the adults to move, ain't that right?"
Right away, Carl adopted a serious expression.
"Yes, sir. We need to squish out some information from these people."
Carl and Adolf looked towards the 5 'people' behind him. These people are tied up, blindfolded, and unconscious.
"Hmm, then, let me call the chief of the intelligence operatives situated in New Munich. He will surely send someone who specializes in procuring information."
"Thank you sir."
"All for my nephew who saved me, and our lives."
"Yes, sir… All for the prince."
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*TORTURE SCENE INCOMING MY FRIENDS!*
Inside the dark, cramped room, the air was thick with the smell of sweat and blood. The walls were stained with old blood, and the floor was cold and unforgiving. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting faint light on the five prisoners tied up and hanging from the ceiling by their wrists. Their naked bodies were covered in cuts and bruises, and they were all unconscious, swaying slightly with each breath.
The chief torturer, a man with cold, calculating eyes, surveyed the scene with practiced indifference. He was a master of his craft, a man who took no pleasure in his work yet executed it with meticulous precision. His face was a mask of stoicism devoid of any emotion as he observed the unconscious prisoners.
"Wake them,"
The chief torturer's voice is flat and devoid of any sympathy.
In response, five men from Felix's Imperial Guards stepped forward, each carrying a bucket filled with pungent, clear alcohol. Without hesitation, they approached the bound prisoners, and lifted their buckets..
The alcohol sloshed as they threw its contents onto the prisoners' heads, soaking their hair, faces, and the open wounds that marred their bodies. The effect was immediate and agonizing.
The room was suddenly filled with animalistic screams. The prisoners' bodies jerked violently as the alcohol seeped into their wounds, igniting a fire that burned through their flesh and nerves. The pain was so intense, so overwhelming, that for a moment, all five prisoners struggled against the ropes, their minds desperate to escape the agony that consumed them.
One of them, a man with dark hair matted with blood and sweat, tried to pull away, his screams turning into choked sobs as he felt the alcohol burn into the gashes on his chest. His eyes, wide with terror, darted around the room as if searching for some way out, some end to the unbearable pain.
Another, younger and already trembling, could do nothing but hang limply, his body convulsing as the alcohol ravaged the raw, torn skin on his back. He bit down on his lip until it bled, trying to suppress the scream that forced its way up his throat, but it was futile. The sound that escaped him was one of pure, unfiltered agony.
"You awake, boys?"
The prisoners, still writhing in pain, looked up at him with eyes full of fear and hatred. They were awake, painfully so, and the torturer knew it. He stepped forward, his boots echoing ominously in the room, as he began to circle them like a predator assessing its prey.
"Good, because we're just getting started."
He signaled to one of the guards, who approached with a red-hot iron in his hand, the metal glowing ominously in the dim light. The guard handed the iron to the torturer, who examined it with a cold, clinical eye.
Without a word, he approached the first prisoner, the dark-haired man whose screams had already begun to fade into weak, gasping sobs. The torturer brought the iron close to the man's face, letting him feel the searing heat radiating from it.
"Now, tell me who sent you to kill the prince."
The prisoner's eyes widened in panic, but he shook his head weakly, trying to resist. The torturer's expression remained unchanged, his eyes locked onto the man's.
"You know how this ends if you don't talk, but I'll make sure it ends quickly if you tell me what I need to know. Who knows, I might even let you live."
The man's breathing grew more erratic, his chest heaving as he struggled to form words, but the torturer had no patience for resistance. With a swift, deliberate motion, he pressed the red-hot iron against the man's chest, right over one of the open wounds.
The scream that tore from the man's throat was unlike any before it, an inhuman sound of pure agony. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, as the iron seared into his skin, cauterizing the wound in the most painful way imaginable. The man's body convulsed, his muscles seizing in a desperate attempt to escape the source of his torment, but there was no escape.
The other prisoners, still reeling from their own pain, could do nothing but watch in horror, knowing that they were next, knowing that this was only the beginning.
The torturer held the iron against the man's chest for what felt like an eternity, his expression never changing, his hand steady and unyielding. When he finally pulled it away, the man's body slumped, his head hanging forward as his chest heaved with shallow, ragged breaths.
"Speak, who sent you to kill the prince?"
The man's eyes flickered with desperation, but he managed to choke out,
"I… I can't… They'll kill me… They'll kill my family…"
The torturer leaned in closer, his voice a chilling whisper.
"I'll kill you right here, right now, and I'll make sure it's slow. Or, you can tell me, and maybe I'll let you live long enough to beg for mercy."
The man's resolve broke, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Please… I… It was… it was…"
But before he could finish, one of the other prisoners, a wiry man with a face twisted in pain and fury, spat on the floor, glaring at the torturer.
"We'll never tell you, you bastard! Do your worst, but you won't get anything from us!"
The torturer turned his cold gaze toward the defiant man, his lips curling into a cruel smile.
"Is that so? Then I suppose I'll just have to make an example of you."
He signaled to one of the guards, who quickly retrieved a set of tools from a nearby table, sharp blades, pliers, and other instruments designed for maximum pain with minimum damage. The torturer selected a thin, wickedly sharp blade and approached the defiant prisoner.
"Last chance, tell me who sent you to kill the prince, or I'll carve the truth out of you, piece by piece."
The man clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with defiance even as fear flickered beneath the surface. He said nothing.
"Very well,"
The torturer said, his smile widening as he raised the blade.
"Let's see how much you can take before you break."
And with that, he began his work, methodically slicing into the man's flesh, drawing out every scream, every gasp of pain, until the man's defiance crumbled and his resolve shattered. But still, he held out, refusing to give the torturer the information he wanted.
The torturer, patient and relentless, continued his grim task, moving from one prisoner to the next, each scream echoing in the dark room, each plea for mercy ignored. The only thing that mattered was the truth—the identity of the one who had dared to send these men to kill the prince.
But the prisoners, driven by fear, loyalty, or sheer stubbornness, resisted, holding onto their secrets even as their bodies were pushed to the brink of death…. Until….
One of the other prisoners, a man trembling and pale with fear, suddenly blurted out,
"Stop! Please, stop! I'll tell you!"
The torturer paused, turning his gaze toward the man who had spoken.
"Go on,"
The prisoner's eyes were wide with terror as he struggled to find the words.
"It… it was a collaboration… between the South East Asian Alliance and English Australis. They… they sent us to kill the prince!"
Silence filled the room as the words hung in the air. The other prisoners turned to look at the man, their expressions a mix of shock and betrayal. The torturer's cruel smile widened, satisfied with the information.
"Thank you, that's all I needed to hear."
The torturer turned to the guards.
"Take them away, their usefulness has ended."
As the guards moved to drag the prisoners out, the torturer's cold eyes watched them, knowing that this information would be more than enough to bring swift retribution upon those who dared to plot against the prince.
"No! YOU TOLD US WE WILL LIVE!!!!!"
"Are you deaf? I told you that you guys MIGHT live."
The prisoners suddenly felt horror. They were deceived. Deceived by the torturer.
They then suddenly felt a sense of betrayal… they should've just kept the secret down to their deaths….
As Felix's imperial guards pointed a Silberner Adler, the desert eagle of this world, towards the forehead of the 5 tied up prisoners.
They wanted to torture them more, but…. They are civilized humans. Once the prisoner's usefulness had been finished, they ought to be killed immediately. Regardless if they want to torture them more or not…
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
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Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
As usual, my chapter is late! BWAHAHAHA Philippines is currently being marred by a fucking typhoon. My area in particular has no electricity for at least a day.
Also! IT'S MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To celebrate, this is a 4.5k word chapter for you guys. I wanted to do more... but......... situation can't provide me the means to do so.
I hope you had fun reading it...…
Yeah, peace out my dudes!
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