บท 17: Chapter 17 : Trapped!
Everit found himself in a tight spot.
Yet, Everit remained calm.
He strolled around effortlessly, despite being deep within the enemy's stronghold. Even if discovered, his demeanour remained as leisurely as ever.
The enemies couldn't spot him. They were on high alert, scanning every nook and cranny as if hunting for a chameleon. They searched meticulously, as if seeking an enemy capable of blending into the surroundings by changing color.
But Everit wouldn't be caught that easily!
Only Reed, with his three eyes, remained locked onto Everit's position.
"Wait a moment, Ward," Reed first reassured his brother before turning to Everit. "Fairy Tail, the elegant mage?"
"That's me," Everit nodded slightly, asking, "Can you let me leave?"
"No," Reed grinned. "You brought this upon yourself."
"Once we engage, blood will spill—perhaps your brother's," Everit paused, "or maybe yours."
"If you're not strong enough, you should die," Reed's smile vanished, replaced by cold determination. "12 o'clock direction."
Boom!
Without hesitation, the magicians, well-coordinated with Reed, launched their assault the moment they received the direction.
Everit swiftly dodged the initial wave of attacks.
"9 o'clock direction," Reed commanded nonchalantly.
"Mister Liar, I'm going to devour you! The delicacies from the Famous Guild are irresistible!" the frenzied Ward charged towards Everit, his menacing hands posing a palpable threat.
Everit, recognizing the danger, drew his revolver.
For enemies, hesitation wasn't an option!
Or else, it would be your life on the line!
Everit took aim at Ward and fired!
Bang!
Though Ward couldn't see him, he instinctively turned his head at the sound, narrowly evading the bullet that whizzed past his ear without Reed's prompt.
Everit retreated, dodging the onslaught of magical assaults from the surrounding mages.
Ward's close by, and there's magical bombardment in the distance.
"It's quite bothersome," Everit muttered.
Everit spun the cylinder of his revolver.
With its black and gold design and six chambers, Everit christened his revolver "Tier."
Tier was no ordinary firearm; each of its six chambers housed different functions—single shot, rapid fire, explosive, virtual flash, jet wind, and self-destruct.
Everit rotated the cylinder to select the "explosive" chamber.
A powerful blast erupted from the muzzle, kicking up sand and dust, rendering everyone temporarily blinded.
Everit swiftly switched to "explosive" mode again.
After firing, he promptly dodged, seeking refuge behind a sturdy-looking apparatus.
"Scatter!" Three-eyed Reed bellowed, diving for cover behind him.
Without hesitation, everyone scattered.
'Boom!'
A blast, akin to a powerful missile, erupted where the group had stood moments before.
The scorching heat and shockwaves rippled outward, distorting the magic in the air, engulfing the cave in flames.
Ward, being small and nimble, was tossed by the forceful shockwave, slamming into the wall.
Casualties and injuries abounded.
Only a handful escaped with minor wounds.
Seizing the chaos, Everit activated "Virtual Flash" and aimed at the wall behind him.
Three seconds to charge.
'Buzz.'
A black beam, three meters in diameter, shot from the gun's muzzle, piercing through the wall and the mountain beyond!
Though not a true virtual flash, the destructive power of this beam brought to mind its apt name.
At the tunnel's end, a blinding white light awaited.
Everit switched to "single point" and fired at Three-eyed Reed. The shot forced the opponent to retreat behind cover.
Switching to "jet wind," Everit positioned Tier diagonally downward and pulled the trigger.
'Whoosh!'
A powerful wind blasted from the gun's muzzle, propelling Everit like a rocket, defying gravity and hurtling towards the outside.
Once outside, he switched to "explosive" and fired a shot backwards, obliterating the passage.
Making his escape.
Everit intended to retreat, but...
'Buzz.'
Dozens of magic arrays materialized in the sky, forming a circle, and a massive blue translucent barrier descended.
A magic enchantment!
Everit found himself trapped within its confines.
He halted and fired at the barrier.
'Bang.'
The bullet from the single-point chamber boasted supreme penetration, yet it failed to breach the barrier, merely causing ripples across its surface.
"Hey," a hunched old man emerged from behind a nearby tree.
"It's an honor to see you again, Mr. Magician." The elderly man with a hunchback nodded respectfully towards Everit.
Everit returned the gesture courteously. "Didn't you advise against getting into trouble? Why stop me now?"
The hunchbacked old man had been the one on the street earlier, urging Reed to steer clear of trouble.
"It's not wise to stop me," Everit cautioned, raising his gun and aiming it at the man.
"But I must, sir." The hunchbacked man slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing his withered arms, gray with a hint of red, veins protruding like gnarled tree roots.
"You brought this upon yourself," the hunchbacked man lamented regretfully.
"Very well," Everit sighed. "Then..."
A gunshot rang out.
The hunchbacked man slumped to the ground, a surprised expression frozen on his face. A small hole adorned the back of his head, but a grotesquely large bloody cavity marred his forehead.
"Let's proceed," Everit stated without glancing back, eyes fixed on the magicians pursuing him in the distance.
"Yes, the game is afoot, Mr. Magician," the hunchbacked man said appreciatively and excitedly. "I concede this round, eagerly anticipating our next encounter."
Everit heard him, raised his hand, and unleashed a virtual flash, obliterating a three-meter-wide crater, leaving no trace of the man behind!
The old man was gone, yet the magic circle and barrier remained.
All he could do now was fight.
Everit habitually adjusted his glasses with his left ring finger, half of his face shielded by his palm as light filtered through his fingers, reflecting in his calm eyes.
"The barrier confines him; he cannot escape!"
Reed and the other foes circled the cave entrance, driving them out.
One figure was absent.
The red-haired, formidable magician.
But Everit didn't presume the opponent incapacitated.
Beware of the unseen enemy, lest the ship be overturned.
Everit's magic enveloped the area within the barrier, ensnaring everyone in its influence!
First, they must deal with the lesser soldiers.
Everit took a step back and vanished.
Deception magic.
One deception, then another!
Deception magic uses false information to deceive people's perception.
The first target is the senses.
The second target is the emotions.
Everit excelled in sensory deception but was less adept at the emotional aspect.
For now, instilling fear was his forte and other emotions were difficult to deceive.
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