Chapter 10

6. GHOST “ALEC” Rain shuddered with awe at Air’s tactics. “Gyk, prepare for bombardment. Tactical Unit Three is approaching you.” “Requesting support. Luvain and Elan’s unit to point N3.” “Catch them in a pincer attack, boys. Oh, Orca and Centonal, make adjustments for a wider firing angle. Once the enemy turns around, rush them. They won’t run away.” Air’s voice came over the common communication line as she dexterously directed the six Exelias they’d obtained. “Hey, Rain. Soon enough, we’ll pass by two enemy units who are currently three hundred thirty feet south from here. They’ll be in your firing range. Blast them away,” she brusquely called. She was instructing him to shoot down enemies who hadn’t even arrived yet… Normally, Rain would’ve ignored her, but he knew not to doubt Air. “And…here they are.” Rain focused his energy on the two enemies that appeared. When given enough time to prepare, a mage had the power of a fixed cannon. They could unleash powerful Bullet Magic anywhere within their effective range. A beat of silence. Rain’s Qualia activated. And following Air’s orders, he unleashed an attack to ward off the encroaching enemy. A massive blast of fire erupted near them. The enemy evaded it, dodging the close-range attack, but… How predictable… …the second shot that followed, Rain’s Pharel bullet, penetrated and severely damaged one unit’s engine, while another burst into flames from the third bullet he’d fired at almost the exact same time. She’d made suppressing such a powerful strategic unit look so easy… Too easy. This Ghost…is a monster! “Good work. Remain on standby until further instructions. Oh, and look after River and Garudo while you can.” Even as she instructed them to remain on standby, Rain marveled at how different she seemed. It was hard not to be amazed. After pillaging the enemy’s equipment, she’d handed the cadets five Exelia units. They were state-of-the-art machines, but Exelias required teams of two to properly operate, so the enemy still had them hopelessly outnumbered. And yet, she’d used what little resources she’d had to turn the tide. She’s gained control of this battlefield already… Air’s leadership had shown results almost immediately. Alec Thanda, commander of the western forces, had stopped the attack on the city to focus on the cadets. But that hadn’t changed anything, since Air had defeated wave after wave of enemies. She’d turned the tables; the hunters had become the hunted. This is insane… The power of a Ghost was overwhelming. It was beyond all mortal comprehension. Air hadn’t even employed any special tactic; she’d simply overwhelmed the enemy with her keen mind. Air was terrifying. She didn’t have the Devil’s Bullet or any special brand of magic at her disposal, but that didn’t matter. Sheer intellect, along with her Qualia, allowed her to control the battle. However, as Rain stood there in awe, admiring Air’s skills… “Rain, do you copy?” Athly’s voice crackled through the radio. She’d been sent out as a decoy to distract as many enemy units as possible. “What’s up? Is something wrong?” “No, if anything, it’s all going so smoothly that it’s kind of scary. I mean, we’ve got no losses on our side! Anyway, there’s something I’m not sure we should report to that girl… Air. That’s why I’m checking with you first.” “What is it?” “Well, they’re all empty…” “What does that mean?” Rain didn’t understand. “All the enemy units we’ve been fighting so far? They’re empty. No one’s on board.” What...? “What the hell does that mean?” “Exactly what it sounds like. Our Exelias took out three enemy units that were part of a larger group, but no one was actually in any of them.” “…Unmanned units?” That made no sense. Unlike Rain, who’d been firing from a distance, Athly’s group had gotten up close and personal. They would’ve noticed if there was no one behind the enemy’s windshields. But when they checked the units after taking them out, they found no traces of people in the wreckage. “……” Had the West completed work on Exelia drones? The concept of an unmanned system had existed since the invention of Exelias, but that was all it had ever been—a concept. Rain pondered Athly’s report, trying to work out a plausible explanation. “What do we do? Should we tell her about the unmanned units?” “Yeah…” Even if Rain and Athly doubted the validity of the information, their superior officers had to be briefed. That was an ironclad rule within the military. So Rain told Athly he’d report it himself, then cut the comms. ...... An Exelia was a complex quadruped machine that could be operated only by a mage. Sure, the West’s research and development had advanced considerably further than the East’s, but it was hard to imagine that it had created autonomous units. What was the alternative, then? Unmanned units, a sudden raid from the West, and…a Ghost. There’s something there… It felt like things were finally clicking into place, like he’d gotten all the information he needed to form a proper answer. A shudder ran through Rain, as if he’d just been doused with ice-cold water. Am I…overlooking something? Rain was sure he had all the pieces of the puzzle, but he didn’t know how they fit together yet. What’s going on? What the hell am I missing here? He started to feel extremely impatient. Rain’s instincts screamed at him, telling him to figure it out already. However— “Hey, Rain.” A voice from the radio pulled him back from his thoughts, but it wasn’t Athly this time around. “I’m heading over to your position now, so take cover.” It was a transmission from Air. She’s coming to me? Before Rain managed to completely process her words, a cloud of dust formed behind him. A several-hundred-pound lump of metal had landed there with a thud. And as he turned toward it, his eyes fell on an AT3 unit. Air’s unit. “Good work, Rain.” “…This is the third floor.” Rain had been sniping enemies from up in a dilapidated building, and it went without saying that Exelias didn’t have flight functionality, so her sudden entrance on his floor was extremely odd. “What, you gonna tell me that flight magic is a real thing now?” It felt like a stupid question in his mind, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. “What are you saying? No magic can make Exelias fly.” “But that’s the only possible explanation…” “It certainly isn’t. I don’t need any magic if I have the proper footing.” Air lightly stomped the ground as she said that to punctuate her point. “…You climbed up the wall.” “I did.” A vertical climb up a wall with an Exelia was an insane feat; her explanation was near unbelievable. “Are you really so ignorant? It would be impossible for a manipulator of average skill, but this armored vehicle packs a lot of power. Some people out there can scale walls with no equipment, right? It’s the same principle.” “……” Rain had a lot he wanted to say about that, but he recognized that it wasn’t the time or place to speak up. “So what do you need me for?” “I found Alec. It’s time to take him down. Now get in the back seat.” They were going to settle this battle for good. All they had to do to fix things was erase the person behind the massacre, Alec Thanda. “Can we really take out Alec?” “Of course we can. I spent the last hour trying to track him. For better or for worse, Alec is no fool. He refuses to show his face, but I managed to calculate his position by working backward.” Rain followed her orders and settled into the gunner’s seat. I should probably tell her about the unmanned units… He wanted to warn her, but unfortunately— “We’re climbing down the wall.” “Huh…? Whoa!” The Exelia’s front wheels rotated, and it slid down the wall of the building. The shock from the sudden descent made Rain forget his earlier thoughts. This maniac is…actually sliding down the wall… He was utterly dumbfounded by her near-impossible maneuvers. Their Exelia moved and revolved like a living creature, avoiding any and all obstacles in its path. And while they were making their way along, Air started to talk to Rain. “You know, you really are quite skilled.” “Huh? What do you mean?” “I’m saying you’re a good shot. I’ve thought as much before, but this just confirmed it. You have the mind for it… In fact, one might say you have a good eye for this,” Air commented. It was clear she was implying something. “…How much do you know?” “Who, me? I don’t know anything. To me, you’re just a fun toy. Nothing more, nothing less.” Rain knew she was playing dumb. “Hey…” “That said, you honestly excel far too much. While I was busy trying to smoke out Alec, I noticed that the number of enemies had decreased considerably thanks to your efforts. But the range you’d hit them from was unbelievable.” Rain had downed five enemy Exelias on his own, which was most unnatural. “Your effective range is two hundred twenty-five feet. That’s a difficult distance to shoot with a rifle, but you pulled it off with exceptionally potent Bullet Magic. And it’s far beyond what any ordinary cadet could do. You’re an unprecedented case.” Air peered directly into Rain’s eyes, her gaze intense and piercing. It seemed she knew something was unusual about them… “…If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll have to start charging you for the view.” Rain turned away from her in an attempt to hide his right eye. “Ha-ha-ha-ha, I see… I’m starting to understand how you managed to kill hundreds of officers with the Devil’s Bullet. You’re fueled by your wrath, your hatred of the battlefield… At your very core, you…” She wasn’t wrong—wrath and hatred did indeed fill his heart. But why? “Well, I suppose I can ask about that later. It’s almost time.” As soon as she finished her sentence, Air turned on the comms and started barking out orders. “Levis, travel another six hundred and fifty feet north-northeast, then shoot a burst shell at the blue civilian structure. “Luvain’s and Athly’s units, proceed to form a diversion. Keep the enemy units at your position.” Three seconds after that instruction, Rain saw his target. “Is that…?” “Yes.” Rain had spotted several enemies. “The unit surrounding Captain Thanda consists of two rigs serving as his escorts. He’s in the third one, so we have a total of three enemy Exelias.” The enemies were fast approaching, with only about 325 feet remaining between Rain and the enemy’s main forces. “I’ll get us in as close as possible, so be ready to snipe Alec at a moment’s notice.” Right, Alec is my main target… Rain braced himself; right now, he was armed only with regular Bullet Magic because they weren’t yet close enough to use the Devil’s Bullet. Air accelerated their unit a moment later, closing the gap swiftly. They’d entered each other’s firing range at last, beginning Exelia combat. However, a sudden explosion filled Rain’s field of vision. “What the hell?!” An enemy unit…had detonated, creating a chain reaction that destroyed all of the units around Alec’s. And Rain wasn’t at all responsible for any of it. The shots had come from the enemy’s own allies. “Wow… Now that’s an interesting escape plan!” The enemy commander, Alec, had fired on his own subordinates. And by the time the smoke and dust of the explosions had settled, he was nowhere to be found. He’d mercilessly used the lives of his comrades as bait. No, wait… Rain noticed something between the flames. The units Alec had just destroyed were all unmanned. All the enemy units we’ve been fighting so far? They’re empty. No one’s on board. Athly’s words rang in his ears. But they were no longer mere words, since he’d seen it with his own two eyes. He continued to observe the scene, and as he did, he caught sight of his target. There he is! Rain spotted Alec through the flames. He’d escaped into a nearby abandoned building. “I’ll chase him down, Air.” A second later, Rain jumped out of the Exelia and took off after Alec on foot. Air kept shouting something at him as he ran, but he ignored her, prioritizing the enemy. As soon as Rain set foot in the building, he was surrounded by thick smoke. Alec had clearly set a magical trap to disable his pursuers. But Rain remained in the building, exposed to the brunt of the miasma, and activated his Qualia to predict Alec’s whereabouts. There weren’t many places to hide in such a small space, but it still took him a while to catch Alec. “Found you!” He stood at the center of the second floor. “You are Captain Thanda, aren’t you?” “…I am. Seems like you’ve got the right person.” From up close, Rain noticed that the young man was much thinner than he’d expected. “Tell me—who are you?” He left an odd impression, as his hair was dull in color and his gaze was devoid of warmth. The man was rather scrawny, especially for a military man. As he stood there casually, he seemed almost out of breath. “I’m impressed that you managed to corner me. Your Qualia really is something else,” Alec said, completely composed. “I didn’t think there’d be a cadet…or any human, really, who could see through my actions.” “You…” “You are a cadet, right?” There was no heat, no passion, no sense of bloodthirst in this man. …Who the hell is this guy? As he faced Alec, Rain could feel a stomach-churning sense that he should not involve himself with this man. It wasn’t just rejection… It was terror. He couldn’t make sense of his behavior at all. Does he…really have his back against the wall? An abnormal sense of enmity prickled against Rain’s skin. Standing face-to-face with Alec made Rain especially sure of the situation. He’d hunted Alec down and trapped him, but for whatever reason, he felt like the helpless prey caught in a trap. It was the same feeling as when he faced Air… No, it was worse this time. Rain’s intuition screamed, warning him of the inhuman being before his eyes. “Amazing.” Alec directed his gaze at the ceiling, which only made Rain more nervous. “To think I’d lose to such a perfect strategy. How did you pull it off?” “I don’t have to answer that question.” “This whole situation is abnormal. I’ve never faced such a sound defeat.” Alec didn’t lift his gun, but that didn’t mean he was defenseless. After all, mages had their Qualia on at all times in battle. It allowed them to derive the optimal solution when faced with danger, so it was the ultimate defense. This was a battle between mages, so Rain had to play along until he got the upper hand. “Who are you?” He knew he had to continue the conversation with Alec, the man behind the massacre. “No, that’s the wrong question… You’re not the leader, are you? I can tell.” “That’s…” “You don’t have to answer that.” Alec cut Rain off, telling him not to bother. “…I see. It all makes sense now. Things went entirely as predicted… Well, in that case…” “What the hell does that mean?” “You’re the Belial, aren’t you?” A long, drawn-out pause settled over the room. “Yes, I can tell by the look on your face that I missed the mark entirely. Well, damn… I guess that goes to show how lowly I am… I thought it was impossible, but it actually turned out to be true.” “Alec, what are you…?” “What, am I wrong?” Alec asked. “You have one of these, don’t you?” He rolled up his sleeve, exposing the skin of his left arm. “The mark of the Daemons, the Belial. It should be just like my mark of the Grankaisers, the Oud.” A seal was etched onto Alec’s upper arm. The Oud’s brand. It was strikingly similar to the brand on Rain’s flesh, a sigil of providence. “Why do you have that…?” It was the mark of a Divine Sentinel, a secret only Rain and Air shared… “What an odd reaction. Don’t tell me the silver girl kept you in the dark about all this?” “…Silver? You know Air?” “Know her? What are you saying?” “We’re both Ghosts. I could never forget the face of an enemy I’ve fought for so long.” The warrior of the West, Alec… The Oud… We’re both Ghosts… Fought for so long… Rain finally understood what had been bugging him about the whole situation. Right, why did Air specifically order me to erase Alec? Sure, Alec was a soldier with an exceptional service record, a perennial thorn in the East’s side, but that wasn’t enough to make him a high-priority target. The West had many other people on par with him. So why did Air choose him, of all people? They’re both Ghosts… That’s what he just said, right? Rain had figured out the truth, but the revelation had come too late. Alec lowered his head, and when he lifted his face, his eyes…had turned black and red. It can’t be… Rain had witnessed the phenomenon before, so he knew it all too well—this horrifying transformation, those diabolical eyes that could freeze the very blood in a person’s veins. Whenever I use my powers, my eyes become wasp-hued, turning black and red. Alec had undergone the exact same transformation as Air. “You’ve left yourself completely unguarded,” Alec stated as he moved on Rain. Then he pulled a handgun from a holster on his waist and fired a bullet out of the building. It looked as if he’d missed his mark, but that wasn’t the least bit true. He’d planned that shot all along. And a few seconds later, Rain’s Qualia activated, letting him know exactly why. “Ah…!” Rain felt a shock wave erupt above his head, and the ceiling caved in. Several dozen tons of rocks started falling on him. “Fuck…” Alec had decided to bury Rain alive. Large piles of rocks spilled into the building, and through the opening, Rain could see what had broken the ceiling. “…What the hell?” An Exelia smashed through the ceiling, ramming directly into the floor. And just like earlier, it was unmanned. But that wasn’t even the oddest part… The machine’s engine had been destroyed during the crash, and yet somehow, it still moved.