Noticing they were being followed by the gang, the two of them said nothing, turning into a dark and narrow alley with silent understanding.
When the gang members relentlessly caught up, the two exchanged a look.
"How should we handle this?" Celia asked. "Will it be you or me?"
"No need to trouble you, my Lady Witch." In Ansu's eyes, gang members held no prestige at all, and he immediately rolled up his sleeves. "Since I said I'd handle everything today, I'll play the part of the chivalrous protector to the very end!"
Celia feigned the persona of a frail lady, elegantly covering her mouth as she chuckled. "Go then! My knight~"
"You two, stop right there!"
The casino manager was also present. He sized up the two who were now surrounded and threatened them sullenly, "Our boss wants to see you. Come with us!"
"Your boss? Does he want to discuss horse racing tips with me?" Ansu shrugged, not taking them seriously at all.
"The two of us are very busy. If he wants to chat that badly, tell him to come find me himself."
"Dammit, who the hell do you think you are? You're in no position to negotiate!" The manager cursed irritably and immediately looked at his lackeys.
"Get them! Finish this quickly! Don't draw the police or the Church here!"
Six gang members immediately rushed forward. Ansu saw that while they looked fierce, they were all ordinary people, and he felt a hint of disappointment.
Before a bald, burly man could even get close to Ansu, a faint trace of mana condensed instantly. An invisible fist struck from below, slamming heavily into his chin.
Because of the sheer force, the sound of bone cracking echoed through the alley.
The gang member's eyes rolled back from the mysterious uppercut, and he fell backward onto the ground, sinking into a deep, infant-like slumber.
"A... a mage?" The other gang members all showed expressions of shock.
Ansu looked at the remaining five. He simply stood calmly in place, and his Level 5 【Mage's Hand】 began attacking the gang members from all directions.
They didn't even know where the attacks were coming from. The invisible fists were like ghosts, impossible to dodge, and soon the depths of the alley were filled with squeals like stuck pigs.
When all the gang lackeys were lying on the ground, Celia clapped her hands from behind him in support.
"Not bad. A 0th Circle 【Mage's Hand】, a minor utility cantrip, and you can make it this powerful. You really are talented, Ansu~"
"Who do you think I am?" Ansu wasn't humble at all, turning back to flash Celia a smug smile. "Who isn't a genius around here?"
Although it was just the lowest level of basic magic, just as he had originally thought, as long as the level was raised, 【Mage's Hand】 could deal massive damage. He wondered what kind of power it would have once he ground the skill to Level 10.
Celia gave a disdainful huff. She had given him a bit of praise, and now he was already getting ahead of himself?
Lately, this guy didn't even try to hide his true self in front of her, becoming increasingly overconfident.
"You're still a long way from comparing your talent to mine!" Celia curled her lip. "Besides, the ones you faced were just ordinary people. Any transcendent could beat them. I don't think there's anything to be proud of..."
Just as she said this, the casino manager retreated a few steps with a cold gaze. Then, two mysterious figures who carried no weapons blocked his path, and a faint surge of magical power began to swirl in the alley.
"Then you should be satisfied with these opponents, right?" Seeing that the other side had deployed transcendents, Ansu's gaze finally became a bit more serious.
These two were also staring intently at Ansu. One was a mage with a sinister black aura rising around him, clearly specializing in shadow magic.
The other was actually a clergyman, holding a bolt of light like a lightning strike in his hand. It was the most classic Holy Light divine art—【Divine Art - Punishment】.
"Quick! Take them down already!!" the casino manager urged loudly from behind. "Otherwise, I won't be able to explain losing so many brothers to the boss!"
"Yes." The mage and the clergyman nodded in unison.
"Interesting. It's not often you see a clergyman working for the mob..." Ansu mused, his hand reaching cautiously for his waist. It seemed he would have to go all out.
The moment Ansu moved, the 【Divine Art - Punishment】 and shadow magic were ready to fire.
Even Celia's expression became more focused. She stared at the two opposing forces of light and shadow, wondering how Ansu planned to break the stalemate.
However, a scene occurred that left her completely dumbfounded.
Ansu actually pulled an exquisitely crafted alchemical revolver from behind him...
When the dark muzzle was pointed at the mage, Ansu could feel a flash of bewilderment in the mage's expression.
Wait, brother?
A duel between mages, and you're bringing a gun??
But the surprise only lasted a moment before a sneer appeared on the mage's face. A thick magical shield immediately surrounded his entire body.
"A mere handgun thinks it can break my..."
But in the next second, following a thunderous roar...
The mage's highly confident 【Shield spell】 was actually shattered. The massive kinetic energy even sent his body flying backward.
The smile on the mage's face vanished.
Before he could even gather mana again, Ansu ruthlessly pulled the trigger a second time. The massive flash from the alchemical bullets made the dark alley flicker.
"This..." Celia watched as the mage's head splattered like a smashed watermelon after being hit.
The bullets of that revolver were clearly enchanted alchemical bullets. While she knew alchemical bullets were powerful, the power of these two shots...
Was a bit too excessive, wasn't it?
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. While the clergyman was staring in shock at his companion's horrific corpse, Ansu had already pulled the trigger for the third time.
With two more simple and unadorned shots, the clergyman's headless corpse also fell to the ground.
Blowing away the choking smoke rising from the muzzle, Ansu lowered the gun and looked back with a smile at the astonished witch.
This thing really is more useful.
Seeing that Celia's expression was full of curiosity, Ansu explained to her, "This gun was developed by Professor Duncan. I visited him the other day to see his inventions, and I loved this gun so much that he gave it to me."
"As for the power... it might indeed be a bit much. That's thanks to Professor Duncan's alchemical bullets formula. He's very good at the miniaturization of magic runes. You might not believe it, but a single bullet actually has multiple magical effects attached to it. Plus, I added a little bit extra to the powder load, so..."
He looked at the two headless corpses with their heads blown apart. "Well... this is the result."
The excessive magical damage was enough to easily shatter a 2nd Circle magic 【Shield spell】.
One shot to break the shield, one shot to blow the head!
This was the lethal weapon he had specifically prepared for mages, a secret weapon for dealing with the Echoes of Truth cult in the future.
"Interesting..." Celia reached out her hand. "Let me see!"
Ansu handed the revolver to her.
Celia continuously observed the details of the alchemical revolver, clicking her tongue in wonder. "Although I'm talented in black magic and even forbidden high-tier spells, when it comes to this kind of delicate magitech, I have to say... Professor Duncan is truly impressive. Ansu, it's a good thing we didn't burn our bridges with him back then."
"That's only because I stopped you..." Ansu muttered under his breath. He remembered how the Lady Witch had been so angry she wanted to bury the dwarven professor alive...
But then again, these alchemical bullets were indeed difficult to produce. Because the materials were hard to find and the progress was slow, he had only managed to make thirty rounds, and his proficiency had only reached Level 1.
But fortunately, there was still time. Ansu had a feeling that the trip to the ancient ruins would inevitably lead to a confrontation with the cult, so the more of these overpowered alchemical bullets, the better.
"Since the professor is so capable..." Celia mused, "once he actually gets expelled from the academy, why don't we have him work for us? I don't have those stuffy regulations of the academy here. He can research whatever he wants, though weapons would be best..."
Ansu thought to himself that poaching him would indeed be a brilliant move.
After all, the 【Alchemist Doctor】 was originally supposed to work for Barcas, but now there was a high probability he would join their side instead...
Celia returned the revolver to Ansu and suddenly asked curiously, "This gun is so powerful, does it have a name?"
"It didn't before..." Ansu looked over the beautiful alchemical revolver. "But it does now. I've decided to call it the 【Mage Killer】. Not bad, right?"
"Simple and direct," Celia evaluated with a smile.
Rate on N.U.
