Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 185: Claire Marsha (Part 2)

Rian: "Tess! Stab him!"

Tess: "B-but...."

Tess understood Rian's intention.

If she didn't act now, there would be no other chance to subdue Falcoa. However, if her rapier went even a little deeper, she couldn't guarantee Rian's safety.

Rian: "Hurry! I can't hold on much longer!"

Warning signals were coming from all over Rian's body.

His body was executing his mind's commands at 100%, but if he pushed beyond his limits, it would break.

Rian: "T-Tess...!"

The moment Tess saw the limit in Rian's expression, she gripped her sword and charged.

If she hesitated out of weak emotions, she would only make Rian a fool.

Tess: "Yahhh!"

It was at that moment that Amy arrived.

Amy: "Tess! No!"

The rapier pierced deep into Falcoa's body.

It went straight through his heart, and as his body trembled from the shock, the life began to fade from Falcoa's eyes.

'Is this the end?'

He wasn't particularly afraid.

It didn't feel much different from the life he had lived until now, where he hadn't truly felt alive.

Falcoa: "...Marsha."

Staring at the distant sky, Falcoa slowly lifted the corner of his blood-stained lips.

'Take me to the battlefield.'

As Tess pulled out her rapier, Falcoa's breath ceased, and he collapsed forward.

Immediately after, Rian fell to his knees with a thud.

Amy ran over with a shocked expression.

Amy: "Rian! Are you okay?"

Rian: "Hey, Amy. You're safe."

Rian forced a smile, but his pale face suggested his condition was serious.

Amy turned her accusing gaze toward Tess.

Amy: "Tess! What happened?"

Tess, calmly wiping the blood off her sword, closed one eye and replied:

Tess: "Heh heh, don't worry. Despite how it looks, I'm a sensory Schema user. I only stabbed Falcoa's torso. Rian is fine."

Amy looked dumbfounded.

Amy: "What are you talking about? He's bleeding from his chest right now."

Tess: "What?"

Tess's eyes widened as she turned to look at Rian, and sure enough, blood was gushing from his chest.

Tess, now panicked, rushed over.

Tess: "Rian! Are you okay? Snap out of it!"

Rian: "Don't make a fuss. It's just a shallow stab. It didn't even reach my organs."

Though relieved, Tess's heart sank.

Despite daily training, in life-and-death situations, even her senses could be off.

Her father's words came to mind: "Training and real combat are worlds apart."

Tess: "I-I'm sorry! I wasn't good enough...."

Rian: "Don't say that. If it had been any shallower, Falcoa wouldn't have gone down so easily. Then we'd both be in danger. It's better to be sure."

Rian stood up as if it were nothing.

Amy thought his endurance was almost superhuman, but strictly speaking, this too was a matter of the mind.

Rian: "Anyway, let's go. I'm worried about Shirone."

Even while fighting Falcoa, strange sounds and explosions had been coming from the direction of the enemy's hideout.

'He must have met the leader.'

When they arrived at the hideout, they saw a battlefield with broken trees and dug-up ground.

One side of the building's first floor had been blown away, and chaotic noises could be heard from inside.

With a loud explosion, Shirone was thrown out of the building and rolled on the ground.

Amy: "Shirone!"

As her friends rushed toward her, Shirone used teleportation to create distance and shouted:

Shirone: "Don't come closer!"

Her friends stopped in their tracks as Shirone glared at the inside of the building.

Shirone: "It's sound magic. Stay back."

Marsha: "Heh heh, not bad. You've lasted this long against me."

Marsha leisurely stepped out of the building and smirked at the group.

Marsha: "Oh my, you actually came. Did you really defeat them all? I guess I can't trust my subordinates...."

Turning her head, Marsha's eyes fell on Falcoa's corpse lying far below the mountain.

A cold feeling washed over her, but her eyes narrowed further.

'Falcoa.'

Though he was a crazy guy, the name "Angmu" undoubtedly carried at least 30% of his blood.

'He probably had no regrets.'

He likely thought it was better to die in a fight than to die of a heart attack from drug addiction.

But her sentiment ended there.

While it was surprising that he was defeated by students, considering his five years of drug addiction, it wasn't an unusual outcome.

'First, I need to take care of myself.'

Marsha turned her attention back to Shirone.

Even after hearing reports from her subordinates, facing Shirone directly made her realize the uniqueness of her magic was beyond imagination.

'An Unlocker.'

Her lips curled into a cold smile.

'I want her.'

Meanwhile, Shirone and her friends kept their distance from the building, watching Marsha closely.

What gave Shirone the most strength was knowing her friends were unharmed.

Shirone: "Marsha, things will be different now. What you've done has crossed the line of humanity. I'll never forgive you."

Her friends, who had heard about Yuna from Shirone, also had fierce looks in their eyes.

Marsha: "Heh heh, Shirone. About that...."

Shrugging her shoulders, Marsha laughed before raising her head.

Marsha: "Actually, it was all a lie."

Shirone: "What?"

As Shirone and her friends stared in confusion, Marsha shouted toward the building.

Marsha: "Yuna! You can come out now!"

Her voice, amplified by sound magic, echoed loudly.

A moment later, a second-floor window opened, and a pretty girl leaned out.

Amy: "Wait, is that girl Yuna?"

Marsha looked at the group and spoke.

Marsha: "That's right. As you can see, I've been living here comfortably without any issues. How about it, Shirone? Has your anger subsided now?"

"...."

Shirone couldn't say anything.

If this was true, why would she have told such a vicious lie?

Marsha: "Still don't get it? It was just a joke, a joke. I was just curious about your reaction. Can you forgive me now?"

Yuna shouted from the second floor.

Yuna: "Big sister did nothing wrong! Bad people kidnapped me, and she saved me!"

Shirone and his group fell silent.

It was clearly mockery. That much was obvious.

The problem was the motive.

What could Marsha's intention have been for orchestrating something like this?

The Parrot Mercenary Group had been annihilated, and even their executive, Falcoa, had died.

Knowing all that and still dismissing it as a joke didn't make sense.

Shirone: "If that's really the case... send Yuna over here."

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

At any rate, rescuing Jis's younger sister was the priority.

But Marsha playfully shook her head and turned to Yuna again.

Marsha: "Thank you, Yuna. I'll take you to your brother later."

As Yuna, who trusted Marsha completely, closed the window and went inside, Shirone felt his anger rising.

Shirone: "What are you doing? What do you even want?"

Marsha: "Why are you being so serious? Yuna is safe. Isn't that enough? Or did you want to play the hero and rescue her yourself?"

Shirone: "That's not it, but..."

Marsha: "Do you think you can understand everyone's heart? The world doesn't work the way you think it does. That's why I didn't send Yuna over. You're a hypocrite."

As Marsha's Spirit Zone pierced through like a blade, Shirone immediately reacted.

But his mind was still in chaos. The core motivation to fight had disappeared.

'Stay calm. She's showing hostility toward me. That's reason enough to fight.'

As if she had read his thoughts, Marsha's Spirit Zone vanished.

And then, as if declaring surrender, she spread her arms and approached Shirone.

Marsha: "You can kill me if you want."

Shirone's heart sank.

He knew what those words meant to her.

'Marsha.'

Just who is this woman?

Magic Association Investigation Room.

Sakiri, a certified 5th-class mage and investigator, wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and half the buttons on his shirt were undone.

Sakiri: "Huu."

He clearly looked exhausted, but the muscles on his forearms, gripping an iron club, were still bulging.

Sakiri: "I've rested a bit. Shall we start again?"

"Uuuugh."

Lucas, lying on the floor, groaned.

He had been the vice-captain of the Parrot Mercenary Group, who had escaped Inferno with Arcane's help and raided the Magic Association. But now, after being hit by Shiina's freezing magic, he was left without both legs.

Lucas: "Stop. Please..."

He didn't know how many hours he had been beaten. If he hadn't protected his body with a schema, he would have been dead by now.

Sakiri gripped the iron club with both hands.

Sakiri: "Here it comes. Brace yourself."

"Aaaaah!"

Under the barrage of blows, Lucas crawled on the floor using his arms.

But when he no longer had the strength to even lift his arms, he collapsed in exhaustion.

Lucas: "Stop! Just ask me something before hitting me! I said I'll talk!"

Sakiri: "Wait. I need to finish a thousand hits."

"You crazy bastard!"

Sakiri counted in his mind as he swung the club.

Five hits left. Now four, three...

Finally, after delivering the last blow to Lucas's side, he tossed the club aside as if feeling refreshed.

Sakiri: "Huu, that felt good. I've done my work out for the day."

"Ugh... Why are you doing this to me, you bastard..."

Even as he watched Lucas writhing with twisted limbs, Sakiri's expression didn't change.

If this was a villain who hadn't even flinched in front of the Grand Mage Arcane, then this level of treatment was necessary.

Sakiri: "Get up."

Grabbing Lucas by the hair, Sakiri dragged him across the floor and threw him toward a chair.

"Ack!"

With a clump of hair torn out, Lucas was flung onto the chair, struggling to stay upright. Sakiri sat on the opposite side of the desk and spoke in a cold voice.

Sakiri: "Sit down quickly. Before I cut off your arms too."

"...."

With superhuman willpower, Lucas lifted his upper body and climbed onto the chair as if scaling a cliff.

As he watched Sakiri flipping through documents, Lucas spoke with a dazed expression.

Lucas: "Inspector, just send me back to prison. I'll tell you where Marsha is."

Even without being asked, Lucas knew what Sakiri wanted. It showed he wasn't a complete fool.

Sakiri gave a bitter smile.

Sakiri: "No need. What kind of woman do you think she is? Do you really think she'd still be there?"

That was true.

Lucas: "Damn it! Then why did you beat me up?"

Sakiri, flipping to the last page of the document, slammed the desk in irritation.

Sakiri: "Do you know what kind of criminal I hate the most? Murderers? No, it's escapees. Do you think the nation is that easy to mess with? Even if you're full of yourself, there's a limit. A B-class criminal mocking public authority? Your life is over. You'll never see the sun again."

Lucas gulped.

Sakiri's words were likely not a bluff.

The fact that the investigator had actually delivered a thousand blows spoke volumes about his temperament.

Sakiri: "Anyway, let's start. It's better if you cooperate. My daughter is four years old now. It's the age where she loves to show off in front of her dad. But I haven't been able to go home for days. The dead should die quickly, and the living should live. You get what I'm saying?"

Hope drained from Lucas's eyes.