umio had extensive experience fighting opponents far stronger, faster, and more powerful than himself.
Until now, he had managed to survive such encounters for two simple reasons: his ability to cancel [magic], and his martial arts.
When combined with careful preparation and weapons he had crafted himself, his martial skills made the 30-year-old a danger even to individuals with a higher [Rank].
Few among [White and Black Corps], even among their elites, could boast abilities remotely close to his.
Yet, despite this, Fumio was not arrogant. He knew very well that he was not invincible; a [magic-proof] bullet fired from a pistol, or a simple [magical weapon] used by an ordinary person, could end his life.
Caution kept his senses and instincts alert at all times; this had saved him many times in the past. Therefore, the [mage] always promised himself never to doubt the feeling he experienced when danger was near.
"You're not very good at this, huh?! All you do is dodge!" (Mary)
At this moment, Fumio felt, for the first time in a long while, that he had no chance of getting out alive from this fight.
The [Black Ghost] he was confronting was incredibly strong, very strong. Every strike of the man's staff, when it hit, barely damaged the woman.
Even the shocks from the end of the staff were not capable of hurting her much, at most stunning her for a second.
However, resilience was not her greatest trait. Besides possessing physical strength far superior to Hajime's, the woman was almost as fast as Kuro.
And she had combat skills and experience far beyond Fumio's.
Could it get worse? Yes. The last, and perhaps most important, trait was that she was a [synthetic mage], a typical [esper] created in laboratories by some shady government or organized crime group.
Her nature rendered the powers of Fumio's left eye almost useless, as there were no [magic] spells capable of nullifying her abilities.
A lucky attack from Mary nearly hit Fumio in the head. All he could do was try to delay the inevitable by blocking her punch with the ends of his staffs.
"You're skilled! But if I were ten years younger, you'd be dead! It's a pity that old age has slowed me down!"
"I certainly don't complain about that! I like to keep my skull intact!"
"Tsk...let's see how long you can keep talking!"
With a kick, the [esper] almost hit Fumio, who managed to duck just in time, thanks to his right eye, which anticipated his opponent's movements.
The assault didn't stop there. The 50-year-old woman was relentless in her attempt to take him down.
"(She's too strong! I can't hold out much longer! Even though she's older, she seems to have too much endurance! Despite claiming otherwise, she fights as if she wants to kill me—her real goal is to seriously wound me! She wants to take me alive!)"
Using his staff to deflect the punches, Fumio managed to counterattack by striking her side with one end, then trying to hit her in the head during the few seconds he had.
Despite being stunned by two electric shocks, Mary managed to block Fumio's third attack.
"Got you!"
Pulling forcefully, the 50-year-old destabilized the man just enough to punch him in the chest. Her brute strength, combined with what appeared to be a move from Chinese martial arts, managed to pierce the protection of Fumio's [armor], damaging his internal organs as well.
Fumio was flung several meters through the air, hitting the ground hard, his body skidding across the dirt.
"Ghh... my organs... and my sternum... I can't believe I'm—"
His thoughts stopped as his own weapon descended from above, heading straight for the spot where he had been hit earlier. He managed to dodge it laterally by pure luck—the staff had penetrated the asphalt like a high-caliber bullet; if it had hit him directly, he would have been killed.
"Not bad! You're one of the few able to move after taking that move at full power!" (Mary)
"I... I let myself get hit twice... to create an opening to disarm and attack you!" (Fumio)
"Yeah, being sneaky is the key to winning many battles and surviving until retirement—when you're a [Black Ghost], assassin! And now, I'll enjoy defeating you with your own weapon before going to kill your accomplices!" (Mary)
"You... won't touch my students!" (Fumio)
"And who will stop me? You?! Before sunrise, you'll be interrogated by the great boss himself! And you'll sing like a canary!" (Mary)
Fumio felt his legs weaken under him from the effort to stay upright. That well-placed punch had truly hurt him—he could feel blood rising in his throat, through his nostrils and mouth. It was clear he had significant internal damage.
"(What a monstrous woman! If I let her go, she'll kill—!?)"
The [mage] noticed movement behind his opponent and immediately understood who it was. He made no attempt to change his body language.
"(She should already be at the rendezvous point! What is she doing here! He's also reduced to a wreck! If he confronts her, he'll get caught too!)"
Moving within his shadow, Kuro approached from Mary's blind spot, ready to assassinate the woman who had nearly killed his master, unaware that the 50-year-old was already aware of him.
*********
Meanwhile, inside the villa, Kimiko and Cloe were struggling. Their bodies were covered in wounds and bruises from the fight.
They had given their best, but the numerical disadvantage was increasingly taking its toll as the battle dragged on.
They had killed and incapacitated most of the [White Corps], but the remaining enemies still had enough strength to make these last moments hell for the two girls, who were running out of [mana].
Only a fragile wall of sand separated them from total defeat, which was being bombarded by their enemies.
"(This isn't good! I won't last forever!)" (Cloe)
"Am I wrong, or are we without an escape route?! I don't like this story!"
Kimiko tried to lighten the mood with sarcasm, but it was only a feeble attempt—she was exhausted and wounded.
A compressed air bullet bypassed their defenses, hitting Cloe's shoulder and knocking her to the ground painfully.
Meanwhile, Kohaku could only watch the scene, waiting for the moment to flee.
"Damn it, Hajime, everyone's at their limit. Why are you taking so long?!" (Kohaku)
*****
Hajime's stepson Goto had been hit by Yuki Mikan's [magic], along with everyone close to her.
If he had been just a few dozen meters closer to the vehicle, he would have turned into an ice cube by now.
The woman in question was desperately trying to escape, though it seemed her power had drained her of all strength.
Crawling across the ice she created, the vice admiral's daughter was trying in vain to distance herself from danger. She showed no concern for her victims.
"Mikan-sama!"
The last remaining [White Corps] member, their leader—whose features were more Asian than normal citizens of the island—managed to get up and reach the woman he was supposed to protect.
His body was sore, and in the early stages of hypothermia, almost all his [mana] had been spent fighting off Yuki's uncontrollable power with his [armor].
"I... I want to leave! Now! I'm tired of all this!"
The woman's tantrums made even the [White Corps] members want to vomit. It was pathetic to think of all the people who had died protecting her, and none of their names would be remembered by her. In just a few days, she would forget even their faces and sacrifices amid celebrations and other trivialities.
Something shattered the ice behind the [mage]. In response, he threw the vice admiral's daughter backwards while activating his powers.
Blades of pure [mana] appeared in his hands, clashing with Hajime's katana.
"Mikan-sama! Run! Hurry!"
"Get out of the way!" (Hajime)
"Forget it!"
They could fight for many more minutes despite both being hit by that powerful ice explosion. It would be ideal for the [White Corps], giving Mikan time to escape despite her condition.
It was perfect for him, but bad for the holder of the [Grimoire], who had a bad feeling deep inside—like someone was in danger.
"(I don't have time for him! The others will die if I don't finish the mission quickly!)"
Metal clanged against [mana], as they both struggled to dominate the fight.
After two minutes of combat, Hajime noticed something. His beloved [Tepes I] was taking severe damage.
Apparently, his enemy's [magic] was designed to destroy weapons.
"(I don't know if I can beat him unarmed! I... I can't—!)"
While the battle raged, his mind wandered back to the time spent with Veronica.
There was a technique he had learned from her—one he could use in these circumstances, and he had only one chance. If he failed, he wouldn't survive.
"Take this!" (Hajime)
"Tsk! Predictable!"
Blocking the vertical swing with a single arm, the [White Corps] managed to hit the side of the blade with his hand. With a loud sound of breaking metal, [Tepes I] was destroyed.
A thrust aimed at his heart would have finished everything, but Hajime's older brother Kaori's brother had foreseen this moment, managing to dodge just in time.
"You're finished!"
A hand of Hajime's pressed on the man's chest, who couldn't avoid what was about to happen.
"[Mana manipulation]: [implosion]!"
In less than a second, the last protector of Mikan's internal organs were torn apart.
A large amount of blood burst from the man's mouth and nose.
"Guh..."
He remained standing for a few more seconds, then collapsed dead onto the ground.
Goto's stepson wasted no time, grabbing two sharp fragments of his weapon and pursuing his target.
"(Luckily, she didn't go far!)"
As the woman ran, a fragment of metal hit her heel, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. Hajime used that moment to close the distance, moving with a lightning-fast dash.
"N-no! P-please! I'll give you whatever you want! Money! Women! Power! Don't kill—"
The boy didn't wait; with the second fragment of [Tepes], he cut her throat, watching carefully as she bled out. In just a few seconds, it was all over.
"Kohaku! It's me! I completed the mission! Inform the others, I'm heading to the rendezvous point!"
*****
Hajime's words signaled the [esper], who ordered all remaining drones to launch a suicidal attack against Kimiko and Cloe's enemies.
"Cloe-chan! Kimiko-chan! Run quickly! You only have a few seconds!"
Kohaku's diversion created a small window for the two girls, who were already at their limit.
Drinking one last vial of [Dragon Blood], Kuro's younger sister moved a large amount of sand to lift her body and that of her companion beyond the villa's perimeter.
"Don't let them escape!"
"Kill them, damn it! They killed our friends!"
As they disappeared into the night, part of the young [mage]'s sandstorm was used to hide their retreat from sight.
With all her soldiers destroyed, Kohaku could only watch the scene through the cameras inside Yuki Mikan's house.
"They did it!"
All the tension left her body, and her state of calm was lost when she remembered the other two members of the mission.
"Kuro, Fumio-sensei... I can't do anything for you. You're alone."
*****
The two individuals in question were not in the best shape.
Kuro had tried to surprise Mary, with disastrous results: she had grabbed him by the throat and slammed him forcefully to the ground, creating a small crater beneath him.
"...Damn old witch!"
"Nice scythe... your staff isn't bad either... two really-"
Her ramblings were interrupted when Kohaku's drones launched their kamikaze attack.
"(I hope they managed to escape...)"
Fumio understood it was time to leave. The man pulled out two small spheres from under his clothes. One was thrown toward the [White Corps] SUV, and the other at Mary.
"Too slow..."
The [Black Ghost] effortlessly dodged the device, but to his surprise, it was useless.
This contraption of Fumio's was similar to what he had used during training with his students, but much more powerful.
The magnetic effect pulled the device directly against the woman's metal skin.
"Wh-!?"
The effect was immediate. The two spheres were drawn to each other, forcing Mary to plant her feet firmly on the ground to avoid being dragged toward the SUV, which collided with her and hit her directly, though unfortunately without causing any damage to her.
"This trick won't work against—"
"See you, [Black Ghost]!"
Hajime's master, moving at incredible speed despite his condition, threw a stun grenade at the woman.A flash and a loud whistle stunned her for a few seconds. When her senses returned, Kuro and her master had already disappeared.