Chapter 133: | 133 | Surviving an Assassination
One after another, the Inquisitors appeared in the streets under the fleet admiral's office. They glanced at the destruction brought about by their spells while thinking about how their target managed to escape from their grasps.
Leonhart turned his gaze towards the broken window and saw the height of the fall. Without magic, he would have died upon hitting the ground. The fact that the fleet admiral managed to survive meant that something was amiss with him.
"It seems that the fleet admiral of the United Navy isn't merely a weak human with no magical capabilities. Some of our intel about him were wrong. After all, is it normal for a human with no mana to survive such a fall?"
He expressed to his subordinates, who nodded in agreement. The circumstance of their target was strange. But this was a world where strangeness was the ordinary. As such, it was easy for them to adapt.
Their questions would be sooner or later get answered. For now, they needed to have their focus on the mission.
"Should we retreat, Sir Leonhart?" An Inquisitor calmly asked, making the red-haired Inquisitor shake his head and reply. "No, most of the United Navy is far from this island. This is the greatest chance we could ever have to dispose of him."
"Track and terminate him. Destroy everything along the way if needed." Leonhart ordered his Inquisitors to spread out and find their target. He must be killed before the dragoness learned of this.
Otherwise, the sea region of Terra would be turned upside down.
"Understood, Sir Leonhart. We will find the heretic leader." One of the Inquisitors lightly bowed and disappeared from the spot. Many others followed as they scattered throughout the Port of Dawn to find the agent of heretical knowledge and ideas.
Leonhart was left alone, silence singing in his ears. He observed his surroundings and noticed the uniqueness of the Port of Dawn. The structures the United Navy constructed were far different from the imperial and gothic structures of Europa.
It was clean, covered in ivory.
"I guess I should investigate the inner works of this organization." Leonhart muttered to himself and disappeared like his subordinates. Mere moments after he left, several soldiers arrived through a military truck and surrounded the branch office building.
Guards also got out of the branch office building and began scrutinizingly inspecting the area for any enemy influence.
"Where is the fleet admiral! Is he alive?" The army second lieutenant leading the reinforcements questioned the guards. They seriously looked at him and replied. "The fleet admiral is alive, Sir! He has escaped through a military Humvee. But the assassins are chasing after him."
"Fuck! Protect the fleet admiral no matter what! Use your bodies or mine if needed to." The army second lieutenant cursed and got into the military truck, heading towards the command base in the defense sector where the fleet admiral might be sent to get protected.
...
Meanwhile, Abraham was sitting at the back of the Humvee, clenching his teeth. While he survived falling over dozens of meters in height, it didn't do well for his body. Some of his bones were broken, though it was manageable.
A short treatment and recovery should help him.
But for now, escaping the damn Inquisitors was his priority.
"Where are we going?" He coolly questioned while his body maintained its tense state. It wasn't the time to relax yet, those bastards were probably chasing him. After all, this was the best time to assassinate him.
Following their retreat, they would have little to no chance. Practically ending the mission given to them by their precious Sovereigns.
"Fleet Admiral, our destination is the command center in the defense sector. The United Army has prepared a decisive defense formation throughout the compound along with scattered Anti-Magus Gun snipers." The driver responded while driving swiftly through the streets.
"Good, have them prepare everything we have against the Magus. I expected a Magus come for an assassination, but never did I thought they would send a group of them for a measly human like me." Abraham wryly smiled.
He wasn't ignorant of the implications regarding the fact that he had sent most of his fighting force to take care of the Colonial Dominion of Terra. It was a risky move, but it was also a needed one. If their operations was a success, the only remaining adversary would be the Colonial Dominion, Terra.
The moment they take over the sea region of Terra, they would be able to solidify their standing in the Ferus Sea and finally be considered as a force by the monsters of the foreign world.
However, the aftermath for the operations was for later. For now, his survival was paramount.
"The fleet admiral is far from a measly human," The driver smiled and remarked. To them, the fleet admiral was the greatest man that could ever have existed. Leading the United Navy in a foreign world covered with dangerous beings or phenomena, while also ensuring its survival.
It was a heavy responsibility, but a responsibility their fleet admiral took nonetheless.
So, everyone in the United Navy had high degrees of respect, admiration, and love towards their fleet admiral. With him on their side, it was as though they could do everything and anything.
"You are the Fleet Admiral of the United Nav-"
*BOOM!*
Before the driver could continue, a fireball exploded beside the Humvee causing it to tip over and crashed onto a small park.
It rolled over into the grassy landscape and landed upside down. Abraham grunted and quickly glanced at the driver who was fortunately alive, merely unconscious.
"As expected, it was too early to celebrate." He sighed and muttered to himself. He took out his revolver and made sure that it was reloaded before asking some suggestions from his precious partner.
'Any suggestions can help, Systema.' Abraham thought inside his mind, and what followed was the ring of a mechanical bell.
*Ding!*
| Calculating probabilities... |
| Searching for escape routes... |
| Dividing possible courses... |
| Calculation concluded! |
| Suggestion: Fight |
The suggestion of Systema made Abraham astounded, but after thinking a short moment, it made sense. He was currently in a small park, surrounded by a flat ground in all sides.
This meant that he couldn't hide at something during his escape. His back might as well be a target ring for the Inquisitors, and he'd rather avoid getting hit from behind. With this in mind, Abraham understood that a fight to the death was inevitable.
'My heart is rapidly beating. My muscles are tense. I can feel the hair on my skin tingling and standing up. This is my first time in an actual deadly situation without anyone to rely on other than myself.'
'But why... For some reason, I feel excited.' He wondered if he got Laplace's madness during their nightly interactions. Especially when he was becoming excited at the thought of fighting.
Abraham took a deep breath and calm his heart. He then closed his eyelids and listened carefully to his surroundings. Steps echoed inside his mind, and when it got louder, his gaze sharpened while he held his revolver tightly.
It was time.
In one instance, Abraham kicked through the crackled window of the Humvee and rolled to the side. After standing up and regaining his stance, he turned his gaze towards the two Magus who caused his vehicle to flip over.
Squinting his eyes, he pointed the revolver at them and fired.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Bullets pierced through the air and impacted at the defensive barriers of the Inquisitors. The winds bellowed while thunderous gunshots sang. Noticing the ineffectiveness of his revolver, Abraham turned his attention to the gunner of the Humvee.
The gunner was lucky to have gotten inside the military vehicle before it flipped over. Otherwise, he would have been a mush of flesh splattered along the grassy landscape.
At any rate, what Abraham was interested at was the weapon of the gunner, a 50. caliber machine gun. It had already proven its effectiveness during his earlier escape, so it must prove itself once again at this moment.
*Crackle!* Lightning bolts struck the Humvee, causing electricity to crackle in the air. Abraham stepped nearer to the machine gun and held it tightly between his fingers. He inspected its ammunition and its barrel, making sure that it wasn't skewered before he used it.
The short inspection ended with no problems in the machine gun. Abraham sighed in relief while a fireball flew beside him, bringing about another explosion.
*BOOM!*
"Reveal yourself heretic, and accept your end. Be honored to be killed by the Inquisitors, the grace of the Sovereigns." An arrogance voice resounded from one of the Inquisitors.
Abraham merely frown since no one would like to have explosions and fireballs thrown at them. He silently glanced at them and determined their positions.
After some thoughts inside his mind, he emerged from the side of the Humvee with the machine gun's barrel pointed at the Inquisitors. At first, they thought he would be shooting his puny gun at them.
But now, the thing that was pointed at them was not puny at all. It was the one that almost broke their defensive spells.
Before they could react, Abraham pulled the trigger and began blasting the entirety of the remaining ammunition to the two Inquisitors.
*BBRRRRRRrrrrrtttt!*
Their shields kept up at first, but it couldn't handle the rain of 50. caliber lead. Following a couple of cracks, the Inquisitor's defensive shields broke apart like mirror and the Inquisitors faced the unending torrent of bullets.
In a split second, dozens of holes riddled throughout their bodies as they fell backward with a thud.