Just as Rory Mercury was about to counterattack, and as Raiga and Yasuhiro prepared to join the fray—
Suddenly, from afar, a surge of snow-white cold swept in like a tide, freezing only the World Government's soldiers, tanks, and vehicles in its path.
Raiga and Yuki Yasuhiro's expressions hardened at once.
Among them, Yasuhiro—himself versed in ice techniques—immediately turned toward the oncoming blizzard.
He clasped his hands before him.
At the same time, pale blue chakra burst from his body like a raging flame.
The power of his bloodline limit flared outward under the flow of chakra.
Before everyone's eyes, countless ice crystals condensed from the air.
The crystals fused together rapidly, becoming massive slabs of frost.
In the blink of an eye, a semi-transparent wall of ice mirrors, towering 5 to 6 meters high, glittered brilliantly under the blazing sun.
[Rumble—]
The next second, the surging cold struck the ice mirror wall.
[Crack… crack!]
At once, fissures spread across the crystalline surface, visible to the naked eye.
Yasuhiro's face darkened.
Fortunately, the gale lost much of its force, and the wall did not completely shatter in the end.
Meanwhile—
With that wall of ice as a dividing line, the entire battlefield of Alnus Hill split into two realms.
Before it lay a frozen wasteland: tents, soldiers, and vehicles encased in ice. Behind it, the soil remained normal.
Only, beneath the blazing sun overhead, a chilling wind still swept endlessly across the field.
"Seiji, Kazushi—you're in charge of capturing this woman. Yasuhiro and I will confront the enemy!"
Letting the cold wind lash his face, Raiga narrowed his eyes and issued his orders swiftly.
"Yes, Captain!"
Across from them, Rory Mercury could not understand their words.
But when she saw Raiga and Yuki Yasuhiro suddenly break away, leaving Kaguya Kazushi and Seiji behind, she grasped their intentions.
Truth be told, she felt belittled.
Yet in her heart she knew—against all four together, she likely stood little chance.
Just that ice magic alone, displayed a moment ago…
By the standards of Rondel, the City of Magic, this was at least at the level of a Master's degree—the mark of a highly accomplished mage.
At the same time, Rory quickly discerned who among the four was the leader.
It was that man with the exceptionally thick eyebrows, wielding two strange swords in his hands.
That meant his strength had to be the greatest of them all!
But since he had already left, Rory felt a significant weight lifted from her shoulders.
"So my opponents now are that tall brute who uses 'bone magic,' and that pale-faced one whose magic I've yet to see…"
Rory Mercury's eyes swept over Kaguya Kazushi and Seiji as she thought to herself.
...
[Swish! Swish!]
Two black afterimages tore through the air, appearing one after the other before Lelei and Cato.
Meanwhile, Itami Yōji—the supposed "protagonist"—remained behind them, still crouched before the body of the general of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
Aside from this—
Around Itami Yōji stood ten soldiers in green camouflage uniforms and tactical vests, each carrying a Type 64 automatic rifle.
Two women and eight men, all members of the Third Reconnaissance Team.
"Who are you people? Why are you attacking us?!"
Itami Yōji rose to his feet and shouted, his voice loud with authority.
But Raiga only gave him a single glance before losing all interest, turning his cold gaze instead on Cato and Lelei, the two staff-wielding magicians.
He was mulling over just who had conjured that wave of icy air earlier.
In the end, he guessed it must have been the old man.
That short-haired, blue-haired girl simply looked far too young.
"Tch. Another language barrier. What a damn nuisance."
Raiga muttered irritably under his breath.
Beside him, Yuki Yasuhiro gave a nod of agreement.
At this moment, the value of Louise became all the more obvious.
At least for the current World Government, her role truly was vital.
"Forget it. We'll just take them down first. The old man's mine, the girl's yours."
As captain, Raiga swiftly assigned their targets.
The words had scarcely left his lips when a fierce glint flashed from the corner of his eyes. In his hands, the Lightning Blades suddenly burst into crackling blue lightning.
He plunged the two radiant, lightning-wreathed blades into the frozen earth before him.
At once, thick serpents of electricity surged outward, racing toward Cato, Lelei, and Itami Yōji.
Yet Lelei simply raised her hand, and before her materialized a shimmering multicolored barrier. It effortlessly blocked every lightning serpent that came surging in.
Seeing this, Raiga and Yasuhiro frowned.
"It looks like some kind of barrier technique. But for this little girl to cast it instantly… and with that kind of strength…"
Yasuhiro spoke in a low voice.
What they didn't expect was that Lelei could understand their words.
Over the past few months, with her outstanding learning ability, she had essentially mastered Japanese.
She could already converse normally with the Self-Defense Force soldiers.
So naturally, she understood Raiga and Yasuhiro's exchange—though their accent sounded a bit strange.
Itami Yōji, however, was utterly shaken. His heart raced as he thought:
Japan… has magicians too?!
With that, he stepped forward and raised his voice, righteous and stern: "Answer my question! My name is Itami Yōji, Second Lieutenant of the Ground Self-Defense Force. Who exactly are you, and why are you attacking us?!"
Hearing this, Yasuhiro glanced at Raiga and asked, "Captain, if this guy can communicate with that girl, then we should be able to speak with her too. Want to try saying something?"
Raiga ran through the possibilities in his mind, then raised his voice to reply to Itami Yōji: "We are ninjas under the World Government. We came here through another 'Gate,' into the 'Nuclear World'—the world your Japan belongs to!"
"Your entire country has already been occupied by our forces. In time, the whole world will be conquered—this so-called 'Special Region' of yours included!"
Raiga then turned his gaze on Lelei and Cato, assuming the old mage could also understand his words.
"Would the two of you be willing to come with us? We are very curious about the magic of this world."
Lelei showed little reaction, only translating his words softly to her teacher.
But Itami Yōji, and the Self-Defense Force soldiers within several dozen meters were all left utterly dumbstruck, staring in shock.
Panic swept through them.
Itami Yōji's mind raced.
Of course, he wanted to doubt Raiga's words. But unless they could return to Japan, there was no way to verify them.
What to do… what to do…
At last, inspiration struck him. He bent down close to Cato and whispered: "Master Cato, can we beat them? I mean… is there any chance you could get us back to Japan to see for ourselves?"
Though Itami had said "we," everyone knew what he really meant was "can you do it?"
"We'll only know if we try. Judging from the strength of that lightning spell just now, his power has already reached the level of a 'Doctor.' Stronger still, and he might be able to shatter Lelei's barrier. Which means his overall ability is likely even greater."
Calmly stroking his beard, Cato spoke unhurriedly.
"The real question is—how many of their side possess this level of strength? If they have more than ten such individuals, then we withdraw."
"Ten?!"
At these words, Itami Yōji, and the others behind him all lit up with joy.
As for the enemy's conventional troops, no one even bothered to bring them up.
After all, Lelei's earlier display—freezing the battlefield with a single spell—had already proven that these modern soldiers, even with tanks and armored vehicles, were no match for magicians of this caliber.
"Should we fight our way back, Itami?"
Lelei's beautiful sapphire eyes turned toward this extraordinary man.
"Fight!"
"Even if we can't return to Japan for now, we'll drive them back first—then find a way to seal the Gate!"
Itami Yōji thought to himself that if these two magicians couldn't stand against the so-called World Government, then they would find a way to recruit more magicians for help.
As for the Empire—he had no expectations of them at all. Too weak.
"I understand."
Seeing Itami Yōji's resolve, Lelei turned her head and calmly fixed her gaze on Raiga and Yasuhiro.
"Itami's words, you should understand. So I'll ask you to leave on your own—otherwise, I cannot guarantee you won't be harmed next."
"Hehehehe, what arrogance!"
Raiga burst out laughing.
"In that case, enough talk. Show me your magic!"
Raiga roared, the Lightning Blades in his hands once again blazing with bright blue lightning.
[Bang!]
In an instant, chakra burst from beneath his feet.
At a speed almost beyond comprehension, his figure shot forth like a bolt of lightning.
Meanwhile, Yasuhiro began forming hand seals rapidly in front of him.
On the other side, Lelei only raised her sapphire staff, its wavelike shape gleaming in her hands.
High overhead, dazzling circles of violet light began to form one after another.
In the next moment, streams of violet projectiles shot forth from the circles with ear-splitting whistles, pouring down in an endless barrage.
In the blink of an eye, the sky itself became a storm of bullets.
"What—?!"
Raiga's face twisted as he darted forward at high speed.
Pouring more chakra into his body, he pressed the hilts of the Lightning Blades.
In the next instant, radiant arcs of lightning enveloped his entire form.
Raiga charged headlong into the rain of violet projectiles, spinning the conjoined Lightning Blades in a blur.
Suddenly, from the whirling blades erupted a colossal dragon of lightning, its body vast and coiled, its eyes burning crimson, its form entirely woven from thunder itself.
"ROAR!!!"
The thunder dragon bellowed, its long cry splitting the sky, and it slammed head-on into the torrential barrage.
[BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!]
Explosions tore through the battlefield in rapid succession, deafening and relentless.
When the field finally stilled, everyone saw the sight before them—
Raiga lay collapsed at Lelei's feet, less than 20 centimeters away.
Though not completely unconscious, his violently trembling body left him unable to move.
"How… how is this possible?"
Yasuhiro froze in shock, his hands stopping mid-seal.
"I cannot allow you to harm my adorable student."
Pressing down the brim of his wizard's hat, Cato looked coldly down at Raiga.
At his side, Lelei gazed at her teacher in a daze.
Was this truly the same lecherous, unreliable old man she knew?
"Lelei, you dislike killing. But a combat magician cannot live without killing. So today, let me give you this lesson—kill him, Lelei."
Hearing Master Cato's words, Lelei lowered her head in thought for a moment.
Then she softly replied, "He must know a great many things. We should keep him alive, at least until we learn what Itami wishes to know."
Cato shook his head helplessly.
It sounded reasonable, but he knew it was also her way of avoiding the act of killing.
Ah, well. She was only fifteen. Better to wait until she was older.
"Very well. But as for the others—no need to keep them."
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