Yuto kept both guns raised, one eye locked on the ridge, the other glancing at Rin.
"You know them?" he asked quietly.
"No," Rin said fast, her eyes wide. "I don't recognize their robes. And they're floating. That's not normal."
"Good to know floating's still rare."
The six figures hovered just above the ground, their robes rippling without wind. Their hoods were deep, faces hidden behind flat white masks. Each mask had a single glowing rune burned into the forehead, different on every one—none of them familiar.
Yuto narrowed his eyes. "They're not talking. That's a bad sign."
"Very bad," Rin whispered. "They're charging spells."
"I figured."
The air vibrated—like the sound before thunder, but sharper, tighter.
The figure in the center raised both hands. Between them, a glowing red circle formed, spinning faster than Yuto had ever seen from any spell.
"I don't think they're interested in conversation," Yuto said.
"No one starts with a tier-four fire seal if they are."
"Tier-four?"
"Bad. Very bad."
Yuto clicked his tongue, stepped forward just enough to clear Rin from his line of fire, and lowered the SMG slightly.
"Let's see how much they like bullets."
The masked figures all moved at once.
Hands up. Spells launched.
Blue bolts. Red spirals. Crackling orbs.
All six at once.
"Down!" Yuto shouted.
He grabbed Rin and pulled her behind a broken column as six magical blasts exploded against the ruin. Heat and shock rippled through the air. Dust choked the sky. The ground shook beneath their feet.
"That was just their opener?" Rin gasped. "We'll be ash in two more."
Yuto tapped the side of his gun. "Not if I move first."
Rin looked up. "You're not seriously—?"
"I am."
"But there's six of them!"
"And they're all used to enemies chanting before they fight," Yuto said. "Let's see how they react to recoil."
He moved out of cover in a flash, SMG raised.
The first masked mage didn't even turn fast enough.
Yuto opened fire.
TRRRRRT.
The burst cut across the mage's chest—energy bolts slicing straight through the robe. The figure staggered, then collapsed in midair, hitting the ground hard.
The rest of the group reacted instantly, forming new sigils in front of them.
Yuto didn't stop. He weaved right, swapped to pistol mid-run, and fired two shots at the next one.
CRACK. CRACK.
One missed. One clipped the mask. It didn't kill—but the mage flinched, spell breaking.
The remaining four split into pairs, rotating into position.
Rin peeked over the rubble. "They're adapting fast!"
"Let them!"
One of the mages hurled a green spike at Yuto. He slid under it, shotgun already in hand. Closed distance. Fired point-blank.
BOOM.
The blast knocked the mage out of the air like a ragdoll.
"Three down," Yuto muttered. "Halfway."
A loud chant rose from the back.
He turned too late.
A sphere of golden fire smashed into the ground near him and exploded.
The shockwave sent him flying backwards into a stone wall. His vision flashed white. His gunarm scraped across rock. Pain lit up his side.
"Yuto!" Rin screamed.
He coughed once, rolled over, and groaned. "Okay… I'll give them that one."
His system buzzed in his head.
> [ SYSTEM WARNING: Energy Below 40%. Auto-recharge Slowed. Suggest Tactical Retreat. ]
Yuto looked at the mages regrouping above. They floated in a perfect triangle now, one casting, two shielding, one watching.
"I hate organized magic users," he muttered.
Rin ran to his side, staff glowing. "You okay?"
"Mostly."
"They're trying to pin us."
"I noticed."
"I have a wide-range wind spell, but it takes time to charge."
"How long?"
"Seven seconds."
"That's forever."
"I know!"
Yuto grit his teeth. "Alright. I'll stall them. You charge."
"You sure?"
"I've got five rounds left in the shotgun, ten in the SMG. If they don't kill me in the next seven seconds, they'll wish they did."
Rin nodded, raised her staff, and began chanting low and fast.
Yuto stepped forward again, wiped blood from his lip, and exhaled once.
"Round two," he whispered.
The mages fired again—this time alternating. One left, one right. Trying to herd him.
Yuto didn't let them.
He dashed straight forward. Fast. Erratic.
They aimed low. He went high. Leapt onto a fallen beam, pushed off, landed behind their shield line.
They turned too slow.
He fired the SMG in a tight spiral, not to kill—but to disrupt.
One mage dropped his staff. Another flinched.
He rolled through and fired the shotgun at close range—BOOM—sending a shield caster crashing into the dirt.
One left turned toward him, hands glowing red.
Yuto aimed both guns at once.
But the spell never landed.
Because Rin's voice rose above them all.
"Wind tear—Release!"
The sky roared.
A wave of silver wind crashed through the ruin like a tidal wave.
The remaining mages were swept up and hurled back into the trees. Branches snapped. Stone cracked.
Silence followed.
Dust settled again.
Yuto looked at her slowly. "That… was dramatic."
She walked over, panting. "It was a tier-three spell."
"You just said seven seconds ago that was hard to cast."
"Only when I don't have a reason to panic."
He laughed once—then coughed. "Fair."
He glanced around. "They're not dead."
"No. Just scattered."
"You think they'll be back?"
"Definitely."
He looked at the SMG in his hand. The red lights still glowed.
The system pinged again.
> [ Combat Performance Logged – Efficiency Rating: 74% ]
[ Suggestion: Upgrade Path "Mobile Marksman" Available at Level 4 ]
[ Passive Skill Detected: "Quick Switch" – Weapon change speed doubled ]
Yuto raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a reward I like."
Rin leaned on her staff. "What did you just do?"
"Nothing."
"You smiled like you just got stronger."
"I did."
"Figures."
Before either of them could say more, a new voice echoed from behind the trees.
"Hold position!"
It was a soldier's voice. Clear. Commanding.
Yuto turned sharply.
Rin cursed under her breath. "Not them…"
A line of armored knights emerged from the forest—half a dozen, maybe more. Their chestplates bore a silver flame insignia. The one in front had a red cape and a curved blade at his side.
The man shouted again. "Step away from the ruins!"
Yuto raised his shotgun.
Rin grabbed his wrist fast. "Don't."
"Why?"
"That's the Flamewatch."
"Should I be impressed?"
"They don't ask questions. They assume guilt."
Yuto looked at the line of armored figures—now encircling them slowly.
He muttered under his breath.
"Perfect. More people with no idea what a gun is."
The soldiers of the Flamewatch spread out in a half-circle, shields forward, blades half-drawn. Their red cloaks moved slowly behind them, heavy with dust and authority. None of them rushed, and that made it worse. They didn't see Yuto as a threat—yet. But they were ready to become violent the moment someone gave them a reason.
The man in the red cape stepped forward. Older than the others. Beard trimmed short. His helmet rested under his arm, revealing sharp eyes and a cold stare that scanned Yuto like a hawk watching for movement.
"You two," he said, voice even but loud enough to carry across the ruin, "drop your weapons. Now."
Rin took one step back. "Captain Darvos," she whispered. "We're in trouble."
"Friend of yours?" Yuto asked quietly.
"No. He's the Flamewatch captain assigned to this region. Strict. Smart. And he hates anything outside his control."
Yuto didn't lower his guns.
Darvos noticed. "I said put them down."
Yuto spoke loud enough to be heard. "These aren't weapons you can pick up after. If I drop them, they might react."
"React?" Darvos repeated. "Are you threatening my men?"
"No. I'm explaining what happens when unstable energy releases mid-combat reset."
Darvos narrowed his eyes. "Speak plainly."
"I don't know what you've been told," Yuto said, "but we were attacked first. Six masked spellcasters—hostile, no insignia, no warning. They tried to kill us. We defended ourselves."
One of the younger knights stepped forward. "There were no reports of masked attackers."
Rin snapped, "That's because they're smart enough not to file paperwork after they throw fireballs!"
Darvos raised a hand. The knight fell back.
His eyes didn't leave Yuto. "That thing you're holding. It's not a relic. And it's not enchanted. What is it?"
"A tool," Yuto said.
Darvos gave a humorless smile. "Looks like a weapon."
"A tool can be both."
"Where did you find it?"
"I didn't. It found me."
Darvos didn't like that answer.
He stepped closer, slowly.
"Let me guess," he said, "you're just a traveler. Just happened to stumble into a forbidden ruin. Just happened to carry an unknown artifact powerful enough to shatter stone."
"That's right," Yuto replied calmly. "And I just happened to stop six people from turning this whole forest into a bonfire."
Darvos looked at Rin. "You vouch for him?"
"I was here. He saved my life."
"He could have caused this."
"He didn't."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
Darvos turned to one of his knights. "Recover the mask fragments. Search for mana residue. If she's lying—"
"I'm not," Rin snapped.
Another knight stepped closer, hand moving toward Yuto's weapon. "We'll need to examine that too."
Yuto took one step back.
"Don't touch it."
"You refusing inspection?" the knight asked.
Yuto's voice stayed calm. "I'm telling you I don't know how it'll react to someone else's mana. That includes yours."
Darvos watched carefully. "So you admit it's bound to you."
"I don't admit anything. I'm trying to avoid unnecessary damage."
One of the knights whispered, "Captain… what if it's a cursed item?"
Darvos didn't respond right away. His eyes locked on Yuto's again.
"I've seen cursed weapons before," he said. "They whisper. They twist. They bleed magic."
He pointed at Yuto's shotgun.
"That thing doesn't do any of that. It just kills."
"That's all it needs to do," Yuto said.
"Then it's worse."
Yuto sighed. "You can't arrest every sharp thing you don't understand."
"I can detain every person who walks out of a sealed ruin with an unregistered threat."
Rin stepped between them. "He didn't do anything wrong."
Darvos looked at her. "Then let him prove it. Let us take the weapon. For study. For peace of mind."
"No," Yuto said.
"You refuse?"
"I don't hand over my lifeline to people I don't trust."
Darvos gave a small nod. "Then you'll come with us. Both of you."
Rin whispered to Yuto, "If we go with them, they'll lock us in the Flamewatch tower. You won't get that weapon back. You'll never leave."
"I figured."
"Then what do we do?"
Yuto looked around quickly. Distance to the forest: about thirty meters. Distance to the knights: maybe fifteen. Too close to run without getting surrounded. Not enough time to plan a clean escape. Not without chaos.
He spoke low. "I can give us a path. But it's going to be loud."
"You mean shoot your way out?"
"Not exactly."
She didn't answer. Just waited.
Then the knight nearest to them made a mistake.
He reached.
Yuto reacted instantly.
He fired the SMG—not at the knight, but at the ground near his feet.
The blast of energy shattered stone and kicked up dust like a mini explosion.
Smoke burst upward. Visibility gone.
"Now!" Yuto shouted.
He grabbed Rin's arm and ran.
The knights shouted. Blades unsheathed. Someone yelled "He's resisting!"
Rin chanted a wind burst and launched them forward faster than human sprinting.
Yuto fired once to the left, once to the right—not to hit, just to scatter the knights.
A flash of magic flew past them.
A blade nicked Yuto's shoulder. He didn't stop.
They dove into the trees.
Branches smacked against them. Roots threatened to trip them.
Behind, shouting. Orders. Steel. Pursuit.
"You know where you're going?" Rin gasped as they ran.
"No clue," Yuto replied.
"Perfect!"
Another blast hit a tree just behind them, sending bark flying.
"They're trying to mark us!" she said. "Spell-tracking tags! If they hit us, we won't be able to hide!"
"Then we don't let them hit!"
The system pinged in his head.
> [ ALERT: PURSUIT IN PROGRESS – FLAMEWATCH KNIGHTS ]
[ ADVICE: TACTICAL OBSTRUCTION REQUIRED ]
[ SUGGESTION: Deploy New Skill – "Repulsor Round" ]
Yuto blinked. "Wait—I unlocked that?"
> [ Skill Ready: Repulsor Round – Shotgun Only – Heavy knockback, area force-blast. 1 Use Remaining. ]
"Rin," he said, breath short, "on my mark, duck low."
"What?"
"Just do it!"
They reached a bend in the trail.
Yuto spun, aimed the shotgun behind him, and pulled the trigger.
BOOM.
The blast didn't hit anyone—it hit the air.
A wave of force slammed outward like a wall. Trees bent. Knights staggered back. Spell tags shattered in mid-air.
Rin hit the ground just as leaves exploded overhead.
When the light cleared, the knights were out of view.
Yuto turned, breathing hard. "That bought us time."
She stood slowly. "How long?"
"Minutes. If that."
They ran again. No more words. Just footfalls and breath.
Then, up ahead, something glowed.
A flickering pillar of light, like a beacon trapped in the trees.
Rin saw it first. "What is that?"
"No idea," Yuto said.
Then the system chimed one more time.
> [ UNKNOWN SIGNAL DETECTED – MATCHING CORE RESONANCE – POSSIBLE SAFE ZONE OR SYSTEM NODE ]
[ INVESTIGATE: YES / NO ]
Yuto didn't stop running.
He just muttered, "We're out of choices."
And headed straight for the light.