Gunmage
Chapter 63: Armored chase

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Armored chase

Boom!

A vehicle slammed into a wall, sending bricks and dust flying into the air. It powered through the impact, barely losing speed despite the crumpling metal and shattering glass.

The armored truck continued its reckless charge without regard for the damage it sustained.

"You’re right! This is fun!"

The priestess cackled, yanking the wheel into a hard left turn. The vehicle tilted dangerously, two of its wheels lifting off the ground before slamming back onto the dirt-streaked pavement.

Lugh was thrown off his feet. Again.

"Xhi, slow down! You’ll kill us all!"

His voice was barely audible over the roar of the engine, the clamor of gunfire, and the deafening explosions erupting all around them.

Two armored vehicles tore through the streets at full speed, pursued relentlessly by Heieg’s armored units.

"Lugh, focus!"

Lugh barely had a moment to recover before Renshaw’s voice barked from the back. The rear of the vehicle was wide open, exposing a clear view of their pursuers.

Lugh gritted his teeth, readjusted the machine gun, and held down the trigger.

The weapon spat out fiery-hot lead, devouring the belts of bullets as they tore into the windshield of the armored vehicle behind them.

The reinforced glass cracked under the onslaugh, then shattered. Bullets punched through, shredding the driver inside.

The vehicle veered off-course, crashing into a building in a plume of dust and debris.

But the others remained hot on their tail, engines howling in pursuit.

The world blurred around Lugh as Xhi pushed the vehicle beyond its limits, weaving through the war-torn city with terrifying speed.

Lugh barely had time to breathe before the vehicle went airborne, jumping over a flight of stairs.

His stomach lurched as weightlessness took hold, then came the painful crash as he slammed into the floor. He barely managed to haul himself up before unleashing another burst of gunfire.

Then, he turned back. Only to see the priestess grinning with wild ecstasy, her ocean blue eyes filled with thrill.

Ahead, a group of Heieg’s soldiers were too slow to move. The vehicle trembled violently as it plowed through them, its momentum barely interrupted.

A sickening crunch filled the air before they left behind a scene of torn bodies and pooling blood.

"Xhi, slow down!"

They shouted, but she wasn’t listening.

"Goddammit!"

Lugh cursed.

In the other vehicle, struggling to keep up, Lyra remained safe, an infuriating contrast to their current predicament.

She had suggested that Xhi take the wheel, a decision that Lugh was now convinced had been a mistake.

He had assumed the priestess would access piloting memories from one of her puppets, but either none had experience driving, or she simply hadn’t bothered to check.

There was another, far more likely possibility. She had read them and was deliberately acting insane.

Considering they should have died ten times over by now, he strongly suspected the latter.

Just as he was starting to feel a twisted sense of security, an armored tank cut in front of them, blocking the street.

"Slow down!"

He yelled.

Xhi slammed the brakes, but it was too late. Lugh barely had time to react.

"^@#@^&*!"

"Freeze!"

His command rang out, laced with magic.

The truck crashed into the blockade with a violent impact, its rear end lifting nearly ninety degrees into the air.

For a terrifying moment, it seemed as though it would flip, but somehow, miraculously, it slammed back down onto all four wheels. The engine let out a final, pitiful groan before falling completely silent.

Lugh’s command had prevented the worst outcome. Abruptly killing that much momentum would have drained his mana reserves dry, possibly knocking him unconscious.

Instead, he had opted for a precise, calculated effect. His words had rapidly cooled the overheating engine and turned the fuel into solid ice, ensuring that even if they crashed, they wouldn’t be engulfed in flames.

His magic was unlike conventional spells. Other than the direct abilities granted by the Mawglass, Lugh’s true power lay in his ability to command the phantoms, making his words a terrifying reality.

To an outsider, it would appear as though he was bending the world to his will with mere speech, an illusion of omnipotence.

But like all magic, it came with limitations and consequences.

The spell required an immense amount of mana, and overuse could cripple him. The larger the feat, the greater the toll.

Blocking out the light on a dark, moonless night took significantly less effort than attempting the same feat under the midday sun.

Theoretically, his magic could accomplish anything—if he had the fuel for it. But sustaining grand-scale commands was impossible.

Conversely, he could manipulate existing conditions to his advantage.

Instead of trying to create darkness in broad daylight, he could intensify a sunbeam to blind an opponent.

His power thrived on ingenuity, rewarding those who understood its nuances.

Lugh had spent six months honing this craft.

During that time, he realized how close he had come to death when he gave the order to burn the forest.

The entire place had been saturated with highly dense mana, amplifying spells tenfold, maybe even a hundredfold.

Replicating such an event in the outside world would be impossible. He had survived only because of the unique conditions at the time.

A sharp pain dragged him from his thoughts. His body ached, his ribs protesting with every breath. Darkness engulfed the inside of the ruined vehicle.

Renshaw and two other soldiers lay sprawled on the floor, their breathing shallow. One of them was completely still.

"Xhi"

Lugh muttered, forcing himself to stand. He yanked off his dented helmet and let it drop to the floor with a dull clang.

Staggering towards the driver’s seat, he found the priestess slumped over the steering wheel, motionless.

Lugh reached for her, pulling off her helmet. Her black hair cascaded down in a tangled mess, streaked with blood.

A deep gash ran down the side of her face, crimson trickling onto her clothes. Her eyes were shut.

Across Drakensmar, every single one of Xhi’s puppets had collapsed in unison, their bodies falling lifelessly to the ground like discarded marionettes. Whatever connection she had to them had been severed.

Lugh pressed two fingers against her neck. There was a faint, but steady pulse. She was alive.

Relief washed over him, but it was short-lived.

His puppet, stationed in the other armored vehicle, immediately relayed a message.

"We need h—they need help. Now."

Lyra understood instantly.

Engines roared in the distance. Footsteps pounded against the pavement, growing louder.

Shadows flickered against the ruined walls as soldiers in Heieg uniforms closed in, shouting in their native tongue.