Gunmage
Chapter 67: 1 v 3

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: 1 v 3

Lugh, who had been saturating his circuits with energy from the dead, steadied himself, his legs shaking as he forced his body to stand.

The battle had taken its toll, but what truly unsettled him was what he had witnessed.

Dimensional warping, magic of the highest caliber. She hadn’t dodged the bullets, she had phased through them. And most likely, she had done the same with the sword.

He couldn’t understand it. The farther a magical spell deviated from natural laws, the greater the toll on the user.

Yet she had done something so extreme repeatedly, acting as if she had dodged the bullets when in reality, she just slipped through them.

There had to be a trick to it. And even if Lugh couldn’t decipher it, he had just the tool for striking immaterial targets.

His grip on the invisible blade tightened as he pulled out the two enchanted daggers. To anyone else, it would seem like he had merely raised a single weapon.

Even he couldn’t perceive the second dagger, his right eye was acting up, blurring everything. But he knew it was there. That was all that mattered.

’Xhi, can you provide support?’

He asked.

"I’m unwilling to reveal more than I already have until we can confirm a way to kill her"

She replied.

"Until then, I’ll make do with this."

She drew out a standard-issue military knife.

Lugh nearly objected, but then he remembered the pendant she always kept on her. Frankly, Xhi wasn’t someone he should worry about.

He was the one in real danger.

Stripped of the Mawglass and its abilities, he had only one more command left for the phantoms before he was rendered completely invalid.

The effects of his previous command might have been particularly devastating, but the explosions hadn’t appeared out of thin air.

They had been fueled by the gunpowder, oil, and fuel products of the wrecked armored vehicles, reducing the strain on him significantly.

Lugh’s gaze flickered to Lyra. The enemy had only bothered to create an illusion when struck by the enchanted sword.

That meant the weapon posed a real threat to her. Lyra had noticed as well. In the next moment, she moved.

The woman mirrored her, not backing down. Her reinforced arms crackled with magic.

Lyra swung. They clashed in the middle. A blinding light flared, followed by an impact that sent them both skidding backward.

Lugh and Xhi charged in from the sides. He moved with cold efficiency, while she struck with fluid grace.

Two hands moved in an instant, blocking their attacks. A third slammed into Lugh’s chin, sending him tumbling. A fourth lashed out at Xhi, who evaded effortlessly.

Then, suddenly, there were two more of the woman.

Clones?

Lugh’s mind spun. Isn’t this a bit too much?

In a burst of motion, the copies attacked immediately, moving in sync with the original. A glowing hand shot for his head.

He raised his dagger and they collided violently. Using the impact, he leaped backward putting some distance between them. She pursued him with crazed aggression.

Lugh swiped his foot through the mud, splattering it across her eyes. He closed the distance and delivered a crushing kick to her knee.

The impact threw her leg back and she lost balance, taking advantage of the momentary lapse, he threw his physical dagger.

It swerved through the air—stabbing Xhi’s opponent in the back.

The shock sent the clone flying forward,causing it to disperse in the rain.

By now, his direct opponent had regained focus. She lunged at him, a magically enforced punch sent straight to his head.

He crossed his arms in defense. A dull thud echoed as lugh was thrown back, landing on the muddy ground. The impact rattled his bones, his hands vibrated in pain.

Pressing her advantage the clone charged at him with dreadful speed, aiming to finish the job.

But Lugh’s dagger was faster.

The blade spun through the air whistling sharply as its blue sheen cutting through the rain. It plunged through the second clone in the same manner it did the first.

The clone dispersed in a mist of rain, and Lugh caught the dagger in his grip. He stared at it for a brief moment, memories surfacing.

’What did I name this again? Ah, that’s right. Dain’

He jumped to his feet and observed the battle. Under the pouring sky, Xhi, Lyra, and the enemy clashed in a relentless struggle.

Sergeant Sparky wielded her blade with precision, fully displaying the swordsmanship she had honed for six months under the locals of the dark island.

She wasn’t a master, but she was more than skilled enough to hold her own.

This brutal close combat scrap wasn’t the kind of magical duel Lugh had imagined. At the very least he could be grateful they weren’t fighting an elf.

That match would’ve ended in an instant.

Lugh raised his hand and hurled Dain. The blade whizzed through the air, aimed straight for the enemy’s head. She dodged, but with a flick of his wrist, he redirected it mid-flight.

She evaded again, but the momentary distraction was all Lyra needed. The enchantment on her sword flared, space distorting mid-swing.

The blade appeared from multiple angles, cutting through the rain.

This time, the strikes landed.

Several shallow wounds blossomed across the woman’s body. These weren’t illusions. A sharp exhale left her lips as she stomped down with force.

The ground cracked under the impact, the world trembling. Six more clones materialized from thin air, obstructing Lyra and Xhi as the main body shot straight for Lugh.

"Lugh! Run!"

He ignored the warning. With the inhuman speed she displayed, running would be pointless. He drew his pistol and fired twice. She didn’t even try to dodge. The bullets phased straight through her.

Right to the temple. Lugh predicted, shifting his head aside. The punch grazed past. He retaliated with a jab of his own. She caught his wrist but he wasn’t deterred.

Twisting his body, he sent a roundhouse to the midsection.

The impact made her recoil in pain, but she didn’t let go. Her free hand wrapped around his leg the moment it connected.

She pulled him in and slammed her forehead into his face.

His vision swam. Blood streamed freely from his nose.

"So young"

She murmured. Her voice was soft, almost affectionate.

"So skillful... so beautiful."

Her fingers tightened around his throat.

"Ah, why did you have to be born a wretched human?"

Lugh clawed at her arm, but she held firm. Her grip was unbreakable. His airflow was cut off. Behind them, Xhi and Lyra were still struggling against the clones.

His vision blurred, darkness slowly creeping into the edges of his vision