Within the port, it was common knowledge that it belonged to the Veneziale gang, and those with enough influence to challenge them were well aware that it was actually under the dominion of her lord, Magitek. His recent exploits had sent shockwaves through the mage community of the Tessia Kingdom.
Consequently, no one dared to meddle with them. Should anyone have the audacity to attack, Daniel always prepared for the worst-case scenario. He believed that their assailants would likely be powerful mages or formidable beings from the Curtained World. Thus, he and Penthesilea had devised a protocol for the port's inhabitants, directing them to seek refuge in the safety bunkers they had constructed. The most powerful individual in the base would then emerge to address the threat—which, at present, was none other than Penthesilea herself.
After hearing Penthesilea's inquiry about mages, the invaders exchanged glances and burst into mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! Babe, are you high or something? We've got an eighth-grader here!" One of the invaders jeered, joining in the laughter with his comrades.
(A/N: eighth-grader or eighth-grader syndrome or Chunibyo as we know it. It is used to describe individuals, typically adolescents, who display a heightened sense of self-importance, fantasy, and imagination, often involving extravagant delusions or role-playing. Since this novel's alternate world Japan has become Isolationist, they don't have anime culture. The one who has it is their neighbor, Korea.)
Penthesilea was taken aback for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Sigh... I see. It appears I didn't consider the possibility that some imbecile might choose to attack this place due to their sheer stupidity," she remarked, rubbing her temples as if experiencing a slight headache from her oversight. Naturally, she didn't even think to blame her lord, Daniel, since he had assigned her as the director of this location and she needed to meet his expectations.
"Hey! Who the hell are you calling idiots? Bi—" The same loudmouthed invader roared before his words were abruptly cut off, along with his head, which flew to the side.
The invaders turned their attention to Penthesilea. She still stood in the same spot, but her spear was raised slightly. Deep down, they knew that the woman before them had just decapitated one of their own, yet they hadn't noticed or even felt the slightest movement of wind or dust. They found themselves baffled by this unexplainable situation, and the primal fear of the unknown began to grip their hearts.
"This is a waste of time," Penthesilea muttered. Her spear remained poised in her hand, its blade long and sharp enough to sever things far more durable than a human neck. Her stance shifted, and her small buckler expanded, emitting a thick blue glow of mana shield.
"But since I'm already here..." Penthesilea's stance shifted once more, as if preparing to lunge toward them. "Let's make it quick. I have a meeting in the morning."
Fwip!
Penthesilea's body suddenly vanished, and in the next moment, she reappeared at the flank of the invaders. Her spear spun around with lightning speed, cutting through the group of invaders in the area, reducing them to pieces. Before their blood even had a chance to splatter, she vanished once again, only to appear at another flank, swiftly claiming the lives of more than ten invaders in an instant.
"Fuck! Fire! Fire! Kill her!" One of the invaders shouted in a panicked frenzy, and the sound of gunfire erupted rapidly.
The invaders fired their weapons in random directions, desperately trying to hit their elusive target. Whenever Penthesilea reappeared, those with the quickest reflexes turned toward her and unleashed a hail of bullets.
Some of the bullets were blocked by the energy shield strapped to her left arm, causing no harm, but more often than not, she would vanish before they could even pull the trigger. In their panicked state, many of their own comrades fell victim to friendly fire, killed or injured by the bullets intended for Penthesilea.
Each time she appeared, chaos erupted, and numerous lives of the invaders were claimed. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse, where the cat fired at the mouse, but the mouse reaped more than ten lives with each appearance, turning the tide in its favor.
A minute passed, and hundreds of invaders lay dead or injured. Now, Penthesilea stood, gazing at the last remaining invader who still held a gun with depleted bullets. She spared him because he was the only one who hadn't engaged in trash talk and had remained serious from the moment he appeared in the port's surveillance network.
His bullets always hit their mark if he could react in time. If not for her shield, her head might have been shot. But even if her head were to be hit, her blessings would prevent any injury, as the gun in his hand was just a mortal weapon.
"Heh... so, is this the end?" the man uttered before Penthesilea's spearfoot descended upon his head, knocking him unconscious.
"You all can come out. Capture anyone that survived," Penthesilea commanded, her voice resonating with authority.
Suddenly, the space surrounding the battleground distorted, and sleek figures in power suits, both male and female, appeared. They walked towards the injured invaders, lying in their own pools of blood but still clinging to life. They administered stabilization injections, putting their bodies into a state of stasis, preventing them from succumbing to death.
While her people are working on her order, Penthesilea then walks toward the hiding spot of the invader that chooses to hide and not fight. She's walking toward the hiding spot of the one who seems to notice their surveillance network and the invisible guard that are guarding the port 24/7.
Penthesilea halted in front of a large dumpster.
"Come out, or I'll have my people dump the trash into a running garbage grinder along with you," she called out, her voice carrying a firm threat.
"Okay! Okay! Please, Miss, don't do anything rash. I'll come out," the man pleaded, opening the dumpster lid and discarding his gun before slowly emerging, his hands raised to show he wanted no trouble.
As the man stepped out, Penthesilea's expression soured, detecting the unwanted stench that clung to his body from the dumpster. Without hesitation, she brought down the shaft of her spear onto the man's head.
"Wait...," the man attempted to protest, but his consciousness faded after a solid bonk from Penthesilea's spear shaft.
At that moment, the Atlantean Vanguard in their hulking red power armor emerged from the secret base, securing the perimeter with their iconic large heavy machine guns, capable of shredding tank armor to pieces. Meanwhile, those in sleek power suits worked diligently to capture any remaining individuals in hiding.
<The Beautiful song of a Korean drama Ringtone sound >
As, the ringtone of a beautiful Korean drama song filled the air, interrupting their activities. The Atlantean Vanguard and invisible guards immediately halted their tasks and turned towards the source of the sound. There stood their iron-willed director, Penthesilea, as she answered the call on her phone.
"What!?" Penthesilea inquired with a piercing glare, prompting everyone to swiftly resume their work before engaging in the conversation with the caller.
"Yes? This is Penthesilea speaking," she began the conversation.
At that moment, the roar of engines filled the air once again as reinforcements from the invaders arrived. However, they were met with a relentless storm of bullets from the heavy machine gun, its power capable of shredding tank armor, let alone their pickup trucks and armored vehicles.
RataRataRataRataRataRataRata!!!!
The sound of the bullet storm, along with the agonizing screams of the invaders and the distant explosions, penetrated the phone, alerting Luciano, the caller from the Veneziale gang, to the ongoing battle.
"Sorry, you're in the midst of a battle," Luciano acknowledged.
Penthesilea smirked before responding in a nonchalant manner, "Heh... Don't worry, it's no big deal... What? All of your locations got attacked? Okay, I'll send my people over to help... Ah, don't worry, just help me call the cleanup crew and contact the Syndicate Union to find out who these idiots are. I want to know who directed them at us. Alright... just send me the coordinates of all your places."
Penthesilea promised Luciano before ending the call, swiftly receiving all the coordinates of the Veneziale gang's business locations from him. She promptly forwarded them to Maria, who served as her operator and coordinator within the secret base, and then made another call.
"Maria, can you assemble several teams to help at the coordinates I sent you? Yeah... the Veneziale gang got hit by some idiots... I don't know who they are either. By the way, where is that lazy-ass werewolf!?... What!? He's on vacation!? We've been attacked and he's on a goddamn vacation!? Oh... right, I'm the one who approved his vacation application two days ago... Sorry for venting on you," Penthesilea conversed with Maria briefly, promising to grant her a well-deserved long vacation as an apology before ending the call.
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