Chapter 304: Hitchcock (4)

Hitchcock (4)

"Ugh!"

Paul and Jeremy deployed their auras and gripped their respective weapons.

Demons were inherently more familiar with aura than humans. Unlike humans, they could utilize aura from birth.

'It's okay. He's human. It won't be completely ineffective!'

Paul broke out in a cold sweat observing Frondier, but he made a rational judgment.

Frondier had just felt dizzy and lost his balance. If it hadn't affected him at all, he wouldn't have shown such a reaction.

Whatever trick he used, he must be suffering from the effects of Mana depletion. There was no doubt about it.

"How dare you, a mere human!"

However, it was Jeremy who acted first.

Unfurling his wings, Jeremy shot towards Frondier.

Demons could conceal their wings, which meant they could also use them to channel their aura.

Wings imbued with aura could navigate the air faster and more freely.

Just like now, wings were effective when charging towards an enemy.

"Die!"

The weapon Jeremy swung down from above was a curved sword.

Frondier meticulously observed the weapon until the very moment Jeremy drew the sword and struck.

Clang!

Jeremy's blade was blocked by the Obsidian. Frondier's gaze remained unwavering.

"...It's not an Artifact."

"!"

Frondier muttered quietly, sending a chill down Jeremy's spine as he hurriedly retrieved his sword.

Sensing genuine curiosity, Frondier asked,

"Where's that air gun you showed me earlier?"

"...Air gun?"

"The weapon you attached under your palm that shot wind."

The item Elodie used to annihilate the demons she had bound with magic. That was what Frondier called the air gun.

"...This sword is enough for you."

Jeremy avoided answering. Frondier tilted his head.

"Hmm, alright."

He raised his right hand, and

Fwoosh!

Instantly, he created the 'air gun' that Jeremy had been using.

"I'll see for myself."

"What......?!"

Tang!

Frondier attached the air gun to his left hand and fired without hesitation. Jeremy, anticipating the shot, dodged urgently, but the speed was truly formidable.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Frondier indiscriminately fired at the two without proper aim.

"Ugh, this, this madman......!"

Every time Paul and Jeremy dodged the shots, the walls, floor, and ceiling behind them began to shatter.

The building must have been originally designed to be impenetrable, but the destructive power was indeed formidable.

'Air gun' was just a name Frondier had arbitrarily given it. The actual structure was completely different from a real air gun. This air gun truly shot 'compressed air'.

Therefore, believing it had near-infinite ammunition, Frondier fired relentlessly, but

Click.

"Huh?"

Click, click.

He tilted his head, noticing that it stopped firing at some point.

Frondier lifted the attached air gun.

"...What is this? It has a magazine."

Frondier examined the air gun's magazine with a cold gaze. A magazine meant there were bullets. Literally 'compressed air' would be inside.

Frondier thought it was a weapon that sucked in external air, compressed it instantly, and fired it, but it turned out it wasn't a weapon with infinite shots.

Perhaps it could save on the materials to make bullets, if anything. Even that was uncertain as he didn't know how the compression worked.

"...A failure?"

Crack.

Jeremy and Paul's jaw muscles bulged at those words.

"How dare you say such a thing......!"

Jeremy roared in anger, but Frondier's response was cold.

"Seeing as you had weapons, it seems you were prepared for me, but the fact that you didn't bring this air gun means it wasn't charged yet. Even though a day has passed, and this is Hitchcock. That makes it a failure."

"I told you! This sword is enough!"

Jeremy raised his curved sword. Indeed, it seemed to be his original weapon, as he held it quite naturally.

"Hmm, is that so."

Frondier nodded at his words and then extended his hand forward.

Sssst, unlike before, a considerable amount of Obsidian gathered in front of him.

"Then I'll show you this."

Weaving, Obsidian

Rank - Undetermined

Azier MK. 3

A golem appeared before Frondier. It was a metallic knight, too elaborate and delicate to be called a golem, standing with a spear in hand.

"A, a golem?"

Paul and Jeremy were astonished at the sight.

Frondier recalled showing this to Eden and his subordinates. Compared to their reaction, these two were much more surprised. Perhaps, being scientists, they recognized the level of this golem.

"The person who made this golem held your company in very high regard."

Upon hearing the explanation about Elodie's armband, Binkis immediately guessed it was a Hitchcock product and wanted to see it in person. She even contemplated disassembling it.

That was because Hitchcock was considered the best in the field, and Binkis also believed so.

'Hitchcock is a product company. Whatever they make, mass production has to be considered.'

No matter how advanced the technology, if the quantity is extremely limited or excessively expensive, it's useless to the average person.

Conversely, Hitchcock earned its current reputation due to its exceptional ability to commercialize technology.

'But Teacher Binkis wasn't interested in such things. She just wanted to create excellent golems.'

Binkis had no intention of selling this golem from the outset. She just continued to pursue development and improvement. Making it stronger and more superior.

It was truly the culmination of Binkis's best technology, where she invested her time and money without reservation. It was the crystallization of all the Magitech he could achieve.

"You take care of Jeremy. The guy with the curved sword over there."

At Frondier's words, the golem's gaze turned to Jeremy. Jeremy, who had been momentarily stunned, gulped as he saw it.

"And I'll..."

As Frondier spoke and shifted his gaze,

"──Tch!"

Paul made a quick judgment and turned around. He spread his wings and fled.

Naturally, Frondier moved to chase after him, ignoring Jeremy blocking the entrance.

"T, this bastard!"

Jeremy panicked and tried to stop Frondier, but

Clang!

He struggled just to block the golem's lightning-fast strike.

"If you defeat that golem, I'll fight you then."

Frondier brushed past Jeremy, leaving those words behind.

"Ugh! Frondieeeeeeeer!!"

Jeremy's scream echoed behind him as he ran.

As Frondier ran, he thought,

'Well, if he can defeat that golem, it means I'd lose in close combat.'

The golem was modeled after Azier. It wasn't just mimicking simple and limited techniques like the early versions; it now replicated Azier's skills quite closely.

Despite being tormented by Azier for so long, Frondier had never once defeated him. He might have a chance against this golem, but Frondier would still be at a disadvantage.

"Menosorpo."

Frondier deployed a rune.

Naturally, most of the employees in this company would detect mana, but there was no point in hiding it now.

Frondier initiated flight and chased after Paul.

"Paul! Give up! I just want information!"

Frondier shouted towards the flying Paul, but Paul paid no attention. He even increased his speed.

'...This is troublesome.'

Paul was currently flying through the hallway. It would be faster to go outside, but he knew that going outside would be more dangerous against Frondier.

In fact, it was proving effective now. A demon with spread wings was indeed fast. The distance was gradually widening.

'I could engulf it like I did with Lily's workshop, but then this whole building would be destroyed.'

Lily's mansion was a secluded place where no one came except knights. It was a suitable place for Lily, who was hiding her identity, but it was also an environment where Frondier could run wild.

More importantly, he had lost his reason to anger at the time and used a slightly rough method.

But this was right in the middle of the city. If the famous Hitchcock company building was destroyed, it would instantly attract attention.

Unless there was evidence to reveal to the world that they were demons, public opinion would be against Frondier if external forces intervened.

'I envy those who can use spatial magic at times like this.'

Osprey, Elodie, and Jane, who had briefly held the position of Headmaster. Their spatial magic was incredibly useful and powerful at the same time.

But Frondier would probably never be able to use it in his lifetime. That's the kind of magic it was.

'Thinking about what I can't use now is pointless. At this rate, I'll lose him.'

Frondier racked his brain as he chased Paul. The distance between them was increasing as Paul kept turning corners. He couldn't tell if Paul was running away or leading him on, but it would be best to catch him before reaching that point.

'...Let's think simply.'

The difference in speed between Frondier and Paul was due to the wings. Aura-imbued wings provided further acceleration in flight.

As a human, Frondier naturally didn't have wings.

But there was a time when he did.

'Haha. I didn't want to remember that.'

Frondier had seen a hologram of himself defeating Belphegor.

Just before that, he had wings on his back.

Wings made of Obsidian.

'How did I do it?'

He clearly poured the mana that had swelled from consuming the Dragon Heart into all of the Obsidian. Following his will to control all of the Obsidian, it transformed into the shape of wings.

But there was no need for that now. He only needed wings.

'It's not about creating the shape of wings. If I infuse the necessary amount of Obsidian with mana and move it with my will...'

"──Hup!"

Frondier let out a light shout and poured mana into the Obsidian.

Fwoosh!

With that, the Obsidian extended outward, wrapping around him and stretching into the shape of wings behind his back.

'And if I use aura for acceleration here...!'

Following that thought,

Whoosh─!

"...Huh?"

Frondier saw Paul's 'face'.

"What, you......!"

He had overtaken Paul in an instant and turned to look at him.

Grab!

He almost missed him due to the speed, but Frondier managed to grab Paul by the collar.

Slam!

"Kuaaack!"

He slammed him onto the floor, and

Screeeech!!

Frondier's tremendous acceleration left a deep and long trail on the floor. He literally used Paul as a brake. If it had been a human without aura, there wouldn't have been any form left.

"Phew, gotcha."

"......."

Frondier spoke as if he were playing tag, but

Paul, smashed into the floor, showed no particular reaction, only his fingertips and shoulders twitching with convulsions.

"......Ugh, ugh, cough, ugh......."

"Hey. Hey."

Only then, feeling that something was wrong, Frondier examined Paul's appearance.

Paul's wings gradually shrank and then disappeared.

"You're alive, right?"

Of course, Paul couldn't answer and continued to convulse with his twitching body.

He was nodding, at least.