Chapter 658: The Black Rifle ( 658 )

Inside Lord Garius’s private chamber.

Garius stood behind his desk, arms folded behind his back, his presence calm but immense.

His eyes, sharp and unreadable, settled on the young man standing before him.

“Looks like your mission was a success, Javier.”

Javier stood straight, hands at his sides, posture stiff.

“Yes, Esteemed Father.”

Garius gave a slow nod.

“Good. However—”

He picked up a black scroll from the side of his desk, unrolling it with one hand.

“The report from the shadow unit says all of the enemy targets were found with missing heads.”

His gaze lifted.

“No signs of sword slashes. No burn marks from magic arrows or crossbow bolts.”

A pause.

He tilted his head slightly.

“Care to explain?”

Javier said nothing at first.

He stepped forward and bowed politely.

With a flick of his hand, a glowing glyph appeared beside him—his magic storage spell activating with a quiet hum.

In a burst of light, a long, slender weapon materialized in his grip.

Blackened steel plating lined the barrel. Runes etched along the frame. A faint blue crystal embedded near the bolt slot glowed dimly.

Javier held it upright with both hands.

“This is the weapon I used during the mission, Esteemed Father.”

“I call it a ‘Mana Rifle’—a long-range precision device that fires explosive mana crystal bullets.”

He set it gently on the table before Garius.

“It doesn’t use conventional arrows or bolts. Each shot compresses mana into a crystal core… and upon impact—”

He paused, bowing his head slightly.

“…the result is instant decapitation.”

Garius narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Explain what you were doing that night—the day I gave you the mission.”

Javier bowed his head.

“Yes, Esteemed Father. I will explain everything.”

That night—

Javier rode atop Buddy, his cloak fluttering behind him in the cold wind as the towering silhouette of the Armand border wall came into view—massive, fortified, and gleaming faintly with protective mana engravings.

He passed through the checkpoint and arrived at the border town, the stationed soldiers already forming a line before him.

The moment they saw the approaching Pekko and its rider, they stood straight and saluted sharply.

“Young master!” the captain of the elite border unit stepped forward.

“We’ve received command from the main base—and Sir Alf informed us to provide full support.”

Javier raised a hand casually, but his tone remained crisp.

“At ease.”

The soldiers immediately relaxed.

“You don’t need to assist me,” Javier continued. “Just make sure the border wall remains fully patrolled and secured.”

The captain blinked.

“Are you sure, young master?”

Javier nodded, eyes narrowing toward the looming silhouette at the edge of the wall.

“Yes. I’m heading to the high watchtower. My task is better done alone.”

Javier ascended the stone staircase within the towering Armand high guard tower, each step echoing softly beneath his boots.

The climb was long, the air growing colder with every level. Through the narrow arched windows, the moonlight bled in, illuminating the smooth black stone walls enchanted with faint defensive runes.

He reached the top.

The observation platform opened before him—wide, circular, and shielded with a transparent mana dome to withstand wind and enemy spells.

From his storage spell, Javier materialized his weapon.

A long, sleek instrument—crafted entirely from refined black ore, a rare mineral known for its ability to absorb and contain high-density mana without shattering.

Etched along the barrel and receiver were glowing runes—engraved with precision magic circuits that compressed mana into crystalline charges. A faint hum resonated from its core.

He unfolded the reinforced tripod, and set the weapon down, stabilizing it on the ledge. The legs of the tripod adjusted automatically to the uneven stone beneath, rune seals flaring briefly to anchor it in place.

The barrel was long, thick, and heavy, wrapped in layered mana insulation plating—allowing the weapon to fire compressed crystal shots at extreme distances without overheating or recoil disruption.

A side-slot mechanism opened with a soft click as Javier slid a single glowing blue mana cartridge into place.

He gently exhaled, then raised his left hand.

Five scout drones floated out.

“Begin search pattern,”

The drone soaring off into the night sky like silent fireflies, scanning every inch of the dark terrain beyond the border.

Beside him, an armored figure stepped through a summon glyph—Shironii, his silent puppet knight, its white-plated armor etched with gold-light runes. The samurai helm’s horned silhouette gleamed faintly in the dark.

Javier reached into his coat and pulled out a thin, rune-inlaid pair of glasses—sleek and black with narrow arms.

He placed them over his eyes.

The lenses activated.

Five transparent windows opened in his vision, each showing a different live feed—real-time footage from the scouting drones.

“Let’s see where the rats are hiding tonight.”

Javier adjusted his grip, fingers moving along the side-rune panel of the mana rifle.

He reached toward a smaller panel near the tripod mount and inserted a thin crystal shard—a refined mana signal transmitter. It glowed as it synced with the scout drone relay system.

A soft hum followed as the mana trajectory system engaged, calibrating the weapon’s barrel with data fed from the nearest drone.

The runes along the rifle flared brighter for a moment—adjusting wind pressure, altitude compensation, magical interference, and spell shielding layers between him and the target.

From behind his enchanted glasses, Javier’s vision split into diagnostic layers.

One lens showed thermal signatures, glowing red and orange blips moving steadily near the edge of the treeline.

The other overlay showed mana resonance,glimmering blue-white halos pulsing around each detected target.

“Hmm…” he muttered. “Not the same as the Seventh I saw from above before.”

The outlines were different. Their mana structure was unstable. Less dense. Not enhanced.

“Lower-tier support units?” he mused. “Or leftover infiltrators…”

He tapped two fingers against the side of his glasses, commanding the scout drone to reposition.

One of the larger mana scout drones, floated downward, slipping between branches silently and zooming in on the target group.

Their armor was mismatched. Movement erratic.

Not elite.

Sloppy infiltration.

Javier calmly reached down and reloaded—ejecting the used cartridge with a quiet click, and inserting a fresh exploding mana crystal shell into the chamber.

“Time to clean up the mess.”

His fingers curled back around the rifle’s grip.

He lined up the shot. Adjusted elevation. Let the runes pulse once in alignment.

Target Number One… Locked.

( End Of Chapter )

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