Chapter 170 - The Fedora Ambush
Deciding the formation in a hurry, we immediately set out. Once I make up my mind, I have to save my little sister.
In the end, the ones who came with me were my usual guards, Valeria, and members from the Fourth and Fifth Combat Units, along with the Combat Support Unit. We split up into large jeeps and raced toward the Anastasia Union's headquarters. It's quite a distance, so we can't afford to waste any time. There's no point in rushing if we're too late.
We crossed Central Avenue and headed deep into the Anastasia Union's territory.
After a while, as we neared our destination, obvious signs of trouble appeared.
"Hey! Is that a fire!?"
The thick smoke rising up was unmistakably from a fire. No doubt about it. Those Gandrault Gang bastards.
"Bonnie, the Fourth Combat Unit will clear and secure the surrounding area. We'll pull out before the McDallian Family arrives, but if they do, hold them off," I ordered.
"Got it. I'll teach those idiots a lesson," she replied with a fierce grin, cracking her knuckles.
Paula, the Fifth Combat Unit will go in with me. We'll clear out the enemies inside, put out the fire, and rescue any injured."
"We've got plenty of healing potions. The Anastasia Union members should recover and take care of themselves once we wake them up," Paula said, her face shining with excitement. They all seem eager for the fight.
Honestly, even though it's a friend in need, being around them makes me smile too.
"Hehe, that's the spirit. We're almost there. Charge!"
The gate at the end of the street is where we'll find the Gandrault Gang.
Underworld types usually have a certain vibe, but it's hard to tell which organization they belong to unless they have distinctive features. The Anastasia Union, for example, is mostly made up of beastmen, but not all of them are. Conversely, not all beastmen in the underworld belong to the Anastasia Union. The Kingdom of Brenark has little racial discrimination, so there’s no need to stick together by race. We have beastmen in our group too. In short, just because someone is a beastman doesn't mean you know which organization they belong to, but a group of beastmen is probably the Anastasia Union.
The McDallian Family and Clad Family don't have racial characteristics, nor do they have any specific colors. Most organizations are the same. The only way to tell which organization someone belongs to is by their crest. For many, the crest is a point of pride, indicating their affiliation and essentially carrying their banner. Therefore, they can't defile their crest or remove it. Impersonating someone from another organization is a death sentence.
So, unless you get close enough to see the crest, it's usually impossible to tell which organization someone belongs to. The Kikyo Society is one of the few exceptions.
Another exception is the Gandrault Gang. They deliberately make themselves stand out to instill fear. Apart from their crest, they have a distinctive feature: their fedoras. Every member of the Gandrault Gang wears a fedora. It's quite a flashy choice, but it gives off a certain vibe. If you see a group of people with fedoras in the Gandrault Gang's territory, it's best to run or hide. Even the most rebellious young troublemakers become meek when they see a fedora.
Fedoras aren't exclusive to the Gandrault Gang; other organizations and even civilians wear them. However, in the Gandrault Gang's territory, no one outside the gang would dare wear one. And a group of people with fedoras is almost certainly the Gandrault Gang, especially since it’s not a popular fashion trend.
In front of the gate to the Anastasia Union's mansion, a group of people with fedoras stood waiting. It had to be the Gandrault Gang.
Our lead jeep, with me and the others, charged forward with a shield deployed, plowing through the gang members and breaking into the courtyard.
I was momentarily speechless. The fire was intense. The right side of the building, from the entrance, was engulfed in flames, spreading to the garden. The scorched appearance and smell were overwhelming, and something felt off. But there was no time to think about it.
Naturally, the Gandrault Gang members inside the compound were aware of our intrusion.
We parked the vehicles and quickly got out, launching an immediate assault.
"Fourth, kill the enemies around us! Keep watch for reinforcements, and don't let your guard down!"
Bonnie slashed at the approaching enemy as she issued the orders. The young men of the Combat Unit followed suit, securing the courtyard. However, the enemy was numerous, and it wouldn't be easy.
"Combat Support Unit, defend the vehicles! Support the Fourth and the others as they advance!"
"Everyone else, put out the fire and charge in! Follow me and Yukari!"
As we charged, I observed the mansion. The Anastasia Union's headquarters looked like a typical wealthy family's home.
The spacious garden was covered in short grass, with a large pond. The building was a Western-style structure made of white stone, with huge windows. It probably had a swimming pool somewhere, like a rich person's vacation home. At least, it did a short while ago.
Now, the garden was trampled and the soil exposed, with most of it burned black. The white walls were charred and blackened, the windows shattered, and smoke billowed out. The place was unrecognizable from its former state.
The flames seemed to be fueled by oil or some other accelerant. Otherwise, the stone wouldn't burn like this.
The fire was intense. Even with our overcoats, it would be difficult to enter.
I used my magic to scan the building. There were people where the fire was, and it seemed the Anastasia Union and the Gandrault Gang were still fighting inside. The situation clearly showed the Anastasia Union was at a disadvantage.
The Fourth Combat Unit was handling most of the surrounding enemies, and the Combat Support Unit was keeping anyone from getting close to us. This allowed us to focus on putting out the fire.
"First, we'll put out the fire! Prepare water magic!"
"Onee-sama, let's go!"
Water magic can be used by anyone, even without a natural affinity. Our Kikyo Society members can produce an absurd amount of water, just in terms of output.
All we had to do was produce water. Simple magic.
Valeria and I created a torrent of water that engulfed the building's entrance.
Paula and the Fifth Combat Unit followed, creating more water. The combined effort produced a massive flood that covered the entire building.
Of course, just producing a lot of water wasn’t enough to extinguish the entire fire. The Fifth Combat Unit had members with a natural affinity for water magic, including high-level users.
"Go, Lorendine!"
At Paula's signal, the young men unleashed their power. They produced a massive amount of water and skillfully directed the flood to wash away the flames. It was impressive to see them control such a large volume of water so precisely.
I'm sure the people inside got a bit wet, but it was only for a few dozen seconds. No one would drown. However, some might have taken damage from the water, but it was better than dying from the fire and smoke.
Alright, hang on, little sister!
"Let's go, and let me know if you find her!"
"Got it! Fifth, let's go in and create some chaos, follow me!"
Paula led the charge, clearing a path. Valeria followed, beginning the search. I used my magic perception to focus on suspicious areas. This would be more efficient than everyone searching blindly.
I could sense many people inside, but I couldn't tell which side they were on.
As the battle sounds and shouts grew louder, the strong magical energy flowing in was clearly from our members. It was a good sign.
I didn't want to waste time. I expanded my magic perception to cover as much of the building as possible—first floor, second floor, and even the basement.
People were everywhere, but something didn't feel right. I expanded my range further.
"…Huh? This far back, the backyard?"
Based on the distance from our current position, it must be the back of the property. There were people gathered there, and some of them were strong. This had to be the main event. My intuition confirmed it.
I broke through the water-soaked walls, destroying them to reach my destination. I punched and kicked my way through, moving in a straight line. There was no time for detours.
"Valeria, the backyard!"
I called out to my junior as we charged forward. I could hear a faint response from above. She would catch up soon.
Bursting through the wall, the abnormality was immediately apparent.
"Ugh, what is this?"
The air was red. A crimson hue covered the entire field of vision, making it hard to breathe. Through this red haze, I saw my little sister.
"There she is!"
It was definitely a group of beastmen from the Anastasia Union. Many non-combatants lay scattered, but among the standing, muscular figures, I recognized several familiar faces.
Something was clearly wrong with my little sister. She was swaying, on the verge of collapsing, but still fighting. Her determination was admirable, but her opponents were strange. There were no signs of the Gandrault Gang. This was clearly a fight among comrades. The strong beastmen and my little sister were engaged in a chaotic battle, like a battle royale.
Worse, there were magical attacks from somewhere. The Anastasia Union members were instinctively dodging, but they didn't seem to be trying to stop the fighting. Their defenses against the distant attacks were inadequate. Their toughness was the only reason they were still standing.
There were several strange things. They were fighting each other while also taking hits from the enemy. The distant attacks were likely from the Gandrault Gang. If the fighting was due to a traitor, it didn't make sense for them to be attacked together. Moreover, despite swaying, they continued to fight without any signs of retreat.
The red, abnormal atmosphere was compounded by these strange events.
This wasn't just a fight among comrades. Considering her swaying and lack of usual vigor, it didn't match the fighting spirit of the Anastasia Union. They seemed to be acting on instinct, like wild animals. It was a disgraceful sight, something that shouldn't happen.
"…What's going on?"
Amid the chaos, my little sister was desperately trying to reach her comrades.
This wasn't the time to stand around. I blocked out the surrounding battle sounds and focused on my little sister's calls and the area around her.
"Ugh, Gis, Gis, Gis... Anna, Brandon, everyone..."
My little sister, who seemed to have an injury on her leg, was moving cautiously, but her voice and actions were coherent. In contrast, the others were in a bad state.
"Uaaaaaaah! Stay back, stay back!"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Hehehe, hehehe, hehehe, hahaha!"
They were clearly not in their right minds. Some were staggering around, others were vomiting like drunkards. Some were mindlessly attacking anyone, and others were randomly casting spells. The aggressive ones were particularly troublesome. It was chaos.
I usually try to end at a good point, but this time I had to cut it short. I apologize for the abrupt stop.
The content doubled as I was revising it at the last minute, so I needed to split it and make further revisions.
The continuation is still being revised, so it will be updated next week as usual. Thank you for your continued support.
I would like to write "To be continued in the next chapter: [Title]," but the subtitle is still undecided.