Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

{T/N: Thus far, at least two readers have inquired whether this fic is included on my P@tre0n... My response to this is a resounding no. And I don't plan to include it either. I'm just satisfied reading this at a snail's pace. I think I said something along these lines back when I started this Translation...

That aside, a big shout out to reader Marsolino (I don't know if I got this name right) for pointing out that this fic is written by the same author who wrote the Black Emperor lotm fic.

I just checked it out, and the one translating it is, at this moment, more than 700 chapters in. So I'm gonna start binging that one with no fear of catching up anytime soon XD! I hope the author did as fantastic a job on that fic as he did this one!}

....

*Thump! Thump!*

Sounds immediately came from the carriage roof. Fortunately, thanks to Gene's warning, Cyril and Leona had already raised their guns and fired at the source of the noise.

*Bang! Bang!*

Odis quickly cautioned, "Don't rush to fire!"

As Cyril and Leona hesitated, two small pieces of wood fell from the roof onto the road behind the carriage.

Odis had already realized that the enemy's Fire Ravens were meant to herd their carriage into this alley...

Inside the alley, they couldn't open the doors to escape. Without the driver's warnings and with attacks from the roof, they would be defenseless.

Gene had already warned of someone boarding, a warning the enemy must have heard.

Yet the roof still made noise, which struck Odis as highly suspicious! Hence his reminder to the two MI9 agents not to waste their bullets.

Seeing the fallen wood blocks, Odis earned admiring glances from the other three.

But now wasn't the time for praise or small talk. Cyril aimed at the roof and said, "Fire alternately."

Leona nodded and hurriedly reloaded her revolver.

Yet four seconds passed, and the enemy still hadn't boarded.

Odis and Cyril spoke simultaneously: "Not good!"

Cyril quickly retrieved the foldable bulletproof shield stored under the seat. Odis stepped forward to help, and together they held it overhead.

Without needing instruction, Leona and Xio took cover under the shield.

*Boom!*

A massive fireball struck the roof, blowing half of it apart. Flames spread into the cabin, igniting the leather seats.

Thankfully, this was an MI9 carriage equipped with bulletproof shields, otherwise, all of them would have been injured by the blast.

But the fire inside the cabin grew increasingly intense, choking them with smoke.

"Cover me! Cough..." Odis said, pulling a razor-sharp knife from his cloth bundle and cutting open the rear of the carriage.

Cyril and Leona held the shield while firing at the rooftops on either side.

Pursuers on both sides ducked or slowed down to avoid the shots.

Seizing the opportunity, Odis used the sharp knife to dismantle the rear wall, door, and burning seats, tossing them off the carriage. Their field of view instantly expanded.

Only then did Cyril and Leona lower the shield and hurriedly reloaded their revolvers. They had emptied their chambers while covering Odis.

The pursuers noticed this and immediately closed in, firing as they advanced.

However, their shots which were fired while moving and at a distance missed their mark.

Odis raised his crossbow again. Its enchanted accuracy struck another enemy.

Then Cyril called out, "The road ahead is blocked!"

Odis glanced back and saw that the other end of the alley was indeed barricaded by another carriage.

Their own carriage gradually came to a halt...

With only three pursuers left, Odis and the others wordlessly drew melee weapons, preparing to provide covering fire while climbing onto the roof to counterattack.

At that moment, however, one of the pursuers, a middle-aged man, raised his hand. Flames erupted around him, swiftly coalescing into a flock of Fire Ravens that swooped toward the carriage.

Cyril immediately turned and scrambled toward the driver's seat, "Hold them off a moment!"

It was clear that this middle-aged man was the Sequence 7 'Pyromaniac'.

This instantly dashed any thoughts of counterattack. A Sequence 9 with firearms might handle a Sequence 8 opponent, but Sequence 8 versus Sequence 7 was typically far more difficult. Most Pathways gained formidable Beyonder abilities at Sequence 7, marking a significant power leap.

Hence, in modern terms, Sequence 7 and above were considered Mid-Sequence Beyonders, while those below were Low-Sequence.

Facing the Fire Raven assault, Odis pulled a blue axe from his bundle.

*Boom!*

The cryo-bomb exploded, halting the ravens' advance.

Then Odis, with his crossbow, and Leona, with her revolver, fired alternately, targeting the 'Pyromaniac' to prevent him from using his Beyonder abilities again.

Xio climbed into the driver's seat, retrieved the pistol from the severely wounded Gene's holster, and joined the shooting.

But besides the 'Pyromaniac', two other pursuers also returned fire with revolvers.

Odis and Leona were both hit, but since they weren't fatally wounded, they continued firing.

Meanwhile, Cyril finally eliminated the driver of the blocking carriage and moved it aside. Xio took the reins and got their carriage moving again.

As they turned out of the alley, Cyril jumped back aboard. He and Odis moved the critically injured Gene into the cabin, then Cyril took over driving.

The carriage, now missing its rear half, drew stares from pedestrians.

But upon seeing the wounded and the drawn weapons, people quickly scattered, wary of getting involved in unknown danger...

Odis unbuttoned his knight's coat with its defensive array and his shirt to check his chest. The coat's array could block revolver bullets, but it was hardly a pleasant experience. Being hit felt like a hammer blow, leaving bruises.

He had been shot twice in the chest, which made every breath he drew burn fiercely.

Gene and Leona lacked enchanted coats. Gene had taken a bullet to the abdomen. Though not immediately fatal, he was out of action, his pale face suggesting severe blood loss.

Leona was shot in the right shoulder and was now unable to lift that arm.

Odis pulled two packages of medicine from his pocket and tossed one to Leona, "Glass bottle for internal use, porcelain bottle for external."

He opened the other set, pouring the contents of the glass bottle into Gene's mouth before laying him down and sprinkling the white powder from the porcelain bottle onto his wound.

The bleeding stopped almost instantly.

As they treated the wounds, Xio stood guard with her pistol. Suddenly, she said, "They're coming."

Odis stood and indeed saw a carriage pursuing them. It was driven by the 'Pyromaniac' himself.

With distance still between them, Odis calmly checked his weapons. He'd only brought two cryo-bombs today, and was now left with only two red axes, which were the high-yield explosives.

He also had five metal bolts left for the crossbow. As for the sword and cane, they'd be of little use against a 'Pyromaniac'.

After a moment's thought, Odis said to Cyril, "Turn into the alley ahead!"

The alley ahead was flanked by the high, thick walls of two factories. Once inside, Odis gripped a red axe and had Cyril slow down.

Around the midpoint, the 'Pyromaniac' entered the alley in pursuit...

Odis hurled the axe with all his might, "Get down!"

As he shouted, he threw himself flat onto the carriage.

The 'Pyromaniac', assuming it was another frost releasing weapon, raised his hand and conjured a crimson fireball. He hurled it to intercept the axe and prevent ice from forming, which might hinder his horse.

But the moment the fireball left his hand, his spiritual intuition screamed danger. He agilely leaped from the driver's seat to the back of the carriage.

*BOOOM!*

The instant the fireball met the axe, a tremendous explosion erupted, collapsing the walls on both sides.

Fortunately, factories flanked both sides, and while many were startled, no one was injured.

Confined by the alley, the explosive flames spread laterally, engulfing the pursuing carriage.

The 'Pyromaniac' rolled on the ground to avoid the shockwave. He used Pyrokinesis to shield himself from the flames. The axe fragments were blocked by the carriage, so he emerged unharmed.

However, the carriage was now engulfed in fire, and the horse was killed instantly. In the inferno, the door was pushed open, and one of the Pyromaniac's subordinates, covered in flames, crawled out from the charred frame.

He died the moment he hit the ground.

The 'Pyromaniac' had orchestrated many explosions and fires, but the sheer force of this blast and the burning wreckage left him stunned.

He couldn't fathom what could possess such destructive power...

...

At this moment, the carriage of Odis and his companions had already spun out of the alley, completely escaping their pursuers.

Cyril, still driving, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Leader, do you carry naval artillery shells on you?"

Odis chuckled, saying, "That was a concealed weapon issued by the Machinery Hivemind."

"Concealed weapon?" With a noise like that, could it still be called concealed?

The rest of the journey passed without pursuit...

Finally, the carriage stopped before a sizable, unmarked compound in the West Borough.

Guards stood at the entrance. Cyril flashed his credentials and immediately ordered them to transport the wounded to the hospital.

After the injured were taken away in another carriage, Odis said to Cyril, "You go in and report. We'll wait here."

Cyril hesitated at that, "That... that's against protocol."

"Farewell, then."

"Wait, wait." Cyril finally realized that if 'Leader' refused to enter MI9 headquarters, he couldn't force him.

After all, this was a high-level intelligence asset of the Machinery Hivemind, one personally vouched for by Archbishop Horamick Haydn. MI9 could only surveil him, not arrest or interrogate him.

Cyril made one last attempt, "I'm mainly concerned for your safety out here."

Odis replied leisurely, "Then you'd better report quickly."

Left with no choice, Cyril entered alone. Soon, he returned with several superiors hurrying out to greet them...