Reincarnation Paradise

Inside an abandoned warehouse, darkness enveloped the space, carrying a faint, musty odor.

Click. A metal lighter flicked open, a small flame dispelling some of the darkness, illuminating a man's face.

A cigarette was lit, and the smell of tobacco gradually filled the warehouse.

"Stiyl, smoking is bad for your health. Take care of yourself; you're still young," a woman's voice sounded.

"So what? Before I die of lung disease, I'll probably have already died in battle, maybe even soon," Stiyl said with a self-deprecating laugh. He lit the cigarette to mask the smell of blood in the warehouse and to hide the stabbing pain in his heart. He sensed something was wrong, not from the enemy but from within their own ranks.

The man and woman in the warehouse fell silent, the quietness broken only by the sound of a pin dropping.

Sure. The sound of something crawling echoed. Hearing this, Stiyl snapped his fingers, and a ball of flame rose in front of him. Stiyl specialized in fire magic, and with the aid of runes, he could wield powerful fire spells.

In the world of A Certain Magical Index, magicians differed from most others. Most magicians used mana as their primary power source, supplemented by elemental communication to cast spells. In A Certain Magical Index, magicians used runes as the primary medium, with mana as a supplement, rarely communicating with elements. This approach minimized self-consumption, reducing mana usage significantly. Without runes, these magicians were practically useless, unable to cast powerful spells and requiring temporary magic circles for even basic spells.

Both methods had their strengths and weaknesses. Mana-based magicians excelled in skirmishes, while rune-based magicians excelled in fortifications.

The flame illuminated the warehouse, revealing a space of about 300 square meters filled with wooden crates and jars. In the corner, a woman sat on a wooden box, most of her body hidden in the darkness. Only her arms were visible, and her right hand showed thick calluses.

In the light, Stiyl saw the source of the crawling sound: a snake, entirely white, with clearly defined scales. It looked lifelike, yet Stiyl sensed it wasn't a living creature.

"What is this?" Stiyl frowned, feeling an ominous premonition.

"It seems to be some kind of alchemical creation; it has a similar aura," the woman in the room replied.

"This is bad!"

"We have enemies!"

No sooner had they spoken than a wave of air and flames surged towards them.

Boom!

A blinding flash of light erupted in the warehouse, the explosion's dull roar startling the juvenile delinquents in the nearby reform school.

The explosion quickly subsided, and air currents accelerated around the warehouse. As the flames consumed the oxygen within, the pressure difference caused the warehouse's iron door to buckle inward, air rushing through the gaps in the doors and windows.

Crack, crack...

Concrete fragments burst from the warehouse's wall, forming fist-sized holes as bullets from heavy sniper rifles tore into the space.

After ten seconds, one-third of the wall was demolished. Half a kilometer away, Yegor reloaded his sniper rifle. He lay on the roof of an abandoned research facility, covered in dark green and gray cloth, blending seamlessly with the concrete rooftop.

Yegor picked up a magazine, pressing his thumb against the topmost electromagnetic shock round, ensuring it was fully loaded. The number of bullets in his rifle was something he always kept track of.

Inserting the magazine, Yegor pulled the bolt, his face expressionless. Outside of necessary communication during missions, Yegor was a man of few words, capable of not speaking for a month while remaining psychologically stable.

Aiming, pulling the trigger, releasing an electromagnetic pulse at the specified location and time, firing the next bullet within 8 to 30 seconds, preferably armor-piercing rounds—these were Yegor's thoughts. Currently, his mind was focused solely on eliminating the target, with no extraneous thoughts.

Blue and white light flashed within the warehouse for two seconds before dissipating. Su Xiao, who witnessed this, nodded approvingly. Yegor was more capable than expected.

"Let's deal with the man first," Su Xiao said as he walked towards the warehouse.

"Of course," Awaki Musujime replied, filled with determination. If it were any other mission, she wouldn't be as eager, and she typically didn't follow orders strictly.

Su Xiao found this normal. He had known Awaki Musujime for less than 48 hours, and she was assigned by Aleister, not someone who owed him loyalty. Moreover, he had no illusions about his charm. He never expected Awaki Musujime to follow him unconditionally.

This time was an exception. Awaki Musujime was exceptionally cooperative because of her grudge against Stiyl Magnus, who had ambushed her the previous night, severely burning her body. Wrapped like a mummy, she had secretly shed a few tears under the covers, worried about her appearance. No woman was indifferent to her looks, and her previous threats of cutting off her chest were more about the frustration of her ample bust hindering her in combat rather than a serious intention.

Su Xiao entered the warehouse, a wave of heat hitting him immediately.

Sunlight streamed through the holes in the wall, illuminating the rune-covered walls, floor, and ceiling. These runes were all fire-attributed.

"Kill them, Witch Hunt King," Stiyl commanded, standing in the warehouse, his black robe tattered and a wooden board lodged in his abdomen.

"Roar!"

A four-meter-tall flaming figure roared. This was the Witch Hunt King, and the heat in the warehouse emanated from it.

Su Xiao leaped back as flames surged towards him.

Engulfed in flames, Su Xiao saw Stiyl throw a rune. The rune disintegrated, drawing all the oxygen within ten meters to Su Xiao, causing the fire around him to combust more intensely, turning orange-red and hinting at blue.

Breaking free from the flames, Su Xiao was surrounded by energy shields that absorbed the heat, turning red.

He quickly dispelled the shields, breathing in fresh air deeply.

Landing smoothly, Su Xiao drew Dragon Flash with his left hand, blue steel shadow energy coursing along the blade.

"Plan B," Su Xiao shouted.

"OK," Awaki Musujime responded, turning on her military flashlight, emitting a red beam in the daylight.

A tiny red dot appeared on Stiyl's chest, unnoticed as he focused on controlling the Witch Hunt King to attack Su Xiao. The Witch Hunt King was his strongest ability, emitting temperatures up to 3000 degrees.

Awaki Musujime stared at the red dot on Stiyl's chest. Her spatial ability had high versatility but required a reference point to avoid deviations.

With the setup in place, the confrontation was about to intensify, and Su Xiao's team prepared for the critical strike against Stiyl Magnus.