It wasn't easy.
Sniper Mode required the mage to expand their Spirit Zone over hundreds or even thousands of meters. Rotating the center alone consumed immense mental energy, and a 1-degree difference could translate to dozens of degrees over long distances, demanding superhuman precision.
Enemy shouted: "Come out! I'll kill you!"
Amy steadied her breathing and focused even more.
She cleared any lingering thoughts through her Red Eye and adjusted her aim with precision under 0.1 degrees, following the enemy's frantic movements.
Amy thought: 'I've never tried this before.'
Her mind became one with the weapon, and all she could feel were her own and the enemy's coordinates.
The moment Amy's eyes widened, the air began to split with a sharp sound.
Freeman's subordinates were still distracted, trying to calm their panicking comrade.
Enemy shouted: "Come out! Aaaah! You arrogant brat!"
Another enemy urged: "Calm down! If you keep this up, they'll find our position…!"
Before he could finish, a small, heated stone flew through the air and struck the panicking subordinate's head.
Enemy gasped: "Ugh!"
The speed was too fast to react to, even with their Schema open, and the subordinate lost consciousness instantly.
Another enemy shouted: "Snap out of it! Hey!"
The startled comrade quickly fell silent.
At least the chaos had subsided.
Two subordinates split to the sides, hiding behind trees. They whispered strategies.
Enemy muttered: "Damn it, they've switched to stone bullets."
Another enemy replied: "It's like fighting a ghost. They're shooting accurately even as we change positions. Even for a Sniper-class mage, this isn't easy. They must have a special ability."
Amy's Red Eye and self-image memory gave her an overwhelming advantage in mobility and accuracy—the very strengths of a gunner.
Knowing this didn't help the enemies, though.
Amy sensed through her Spirit Zone that another subordinate had been eliminated.
Amy thought: 'Success.'
Though the fact that Freeman hadn't shown himself yet was unsettling, the tide was slowly turning in her favor.
Amy whispered: "Ignite."
As Amy focused, small stones around her floated into the air.
Moments later, they began to glow red and burst into flames.
Amy thought: 'This requires more energy than I thought. Fire magic is really difficult.'
Just as Photon Magic had Photonization Theory, Fire Magic had Ignition Theory.
Known as Ignite, it was the foundation of flame magic.
The nature of fire was divided into five categories: Heat, which generated warmth; Flare, which created flames; Burn, which ignited materials; Blaze, which burned wide areas; and Buster, which caused explosions.
What Amy had just cast was Fire Call, a spell that used Burn to forcibly ignite non-flammable stones and launch them.
Though it went against natural properties, Burn was crucial for fire mages. It compensated for fire's inherent lightness.
For Amy, a sniper, mastering this attribute was essential.
Amy said: "Shall we begin?"
As Amy launched Fire Call toward the enemy's position in the forest, she took to the air, and the enemies immediately reacted.
Enemy shouted: "Over there!"
Magic bullets obliterated the spot where she had been standing.
From the sky, Amy observed and then circled around into the forest.
Her self-image memory analyzed the enemy's coordinates through triangulation.
A single Fire Call was launched, and soon after, the enemy's firepower noticeably decreased.
Amy thought: 'Not many left. Maybe five.'
Amy continued to eliminate the enemies one by one, sniping and then immediately relocating.
Their firepower dwindled to a fifth, then a quarter, and finally a third. When only two remained, Amy unleashed a barrage of Fire Calls.
Amid the series of explosions, faint cries of agony could be heard, and finally, silence fell.
"...."
As the ringing in her ears subsided, Amy scanned the forest in the distance.
The absence of return fire meant annihilation, but her Spirit Zone still detected someone radiating a cold, murderous intent.
Amy activated her Fly Magic and soared hundreds of meters, landing in a clearing within the forest.
As expected, Freeman stood in the center with a cold expression.
Amy cautiously stepped forward, her eyes darting around.
Amy: "Your subordinates are wiped out, yet your expression hasn't changed. Aren't you too cold-hearted? Or are you just a coward?"
Freeman: "If disliking battle makes me a coward, then perhaps I am."
Amy had been buying time to assess the battlefield, but now she turned her full attention to Freeman.
'The vice-captain of the Parrot Mercenary Group, a coward…'
If this was psychological warfare, it was a highly skilled one, but Freeman didn't seem to care.
Hey, that's Freeman. Coward Freeman.If you make Freeman cry, Marsha will come. He's a fool who relies on a woman for help.
"...."
Freeman, recalling an old memory, turned his gaze back to Amy and spoke.
Freeman: "Let's stop this."
Amy: "What?"
Freeman: "I'm worried about the captain. It seems I need to go back. I don't want her to get hurt."
Amy: "Hmph, who in the world wants to get hurt? You should've lived a good life from the start."
Freeman: "That's not what I mean. She must never lose to anyone. Even if it means dying."
Amy furrowed her brow.
Amy: "What are you talking about?"
Freeman didn't answer. He simply spoke with a tone of absolute conviction.
Freeman: "The captain is strong. Your friend will die. But I… I want to protect Marsha."
Amy stopped thinking.
At first, she thought he might be insane, but she also felt there was something she didn't understand.
'Focus on the battle.'
She narrowed the distance between them and spoke.
Amy: "Why don't you worry about yourself? If you're scared to fight, why not just release Yuna?"
Freeman remained silent.
Disobeying Marsha's orders would also mean her death.
Freeman: "I have no choice."
Freeman drew two guns, and Amy steeled herself, preparing for battle.
Her concentration was at its peak, and she didn't let her guard down for a moment.
Yet, she lost sight of Freeman's movements as he vanished before her eyes.
'What?'
The only thing she remembered was a blurry afterimage, a fleeting moment.
Then, through her Spirit Zone, she sensed something rapidly closing in from behind.
Amy: "Tch!"
She twisted her waist and leaned back just as Freeman's foot grazed her chin.
Amy gritted her teeth.
'Close combat…?'
Of course, gunners weren't entirely without close-combat tactics, but it was always a Plan B strategy.
If you could kill with a blade, bullets became meaningless.
Amy: "Hmph! You think your tricks will work?"
Regaining her balance, Amy soared into the air.
Freeman's magic bullets chased after her, exploding around her.
The disturbance in the air made it impossible to maintain Fly Magic. It wasn't about hitting the target but disrupting the flight environment.
'He's definitely experienced.'
Landing and immediately launching herself forward, Amy unleashed a barrage of Flame Strikes.
Freeman sprinted across the ground, firing back, and a fierce exchange ensued.
'He's really fast.'
Even compared to Amy's teleportation, his reaction speed was impressive.
Freeman closed the distance and began using kicks.
In the midst of the high-speed exchange, a kick landed on Amy's abdomen.
Amy: "Ugh!"
Rolling back, she realized she had no chance in hand-to-hand combat.
Crouching to a stop, she cast Fire Mist, and a scorching heatwave swept through the area, making the ground shimmer like a mirage.
Freeman, who had been closing in, gave up on a follow-up attack and retreated.
The gun in his hand was now aimed forward, and the cylinder spun as he fired magic bullets.
A loud explosion echoed, and smoke filled the air.
"...."
As Freeman calmly observed the smoke, Flame Strikes rained down from his left at 45 degrees.
Then 60 degrees, 75 degrees, and 90 degrees—flaming spears arrived in rapid succession.
Using short-range teleportation to circle behind Freeman, Amy gritted her teeth.
'Hmph! Let's see you dodge this.'
The speed of the intersecting magic was so fast that sparks seemed to fly from the bending light.
Freeman's eyes changed as he saw the dozens of flames spiraling toward him.
'Compound Eye.'
One of the eye techniques, it allowed him to analyze the scene in fragments, like an insect's vision.
With countless pieces of information integrated, Freeman's waist twisted, and the Flame Strikes missed him by a hair's breadth.
Amy clicked her tongue.
'If he can use Compound Eye, close combat is too disadvantageous.'
'I have no choice.'
Swallowing her pride, she dashed into the forest and activated Sniper Mode from over 300 meters away.
Through her heightened senses, she felt Freeman reloading his cylinder.
His relaxed attitude only made her angrier.
'Let's see how long you can keep this up.'
Focusing her concentration, she cast Fire Call.
Only one bullet was needed, and its power would be on a completely different level.
'This will end it.'
If the projectile had mass, its speed could be significantly increased, but the problem was the sound.
A sensory schema user could hear the sound before the projectile arrived and still have enough time to move.
'I need to break the sound barrier. No, at least hit the target simultaneously with the sound…'
The method was this: lay down an air tunnel, use the Buster property of fire to create a powerful explosion, and propel the bullet forward.
Amy: "Huuuu…"
Her crimson eyes flashed menacingly.
Finally, with a deafening bang, the bullet was fired.
Even though her ears rang, the bullet was faster than sound. By the time Freeman heard the explosion, he would already be unconscious.
The moment felt elongated due to her intense focus.
Amy watched the bullet streak toward Freeman and felt confident.
As expected, Freeman stood still, unable to react.
'Got him!'
She clenched her fist, but to her surprise, the Fire Call embedded itself in the ground far from Freeman.
Amy's expression froze as she checked the explosion's location.
'A misfire? No, that's impossible.'
Sniper Mode had precisely locked onto Freeman, and her concentration during the shot had been perfect.
'It wasn't my mistake.'
As a mage, there was only one variable she could think of: she had been under an illusion from the start.
Amy: "Anti-magic…"
It was clear that Freeman's gun was enchanted with anti-magic.
'I didn't feel it in close combat. That means its efficiency isn't high. Probably less than 2%.'
But even that slight efficiency could cause a deviation of several meters at over 300 meters.