Chapter 517: Strongest Agent

I shouldn’t have shot him.

Ivan, the hulking eight-foot-tall agent in a golden exosuit, sat on a bench that groaned under the burden of his weight. He wasn’t tired. This exosuit was made of a strange metal that strengthened its wearer, and several cores had been integrated to provide mana when necessary.

The cores also powered the heavy suit. On his own, he could stand for hours; with the suit, more than a day.

Yet here he sat, in a corridor on the highest floor of the Headquarters. They waited for the crowd to disperse before returning to the building. Faintly, he could hear Mr. London making calls in the office.

It was his fault. Ivan knew that. Yet he felt no guilt. It had to be done. The world needed to understand. Show even the slightest aggression toward a Council member, and the last thing you’d see would be the muzzle flash of a gun.

"The best agent?" He scowled. "I’m far from it."

He reached for his phone and answered the call. It had been buzzing for a while. His screen brightened with the face of a red-haired woman. Her hair wasn’t an ordinary red. Its shades seemed to shift like fire, flickering between deep crimson and brighter orange.

She sat in a chair, her phone wedged between books on the desk. She wore a blue uniform with double rows of buttons and had this incredulous look.

"You’ve seen it."

"You shot a man at such an important event. And... I’m not surprised." She said, chuckling.

"Best agent." He scowled, earning a sharp laugh from her.

"That was hilarious. No one will argue that you are our strongest. But the best? You’re terrible at following orders. You’re not even remotely good at it. You kill. Leave the protection to everyone else." Amber said.

Ivan grimaced. "I guess no one told the Council Head."

Amber shook her head. "He knows what you’re good at. He just didn’t expect you to act out. You’ll be reprimanded. Others will be imprisoned for this. You just got back, and on your first appearance, you’ve caused a ruckus." Amber picked up something he couldn’t really see. When she packed her hair into a ponytail and began to bind it, he realized she had taken a hair tie.

"Mr. London could have died if that had not been water." Ivan said firmly.

"Good point. Can’t deny that."

"I heard about Miquella." Ivan muttered, remembering his second. While he’d been away, sharpening himself against the horrors of other worlds, she had died a miserable death back home.

"I heard the kid I couldn’t kill years ago might be behind it." Amber said, grieving. "Fate works in his favour. It’s like he can’t be killed."

"As long as something lives, it can certainly die. This Godfrey Daniels is no exception. Even Cain died, much less this lesser version of him." Ivan said.

"People can indeed die." Amber’s voice became soft. Ivan sighed inwardly. She was thinking about her dead sister. To think her sister was one of the unlucky few to die from epilepsy. Every attempt to save her had failed for some reason. That loss struck Amber deeply.

But she was an agent. She swore an oath to ensure the Humanoid Summoners would not shatter humanity’s future, and she would keep fighting until her final breath.

"I know about Fate, Ivan. I understand that it shapes our lives, affects everything around us, and can even be manipulated. We know this. Perhaps fate has turned in our favour." She clenched her fist, muscles flexing at the move. The power this new body had was stunningly euphoric.

She was over seven feet tall, with an almost perfect muscle-to-fat ratio. Her blows could shatter a man’s skull. She towered over everyone around her, yet felt lighter than she’d ever been.

This is what humanity was supposed to be. This was their true form. The old body had been no different from lying on a deathbed and surviving through intravenous fluids.

This was life.

"How do you feel in your new body?" Ivan asked.

"I’ve never felt better." She rose to her feet. "I am strong enough to match a High Tier. It needs mana; I do not. Once I get an exosuit, I should be able to fight a Saint Tier creature. And we have those bullets that can kill anything they touch. We’re invincible, Ivan. I never thought this day would come." She said, out of breath because of how fast she spoke.

Ivan held his pistol. The world was changing. Mana was an extraordinary energy. It had given humanity the ability to summon, but it would have been foolish to stop there. They had to research it, to push its limits and discover what else it could give them.

For decades, they had tried and failed.

With mana, humanity could solve problems beyond the limits of summoning. They couldn’t sit back and sip tea now that they could summon. And that curiosity had finally brought results. Great results.

"Keep New York safe, Amber." Ivan said.

"There is no New York. At least not yet." Amber replied.

"It will happen. Godfrey has given the Council Heads just what they need to strengthen their hold and rebuild the civilization we once had." Ivan said.

The door clicked, and a towering agent in a golden exosuit emerged. "The Council Head wants to see you, sir."

Ivan went in. He stood alone with Mr. London, who sat on his chair, boring holes into his face. The intensity in his eyes was... frightening.

"You should be in prison with criminals for that stupid stunt you pulled down there!" Mr. London glared at him.

Ivan lowered his head.

Exasperated, Mr. London looked away. "Don’t let your pride be a hindrance, Ivan. This should be the last of it."

"I understand, sir." Ivan saluted and turned to leave.

"I never said you could leave." Mr. London said. Ivan turned back. "We have your weapon ready. The prototype was lost in the Tokyo dungeon, but it’s nothing compared to what the new rifles can do with these bullets."

Ivan couldn’t hide his smirk. "When can I have the rifle?"

"Soon." Mr. London leaned close. "You know the problem we have with these bullets. We won’t see the next batch in three months. Do not waste even a single one on a random person."

"Understood. Will I receive the rifle before Godfrey goes to the duel?" Ivan asked.

"Godfrey Daniels is not your target. He doesn’t know what these bullets can do. He’ll call it a bluff, and he’ll be the first person to die. That was the plan. But handing him over to Kabsal of the Red Scars not only helped us get rid of him, it also opened the door to a better alliance." Mr. London said. "Isn’t that better than wasting one of these precious bullets?"