Chapter 24

I ran into the large open room that was next to the hallway we were previously in and guided Tsuki to the back of it. Instead of a wall, there was a large metal door, not unlike one you’d see for a garage. I pressed my hand against a panel next to it, and several magical rings popped out of it. I manipulated them and then pressed my palm against the magic display. A humming rumbling and sounds of gears turning echoed through to wall and from behind the door the sound of something locking into place was heard. The bunker shook again and the sound of walls and ceilings collapsing from the upper rooms echoed down into this room.

“What’s behind there?” Tsuki asked as she grasped my shoulder.

“Our way out.”

I pressed the magical hologram once more, and the metal door rose open revealing a black motorcycle. It was locked into a turntable-like device on the ground with the wheels secured in clasps.

“Wait, wasn’t this on the upper floor? I remember you parking it outside when we first got here.” Tsuki asked, confusion clear on her face.

“It was, but I moved it here. I could explain the complicated set up we have, but it won’t matter soon anyway, and we don’t have time. Get on.”

I got onto the bike and Tsuki sat behind me, locking her hands around my waist. I turned the vehicle on, the engine roaring to life, and I revved it a few times. A small smirk broke my lips as the engine purred. Pressing my hand on the dashboard of the bike, a click from below echoed as the clasps on the wheels unlocked. I kicked up the brake stand, revved the engine once more and drove the bike into the open room.

“This is all cool and rad and whatever, but how the hell are we getting out of here? You’re not going to drive the bike up the stairs, are you?” Tsuki said, flinching as the bunker shook again.

“The stairs? No, of course not. That’d be ridiculous. We’re using a ramp.”

“A what?!”

I pressed my hand to the dashboard again and this time the floor started to open, and a ramp was slowly raised into the room. It curved up dramatically and pointed right at the ceiling. Tsuki of course noticed that and instantly called it out.

“That thing goes right into the ceiling! Ryuki, what the hell are you doing!? Stop messing around!”

“I’m not. Just, make sure you hang on tight.” I said, revving the engine once more.

I held down the brake and moved the acceleration handle forward. The back wheel spun and burned rubber on the floor, kicking up smoke and dust. I then let off the brake, and we launched from our spot like the start of a race. I then placed an enhancement spell on the bike, and it stuck to the ramp as we traveled it. Tsuki let out a scream as we reached the vertical part of the ramp and headed right to the ceiling. She grabbed me harder, her nails digging into my stomach, as she called me numerous things that insulted my intelligence. But then, I stuck my hand out, a swirl of purple flames forming in my palm and launching it out toward the ceiling. It collided with it, igniting it instantly. The entire ceiling was engulfed in an ethereal purple flame. Tsuki continued to scream as we collided directly with the ceiling.

“You killed us! We’re dead! You killed us in the stupidest way possib- Oh we’re alive.” Tsuki said, calming down instantly when she realized she was in fact alive. “And we’re outside?”

We were indeed outside. More specifically, we were soaring through the air above the bunker. I looked down below us and saw two people casting varying different spells at our bunker. The rundown and abandoned train station we were using for cover was completely destroyed with only burning rubble and embers remaining of it. Then, one of the mages looked up at us, likely noticing our mana.

“I’ll explain it later, right now I need you to defend us. Also, brace for landing.” I quickly shouted at Tsuki.

We fell through the air, traveling faster to the ground. I kept my hand out, creating a torrent of air out of it to soften our fall. We still hit the ground rather hard, the shocks of my bike loudly screaming, even through magical protection. Tsuki made a groan as we landed, pressing her body against me.

“Man, that hurt. Was this the only way for us to escape? This seems really reckless.” Tsuki said as she groaned.

“If we went with the others, we risked being tracked by our mana. This was our safest bet. Enough talking though, I need you to hold them off while I try to lose them!”

Just then, a light zoomed beside us, the ground in front of us exploding in a rain of dirt. Then several other lights zoomed by all the same. We were being chased. Tsuki turned around to see and she let out a yelp as she saw the two mages sprinting at them at inhuman speeds. Faster than anything she could do with her own enhancement and far greater than what she saw Ryuki ever do.

“Waah! They’re fast! Eek!”

Tsuki shrieked and raised her hand up. Instead of something manifesting in her hand, however, the sky darkened as a cloud covered them from above. The cloud quickly darkened to a shadowy black and started to crackle. Tsuki then swung her hand down with a grunt, and the cloud erupted, but instead of lightning crashing down from it, thousands of shards rained down onto the pursuing mages like a hail of razors. Tsuki had a wicked grin on her face as she watched, hoping to see the mages shredded by her glass blades. But her grin was soon replaced with bewilderment as the smaller of the two mages raised her hand up and a barrier stopped the shards, melting them into liquid and pouring off the sides, protecting them.

“That’s insane! They made a shield that just melts glass?!” Tsuki screamed.

“RYUKI!” the male mage, Kyosuke, yelled out at me. “You won’t escape; I will have your head!”

“My, my, you better leave some for me!” a female voice called out.

A chill went down my spine and my hands tingled. I turned my head back and looked at the mages chasing us. It was her. That’s right, the person who I want my revenge on. Ichiro even said it himself; it was Yukino Kurosawa. Her tone was different, she had killing intent in her voice, she no longer sounded indifferent to everything, but it was her all the same. Tsuki kept conjuring complicated spells, none of which used traditional elemental magic, and throwing them at the mages. She was creating tar-like pits on the ground, sending orbs of pure mana like bombs, and warping the air around them into solid matter, but none of it stopped the Bishops.

“Ryuki Yagami, the one we failed to relocate! You are special! You should feel honoured to be hunted down and killed by us!” Yukino shouted as she tossed out spears made of ice, lava, and earth at us.

“RYUKI!!!” Kyosuke shouted as he hurled blasts of wind at us.

“Ahhh! Ryuki, they’re not getting hit by anything I throw at them!” Tsuki screamed.

“Stop running, Yagami boy! I’ll reunite you with your family! Your dear little sister probably misses you!” Yukino screamed out, tossing another elemental spear at us.

“You’re dead.” I muttered.