Ronan wasted no time at all in launching a few mana bolts at the approaching soldiers. They started yelling at each other, clearly shocked by his ability to still use what they thought of as skills under the effect of the white light. His sorcery was his secret weapon and he was prepared to use it to its full effect.

He conjured a shortsword in his right hand after letting the previous one dissipate. It had been damaged too much to be of any more use. A half dozen laser beams screamed in his direction, creating a lethal web that was difficult to avoid.

He was forced to use magic money to block one of them from piercing his gut. Ronan wasn't sure if they would still actually hurt him at this point, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The soldiers hadn't slowed down in the slightest and were closing the gap, but that wasn't a problem for Ronan. He had never intended to run.

His next rainbow bomb finished channeling right before the first of the soldiers reached a five-metre distance from him. Without delay he tossed it into the crowd, delighting in the kaleidoscopic shattering as it went off and tore through their ranks.

About half the soldiers had gone down from that one spell, and he finally felt the subtle warmth of a level-up running through him. The first since he'd killed the head technician back at the logistics headquarters.

However, there was no time to bask in his achievement. While all of the soldiers had entered carrying the laser rifles, those in the first row that had charged him slung them over their shoulders in favour of round metal weapons that looked like… Ronan suddenly burst out laughing as the metal handles started to hum and white glowing swords shot out of them.

Laserswords.

Now this really feels like space wars, he thought to himself. With his own conjured shortsword, he stepped forwards and met the first soldier in battle. His blade easily overpowered the soldier's, but the burning laser blade seemed to rapidly disintegrate his conjured weapon.

Just two kills in he was forced to let it dissipate and conjure a fresh one to parry the thrust of another soldier. Unfortunately it wasn't only the sword-wielding enemies he had to worry about. Those in the back were exploiting every small vulnerability he exposed, blasting their laser rifles into between their own allies to hit him.

Most were avoidable or blockable with magic money, but a couple struck him. The burn was bearable, but the patches of blistering flesh were uncomfortable when they rubbed against the lieutenant's uniform he wore.

Over the din of battle, Ronan heard a faint whining noise. It sounded similar to the alarms from the logistics headquarters but far deeper, and the length of time it blared for was longer. He couldn't pay attention to it for long but it worried him.

With the soldiers here, most of the workers had begun to exit the building rather than attack him. He was grateful for that, as if they'd chosen to assist the soldiers he would have quickly become overwhelmed by their numbers.

Rainbow bomb was excellent at clearing out large groups of enemies, but it was held back by its long channeling time. In a close-quarters battle Ronan couldn't afford to wait ten seconds between casts. If there was a way to push down the channel time he needed to figure it out, and fast.

Eventually he whittled down the soldiers until there were just a handful left. He knew he couldn't relax yet, but he would be grateful to earn himself a little time to breathe and consider his next steps.

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When there were just two soldiers left, they glanced at one another and nodded. At the same time, they both withdrew a small device from their uniforms and started to flee in opposite directions. The devices began to glow and they raised them to their ears.

Ronan didn't recognise it, though the way they glowed and the soldiers' behaviour reminded him of when the lieutenant had used that device to increase its power and fight somewhat evenly against him.

He made the immediate decision that chasing them was pointless. In his left hand he formed a mana bolt and two seconds later launched it at the soldier who'd run deeper into the spaceport. It struck its back and the soldier fell to the ground in a heap, dead.

The other had almost made it to the front entrance of the spaceport when Ronan launched his second mana bolt. However, due to the large distance between them and the scream of the mana bolt, the soldier managed to leap to one side and evade the spell. The bolt exploded at its feet as it kept running for safety.

Ronan sighed and started to give chase. He had destroyed all the ships in this hangar and ensured they wouldn't leave the city, and he couldn't let the soldier do whatever it was attempting with the strange device.

He launched another mana bolt as soon as he could, but the soldier cut sharply to the right the moment it stepped beyond the threshold of the spaceport's entrance and the spell exploded harmlessly against the ground. Ronan cursed and pushed his legs harder, knowing he would catch up soon.

As he stepped back out onto the streets, he saw sheer pandemonium. Looking to the right, all he saw was a huge crowd of workers wearing red and grey uniforms, with splashes of orange dotted about. There were also a few technicians in uniforms from white to dark blue.

The soldier had managed to slip away, using the crowds as cover. Ronan activated eagle eye, knowing that he had to find his prey before it could cause more trouble. A few seconds later, he spotted a dark shape moving through the crowds of bright colours. The soldier's uniform.

Ronan judged the distance from himself to the soldier and estimated how far the grathen would get in the next ten seconds. An idea formed and he began to channel another rainbow bomb. If this failed, he would just have to give up on taking the soldier down and focus on crippling the spaceport instead.

The nearby workers spotted him and started yelling. Most tried to back away, but seeing that the soldiers had failed to take him down, there were a small number that immediately rushed at him in an attempt to kill him. They were fools, but they had the potential to interrupt his current strategy.

Fending them off with a sword in his right hand was doable, due to the fact that only a few brave workers decided to challenge him. He had killed three by the time the rainbow bomb was ready to go, and Ronan wasted no time in launching it over the crowds of workers on an interception course with the fleeing soldier.

Over the sounds of battle and the yells of the other Grathen, the soldier didn't hear the bassy whine of the spell as it soared towards them. As it stepped out of the main body of the crowd and into the street, it slightly increased its pace. However, it was still too slow.

The rainbow bomb struck it in the back, knocking it forwards before exploding in a spiderweb of cracks that shattered the space around it and exploded in colour. A moment later Ronan heard the chime that signaled its death, knowing his patience and calculation had paid off.

The soldier fell, dropping the device it had been carrying. Ronan was about to turn his focus back to the workers who were charging towards him, when the device on the ground flared, exploding in a shower of white and blue sparks. He thought nothing of it, assuming the device had been destroyed by the spell, until an overwhelming pulse of mana rippled through the bubble surrounding the city.

The next moment, there was a screeching noise followed by a cough. A deafening voice spoke, loud enough to be heard throughout the entirety of Kayir and probably a decent few miles beyond the walls. "All citizens of Kayir, heed this proclamation! A dangerous enemy has appeared in the city and is destroying our vital infrastructure. If they are allowed to live, the entire planet will be in danger. The enemy is masquerading as a Lieutenant of the Federal Armed Forces. You must take up arms and resist by any means! Slaughter the threat to the Federation!"

Ronan looked around at the crowds of workers, most of whom had been giving him a wide berth until that moment. As one, the gazes of every single one of them turned to him. "Shit." He just about had time to curse before a torrential wave of Grathen began to charge at him.

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