Lisa swiftly grabbed Raiden's right palm, halting his advance toward the intruders who had penetrated the penthouse grounds. Her gaze was resolute, filled with unshakable conviction.
"Young Master, please allow me to handle them," Lisa stated firmly, her voice soft yet brimming with determination. "This is the perfect opportunity to test my abilities in a real combat situation." She added this logical reasoning, respectfully trying to convince Raiden.
Raiden stared directly into Lisa's eyes, scrutinizing every inch of her expression. After a few long seconds of silent deliberation, he finally gave a slight nod. "Fine. But be precise," he commanded briefly, his tone carrying both trust and warning.
Lisa responded with a thin smile, then gracefully tied her long, glossy black hair that shimmered under the dim penthouse lights. Her hand moved to the belt at her waist, drawing a sleek, jet-black futuristic pistol-like device. This was the QSI—Quantum Spellcaster Interface—a revolutionary innovation merging quantum mechanics with magical technology. The device was designed to maximize spell-casting efficiency through quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement, creating a system that was fast, accurate, and lethal.
In this modern era, QSI had become the go-to choice for magic users who wanted to bypass the lengthy, complicated training required to master traditional magical techniques. With this tool, complex spells could be unleashed in mere seconds.
Lisa pressed her fingertip against the biometric sensor near the barrel. Instantly, her QSI emitted a mysterious purple-black light emanating from the runic engravings decorating the entire barrel surface. The light pulsated as if alive, reflecting the flow of magical energy beginning to surge.
She infused magical energy into the QSI, which was immediately stored in an internal component called the Mana Reservoir System (MRS). Through the Neuro-Link Interface (NLI)—advanced technology connecting the user's mind to the device via neuro-magnetic sensors—Lisa directed her magical intent. The sensors read her brain wave patterns, translating her desires into commands sent directly to the Quantum Processor Core (QPC).
The QPC, the heart of the QSI, was a quantum processor capable of handling magical information at the subatomic level. With computational abilities in a state of superposition, the QPC could process various casting outcomes simultaneously, achieving efficiency far beyond conventional methods. In an instant, Lisa's desired spell was ready to be released.
With a steady movement, she pulled the QSI trigger, aiming at the floor beneath her feet. A soft hissing sound followed as a perfectly circular crack formed in the concrete surface. Slowly, that section of floor levitated into the air, carrying Lisa who stood firmly atop it. A gentle breeze caressed her tied hair, adding to her elegant yet intimidating presence.
"To minimize damage to the residence, you all need to be taken to the air first," Lisa murmured softly, yet her cold gaze locked onto a group of tall men standing in the outer courtyard of the penthouse. Her eyes narrowed in concentration.
From her elevated position, she aimed her QSI downward. Utilizing the simultaneous casting feature, Lisa executed a simple yet lethal technique: gravitational vector control. With terrifying precision, she manipulated the gravitational field around the intruders' bodies.
In an instant, the tall men felt their bodies freeze. An invisible force pressed against every inch of their muscles, rendering them helpless. One by one, their large frames rose steadily into the air, floating beyond their control.
"What the hell is happening?!" one of them shouted, his voice trembling with panic.
"Why can't I feel my body?!" yelled another, his eyes widening in terror.
"Is this the work of a magic user?! Isn't using magic on civilians prohibited?!" protested a man with an angry tone, though his face had turned deathly pale.
Lisa merely gazed down at them, her expression unchanging.
The air was frigid, thick with tension, as the towering men hovered several feet above the ground, perfectly aligned with Lisa's imposing figure. She stood unflinching atop a floating slab of concrete, her presence as unyielding as the jagged edge of a glacier. The dim light of the twilight sky cast eerie shadows across their faces, each one contorted in shock as they registered the deadly aura emanating from the woman before them. Lisa's expression was ice-cold, her gaze piercing through them with not a shred of mercy.
"W-What… are you a magic user?!" one of the tall men stammered, his voice trembling with raw fear. His wide eyes betrayed the terror gripping his soul. He knew all too well that magic users were beings far beyond the reach of ordinary humans like them. No matter how fiercely they fought, facing someone like Lisa was nothing short of a waking nightmare.
"Miss, please spare us! It's unwise to use your magic against mere mortals like us—argh!" His plea was cut short as Lisa raised her QSI weapon with a swift, controlled motion. Her slender finger pulled the trigger without a hint of hesitation.
In an instant, the man felt an unbearable pressure surge at the core of his body. It expanded with a speed no human senses could track, until it erupted from within. His body shattered into countless fragments, organs and bones reduced to mere splinters scattering through the air, creating a horrific mist of crimson mixed with mangled flesh.
"Gravity Implosion," Lisa muttered, her voice flat and emotionless, her gaze as sharp as a freshly honed blade. There was no trace of feeling on her face, only an absolute focus that made the air feel heavier, suffocating.
Witnessing their comrade obliterated in such a brutal manner, the remaining men froze in horror. Their faces drained of color, some retching uncontrollably from the sheer terror. Their expressions twisted into masks of panic and acute dread. A few let out hysterical screams, their shrill cries echoing like desperate wails in the dead of night.
Meanwhile, Raiden merely smirked, a thin, satisfied smile laced with a dark edge. As someone well-acquainted with violence, he felt a twisted sense of pride watching Lisa's ruthless efficiency in dispatching their foes. "Hmm, looks like training her with those high-tier criminal prisoners as practice dummies paid off. Her mental fortitude is razor-sharp," he murmured to himself, his tone dripping with approval.
Lisa stepped forward on the floating concrete slab, her eyes sweeping over the trembling men with an air of absolute authority. "If you haven't been given permission to speak, then shut it. I'm in charge now. When I ask a question, you answer truthfully and to the best of your ability." Her voice was firm, carrying an undeniable power that left no room for defiance. "Got it?!" she barked, her tone slicing through the silence like a whip.
"Understood, Miss!" they chorused, their voices loud but laced with unmistakable fear. Their bodies shook, none daring to meet her gaze.
"What's your purpose here? And who gave the orders?" Lisa demanded, cutting straight to the heart of the matter with a tone that brooked no lies.
After a tense, suffocating silence, one of the men—seemingly their leader—finally spoke up. "We… we're bodyguards under Young Master David Stewart. He ordered us to forcibly retrieve the four members of the girl group Lunarian."
At the mention of that name, Irene, who stood not far from Lisa, underwent a drastic transformation. Her usually composed demeanor shattered, replaced by a deep, burning hatred. Her eyes blazed with a fiery intensity, as if ready to incinerate everything in her path. Even Raiden, rarely fazed by anything, raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in the girl's demeanor. Irene, always cool and collected, now looked like a lioness poised to strike.
"Hmm, David Stewart," Raiden muttered, his voice low but laced with menace. His eyes glinted dangerously, as though already plotting something sinister. He turned to Sylvia, who stood by his side. "Gather every scrap of intel on this spoiled brat. I want to know everything," he commanded, leaving no room for refusal.
Sylvia nodded lightly, her demeanor calm yet obedient. "Understood, Young Master," she replied curtly, already preparing to execute her task.
Raiden and Lisa exchanged a brief glance. A mere look was enough for them to understand the next move. Raiden gave a subtle nod of approval, and Lisa redirected her attention to the trembling men still hovering in the air, their fear palpable.
With a graceful yet lethal motion, Lisa raised her QSI pistol skyward. Her fingers pulled the trigger once more, a faint click resonating in the stillness. "Micro Black Holes," she intoned softly, her voice brimming with focus. The NLI in her weapon read her brainwaves with pinpoint accuracy, while the QPC processed the command in an instant.
The runic carvings on her QSI flared brilliantly, emitting a surge of magical energy so potent that the surrounding air trembled. Moments later, a dark, purplish-black sphere materialized several meters above the men. It spun at a ferocious speed, creating tiny distortions in the space around it.
"W-What is that?! Damn it—argh!" one of the men closest to the sphere screamed in panic before his body was yanked toward it with an irresistible force. One by one, the others followed, their forms dragged swiftly toward the event horizon of the micro black hole.
Due to the extreme gravitational disparity between the singularity and the event horizon, their bodies stretched grotesquely, like rubber bands pulled to their breaking point. Within seconds, they were torn apart into fragments, resembling spaghetti shredded by an unimaginable force. Upon reaching the singularity, their remains disintegrated to a subatomic level, leaving no trace behind.
From the outside, this horrific process seemed instantaneous, but for those trapped within the event horizon, time crawled agonizingly slow, their suffering stretching into an eternity. Now, there was no evidence of the towering men. They had vanished from existence, as if they'd never been.
Lisa lowered her weapon, carefully halting the flow of magical energy to the micro black hole to prevent further collateral damage. The runic glow on her QSI dimmed, and the air settled into an eerie calm.
Raiden clapped enthusiastically, a warm yet slightly unsettling smile playing on his lips. "Great work, Lisa. That was one hell of a power display," he praised genuinely, stepping forward as Lisa landed elegantly before him.
Lisa offered a faint smile, her previously frigid demeanor softening just a touch at her master's words. "Hehe, thanks, Young Master," she replied with a light, cheerful tone, a stark contrast to the deadly aura she'd exuded mere moments ago.