Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: First Principle: Trust No One
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#046
1.
Lately, I've been thinking hard about it.
Me, who'd spent my whole life thirsting for stimulation and cheap dopamine hits.
Why had I been able to live so quietly lately, like some well-bred lady from a good family?
“Vanished to the left! Chase him! Kill him!!!”
“Block the rear!!!”
“Keep pushing him!!!”
The answer?
With days like this every damn day, who wouldn't be starved for thrills?
Dodging them in Uehara Sedric mode, clashing in a few sticky skirmishes with the pursuers I ran into.
The result...
“Hah... hah...”
Breath heaving up to my chin.
A hefty chunk of mana drained.
And.
“You bitch, fuck...”
A flying dagger buried deep in my left shoulder, right up to the hilt.
“Hah... fuck... Can I pull this out? Nah, probably not.”
Even with adrenaline buzzing like crazy, it hurt like absolute hell.
Fine, I admit it. I stirred shit up this round chasing a power-up event.
But does it make sense for that many to swarm just to lynch one 7th rank?
No matter how thoroughly I dismantle Rowen, the cost-performance just doesn't add up.
And these fixers gathered in this butcher district weren't even the full fifty.
That was the count I got from spotting the first faces.
Every time I turned a corner, more popped out from the alleys, so there had to be way more in the area.
Clutching my shoulder as I ran.
“Found—”
I bumped into one guy at a sharp corner turn.
Before the wide-eyed bastard could yell.
Sticky mana flowed through my brand, infused with intent.
“Die.”
-Swoosh
The brand activated—Death Verdict, honed to max proficiency.
Three straight lines etched out with no cooldown.
-Pfshk!
Limbs sliced off unreal-lightly, torso tumbling backward.
Blood fountaining up, turning the already red space bloodier.
“No one saw that, right?”
Assassination success!
“He's here! That fucking bastard's here!!! Jack's down!”
Fuck! Failure!
Unfortunately, a witness clocked my position.
The guy who'd spotted his prey bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Please! Don't!”
-Pew!
I fired off Death Verdict aiming to burst his head, but it just grazed cover, leaving a tiny nick.
The bastard hiding behind it wailed like a living siren.
“Don't chicken out, keep tracking! Just stay hidden and that fucker's done for!”
Not wrong.
There was a reason they'd made this butcher district their hunting ground.
This was one of C Sector's tightest mazes, structures and buildings tangled like spiderwebs.
Cover everywhere, blind spots galore, sewer steam blocking sightlines thick as fog.
They'd exposed my info, figured out Death Verdict's weakness, and sniped it properly.
-Beep! Beep-beep! Beeeep!
Whistles blowing like steady signals from all over.
Footsteps closing in.
“These fuckers are bleeding me dry...”
Chase scenes in movies aren't pulse-pounding action in real life.
The pursuers weren't extras scripted to get picked off one by one.
“It's a dangerous one! Stronger than Sunming! Everyone, stay alert!”
“Already ten down! Don't rush in! Pinpoint position, then measure distance and swarm together!”
“7th ranks first, then 8ths follow up!”
To survive. And to kill me for sure.
They tightened the noose slow, keeping distance.
Their threat level dwarfed Project Z's brainless zombie hordes.
“Over there! That's him!”
“Close the gap! Night Blossom Garden routes—all blocked!”
“Can't let him link up with Eiming!”
They'd read that far.
Yeah, you're not idiots. You know if I scurry to Eiming, it's a bust.
Honestly, I don't know this area well.
If they slowly corner me like this...
The fragile Sedric gets swarmed by who-knows-how-many hairy uncles.
But with this round nearly done, I can't waste a copy of the Mysterious Insect Scripture copy on these scrubs, right?
Conclusion.
Outnumbered + terrain disadvantage. End in sight.
“...Thinking about it pisses me off.”
This round's basically wrapping up anyway.
That fake True Ancestor probably bolted far away ages ago.
Challenge points are a shame, but info's plenty gathered—could call it here.
Cower and flee from these shit-for-brains, get limbs ripped slow, die pathetic?
“Nah.”
Think of Hyun and Sunming.
Even staring death down, he tried smashing my head to die together.
Damn! Isn't that the fixer spirit of Necropolis, full of grit?
I pulled out the Golden Carp Clan's illegal dope, Exseed, that Sunming left behind.
-Crack
Twisted the ampule head, snapped it, gulped the contents.
Bitter enough to sting my tongue, stabbing through my brain.
And.
“Oh... oooooh!!!!”
This sensation. First time ever!
Electric tingles racing veins and nerves.
Trackers' voices from all sides layered, separated crisp.
Dilated pupils sucked in reflected light greedily.
Focus peaked instantly.
“Huuuuuh...!!!”
Object edges sharpened cruel.
Heartbeat thumping, hot breath steamed from clenched teeth.
[ 'Drug Resistance' neutralizes Exseed's side effects ]
“Doping!!! The best!!!!”
No more running.
If I go, I take as many as possible.
I ducked behind cover, timed by footsteps trailing.
3
2
1
Now!
“Huh?!”
The close-tail chaser gasped, spotting me lunge from the side.
That was his last sight.
-Slash!
Like a B-horror wire trap victim, sliced mid-stride.
Explosive leap along his path.
“Come on!!! You dog bastards!!!”
Counter-counterattack launched.
“Wh-what?!”
“Crazy!”
Four trackers freaked, backing off at my sudden charge.
Four 8ths and 9ths confirmed.
-Beep! Beeeep!
“This way! Block him!”
“Hide! Buy time till the others!”
Death Verdict sucks against cover, sure.
But that's when I'm the one running.
Kicked off the slick bloody floor, leaped airborne.
Soared over the heads of those smug behind cover.
“Huh? Huhh!”
“Fuc—!”
To the wide-mouthed stares looking up.
I unloaded Death Verdict.
The sigil that took down ex-top 7th Sunming: 'Fall Death.'
Slow compared to other attacks, but max power.
Perfect special against stopped, hiding foes.
-Crush! Crunch! Smash!
Crude signs, crates, stalls.
Blood pools spread wide beneath like bases.
Inertia tucked into smooth forward roll, landed.
Smooth even I couldn't believe.
“This dope is insane!!!”
Jon Jones!!! You feel this too?!
But.
Reason I kept ass-wiggling away.
This fight doesn't end by killing a few.
Soon as I reversed.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
Saw one bounding on blade-legged prosthetics, wall-and-sign hopping.
Body-aug weird acceleration layered on.
“Die!”
Even my slash, he forced through the gap, closing distance.
Only 7th ranks pull Sandevistan moves like that.
With one-stroke guard brand active, tanks one Death Verdict.
I didn't back off.
One step forward instead.
-Whoosh!
Horizontal prosthetic swing to sever my waist,
-Shhhh!
I slid knees-first under.
Exseed effect plus Laplace's Eye.
Heavy metal slab overhead framed frame-by-frame.
“What?!”
Crossed him sliding, two Fall Deaths point-blank.
-Krunch!
7th fixer boasting fine prosthetic crumpled like empty can, slammed down.
Fall Death power unmatched, as expected.
“Hup!”
Snapped up waist-powered, moved right away.
No rest, even brief.
Encircling net shrinking by the second.
Every delay, more to face at once.
After that, trance state.
“Kill him!!!”
“Argh! Arghh! Don't push!”
Dodged sword, halberd, spear, machete, rocket hammer by hairsbreadth.
Fired Death Verdict straight, circle, tentacle, bullet.
“F-fuck...! Said 7th rank! He's 7th!!!”
“This monster!!! Get out of our city!”
“Gaaahhh!!!”
Simple game.
Kill to live, fail and die.
Slow-kill and get swarmed, die.
Dove into the ambushers who never dreamed counterattack.
“Die, you bastards!!!!”
Unleashed every ounce of real-combat-honed skill, murder-tanked through foes.
“Mercy!! Backup! Backup!!!”
“Where the 7ths at!”
“They're already down over there!! Down, I said!”
How much time, how many dead?
“Huff...! Huff...!”
Sweat like rain. Blood mixed in.
Butcher district littered fresh-slaughtered meat everywhere.
“W-wait... Sorry, my bad... I fucked up, okay?”
-Smash
Finished the begging tracker runt.
Finally knelt, puked breath.
“Ugh... Gonna die...”
No exaggeration, body shredded.
8ths no biggie, but 7ths ratio way too high unexpected.
Stabbed, slashed, daggers embedding everywhere.
Without Exseed, body wouldn't move at will already.
Still, this means I upheld top 7th pride?
Or finally hitting 6th territory?
Never faced a 6th, so hard to gauge.
“...This far, huh.”
Dope has limits.
Wounds and overclock screaming through whole body.
Get captured like this? Won't die easy.
“Weeell~ Time to bounce.”
Prepared Death Verdict to blow my head.
Fingergun to temple...
Weird vibe.
“......”
Why so quiet?
Killed plenty, but not half.
Scared off by casualties?
Necropolis fixers ain't that soft.
“Sedric, you've really made enemies left and right, haven't you.”
Tension melted at the familiar voice from across.
Why silence fell sudden, got it.
Jet-black dress she favors.
Inner complex resolved? Towering heels on Ceres.
My guardian angel strolled out, arms crossed.
“Ceres niiiiiim!!!”
Didn't expect to see her again this round—Sedric misty-eyed!
“What brings you here!”
Rushed to hug, stopped.
Look at me.
Can't bloody up our Ceres-madam's dress. Too gorgeous?
Ceres eyed my state, frowned hard.
“Sigh... Came early, still late. Come here.”
Aah, madam warmth envelops...
Healing magic mid-cast, throbbing wounds mending felt.
“Cling all you want.”
“How are you so merciful...!”
“You're no ordinary boy. Saw on way in—quite the rampage?”
“Overcame terrain disadvantage, fought valiantly...”
Drowsy.
Fragrant lemon scent, Ceres-madam's aroma.
Exhaustion, relief mix—sleep imminent.
“Sedric.”
“Yes, Lady Ceres....”
“One thing to ask. Be honest?”
“Of course.....”
Brushing blood-matted hair, she murmured low.
“Why'd you steal the True Ancestor?”