Justice Always Wins, But I'm Justice
"Justice always wins, but I'm justice." Smack!
Park Do-hun's fist connected, and a brief silence fell.
The Bombers' eyes were hidden behind their visors, but they all seemed utterly shocked.
[Guh… ugh…!]
Park Do-hun vanished into stealth again, leaving the staggering Red behind. He quickly hoisted Su-yeon unnie over his shoulder and pulled away from the Bombers.
As the two drew near, Yong-hun uncle reached out, casting recovery and buffs on them. There weren't any obvious injuries, but… better safe than sorry.
Red clutched her legs, trembling violently before collapsing to the ground. While Blue and Green grabbed her arms to help her up, Pink stepped forward and screamed.
[You bastards…! Turning Red into Dark Pink. Have you no shame?!]
[Vile scum…!]
[Guh… guh…]
Thankfully, Park Do-hun's strike had landed a true critical. Well, it was a guy's ultimate weak spot.
Honestly, you don't even need a skill to find that one.
Su-yeon unnie eyed the Bombers with tense determination. The boss was Red—no, Dark Pink—so taking her out would make the rest manageable. The problem was, while we'd dealt serious damage, she wasn't defeated yet.
She forced herself to stand straight, enduring the pain.
[Hoo… This won't do. Time to get serious.]
[Yeah! Dark Pink, in that case—]
[Combine!]
Rumble… The Bombers touched their belts in unison, forming ranks. They crossed their arms, pressing bracelets from their wrists against the belts—and gates opened behind them.
Not one, but five.
As the rippling gates yawned open, an intense chill poured through. It was a cold utterly unlike my own skill—far sharper…!
Explosion Engine—Full Burst!
Penguin Fusion… Three, Two, One… Combine!
The ground shook as something burst from the gates.
Penguins…!
Huge robot penguins. Five of them. The gates vanished as they emerged.
With flashy explosions, the robot penguins split apart, pieces flying and reassembling into a single mecha. The Bombers dove into the center and boarded.
Boom! As the mecha landed, explosions erupted from the ground like special effects.
[A A A A All Systems Combined—!!]
[Power Bomber—]
[Penguin Bomb!]
The mecha was… enormous. Like a ten-story building. I had to crane my neck way back to see its face.
The penguin beak on its head glared down. Ominous mana flowed earthward, sharp cold spreading everywhere.
"…Everyone, r-run away."
We couldn't win. This wasn't just a grade-3 gate.
It was a Trap Gate, linked type. Multiple grade-3 gates had chained together, escalating beyond what our little team could handle. Two special gates overlapping… Su-yeon unnie gripped her hammer tight, breathing ragged. But she didn't flee.
It was reckless. Hopeless.
Yet Yong-hun uncle, Park Do-hun, Su-yeon unnie—none of them thought of running.
"Gotta buy time for the kid to escape."
"Yeah~ Shiro, go on. Leave this to the grown-ups now."
"N-no… I don't wanna."
"Listen. You gonna run or not?"
I hated leaving alone. Not because of some deep bond.
Bad memories surfaced.
I'd fled first in a similar mess before.
A grade-1 gate suddenly at my first orphanage. When monsters appeared, eight-year-old me bolted.
The adults never told me what happened to the place. Just moved me elsewhere and said forget it.
I never saw those orphanage friends again.
Battle Blade—Online.
Explosion Saber—Draw!
The mecha spread its hand, and a sword assembled from thin air. It snatched it up.
Like the Bombers' swords, but bigger and flashier.
"Go, kid! Hurry!"
"Nooo…! I don't wanna…."
What could they even do staying here? The power gap was obvious. Risking their lives for one kid—why?
Tears kept flowing. I was scared. Didn't want to lose these people I'd barely met.
Overwhelmed, I bowed my head and whispered.
"Grandpa… help…."
"Who made my Shiro cry—!!"
Kaboom!!
A blue shark of light slammed into the mecha's core, unleashing a massive shockwave.
[Wh-what?!]
Dark Pink's panicked voice echoed from the speakers. One hit had rocked the mecha hard.
A massive figure—Grandpa—wrapped in a huge white shield. White Shark Kang Yong-su cracked the mecha's body and landed.
"G-Grandpa…! Sniff, hic, I was so scared…!"
"Haha! But no more worries, little one."
As Grandpa spoke, shadows charged the mecha. Se-eun unnie soared in on her surfboard, spear at the ready.
[You bastards—!!]
The mecha's face flashed, the Bombers' roars distorting—less human now.
It thrust its sword skyward, mana gathering at the tip. Double the cannon charge from before.
"Not on my watch!"
Se-eun unnie rode a wave in before it finished. Slash—her elegant spear swing from behind bisected the mana, scattering it.
Boom!
Grandpa kicked off, cratering the ground. He met the mecha's wild sword swing with his shield.
The clash sent the sword rebounding.
[Impossible…!]
The other hunters were no slouches either. A black-haired, disheveled woman gestured, blanketing the area in buffs. A scarf-wearing archer nodded knowingly between buildings and shouted.
"Marking weak points!"
Fwip-fwip-fwip-bam!
Dozens of arrows pierced the mecha instantly. They glowed, mana flaring at vital spots.
A battle on another level. The Bombers' mecha couldn't land a hit, pushed back relentlessly.
I watched, thinking:
…So cool.
Then Absolmi wriggled in my arms. I'd clutched him tight to avoid trouble, but he slipped free.
—Chirp! Chirp!
Instead of charging the mecha, Absolmi flapped, trying to tell me something.
"What's wrong… What're you saying… Huh?"
Focusing on him, I sensed it: high-quality snow and pure cold permeating the area.
Leftovers from the penguin robots exiting the gates.
I'd been too panicked to notice, but it resonated with my powers. Like brimming power.
My remaining mana was half, but this environment… I could unleash something huge.
"G-Grandpa…!! I'll stop the mecha…!"
"You got this, Shiro?!"
Grandpa didn't dismiss me for being a kid. He grinned—like show me—and shoved the mecha back with his shield.
The staggering giant. I spread my palms, channeling inner mana, ambient cold, and snow.
My hair floated. Absolmi circled, easing my mana flow.
I could do it. Certainty surged.
"Haaaaah—!!"
Crack!
The cold and snow were mine. As if a Snow Girl commanded winter itself, mana obeyed.
May, with summer far off. Snow blanketed the city, freezing the mecha solid at the center.
The rest was predictable. Se-eun unnie and Grandpa shattered it, subduing the Bombers inside in seconds.
Mecha defeated.
"Waaah… Hic… sniffl…!"
"Scared, Shiro?"
I sobbed in Se-eun unnie's arms. That overwhelming robot had me accepting death.
Tension gone, the terror hit fresh—tears poured.
Se-eun unnie patted my back, soothing me…
Grandpa chatted with Association folks post-mecha. Robot metals from gates fetch high prices—complicated profit splits.
Not identical, but mana-reactive. Rare in reality; sell a bit, get rich.
"K-Kang Se-eun Hunter…? No way…!"
"Oh, a fan? Nice to meet you~"
Su-yeon unnie stomped excitedly at Se-eun unnie. Se-eun had lots of female fans, it seemed.
"Whoa, Kang Yong-su. Epic."
Park Do-hun gawked at Grandpa in his slangy way. "21st-century Yi Sun-sin" made him guys' idol. Made sense.
Grandpa finished talking and approached, ruffling my hair with a smile.
Everything over—it hit again. More tears welled.
"Hoho, Shiro got scared, eh? Aigoo."
Grandpa scooped me up effortlessly. Experienced from raising Se-eun unnie—girl-holding pro.
"Shiro. See all this snow and ice? And those mana stones over there? They're yours."
What did that mean?