Chapter 220
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 220
It’s hard to be grateful for life.
The world is absurd, the universe cruel.
And on top of that, we are never satisfied with what we have, forging our own misery by coveting what we lack.
How many people in this world truly know how to be grateful for living? Anyone who did would be called a saint.
...I’m no different in my own lack of gratitude.
But in this moment, even I am sincerely grateful.
Be grateful for your innate talent, Luka.
Since ancient times, talent has been considered a gift from the heavens—something ordained by the universe, a god, or some other transcendent being.
Those who overwhelmed ordinary people with their talent were called geniuses.
Calling myself a genius sounds obnoxious and embarrassing, so I’ll borrow someone else’s words.
Heilas called me a genius.
It was another name for an Irregular. It’s only natural that a genius cannot conform to the existing order.
Of course, there are surely many whose “innate talent” is far superior to mine.
Noel Mulrizka, the founder of Akies Victima. Ragnata Anima, who stood at the pinnacle with nothing but flesh and blood, despite having undergone biological enhancement. And Heilas Custoria, whose only problem was being far too outstanding.
In certain fields, Ilay is probably better than me as well.
But even being mentioned and compared alongside them is a blessing. It’s proof that I’m certainly no “ordinary talent,” but a “genius” who has surpassed even the level of a prodigy.
I recalled the first time I ever stood out.
I used Ballistic Control, a skill I had never even learned, against a death row inmate.
It was not long after I had completed the chemical treatment of my nervous system.
Ballistic Control was my very first talent.
Crackle, crackle.
I heard a sound in my head, though I couldn’t tell if something was snapping apart or connecting. It felt as if my blood vessels were swelling and constricting. For a moment, I had the illusion that writhing neurons were growing in real-time.
My consciousness wavered for a split second before focusing once more, allowing me to see reality with absolute clarity.
My opponent is Mushir Al-Kashura.
He wields four firearms with absolute mastery. Escape is impossible in the face of his unnatural marksmanship.
The only way out is a frontal assault.
I widened my eyes, drinking in the light of the world. A torrent of information flooded my brain, enough to make my head throb.
A beam-type energy projection weapon, a large-caliber firearm that’s practically an artillery piece, a rifle firing shock rounds—a hybrid of energy and live ammunition—and a small-caliber pistol to keep me pinned down.
Kashura was using four types of firearms. Each had its own distinct characteristics, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.
I can’t deflect the energy beams or shock rounds with my sword. The thermal energy is too high; the Hwagwang Yedo will overheat in no time.
My gaze distinguished between what I had to dodge and what I could parry.
Vroooom…
A faint mechanical hum echoed as time seemed to stretch.
Realizing my intent, Kashura began to violently accelerate his counter-rotating motorized wheels.
He’s practically a tank firing multiple cannons.
I focused inward, tracing the connection from the nape of my neck, down my spine, to my pelvis and legs. Visualizing the body as a single, continuous line makes it easier to draw out more power.
My prosthetic body is a Lazuli 21.
My prosthetic arm and leg were crafted with the utmost care by Lapis Lazuli Co. Their performance was outstanding, the best of any prosthetics I had ever used.
I’ll release even the subconscious output limiters.
The key to using a combat prosthetic lies in the intensity and control of the signals sent to it. You have to send self-destructive signals from the brain, commands that would rupture the muscles of a natural human. It meant overcoming the instinct for self-preservation.
The will to charge forward, even if my body tears itself apart. The sensation of becoming a bullet, meant to be used and discarded.
Warriors and soldiers like us are consumables by nature. We are well-acquainted with the feeling of burning ourselves away.
Craaaack!
Surging with high output, my prosthetic leg crushed the road. The ground centered around my toes split and caved in.
Crack!
The asphalt shattered under the pressure, sending debris flying.
Thud!
I launched myself forward as if leaping from a standstill.
Crack!
With every step, the ground shattered beneath me. An impact that even the prosthetic’s dampening system couldn’t fully absorb surged up into my biological body.
Grit.
Even trained muscles struggled to withstand the machine’s raw output. I could hear the sound of my abdominal muscles tearing.
Whoosh!
The surrounding scenery blurred past, too fast to perceive. Floating dust particles pelted my eyes, and the pressure of the air pressed heavily against my face.
Kashura, once distant, was now rapidly drawing closer. I was accelerating faster than he was.
Crack! Craaaack! Crack!
The path behind me was a trail of splintered ruin.
Ping!
Kashura’s pistol fired, the round aimed for my chest. I shielded my heart with my left elbow, deflecting the bullet.
Swish!
Next, I kicked off the ground in a low leap. I stretched my body into a straight line, minimizing my profile.
Whir!
An energy beam seared the air where I’d just been. As soon as I straightened out, I extended my feet back toward the ground.
Can’t stay airborne for long.
I have no way to maneuver in midair. An opponent of Kashura’s caliber could easily shoot me down the moment my feet left the ground. I had to stay grounded to change direction at a moment’s notice.
Clang!
Gripping the hilt with both hands, I deflected the large-caliber round at an angle. If this had been a cheap prosthetic, my wrist would have snapped.
A glowing red spot bloomed on the blade where it had absorbed the round’s impact. The heat quickly dispersed, spreading across the entire weapon.
Just a little more.
My concentration reached its absolute limit. My perception of time stretched so much that the short distance felt infinitely long. It was as if I’d already run several kilometers.
Ignore the sound.
Physical phenomena are faster than sound. Reacting to what I hear means I’m already lagging behind reality.
I imagined my nerves pulled taut, forcing myself to interact with the world faster, more sensitively.
Immerse yourself in the boundary between life and death. Drive yourself to madness.
Kashura had also finished aligning the sights of his four guns. He was about to unleash his full firepower on me as I charged straight at him.
Click.
His auxiliary arm was pulling a trigger. I could hear the sound even from this distance—or perhaps it was just an illusion conjured by my eyes.
…And from that moment on, my reason and thoughts were paralyzed.
Like a bullet fired from a gun, like an arrow loosed from a bow, like a machine operating on its programmed instructions.
I gathered every last drifting fragment of my consciousness and plunged it entirely into the present moment.
My awareness existed only in the now, devoid of past or future. There was no delay between thought and action. I perceived the world perfectly, with zero latency.
The ancients would have called this a trance—the state of selflessness.
Deflect, evade, deflect, evade. The focus of my hollow pupils shifted with mechanical precision.
The blade flashed with each impact. The metallic, acrid smell of energy weapons mingled with scorching smoke, like dangerous chemicals set ablaze.
A shock round exploded, crumbling the ground beneath my feet. I stepped on the flying debris, using it to twist my trajectory.
Sliding forward, I extended my foot toward a vehicle abandoned on the road. Just before impact, I bent my knees, preparing to launch myself.
Boom!
I kicked off the vehicle, accelerating again. The car I’d used as a foothold was sent flying, crashing into something in the distance.
In an instant, the distance between me and Kashura closed.
Whirrrrr!
Kashura reversed course, leaping high into the air as he aimed his shock rifle at me.
I held the Hwagwang Yedo diagonally downward, then brought the blade up to meet the shock round’s trajectory.
Whir!
The movement was brief and clean. The blade sliced precisely through the center of the projectile.
Rumble!
Everything was slow. The shock round tried to release its energy, exploding right in front of my face.
But before it could detonate, the blade made contact with its core.
The Ignium heated instantly, drawing in the thermal energy like a magnet. I cut straight through the explosion. The half-formed blue blast split, dispersing harmlessly to my left and right.
Beyond the cleaved explosion, I saw Kashura.
Whirrrr!
A violent vibration and a roar erupted from the Hwagwang Yedo. I let go of the blade mid-swing, hurling it forward with all my might.
The Hwagwang Yedo flew over Kashura’s head and shattered.
Broken shards of the blade rained down in all directions. The superheated fragments flew back toward me as well.
I weaved through the lethal spread of shrapnel. Shards grazed past my body.
My prosthetic arm and body, which usually shrugged off most impacts, were now scratched and scarred. The outer skin, which mimicked human muscle, melted away from the intense heat, exposing internal circuitry and components.
I looked at Kashura. He was leaping backward, trying to retreat, but the scattering fragments were faster.
The massive Kashura was forced to endure the shrapnel with his body. Some of the shards pierced his face, causing sparks to fly as his optical lenses melted.
Screeech!
His exoskeleton damaged, Kashura landed with stiff, awkward movements.
Whir!
After sliding for a long distance, Kashura raised his head. Only one of his lenses was still functioning.
As he looked up, his melted and shattered helmet revealed the interior. His combat suit was in a similar state.
There was no biological flesh inside.
Kashura was a full-body prosthetic. Though his exterior looked like an exoskeleton, he was actually a heavy, full-armor cyborg, like a Legion.
“This is… quite surprising,” Kashura said.
I was still closing in, my speed unchecked.
Kashura was heavily damaged. I could subdue him now even with my bare hands.
“Far more than I expected…”
Kashura couldn’t finish his sentence. I lunged forward, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the ground.
The massive cyborg toppled headfirst, crashing into the earth. A loud clatter echoed from his neck as components snapped and shattered.
Bzzzt!
His one remaining lens cracked.
Click!
He hurriedly twisted his barely functioning auxiliary arm, trying to aim its gun at me.
Crack!
I swung the edge of my hand like a blade, severing the auxiliary arm. The elbow joint shattered on impact, and the limb fell limp to the ground with a heavy thud.
Whir!
I caught the falling shock rifle and aimed it at his temple.
I had subdued Mushir Al-Kashura.
Click!
My machine-like consciousness processed reality. The gray hues of my emotions began returning in vivid color.
Did I just cut through an explosion by utilizing the properties of Ignium?
Mushir Al-Kashura is a full-body prosthetic? How can he maintain Akies Victima while operating a Legion-class full-armor body?
What the hell was I just doing…?
Belated thoughts came rushing in.
Hiss, hiss.
If I pulled this trigger, Kashura’s head would be gone.
“Let us make a deal, Luka. This battle has made one thing certain. I still lack the skill to secure you.”
I could feel my own operational time was short. Blood must be pooling in my head. My mind, so sharp just moments ago, was growing dull.
“Where is Kinuan?”
“If you are curious about Kinuan, you can come with me… cough!”
Whatever. I can just ask his head. I should be able to extract that much memory somehow. If I tried to negotiate in my current state, I’d just get caught up in his rhetoric.
Crunch!
I shoved my hand into the nape of Kashura’s neck, twisting and tearing out components and cables.
“Cough, cough, gasp… ha, ha, hahaha!”
Kashura laughed. He forced his shattered arms to move, trying to embrace me.
Crunch!
I shoved his arms away, grabbed his head, and twisted. The cables and tubes connected to the back of his neck snapped one by one.
Clunk!
A loud detachment sound echoed as a faint explosion erupted from Kashura’s back.
Thud!
A metal box on Kashura’s back was blown away by the blast, flying far before sliding across the ground.
The shock of the explosion shook my body as well.
Even during the Hwagwang Yedo’s explosion… that metal box doesn’t have a single scratch.
He had protected that box, even at the cost of letting shrapnel pierce his own head.
Whirrrr!
Having lost the metal box, Kashura’s full-armor prosthetic went limp.
Skitter, skitter.
Spider-like legs sprouted from the metal box, and it began to scuttle away at high speed. Before I could even try to grab it, the box vanished between the abandoned vehicles and debris.
“…No way.”
I stared blankly at Kashura’s head in my hand.
Rip!
I grabbed the outer skin of his head and tore it off.
Whir, whir.
Kashura’s head was entirely mechanical. Not a single biological part remained.
Is he carrying his brain around in a box…?
Kashura’s cryptic words and actions flashed through my mind.
Perhaps… the brain in that box wasn’t the only one.
Mushir Al-Kashura might be a creature more horrific than any monster I had ever seen.