Chapter 205: Resumed Invasion Activities (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Resumed Invasion Activities (9)
It’s not that I’m procrastinating, nor am I doing nothing. It’s just that there are no visible results yet.
As I spent my days in a whirlwind of activity, the day of the duel arrived before I knew it.
I had told my girlfriends to fight me in earnest once the duel began, but ironically, I was the one who tossed and turned the night before the big day.
Missing one night of sleep didn't ruin my physical condition, but it made me realize just how much this was weighing on my mind.
I was putting on my coat and stretching, thinking it was about time to head out, when I ran into Su-ah as she stepped out of the bathroom after her shower.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah. You leaving now?"
"Yes."
Just as I was getting used to living at Su-ah’s place, the duels were starting up again. It felt strange to think that I’d be locked in a life-or-death struggle with this woman I was sharing casual conversation with in just a few hours.
"Alright. Don't get hurt."
Hearing my girlfriend tell me not to get hurt made me happy, but the fact that the person who might actually hurt me was the very same girlfriend telling me not to get hurt made things feel weird all over again.
It wasn't like I could tell her exactly how I felt right now, so I simply replied, "I will," and left the house.
On my way to headquarters, the same thought kept looping in my head: Will this be okay? I was so preoccupied that I even considered asking Luche to pull me out of the duel.
I was worried about myself, but thinking about how much my girlfriends must be agonizing over this made me doubt if today’s duel would even go smoothly.
There were so many unsettling factors, yet the fact that I couldn't resolve any of them made me feel even more frustrated.
"You're here?"
When I arrived at the office, I ran into Theo. He wasn't wearing his helmet yet, but he was already fully geared up in the new suit and ready to go.
"How's the suit?"
"It's fine. It's not like I haven't worn one before."
"That's good, then."
After exchanging a conversation devoid of any substance, I walked past Theo toward the locker room. Inside, my colleagues were changing.
The air in the locker room, filled with a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces, was thick with awkwardness. If Kruger were here, he would have done something about this, I thought as I stood before my cabinet and opened it.
I stared blankly at the interior, which held only the new suit and helmet.
Seeing the suit made the reality of the duel finally sink in.
With a sigh, I slowly began to change. It was a suit I had worn long ago during the invasion of another planet, so I had no trouble putting it on. I donned the gear with mechanical, stiff movements, like a robot being powered on.
Standing before the mirror, I found myself checking my overall appearance for no reason. I realized I was doing things I never usually did because of my mounting anxiety over the duel.
Even though I knew worrying wouldn't change anything, it seemed I couldn't help myself.
While I was busy brooding over my private concerns, the locker room door swung open with a loud clamor.
"Good morning!"
Roy shouted a greeting as he walked in. Everyone’s eyes turned toward him, but I was already used to his antics. Without even looking at him, I just tapped the helmet in my hand.
"Senior! You look terrible. Are you nervous about the duel?!"
Thinking he’d found something to tease me about, Roy sidled up to me and started pestering me without lowering his voice.
"Senior. Senior? Senior! Seniooor—Sen-bweeeh!"
The moment Roy’s frantic chirping became too annoying to bear, I brought my helmet down on his head.
Roy, who had been mid-taunt, let out a muffled sound as he accidentally bit his tongue from the sudden impact.
"Why'd you hit me?!"
"Why'd you act like you wanted to be hit?"
Roy hadn't changed a bit. Even though he had been on the ship for the past twenty years since coming to Earth and this was his first duel in two decades, he didn't seem nervous at all.
It wasn't that he lacked the experience to be nervous, but given how long it had been, one would expect some tension. Roy showed none of it.
Looking at him, I wondered if I should try to take things a bit more lightly instead of worrying like this. If I remained anxious when my girlfriends were already uneasy, a disaster I didn't even want to imagine might happen again.
What I needed to do was maintain my usual composure without letting anyone discover my relationship with my girlfriends, all while investigating the Superhumans.
At a glance, the superhuman investigation might seem like the primary goal, but right now, the most important thing to me was my girlfriends' safety.
I resolved not to be anxious and ignored Roy’s complaining as I stepped out of the locker room.
I scanned my colleagues in the office. The old crew members were checking their respective suits.
Among the new recruits, some were reviewing the team's tactical maneuvers, while others looked nervous about facing Team Hunter Killer, a group already renowned for their prowess.
If Kruger were here, he would have given a speech to boost everyone's morale. I felt the void left by my absent comrades more deeply than ever.
"A."
Hearing a small voice from the side, I turned to see Luche peeking out from her office.
At her gesture, I entered the room and closed the door. Luche was dressed for the duel as usual, wrapped in a large black cloak.
"Is something the matter?"
"About the duel. Are you really okay?"
"Actually, I was just worrying about that a moment ago..."
To Luche, the team leader, the most concerning element right now probably wasn't the new recruits, but me. Knowing that, I reinforced my resolve and spoke without hesitation.
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry."
I didn't know what would happen once I actually faced my girlfriends. However, I couldn't let Luche worry, and since I had made up my mind to be okay, I intended to give the duel my all.
"Really? Okay. Then I'll do my best too."
After saying that, Luche glanced at the door as if checking for intruders, then spread open the cloak covering her body.
"What do you think? I got a new model this time, too."
It seemed that as the regular soldiers received new suits, the executives were also issued new gear. Unlike her previous suit, which exposed her flanks and chest, Luche was wearing a suit with a design similar to a Spacetro uniform. She watched my reaction expectantly after asking.
It was similar to the suit Esmeralda wore, and it clearly suited Luche well.
"It's nice. It suits you."
When I gave my honest impression, the cautious look on Luche's face instantly brightened.
"Really? It really looks good?"
"Yes. It reminds me of when you used to wear the uniform. It's good."
The past Luche—that is, A.T.—and the current Luche shared very few physical similarities. Even if she wore something similar to her old uniform, she didn't look like she did back then, but perhaps because of our long history, it brought back a few old memories.
"Okay. Thank you."
Seeing Luche’s beaming smile brought a smile to my own lips. Feeling the anxiety I had earlier dissipate slightly, we both checked the time simultaneously.
"Shall we head out?"
"Yeah! Let's go."
Luche answered with a voice full of life and led the way out of the room. I followed her, and under her command, everyone in the office headed down to the underground parking lot.
The new vehicle was a medium-sized bus, incomparably more spacious than the van we used to use. Perhaps because of all the new equipment, the colleagues seemed excited, even though this was the first duel since the major incident.
However, that excitement didn't seem entirely genuine.
It looked as though they were forcing themselves to be cheerful to shake off the sorrow of losing comrades and the tension from the recent terror incident.
When you engage in invasion activities for a long time, losing comrades becomes a common occurrence. Losing people to sudden accidents in space is also a frequent reality.
But no matter how much experience you have with loss, you never get used to the people around you leaving.
Seeing my colleagues, I felt a bit ashamed of myself for only worrying about my girlfriends. To avoid getting a lecture from Kruger when he eventually woke up and returned, I had to do my best in my current position.
For my girlfriends, yes, but also for my colleagues. And for myself.
"Let's move out."
Once everyone was on the bus and the headcount was confirmed, Luche gave the order to the new driver, and the bus pulled out of the underground parking lot.
Even on the way there, I could feel that the atmosphere had changed significantly.
In the past, we would have been joking around with each other and teasing Luche, but today, everyone seemed to be holding their tongues.
I worried if we could even manage a minimum level of teamwork in our first duel under such an atmosphere.
"Is this going to be okay?"
Theo, who had just joined Team 3, also seemed to sense that the mood wasn't great and spoke to me cautiously. I looked over at my colleagues, but unfortunately, I didn't have the ability or leadership to command such a large group.
"We'll have to see."
There was much to think about, but only one thing to do. I believed that if everyone just moved toward that one objective, we would achieve the purpose of today's duel.
Today's duel location was a clearing atop a mountain in Jongno-gu.
After parking the car in a nearby lot and moving on foot, we came face-to-face with Team Hunter Killer, who were already there in their suits.
A momentary surge of tension washed over me. Since all the regular soldiers wore the same suits, my girlfriends wouldn't be able to recognize me, but I wondered if the fact that we all looked identical would make them hesitate to attack.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Luche, wearing heavy makeup as she always did for duels, stepped forward with her signature weapon—a massive scythe—in hand.
Yubin—Red—was the first to remove her helmet, looking at Luche with a somewhat stiff expression.
"It has. I imagine your side went through quite a bit of trouble because of what happened?"
"We did. And there's one other thing that's been weighing on my mind since then."
Yubin’s brow furrowed at Luche’s gaze, which seemed to pierce through every member of Team Hunter Killer.
It was as if she understood exactly what Luche was implying.
The light pleasantries were over. Luche and Team Hunter Killer weren't on friendly enough terms to exchange greetings in the first place. They had only traded words to check on each other since it was the first duel after the terror incident.
A heavy tension settled over both sides simultaneously. As Yubin put her helmet back on, Luche gave the signal, and the colleagues on the front line, including myself, charged toward Team Hunter Killer.
The moment I pulled out my new weapon—a staff—my vision flipped upside down.
I realized what had happened immediately. Red had drawn her sword and swung it.
That was all it took. A single shockwave from her swing sent me and the colleagues charging in the front rank flying into the air.
Damn it!
I couldn't afford to be taken down so helplessly again. As soon as I regained my balance in mid-air to land safely, I felt a gaze on me from a distance and turned my head.
Yura—Pink—who provided support from the very rear of Team Hunter Killer, was aiming her rifle at me and my airborne colleagues.
It felt as though her eyes behind the helmet were seeing through everyone.
The moment she pulled the trigger, the beams from her rifle struck us while we were still in the air.
With an explosion, I plummeted to the ground. While those of us who led the charge were being suppressed, the colleagues who followed were being torn apart by Team Hunter Killer.
The sheer momentum of Team Hunter Killer combined with our team's lack of coordination turned the duel into a one-sided slaughter.
After crashing to the ground, I tried to jump back into the fray before the pain could even register, only to see Luche’s back as she charged forward.
"You're all dead today!"
For some reason, Luche was lunging at Team Hunter Killer with a ferocity I had never seen before. The moment her rapidly swinging scythe collided with Red’s sword, a small shockwave shook the ground.
Luche!
I ran toward the two clashing figures to support her. Seeing my girlfriends' momentum, I realized once again:
Whether I made up my mind or not, the gap in our skills wasn't something that could be bridged.
It was like a toddler trying to race a marathon runner, with the toddler being the one trying to show consideration.
If the difference in skill was so vast that I couldn't reach them even at full strength, there was no reason to hesitate.
As I swung my gripped staff toward Red, I collided with a colleague who had been sent flying from the side.
"!"
I nearly lost my balance and fell, but I managed to plant my feet and stay upright. However, I couldn't react to the next attack.
Yellow, who had just sent one of my colleagues flying, approached and kicked me squarely in the stomach.
Thanks to the suit's defensive capabilities, I didn't suffer a major injury, but there was no way to nullify the pain.
And before I could even fall back to the ground after being launched into the air, Yellow’s fist slammed into my face.
As I was driven into the dirt, Blue leaped high into the air, dual-wielding pistols and raining down beams.
Normally, support would have come in to buy me time to get up, but none of my colleagues, whose ranks were already shattered, had the luxury of supporting me.
Luche was also too busy dealing with Red and Green simultaneously to give any orders.
Damn it.
In the past, Kruger would have given orders while Luche was fighting, but now there was no one among the soldiers capable of taking command.
"Hyaaaah!"
With a shout, Yellow brought her heel down toward me. I instinctively rolled to the side to dodge, but my heart went cold the moment I saw the ground shatter from the impact.
You told me not to get hurt! You said not to get hurt!
I couldn't speak, so I screamed it in my head.
Being beaten so one-sidedly made me feel a surge of resentment, but then I remembered—we had always been one-sidedly beaten by Team Hunter Killer.
"Senior!"
While none of the other soldiers could even make a sound, a familiar voice called out to me loudly.
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, Yellow was forced to back away. Roy, in his suit with his sharp claws extended, stood protectively in front of me.