Chapter 206: Resumed Invasion Activities (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: Resumed Invasion Activities (10)
Time passed, thick with a mix of anticipation and tension, leading everyone back to the day the duels would resume.
This was the first duel since the terror incident. Though they expected things to have changed, the members of Hunter Killer entered headquarters carrying their suits without any intel on what those changes might be.
As soon as she arrived, Red tried to meet with the Branch Manager, but he hadn't come into work.
All duels at the Earth Defense Union’s Seoul Branch had been canceled for over a month. Even though today was the day the duels would finally reopen, the Branch Manager was nowhere to be found.
Since she hadn't expected him to actually be helpful in the first place, Red wasn't even disappointed as she left his office and headed for the locker room.
One by one, the members entered the locker room and changed into their suits, preparing for the duel. However, the overall atmosphere was starkly different from usual.
It wasn't that they were nervous about fighting after a long break.
Everyone knew the true source of the tension, so they remained silent. That shared awareness only made the silence feel more awkward.
"Shall we go?"
After donning her suit, Red sat on the locker room bench, checking the time and waiting in silence several times until the hour of the duel finally arrived.
At Red’s short prompt, everyone nodded and filed out of the room.
They approached the bikes parked in a corner of the underground parking lot and pulled off the covers. Thanks to the protection, the bikes gleamed, free of dust.
As the others mounted their bikes and started their engines, Red sat on hers, lost in thought for a moment.
It was their first duel in a month, and the entire team was gripped by tension, knowing that A was now part of Spacetro’s Team 3.
Red trusted her members. She trusted their combat abilities and their character.
Because she understood the cause of their nerves and possessed deep-seated trust in them, she didn't say much about today’s duel. They all knew how to fight and how to coordinate their movements; there was no reason for the duel to go poorly.
Even after a month’s hiatus, the combat instincts etched into their very DNA brought their past experiences rushing back to the surface.
The act of dueling itself wasn't the problem. If issues arose, they could simply compensate.
However, going into a duel knowing A was on the opposing side was a first for all of them.
"Red?"
When Red, still lost in thought, finally started her bike, the members who were ready to depart turned their gaze toward her.
"There’s something I want to say."
The members looked at one another and immediately cut their engines, pulling off their helmets.
"What is it?"
Knowing they were all thinking the same thing, Blue asked cautiously, wondering if Red was about to say she couldn't go through with the duel because of A.
Red opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn't come out immediately. She fell silent for a moment before finally speaking again.
"I like you guys."
Though she was the youngest, the members truly respected Red as their leader because she always gave her all for the team. They focused intently on her words whenever it concerned the team or a duel.
They were all ears as she spoke on the eve of battle, but they looked bewildered when she followed up with what sounded like a confession.
"And I like Oppa, too."
No one interrupted. they listened to her with solemn expressions.
"I know what you’re all thinking. There might be slight differences, but I think the big picture is the same for all of us."
The members were undoubtedly thinking about A, and those thoughts could turn into hesitations that might interfere with the duel.
Because she liked her team—and because she liked A—Red didn't want any problems during the fight. She spoke her mind plainly.
"So, everyone, give it your best. Oppa said it himself, over and over."
A had asked his girlfriends to do their absolute best in the duels.
His reasoning was to avoid providing even the slightest clue that might reveal the relationship between Team Hunter Killer and himself.
The members understood this. They had resolved to do their best, just as he asked.
But as the day of the duel actually arrived, the thought of fighting him cluttered their minds. No matter how many times they vowed to fight with everything they had, they couldn't stop the stray thoughts from creeping in.
Since the terror incident, Spacetro hadn't made any clear announcements. In fact, they hadn't released any details regarding their response to the crisis at all.
With nothing certain and the knowledge that A was on the other side, the duel was fraught with anxiety.
"I’ll go first. Just follow my lead."
With that, Red started her bike.
The tension was unavoidable, and everyone knew they were all thinking about A. Yet, the lingering worry that wouldn't go away finally dissipated at Red’s command to give it their all.
It was a small thing, but hearing someone voice what they were all feeling brought a subtle shift in the members' mindsets.
*
The moment the duel began.
Red scanned the Spacetro soldiers charging from the front.
The timing and the order of their appearance are different. Did they change their tactics?
She felt a brief moment of confusion at the discrepancy, but it was quickly replaced by the realization that A was among those charging, as she knew he was stationed in the vanguard.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she gripped her sword with all her might. As she swung it with maximum force, a powerful shockwave erupted.
The soldiers charging at her were blown back by an impact and sound akin to an air cannon firing at point-blank range.
Seeing Red attack with such obvious full force despite the possibility of A being there, the other members began their own assault on the Spacetro soldiers.
Yellow’s fierce punches and kicks repelled any soldiers who drew near, while Green’s long spear moved with blinding speed, alternating between offense and defense.
Beams of light poured from Pink’s long rifle and Blue’s twin pistols, providing rapid fire support for the three fighting on the front lines.
"You thieving wenches!"
Red, who had been clashing with Spacetro using her sword, fists, and feet, turned her head at the sound of an aggressive, piercing shout.
Luche’s scythe descended from the air, its blade tilted forward into the shape of an axe. The heavy axe-blade swung toward Red.
Seeing the powerful strike aimed at her, Red had no intention of letting it land. She immediately swung her sword upward, parrying Luche’s overhead attack.
"Red!"
As Luche was pushed back from the blocked strike, Green, who had been fighting nearby, swung her spear at her. Luche retreated another step immediately upon landing, dodging Green’s attack and shifting her scythe back to its original form.
"That’s a terrifyingly fierce greeting, don't you think?"
Luche and Red had exchanged brief greetings just before the duel started, but it had been a greeting in name only; the atmosphere between them was far from casual.
Hostility between opposing factions was natural, but previously, the two of them—as leaders of their respective teams—hadn't shown such emotional animosity toward one another.
It wasn't that there was no hostility at all, but there hadn't been enough bad blood to make them glare and scream at each other. Now, however, things were different.
To Luche, Hunter Killer were the women who had stolen her Sunbae. To Red, Luche was one of the few people who knew the truth about A and their situation.
As far as Red knew, the only people aware of their relationship with A were Seira, the 4th Team Leader, and Luche, who stood before her now.
The difference was that while Seira had found out by chance through a series of events, Luche knew because A had told her directly.
One could view it as a subordinate simply reporting a matter involving the enemy to his superior, but Red suspected there was more to the relationship between A and Luche. She was certain they weren't lovers, but it felt like there was something between them.
"How... How dare you people do that to Sunbae!"
Luche’s intense aura turned Red’s suspicion into a conviction.
This isn't really my style, but...
Red had already seen with her own eyes that Seira and A shared a significant past. Since she couldn't get a read on Luche outside of combat, the duel was the perfect opportunity to figure out her relationship with A. Red decided to provoke her a little.
Since the other woman had already called them "thieving wenches," Red decided to play along with that theme.
"Sunbae what? I can't really hear a word from a Team Leader who just had her subordinate snatched away."
Red, who wasn't usually one for taunts, chose the sentence she thought would provoke Luche the most. Green, standing nearby, turned her head in shock at Red’s words.
"R-Red?"
It was an obvious provocation, and Green was startled because she had never seen Red act like this.
And because it was so blatant, the intent was conveyed perfectly. Luche’s brow furrowed deeply.
"What did you just say?"
Luche struggled to suppress the explosive rage bubbling inside her, keeping her emotions under control on the surface.
Seeing Luche restrain herself, Red felt her provocation had been too weak.
She realized that if the relationship between A and Luche was indeed unusual, she could push even further.
It didn't feel great to use her own boyfriend as bait for a taunt, but Red was dying to know the truth about them. Since they were enemies anyway, she decided to go all out.
"I said I can't hear a word from someone who just sat there and let her man be stolen."
"Red?!"
Green was even more horrified by the follow-up, which sounded like something aimed at Seira. She wondered if it was really necessary to go that far, even for a provocation.
But Red’s taunt was effective.
"You—! You—! You thieving cat!"
Luche swung her massive scythe downward, but Red was more than capable of blocking such a predictable trajectory.
However, the attack was backed by a formidable strength that sent a shockwave through the ground even though Red had parried it.
*
I turned my head at the sound coming from the distance and saw Yubin blocking an attack from Luche.
I didn't know exactly how things were playing out over there, but I had a feeling I’d be in for a lot of trouble once today’s duel was over.
"Sunbae, are you okay?"
Roy stood proudly in front of me after blocking Su-ah’s attack. I looked at him through my helmet with an incredulous expression, since he was talking to me even though I wasn't supposed to be able to speak.
I immediately signaled for him to shut his mouth. Only then did Roy remember the rules and covered the mouth of his helmet with his hand.
Su-ah, who had no intention of waiting patiently, swung a fist clad in a heavy, iron-like gauntlet toward Roy.
"!"
Roy blocked the attack and retaliated with his sharp claws, but Su-ah quickly evaded his strike.
A battle of simultaneous offense and defense unfolded before my eyes, but I didn't dare step between them.
It’s true that I treat Roy like a bit of an idiot.
That hadn't changed over the years; the dynamic had been set back when Roy was still a Bioroid. It was an atmosphere we had maintained for a long time.
Despite that, I had never once doubted Roy’s skills.
As a Kaijin rather than a normal human, his physical abilities were naturally superior, but even beyond that, Roy had excellent combat instincts.
Luche, who was also a former Bioroid, possessed hand-to-hand combat skills that rivaled Hunter Killer’s, despite originally being a pilot rather than a combat unit.
So, there was no reason to doubt Roy, who was literally built for melee combat. In terms of pure skill, Roy was roughly on par with Luche. In other words, his combat ability was at the level of a Team Leader.
As if rewarding my small spark of trust, Roy was engaged in a high-speed exchange of blows with Su-ah.
The sound of sharp claws scraping against her gauntlets and the dull thuds of Su-ah’s fists hitting Roy echoed through the air.
I guess you really need to be at the level of a Kaijin to hold your own.
It felt like my current suit wouldn't be enough to handle Hunter Killer. It would be great if our team coordination was good, but since it wasn't, the only one I could rely on right now was Roy.
Even so, I couldn't just leave everything to him. I stood up to help Roy as he traded blows with Su-ah.
"Gah!"
The moment I stood up, Roy flew past me with a scream and slammed into the ground behind me.
Su-ah, her leg still extended from the kick that had sent Roy flying, lowered her limb and turned her gaze toward me. I couldn't see her face through the helmet, but was it because I knew exactly what she looked like?
It felt as if her golden eyes were piercing right through me from behind that visor.
Then, Su-ah reached out and beckoned me toward her with a taunting flick of her fingers.
I let out a sigh, wondering if I’d be able to make it home in one piece today, and charged toward my girlfriend, who looked ready to take me on with everything she had.