Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Rocket Assault
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Jin had no memory of the anti-tank rocket's specs. They were as follows.
Faust α.
This monster used a tandem-charge warhead designed to punch through one-time defense systems. Its armor penetration exceeded 1,000mm.
The hefty heavy weapon belched massive flames from its rear.
WHOOSH!!
The warhead sliced through the air, leaving the launch backblast behind.
In the blink of an eye, the projectile reached its target and bored into the steel-plated outer wall.
All of that took barely a second.
Then the air warped as a massive explosion erupted.
KABOOOOOM!!!!
The high-heat, high-pressure blast wave swept through the building's interior.
The party's pupils flushed red as they watched through the windshield.
The whole sequence was captured on body cams.
Jin's body lurched violently back and forth.
Even with gas venting from the rear ports to counter the recoil, there was no stopping the barrel's wild thrashing.
And that vibration was brutally intense.
Urk!
The bone-rattling shock made Jin swallow hard.
It was all because the Faust Alpha was a Borg weapon.
R&D's ambitious Borg series.
It was gear made for cyborgs whose entire bodies had been replaced with machinery—
At the unexpected remark and timing, Wonder suddenly perked up from somewhere.
Of course, Jin had no clue and just felt dizzy.
Sure, he'd pulled a trigger or two in his life, but when had he ever fired a rocket launcher?
Lack of know-how was the culprit—he'd pressed his head right against it to shoot.
But the effect was undeniable.
The glass on the nearest second and third floors shattered under the overpressure.
Anyone inside had surely had their organs ruptured by the shockwave or been incinerated in the fireball.
That was the advantage of a thermobaric round.
It took out the enemy while minimizing structural damage to the building.
In the end, both the enemy and the party were thrown into chaos.
"A-attack!"
"Fuck! Is that the resistance?!"
The TB forces scrambled into combat readiness at the sudden barrage—
"What the hell did they shoot?"
"Those bastards aren't snapping out of it! Now!"
"We're breaching the front gate! Everyone grab something!"
Ossia bellowed and floored the accelerator.
VROOOOM!!
The overrevving engine roared as the car smashed through the fence with a clang! and charged straight into the building entrance.
Right then, enemies pouring out opened fire.
RAT-TAT-TAT!! Bullets riddled the windshield with white cracks.
But Ossia didn't stop.
The vehicle barreled straight ahead, launching a few blockers into the air before crashing through into what must've been the lobby—a wide open space—screeching to a halt.
"Out!"
Den yelled back over his shoulder.
Fenril kicked the door open.
There sat a soldier on his ass, looking up in stunned disbelief.
BANG!!
A hole punched through the guy's forehead.
Albus leaped from the vehicle, submachine gun in hand, as the dead man's head snapped back.
He slammed down his raised faceguard with a clack.
The thermal imaging in his mask lit up the charging enemies in crisp red outlines—
Clack!
Without hesitation, without shaking, without pause.
The muzzle flashed.
Enemies toppled one by one.
Penetrating rounds that drilled clean through helmets.
Just from firing normally, and charged shots would double the power at least.
The recoil would spike too, but no big deal.
Its ergonomically designed exoskeleton would absorb it.
Insane.
Albus let out a dry chuckle.
Wasn't R&D just some weirdo outfit peddling vending machine guns?
Synonymous with "Do Not Reload."
Like cigarette butts littering the streets, always discarded after a few shots.
Seeing them everywhere like that naturally bred prejudice.
In the meantime, Albus dropped two more foes and swapped magazines.
What was it? Like preconceptions shattering.
They're no ordinary outfit, huh.
And that was exactly what Wonder had intended.
No manufacturer could pull off eccentric stunts without solid basics.
So this op was basically a showcase to demonstrate that obvious fact.
Of course, how it would end was anyone's guess right now.
"Any wounded?"
"None."
The party swept the first floor clean in seconds and regrouped.
"Then we move. It'll be hot as hell—brace yourselves."
Den bolted for the stairs after saying that.
His bounding strides were gazelle-like.
His lower body had always been cyberware.
Now with an exoskeleton added, he was practically flying.
Thud-thud-thud!
The party sped up to follow him up the stairs when—
"I should've fired that thing."
Jin turned at the irritated voice.
There was Fenril, Faust slung across his back.
Jin had stowed his spent weapon in the car, but Fenril couldn't, so he had to run with it strapped on.
And it was more cumbersome than expected.
Not just the weight—the 1,400mm length snagged constantly.
But what could you do?
If he was unhappy, he should've shot first.
The party reached the second floor—the blast epicenter.
A sweltering heat hit them alongside flames engulfing the interior.
No survivors.
Just sizzling corpses amid twisted wreckage.
The third floor was the same.
Only a handful fewer charred bodies.
So the party charged up the next stairs.
The trouble hit the moment Ossia stepped on one.
"HIIIEEEEAAAAAHHH!!!!!"
Something huddled on the floor sprang up with mangled screams.
Its half-melted face resembled a frog.
"CHHHWEEEEERRR!!"
In one massive leap, it snatched Ossia and burst through the flames out a shattered window.
A thud! followed.
Bonus: blaring alarms—wee-oo-wee-oo!
"Ossia!"
Grace shrieked in panic and dashed to the window, but Den yanked her shoulder back.
"She's fine. It's just three stories!"
True to his word, gunfire erupted below soon after.
Screams of 'Gaaahhh!' and smashing sounds too.
If that were all, great—but TB reinforcements hearing the commotion wouldn't be few.
Still, Den was firm.
"Our target's Taha! Don't forget!"
Grace tore her gaze from the window at his shout.
At the same time, Jin shoved her back toward the fourth floor—
"They're here!"
"Kill 'em!"
Ready enemies unleashed a hail of bullets.
That's when the frantic melee began.
Lead flying everywhere, grenades arcing wide, thick smoke blinding vision.
Beastman officers who had transformed charged through the haze.
Two rat-heads gripping daggers in both hands.
Jin and Fenril met them head-on.
Jin's fist caved in one skull—
Fenril's claws ripped out the other's windpipe.
Both wore exoskeletons too.
Less efficient than for normals, maybe,
But plenty helpful.
Enough for Jin to conserve mana, at least.
Bang!!
Albus put a round in the fallen foe's nape, wiped blood from his faceguard, and yelled.
"Keep pushing!"
Forward again.
Fifth, sixth, seventh floors.
Chaos raged on.
"Ngh!"
A groan from the group.
Felix, the resistance fighter rescued with Grace.
He'd taken a shotgun blast point-blank and dropped to one knee.
His vest saved his life, but not the organ-rattling shock.
"Fucking bastard! Die."
The shooter growled low and pumped another shell.
Bang!!
Felix rolled aside, then slammed his right fist into his left chest.
His pupils dilated.
Combat stim injected.
Neural amp flooded his brain, and in the suddenly slowed world, he drew his hip holster pistol.
Bang-bang-bang-bang!!
Not a single miss—all between the eyes. The enemy crumpled.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Feeling his heart pounding several times faster, Felix reloaded at blinding speed.
He racked the slide toward the front.
A hyena-faced beastman charged on all fours.
Bang!
Jin, midway up the landing, whipped around at the shot behind him.
Out of sight, but the furious noise drilled into his ears.
Who is it?
That instant, someone squeezed off a round at him from behind.
The bullet grazed his helmet.
Because Jin reflexively ducked.
The next moment—
Gravis roared.
BANG—!!
The enemy floated mid-air, slammed back into the wall, and slid down.
Jin soccer-kicked his head like a ball.
Blood splattered across the "8F" wall.
No time to shake the eyeball off his shin—he raised Gravis and fired.
A guy prepping to shoot from upstairs took a massive hole in the throat.
"Hrghhh!"
As he flopped down with his final breath—
"Over there!" "Fucking resistance scum!"
More enemies surged in.
Jin gritted his teeth.
Fierce fighting still raged behind him, but no time to worry.
The brawl had devolved into total melee.
In the frenzy, everyone had scattered to now.
Reinforcements poured from emergency stairs and elevators everywhere—no floor behind was safe, no path ahead cleared.
What a mess.
It really sank in how insane this op was.
Just seven against an enemy stronghold.
But it was done—Jin ran.
Crushing blockers in his path.
8th floor.
Gravis's mag ran dry.
Switched to handgun.
9th floor.
Faceguard busted.
No thermal in the smokescreen at his feet—he fought purely on instinct in the hazy blur.
10th floor.
Handgun mag empty too.
Discovered a bullet in his shoulder late.
Ignored it.
11th floor.
One of the party down.
No time to check vitals—a grenade flew in.
No time to turn.
12th floor.
Beastman-shifted Fenril battling three execs.
Four with the one already down.
He was losing ground, but their eyes met—the werewolf shook his head fiercely and bellowed.
"Up top! Taha's there!"
Jin ran.
Toward the final floor.
And so, the 13th.
Unlike below, silence hung heavy.
Taha sat at the center of geometric patterns, red tattoos blanketing his back. He slowly turned.
"...You made it this far, Zahard."
"Advertising yourself as the boss? I half-hoped, but you're really at the top."
Jin spat bloody saliva aside.
"Get up, asshole."
Taha rose slowly.
Reached out and gripped the handle of an absurdly huge hammer.
"You're no match for me. Didn't you realize that back then?"
As he alluded to their prior clash—
ZZZCRACKK!!!
The world's most violent static filled the space—
"...You didn't, huh."
Taha smirked and turned.
His chin lifted.
He realized a fist had hit him next.
"...?"
Taha flinched at the unexpected speed and swung his arm wide.
The hammer traced a circle in the air.
But nothing was there anymore—
Jin spun mid-air and unleashed both legs at Taha's face height in explosive fury.
KRAAANG!!
A thunderous impact.
Taha skidded back, taking the brutal dropkick full to the face.
Jin landed growling.
Enveloped in an even sharper self-rotation than before.
"It's different now, you dog."
"...What."
Taha muttered low, brow furrowed.
Naturally, he had no way of knowing.
About the night sky granted only to Jin.
About the brilliant constellations shining from a higher plane.
Mana Circuit (Lv4)