Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Thunder vs. the White Lion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Don't think I was relying solely on R&D's backup.
After enduring the pain alone for half a day of rest.
And now.
A man wrapped in violet lightning charged forward.
His tightly clenched fist slammed into Taha's abdomen.
Taha's body curled into a ball around the impact point, lifting off the ground.
The sight of a massive frame over 100kg defying gravity looked like a scripted pro wrestling move.
Bam!
Taha's body seemed about to fly far away, but it abruptly halted in midair.
Thanks to his right arm gripping the hammer's handle.
The massive weapon, weighing hundreds of kilograms, acted as an anchor. In the next instant, he kicked up with his leg.
Jin blocked the knee aimed at his jaw with his elbow.
He then stepped in closer, smashing his opposite fist into Taha's face with a sharp crack.
This time, even Taha couldn't hold his ground.
His right arm released the handle, and his body flew backward.
Jin pursued.
Using the momentum of his charge, he kicked the fallen Taha.
Taha raised both arms in an 11-shape to block the incoming shin, but the force sent him skidding across the floor on his back.
Jin's pursuit continued. As Taha dug his nails into the ground to slow himself, Jin mounted him and rained down punches.
His lightning-wreathed fist hammered Taha like thunderbolts.
Taha's unnaturally tough body shook repeatedly until blood finally sprayed.
The thick, dark red liquid met the electricity and evaporated in an instant, hardening into black flakes that scattered everywhere.
In this moment, Jin was a storm unleashing lightning.
A storm with a will, pulverizing its foe.
That savage intent.
The mana he'd conserved until the peak exploded forth with devastating force.
Accompanied by a roar like thunder.
"Raaahhh--!!"
Taha's body began sinking deep into the cracking concrete.
Jin didn't stop.
He pounded relentlessly, intent on turning his opponent into pulp.
Evaporating blood, endless impact sounds.
Then, something burst through the fist barrage, thudding heavily into Jin's chest.
The trajectory was short, but the power immense—Jin's body shook.
At the same time, his thighs were forced apart. The opponent's upper body he'd pinned began to swell.
Immediately after, a white pillar whipped into Jin's staggering jaw.
A shock that rattled his entire skull. His brain sloshed back and forth inside, blowing a fuse.
Jin's pupils vanished beneath his eyelids for a split second before snapping back.
An incredible recovery from the concussion, but in that brief moment, the follow-up strike was already flying toward his face.
Slash!
As the sharp sound tore through the air, Jin was lifting his head from 5 meters away.
"Damn it..."
Irritated mutter, followed by blood gushing from his lower jaw.
So much that it soaked his chest red and splattered crimson dots on the floor.
And Taha rose to his feet.
"......"
Jin's gaze naturally traveled upward.
His eye level had risen by more than a handspan.
His enormous upper body, bare of any cloth, was covered in pure white fur. Above it loomed the face of a white lion with a lush mane.
The molted beastman—the white beast that had plunged Mute Town into chaos—finally revealed his true form.
Oh, come on.
Jin scowled deeply.
He'd planned to finish it before the transformation, but it hadn't worked out.
Trying to take the easy win. Damn.
He sighed involuntarily.
"What's your deal with the Resistance?"
Jin tilted his head at the sudden question.
Expected a no-holds-barred fight, not chit-chat?
Pressing his knuckles to the mangled flesh under his jaw to staunch the bleeding, Jin bought time inwardly and replied.
"Nothing special."
"Yet you came all this way?"
"What, can't I?"
Taha slowly shook his head.
"No, it's perfect, actually."
His blue eyes gleamed.
"Join us. You have the qualifications."
"...Huh?"
Jin narrowed his eyes at the out-of-nowhere recruitment pitch.
"You want me in The Beast? Just like that?"
"Yes."
"I'm not a beastman."
"Doesn't matter. You could handle the beast serum no problem."
Ah, so that's what he meant?
As Jin made a dumbfounded face.
The crisp text appeared, faded gradually, and vanished. Jin twitched an eyebrow.
He blurted out without thinking.
"Are you insane? Become a beastman? Hell no."
A mutter sniping both the status window and Taha.
Beastman? What the hell.
I'm human, human.
He wouldn't even tolerate a tiny chipset implant—let alone his head turning into an animal?
He'd rather die.
Besides, beastman forms varied per person. What if he ended up as some lame animal?
Ostrich beastman, donkey beastman, hippo beastman, camel beastman.
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
And if it was an orangutan or chimp?
That'd be regressing on purpose.
Humans are the kings of primates anyway, right?
Jin shuddered.
If he ever saw himself with a beast head in the mirror,
he'd lose the will to live right then.
Anyway, absolutely not.
Plus, beastmen sometimes went berserk with mania? Life was hard enough already—had he lost his mind?
"I refuse!"
Taha bared his teeth at the firm shout.
"...You're rejecting the chance to become a descendant of the great ancient race?"
"You were human once too—what's that crap? Aren't you ashamed in front of your parents? Can't just forget your roots because you became a beastman. Asshole."
Jin removed his hand from his jaw as he spoke.
No more blood flowed, so he pointed at Taha with bloodied fingers, adding coldly.
"And I don't share tables with dictator wannabes like you."
Taha slowly opened his mouth at the pointed jab.
"If dying as an inferior is your wish, then so be it."
Jin gave no reply.
What more to say to a beastman supremacist psycho?
Blood stopped—that was enough.
Battle intent renewed, he resumed his stance.
Crackle-crackle!!
Lightning wrapped his body once more.
Output surged, intensifying the bioelectricity that boosted his physical reaction speed.
The ability born of Zahard's unfulfilled wish to stretch an instant into eternity.
And so, in Jin's vision where time slowed to a crawl.
The lone white lion maintaining its full speed strode forward with a roar—
"Raaawrghh--!!"
Jin kicked the floor hard, as if waiting.
The next instant.
The descended thunderbolt and the beast of war collided.
"Sta...! Al...bus! Get up!"
A buzzing noise drilled into his ears.
Albus barely opened his eyes to a swaying floor, left and right.
Like an earthquake shaking his vision.
"Ugh..."
Intense vertigo made him squeeze his eyes shut. Fragmented voices pierced his ears again.
"Get... up! Quick!"
A strong grip yanked his arm.
His body, half-buried in the floor, shot up. His flailing legs finally touched down, and Albus, half-forced upright, struggled to lift his eyelids.
What he saw: a bearded face, half-covered in blood.
"...Den?"
"Move! Hurry!"
Finally, a clear shout pierced his ringing ears.
Clink—roll roll.
A grenade without its safety pin rolled between their feet.
Albus's body flew sideways.
Not by his will.
Den had kicked his chest hard—
Even dazed, Albus clamped his hands over his ears and nose.
Of course, eyes shut, mouth closed.
Because that was a high-explosive grenade meant to kill with blast pressure.
The next moment, the blast hurled Albus into a wall with his back.
"...Gah!"
The impact evaporated the air from his lungs, forcing out a choked scream.
As he sprawled twitching on the floor, approaching footsteps closed in.
"He's down!"
"Target neutralized!"
"Confirm the kill!"
Albus slammed his trembling left hand into his chest.
Inside the invisible suit, combat stims injected via bloodstream. His pupils dilated sharply, pain forgotten as his fragile body surged.
Click.
From prone, he spun and pulled the SMG trigger.
TB mercs crumpled in droves.
Deemed combat-ineffective, they nose-dived without a scream at the sudden counterfire.
Albus wasn't unscathed either—rounds meant for confirmation hit his faceguard, vest, and ankle.
But urgency over pain drove him up.
He limped to the fallen Den. The bearded man lay motionless, blood streaming from ears and nose.
Blast exposure in full.
"Den? Den!"
No response to shakes or calls. Albus pounded Den's left chest, tossed him into a nearby room, and shut the door.
Best he could do for now.
With exosuit aid, Albus stepped off again.
Gripping the railing, staggering up stairs, a sudden thought struck.
How did I end up here?
For Resistance duty?
To topple these new warlords who treat lives like trash?
For comrades who died first?
Dunno.
Didn't seem to matter.
Albus cleared his mind of distractions.
Then mechanically moved his feet, step after step.
Like his other comrades had.
12F.
Rounding the landing to the next floor, he saw beastmen in a desperate fight.
Several ganging up on one.
Naturally, the one was Fenrir.
Blocking the path to 13F, his massive sword swung amid dismembered corpses at his feet—including three beast-headed officers.
How many had he faced alone?
Reinforcements kept coming.
Albus didn't calculate—instead, he raised Killbeast.
Sights charging.
Hummm—
10, 20, 30, 40...
Numbers climbed on the tiny display below the reticle.
80, 90...
100.
His index finger yanked the trigger.
Bang—!!
Muzzle flashed skyward as the penetrator round pierced a beastman's temple pinning Fenrir's side, exiting the other.
"What?!"
One officer pressuring Fenrir whipped his head at his comrade's sudden death.
And that was his last mistake.
Slash!
Head severed for glancing away mid-fight, blood spurted from the stump as he knelt.
The deer head hit the floor, twitching like a landed fish.
"Groooar!!"
The last bear beastman charged Fenrir with his bulk.
As Albus raised his muzzle again despite staggering.
"Faust! Grab it!"
Fenrir, now in close quarters, bellowed raggedly.
Albus spotted the heavy on the floor.
He dashed, hefting the rocket launcher. Its brutal weight nearly toppled him, but the exosuit held.
Thus, dodging the dueling beastmen, Albus headed for the top floor.
His abdominal wound reopened—lower belly wet.
But he ignored it.
Adrenaline from extremity and stims coursing his veins overrode limits—
Soon, 13F.
"Ah..."
Albus's jaw dropped.
After hellish battles to reach here, the scene before him surpassed them all.
Lightning flashed, a giant hammer cleaved air.
Fists collided, shockwaves shattering every window.
Then two figures retreated to opposite sides.
Bloodied Taha, clenched fist—for a moment.
Then Albus spotted Jin's grotesquely bent right arm. His eyes trembled.
Jin, panting raggedly, turned and locked eyes.
A very brief moment.
But Albus clearly read Jin's lips.
Shoot there.
His fingers pointed to the shattered window outside. No questions.
Albus trusted, shouldering Faust α.
Bullet-hit right foot immobile, he knelt to aim.
Simultaneously, Jin crack! reset his broken arm, shattered the floor beneath, and charged full tilt—barely dodging the hammer head, tackling Taha.
And flash!
They vanished from the spot.
BOOMMMM!!!
Albus fired the warhead.
No signals exchanged—perfect timing.
Whoosh!!
Projectile threaded the broken windows.
At the promised spot, Jin and Taha reappeared.
"...You bastard!"
Jin, straining to hold the writhing beastman, growled through bloodshot eyes.
"Let's see who's tougher."
And a massive explosion erupted.