Tentacle Chase Through the Slums
While tearing through the Novapolis slums in pursuit of the fleeing boss,
Vroooom.
'What's that?'
The roar of a motorcycle echoed from afar. The bastard must be making his getaway on one. Han cranked up his speed, sprinting at full tilt, and the engine noise grew louder by the second—a sure sign he was closing the gap.
'Come to think of it, my tentacles leveled up.'
Glancing at the surrounding slum buildings sparked a brilliant idea. No guarantee it'd work, but there was no reason not to try.
Shuuuuaak!
Five tentacles burst from his right forearm and palm, rocketing forward at max power. The long tendrils slammed into a building ahead, anchoring firmly. With all his strength, he reeled them in. The tentacles contracted rapidly, yanking his body forward in an instant.
He covered a dozen meters in one pull.
"Haha! It actually works?!"
It felt just like being Spider-Man in those skin-tight suits. Wind whipping his face, he kept firing and retracting tentacles, swinging through the slums.
"Whoa! What the hell?!"
"Hello."
The commotion drew curious slum dwellers peeking out. Being noticed felt kinda good, but having this many eyes on him was a problem. He veered toward less populated alleys, pressing on.
And finally—
Vroooooom!
There he was: the bastard hightailing it on a motorcycle. Gotcha. Han launched tentacles at nearby structures and soared forward.
The boss must've heard him—he whipped around, eyes wide in shock, then gunned the throttle harder.
'Like hell you will.'
Han's airborne body hurtled in. He retracted the tentacles and swung his right arm wide toward the bike.
Kabooom!
"Guh!"
The rear wheel shattered on impact, sending the motorcycle tumbling far away. The boss leaped off just in time, rolling to his feet. Now he was a rat in a trap.
Han landed and closed in. That's when a notification popped up beside him.
Berserk lv.1 has ended.
Berserk wore off. Already five minutes up? The godlike omnipotence faded, his swollen muscles deflating back to normal.
Ahead stood a man in his thirties, maybe, with slicked-back hair and an eyepatch.
"What, an elf?"
From a distance, it hadn't been clear, but up close, those sharply pointed ears were unmistakable. An actual elf. First one he'd seen in the flesh. He'd thought they only lived in the Great Forest far away, but apparently they were in Novapolis too.
The elf set down the bag in his hand and locked eyes with Han.
"...You've finally lost it. Red-eyed demon spawn. You dare touch me?"
"You know me?"
"Know you? Of course. Just another psycho obsessed with playing hero."
"Hero play?"
He'd never deliberately gone out of his way to do good deeds. It just happened that everyone he'd taken down so far were criminals. No need to target civilians, and picking fights with hunters or heroes was more hassle than it was worth. He had no interest in that anyway. Criminals were fair game—roughing them up felt natural.
To them, it must've looked like some hero fantasy.
"Guess I do have a sense of justice. So a villain like you needs to die."
"Don't make me laugh!"
Viiiing!
"!"
The elf thrust out his arm, a beam of light erupting from his hand. Han dodged by leaning back.
Kabooom!
A massive explosion rocked the spot behind him where the beam struck. Thick smoke billowed out.
"...Beams bring back bad memories."
"Shut up!"
Feisty one. Light gathered in the elf's hand again. Han bolted sideways.
Viiiing! Viiing!
Beams fired in bursts, tracing the elf's hand movements. Neon flashes lit up the night as the ground, walls, and pillars of abandoned buildings shattered in sequence.
Running, Han raised his right arm.
Shuuuuaak!
Tentacles lashed out, embedding in nearby buildings and walls. He ripped a chunk of debris free with his left hand and yanked himself airborne.
"What—?!"
As the elf looked up in alarm, Han hurled the debris from midair.
The elf fired desperately.
Viiiing! Boom!
The beam hit the debris, exploding into smoke. Han landed and charged through it straight at the elf.
The elf raised both hands. Light condensed in his palms.
Kaaaaaboom!
The beams erupted forward like an explosion. Han dropped low, sliding under them. The blasts grazed overhead, melting the wall behind him.
He swept his right arm low. Tentacles scraped along the ground.
Thwack!
"Kuh?!"
The elf's legs buckled. Han launched forward, slamming a fist into his jaw. The elf's head snapped back—but he didn't drop.
Suddenly, a palm filled Han's vision.
"Die!"
Viiiiing!!
A point-blank beam. Dangerous. Han jerked his head back, grabbed the elf's arm, and twisted it hard.
Szzzt!
The beam veered off, scorching the building wall. Searing heat brushed his skin.
'Close call.'
He seized the elf's throat and smashed an elbow into his temple.
Crack!
Not enough. Again.
Crunch!
"Guh—!"
After several elbows, the elf went limp. Han drove a fist into his gut, sending him crashing into the wall and slumping to the ground.
"Gahk...!"
Still twitching—conscious.
"Whew..."
Han caught his breath and approached. First, interrogate this guy about the smuggled goods. Then, when Lien showed up later, explain the situation and hand her the credit. She'd rack up some achievements. Depending on what they were smuggling, it could be a big score.
"Kuhuhu..."
The elf, coughing blood on the ground, suddenly burst into laughter. Blood frothed between his cracked teeth.
"Lost your mind already? What's so funny?"
"Kuhu... You thought that was all we had?"
"What're you talking about?"
The elf looked up at him.
"Hoo... You might not know... but that black-haired girl? She's as good as dead."
The air turned ice-cold in an instant.
"What?"
"It's over. I... called in the whole organization!"
The elf spat blood with his words.
"Every last member of our group is heading to that factory. Cough! ...You might survive, but that bitch is done for! She's probably there already—the factory you trashed!"
Ah. So those weren't all their forces at the abandoned factory. Made sense; even combat androids stronger than humans, there'd been too few.
"Kekeke... Looked like she meant something to you... Tough break."
"......"
Han fell silent for a moment.
"Get it now? No matter how fast you—"
"Hey."
"...?"
"Those guys androids too?"
Misreading the question, the elf laughed loudly.
"...Yeah. State-of-the-art killing machines! They won't even leave a corpse—"
"Nah, that's enough."
"What?"
If they were androids, not people, Lien had no restrictions. No need for him to worry.
The Crossfield family. A martial house boasting centuries of history, the true nobility of the nation now called Novapolis. Its roots traced back to a lone warrior from across the eastern seas.
That warrior crossed the ocean alone, founded his lineage in this new land, and passed down everything he had. What had been inherited since then—the peculiar ability unique to Crossfield superhumans.
This alien energy, called mana in some places, qi in others, ether elsewhere. The supposed source of superpowers. The secret technique of the Crossfield house: infusing it into weapons.
Even an ordinary sword became unstoppable in a Crossfield's hands—cleaving rocks and splitting earth. It was the biggest reason cold weapons, dismissed as relics in Novapolis, still saw active use.
Shuak!
Lien's blue sword strike slashed into the android's chassis.
In normal circumstances, this would've been a grave mistake. Combat androids were built from tough alloys—most bullets barely scratched them. Destroying one required heavy weaponry. And swords were inherently fragile against hard surfaces; a bad clash could chip the edge or snap the blade outright.
The outcome was predictable: a shower of sparks as it bounced off, or a broken sword.
Of course, if it were a normal situation.
Sliiiice!
The strike embedded deep. The blue-glowing blade sheared through the outer plating, internal frame, and steel body in a flash, bisecting it clean.
The android's upper half flew off. Simultaneously, another swung its wrist-mounted list blade from the side.
Lien parried at an angle. Her sword tip rode the blade and pierced its neck.
Crunch!
She cleaved through. The severed head sailed away.
'Last one.'
Lien's senses sharpened from head to toe. She spun around—no letting enemies slip away like last time.
Five o'clock position. An android raising its arm high.
Her body moved a half-beat faster, slashing down from above. Easy. A motion she'd performed thousands, tens of thousands of times.
The android lost balance mid-swing, its severed stump flailing. She took its neck.
Sliiiice!
The head flew. The headless body crumpled limply.
Confirming total annihilation, Lien pointed her sword tip down and caught her breath.
"Hoo..."
Scanning around: metal scraps and unidentifiable parts littered the floor. Sweat slicked her sword hand. Real combat was rare for her.
The blue energy on her blade dispersed with a faint hiss.
'All done? Time to back up Kyle...'
Then—
Clank.
A distant sound. Her head snapped toward it.
Beyond the factory's main gate, where the steel door had been, came a barrage of metallic clanks.
"......"
Lien tightened her grip.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Not just one or two. Silhouettes poured through the gate. Human-shaped, but utterly inhuman. More androids emerged, their numbers swelling fast.
Grave Neon main force. Ten glowing sensor lights total.
Lien swallowed hard.
The androids halted in unison, scanning the factory interior. Spotting the neatly bisected wrecks, they all turned to stare at her.
TARGET THREAT:EXTREMELY HIGH
FIREARMS:AUTHORIZED
ELIMINATION INITIATED
Rear androids' arms morphed, energy-charged gun barrels emerging.
"......Haa."
Lien exhaled sharply. For some reason, Seongjin's words flashed in her mind.
—Androids. Cut loose.
"......"
No reason to hesitate. She raised her sword, pouring in every last drop of mana.
The silver blade glowed fiercely blue.
The lead android lunged. She sidestepped, twisting into its flank and slashing low.
Sliiiice!
Its neck parted; sensors winked out.
Second and third closed from all sides. Lien didn't retreat. She stepped in deeper, channeling energy into her blade.
Memories of endless simulations flooded her—drills too grueling to be real.
The blade quivered faintly, slicing the air. One swing severed both torsos clean. Smooth cuts.
Another charged through the gap. She leaped over it, spinning midair to carve its body and burst forward.
'Prioritize ranged threats first... Against multiples, lure into tight spaces and pick 'em off...'
She recalled her training instinctively.
Approaching fast, the androids switched to firing stances, targeting her.
Lien dove for the railing.
Kabooom!
Beams scorched the floor. Concrete melted; smoke rose.
The androids adapted: three pressed forward, the rest providing covering fire from behind.
Spotting it, Lien dashed sideways. Deeming it a retreat, they broke formation and pursued.
Click!
Slipping between narrow conveyor belts, she braked hard, pivoting to thrust.
Her sword tip impaled the lead pursuer's head.
'Five left!'
Viiiing!
'Shit! Laser...!'
Lasers flew straight. And her spot was long and narrow.
Chills ran through her; she plastered herself to the wall. The beam pierced the two androids in the belts, grazing past her eyes to gouge the wall.
Lien burst out. Side shot incoming—too late to dodge. She met it with her sword.
'45 degrees... At an angle!'
She'd practiced this.
Viiiing!
Boom!
The deflected beam nailed another android.
Lien's eyes flickered.
'...It actually works for real.'
No time to dwell. Just two left. Almost done.
They charged together. Lien met them head-on, raising her sword high.
"......Time to end this!"
Mana surged into the blade like an explosion. The strike looked massive.
Shaaaack!!
A cross-shaped slash. Both androids split apart, crashing down.
The factory fell silent.
Clank.
The last damaged one twitched faintly, then stilled.
Lien stood frozen for a while. Energy faded from her blade tip.
"Haa, haa..."
She regulated her breathing, gazing at her sword. No blood. Just machine wreckage everywhere.
She wiped it carefully and sheathed it.
"......Father."
A tiny whisper.
"Is... this enough?"
No answer came.