Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Gunslinger
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Something feels off (8)
When I leaped down from the ceiling and landed between David and Lexi, the first thought that crossed my mind was one of slight regret.
The moment I actually faced her in a combat stance, a chill ran down my spine, as if I’d just stuck my hand in a guillotine.
Worse, I wasn't the Ghost right now, just Yuria wearing a mask.
The constraint of not being able to use my psychokinesis freely only added to my anxiety.
‘S-should I have just thrown a sheet over my head and come down? …No, that’s too dangerous. This isn’t the Western Labyrinth. The risk of rampaging in the middle of the city with no escape route is too great.’
But I had no choice.
Fighting Lexi as the Ghost here was a completely different story from secretly using my powers in the back of the hotel where there were no witnesses or CCTV.
To suppress Lexi with psychokinesis, the aftermath of the fight would inevitably extend beyond this space.
If that happened, I would make a huge mess everywhere, just like when I fought Drakel.
The existence of psychic powers would naturally leak to the outside world, and even if I managed to escape, people trying to uncover my identity would relentlessly pursue me.
Ah, just imagining it gave me a headache.
As sorry as I felt for David and Sabrina, I couldn't just douse myself in oil and jump into a pit of fire.
‘In the end, I either don’t use psychokinesis here, or I have to make Lexi back down without getting caught…’
But that led to another dead end.
How on earth could I pull that off against this sadistic psycho queen?
“Jin…? No, he’s not the type to make such a flashy scene…”
While I was wrestling with my tension and trying to calm my nerves, Lexi tilted her head, looking utterly confused, before muttering with a chilling smile.
“Yeah. I don’t get it. I have no idea what the intention is. What do you hope to achieve by doing all this?”
“…”
“Well… whatever. I’ll just do what I have to do. I’ll find out when it’s all over anyway. Right?”
Lexi, who seemed completely clueless as to why I, who had been with Raven at the banquet just moments ago, would suddenly appear here to interfere, licked her lips and raised her whip.
Rather than puzzling over an unanswerable question, she would just tie everyone up and get on with her business.
That was probably what she was thinking. What a terrifying queen she was.
“Snake, seize them. Try not to leave any wounds.”
“…!”
*Fwing!*
The black whip flew at an invisible speed and instantly coiled around my body.
It was so fast that by the time I realized what was happening, my entire body was bound so tightly I couldn't move.
This was the Flesh-Tearing Serpent, a top-tier combat artifact in the story.
The thought that my life would have been over if she had intended to kill me was enough to send shivers down my spine.
‘Ugh… It… it hurts…! I’m not into this kind of thing!’
*Squeeze.*
I felt an agonizing pressure on my arms, legs, and neck as the whip constricted around me.
Was she planning to choke me into unconsciousness?
Tears welled up in my eyes at the sensation of being forcibly strangled by someone else.
Lexi paid no mind to me grabbing at the whip around my neck in agony, seemingly convinced that I was completely subdued.
She leisurely walked over to me and raked her fingertips across my mask.
“I’ve been curious about what’s behind this mask for a while now. What kind of face are you hiding so carefully? If it’s a jealously cute face, maybe I should mess it up a little?”
What a terrifying thing to say!
Trembling at Lexi’s chilling words, which didn't sound like a joke at all, I pushed my formless psychokinesis along the surface of the whip.
And when the silent psychic force reached the very soft spot hidden inside the whip’s handle…
With my psychokinesis, I forcefully squeezed that dainty, invisible tail.
*Screee!*
“What…?! Snake!”
“…!”
The Flesh-Tearing Serpent, which had been tightly binding my body, let out a scream.
The reason was simple. I had mercilessly tormented the soft, delicate tail of the snake, which was securely protected by the handle.
This was the Flesh-Tearing Serpent’s only weakness, something not even Lexi herself knew at this point.
As if she couldn’t dream that I would do such a thing, Lexi frantically checked the condition of her misbehaving whip…
Having regained my freedom, I ignored the risk of injury and threw myself sideways.
With the wounded David and Sabrina behind me, and Lexi distracted by her whip in front of me, a fleeting moment had appeared.
It was a precious opportunity that all the money in the world couldn't buy!
“Shock!”
“…Dammit!”
*CRASH!*
A shockwave far more powerful than before narrowly grazed past me and slammed into the momentarily vulnerable Lexi.
Considering its power, that must have been his maximum output, holding back only the bare minimum.
Thanks to that, Lexi was launched into the air as if hit by a truck, disappearing through a wall.
As expected of the brilliant David. He didn't miss the opening I barely managed to create.
For me, who had just been on the verge of being choked out, I couldn't have been more tearfully grateful.
‘Honestly, that was half-insane, but it actually worked.’
I clutched my still-stinging neck and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
This was the picture I had painted from up on the ceiling.
It was a completely reckless plan that I wouldn't have even attempted if I hadn't known that Lexi’s obsessive affection for Raven would prevent her from harming me immediately, and that her whip had a weakness.
Even now, with the plan close to success, my heart was pounding like crazy with fear and anxiety. It was a mad stunt I couldn't try twice.
“We, we did it! Big brother! Fox! We did it!”
“Hah, hah… Fox… is it? I don’t know how you did it, but you helped us. Thank you very much.”
Were they that happy to have landed a solid blow on Lexi?
Sabrina and David were already beaming with excitement.
Of course, it wasn't a strange reaction.
The shockwave David had just unleashed had enough destructive force to punch a hole in the wall.
They probably thought that while she wouldn't die, being a Fixer, it was powerful enough to knock her out.
But… it was too early to celebrate.
Lexi was a cybernetically enhanced human, just like Raven. A hit like that wouldn't even injure her seriously.
“Kh, khuhuhu… Ahahahat! This is fun, so much fun! That one, that actually hurt a bit!”
And just as I expected, Lexi emerged from beyond the shattered wall, blood trickling from her forehead.
Compared to before, it was definitely a solid hit.
Her jacket was in tatters, and her previously unblemished body was now bleeding.
However, she was still healthy enough to fight without any issues, so the joyful expressions on David and Sabrina’s faces instantly turned cold.
To land their best possible attack perfectly, only for it to be not enough…
It was a despairing situation that truly highlighted the difference in their levels.
Lexi, ignoring their reactions, wiped the blood from her face as if brushing off dust.
Her single eye, veins bulging, fixed on me with intense fury.
“Aah, fine. I guess it doesn’t matter if she’s missing a few limbs, as long as she’s alive. I wonder what kind of face Jin will make when you’re a complete mess!”
Completely enraged, she swung her whip with all her might.
Unlike before, it was a terrifying attack with no restraint.
Just as it seemed my soft body was about to be torn to shreds by the sharp whip…
*Bang!* Suddenly, the sharp sound of gunshots rang out from nearby.
I, who had instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, noticed I was completely unharmed.
Honestly, talk about making a person anxious.
“What the!”
Lexi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The body of the Flesh-Tearing Serpent, moving rapidly in an unpredictable path, had been blown apart by a series of bullets.
Of course, the Flesh-Tearing Serpent was a shadow snake that could freely regenerate its body, save for its tail.
So Lexi’s whip itself wasn’t neutralized, but the superhuman accuracy of the shooting made her frown.
This was an unbelievable feat, like shooting popcorn out of the air after it had been scattered randomly. There was only one person capable of such a thing.
“Don’t tell me…”
*Swish.* Lexi’s head snapped in the direction of the gunshots.
Standing there was a man holding a black pistol, smoke curling from its barrel.
“Lexi. It’s not nice to bully our agency’s rookie so viciously. You startled me so much, my gun just went off.”
“Jin!”
The intruder was none other than Raven.
One of the most renowned marksmen among Fixers. A monster who could kill three people with a single bullet.
The man who made you feel safest in the world, as long as he had a gun in his hand.
The tension in my shoulders naturally melted away.
The moment he arrived here on time, I knew it was all over.
As if unwilling to admit it, Lexi glared at Jin with a furious expression and spoke.
“Haha, what is this? Am I being backstabbed right now? Are you also on a job? How much did you get paid? Which corporation?”
“No, I wasn’t hired for anything. Just return our part-timer safely, and I’ll be on my way.”
“Hmph… Is that so? Then just take that thing and get lost. I have my own work to do.”
Lexi studied Raven intently, then, seemingly realizing he wasn't lying, quickly proposed a deal.
It seemed she intended to push Raven off the stage by handing me over quickly, knowing that things would go completely south if he got seriously involved.
But… I didn't want that.
“…!”
I spread my arms wide and stood in front of Sabrina and David, showing that I would not back down.
After all the trouble I'd gone through, I couldn't stop here.
Did my strong will reach the two opposing Fixers?
After a moment of silently sizing each other up, Lexi was the first to move.
“Snake! Kill him!”
The Flesh-Tearing Serpent, its wounds from the bullets already gone, lunged at Raven from all directions.
And almost simultaneously, Raven’s black pistol spat fire.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
The bullets tore the Flesh-Tearing Serpent’s body to shreds.
So precise was his aim that only black fragments of the snake fluttered around him.
“Tch…!”
“It’s no use, Lexi. Our matchup was decided long ago. You don’t think that would change now, do you?”
“Shut up! Do you still see me as that same idiot from back then!”
Lexi attacked Raven with the regenerated Flesh-Tearing Serpent, and Raven calmly parried with his pistol. How many times did this same pattern repeat?
When the Flesh-Tearing Serpent finally seemed to have reached its recovery limit and went limp…
Lexi grabbed her bangs in disbelief and let out a frustrated voice.
“Ha… how in the world do you shoot a snake with a pistol? Are you seeing the future or something?”
“Hmph, no matter how fast your snake is, it’s slower than a bullet. It can’t be helped. Just like a lamp in front of the sun might as well be off.”
“…You haven’t changed. I wonder how many times you’re going to brag about that one time you accidentally deflected a bullet with another.”
Gritting her teeth at Raven’s smooth words, Lexi hooked her whip back onto her belt.
Then, looking as if she had completely lost her will to fight, she glanced between Raven and me and clicked her tongue.
“I’m not about to risk my life fighting Jin for a pittance. Fine. I give up. Do whatever you want.”
Lexi raised both hands in a declaration of surrender.
She probably still had an ace up her sleeve, meaning she wasn't entirely without a chance of winning, but she must have decided she wasn't being paid enough by her client to go that far.
That made sense. No matter how large Nemesis was, they wouldn't have invested a back-breaking amount of money in a Fixer just for a contingency.
In the original story, too, she backed off after a brief confrontation when Raven stood in her way.
It was a part of the story that strongly highlighted her efficiency-oriented personality of only working as much as she was paid.
And as she was about to leave so readily, Lexi glanced at me and said.
“…You. You said you work at Jin’s agency.”
“…”
“See you again.”
“…!”
*Gasp.* Wh-why?
Startled by Lexi’s unexpected request for a future meeting, I looked at Raven, who just shrugged as if to say it couldn't be helped. What do you mean it can’t be helped!
But regardless of my panic, Lexi simply turned her back and walked away.
D-don't tell me she plans to visit me later to punish me? If so, that was a truly terrifying declaration.
‘…I’m glad I’m just a temporary part-timer for a month. As soon as my time is up, I’m really getting out of here.’
Still, I was relieved.
Lexi visiting the agency wouldn't be for a long time.
By then, I would have quit my part-time job at the agency and be busy working at Greg’s shop, so there would be no chance of her finding me and hurting me later.
…Right?
“F-Fox… this is…”
“…”
Anyway, now that Lexi had been dealt with, there were no more obstacles to David’s plan. All that was left was for the knight to ride off and save the captured princess.
I patted the shoulder of Sabrina, who had stuck close behind me, seemingly anxious about the unfamiliar Raven, to calm her down. Then, I nodded at David, who was watching us quietly.
David should go finish his business, and Sabrina could stay and explain the situation.
Did he get the message? David dragged his bleeding body and rushed towards the VIP banquet hall, while Raven leisurely approached Sabrina and me.
“Good grief… Part-timer. I was looking all over for you. And what’s this? You can’t just leave things like this lying around on the floor.”
“…!”
Raven handed me my suit’s necktie.
While David and Lexi were in the middle of their fierce battle, I had used my psychokinesis to subtly push it into the hallway near the stairs.
It was a kind of request for help. A distress signal that screamed, ‘This is dangerous, please help me.’
Of course, it was more likely he came because of the shockwaves and the huge commotion.
But maybe thanks to this, he arrived just in time? That’s what I thought.
After I took the necktie Raven returned and casually put it back around my neck, he immediately pressed down on the top of my head, forcing me to look at the floor.
Don’t press down. It’s heavy.
“So, care to explain in detail? What exactly were you doing here when you said you were just going to the restroom?”
“…”
“Ah, ah! I’ll explain for her…!”
Nice one, Sabrina.
I subtly gave her a thumbs-up.
Please calm this slightly angry-looking man down for me, since I can't speak.
Before he shrinks my height even more… hurry