Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Peoseok!
A dull tearing sound was followed by the vibration of a metallic stench.
My palm, cooked from failing to withstand the pistol's full charge, throbbed with pain.
Emul, having pulled out and gripped the ice embedded beside him, straightened his back to survey the battle situation on his allies' side.
One corpse lying there having lost an arm and a leg, and another body with its head severed.
And one last survivor, begging desperately to be spared.
"P-please. No one else got hurt, right? Fuck. I just... joined to make some money."
Setrang and Addy let out a dry laugh at the bandit's bullshit.
"These guys always say such fucked-up shit without a second thought."
"Exactly. Should I kill him?"
"Let's ask what we need to ask first. How these bastards managed to take out combat operatives..."
"Come to think of it, one guy is missing. They said there were five in total."
"Maybe they had an internal conflict. Hey. I'll kill you painlessly, so you'd better answer well."
Emul, having averted his gaze from that spot, approached the mage whose femur had been shattered.
"Ugh, hng... it hurts..."
The man groaned in pain, teeth chattering. When he forcibly removed the gas mask, a plain-looking face was revealed.
"......Fuck... no way... with something like... a gun..."
Emul, having holstered his slightly cooled pistol, said,
"Do you think magic makes sense?"
"You... crazy... bastard..."
"If you show me magic, I might spare you."
"Fuck off. You psycho..."
Squeeze. As Emul's shoe pressed down on the bandit's thigh, blood gushed out.
"Argh, aaaaah! Okay, okay! I get it! Ughhhh!"
Emul, having roughly wiped the blood off the sole of his shoe on the ground, looked at the man's wrist.
Pajik-.
Sparks flew in response to the condensed mana. Just as the spell, instantly constructed by the Calculation Auxiliary Device, was about to be completed.
"Die, you fucking bastard!!!!"
A single shout mixed with a scream rang out among the machines.
The last chance to cut the lifeline of the gunman obsessed with the unknown that is magic. A materialized ice awl was shot toward his glabella at the speed of a bullet.
The bandit's mouth, which had been baring teeth stained with thick blood, drooped as if forcibly pulled down.
Hududuk-.
The ice fragments crumbled uselessly, blocked by an invisible wall.
"You psycho... a mage... pretending to be... a gunman..."
"...What you see isn't everything."
Puuk-.
Emul, having dealt with the bandit using the magic he had just acquired, looked at his hand.
He had taken measures before the burns could worsen, so the discomfort was minimal. It would recover soon, so there was no need to worry.
Peoeok-!
The survivor bandit's head turned from Setrang's kick. Perhaps he didn't intend to kill him, as the bandit's back was heaving.
Emul, who had lightly leaped over the production equipment to approach them, asked,
"Aren't you going to finish him off?"
"Sometimes the client demands information... are you really asking because you don't know? A mage like you wouldn't have only taken on extermination requests."
At Setrang's words, Addy, who was wiping the blood off his sword, glanced at Emul.
When he neither affirmed nor denied it, Setrang hoisted the collapsed bandit onto his back.
"I'll carry him!"
"Forget it. You must have used up a lot of energy."
With a short remark, Setrang walked toward the door of the ruined factory.
Emul said to Addy, who was awkwardly holding out his arms.
"So, you don't offer twice, huh."
"Ah, haha. Did you notice?"
He pretends to be innocent, but he knows how to look out for his own interests. That must be why he can survive as a mercenary.
"Unlike what I heard before we left, one guy is missing."
"The Cyber Psycho? Even when I asked the living ones, they just kept repeating that they didn't know... I guess he got scared and ran away before we even started."
Emul nodded. If one operates continuously within a specific complex, they'll eventually get caught.
Just in case, he spread his mana, but no particular presence was felt around the building.
Just as he was about to move on, relieved, Addy asked cautiously.
"Um... Zen-nim, if it's not rude to ask, in what way did you subdue the mage? The mana I felt was definitely only for one person."
"You're asking about someone else's trade secrets without a second thought."
"Ah...! That's not what I meant. I'm sorry!"
Emul tapped the outline of the pistol visible through his hood.
"A gun? Even so, a force field... Hmm. You certainly shoot well, but..."
Addy, who fell into confusion. The moment he tried to cross the threshold of the ruined factory, following Setrang while ignoring him.
The mana he reflexively raised converted into electrical signals within his body, pushing his physical abilities to the limit.
The scene of Addy, who had closed the distance and lowered his stance, reaching for his waist, flowed in slow motion.
The feet of the two mercenaries, about to step onto the ground, stopped abruptly.
A cleanly severed upper body flying through the air.
And flying alongside it, a thick arm dripping with blood.
Perhaps it was fortunate in the midst of misfortune. The moment he realized only the arm was Setrang's.
Kwaang——!!!
Setrang's body, now one-armed, was slammed into the crushed scrap machines.
While grasping the entire sudden situation, Emul's hands had already constructed three types of magic simultaneously.
There was no time to leisurely observe and grasp the opponent's abilities.
"Brother!!!"
Addy running toward Setrang. Emul, who turned his body to follow him, poured out the maximum firepower he could muster.
Piiing——.
A streak of light, faster than the speed of sound, was shot into the gap between Addy and Setrang.
The attacker, who seemed to be finishing them off, brought down two laser blades. The moment the six red lenses on his insect-like compound-eye goggles crossed with Emul's pupils.
Kwaaaaaang——!!!
The aftershock of the massive explosion swept across the battlefield. Molten metal and illegal drugs were intertwined, giving off a terrible stench.
Taking advantage of the momentary gap Emul had created, Addy, who had hoisted Setrang onto his back, leaped backward and shouted.
"Let's pull out. That thing isn't a normal guy!"
"...If only we could."
Emul stared at the dust cloud that hadn't yet lost its heat.
The red lines of light scattering in the mist wiggled as if trying to find the living.
Huung-!
The attacker, who had cleared the steam by swinging his sword, looked surprisingly abnormal.
Artificial tendons and bundles of wires hung loosely from his left elbow, and half of the six lenses on his goggles were cracked or broken.
Even so, Emul couldn't let his guard down.
Even though it was a cracked skyscraper, he had deflected a blow that had brought down the building.
'One more time. I have to hit him, no matter what.'
If he ran out of mana while there were injured people, it would be no different from a death sentence.
There was the mercenary Addy, but his skills should be considered on par with Setrang's. Before that thought could even finish, Emul threw his body forward.
Jiing——.
The red-hot blade cut across the ground as if sweeping it. A horrific scene where all objects in its trajectory were completely sliced through.
'What the fuck...!'
Emul, sweating profusely, raised his mana to steal the attacker's attention.
Addy, having trampled over the machine, was rushing in. He must have realized that he couldn't guarantee an escape either.
Emul, who was about to pull out his pistol to keep pace, shouted urgently due to a bad premonition.
"Deflect it!"
Addy, reacting to that, tried to deflect the attack by angling his blade, but he was overpowered and sent flying into the wall.
"Keuheok-!"
Having even dropped his sword, he clutched his chest and let his head drop.
He could feel life signs, but it seemed he wouldn't be waking up for a while.
Swallowing a breath laced with a sigh, Emul felt the Sniping he had honed for the last time hit its target.
Kwaaaaaang——!!!
He had somehow utilized the gap in time the young mercenary had bought him.
Immediately after, a weight like heavy lead balls pressed down on his entire body.
Mana Exhaustion.
There were quite a few drugs he had prepared for such a situation, but he realized that except for one, they were completely useless.
'...It won't move.'
Every joint in his body seemed to be screaming. He barely reached out and bit into the Stimulant in his pocket, ampoule and all.
Kadeuk!
There was no time to think about side effects. The broken glass shards scratched his tongue and dug into his gums, and the taste of metallic blood filled his mouth.
Using the pain of his mouth being torn as fuel, he scraped his mana from the very bottom.
The lightning-type physical enhancement magic that should have flowed through his entire body was only applied to his lower body due to the low output.
Jiing——.
Barely suppressing the bile rising in his throat, he rolled on the ground.
Having even poured painkillers into his mouth, he looked at the area where he felt heat.
White bone exposed below his dangling calf. It was half-severed, but if it stayed attached, it would recover.
After thinking as positively as possible, he threw the last prepared flashbangs in front of him.
Paat-!
Turning his head to protect his optic nerves, he looked at the object shadowed by the spreading mass of light.
The strange-looking sword Addy used. Was he drawn to a primal weapon because his mana was exhausted?
Emul, who had unconsciously reached out and gripped the handle, clenched his teeth at the chilling sensation creeping up the back of his head and swung the sword upward as if rotating backward.
Kkaaaang——!!!
His body soared from the recoil. He flew past the breached factory door and slammed into the modified truck as if colliding with it.
"Keuheok......!!"
An impact force enough to dent the steel vehicle door. It felt like his ribs were completely broken, and every time he breathed, a pain that made him lose consciousness washed over him.
His vision was blurring. When he lifted his only moving right arm to wipe his eyes, his hand was full of blood.
He was so covered in wounds that he couldn't even tell if his eye was injured or if it was blood flowing from a torn wound.
Soon, he even felt chills from the cold seeping deep into his bones. Was he nearing death?
When he lifted his heavy head with difficulty, ash-colored snowflakes were fluttering down.
Ice crystals mixed with the smog of the industrial complex were cooling his hotly inflamed body.
'I have to get up...'
It wouldn't listen.
His palm that had burst from the pressure, and his leg leaking blood. Not a single drop of mana left.
All that was left for him was his inner vessel, emptied to the point of emptiness.
Before long, the limping attacker entered his field of vision.
The Cyber Psycho walking awkwardly through the entrance of the ruined factory.
The bastard was also a mess. Swords inserted in place of his missing arms, and his twisted knee had an artificial joint sticking out to the side.
Even so, the one standing holds the power of life and death.
Flashing the red blade forcibly attached to his broken elbow, the Cyber Psycho approached.
Perhaps because of his blood-stained eyeballs, as the guy got closer, red afterimages seemed to be scattered like blood.
Kkigigigik-.
He dragged his unmoving mechanical body by force. The gray snow melted rapidly whenever it touched his Metal Prosthetic Body.
The Cyber Psycho, who had finally reached in front of Emul, didn't say a word.
He just raised the crimson blade that stood in place of his arm to finish what he hadn't completed.
Swiik-.
A death sentence falling without mercy.
Thump——.
Only the intense heartbeat was transmitted to Emul's ears as he faced his life flashing before his eyes.
'Was that it? Only when the vessel is completely empty...'
Puuk-.
The long, standing blade pierced his heart.