Nun Route? #4
As we had to head to that fake village, I spun a suitable story for her. It was about how I'd entered some village while on the run and sensed something was off. There, I'd felt an extremely ominous gaze, as if vampires were watching me.
"That was one hundred percent a vampire. They must have taken over that village. I think it'd be best to sweep the place clean and rack up some experience before we go after a high-ranking vampire like a True Ancestor's clone."
"Hmm... So you're saying vampires are hiding in that village?"
"Yes! That's exactly it!"
"It sounds like mere paranoia to me. A common affliction among vampire hunters."
"No, that's not it! It's real, I swear!"
Even though I felt considerable goodwill toward the nun, hearing her speak so dismissively without knowing the facts made me want to argue. Treating vampire hunters like lunatics was a huge misunderstanding. They were rational and level-headed. They only appeared ruthless during combat. The nun had probably misunderstood after seeing that side of them. If she kept slandering them, I'd have no choice but to formally protest.
"Haa. If it were real, you'd have been attacked already. You came back in one piece, didn't you?"
The nun sighed and shook her head.
"I'm not the kind of man who'd go down that easily. They must have noticed I was prepared and acted cautiously. Plus, I got out of there fast. Sister, before we hunt a high-ranking vampire, I want to clear that place out first and build up my experience. That's how I'll survive going forward."
Would the persuasion work?
"Mm... Well, all right. If there are vampires, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Let's go. Where is this place?"
"Thank you."
It worked! Now I could naturally lead the nun there. With her help, I'd be able to determine whether Geuhanak had descended.
The nun and I headed to the site together. Honestly, I was worried. That place was already a battlefield. The Bureau would have large-scale perception inhibitors running, and the Fake Bureau would be conducting incineration operations inside. The two sides were probably clashing violently. Without Grong, one of the Bureau's greatest assets, they were clearly being forced into a disadvantageous fight. Given the intensity of the battle, Spandal and Jaaldi might end up dead. There was nothing I could do... I was already overwhelmed just worrying about Geuhanak.
"Excuse me. You seem to have quite the fantasy about vampire hunters. I'm telling you, they're not that kind of group."
"Yes, yes."
I brushed off the nun's nonsense and finally arrived at our destination.
"...Wait a moment."
The nun, having gotten out of the car, reacted exactly as expected.
"Something feels off about this."
"What does?"
"Can't you feel it?"
It was dark. And thick fog blanketed everything.
"I don't know...?"
"Hmm... Maybe you can't sense it because you're an ordinary person. The situation here has gotten rather strange. I can feel vampires inside, but it seems like there are others as well."
"Others?"
"This... could it be the Bureau?"
"The Bureau?"
So the nun could tell just by looking, after all.
"There must be something in this village. Hey, you... No, never mind. Haa. There's nothing I can do."
The nun sighed and scratched her head.
"Why?"
"The state of this place is a bit strange right now. I feel like I need to investigate, but I can't just send you off alone. The Red Woman might show up. But taking you in there with me is..."
"Let's just go in. If it looks dangerous, protect me. Then we can retreat."
"You've got plenty of fighting spirit. Well, hatred for vampires isn't something that fades easily. All right. Let's enter. But you must follow my orders. Understood?"
"Yessir."
"Let's go."
So I was entering this place again. Not as Bureau agent Grong, but as vampire hunter Kim Geun-hong, I set foot inside once more.
—Shhhk.
Once we passed through the fog, a familiar landscape came into view. A city occupied by vampires, turned into a battlefield.
"..."
Geuhanak didn't seem to have descended. If he had, the sky would be red.
"Be careful. Just follow me."
"Yes."
The nun and I moved while taking cover. In the previous loop, the nun had used a church to travel, but that wasn't an option now? Regardless, as we moved, signs of the battlefield became visible. Gunfire echoed from afar. And there were ghoul corpses scattered about.
"I can roughly see what's going on. I told you about the Bureau last time, right? It looks like the Bureau and the vampires had a showdown. Quite a large-scale one... Don't tell me the Red Woman has risen up?"
"So the Red Woman caused a vampire hazard, the Bureau detected it, and came to subjugate her?"
"You summarized that well. Yes, that seems to be the case."
Of course, I already knew the situation.
"Wait, let me pray for a moment."
"Prayer?"
—Fwoosh!
When the nun prayed, light enveloped both her body and mine.
"It's a prayer to protect and conceal our bodies. Let's keep moving. We might be able to profit from their fight."
"Profit from their fight?"
"If the Red Woman and the Bureau are clashing, we sneak in and behead the Red Woman."
"Ooh...!"
That was an incredible plan! My faith in the nun exploded. She really was an expert among experts. If we killed Secrem here, I'd be able to sleep soundly. While envisioning that hopeful future, I stayed alert and moved forward.
"Hmm... You. No matter how I look at it, you seem like a trained person. Are you sure you're from a regular unit? You look too seasoned."
"I'm from the Kim Il-sung unit."
"Don't reuse the same joke twice!"
"Yes."
The gunfire grew steadily closer. Not only ghoul corpses but also incinerated bodies came into view.
"Look at this. The bodies. They were all burned by people."
"The Bureau did it?"
"Yes. This is why I told you to be careful. Clearly, they eliminated everyone before they could turn into ghouls. What do you think would happen if you ran into people like that?"
"...I'd be eliminated."
"Be careful."
As the nun and I moved like that—
"They're coming."
She signaled. I gripped my Tokarev.
"Krrrk!"
"Grk!"
I aimed at the ghouls charging from the other side and fired, blowing their heads off.
"As expected, you're amazing. Hitting their heads from that distance."
"Show me something too, Sister."
"Yes. Stay still for a moment."
After saying that, the nun—
—Fwoosh!
Suddenly kicked off the ground. Then she ran vertically up the wall beside us and threw herself through a window.
What was that? That intense movement?
While I was lost in that question, a person was thrown out from inside, and at the same time the nun leaped out, grabbed the man's neck, and—
—Boom!
Dropped straight down, slamming his head into the ground!
"What the—! What is this?!"
"Vampire secured."
"A vampire!"
She'd sensed the vampire and gone straight to capture it!
—Slide.
The nun reached behind her and pulled a silver stake from the strap wrapped around her thigh. She swung it with force and drove it into the vampire's shoulder.
"Kek!"
The vampire trembled violently, its head already smashed and now its shoulder pierced through.
"Now, I'm going to inject garlic extract into your veins. If you don't want that, answer my questions."
"Kek, gurk..."
"Mass."
The nun held out her hand like a doctor, and I placed the garlic syringe in her hand like a nurse.
—Drip.
When I pressed the syringe, a bit of garlic liquid splashed onto the vampire's face.
—Sizzle!
"Kieeeek!"
What a satisfying sight.
"If you don't answer, I'll inject it. Three. Two. One."
"I-I'll talk!"
"Who's the vampire leading you?"
"I-It’s a True Ancestor's clone! Her!"
"So it is the Red Woman. Where is she now?"
"I don't know! Suddenly the psychic wave disappeared...!"
The psychic wave disappeared?
"I see."
The nun drove the needle into the vampire's neck.
"Krrk! Why?!"
"Interrogation over."
"Bubblblbl!"
What would happen if garlic extract was injected into a vampire's veins? The answer was simple. Its body began to melt.
"Kiiiik! Kirik! Kiririk!"
In an extremely grotesque form.
"Sister? What's the situation?"
"This is a good opportunity. It's confirmed the Red Woman is here. And she's so overwhelmed that she can't maintain her domination psychic wave."
"Domination psychic wave?"
"Think of it as a psychic ability to control lower vampires and ghouls. It seems now is the perfect time."
The nun saw this as an opportunity, but I felt uneasy. Secrem had been driven into a bad situation. It wasn't that I was worried about her safety. The problem was why she had been cornered in the first place. Had Geuhanak's descent stolen her initiative and weakened her? No. That wasn't it. If Geuhanak had descended, the vampire from earlier would have shown some reaction. He hadn't descended yet.
"I'll find the Red Woman."
The moment I said that—
—Fwoosh!
The nun's eyes glowed red! Not only that, but red tattoos began appearing on her cheeks... Those tattoos were the ones I'd seen on the nun in the previous loop.
"Sister?! Is that some kind of prayer too?"
"Don't make me talk."
This ominous atmosphere. Was she drawing on her half-vampire power to find Secrem?
"Found her. Run!"
"Yes!"
I ran with the nun. In this moment, I was going to fight Secrem. The time had come to put an end to our long conflict. But I couldn't focus entirely on her. How could I reach Geuhanak's descent point? It was in the middle of the battlefield. There was no way to get there easily. I keenly felt my own lack of ability. Even though I'd been able to come here with the nun, I couldn't move freely. Was there no choice? Selection and focus—right now, I had to deal with Secrem first.
—Tap!
"Stop."
The nun hit the brakes.
"I can feel it. The Red Woman's presence. She's about to come out. Be careful."
I trusted the Tokarev in my hand. At that moment—
—Fwoosh!
From the other side, a very familiar blonde woman appeared.
"You...!"
Burning red hatred. With eyes filled with that hatred, she glared at me—the one-armed... Secrem?
"What?"
Why was Secrem one-armed? Why had she suddenly changed classes to Shanksworth...?
"Sister. Why the hell is that thing one-armed?"
"Who knows...? Maybe she lost it in a fight?"
"Lost it? Who would cut off a True Ancestor's clone's arm—ah."
In that moment, I realized.
"...!"
That's right! It was Director Lee Do-hyeong! In this world line, Director Lee Do-hyeong was alive, so of course he would have joined this war! Director Lee Do-hyeong had cut off Secrem's arm!!!
"I came because I thought there might be a familiar face, and there's a half-portion here...?"
The one-armed Secrem approached with a very threatening expression, but there was no need to fear a woman whose arm had been cut off by Director Lee Do-hyeong.
"I'll devour you both and recover."
"Ha, you think a mosquito like you can do that? Don't you see my nun's habit?"
"I'm looking at it, you Vatican half-breed. Tear off the clothes and you're no different."
"Fire!!!"
My Tokarev spat fire!