The Queen's Awakening

Bang! Bang! Bang! The moment Serika drew her sniper rifle, the muzzle erupted in a continuous stream of fire. True to her reputation as a genius sniper, the bullets instantly aimed for the space between N.E.M.E.S.I.S.’s brows. But—

"Stop."

Vwooom. The bullets stopped. They weren't blocked by a barrier; they simply halted in mid-air with a sharp clack. They spun in place for a moment before falling limply to the ground.

"What the...!"

"No way, the bullets just stopped?!"

Serika and Revi were frozen in shock. And then—

"...Don't tell me, Neural Resonance Mode?!"

My jaw dropped, and I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Kang Chanwoo, you couldn't possibly..."

"Yeah. I know. That ability of yours is a relic of the forgotten old world, the Neural Resonance Mode. Or just 'Neural Resonance' for short, right?"

The R.P.M. project, launched to reclaim Earth. This was a technological remnant of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the 1st Generation androids, existing only in those early days. Back when the Earth was on the brink of total consumption, when humanity was making its final stand. That was the only time it existed. A product of madness that blurred the line between machine and life, capable of forcing the world to its knees with a single word. It was the last imitation of a god, created by humans, now long forgotten.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"To think you know of a relic from a forgotten past. I am impressed, Kang Chanwoo."

"Chanwoo-nim, what on earth is that?!"

"Simply put... it's the ability to dominate everything within your line of sight with just your voice."

Serika’s face turned pale. "Isn't that... a total cheat...?"

"Exactly. A perfect cheat."

It was a nightmarish technique that even in the old Star's Doll community was called 'magic disguised as science.' I never imagined N.E.M.E.S.I.S. would be able to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠use it.

"Serika, a head-on fight is impossible! Use your specialty, the ricochet shot, to catch her off guard!"

"Yes, Chanwoo-nim!"

"And that Neural Resonance Mode has a one-minute cooldown after use, so don't be too tense, Revi!"

"Understood. I trust only in you, Chanwoo-nim."

I gripped the controller and switched my playable character from Serika to Revi.

"She's a bit tough, but we can do this!"

"Do you truly think you can defeat me?"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Serika’s signature skill: Ricochet Snipe. The bullets hit the wall and bounced off. They traced a curved trajectory, bending like living snakes, and struck N.E.M.E.S.I.S. right in the knee.

"Oh? Is this what you call the 'essence of technique'? Regardless, this level of power cannot damage me."

"But it was enough to distract you, wasn't it?"

I squeezed the controller, my hands white-knuckled, driving the action. Whoosh. Revi drew her sword, smooth and sharp, without even a hitch in her breath. Slash!

But—

"Tch."

N.E.M.E.S.I.S. dodged by a hair's breadth. It seemed the reputation of an S++ rank boss wasn't just a rumor. With a vibration that shook the darkness, masses of energy surged like suns. Blinding light engulfed the deepest part of the Underground Village.

"Still, just the tricks of a small fry," N.E.M.E.S.I.S. declared with ease. "I need to make a baby quickly. I have no time to waste on a mere android like you."

The next moment, the boiling energy erupted with the bright light. Hundreds of projectiles traced trajectories in the air, glowing. Above, below, left, right, diagonal, behind—there was no room to run. Amidst the sound of the earth trembling and the air tearing, beams of light rushed toward Revi from all directions.

"Revi, look out!"

Serika immediately turned her muzzle. Her gaze sharpened, and she pulled the trigger in rapid succession. Bang! Bang! The bullets traced perfect paths, piercing the center of the beams and detonating the incoming projectiles in mid-air. But the number of beams was overwhelming. No matter how genius a sniper Serika was, it was physically impossible to block every single attack. Dozens, hundreds of energy bolts were still raining down.

N.E.M.E.S.I.S. curled her lips. And then—

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

"...?!"

Revi deflected every single energy bolt with her blade.

"Y-you're blocking them all?!"

"Of course." I quietly moved my fingers on the controller. "The pattern is constant, the rhythm is fixed. You just have to click-click, and you can block everything."

N.E.M.E.S.I.S. If I had met this girl for the first time, I would have definitely called her this: The First-Run Crusher. A notorious early-game boss that branded the meaning of 'hell' onto new players. She would seal your movement with Neural Resonance Mode if you got close, and rain down all sorts of dirty long-range attacks if you stayed away. Newbies meeting her for the first time would have wanted to throw their games away at the unreasonable difficulty. But not me.

"Stop."

"Ugh...!"

Even if she sealed my movement with Neural Resonance Mode... twitch. Actually, there was a blind spot in this Neural Resonance Mode. Whoosh, swish.

"You're... dodging by shaking your head?!"

That's right. Even in the Neural Resonance Mode state, if you kept pushing the joystick in one direction, you could at least move your head. Most newbies wouldn't know that, nor would they have the ability to utilize it.

"Too slow."

We are different. If you're a veteran player, you know how to exploit even the smallest gaps like this. Whoosh, swish. The moment I dodged her attack with a micro-adjustment, Revi’s frozen body snapped free.

"Haaah!"

"...!"

Revi’s blade descended like lightning toward the stunned N.E.M.E.S.I.S. Slice.

"Argh?!"

Followed by Serika’s continuous fire. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!

"You stopped moving just now, so you're okay, right?!"

"Yeah! So keep firing, Serika!"

Serika continued her sniping without a moment to breathe, aiming precisely at the wound Revi had carved. Every time a bullet struck, N.E.M.E.S.I.S. staggered backward. 'As expected... is it because she's an android type? She doesn't have a grotesque form like a monster boss, so her health is relatively thin.'

Her health bar was already below half. But I didn't want to kill her. She was a being created for humanity in the first place. I felt a strange sense of guilt about destroying an early R.P.M. model with my own hands.

"N.E.M.E.S.I.S., just surrender."

There was no need to fight further. If possible, I wanted to end it here.

"Kang... Chanwoo..."

"You can't beat us. The Revi I control is the strongest in this world."

"That is correct. I am the 'strongest fuck-toy' controlled by you, Chanwoo-nim."

...I ignored Revi’s strange remark. I gasped for air and cautiously reached out a hand to N.E.M.E.S.I.S., whose wing was drooping. Like a single touch that could save a weary angel.

"Don't do this... let's settle this with a conversation."

"A conversation, you say?"

"Yeah. Whatever you want, I'll help you as much as I can, as long as I can stay in one piece."

But—

"What I desire is... the survival of humanity, and Kang Chanwoo, you yourself."

Flash!

"So fast?!"

"Chanwoo-nim!"

In an instant, her wings erupted in blinding light. At first, I thought she was aiming for Revi. But the light shifted direction. Her target wasn't Revi, but me.

"The white android unit I was fighting was several levels inferior compared to my own performance. Yet, the reason you overwhelmed me is entirely because you were there, Kang Chanwoo."

"You... no way!"

"Then it is simple. If I suppress you first, this battle is my victory."

"Th-that's dirty...!"

This girl, is she pulling a real-life PK because she's about to lose in the game?! No, well. At this point, there's no need to distinguish between game and reality anyway. Still, isn't it crossing the line for an android to lay hands on a fragile man? But I still had one person left.

"Chanwoo-nim, get behind me!"

"...! Serika!"

Serika, who had been sniping from in front of me, gripped her sniper rifle in both hands without a moment's hesitation. Instead of pulling the trigger, she charged forward, wielding the weapon like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a blunt club.

"I'll buy you some time! Get Revi back here while I do!"

"Got it!"

Ha! So this is why newbies summon party members in boss rooms. A warmth bloomed in my chest. But—

"Get lost!"

"Kyaaah?!"

Thud. The next moment, Serika was sent flying through the air and slammed into the ground with a single blow, as futile as it was. That was the price for forcing a back-line dealer to the front.

Was I going to be screwed just like this?

"Kang Chanwoo, come here!"

"Argh!"

Just as my erect cock was about to be devoured by the succubus angel's pussy—

"No... Chanwoo-nim!"

At that moment, Revi moved.

Her eyes were dyed in pure white light. Her white hair turned even paler, and black sparks erupted from all over her body.

Crackle... Zzzzt...

"My reason for existence is only one."

To protect Chanwoo-nim.

...Energy leakage? Ignore. "For Chanwoo-nim, I have not a single regret!"

And so—

A violent vortex of mixed light and explosions. The black currents wrapping around Revi’s body exploded fiercely. Overwhelmed by that crushing energy, N.E.M.E.S.I.S., who had been targeting Chanwoo, flinched and tried to turn around. But it was already too late.

The next moment, Revi descended upon her head like dark lightning.

"...!"

KWAANG!!

With a force that shattered the ground, N.E.M.E.S.I.S. was mercilessly slammed into the floor by Revi’s strike. Between her slightly twisted angel wings, shards of broken metal scattered into the air.