Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Martial God Cult (3)
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Mask and shimmering haze.
"Uwaaaah! Uwaaaah! B-Bro! Save me! P-Please save me!"
A flailing man. Behind the mask, Serika looked somewhat reluctant, her face twisted in distaste, but to the men watching from afar, she appeared only as a ruthless little girl brutally snapping an arm.
Her movements were utterly unflinching as she broke the arm without hesitation and assessed the opponent's state—pure professional. One of the men trembled with rage and fear, muttering under his breath.
"At that young age, already so cold-blooded... I couldn't even imagine breaking someone's arm back then. The most I'd do was clench my fist and play rocket punch. I heard the president of Iwamoto Industry was a good guy, but where the hell did this terrifying kid come from?"
Another man seriously stroked his chin, murmuring.
"Maybe that reckless charge earlier was all calculated too. Once their transparency ability was exposed, pretending to know nothing and rushing out defenselessly would draw out the other one—that must've been the math."
"They might've already dug up all the intel on them beforehand. So they sent the teammate they don't get along with as bait first, then showed up themselves."
The two watched the situation intently. Even through the hazy mirage, the eyes of Serika's mask were indifferent. That dry gaze only made her seem even more thorough and merciless.
The situation, which had briefly turned favorable with Serika's arrival, grew tense again. The thugs who had been about to step forward with weapons shrank back into the corners like rats, and the Transparent Brother—the older one—had lost all his earlier bravado, biting his lip in panic and rolling his eyes around.
The man who turned into an animal said flatly.
"That guy's an amateur anyway—way too shaken. Looks like he really did try to help the security firm earlier and wandered in here. Hope he washes his hands of this and lives a clean life after."
The newly transformed man nodded and replied.
"Let's see how they respond. We just need solid data from this op anyway."
The pale-faced Transparent Brother pointed his knife at Carmen, collapsed on the floor, and yelled.
"Y-You! Let my brother go! If you don't, this bitch dies!"
The two men watching tensed up, eyes fixed on Serika. They were curious how she'd handle it. Would Serika respond to the hostage situation with even firmer resolve? Or propose a compromise to keep her ally safe?
Surprisingly, Serika hesitated for a moment. Her expression was unreadable, but the way she tilted her head and gently shook the arm she gripped suggested she was calculating something. Emboldened by her demeanor, the Transparent Brother shouted more aggressively.
"Surrender now! Hey! Guess I gotta carve a mark to snap you out of it!"
"He's getting worked up."
"He's gonna cause an accident."
The two men nodded, faces uneasy. Even as agents of a secret organization, they didn't want to watch a defenseless little girl get stabbed. Grimacing, they kept their eyes glued to the mission, while the Transparent Brother pressed the blade closer, his hand trembling.
One wrong prod, and the knife might sink right in.
"Go ahead, kill her."
And came a utterly calm, cold reply.
The two Martial God Cult followers blinked at Serika's response. Doubting their ears, they glanced at each other, and even the Transparent Brother gaped wide-eyed at her.
"...What?"
Serika gave him no time to think. Perfectly natural, she gripped the younger brother's nape tighter, then swung one leg up onto his shoulder. In a pose like uprooting a plant from the soil, she tilted her head and spoke flatly.
"I said kill her. Then I'll kill this one too. You ever seen your guy get his limbs ripped off alive? I haven't tried, but I bet I could. Wanna watch and find out?"
Her grip tightened. No visible expression, no clue how much force, but the Transparent Brother's sibling let out an agonized scream.
"Uwaaaah! Aaaah! Bro! Save me! Please save me! Aaaah!"
It was a scream so raw it made even the distant followers wince, and the Transparent Brother—knife poised to strike—panicked completely, hurling his weapon away as he shouted.
"W-Wait! Stop! Stop! I'll drop my weapon! Dropping it! I surrender! Surrender!"
A situation that could've dragged on endlessly or cost them an ally dearly resolved cleanly. The two stared blankly at Serika, murmuring.
Serika felt relieved it had ended well, her expression softening just a bit.
But the expressionless mask and perception filter made it impossible to tell what the standing Serika was thinking. The animal-transforming man grimaced, muttering.
"Cold as ice. How far did she calculate?"
"Did she read their brotherly bond from that earlier scene? So she deliberately provoked with extreme words and actions to calm the hyped-up brother?"
"Or maybe she really didn't care if the other girl died. They weren't close anyway—perfect chance to clean house."
The two couldn't pin it down. But when they exchanged glances, they agreed on one thing.
"Dangerous individual."
"A dangerous kid."
"Get the documents from inside. I hear you've started some interesting new business lately. All files related to that."
The atmosphere, which had seemed ready to thaw with one hostage taken, turned brutal again after Serika's arm-snapping show. The thugs obeyed meekly despite the sensitive topic, without a hint of resistance, and the Transparent Brothers couldn't even move.
The newly transformed man whispered into his radio to the recon team.
"She's got total control. Simple mission, but considering her age... that talent's scary."
Serika and the girl of unknown identity.
Their mission wrapped up like that. The girl vented her fury at Serika for stealing the spotlight, but Serika just brushed it off indifferently.
"Yeah, sure."
The two, documents in hand and interior secured, walked out. The recon team outside reported via radio.
"Driver's prepping to leave again. Looks like he knows it's over."
"Didn't see any radio use—separate comms maybe?"
"That guy's got some ability too, probably. Stay sharp on both. Mission's done for them. You're free to pull back."
The animal-transforming man shook his head at recon's suggestion.
"No, snap photos of all three while we can. That driver's no ordinary chauffeur—something's off. Gotta lock in their descriptions now."
Data was always better the more you had. The man pulled out a compact camera and crept down through the brush carefully. Just then, the two girls boarded the van. Right before the door shut, he raised the camera to snap the trio.
"Hm?"
The hand turning the ignition paused. The long-haired man about to drive off suddenly leaned out, glanced toward the men, and tilted his head.
The moment the long-haired man looked their way, a chill gripped the man—like shoving his head into a massive beast's maw. He couldn't even steady himself.
Seized by primal terror, he yelled.
"Shit...! We're made!"
He pocketed the camera and bolted without looking back. His animal form dissolved into a black shadow, streaking from the scene.
The urgent radio spurred recon to widen their view.
In recon's sight, the long-haired man shrugged nonchalantly and started the van, rolling away leisurely as if nothing happened.
"...Not pursuing. Thought it was nothing?"
Panting heavily over the line, the animal-transformer muttered.
"No. He saw me run. He definitely clocked the tail. So why let us go?"
The newly transformed man ascended into the sky, saying.
"No clue. Lay low for a while anyway."
And so the mission ended on a sour note.
The report came days later.
Iwamoto Serika is an extremely dangerous individual. Possesses cold judgment and resolve, showing brutality willing to sacrifice even teammates if necessary.
The mustachioed man scowled, rereading the report on Iwamoto Serika. The Serika in the report felt like a total stranger to the one he'd met.
No matter how many times he read it, the malice and cruelty absent from the real Serika were starkly depicted here.
Just who was Serika? A genius deceiver hiding her true face from them, plotting to infiltrate the Martial God Cult's core?
Or was it all illusion—a mere strong little girl?
The mustachioed man rubbed his face. The report on Serika had been sent to HQ in Korea, awaiting higher-ups' decision.
This could shake their overseas expansion.
Times like this called for cool, decisive action—but what would the bosses choose?
Ding!
A cheerful alert signaled a new email. The mustachioed man opened it.
Miss Hwayoung still shows many shortcomings as the heir to lead the Martial God Cult.
Given what we know of Iwamoto Serika's true intentions, we judge that keeping her at arm's length internally will suffice for control.
As the adage goes, know your enemy and yourself for a hundred victories. The Iwamoto Serika described embodies qualities Miss Hwayoung must learn as heir.
One grows simply by keeping such a figure nearby from youth.
The cult desires that Iwamoto Serika and Miss Hwayoung continue their friendship.
The mustachioed man felt conflicted.