Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: 83. Shaking Your Short Tail (2)
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He gazed out into the empty sky. As unprecedented mana shot up toward the heavens, the high-level superhumans focused on Yoo Ji-tae.
He marked a spot in red on the map.
A few superhumans watched his gesture closely. In this hopeless, frustrating, irritating situation, they hoped that the V he had drawn indicated the enemies' position.
There was no element to pinpoint the Quasar squad's location...
But... if he's a prophet, maybe he knows...
Such vague expectations lingered there.
And remarkably, their expectations became reality.
"Jefferson Antonio. Kang A-jin."
"Yes!" "Yep."
Behind the V-marked spot, he drew a red line.
"Take your forces and head there immediately. Then cut off their rear."
"Pardon?"
"At minimum, there's a Quasar platoon there at the point. Maybe more. Use the Alliance main force's most mobile unit to encircle the point from the rear."
"Understood... But how..."
"No time to explain. How long will it take?"
"The westerlies are calm right now. If we can pinpoint the location, we can mobilize via teleport in about an hour and a half."
"Proceed immediately."
"Yes!"
There were only orders—no basis or persuasion.
Yet his words carried immense power.
Season was the Alliance's prophet.
Jefferson, who had witnessed the prophet's overwhelming might firsthand, couldn't dare question it.
"This is Jefferson Antonio relaying."
"Grade 1 Agent Kang A-jin here! Requesting mobile squad support...!"
As Jefferson and Kang A-jin busily chattered into their comms gear.
Yoo Ji-tae channeled his mana.
He planned to leap high.
The method was simple.
He formed a funnel-shaped mana construct above his head. Then compressed it down on himself. It felt like the entire vast sky was crushing him.
Sand exploded outward. The ground lightly puffed up with dust, sinking around him with a whoosh.
Sand-laced gale-force winds whipped in all directions. Gasps and screams rang out: "Gah!" "Argh!"
At the center of that storm, he poured mana into his legs with all his strength. His thighs, thick as building pillars, withstood the bursting atmospheric pressure. As the sky bore down on him, his thighs pushed back against the earth.
Yoo Ji-tae stood at the center of that immense pressure.
The taut tension snapped explosively. Dust erupted.
Finally, he released the pressure above his head.
At the same instant, he kicked off the world with everything he had.
Kwaaaaang—!
Yoo Ji-tae launched from the ground.
Like a fighter jet. Or a missile. He streaked across the sky toward his destination.
When his body broke the sound barrier, a deafening crack ripped through the air as if space itself tore. Breaking supersonic again, a pure white shockwave rippled around him like waves on water.
He crossed the heavens. From high above, the world below rapidly receded behind him.
About twenty minutes into the flight.
Yoo Ji-tae spotted a large armored vehicle far below, blending into the sand and hard to distinguish.
The location was spot on.
They're riding in that.
He plummeted onto the armored vehicle.
Kwaaaaaang—!!!
At the impact site, the 15cm-thick mana-alloy plating crumpled. The massive metal beast rocked violently up and down.
He didn't stop there.
He shoved his hand down onto the turret—like a head mounted on a tank body.
He intended to rip the gun barrel free from the chassis.
He resembled a biblical Nazarite toppling a temple pillar with his bare arms.
Physical strength far beyond superhuman standards. The metal bent and tore. The alloy plating, which shouldn't have made a sound, screeched kriik—kriig— as it separated from the body.
"Wh-what?!"
"Wh-what the hell!!"
Terror-stricken screams echoed from inside.
"What is it! B-block it! Block it!"
"Keep it out!"
Such voices rang out.
"Signal! Send the emergency signal!"
"Y-yeah! Got it!"
And these too.
Yoo Ji-tae hurled a chunk of torn metal at the communications officer beside the driver. It smashed his head and pierced through, wrecking the comms gear.
At the same time, mana firearms trained on Yoo Ji-tae.
Tatata-tang—!
Bullets flew. But a dozen blessings protected his flesh, blocking them. They lost kinetic energy mid-flight, then mana unraveled them. The bullets plinked harmlessly off his body.
Yoo Ji-tae slowly peered inside. It matched what he'd seen on the screen.
Six survivors exactly. One bound hostage.
Four in the rear seats had died from the landing shock—A50 model.
And six corpses total. Including the hostage they'd killed.
"Guns aren't working!"
"What the hell is that monster?!"
"B-block it! You useless shits!"
No blocking it. Yoo Ji-tae entered the tank.
One grabbed a blade and charged in desperation. But doubt filled his own eyes. He knew his attack wouldn't mean a thing.
Yoo Ji-tae threw a punch a half-beat faster. The man's body flew into the wall, face and jaw caving in.
He fell right in front of his comrade. The startled man shot his own ally, then recoiled further in shock. Yoo Ji-tae moved swiftly, slaying the three there.
Two left: the driver and the bucktoothed one.
The bucktoothed man panicked, jamming his rifle barrel under his own chin.
Suicide? Not yet.
Yoo Ji-tae locked eyes with him, pondering something.
The man's movements froze.
Strength drained away. The rifle clattered to the floor.
The bucktoothed man rolled his eyes back, clutching his throat. He slammed into the blood-soaked floor, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. As if something strangled him. He couldn't breathe.
He briefly met the eyes of the soldier held hostage. The man trembled at the sight of Yoo Ji-tae but seemed unharmed.
Finally, he approached the driver.
Trembling so hard he couldn't even turn his head. But his mind was still sharp.
They'd discard or clean this filthy armored vehicle. But to them, it was valuable—no way they'd abandon it. If they drove till fuel ran out, the destination was obvious.
An upper-level unit.
He told the driver.
"Don't change course."
"Y-yes?"
"Keep going. Straight."
At some point, the armored vehicle burrowed into the sand.
It wasn't the vehicle's decision. The desert came alive, welcoming it in.
It felt like the parched earth willed itself to swallow the vehicle.
The regressor knew about these terrorist organizations' "underground fortresses." That was why he'd damaged the armored vehicle without touching the core.
He sealed the mana-pressured-open hatch. No sand entered. The vehicle rumbled deeper underground, ever deeper.
Eventually, Yoo Ji-tae arrived at an underground fortress.
A parking lot. Seven desert tanks lined up. Tunnels branched between them. Farther off lay a plaza and rest area with people.
Bio-signs: around 150. Probably half the garrison, so total unit strength about 400.
A platoon would have been disappointing.
A company satisfying.
But no—a battalion.
A few Quasar soldiers approached the tank curiously.
Yoo Ji-tae erased his presence and prepared to disembark.
Right hand gathered killing intent into a blade edge.
Left hand grabbed the bucktoothed man's nape, hauling him up.
"Get up. Time to go."
Perhaps due to his erased presence. With the throat pressure gone, the bucktoothed man opened his trembling mouth.
"H-heuk... h-heuk... What are you...?"
"What do you think?"
"A-alliance lone wolf?"
"Something like that."
Grind. Teeth gnashed.
"What do you plan to do, sparing me? Torture me, you damned alliance dog?"
He trembled in fear yet jutted his jaw defiantly.
Surprisingly, the bucktoothed man's words gave Yoo Ji-tae a moment for self-reflection.
Yeah. Why am I doing this?
All he needed was to quietly slaughter every terrorist here. Knock the bucktoothed man out and leave. But Yoo Ji-tae wanted to show him the carnage.
A brief think, and he knew the answer.
Yoo Ji-tae added an explanation.
"I almost missed you."
"Wh-what?"
"Without that video you sent, I might've never found you."
"What does that... There was nothing to reveal the location."
"You showed the clouds, didn't you?"
"Wh-what...?"
He thought it impossible.
His body shook violently.
Watching the man's reaction soothed something stifling inside Yoo Ji-tae. This was the expression he wanted to see.
He wasn't being rational, unlike usual.
His actions were emotional.
The video of the child superhuman murdered and defiled had irritated him greatly.
This was a side effect of reclaiming normalcy. He readily admitted it wasn't good.
"Kadan Nihum. Long tails get stepped on."
Then voices from afar—fortress soldiers. "What happened? How'd you crash it?" Yoo Ji-tae lowered his voice further.
"But yours was short. Thought it'd be hard to step on."
A soldier poked his head into the rear hatch. Yoo Ji-tae swung his arm; the soldier's jaw cleanly split from chin to temple, falling away.
He collapsed inside the vehicle.
"You shook it too hard."
That was the start.
Yoo Ji-tae looped binding rope around the bucktoothed man's neck like a leash. Then dragged him forward like a dog.
The bucktoothed man crawled on all fours, stumbling and scraping the floor. He couldn't scream. His throat was blocked.
Far off, the fortress entrance. Heavily armed sentries.
Yoo Ji-tae picked up a fist-sized rock nearby. Tossed it lightly.
Thud—
One head exploded. A yawning soldier turned.
"Huh?"
The next instant, his world tilted diagonally. Weird. Then his gaze hit the ground. His head had come off.
"...!"
The bucktoothed man gasped kkuk, kkeuk, thrashing wildly. Yoo Ji-tae quickened his pace.
Inside the fortress: a small parade ground and training soldiers.
Yoo Ji-tae approached them.
The bucktoothed man flailed, as if signaling comrades to flee. They wouldn't see. Yoo Ji-tae had maximally erased presence across the space.
Thus, as the Formless Sword beheaded them, the bucktoothed man could do nothing.
Spotting a sharp rock on the ground amid his spasms, he tried gouging his eyes. Yoo Ji-tae slashed his wrists' tendons with the Formless Sword.
"...!!"
Throat strangled, no scream escaped. Meanwhile, everyone on the parade ground was slain.
Annihilation (S)
Yoo Ji-tae invoked the Black Dragon's ability, incinerating the corpses without a trace.
Then he grabbed the bucktoothed man's hair, yanking his head up before his tear-streaked face.
"What're you doing. Look properly."
"...!!"
Mumbling something. Not interesting.
Probably begging for death.
No chance. He'd witness his deeds to the end before going to the Alliance.
"Follow."
Yoo Ji-tae gripped the leash again and walked.
Along the fortress corridors, silently killing every human that appeared. Erasing the bodies.
Finally, he reached the heart of the fortress.
Click. He opened the command center door.
Quasar soldiers in a meeting turned to Yoo Ji-tae. Bewilderment crossed their faces.
One reflexively grabbed a spear and charged. A high-level superhuman. He became the first corpse.
Yoo Ji-tae killed everyone except the commander and his aide.
"Upper unit's location. Battalion commander's name."
"I-I don't know! I just receive mission briefs...!"
The Scales Eye showed truth.
Of course. Terrorists were a peculiar bunch. Driven by near-religious conviction, yet eternally distrustful of each other. Every cycle was like that. That's why tails snapped easily when followed.
But in cycle 5, Yoo Ji-tae had spent nearly five years as an executive in an anti-Alliance group. To kill Kaliovan.
This was a battalion unit.
And a unit linked to the sole hotline was definitely higher. Not a regiment—couldn't be in this backwater. There had to be a specific spot.
Organization names changed per cycle.
But regiment locations: roughly 100 fixed spots.
Geographic advantages made them inevitable.
He had a method. He scanned the room.
As expected: untraceable hotline video comms gear in the command center.
"What's the password for this."
Activated the hotline. Made the terrified commander input it.
"You, come here."
Seated the video-loving bucktoothed man at the command post.
Soon, a face appeared on the hologram. Unknown. Probably filling in for the commander.
The man on screen frowned at the bucktoothed one.
—What're you? What's going on?
The half-mad bucktoothed man stared blankly at the screen.
Yoo Ji-tae scrutinized the background. Familiar scenery.
0713 Unit. Central Africa.
—Who the hell are you! I'm asking what! Where's Powell?!
Confirmed. Nothing more to see. Yoo Ji-tae ended the call and struck the bucktoothed man's occiput.
"Thanks. Found the base easily."
"Wh-what...?"
The bucktoothed man's eyes quivered.
All comrades he'd come with: dead.
His unit: annihilated in a day.
He'd watched it live from the sidelines.
His prank to spite the Alliance would haunt him worse than death.
"All thanks to you."