Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Withdrawal Day
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The day of withdrawal had arrived.
The Asana faction didn't want anyone knowing they were leaving, so they scheduled it for the crack of dawn.
Spaceships descended silently from the sky, and the Asana faction began to move.
There were about three thousand of them, mostly military personnel.
But then a problem arose midway.
Whether word had spread from somewhere or people had woken up startled by the sudden arrival of the spaceships, conflicts started breaking out among the awakened citizens.
It began small at first.
But as more newly roused citizens joined the clamor, one after another, the commotion snowballed.
-Beep! This is unplanned.
The entire city grew noisy in an instant.
The citizens, not even grasping what was happening, spotted the spaceships that had appeared out of nowhere and the Asana faction preparing to board them. They reacted with fierce outrage.
"What a mess."
I could almost hear Albert's glee.
The uproar didn't stop at mere protests.
Physical clashes had already broken out in several spots.
'This isn't good...'
It was satisfying to see the enemy's plans fall apart, but at this rate, citizens would get hurt.
On top of that, thanks to our sabotage, the Asana faction had already written off the civilians.
It wouldn't be surprising if they turned their guns on the people.
And my hunch proved right soon enough.
The first shooting occurred in front of city hall.
One soldier, enraged by citizens grabbing at him, opened fire.
Unfortunately, the energy round detonated in a densely packed crowd of civilians, causing numerous casualties.
Once is hard, twice is easy.
Guns were raised again, and blood soaked the streets.
Enraged citizens grabbed their own weapons in response, and gunfire erupted between both sides.
"You're just going to stand by and watch?"
Roze gritted her teeth as she spoke.
She was clearly furious.
While I stared at her in surprise—she rarely showed anger—Albert cut in.
"If we get spotted here, the plan goes sideways. You okay with that?"
"Civilians are getting attacked! If you guys won't do it, I'll go alone."
"That's what she said?"
Albert glanced at me with amusement, raising his voice at the end.
Our best move was to stay hidden on the planet until reinforcements arrived—no incidents.
That's why we were waiting for them to leave the planet on their own.
We had planned a parting shot, but we weren't about to invite unnecessary risks.
Stepping in to save civilians now would ruin everything.
"What're you hesitating for?"
That's when Merdi stepped forward.
She'd improved a lot over the past six days.
She still had trouble with her abilities, but she could manage small bursts.
'Yeah, the answer's already clear.'
I nodded at Merdi, who was quietly seething with rage.
"Alright. Roze, handle city hall. I'll take the square."
"And I do nothing?"
"We've got that thing planned for later? Do it now."
As I looked at Merdi and spoke, Albert's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"This'll be fun."
"We need to suppress them fast. Watch out for Liberation Corps members."
Roze kicked off the ground.
Having held back for so long, she used nearby buildings as footholds and lunged straight at the soldiers.
"Ugh...!!"
A soldier holding a gun was smashed in an instant, slamming into the ground without a chance to scream properly.
The other soldiers, staring in shock at Roze's arrival, met the same fate soon after.
Soldiers a bit farther away fired at Roze, but their energy rounds fizzled out against her barrier with just faint reactions.
"It's a superhuman!"
"A superhuman's here!"
Roze's appearance sent shockwaves through them.
The skirmish in front of city hall ground to a halt.
Asana faction soldiers swung their guns toward Roze, while the civilians watched the scene in bewilderment.
'Not the time for this.'
I blinked to dismiss the retinal display.
City hall was under control, but the square where the spaceships had landed was still a hotbed of fighting.
"I'll handle defense. Prioritize soldiers targeting civilians. Aim for arms first."
-Beep! Understood.
R3D3, half-disengaged and back in orb form, extended its leg joints in series, spreading out in all directions.
-Targets locked. Firing.
Over thirty high-output energy rounds fired in sequence.
Hit rate: over 95%.
Even armor suits couldn't block high-output energy rounds.
By the time the soldiers scrambled for cover in panic, twenty lay on the ground.
I slipped through the chaos toward who looked like the commander.
He mechanically swung his gun to aim at my head—not like he'd won the post by poker.
But he was too slow.
"What the...!"
No, maybe I was too fast?
A simple sidestep made the shot miss, and the commander crumpled with his shattered gun, groaning.
I didn't stop.
Moving as fast as possible, I hunted down the commanders I'd scoped out earlier, taking them out one by one.
Dozens of rounds flew at me per second.
I dodged most, but a few that grazed me hit my barrier.
Seeing that, the soldiers shouted.
"Su... superhuman...!"
The reaction here was the same.
Realizing their attacker was a superhuman, the soldiers panicked and pulled their triggers wildly.
Some quickly grasped they couldn't win alone and tried to flee, only to get caught and pummeled by citizens.
'This side's almost wrapped up...'
Thanks to R3D3, we pacified things faster here.
As I recalled where to head next, I sensed danger and kicked off the ground.
BOOM!!!
I didn't fully evade it.
A blue flame erupted without warning, slamming into my barrier.
'...What the hell?'
I looked up.
Three silhouettes stood on the rooftop of the opposite building, backlit by the rising sun.
"Dodged that?"
"Pfft! Always acting high and mighty. Knew it."
"What're you talking about? Dodging makes him the weirdo. Thought he was physical type—maybe sensory?"
"Shut up. He saw us."
"So what're you gonna do about it?"
Liberation Corps.
They had seven total, but only three here—probably the rest were with Roze.
I raised my voice.
"Where're the others?"
"He talking to us?"
"Can't you tell?"
"Yeah, to you guys."
"...He can hear us?"
"Good ears, huh."
Surprised by my response, they fell silent briefly before whispering among themselves.
Not that it mattered—my 'Wind Antenna' trait picked it up fine.
"Hey! Good-ears! I'm gonna roast you now. Surrender won't help, so heads up!"
The guy with three piercings in his left nostril yelled.
The same blue flames from my attack flared in his hand.
They intensified, then suddenly snuffed out.
The same unease hit me again.
"Dodged again!"
I noted where the explosion hit.
Decent firepower.
Even without a barrier, it wouldn't wound me outright, but the fast activation and remote trigger earned high marks.
'No wonder they're cocky against superhumans.'
A superhuman with poor senses couldn't dodge it.
Dozens of hits would wear down a barrier, potentially leading to capture.
Lost in thought, a sharp spear blade came whistling down at my crown with a shout.
"Hah!"
I stepped back, batting the blade hard.
It spun in midair to absorb the impact, then thrust repeatedly using the momentum.
"Not bad."
Pretty solid.
Around the level of a regular instructor squad member from class.
In Roze terms, fresh red belt.
But the physical gap was too wide.
Dodging everything, I nudged the shaft, forcing him to backpedal to stay balanced.
'Where's the last one?'
I scanned the surroundings.
Three appeared initially.
Piercing guy's still on the roof, so the other must be up to something.
"Stop dodging alreadyyyy!!!"
Dodging the now-predictable blast, I tuned into vibrations through my feet.
Amid the chaotic tremors of battle, one rapidly approached me.
After repelling the spear, I timed it and slammed my left fist into the ground.
THUD!!
The paved road cratered about two meters deep.
Sewers burst, water geysering up.
The ground right where I hit was stained dark with blood.
"Our Mole!"
Piercing yelled.
Fitting nickname.
Enraged, Piercing amped his ability.
Wider blast radius, stronger power.
But activation time increased, making it easier to dodge.
"Not coming at me?"
Spear Guy was frozen stiff.
Couldn't see his face through the reflective visor, but he knew the skill gap.
'Just as expected.'
Exactly the level I'd pegged.
I could've left them to R3D3 alone.
Their gear couldn't block its firepower.
Still, curiosity had me test them—no surprises.
"Dieee!!"
Piercing screamed like a madman.
Pale face screamed overexertion.
'He'll burn out soon.'
His ability was invincible against normals—unavoidable, unblockable.
He'd live high without facing superhumans.
But not after today.
'Wasted potential.'
Should be used on aliens.
If he had a decent personality, maybe salvageable—but nah, total loss.
As I approached, Spear Guy lowered his stance and asked.
"...Can you just let me go?"
"Too late."
"...No mercy, then."
"Depends on the show."
He got the hint, nodded, and reset his wide grip on the spear.
Looked ready to at least draw blood.
'I meant just surrender.'
No backing out now.
I had R3D3 finish Piercing, then faced Spear Guy.
"This is the Viper Spear Style, bestowed by the Ryu Clan."
"...Ryu Clan?"
Familiar name.
'Makes sense—if you learn spear, high chance of Ryu ties.'
Most viable spear styles here were held by Ryu Clan or Cross Alliance.
Cross doesn't share, so name-dropping Ryu isn't odd.
Still, invoking Ryu meant deep connections.
'Might go easy.'
The spear traced a sideways figure-eight like a snake eyeing a throat.
He closed distance teasingly, baiting nerves.
'Flashy.'
I judged quickly.
Solid against humans.
Useless against life-ignoring aliens or barrier users.
Still, honoring my word, I showed an opening.
"Hah!"
The shaft whipped wide for my neck.
I let him close, grabbed the blade with both hands, and yanked.
He spun it to cut my hands, but my grip held firm.
I pulled, dragging him in, and smashed a fist into his face.
"Gah! Good fight...!"
"Lie still."
All Ryu-related folks like this?
Recalling Ryu Runshin's face after ages, I finished clearing the square and turned toward Roze.
"You're here?"
As expected, the rest of Liberation Corps was with her.
Fight was over.
'They got wrecked.'
I shook my head, eyeing a downed Liberation Corps member.