Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Trapping the Red
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Zzzt!
Like fast-forwarding through a video, an ice flower bloomed in an instant.
The ice flower, which had grown tall enough to touch the dome's ceiling, blocked the bombardment before shattering into pieces.
"Nice!"
It was Barton.
The magician of cold.
Just as he'd been told in advance, he'd been watching only the red one and blocked the shot right on time.
"Didn't expect it to shatter in one hit."
"They said it's a strong one."
"Compared to that first bombardment we saw, it wasn't much."
"Can't fire off blasts like that just anytime."
To unleash a bombardment as powerful as the one at its debut required preparation time.
Even for something on the level of a red, obliterating a battleship in one shot wasn't that easy.
That initial one had only been possible because it had hidden its body against the rift's surface and taken plenty of time.
Otherwise, radars would've picked up the intense energy buildup and given time to prepare.
That's why, under focused fire like now, that was its limit.
Kieeeaaak!
"Ugh! What the hell is that noise?"
"It's piercing our ears even through the armor suits...!"
The red suddenly let out a horrific screech.
An incomprehensible sonic attack that pierced right through the armor suit's functions—which automatically block harm to the wearer or excessive sensations—straight into their heads, scrambling their brains.
'That's the third one.'
A trait mark ability unique to the red.
Powerful bombardment, gravity-defying flight, and screech.
Plus, in close quarters, claws as formidable as those three traits.
Nothing about it was easy.
'That thing, though...'
It definitely saw us.
Couldn't tell for sure from the distance, but I had a gut feeling.
After spotting Barton's ability just now, the red had 'recognized' our presence.
Probably pegging us as top-priority targets.
If it went after Barton, that'd actually make things easier for us.
It would've been harder to respond if it targeted the other cadets instead.
But as if reading my mind, the red—which had been hovering overhead—suddenly changed course and plummeted straight down.
Toward the soldiers farthest from where me and my group stood.
"...Block it!"
All sorts of abilities surged skyward in response to the red's movement.
Even with that sharp turn, more than half connected—a testament to the cadets' focus.
Karruk!
But it was no use.
The ear-shattering screech spread out, tanking the accuracy of affected cadets, while those hit closest clutched their ears and rolled on the ground.
The red charged at those cadets, claws gleaming, on a collision course.
"No, Anne!"
As a cry—likely from a friend—cut through the air, someone suddenly appeared in the red's path and swung a blade.
An incredibly stealthy strike.
I recognized the attacker the instant I saw it.
'A superhuman!'
One of the five known for hiding and protecting cadets.
He appeared at the critical moment, saving the cadet and maybe even wounding the red—or so I hoped.
Kuaang!!
But the ambush failed.
As if it had known all along, a blast fired from its outstretched left hand.
The superhuman swung his blade as if to cleave the blast itself, but the energy exploding right in his face engulfed him completely.
Then its claws slashed, slicing the superhuman's body diagonally from side to opposite neck, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Aaah...!"
It happened in a flash.
Even with his body bisected, the image of him fixated on the red until he hit the dirt burned into my eyes.
Eyes full of resentment.
The moment his blade slipped from his hand...
My mouth opened.
"Attack!!"
Can't let it go like this.
Now that it'd stopped flying, even briefly—this was our chance.
Attacks focused on the now-targeted red.
But as if mocking our resolve, the red wrapped itself in its wings, accelerated in a blink, and shot back into the sky.
Not forgetting to rain blasts down on the fallen cadets along the way.
The lives of the cadets the superhuman had tried to protect didn't last even ten seconds longer.
"Regroup the casualties!"
Nearly twenty soldiers and cadets dead or injured.
Plus one superhuman.
For damage taken in just over ten seconds from landing to relaunch, it cut deep.
After that, the red attacked us the same way.
Two more hidden superhumans stood in its path with desperate resolve, but they failed too.
They barely clung to life, shoved into corners.
Now the red moved even freer.
It deliberately closed in, forcing the fleet's fire to hold back out of concern for friendly casualties, toying with cadets' and soldiers' lives like a game.
Casualties already over a hundred.
Damage piling up steadily, relentlessly.
"Get hyped!"
Roze yelled after sprinting full tilt yet again failing to catch even its tail.
"Shit, how're we supposed to catch something that fast?"
She kicked the ground, venting her frustration.
I felt the same.
Something that fast and smart wouldn't approach until we showed an opening.
'It's biding its time.'
Even while pulling these stunts, it tested Barton's ability with probing blasts.
Barton couldn't keep expending energy like this forever.
So there was only one way.
"If we can't catch it, make it come to us."
"...How?"
"Need some bait?"
Barton caught on first and asked.
"You up for it?"
"As long as all its attention's on me right now. Once should be fine."
"Alright. Tell me the plan first. Let's sync up."
The other three hadn't been detected yet.
Meaning it had properly clocked only Barton.
Barton—with his powerful defense that blocked blasts—made perfect bait to tempt the red.
Once the plan was set, Barton moved.
First, he blanketed all defensive positions in a wall of cold, hiding us.
Kirrrruk!!
The red screeched, vision blocked.
The ice wall shattered easily after a few hits from the aliens, but unable to find Barton, it went berserk, firing blasts like shotgun pellets.
"Block no matter what!"
Blasts to pinpoint Barton's position.
This time, we had to block without Barton's help.
"You think Barton's the only superhuman here?"
"We've got you covered too!"
The cadets shouted in unison.
Right.
They were geniuses who'd made it into Cradle of Heroes Academy as cadets.
Even against a red, with prior warning—and blasts from afar—a few shots weren't beyond blocking.
"Kuueeeaaah!!"
The first dome-shaped steel plates flew up, intercepting blasts.
Pulling it off with psychokinesis like he was dragging everything out—was Robert.
I remembered his standout performance in team battles during zero-G adaptation training.
'He's gotten way stronger...?'
Those plates were made of ultra-heavy, reinforced material, yet he moved a ton of them.
Add in impact abilities aimed at interception and martial artists hurling their weapons.
The shotgun-spread blasts dissipated completely before hitting the ground.
"Come at us as many times as you want! We'll block 'em all!"
Robert yelled, his high energy unchanged.
'If it keeps this up, it'll actually be easier.'
The cadets' potential exceeded expectations.
The red's speed made close-range whipping blasts unavoidable, but we had ways to counter long-range ones.
'Barton...?'
I checked the tactical table.
All cadets and soldiers under my command via 'Joint Class' mode.
Their movements felt palpable in my hands.
"One more block!"
Needed to buy Barton more prep time.
As expected, the red couldn't close in easily and just kept blasting from afar.
A mistake born of too much experience.
Its excessive caution gave us breathing room.
Zzzt!!
After blocking one more blast, Barton reached the rendezvous, blanketing the surrounding terrain in glacier piles to announce his presence to the red.
"Done."
Barton had appeared outside the dome.
Right in the midst of swarming aliens.
Of course, 4th-graders and below couldn't touch those massive, solid glaciers born of Barton's ability.
Only one thing to worry about: the red.
Kieeeaaak!!
The red locked on and unleashed a long screech.
To it, Barton looked alone.
Maybe too obvious a trap.
So blatant I wondered if the red would bite.
But could it ignore such a juicy setup?
'No way.'
The red decided fast.
Barring the fleet, we had few ways to support Barton.
Too short a time since he vanished for major prep.
It must've seen it as a gamble worth taking.
The red shifted flight path toward Barton.
A probing blast en route, but briefly.
As the glaciers crumbled, exposing Barton, it dove at full speed.
"Aaah!!"
Someone screamed.
The red smashing Barton flat.
Of course, an illusion.
What it smashed was a dummy pile crafted by Barton's precise ice sculpting.
Barton replicated movements with ice sculpting, perfecting texture with hologram emitters—a perfect decoy.
Karruk!!!
The red realized the ruse and rocketed skyward.
If Roze hadn't been waiting above, it'd have escaped.
"...Gotcha!"
Her punch, fueled by pent-up grudge, slammed dead-on into the red as it frantically shielded with wings.
It hit the ground faster than it'd risen, punching through the glacier pile into the earth with a faint quake, carving a crater.
'Not enough...?'
No visible wounds, disappointingly.
Instead, it screeched in rage, body flushing deep red.
"Hmph. Pathetic."
But the red had more mountains to climb.
Merdi had already climbed a glacier, peering down into the hole.
When it came to firepower, she might match the red.
"Watch how it's done."
She extended a hand toward the red.
Karrurruruk!!
The area was shrinking fast under Barton's ice formations.
The red reacted violently.
"That's how you squash bugs!"
Lightning burst from Merdi's hand as the red fired a blast.
Merdi gritted her teeth, maxing her ability; the red flushed its wings redder than ever, cranking output.
The massive energies clashed midair in a battle of force.
Moments later.
After what felt both eternal and instant, as blood surged from Merdi's mouth, she edged out the win.
"Huff! Huff! Fuck...!"
Merdi, who'd pushed to her limit, barely held herself up, cursing.
Roze patted her shoulder reassuringly before leaping down.
"I'll take the rest!"
The red, doused in lightning, still had fight left.
But it hadn't escaped the pit yet.
Holding it down: Saim.
Armed with six weapons—sword, spear, axe, and more—she clashed fiercely with the red.
Slash-!
Saim's sword strikes weren't ordinary.
Infused with ability, they ignored barriers, leaving cuts on the red's wings and flesh like slashes.
Damage varied by weapon.
Spears pierced; axes hacked.
Yet the fight stayed even.
Saim warily dodged blasts, leading the exchange but landing no lethal blows.
Her body accumulated claw wounds bit by bit.
'Strong.'
No doubt—the red was beyond what even the Miracle Generation could handle at our level.
Unless we had core weapons, at least.
Even now, if not for Merdi wearing down its core, Saim would've been overwhelmed.