Chapter 343: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (61)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 343: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (61)
—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!
Dozens of muzzles flashed at once. And just as casually, I deflected every incoming bullet with my blade.
—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The bullets ricocheted like shrapnel. Only the sound of metal striking metal remained; nothing reached me.
Witnessing the overwhelming scene, the soldiers' faces began to twist with an uncomprehending terror.
“Wh-what is that…”
“With a sword… the bullets…”
Fear spread quickly. The soldiers who had been pulling their triggers just seconds before began to back away in terror with every step I took.
Just then, Fern screamed, his voice filled with rage.
“What are you doing! Shoot that monster! Kill him!!”
At his command, the soldiers pulled their triggers almost reflexively, but it was useless.
I held my sword to the side and instantly broke through their encirclement.
—Splat!
The heads of the three soldiers in front of me flew into the air. They collapsed without a single spray of blood staining my clothes.
Immediately after, Su-hyeon moved in quickly behind me.
She scooped up an assault rifle from the ground and tossed it to Sheryl, then threw another to Hina.
Hina caught it effortlessly and immediately took a firing stance, providing cover toward the rear passage.
And just like that, the Federation forces were dealt with. Only one man survived: the snake-like man.
“Ah…? Ahaha… S-save me… please…”
He was slumped on the floor, staring up at me with eyes full of terror.
I gave him a cursory glance and ignored him, turning to Su-hyeon.
“Adele?”
“She was held separately from us.”
“Do you know where?”
Su-hyeon turned her head and looked at the large man.
He flinched under her gaze and answered.
“Adele Licencia is… at the mansion where Leon Risensia is staying…”
“The exact location data. You can send it to my terminal, right?”
“I can…”
I tossed him my terminal, then looked at the trembling, snake-like man and said, “Well then, this one's useless now.”
“P-please… spare—”
Before he could finish, I thrust my sword forward without a second thought. The tip pierced his heart precisely, and the man collapsed without even the sound of blood splattering.
As I casually flicked my bloodless sword clean, Sheryl Mortimer approached.
She stopped in front of me, placed a hand on her hip, and spoke quietly.
“It's been a while, Second Lieutenant.”
I nodded, looking straight ahead.
“It has, Colonel. And I’m a First Lieutenant now, not a Second Lieutenant.”
“Oh? Promoted, were you? More importantly, you really are alive.”
“Yes. It was a close call, but I managed to survive.”
She scanned me from head to toe, her brow furrowing slightly.
“But, Lieutenant. Are you really human?”
I shrugged. “As you can see, I am.”
“…Hmm. Frankly, it's hard to believe after seeing that. But since you say so yourself… I'll take your word for it.”
I turned my head to look at the people standing behind Sheryl.
“More importantly, who are they?”
“New comrades,” Sheryl answered curtly.
Oh Hyun spoke first.
“…I'm Oh Hyun.”
“Lisa Carmen Alvarado.”
“Mason Lyle.”
The three of them seemed tense, their bodies stiff as they introduced themselves in order.
I looked them over one by one.
Especially Oh Hyun. The protagonist of this world, the first one I'd met since the quest began.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Jin Seo-yun.”
The moment I finished my brief introduction, Elena's calm voice came through my earpiece.
[Seo-yun, armed forces are heading your way. Nearby passages are being sealed off. Get out of there, quickly.]
I turned to the group and said, “Let's get out of here. Armed forces will be entering this sector shortly.”
With that, I took the lead and began moving quickly, following the route Elena was feeding me in real-time.
We found a staircase leading underground and immediately descended. Sheryl and the others followed, silencing their footsteps.
When we reached the bottom, Elena's voice came through again.
[From there, it's an underground waterway. Follow it, and it'll lead you to the outskirts.]
Following her instructions, we entered the waterway. We ran through the narrow, damp passage, and when we passed through a ventilation grate at the end of the channel, a pre-arranged car was waiting for us.
The car door opened, and Elena leaned out, extending a hand.
“Get in.”
The group boarded one by one. As soon as I was in, Elena started the engine.
“We're leaving.”
The vehicle sped through the darkness. We passed several military checkpoints along the way, but we cleared them easily with nothing more than Elena's identification and her name as the daughter of a military family.
We arrived at the outer entrance of a closed transport base. It was a dilapidated, abandoned-looking hangar, but inside, it was properly equipped with communication jammers and maintenance facilities.
I got out of the car and turned to the others.
“All of you, wait here. As soon as I rescue Adele, we're leaving Earth immediately.”
Sheryl asked, “You'll be okay on your own?”
“Yes. It's safer for me to move alone.”
“Understood. We'll be waiting.”
Su-hyeon bowed her head quietly. “Master. Please take care of the young lady.”
Hina brought her fingertips together and blinked. “Oppa… please come back safely…”
“I will. Let's catch up on everything when I get back.”
I gave the group one last look, then got in the vehicle. I opened my terminal, reconfirmed the coordinates and information, and headed for my destination.
"Hmm… just as brutal as the intel suggested."
There wasn't a single civilian in sight, only foot patrols and mobile weapons circulating through the area in shifts.
I couldn't take the car any further. I quietly abandoned the car, jumped into a tree, and began moving through the branches.
And finally, I looked down from the trees at Leon Risensia's mansion. Countless guards were stationed around it, on high alert.
“Hmm… I wonder where Adele is.”
I quietly closed my eyes and focused my senses. I followed the presences, tracing the flow of qi.
Before long, I felt a familiar wavelength.
The martial art I'd asked Hina to teach Su-hyeon and Adele. It was probably thanks to that. A faint trace of qi—clumsy, but definitely there—was emanating from one direction.
“Found her.”
I immediately lowered my body. I slipped behind the building, quickly calculating the surveillance cameras' fields of view.
Fortunately, the mansion was built in an old style, leaving many blind spots unlike modern defense systems. However, there were two mobile weapons guarding the place.
I erased my presence, and the moment a patrol moved away, I vaulted the wall and scaled the side of the building like a shadow.
The direction my senses pointed. Second floor, the last room on the west wing.
Adele's presence was clearly detectable there. I jumped to a tree with a view of the window of the room where I thought Adele would be. Inside were three men.
Adele was sitting at a dining table. Across from her, amidst a spread of food, sat a man who bore a slight resemblance to her. I didn't enter right away, instead listening in on their conversation.
“If you had only followed my will, we would be building a new world together by now. It's a shame, my daughter.”
Leon Risensia slowly rose from his chair and turned his back.
“But don't worry. Your death will be the catalyst that changes this world. Your life will not be in vain.”
Adele bit her lip hard.
“…What you're trying to do isn't salvation. It's just another form of ruin.”
Leon muttered as he walked toward the door.
“Salvation or ruin, that is for me to decide. Enjoy your last meal. Tomorrow… will be a big day.”
Just as he was about to open the door, Adele, who had been sitting quietly, picked up a spoon and slowly stood.
The two men standing behind her moved to restrain her, but she swung her arm at them as they approached.
—THWACK!
“Hmm… Hina told me to move like this, is this right…?”
Adele muttered, tilting her head cutely.
But the situation was anything but cute. With a single swing of her spoon, the guard's head snapped back, and he was thrown backward. The dull thud of a cracking skull echoed through the room.
‘…What the hell was that.’
I watched from outside the window, stunned. Her movements were clumsy as could be, but her destructive power was bizarre. Besides, there was no such technique in the Green Swallow Heart Method.
Surprise flickered in Leon's eyes. He instinctively took a step back.
“When did you receive enhancement surgery…?”
Adele lightly lifted the blood-stained spoon and said, “I haven't had any surgery. This is just a technique my boyfriend taught me.”
I flinched at her words.
‘Hina, what in the world did you teach Adele…?’
Adele moved again.
There was no footwork or technique to speak of. She simply kicked off the ground with raw leg strength, rushing forward in a straight line and swinging the spoon.
WHOOSH—!
The sound of it cutting through the air. Leon twisted his body at the last second, barely dodging. After his nimble evasion, the spoon stopped, having cut through empty air.
“…Speaking of which, Father, you're the one who's had enhancement surgery. After hating it so much.”
Leon's eyes narrowed. Only then did he look at Adele seriously.
“…It's useless to resist now.”
Adele caught her breath and said, “At the very least, if I can stop you here, I can prevent… what comes next.”
"Even if I die, the plan won't stop. So it's pointless, daughter.“
Leon pulled something from his coat. It was a pistol.
"Adele, you are still young and know nothing of the world. What you're trying to protect is nothing but a rotten corpse.“
Leon's gaze sharpened.
"Humanity has lost the ability to control itself. Everyone cries for freedom, but the end result has always been chaos. I... will create a new order. With my own hands.”
"Do you really think an order like that will save the world?“
Leon didn't answer. He simply raised the pistol slowly and aimed it directly at her heart. I couldn't just watch anymore.
Before he could fire, I kicked off the window frame, leaped into the room, grabbed Adele, and dodged to the side.
-BANG!
"Ah..."
“It's been a while, Lady Adele.”
“Seo-yun oppa…!”
As I met Adele's eyes and greeted her, the gun barrel turned toward me, and a cold voice spoke.
“And you… are?”
“Adele's boyfriend. Father-in-law.”
At that, Leon Risensia's brow twitched.
“…So you're that monkey who was supposed to have died on Nemesis.”
“A monkey? That's a bit harsh, don't you think, Father-in-law?”
Leon's eyes narrowed. The pistol in his hand aimed at me.
-BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three bullets were fired in quick succession. But I caught them all with ease.
Seeing this, Leon Risensia's expression wavered slightly. Then, without a backward glance, he fled.
‘He's quick on the uptake, at least.’
I turned back to Adele.
“Adele, what do you want to do?"
Adele closed her eyes and took a short breath. Then, she spoke quietly.
“…We have to stop my father here. So, I'm asking you.”
“Alright.”
I imbued the bullets in my hand with qi and threw them at the fleeing Leon Risensia.
-WHOOSH!
The bullet cut through the air, glowing with a blue light. As he passed through the doorframe, Leon seemed to sense the bullet's trajectory and quickly twisted his body. The bullet grazed his right shoulder as it flew past.
"Kuh!“
A short, pained grunt escaped Leon. But he didn't stop, continuing his escape down the hall.
I imbued the remaining two bullets with qi. I aimed one for his heart and the other for the crown of his head, and threw.
The two bullets flew toward him and pierced him squarely in the back.
—Thud.
His heart stopped first, and a moment later, his head jerked. Leon Risensia's body froze, then slowly crumpled forward.
-Thump.
As blood spread across the hallway floor, so too did his convictions and ambitions. From behind me, a small, trembling voice spoke.
“…I'm sorry, Oppa.”
I turned my head. Adele's eyes were closed, her hands clasped over her chest.
“It's okay.”
I walked over quietly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Let's get out of here first.”
“…Yes.”
I held her close and turned my back on the room, thick with the smell of blood.