Chapter 133: Interlude – Yumil the Punisher.
Chapter 133: Interlude – Yumil the Punisher.
Thump.
The first shot.
Within my accelerated consciousness, I tracked the matte-black object.
Then, the sound erupted.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat.
A barrage of grenades poured down like rain.
Tsk.
Seeing that, the memories of a man who wasn't me made me click my tongue.
How annoying.
Both his shadow, which flickered out occasionally, and this rain of grenades.
But what can I do?
A child doesn't get to choose their parent.
Besides, I’ve come to understand his loathsome actions, chewing over them bit by bit.
Though it feels awkward to call him 'Father,' I have reached a point where I can understand why he did what he did.
So, the only problem left is the incoming grenades. Given my nature as a being made of clay, getting hit won't kill me, but it’s obvious I’d have to spend a considerable amount of time reconstructing my body.
Why did this race called 'humans' develop such abnormal firepower?
Things like nukes, or these special grenades.
According to the knowledge of The Society, despite having such frail bodies, their firepower is stronger than most high-ranking Mutants.
I asked So-rim about it once, but her eyes just sparkled as she rambled on about how cool explosions were and the allure of raw power. It remains a mystery to me.
Even in Father’s memories, he didn't seem to know why they pursued firepower to such an extent...
Lost in these idle thoughts, I danced.
So as not to be hit by the grenades.
One step.
Spin.
Two steps.
Between my legs, under my armpits, and past my tilted head, the grenades whistled by.
【Why don't you just take the hit?】
Shut up.
I knew it wasn't that man actually speaking, but irritation flared up again regardless.
That wasn't the man talking; it was the instinct inherited from Father, etched into my very body.
It was telling me not to move so flamboyantly like a ballerina, but to take only the necessary actions and just tank a few grenades.
However, I wasn't born with a body as resilient as that man's.
Nor did I understand the emotions that suppressed everything else, just as he did.
That is why I created a new combat technique.
The Key elements are elegance and performance.
Since I was born into this beautiful world, it is only right that I repay it in kind.
That doesn't mean I've abandoned that man's way of fighting.
I hate to admit it, but his was a technique that had reached a certain pinnacle.
Crude, cruel, and focused solely on the annihilation of The Enemy, yet it was a skill dozens of levels above my own.
So, I synthesized the strengths.
What I took was the massive rotation.
Never stopping, always spinning, and battering The Enemy.
Not just simple centrifugal force, but a rotation that instinctively gathers all one's strength into the head of The Hammer through that very motion.
What I took was the insight born of experience.
The ability to gauge an opponent's strength at a glance and regulate my own power.
An insight that could limit a force—which would normally blow away an upper torso with a mere graze—to a level that only shatters limbs.
I combined those two.
That man used a method of exploding all that gathered rotation in a single instant.
But that was a technique for fighting opponents larger and sturdier than himself.
Fighting humans, I have no need to contest strength, nor do I need immense weight.
Just slightly stronger than the opponent.
Just slightly faster than the opponent.
Ensuring the rotation never breaks.
An endless, continuous hell of strikes.
Advancing like a dancer.
I channeled my strength into my weapons.
Tap.
Spreading my arms, I took the final two steps.
Grenades grazed my body and exploded behind me, but it didn't matter.
The Enemy was already before me.
A Hero clad in a black Reinforced Suit, spraying grenades with a high-speed grenade machine gun.
Estimated to possess Bestowal, Subspace, or Matter Translocation abilities.
Likely a transformation Hero or an Esper.
Toward him, I swung down the objects in both hands.
The Pry Bar in my left.
The Hammer in my right.
Clang!
The tip of the Pry Bar jammed into the grenade launcher, halting the barrage.
Boom!
The Hammer in my right hand rattled The Enemy’s head.
Weak.
The dull sensation of the helmet cracking traveled up The Hammer, and I instinctively realized I had failed to finish him.
It didn't matter.
I am different from my father.
So, I retracted my weapons to my waist and spun again, burrowing into The Enemy’s guard.
Inside his reach, a place where his weapon could never touch.
Just as I threw my arms wide to knock him unconscious—
Through the cracked visor, I saw a gaze filled with terror.
Eyes wide with fright, looking straight at me.
"..."
I grit my teeth.
It can't be helped.
This is the only way to slow down the Management Bureau’s movements.
Heroes, special forces, spies.
The plan was to capture those belonging to the Management Bureau alive and use them as hostages to prevent them from bombing the area.
The stun was for that.
The strike was for that.
It’s unavoidable.
Do you think I’m doing this because I enjoy it?
Feeling a salty taste in my mouth, I swung my hands wide.
Clang!
The rising Pry Bar ripped the helmet off.
Thud!
The Hammer rattled his head once more.
It’s over.
With that thought, I retracted my weapons and turned away to create distance.
"Is this... the end..."
A man's voice came from behind me.
Is he different because he's an elite Hero of the Bureau? To think he could still speak after taking that.
To leave him with a good memory, I turned back toward him and offered a smile.
Upon seeing my smile, he staggered for a moment as if trying to hold onto consciousness, then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Thump.
The heavy Reinforced Suit shook the ground.
Just in case he was faking it, I watched him intently from a distance, but there was no sign of deception.
"Now then, finally..."
I reached into my coat and pulled out one of the few remaining ampoules. It was a special sedative made by Lady Linshua, filled with a translucent liquid.
I twisted the tip of the ampoule to break it and slid my right hand into the gaps of the man's Reinforced Suit.
I grabbed his jaw, forced his mouth open, and poured the liquid in.
It was a task I had performed several times today.
Simple humans only needed to be disarmed, but Heroes were dangerous, so this was to keep them asleep for a day or two.
At first, I made mistakes like shoving the whole ampoule into their mouths and making them a bloody mess, but now I could administer it cleanly.
I was so flustered when I had to pour healing medicine while picking out glass shards earlier.
It had only been a few hours, but I chuckled at the memory as if it were the distant past, and placed a small transmitter beside him.
The Society will be here to collect him soon. Time to find the next one.
Just as I straightened my back—
Creeeak.
A strange rupturing sound echoed.
"Huh?"
What was that?
New stimuli always piqued my curiosity, whether they were beautiful or not.
So, I stood there, tracing the source of the sound.
Creeeak.
There it was again.
Is it coming from The Wall?
The moment I moved my foot with that thought—
Snap!
The sound came from beneath my feet, and I realized what it was.
"...Ah."
【Haha. You're screwed, aren't you?】
Crash!
As the support beneath my feet vanished, a most despicable force took hold.
A force no one can escape.
Gravity.
No wonder he was spamming grenades like that.
Falling along with the unconscious Hero, stone fragments, and weapons rolling on the ground, I accepted the objective facts.
I'll admit it. I was too stupid.
Whether it was getting hit by a stray bullet or this.
I let my guard down too often...
I should be careful from now on.
Careful. Very careful.
【Not that it makes up for the current mistake, though.】
That’s true...
But it’s not a big deal, right?
It’s only a one-floor drop, isn't it? That shouldn't be a problem.
Worried the Hero beside me might hit his head, I gave him a light nudge with my foot in mid-air and landed on the floor below.
A perfect ten!
I struck a pose, having succeeded in a clean landing.
The Hero fell too, but it seemed his Reinforced Suit absorbed the damage.
Now, shall I really get going...
Thoom!
...Now what?
With a massive roar, the building shook.
A violent vibration followed by the sound of an explosion.
No way. Has the bombardment started?
I ran through several possibilities, but that was the only clear answer that came to mind.
The bombardment had begun.
The violence of the Management Bureau, seeking to erase this place and turn everything to nothing.
"Al’shel! You octopus! You said you could stop this! What happened to 'Just leave it to me'? You ruined everything!"
Aaaaah! Seriously!
Hysteria surged within me, and I stomped my feet while scratching my head.
This ruins the whole plan! What are we going to do!
Thoom. Snap.
"Ah."
Don't tell me, again?
They say 'sure enough' for a reason.
The ground gave way once more.
Just like before, I plummeted downward.
I knew I had to do something, but in this situation, my thoughts wouldn't connect.
Help me! Memories in my heart!
I delved into the minefield of memories, seeking one last bit of help.
【Ah. Even I can't do anything about falling. Just drop.】
You damn Father!
Thud.
I landed on the next floor.
Creeeak.
That ominous sound echoed again.
It seemed the entire building had been weakened by the previous vibration.
I need to get out of here before I fall again.
Just as I was about to leap away—
"Ugh..."
A groan reached my ears.
A human groan of pain.
The source was the man in the Reinforced Suit I had knocked out.
When I turned my gaze toward him, I saw red.
A sharp pipe had pierced through the black Reinforced Suit.
The rusted pipe protruded through the man's body like a jagged tooth.
And along that pipe, red slime was pouring out.
"...Ah?"
A puncture wound.
Unconsciousness due to drugs.
Excessive bleeding.
My brain began to replay memories I hadn't even asked for.
The ends of Heroes.
"My... fault?"
The moment that thought occurred, I stopped my attempt to flee and reached out toward the Hero.
Crash!
The ground began to sink immediately, but fortunately, I managed to grab the Hero.
As my body began to fall—
What should I do? First, I have to pull out the pipe... right?
The moment I placed my hand on the pipe with that thought—
【Calm down.】
The 'him' inside me stopped me.
And the necessary memories surged forth.
Strip off the black Reinforced Suit, but leave the pipe where it is.
Boom!
Another collapse occurred, but I ignored it, focusing frantically on saving the Hero before my eyes.
I tore his blood-soaked clothes and wrapped them around the wound.
Internal organ damage.
Not enough to be fatal immediately.
Pneumothorax.
His breathing was labored, but I couldn't hear the sound of air leaking.
I continued my frantic actions.
I reached into my coat and sprayed the healing agents provided by The Society without restraint.
Regenerating lost parts was impossible, but it was enough to stop the bleeding around the puncture wound.
By the time I regained my senses, I was far from where I had originally been.
Looking up, all I could see was the impossibly high ceiling.
Snap.
Another fall.
With a bitter smile, I held the man up high.
So that I would absorb all the impact. Concentrating.
And then, I fell along with the dust.
* * *
The bottom floor?
I lightly tapped the surroundings to see if I would fall further, but there were no signs of another collapse.
The area was shrouded in thick dust, making it impossible to see, but I could clearly sense the presence of others.
Things are really getting tangled today.
Thinking it couldn't be helped, I carefully laid the man I was holding onto the ground.
If a fight broke out, his wounds might reopen...
Then, I took a stance and waited for the dust to clear.
After about ten seconds—
A familiar face appeared.
Han A-bin.
My father's disciple.
If she’s here, then the one who follows her like a 'buy one, get one free' deal should be here too...
"Where is Baek Si-hyun..."
"Hyaaaaaah!"
A Mutant lunged at me.
A Mutant baring murderous intent toward me with bloodshot eyes.
What is this thing?
It’s clearly weak as can be.
The moment I reached out my hand to swat the Mutant away—
Thoom!
The building shook again.
My consciousness... began to drift away.
A pitch-black consciousness.
The will of the Owner, reaching out toward us.
【Kill. Everything.】
The command.
It had been handed down.
Now. Let us kill.
I swung my hammer toward the Mutant before me.