Chapter 432
Chapter 432
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 432
Chapter Title: Lycoris (2)
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Near the summit of a remote mountain in Bangladesh.
A man clad in a ghillie suit camouflaged with foliage lay prone, steadying his breathing.
He peered through the scope of the massive sniper rifle in his hands and activated his ability.
There it is.
His mind was sucked into the scope as if pulled by an invisible force.
Even at maximum magnification, the view stretched impossibly far, soon illuminating a spot over ten kilometers away in crystal clarity.
Rumble—Boom!
It wasn't just a visual feed.
The sounds from that place reached him as vividly as if he were standing there himself.
Already over?
Amid the roar, a building crumbled, thick smoke billowing upward.
The surrounding area looked like it had been carpet-bombed into oblivion.
And there, in the epicenter, the sniper spotted his target slowly emerging—the very reason he'd come all this way.
What a monster.
It hadn't even been long since he'd heard the target was approaching the base.
Thanks to being pre-positioned, preparations had wrapped up quickly, but for it all to be finished already? Unbelievable.
"Hoo."
He regulated his quickening pulse—stirred by agitation—with deep breaths, calming himself once more.
For a sniper, excitement was poison.
"Target acquired. Commencing operation."
[You sure about this? He's dangerous. No warrior who's gone after him has returned unscathed.]
"Ha! No matter what, he's just flesh and blood. When the life signs stop, he's dead all the same."
Exchanging thoughts via telepathy, he drew a palm-sized object from his pocket.
A massive bullet gleamed with an eerie black sheen, intricate gold runes etched across its surface.
More like a grenade than ammunition.
Gazing at it briefly, the sniper slowly chambered it into his hefty rifle.
Of course, the weapon itself was anything but ordinary.
The Giant Slayer that shattered countless titan skulls. The purest instant-death round that even felled a Giant Champion. Can you withstand this, beast?
Due to its rare materials and complex crafting, bullets of this purity were reserved for critical moments back in his home dimension.
Legendary artifacts that allowed humanity to carve out territories amid the tidal waves of giants.
And this sniper was the hero who'd slain the dreaded Giant Champion with it, saving his nation.
He peered through the scope again, reacquiring his target.
...An overwhelming presence. Even just observing from this distance.
Over ten kilometers away.
A hulking figure strolled casually from the ruins of a demolished building.
The being who called itself "Lion Mask."
His bare upper body rippled with muscles that stole the breath away, savage tattoos amplifying the menace.
Crowned with an unidentified beast's head.
Against the backdrop of destruction, he looked like the incarnation of ruin descended to earth.
...I might actually fail.
Even he, who'd weathered countless battlefields, couldn't shake the thought.
But backing out now? Not an option.
His position was over ten kilometers from the target—plenty of time to escape before it closed the gap.
Thump—Thump—
His heartbeat slowed.
Details sharpened: temperature, humidity, air currents, target's movements.
And when his heart finally stopped entirely...
The ability-enhanced rifle fired.
The empowered bullet reached its mark in under a second.
Whoosh—
A shockwave rocked Lion Mask, his body staggering.
His torso arched back from the force, nearly toppling him.
He couldn't see clearly, but the sniper was certain.
Hit!
Straight to the head.
Once it connected, it was over.
The instant-death power, centered on the brain—one of the body's vital organs—would spread throughout, rendering even near-immortal regeneration useless...
"Huh?"
But that certainty didn't last.
As he exhaled in relief, tension easing, his view captured the target slowly righting itself.
Crunch—Crunch—
Chewing.
Familiar bullet between its teeth under the beast mask.
A pair of glowing Odd Eyes locked precisely on his position.
An impossible distance for eye contact—yet it felt real. A chill raced down his spine.
"...Operation failed. Position compromised."
[Damn it! Evac now! He's a monster. At that range, reaching you will ta—...]
Telepathic chatter buzzed urgently, but he had no time for it.
Blocked it? With its teeth?
A bullet fired from over ten kilometers, exceeding Mach 30?
Potent enough to pierce titanium like paper—where did all that energy go?
Confusion aside, his body moved on instinct.
Equipment vanished into subspace in an instant. He rose.
Glanced at the target while firing up his custom jetpack.
Far more unnatural than I thought. No choice—fall back firs—Huh?
Green radiance flooded his vision.
Splat!
His thoughts blacked out.
[...#%$@?!]
The distant telepathic link frantically called, but it soon faded into nothing.
A headless corpse couldn't receive signals.
***
"Ngh! Did it hit?"
Hal scratched his head, eyes squinted in a cool helmet pose.
He'd spat out the metal chunk he'd been chomping and hurled it back with full force—but the distance was so vast, he couldn't be sure.
"Eh, probably. Sent it right back where it came from."
Gem Eye: Compel—manipulating ambient energy to manifest mysteries.
A tricky power on mana-scarce Earth, but the bullet's massive energy made it easy to hijack.
Especially after chewing it to mush, neutralizing its properties.
Last spot here, but the haul's underwhelming. They're quicker on the draw than expected.
Rubbing his chin as he headed toward the shot's origin, Hal pondered.
He was touring Southeast Asia, smashing remnant Oath of Reverse Heaven branches one by one.
Unlike his productively busy fellow avatars, all he could do was wreck things.
So he'd hit exposed sites in sequence...
Damn, they're pros at hiding and fleeing.
Most bases long abandoned.
Stragglers were expendable bait.
To uproot them properly, he'd need to target the head.
The being dictating global ops from above regional branch heads.
Oracle...
Hal's gaze turned west.
A massive nation bordering Bangladesh, among the world's most populous.
India.
"Tch. Anyway, urgent business here's done... What's next?"
No need to rush back.
Unlike others, his position was purely symbolic—no obligations.
His acquaintances were used to his vanishing acts by now.
"...Hmm. How about some part-time work?"
A grin spread across his face as he mulled it over.
Perfect timing—one pressing matter on his mind.
Best to watch it up close for certainty.
Overkill deploying him for this? Maybe, but he was idle anyway.
Bonus: prevent terror incidents while patrolling his turf.
"Kuhaha! Alright, off I—Oh, right. Check the sniper's spot first."
And soon after.
Hal vanished cleanly, laden with unexpected abandoned goodies.
***
"Wh-what the...?"
Jin Soran's eyelids twitched as she trailed off, mouth agape.
Having once seriously pursued this path, she instantly grasped the song's genius.
"What do you think? Way better than the last one, right?"
"Better? This is beyond better...!"
The lingering melody made her shout unwittingly before clamping her mouth shut.
Reason returned, reminding her who sat before her.
Where did he get this? In such short time? Pre-made? But this...
Stunned, Jin Soran blankly stared at Heinz, then at the magic tool in her hand, repeating.
It wasn't her fault for looking so unhinged.
How? It's like it was tailored for the girls' voices!
Right after playing Heinz the recording, he'd returned hours later with this magic tool.
A voice recorder/player.
Not hugely popular at Howard Industries with recording devices as alternatives.
Useful in EMP or jamming zones, though.
But the real issue was the music inside.
Ha, this is...
A bright, K-pop-esque rhythm carried an unearthly beautiful melody.
Yet an inescapable darkness lurked within.
Shadows behind hopeful notes.
Sweet blood-scent temptation amid danger—irresistible allure.
Like a beautiful vampire's seduction.
Express this with just instrumentation?
Jin Soran swallowed dryly.
Not mere decadence.
Finely tuned to infiltrate anyone—regardless of age, gender, nationality—without repulsion.
This is it. Perfect for Lycoris's debut.
Prior tracks erased from her mind.
Expensive commissions from top composers—even rivaling domestic chart-toppers.
But incomparable to this.
"Who?! Who composed this?! Ahh! If I'd known about them sooner, I wouldn't have wasted time. As expected of you, Lord! I'm still so far behind. Can you introduce me? I want more tracks...!"
Flushed, she gushed excitedly.
Heinz stepped back slightly, stroking his chin until she calmed.
Better reception than expected. Well, she's a vampire too—easier to connect.
Not just Elven Kingdom vibes.
Built on Earth's music knowledge from prior cultural ops, fusing seamlessly.
Harris oversaw it all, channeling Heinz 2nd's essence at will...
"Makes sense you wouldn't know. No public work—composing's a hobby. Can't commission."
A day's work for such a track? Natural.
"...Hoo, I got carried away. Must be your acquaintance, Lord... So, what name for the composer?"
Sensing his reticence, Jin Soran asked cautiously.
No intent to hide, he replied casually.
"Harris."
"Harris...?"
"Yes, Harris."
The faceless genius composer—Harris—debuted on Earth.
***
With the key debut song swapped, everyone scrambled.
Lycoris members faced harsher training, but none complained.
They'd fallen for the new track instantly.
"Hmm, bigger arm sweeps here?"
"Unnie! Let's sync once more."
"Yeah, that works."
Unlike the ill-fitting prior song, this clung like bespoke attire.
No lacks or excesses.
Just sing freely, joyfully—everything harmonized. No learning stress.
"Cut! Move fast! Editing now—wrap the rest today!"
"What? Backlog? Double the pay—no, whatever they want! If not, tell me. I'll handle prior bookings."
With Heinz—Blood Alliance head—personally involved, sails filled with tailwinds.
Connections, talent, unlimited funds—zero snags.
Time crunches? Overwhelmed by sheer capital.
"Okay! Great work!"
"Phew, good. Double-check nothing's missed!"
Thus time passed.
D-day loomed.
One day, Lycoris gained a new manager.
A rookie, yet titled "Director."
Obvious parachute hire—no gripes voiced.
"Uhahaha! Nice to meet ya! Call me Director Hal."
"Hal...?"
"Ahem! Pronunciation off. It's Ha. Please to meet you!"
Massive muscles strained a bursting suit, pitch-black shades perched.
More yakuza than manager—no one dared speak up.