Team Valkyrie ② Losing My S-Rank Hero Sister and Childhood Friend - 2
Tutututututututu-!
The heavy machine gun that Jinseok wielded as his weapon unleashed a deafening roar like exploding anti-monster armor-piercing high-explosive rounds, pouring out bullets at an insane firing rate without mercy. Originally meant to be mounted on an armored vehicle, it had been specially modified for infantry use. Of course, being a machine gun, "infantry use" was relative—it was still so bulky and heavy that even regular human soldiers would struggle just to carry it, let alone wield it in combat. Asking ordinary troops to use it in the field was absurd.
"Ngh! The recoil on this thing is killer!"
The recoil from firing was so violent that a normal person would be flung away just from holding it. But Jinseok was a hero with the Physical Enhancement ability. His raw strength alone was enough to suppress the kickback, and he even found it gave a satisfying tactile feedback.
Tututututututututututu-!
Jinseok provided covering fire for Miyeon as she charged through the horde of monsters, laying down a curtain of bullets to scatter them and keep them at bay. Naturally, it was tricky work—hitting everything around her without striking Miyeon herself.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwa-!
Adjusting his aim to avoid her, Jinseok fired the machine gun right along her path, just off to the sides, detonating explosions in her immediate vicinity. Shells rained down within a few meters of her, blasting apart. Fragments and shockwaves from the blasts occasionally washed over Miyeon too. Any monsters trying to close in were shredded into chunks by the armor-piercing high-explosives.
"Eut?!"
"Sis?! Ah, no—Leader! You okay?!"
"No problem. Just some ogre guts from one you smashed splattered on my face…."
Hearing Miyeon's voice over the comms, a panicked Jinseok shouted back, but she responded calmly. A chunk of the pulverized ogre's innards had coincidentally splashed right across her face, briefly obscuring her vision. No damage, of course, but having filthy monster guts smeared on her was unpleasant. She shook her head slightly, flinging the pieces off with centrifugal force.
To avoid hindering her in battle, Miyeon's long black hair was tied back in a single ponytail. It sliced through the air with every movement of her head. Her waist-length locks danced beautifully, tracing elegant arcs in the air.
(Sis won't get hurt by a few machine gun rounds….)
The shells could pulverize mid-to-large monsters in one hit, but to an S-rank hero like Miyeon, a direct strike would only sting a little. Shrapnel and blast waves from the gun barely fazed her. That's why Jinseok could rain fire so close—avoiding direct hits on her while saturating the area around to cover her advance. It was a tactic only possible because she was an S-rank hero.
Of course, given Miyeon's S-rank physical prowess, she could have bulldozed through the monster pack on her own. But to maximize her specialty—speed—she left the covering barrage to her little brother Jinseok.
Under his suppressive fire, Miyeon blazed through the horde like an unchallenged storm, closing the distance to the target: the colossal beast monster, Behemoth, in seconds.
"Haat!"
The moment Miyeon swung her sword, cloaked in blue Sword Qi, it erupted in a razor-sharp blade of energy, amplified into a devastating beam that ravaged a wide area. Even Behemoth's steel-thick carapace plating on its leg was sliced clean off like butter under her blade.
Spuuuurt-!
Thick, dark blue monster blood gushed from the severed limb like a waterfall, drenching Miyeon. The deep azure coating her lithe form accentuated her slender curves, making her look like she was wearing a glossy blue latex suit.
"Grrr rumble!"
Staggering back from the strike by someone so much smaller, Behemoth rolled its massive eyes to fixate on Miyeon. It hadn't even registered her presence before, stunned that such a tiny thing could inflict real damage. But despite its building-sized bulk making it seem sluggish, Behemoth wasn't some dumb brute. It moved with surprising agility for its size, retreating out of her sword range. Then it gaped its maw wide, sighting in on her to prepare a beam attack.
"Kwaaaaaah!"
Vwoooooom-!
Crimson energy gathered into a sphere deep in its throat, radiating scorching heat. Behemoth was charging its ultra-high-temperature heat ray. These monsters weren't just brute force in giant packages—they could unleash destructive heat rays too. But there was a brief charge-up time before firing, leaving a window to react.
"Tch!"
Miyeon spotted the telltale buildup and fell back. Even for an S-rank like her, a direct hit from that ray meant serious injury. Dodging was her best bet.
"Jinseok! Get out of there!"
"G-Got it!"
By ill luck, Jinseok was right in the beam's projected path. Miyeon glanced back toward him and yelled a warning over comms. He slung the machine gun and bolted, trying to escape the danger zone. An attack that could critically wound even Miyeon would vaporize him on a direct hit. Sure, he was B-rank with powers, but against a mega-beast like Behemoth, he might as well be a powerless civilian.
"Grrr rumble!"
But Hellhounds and Cerberi blocked his path—dog-sized horrors with steel-blade fangs and fire-breathing maws for the hounds, and the same but with three heads for the Cerberi. Serious threats.
"Damn mutts! Outta my way—you'll get yourselves killed too!"
Irritated by the sudden roadblock, Jinseok swung his shoulder-mounted machine gun like a club in a pinch. Forged from titanium and rare monster-derived elements into an ultra-durable alloy, it doubled as a melee weapon.
Thwack! Thwack-thwack! Splat! Thud!
With practiced skill, he whirled it like a staff. He couldn't match his sister Miyeon—the legendary Sword Saint—but his ability-enhanced power, honed through various martial arts, made him no slouch in close quarters.
"Kuek!"
"Kuwek!"
"Kwek!"
The Hellhounds and Cerberi got smacked like dogs on a hot summer day, sent flying. The hefty, reinforced barrel was more than enough to smash them.
"Hah… hah…!"
In a blink, he'd crushed the pack. True to plan, he hurried to relocate—
Crack!
"Ack?!"
Clang!
But then he lost balance and tumbled. Anxiety surging, he glanced at his ankle, feeling something off—like it was snagged.
"Karr rumble!"
A Cerberus he'd bashed—one head smashed—had latched onto his ankle from the ground, gnawing fiercely. His reinforced suit prevented amputation, but it held fast.
(Shit—Cerberi don't die unless all three heads are destroyed!)
With three heads, losing one or two didn't stop it. Its bite force was monstrous; shaking wouldn't free him. Without the suit, his ankle would've been gone.
Vwoooooom-!
He scrambled to finish it and flee, but too late. Behemoth's ray fired. He knew it was imminent.
"Ngh!"
Too late to run—Jinseok hit the dirt instead, praying the beam passed overhead. It was his only shot.
Kwagwagwang-!
The heat ray lanced out. Scorching waves spread, superheated air erupting in a storm-like gale. True mega-beast power.
"Th-this… damn it…."
Jinseok felt the world ignite around him. Death's terror flashed through his mind. He'd failed to escape the blast radius. Instinct screamed it.