Don't Think of Going Back Alive

Don't even think of walking out of here alive. I'll kill every last one of you right here.

On the blood-soaked battlefield, I pulled out my radio and quietly opened my mouth.

"This is A1. Mission successfully completed."

"Including myself, A2 and A3—three in total. The other seven are all dead."

"Estimate of seventy-five. I'll need a closer look for the exact number."

After the man's command came through the radio, I wordlessly began severing the ears of the fallen enemies. It was simply a way to estimate how many we had killed.

"A1, looks like it's just us who made it out again this time."

"Quiet, A2. There might still be enemies nearby."

"So what if there are? You'll just kill them all anyway."

In the corner, A3 silently cut ears from the corpses. With every wet slicing sound, the metallic scent of blood and crimson stains spread in every direction.

"A1, how long do you think we'll keep surviving like this?"

"Hell if I know. Don't waste your time on useless crap. If we lose this war, we're all dead anyway."

I gazed up at the blood-red sky.

Ever since the war began, the sky had looked sick—always painted that same crimson hue. Whether the sky itself was red or my mind had simply broken, it was hard to tell.

A1, A2, A3.

These call signs were reserved only for the absolute elite. If I died, my number would be reassigned to the next in line. In other words, if I fell, A2 would become A1.

The first number I had been given was 2350. After the war started, the 2,349 elites who had stood ahead of me all died, and now I had inherited the first number. A1. It was a number forged from the deaths of 2,349 people.

How long do I have to keep repeating this shit?

I had killed countless people. Comrades died, enemies were slaughtered, and the entire cycle repeated endlessly, as if it would never stop.

Staring at the scarlet sky, I muttered under my breath.

"I want to live."

"A1, what was that?"

"Nothing. Time to pull out."

After withdrawing to the main base, my profile was updated.

A1—or the monster who had killed more people than anyone else on the battlefield. That was the name they called me by.

Leos briefly lost himself in a recollection of the past before snapping back to his senses.

Why am I dwelling on that useless old crap now...

A1, who had massacred countless people during the war. Those days of the past were already long gone. Ever since being transmigrated into this novel, he had never once fought against humans, and there had been even less reason to kill people. That was probably why his past—those hellish days—had faded from memory.

But as combat approached, those memories were carved into him once more.

"Leos! I said I have something to tell you! Come out already! It's me! Your former disciple, Feredin!"

The man was shouting at the top of his lungs, but that only made Leos even more wary.

Right now, several Red Gates had begun to go berserk, and monsters were rampaging freely through the surrounding area. That wasn't all. It was also a dangerous zone where people whose movements had been restricted by the sudden monster appearances were resorting to plunder in search of food and resources. In a place like this, blatantly broadcasting one's location could mean only one thing.

He's confident.

Whether it was monsters or people, you couldn't act like that without absolute confidence and certainty that you would kill anything you ran into.

What should I do?

If he stayed quiet and waited here, Feredin might never find him. That would be the best way to avoid a fight and keep his life.

But then I wouldn't get the information I want.

There were two things he needed to know.

First: how Feredin had found his location.

From ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the way the man was yelling his name, he already knew Leos was somewhere nearby. The fact that he hadn't charged straight into the bunker, however, meant he hadn't pinpointed the exact location. Even so, getting this close was a problem.

Did he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠track the Distance? I disabled all the GPS functions...

He had a guess, but he needed to hear it for certain.

Second: why Feredin belonged to the Imperial Shadow Group.

Feredin had definitely been a member of the Gate Management Headquarters. Even the information available at the time showed nothing unusual—just an ordinary Gatekeeper. For that man to become part of the Imperial Shadow Group in the mere few years Leos had been in prison made no sense.

Which means he was already part of the Imperial Shadow Group from the start. Before he even joined the Gate Management Headquarters.

Why would a member of the Imperial Shadow Group infiltrate the Gate Management Headquarters in secret? An uneasy feeling settled over him. Even if it meant taking a risk, he had to find out those two pieces of information. That was the judgment he reached.

Thud.

Thud.

He immediately began walking out of the bunker at a leisurely pace. Just in case, he took a slight detour so they wouldn't realize he had come from the bunker.

"Why did you come all the way out here?"

"Oh! Leos! So you were here! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

As Feredin spoke and tried to close the distance, Leos kept his space and asked a question.

"You've got some unfamiliar company. I don't sense any other auras nearby—is this everyone?"

"Ah... these people? Don't worry. They're reinforcements the Empire sent after the Gate incident broke out. I'm still working in an Empire-related department, after all... Ah, you might not know about that, Mr. Leos."

Feredin offered a slick excuse.

He probably thinks I don't recognize the Imperial Shadow Group's insignia.

The Imperial Shadow Group was a department kept thoroughly secret from the public. True to its name as a "shadow" unit, most ordinary people didn't even know it existed. If Leos hadn't been transmigrated into the novel and known the information in advance, he would never have recognized the Imperial Shadow Group or their logo either. He would have just assumed it was some ordinary Imperial department.

"I see. Anyway, is this all the manpower you've got? I've got some food, so I was thinking of sharing a little. If there were more people, I'd need to pack more, so I asked."

"Oh? Really? As kind as ever, Leos. Including me, there are ten of us. What about you, Leos—are you living with anyone? Just wondering if you have companions nearby."

Feredin spoke with a smiling face. But Leos knew. The man was also testing the waters right now. Feredin was wary of any forces Leos might have.

"No, I'm alone. Wait here a moment and I'll bring the food."

"Shall we go together?"

As Feredin slowly closed the distance, Leos slipped a hand into the coat where his dagger was hidden and spoke.

"No, I'd rather not reveal where I'm staying. Stay right here."

"Haha... Leos, you've changed a lot with time. Back when we worked together at the Gate Management Headquarters, I don't remember you being this suspicious. Is it because of what my people are wearing? You know how it is."

"No. Wearing black for secret missions isn't exactly rare, so it doesn't particularly bother me."

"Then you don't trust me?"

Feredin narrowed his eyes and looked at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him. Leos answered him honestly.

"How did you find me?"

"Ah... is that what this is about? Easy. The Distance you use. You seem to have the GPS function turned off, but you sent a text message a little while ago. If you send a text or make a call, you can roughly track the location. If it bothers you, you could always modify it a bit... Anyway, if you just come with me, I'll take care of that for you."

Feredin spoke with a bright smile. The man still seemed to think he could deceive him.

A classic method of mixing truth and lies to lure the other party in.

But Leos didn't mind. Feredin currently thought Leos was only mildly wary of him—he had no idea that Leos already knew for certain he belonged to the Imperial Shadow Group and regarded him as a complete enemy.

"I see. So you found my location through the signal from the Distance. Then what's the reason you came looking for me? I'm curious why you'd come to a place that's already dangerous enough because of the Red Gates."

"I need your help."

Feredin slowly walked forward and changed his expression. With a look that seemed earnestly serious, he spoke with exaggerated gravity.

"Leos. I really thought it was a shame that you got locked up in prison. If that damned bitch Belin hadn't made that false report, you'd still be admired by everyone to this day. I was sure you were innocent too. Your other disciples believed in your innocence as well! But Belin... because of Belin, we couldn't do anything. We just had to keep our mouths shut. Belin's agitation and fabrication made it impossible for us to move."

"Just get to the point."

"..."

Feredin stared at him for a moment, then spoke in a somewhat rougher voice.

"Our Empire is in crisis. We can subjugate the higher-ranking Red Gates just fine, but we can't completely seal them. Since they aren't sealed, monsters start spawning again after a while, and as a result, far too many troops are dying needlessly. We need your help. Please seal the Red Gates with your ability. Your disciples who trusted and followed you are still in the Empire, after all."

"Ah... so that's why you came."

"Yes! Exactly! Leos? We had good times, didn't we? Back when we devoted ourselves and worked for the Empire! How happy we were. There was that unfortunate incident that got you thrown in prison, but that's all in the past. The Empire is calling for you now. The Empire! No—the people need your ability!"

Only after learning the full truth did Leos pull the dagger from his coat and reverse-grip it, leveling it at the man.

"Leos...? Hey, Leos, what the hell are you doing right now?"

"The Imperial Shadow Group. Walking around with the logo of that trash organization that casually murders innocent people for the Empire slapped right on your chests, and you still dare spout that crap to me. If the Imperial Shadow Group is looking for me, the reason is obvious. You just want to use me, don't you?"

"Huh..."

Feredin's expression shifted in an instant as he spoke coldly.

"How do you know about the Imperial Shadow Group? No. Someone like you would never just tell me. Maybe if I cut off a few pieces, you'll start talking."

"You think the likes of you can capture me?"

"The likes of us? These kids here could slaughter hundreds of ordinary people. Leos, you've been hunting nothing but monsters so long you've lost your sense of reality. These are specialists. Specialists in killing people, you hear me? Different from a fucking piece of trash like you who only killed monsters! Can you even kill people in the first place? If you kill us, you'll be a murderer. That label will follow you for the rest of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your—"

—Thwip!

The moment Leos flung his dagger, it struck the head of one Imperial Shadow Group member who had been hiding around the corner. The man collapsed without even managing a scream.

Looking at Feredin's blank expression, Leos spoke in a flat, dry voice.

"Nine left."

"Don't even think of walking out of here alive. I'll kill every last one of you right here."