Chapter 191: Say You Want To Live - 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: Say You Want To Live - 7
In the street where the light had faded, only shadows remained. Within the surging darkness, Wolfen lowered the hand that had covered his eyes. His eyes were stained with the darkness that spread like ink.
“…I realized it a little too late, magician. I won’t be fooled again.”
At first, he was on guard.
Then, he acted as he always did.
After that, he was careful not to let his guard down, to be certain.
And finally, he was focused on not being deceived by his opponent.
Through this entire sequence, his excessive caution had caused him to fall for the magician’s psychological games. That was why the magician had gotten the best of him.
“I should have just killed him from the start, using all my power.”
But he wouldn't be fooled again. Deception wasn't an infinite resource; once the magician played all the cards up his sleeve, he was no different from a helpless, unarmed man.
The next time they met—no, if he could just extend his senses and find him right now, he would fall beneath the blade of shadow.
‘He’s concealed his presence and hidden himself, but all I have to do is find him.’
Just then, a faint voice reached Wolfen’s ears. From a great distance, the presence of people and a mixture of voices drifted toward him.
Sensing a strange presence, Wolfen focused his mind on his hearing. He soon furrowed his brow.
It was as if Amitengrad itself was speaking to him.
Countless voices blended into one, seeping in like a fog. They bounced off buildings, spread from afar, and echoed. A dry, articulate voice spread like a song.
『This is State Signaller Yuel, warning all residents who can hear this voice. As of this moment, a Level 5 State of Emergency, Pentagram, is in effect.』
『This is State Signaller Deekay. A Level 5 State of Emergency has been declared. All citizens are to cease their current activities and focus on this transmission.』
『This is State Signaller Cien. No one will be held responsible for any disadvantages incurred by failing to follow these orders.』
A chorus of emotionless voices. They came from the rooftop of a certain building, from inside uniquely shaped streetlights, from the clock tower and statues, and from the middle of a clothesline strung across the street.
The voices, which would have been dry even before being transmitted through the golems, became even more inorganic as they hit the concrete buildings, spreading throughout the Military State.
『A warning to all citizens who hear this voice. Those currently inside their residences are not to go outside under any circumstances until the situation is resolved.』
『Any citizens who are outside must immediately lie face down on the ground with both hands on their heads. Do not show any sign of resistance. There is a risk of misfire.』
『This is an emergency. Your rights as a citizen will be partially restricted until the situation is declared over. We cannot guarantee your life and safety if you disobey these instructions.』
The Military State did not make jokes. Therefore, the voice now delivering this message was speaking only the truth.
The Signallers, the Voice of the Military State, were warning everyone within earshot.
『Tonight is officially a non-existent time. Forget everything that has happened.』
『Cease your resistance and lie down where you are. If you show any intent to resist, you will be disposed of as an enemy of the State.』
『To the enemies of the Military State. Cease your futile resistance and allow yourselves to be quietly shot and killed.』
As if that were enough, the warning voices stopped.
Then, a single, clear, and bright voice was added.
『State Signaller Captain Abbey reporting to Major General Historia. Five blocks ahead. Target spotted at the location where an abnormal light signature was just observed. This unit will provide guidance.』
“Confirmed.”
And then, the sound of footsteps.
Clomp. Clomp.
The sound of hobnailed military boots echoed on the concrete. The rhythmic, forceful beat of steel striking dry ground was added to the silence.
Long, jet-black hair tied in a braid swayed behind her. A tall woman with a languid, weary expression and long limbs moved alone through the street where everyone else held their breath.
In the night where silence had fallen, only her time seemed to flow normally, as if this entire stage had been prepared just for her.
Her military boots were laced up to her calves, her uniform was worn with a deliberate sloppiness, her cap was nowhere to be seen, and a couple of buttons were undone. If not for the uniform, she might have looked like a street punk.
But the single star glittering on her chest signified her power.
As she walked on, clomp, clomp, she raised a pistol to her own temple without any warning. And without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
Bang. A single gunshot tore through the darkness. A brilliant flash sparked at her temple. The bullet struck her temple.
Even with Qi Deflection, a technique meant to block projectiles from a distance, it had little effect on a bullet fired at point-blank range. Despite committing what was tantamount to suicide, the woman’s demeanor was not just calm, but languid.
“Ugh… I had to rush over without any sleep… I’m in no condition for this.”
With a voice steeped in exhaustion, she swept her hair back. A high forehead and refreshing features were revealed. Dark circles were etched under her eyes and her lips were dry and chapped, but even buried under deep fatigue, her impression was far from one of weakness.
When she moved the gun away, a small tink was heard. The spent bullet fell to the ground.
The bullet was perfectly intact, as if new.
She, who had just shot herself in the temple, also seemed perfectly fine, not much different from the bullet, aside from looking a bit tired.
“Agh, my head. I shouldn't have chugged that beer just because there was no liquor. Haaa. They just told me to be on standby. I knew this would happen. But still…”
Was it a lament or a complaint? The woman, murmuring languidly, narrowed her eyes.
The Military State’s youngest of the Six Generals.
The Star of the Overlord, who rose to the rank of general with no prior career, solely through her strength.
The incarnation of violence born under the Star of the Overlord. The Daughter of the Military State. The Supernova.
Gunmaster, Major General Historia.
“The Beast King is a beast, so I can let that slide, and even the Progenitor is keeping quiet.”
She roughly ran a hand through her hair, her cool, gray eyes staring directly at Wolfen.
“So why is a fucking pissant like you so eager to act up? Is it because you’re not dead yet?”
Immediately after, the Gunmaster aimed her pistol at Wolfen.
Wolfen felt a sense of strangeness. He couldn't comprehend the fact that a Major General of the Military State would aim a ‘gun’ to attack him.
As long as Qi Deflection existed, guns were meaningless. Even powerful arrows could be blocked without issue by a layer of Qi over a single piece of armor; a short, light bullet could never overcome the Qi Deflection that radiated from the entire body.
Perhaps that was why. In the brief moment Wolfen let his guard down at the sight of the gun.
A single gunshot rang out, and almost simultaneously, Wolfen’s shoulder was violently thrown back. Even with his body clad in Qi, he couldn't withstand the impact and stumbled two steps back.
Feeling the stinging pain in his right shoulder, Wolfen spoke with a hint of admiration.
“…Strong. Worthy of your reputation.”
He hadn't been careless. Unlike with the magician, he had been using his Qi Deflection to its fullest, yet the impact was immense. He had almost dropped the shortsword he was holding.
However.
“Still, it’s just a gun.”
At this power, being shot at from a distance would be dangerous.
But what kind of fool would maintain that distance knowing the danger?
He immediately unleashed his Black Shadow Qi Arts, sliding along the edge of the road. He ran toward the soldier with the gun before him.
The soldier fired again and again with cold, sunken eyes.
Bang.
Was it because he was cloaked in darkness? The next bullet missed, flying over Wolfen’s head. Not only was it not powerful, but it couldn't even guarantee a hit. He wondered if it could even be called a weapon.
Bang.
This time, it glanced off his Qi Deflection. Qi Deflection was a repelling force. If a bullet didn't hit head-on, it would mostly be deflected.
Bang.
This time, it hit the ground in front of Wolfen. Shattered concrete fragments showered him like buckshot, but even that was not enough to stop his charge.
And one more shot…
Click, click. An empty sound. The Gunmaster frowned, bringing the muzzle to her eye to peer through it. After checking the inside, the Gunmaster muttered.
“Ah. Out of bullets.”
What a foolish thing to say. Was the Military State truly trying to stop him with a general like this?
‘I’ll deal with her quickly and hide. Taking out one or two generals is easy, but making an enemy of the entire nation will be a pain. I’ll teach them that attacking the Umbra comes at a cost.’
Just as the darkness surged forward like a wave, sweeping away the light in the street.
As if being out of bullets was no problem at all, a calm voice came from a golem.
『Do you require resupply?』
“It’s fine. This will be over before supplies arrive.”
The Gunmaster muttered, then grabbed the nearby streetlight and tore it from its base.
The streetlight bent sharply. Its faint light died in an instant as it was slammed headfirst into the ground, as if twisted by a giant. With a sound that ripped through the darkness, the glass that held the light shattered and scattered in all directions.
Having destroyed the streetlight by merely gripping it, the Gunmaster paid no mind to its miserable end and clenched her fist.
“Combat Alchemy.”
Crrrrrunch.
The low-grade alchemic steel crumpled like paper. The body of the streetlight, which had held a light and served the Military State for nearly twenty years, was crushed in the Gunmaster’s grip. With the sound of metal grinding and breaking down, the soft alchemic steel was mashed like clay.
Although it was soft due to its low quality, it was still steel. Had it ever been treated so poorly?
It was just that its opponent was a being who scoffed at common sense.
Crunch. When the Gunmaster, who had lightly kneaded the alchemic steel in her palm, opened her hand again, an unevenly compressed metal sphere lay in it.
The captain pointed out.
『Query. The technique the Major General just used cannot be called alchemy.』
“Tch, so picky. Who cares how you do it, as long as it makes a bullet.”
The grumbling Gunmaster forced the newly made bullet into the gun’s muzzle.
It didn’t fit. Of course it didn’t. Kneading clay in one’s palm doesn't produce a perfectly uniform sphere, so there was no way it would match the specifications…
Not yet, anyway.
The Gunmaster muttered.
“If it goes in the gun, it’s a bullet.”
But with enough force, specifications are meaningless.
The Gunmaster applied pressure. The parts that didn't fit screamed as they were ground away. The crushed sections glowed red-hot as they were reshaped to fit the muzzle perfectly, obediently rolling inside.
Cut off what doesn’t fit. Shove it in if it doesn’t go. Push if it resists.
Having created a bullet in a very Military State-like fashion, the Gunmaster spun the gun around and aimed it forward again.
“There we go.”
The time it took to forge alchemic steel into a bullet was barely five seconds.
In that time, Wolfen had closed the distance in an instant. Cloaked in darkness, he slid behind the Gunmaster. A cold, refined, and dark killing intent aimed for her neck…
Or so he thought, when a hobnailed military boot appeared in his vision. The last thing he had seen was a defenseless nape, but now a boot, which had appeared from nowhere, was growing larger and larger in his sight.
Wolfen quickly thrust his shortsword. Since she had stuck her leg out, he intended to slice the entire leg off.
It didn't connect. The boot, shot out in an instant, shattered the shortsword, broke his arm, and slammed into Wolfen’s head, sending him flying in a single blow.