Chapter 149: I Have Loyalty Too (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: I Have Loyalty Too (2)
"Damn it, why the hell did that bastard pop out of nowhere?!"
The Sashimi Sword Saint, Kang Geomma. He was a cadet widely known even within the Villain Syndicate.
He was the cadet that Reaper's own lord, the 2nd Corps Commander Kuarne, had his eye on. Kuarne's interest was to use him as his vessel.
Indeed, Kang Geomma was worthy of Kuarne's high expectations. The results of that lay in the three bodies at Reaper's feet.
Two had their heads taken off, and one lay collapsed with a knife driven into his neck. Even if it was a surprise attack, it had happened in the blink of an eye. The rumors that he wielded his sashimi knives like a demon, slicing and dicing his opponents, were true.
Whoosh—
The atmosphere shifted with the deadly skill Kang Geomma displayed upon his arrival. But the shock was brief; the Vendetta quickly reformed their ranks. They threw off their gloves and readied their fingers to snap.
They were the Vendetta, one of the finest elite units in the Villain Syndicate. While this situation wasn't common, it wasn't their first time either.
Besides, for grown adults and professional hitmen to be intimidated by a single brat who was good with a knife—how could they ever show their faces again? Honestly, their pride had already taken a massive hit the moment they had to gang up on a single kid.
But what choice did they have? What they had learned from years of doing this was that carelessness was fatal. And since that guy was a target they had to capture alive if possible, swarming him with numbers was the most efficient way.
Sigh. Reaper let out a breath and slicked his hair back, using the blood on his gloves like hair wax to hold it in place.
Reaper ordered the rest of the Vendetta.
"Everyone, keep your heads straight. Organize your ranks according to your attributes. You've all seen videos of that Sashimi Sword Saint bastard's skills, so attack smartly."
"Boss, can't we just kill that motherfucker outright instead of torturing him?"
"No, capture him alive if you can. If you have to kill him, make sure his limbs are intact. Just think of him as high-end merchandise. Minimize the scratches. A couple of holes here and there are fine, though."
"Yes, sir!"
...Uheeheeheeheeheehee.
Choi Seol-ah, tangled in chains and slumped on the concrete, let out a sinister laugh like a virgin ghost. Baring her blood-stained, crimson teeth, she looked every bit a raving madwoman.
"Boss, this bitch is laughing."
"Leave her. Her head must have gone soft. And make sure this Choi Seol-ah doesn't get caught in the crossfire. I need to take her back to the Syndicate headquarters and personally deal with her."
"Yes, sir!"
"I'll have to start by pulling out those straight teeth of hers, then every single one of her fingernails and toenails. Jeez."
Reaper then turned his gaze to Kang Geomma. His eyes narrowed sharply. Gritting his teeth, he spoke.
"You wet-behind-the-ears brat. You've done nothing but slaughter weaklings until now, so you must think you're hot shit, huh?"
"..."
Reaper's eyes gleamed like snake scales.
"Don't worry, we're professionals. We'll tear you to shreds and show everyone what you're really made of. It's going to be very fun."
"..."
Kang Geomma tilted his head slightly. Reaper, who had been speaking so confidently, flinched.
Damn it, that thing is seventeen?
With those cold, emotionless eyes, the kid was completely unhinged. Reaper had met all kinds of lunatics, but it had been a long time since he'd seen someone so chillingly screw-loose.
Moreover, Choi Seol-ah, who had been squirming like a caterpillar just moments ago, had started laughing like a maniac the second Kang Geomma arrived. Crazy bastards. The phrase "birds of a feather flock together" came to mind.
Reaper drew a revolver from his waist. At that, Kang Geomma's eyes narrowed slightly.
...A gun?
In the world of 'Miracle Blessing M', firearms were not highly regarded. Their efficiency paled in comparison to Armaments.
In a world where wielding an Armament and activating a Blessing allowed one to move faster than sound, why would anyone use a piece of scrap metal like that?
The smell of gunpowder made it easy to track, and the maintenance costs were ridiculously expensive. A single bullet cost a million won. This was because both supply and demand were extremely low.
The best way to regulate firearms was not to ban the guns themselves, but to skyrocket the price of the bullets.
Kang Geomma moistened his dry lips. He firmly gripped Murasame and Ten-Thousand-Year Frost.
So he's using a gun as a substitute for an Armament...
Villains could not handle Armaments. Armaments were weapons that resonated with a Hero's Blessing. If a villain injected even a tiny bit of magic power into an Armament, they would foam at the mouth and collapse.
Thus, some villains utilized firearms as their own weapons. The so-called Magic Bullets. By injecting magic power instead of gunpowder to fire, they could drastically increase the bullet's speed and power.
Whirrr—
The cylinder of the revolver spun. Reaper leisurely slid the bullets into the chambers and clicked the cylinder shut. With a sinister smile, he spoke.
"Kang Geomma, we've done our research on how you fight. You're fucking fast, aren't you? But no matter how fast a hero is, it doesn't matter."
Reaper shrugged and continued to run his mouth.
"Let me tell you something before I put a hole in your forehead. By using Spatial-Attribute Magic to eliminate air resistance, the bullet's speed is ten times its base velocity. A standard rifle bullet travels at about Mach 3, so my Magic Bullet is thirty times the speed of sound."
Reaper aimed the barrel at Kang Geomma. He pulled back the hammer with his thumb and placed his index finger on the trigger. A cruel smirk played on his lips.
"But since we need to take you alive if possible... do your best to dodge."
Kang Geomma flicked his wrist, clearing his scabbard. At that exact moment, Bang! The gunshot of the revolver signaled the start of the battle.
Shring—
[The Blessing of the Sword God is activated.]
The blade, drawn just a span, scattered light as Kang Geomma immediately dashed forward.
As the wind, tangled with dust, licked his cheek like a tongue, a sudden question crossed Kang Geomma's mind.
Would the Blessing of the Sword God be faster than the pinnacle of modern civilization? He was suddenly curious.
Even amidst the chaos, Choi Seol-ah provided the background music, laughing like she had lost her mind.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The villains fired off magic, chasing the sound of his footsteps. Elements of water, fire, and stone tangled together, crushing the floor, ceiling, and walls. The already dim concrete turned pitch black.
"To the right! Right! Bombard him!"
With a single hand gesture, magic flooded the corner of the open space.
These bastards, for villains, their teamwork is too good.
Kang Geomma instinctively realized they were no ordinary foes. The usual mobs of villains he faced were clumsy and pathetic.
But these guys snapped their fingers nimbly at their boss Reaper's every word and gesture.
Their formation was also perfectly organized. His boast about being professionals wasn't just empty talk.
This is going to take longer than expected.
This wasn't a series of duels, but a one-versus-many battle. The only saving grace was that the space wasn't very large. Since it was completely enclosed, there were plenty of surfaces to leap off of, making it manageable.
But even that required time. He had already wasted about twenty seconds just dodging. Even taking into account sheathing and drawing his sword, time was tight.
Fifty seconds remained. He resolved to wipe them all out within that time if possible. It was hard to completely rule out the possibility of hidden enemies or them calling for reinforcements.
He didn't know why they were gathered here. Obviously, they hadn't met up for a casual reunion or alumni gathering, so why? A sudden, deeply ominous thought crossed his mind.
...What if, by some one-in-a-million chance, they were performing a ritual to summon one of the Corps Commanders? During the Uninhabited Island Survival Training, the 5th Corps Commander Agor had descended without warning. A chill ran down his spine.
At least it was confirmed that Choi Seol-ah wasn't in league with these villains. She was currently sprawled out like a bloody rag. If they were on the same side, they wouldn't have beaten her like a dog on a hot summer day. He would slice them all up as quickly as possible, then grab Choi Seol-ah and leave.
How do I close the distance?
He had to close the distance first. They were ranged damage dealers—mages and a gunslinger—while he was a swordsman. If he lost the battle of distance, he was done for.
Kang Geomma racked his brain while dodging all kinds of magic. Fire arrows, water spikes, and jagged stone fragments clawed at the surroundings, scattering concrete debris everywhere. Sporadic explosions detonated a beat too late.
Bzzzz—
A ringing sound buzzed in his ears. In that slowed-down perception of time, Kang Geomma's spinning brain came to a halt. He had to create a gap in their formation somehow and sweep through them in one go.
The more organized a system, the more vulnerable it was to unexpected variables. This was a small piece of wisdom he had learned from his military service in his past life.
There were sixteen enemies in total. Three teams of five. Team 1 disrupted Kang Geomma's vision, Team 2 narrowed his range of movement, and the final Team 3 focused on cutting off his blind spots.
<Team 1>
/ Reaper \
<Team 2> —— <Team 3>
Choi Seol-ah
Each team occupied a vertex, forming a triangular formation. All three teams were tight and solid, without any gaps.
The most annoying of them all was, of course, the gunslinger in the center. Using his subordinates as meat shields while cheaply taking potshots. This was why he preferred swords over guns. Swordplay was far more honest and romantic.
As the battle raged chaotically, the gunslinger pulled the trigger.
Click— Bang!
Before the revolver's muzzle could spit fire, Kang Geomma moved first. It was impossible to dodge a hypersonic bullet traveling at Mach 30. In that case, he had to move the instant the gunslinger's index finger twitched.
Whiz!
Kang Geomma jerked his head to the side. The bullet grazed his cheek. The missed shot embedded itself in the back wall.
"..."
A small amount of blood welled up from the shallow scratch. Kang Geomma wiped his cheek, his face contorting in annoyance.
Reaper was utterly dumbfounded by the sight. Dodging a Magic Bullet while simultaneously weaving through a chaotic barrage of magic? And that too when he was completely boxed in from all sides?
Putting aside his skill with sashimi knives, the kid's combat instincts were just insane. On top of that, despite being alone, he was stealthily testing the waters to close in. Furthermore, because he was moving in such an erratic zigzag pattern, it was incredibly difficult to lock a crosshair onto him.
But Reaper couldn't just fire wildly; his remaining ammo was limited. He had used ten bullets, leaving him with only ten more.
Damn it, ten million won down the drain already!
It was then.
"Ah, shit."
...The finger of one of the casting villains slipped. He had been snapping so hard that his sweaty fingers made him fumble.
Kang Geomma's pupils flared. He drew a Daixo Sashimi knife resting quietly in his breast pocket and threw it like a javelin.
"Ack!"
A dying groan. Hit squarely in the solar plexus by the flying knife, the villain twitched once and collapsed.
! ! !
Eyes rolled toward what used to be their comrade. The rushing blade sent them to the exact same place as their fallen ally—across the River Styx.
The corpses, eyes rolled back, crumbled one after another. In the blink of an eye, a gap opened in their formation.
"...What the hell?"
A faint emotion stirred deep within Reaper's chest. And that emotion quickly turned into impatience.
Gritting his teeth, Reaper frantically pulled the trigger.
Click— Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!
The empty casings spat out by the cylinder rained onto the floor. Five bullets fired in a wild frenzy. Even if one could read their trajectory, the bullet speed made them impossible to dodge.
At that moment, Kang Geomma's eyes glazed over. His conscious mind shut off, and instinct took over his body.
Tap. Kang Geomma's foot lightly touched the wall. Then, he launched himself toward the ceiling.
Spin. Just before his feet touched the ceiling, he executed a half-somersault in midair. A moment later, the soles of his feet stuck to the ceiling.
Suspended there, Kang Geomma pulled out a dozen sashimi knives and rained them down. Occasionally, the knives collided with each other in midair, ricocheting to fall at bizarre, unpredictable angles.
The silver blades poured down like a monsoon downpour.
"Ack!" "Argh!" "Kegh!" "Guh!"
The Vendetta's encirclement began to collapse like dominoes.
...A moment later, Reaper was the only one left alive.
...Damn it!
Reaper cursed inwardly. Reflexively, his right hand scrambled to fumble for a speedloader at his waist.
"Ah, fuck!"
Choi Seol-ah, tightly bound in chains, suddenly bit down hard on his hand. Gesturing wildly with her eyes and chin, she yelled to Kang Geomma.
"Doo ih now! (Do it now!)"
"You crazy bitch! I should have just killed you earlier."
Reaper raised his left hand to shove Choi Seol-ah away. But for some reason, a cold breeze brushed against his wrist. He rolled his eyes to the left.
"?"
From the wrist where his left hand should have been, only a few streams of blood spurted. He felt no pain. Reaper's mind went completely blank.
"Y-Y-You, Notebook! H-How are you moving?!"
Notebook, who had died long ago, was now brandishing a twine-wrapped sashimi knife. It was the very knife Kang Geomma had been holding just moments ago—when did it end up in Notebook's hand? No, how was he even moving with a knife driven through his neck in the first place? Notebook's face was completely devoid of life; he was clearly not among the living.
A corpse that used to be his subordinate was stumbling around, wielding a sashimi knife. Was he having a nightmare? Reaper's face changed color in real-time at the insane sight.
With his right hand held by Choi Seol-ah and his left hand bound by his dead subordinate, Reaper stood frozen. As his brain stalled, Kang Geomma descended with a massive frog leap.
Swoooosh!
The sound of tearing air. Reaper's vision was dyed black. Right before his eyes, Kang Geomma raised Ten-Thousand-Year Frost high. And with utter indifference, he swung it vertically.
S
lice!
The blade fell cleanly, without a single hitch, from the crown of his head to his crotch.
The gunslinger's expression went blank. Emptiness cast over his once-gleaming eyes. His lips, puckered into the shape of an Ø—
"Da/mn it."