Bishuti's Lightning Response
Bishuti's response was swift. Before Kim Jian could even confirm the presence of the mysterious man at the front entrance or identify the object slung over his shoulder.
The seasoned soldier had already sensed the killing intent and sprung into action.
This must be what he meant...
The "crisis" that Nesmento, the board member from headquarters, had warned about. A situation where Kim Jian's life hung by a thread, like a candle in the wind.
No one needed to spell it out for him. Nesmento had taken direct action himself. For the same reason they'd discussed last time: to counter President Okerus Dis Pater's "Collections" authority.
With the cosmic monster that guE had long viewed as their mortal enemy now extinct, they were forced to owe guD a debt. This gave the president the power to force guE's approval votes on key board resolutions.
There was only one way to block it. Repay the debt to the president, no matter the cost.
Even so, isn't this going too far?
Bishuti recalled his conversation with Nesmento.
"Why don't you save that kid when he's in danger? That should satisfy the president."
"Why do you think something like that will happen, General? The regular board meeting isn't far off. We should look for another way—"
"No. It will happen. Something of a headache."
His plan was likely to put Kim Jian in peril, then have Bishuti rescue him.
If so, it was only proper to give his subordinate Bishuti the timing in advance.
Playing along with that old man's whims isn't easy.
A soldier who had survived countless brushes with death on the battlefield possessed focus that made the impossible possible. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Bishuti moved ceaselessly, recalling the day he'd spoken with the board member.
Nesmento had said he'd advised a client eager to do business with Dimensional Credit Vault to visit the branch office. The man and woman consulting at Kim Jian's counter were surely those clients.
The man at the front entrance was an assassin targeting them. It was all like a scripted play.
The enemy pulled the trigger, and the anti-tank rocket flew straight toward the two customers at the counter.
Using explosives in a crowded area with bystanders meant they had no basic sense of decency. They planned to eliminate the targets and wipe out all witnesses in one go. The worst kind, who thought no witnesses meant no assassination.
But undeniably third-rate. If Kim Jian died at the hands of such a fool, it wouldn't be much of a loss.
However, letting Nesmento's referred clients die and allowing the branch to explode would leave a massive stain on his career as guE's power player. Especially since saving Kim Jian was a direct order from Nesmento himself. No mistakes allowed.
No choice, then.
The branch office was a strategic outpost incorporating all the expertise of the three factions. Naturally, guE—who had defended branches from dictators' armies multiple times in Dimension 25—had preparations for such scenarios.
-Flash!
Bishuti's hand traced an X in the air.
"Second-class seal incantation release. Summon Devouring Sword Maelstrang."
⟨ Devouring Sword Maelstrang ⟩
-Whirr...
In the next instant, a blue magic circle appeared on the back of the security guard who had been filling a cup at the water cooler. The branch's sole security guard. The reasons he still worked at the vital Kikiwai Multidimensional Branch office at age 70, earning more than most tellers, were two-fold.
One was his past identity, forgotten or unknown to most tellers. The other was this.
-Grrrrooo!!
The sluggishly flowing time froze completely. The magic circle on the guard's back turned into an unfathomably black hole, from which sprang a pure white shortsword matching Bishuti's fur.
Devouring Sword Maelstrang. The blade of annihilation that had swallowed a Dimension 25 dictator—protected by elite mages' multi-layered barriers—barriers and all.
Forged long ago from the horn of a slain gluttony demon by sages, its power devoured anything it touched, space itself included, without discrimination. Unless properly sealed, it froze time indefinitely within dozens of meters around the dagger. A cursed treasure.
Thanks to a clan blessing passed down through generations, Bishuti could temporarily resist the dagger's curse. This made him the only teller who could wield Devouring Sword Maelstrang without risking his life.
Using it, Bishuti could move alone in frozen time for a few seconds.
Of course, it didn't come without strain on the body.
-Crack...
Though less than two seconds had passed, blue veins bulged across his skin. Without rigorous training, even with the blessing, he'd have been devoured by the dagger's power and died.
Still, he'd succeeded in buying time. All that remained was to erase the incoming rocket—and its space—from existence with the dagger.
Bishuti charged forward, enduring excruciating pain. He was confident he could survive without neutralizing the explosive. Ignoring it would let him eliminate guC and guD's aces in one fell swoop—people he couldn't stand.
But saving Kim Jian would give him leverage with guD, order or not.
It wasn't because the kid was a valuable asset. Sure, he'd been mildly impressed that a non-soldier assembled a tent on the beach without wandering lost, but that was it.
This was purely for himself and his faction. No personal feelings involved.
So he rationalized as he crossed the lobby center and swung the dagger with all his might at the rocket.
"......?!"
No—he tried to.
-Slash!
The moment Bishuti swung, a flash sliced the rocket even faster. The golden trail arcing through the air began at Kim Jian's counter. It extended in a long line, precisely severing the rocket's fuze.
At its end: a hand-sized robot wreathed in golden aura. Colossus.
He couldn't fathom why it was in the bank, but it had neutralized the explosive before him, saving Kim Jian from crisis.
How did it move?
One thing didn't add up: Colossus had moved freely in frozen time, just like him.
Only one plausible explanation. It was tied to the mystical power of monatomic gold, Nanoi's treasure.
However, the Colossus sold via crowdfunding and home shopping didn't use monatomic gold as fuel. Meaning this unit was a special gift from the Nanoi people for Kim Jian.
"...Lucky bastard."
The crisis had passed. Though he hadn't saved Kim Jian with his own hands as hoped.
-Clang!
As Bishuti reverse-summoned Devouring Sword Maelstrang, the dagger returned to the guard's body. Time resumed its normal flow.
-Clatter!
Kim Jian, who had jumped up in shock, gaped at the bisected rocket rolling on the floor.
"What the...?"
The next instant, Kim Jian, the other tellers, and all the customers in the lobby spotted the Colossus emitting a golden glow.
-Vroom!
A loud exhaust roar came from outside. Bishuti instinctively knew it was the assassin fleeing by car.
* * *
"This is a problem."
In the second-floor conference room, Ellama—seated at the head—rubbed his temples and muttered.
An hour had passed since evacuating customers and calling the police, citing the explosive discovery. The rocket, defused thanks to Colossus, had been retrieved by the bomb squad, but police had searched the entire branch for further threats.
Business was impossible now. No casualties was a miracle, but a bank terror attack in broad daylight was enough to unsettle customers.
Ellama and the tellers looked grim.
Good thing he'd brought Colossus in his bag, paranoid about the recent tailing. Otherwise, the branch would've been his grave.
Just days ago, he'd been caught in an elf spirit magic duel and nearly mosquito-monster food. Now explosives. Bankers were supposed to have iron rice bowls—safe jobs. Why did he keep facing life-or-death crises?
The question is whether this hit targeted me and the other tellers, or not.
Among grudges, only the captured Ominai councilman came to mind. But even with his personality issues, he wouldn't blow up the whole branch—including Kim Jian.
He'd know he'd be the prime suspect, dragging his party down, even post-expulsion. This branch was a "special outpost" tangled in many interests—no reckless moves. Another scandal would ruin his post-release life.
No reason to attack civilians too.
Only one possibility left.
"Be honest with me."
I turned to the newlyweds beside me.
"Wasn't that attacker targeting you two?"
"......"
They exchanged silent glances. Eyes hinting at knowledge. As suspected, the man firing at the entrance aimed to kill them, not me.
When police arrived, we hadn't mentioned them, hiding them in the vault amid chaos for a reason. From experience, Kikiwai police were inept against non-standard criminals—especially psychos ignoring laws with RPG-7s.
With Bishuti's Dimension 25 terror experience, this place felt safest. At least I believed so.
But we couldn't stay holed up. Police urged emergency evacuation.
Before leaving, extract info on the assassin's backer and more to resolve this.
Not exceeding "teller duties." Just hated letting clients die on bank premises. And curiosity about the bastards who fired explosives at my workplace.
"Tell me. Who'd want you dead? Who'd disrupt your happy marriage?"
This incident—no, this loan. I'd make it happen, come hell or high water.