Rooftop Standoff with Unexpected Allies
Toward Microgenics headquarters. …………… I quietly let go of Karen's hand and scurried to the ventilation duct in the corner of the bunker.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Karen's voice came from behind me. When I turned around, she was staring at me with a panicked look. I felt a little bad for worrying her, but what can you do? This was a rare chance to watch a good fight. I'll come back as soon as I can.
I couldn't answer, so I just waved at her instead. I scanned the bunker vent with my eyes, then unhesitatingly dissolved into my purple slime form.
"W-Wait—!"
Karen's voice, frozen in shock, faded farther and farther away. Sorry, Karen. But you know, I've gotta see the show.
I burst out of the bunker and shot straight up to the skies over Washington in one go. It was a variant of near-light-speed movement, partially shoving aside the atmosphere as I flew. My little accidents pushed away every air molecule in my path one by one, and I streaked toward Microgenics HQ, trailing a long purple tail behind me.
I landed lightly on a rooftop near the headquarters. Far below, I could see the backs of the Korean party breaking through the battlefield. Explosions and laser beams crisscrossed in front of the main entrance to HQ.
I shifted back from slime to little girl form and slipped oh-so-naturally into the midst of the Korean awakener party. It was such a chaotic melee that no one even noticed me.
The Korean party split in half the moment they entered the lobby.
"We'll hold 'em here! Go on ahead!"
The Dinosaur Shaman single-handedly blocked the main entrance, muttering some kind of incantation under her breath.
"On that day when the great tournament raged beyond the Tianshan Mountains by Lake Baikal! The Dinosaur Five Traitors who betrayed Huaguo by allying with Finn's horde! Among them, the one with three spears on its face and a bone-shard shield around its neck! The second of the Dinosaur Five Traitors, the Triceratops! I shall make you pay for your sins today—crawl out here now!"
⟨ Summon: Triceratops ⟩
Boom! The Dinosaur Shaman slammed her staff into the ground, splitting the lawn in front of the main entrance as a massive foreleg burst out.
The Triceratops summoned into the present world was clad head to toe in iron armor straight out of ancient times—a beast twice the size of the typical triceratops we know.
The Triceratops snorted in dissatisfaction, but submitted the moment the shaman took the reins, completely blocking the front of the headquarters. Soon, a mass of blue energy gathered at its horns, transforming into a force-field shield that enveloped its front.
Whoa, so this is the tech level of ancient Homo sapiens, huh.
Mask Warrior Yellow and Mask Warrior Black split off to either side behind the Dinosaur Shaman mounted on the Triceratops. Microgenics gene-enhanced guards were already swarming in from outside the building.
"Leave it to us."
"Don't worry about the rear."
As the two masked warriors tossed out their lines, Lee Se-hee didn't even bother watching the Triceratops summon—she bolted ahead first. Her black power suit cracked the marble floor, propelling her straight to the far end of the lobby where she smashed through the emergency stairwell door and plunged inside.
And right on Lee Se-hee's heels came the unidentified figure in the nanomachine suit.
Hmm, who's that? I don't think any Koreans were wearing a nanomachine suit.
[Doesn't seem like one of the Korean side.]
Yeah, figured. Well, we'll find out later.
"Argh, those jerks didn't even say goodbye! Let's hurry!"
"Y-Yes!"
Yeom Hana and Han Min-seo dashed after Lee Se-hee too. Naturally, I stuck right to their tails. I wanted to catch the decisive battle between Will Bates and the Korean awakeners, after all.
The stairs seemed endless. Guards popping out here and there got cleared by Yeom Hana's fists, Han Min-seo's pink light beams, and Lee Se-hee's tackles—it was getting boring to watch by now.
Me? I'm taking it easy. Just gotta follow these folks.
As we rocketed up the stairs at near-sonic speeds, Yeom Hana suddenly turned her head.
"……Huh?"
Her body wobbled hard on the stairs.
"O-Outer God? What the hell are you doing here!?"
Why? Missing out on this fun spectacle would be the weird part. I crossed my arms and let out an exaggerated sigh at my attachment human who didn't get the joy of spectating.
Packed with all the notice me vibes I could muster.
"She's here to watch, like last time."
Han Min-seo hesitated, then nailed it. As expected from my snack supplier—she gets me.
Yeom Hana pinched her brow and groaned, but with no time to stop or do anything, she just kept sprinting to the roof.
The top was drawing near. At the end of the final staircase, Lee Se-hee kicked open the rooftop fire door with one foot, sending it flying.
Four intruders—well, five if you count me—stepped onto the top roof of Microgenics headquarters.
……………
The rooftop offered a 360-degree view of Washington's nightscape. The city sprawling hundreds of stories below was a battlefield flickering with flashes of combat in every direction.
And against that backdrop of lights stood a single man.
The middle-aged guy in his usual suit. Microgenics CEO, Will Bates. A handful of elite guards formed up around him.
"It's been a while."
Will Bates' flat greeting rode the wind.
Yeah, long time no see. I waved back lightly.
This Will Bates guy still had zero flavor of emotion. Not a speck.
Will Bates' gaze shifted next to Yeom Hana standing beside me.
"Korea's top firepower, Yeom Hana."
"Hmph."
Yeom Hana snorted. Next was Han Min-seo.
"Magical girl, Han Min-seo."
Han Min-seo gripped her magic wand tighter, swallowing her embarrassment.
Then Lee Se-hee.
"Oseong Group Chairwoman Lee Se-hee. First time meeting in Washington."
Lee Se-hee didn't respond.
And finally—Will Bates' eyes locked on the figure in the nanomachine suit.
"It's been a while. Leon Dusk."
Huh? Who's that?
Before I could even turn my head, the nanomachine suit rippled and melted away. The nanomachines disassembled, sinking into the skin beneath, revealing the man hidden inside.
Angular jawline, thick blond hair. A face like a lion given human form.
Nikola's CEO, the tech-feudal lord of Texas. Leon Dusk.
"Ahh, yes. Long time no see."
Leon Dusk flashed a supremely leisurely smile as he pulled out a cigar and lit it. This guy's emotions had an intriguing flavor too. Different from Will Bates' blandness—more like whiskey fermented to the brink of rot, that kind of overripe leisure.
I can do anything. Kill who I want, buy what I want. That's the vibe he gave off.
The other three Koreans fell back. Yeom Hana glanced at Lee Se-hee, who gave the tiniest nod. So these attachment humans knew what was under that nanomachine suit all along. Got it. Korea and Nikola team-up. And part of the deal was smuggling Leon Dusk into Microgenics HQ for a face-off with Will Bates.
Leon Dusk stood there puffing his cigar, face lit with war-loving glee. Will Bates remained utterly unflappable.
The two tech-feudal lords faced off in the middle of the rooftop. Tension stretched taut between the rival rulers.
Will Bates adjusted his silver-framed glasses with one finger, opening his mouth in that same emotionless voice.
"If I recall, there's an unspoken agreement not to involve outside forces in the American continental civil war."
Oh, there's a rule like that? Corporate nations brawled with each other as daily routine, but dragging in outsiders from other continents was apparently taboo.
"Huh? Hahaha."
Leon Dusk took a long drag on his cigar and exhaled.
"Rules are made by winners and accepted by losers. So the very concept doesn't apply to me."
[That old guy's spouting some super weird logic so shamelessly!]
[But it kinda... doesn't sound wrong...?]
[I'm confused!]
My little accidents poured out their takes in my heart world. Yeah. Shameless, but weirdly hard to argue against.
But Leon Dusk's real haymaker came next. He gripped his cigar and pointed the lit end at Will Bates.
"And besides. If Carthage, fighting Rome, attacks Greece, wouldn't Greece naturally side with Rome?"
Oho.
"That's just common sense. So if you're gonna blame someone, blame yourself—not me. Right?"
Will Bates didn't reply. He just stood there, hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on Leon Dusk.
Hmm. Must be a while since even this bland uncle's been left that speechless.
To counter Leon Dusk's analogy, Will Bates would have to deny trying to dominate Korea first—but he's not the type to lie. He'd casually admitted the VIP kidnapping attempt on the airship, after all.
Guess "facts hit hard and leave you speechless" really applies here. Humans have some apt expressions.
But even after taking that big hit, Will Bates showed no agitation, no reaction.
Maybe that irked him. Leon Dusk's leisurely expression thickened, then suddenly soured like he'd grown bored of someone.
"……Hmph."
"Whatever. That's enough chit-chat with the dead man walking. Time to end this party."
Leon Dusk turned to Yeom Hana, Han Min-seo, and Lee Se-hee behind him, jerking his chin.
"You women there. Kill the old man."
Hmm. Doesn't know their names? Nah, he's deliberately not using them. Straight-up condescending, too. The kind of curt order you'd bark at street help.
Leon Dusk seemed to talk to everyone like that. He'd spoken similarly to the Cheolung Group chairman.
And yet—despite Leon Dusk's order, Korea's top awakener party didn't budge. Not one of them took a single step.
Oh? Things are getting interesting now.