Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy (2)
Everyone lives with regrets tucked away in a corner of their heart.
What if I had done this? What if I had done that?
Unfortunately, the reason regrets remain regrets is that the past cannot be undone.
People died.
And then, people died again.
His countless atrocities eventually built his infamous legacy.
And this...
...rapidly whittled down both the number and lifespan of heroes.
More chaos. Fear spreading even faster. The Director relentlessly injected this poison into American society.
In the end, he succeeded.
What was I doing back then?
I was cleaning up the destroyed sites, checking the casualty lists too late, and analyzing the videos left behind by the Director.
It was always like that. I was nothing more than a damned audience member, arriving only after the show orchestrated by that bastard had already ended.
But...
...Things are different now.
I am still one step ahead. The knowledge of the future, the experience of the future—do they not support me?
Regret is fuel for rage.
Rage turns into the conviction that I can destroy them.
And that conviction...
Crack—!
...translated directly into action.
The grappling hook accurately pierced the drone's detonation circuit, slamming it into the floor.
"Ssshh... whew...!"
Then, charging forward, I dodged the bullet trajectories of the drones tightly packing the space above, below, left, and right.
Fear of death?
To me, fear is something to overcome and exploit.
Regret over the future?
This, too, is merely an element that makes me stronger.
A powerful conviction toward the future. A firm belief to exterminate that damned trash.
Driven solely by that mindset, I took a step forward.
I could see the trajectories of the bullets.
In 0.4 seconds, my right shoulder.
In 0.8 seconds, my left thigh.
In 1.3 seconds, a bullet grazing the nape of my neck.
Countless lines of death entered my sight, drawing red trajectories.
"Huuup...!"
I thrust my body into the gaps between those lines.
"Haa, haa...!"
Hope's brief voice reached my ears a moment late.
I wanted to answer her casually, but I was not yet capable of protecting someone with ease.
I was already out of breath just from dodging a few bullets.
Even if the time I could see into the future had increased, the one possessing this ability was ultimately just myself. Therefore...
"Hope, don't worry about me. Mobilize all your equipment and focus entirely on self-defense and attack."
I had to push past my limits even further.
"The firing paths of the turrets, the blast radius of your gear—use every single bit of it."
A moment of silence.
And then...
"That's exactly what I want."
I readjusted my stance, preparing to face the Director once more.
The moment Hope's words ended—
Clack.
The entire abandoned factory began to move once again.
Turrets popped out from the floor, swiveling their heads.
Vrrrroooom—!
The drones that had been maintaining a defensive posture to cover me clustered together even tighter.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
The jamming devices buried in the floor simultaneously discharged electrical currents.
...Ah.
Soon, new trajectories overlaid themselves across my vision.
Red ballistics drawn by the Director's drones.
And blue trajectories mapped out by Hope's numerous weapons.
My ally's attacks were now also something I had to dodge, but...
This is our best shot.
It was undeniably dangerous. Naturally so.
Hope hadn't built and deployed this equipment to protect me, after all. They were weapons designed to crush the enemy and protect herself.
Therefore, what I had to do was already set.
"Hnk...!"
Crunch—!
I twisted my body, shooting down a drone.
Striding forward, contorting my entire body, I destroyed the drones one by one.
Yes. My task was simple.
Trust the crossfire created by Hope, and lure the Director's drones right into it.
Right at that moment—
The Director's voice echoed over the comms network.
"...Hope, what about blocking the comms network?"
His voice dripped with intense anticipation. It was the tone of a madman who had finally found a worthy opponent.
"..."
Even though I had never seen him with my own eyes, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on me. He was one of the greatest madmen of the era, having swept countless people into the abyss of death.
He was preparing to get serious.
Keeeeeeing—!
Hope also sensed something strange from him.
The movements of the drones were unusual.
They dodged the bullets fired by the turrets and maintained distance by calculating the pulse radius of the occasionally detonating jamming devices.
It was a movement bordering on artistry.
Yet, even amidst that process—
Bang—!
"Khhk...!"
The ballistic trajectory grazing my thigh grew even more precise. This was...
...his way of fighting.
...An accurate analysis. I couldn't deny it.
I couldn't become Great America.
Nor could I become Napalm.
Unlike the other heroes Pax raised and recruited, I couldn't accomplish anything through raw physical prowess alone.
All I had was a mere two seconds. And the experience of knowing how to utilize those two seconds.
However.
That's precisely why it's possible.
Being weak meant there was room for improvement.
That was why I gathered gear. That was why I called Hope. And that was why I chose this abandoned factory as the battlefield.
So I did not fear the Director's low, echoing voice.
Creeeeak...!
Clenching my gloved hand tightly, I focused my mind.
At that moment—
The trajectories of the drones shifted.
Three drones had been charging straight at me.
Two of them aimed for me, while the remaining one...
"...!"
...was rapidly diving toward the shielded room Hope was inside.
...
My vision was completely stained in red.
Countless possibilities began to reflect in my eyes.
In 0.2 seconds, the left drone's bullet grazes my knee.
In 0.5 seconds, the drone heading for the shielded room prepares to self-destruct.
In 1.1 seconds, the possibility of one drone escaping outside the jamming range.
If I stop the two drones, Hope could be in danger.
If I stop the single drone, my life could be in danger.
Therefore, the Director calculated that there was only one choice I could make.
However.
I sliced those possibilities even finer.
Countless futures when I fired the grappling hook.
Missing, grazing, or else—
Crack—!
Piercing straight through the drone's outer shell.
Seeing that one drone had been hit accurately—
I immediately threw an EMP grenade into the air.
To hit it myself? Of course not.
In 0.7 seconds, the spot where a turret bullet would pass through.
I threw the grenade precisely into that spot.
Ting—bzzzzzt———!!
Soon, struck by the bullet in midair, the EMP grenade detonated, emitting a flash of white light.
Psssshhhh....
Deprived of power by the EMP, the drones tumbled uselessly onto the floor.
Silence.
The madman, who hadn't stopped talking for a single moment until now, fell silent for the very first time.
Soon after, his low laughter began to flow over the comms network.
He was laughing. He was actually laughing.
Was it an emotion stemming from failure, or a glimpse of his innate madness?
Before my thoughts could even reach a conclusion, the Director spoke again.
"Not really something I care to hear from you."
...A visceral revulsion.
Praise—if it could even be called that—coming from someone who had dragged countless people into the abyss of death, and was likely still doing so somewhere right now, was sickening beyond belief.
And perhaps noticing this...
The Director chuckled softly over the comms network.
At that moment—
The red infrared sensors of the drones rolling on the floor flashed in unison.
"...!"
Simultaneously with Hope's shout, my vision stained red once more.
Realizing that a chain explosion was about to occur in the extremely near future, I felt cold sweat trickle down my spine.
I can't stop them all...!
However, one was enough.
"Khk...!"
I immediately threw my body forward and snatched one of the drones.
Even as the wound on my thigh tore open and the device on my wrist screamed in protest, I didn't stop and hurled the drone far away.
KABOOM———!!
Then, a chain explosion dyed the night sky crimson.
Soon, the Director's low laughter echoed over the comms network once more.
With those final words, the Director's voice was heard no more over the communicator.
"...Ahem."
Inhaling gunsmoke, I coughed violently as I slowly walked toward Hope.
"H-Hey...! Don't move—"
Hope rushed out from the inside, attempting to support me, but...
"...Analyze it. Please analyze... what's inside that case I brought."
"Forget analyzing, look at the state you're in right now—"
"...Do that first."
With a blood-stained hand, I pointed at the blast-proof case containing the drone.
"...Haaah, fuck. Fine! I'll do it, alright? I'll do it."
Only after hearing her response did I slowly exhale.
...Director, this time I claimed victory first.
A mountain I could never cross in my past life, I overcame right from the start.
Just as I was about to review the battle in my head—
Drip.
Something hot trickled down from the tip of my nose.
"...Ah."
Catching it with my hand, I immediately realized it was crimson blood.
Did I use my ability too much...?
My vision tilted.
Right, thinking back, splitting and visualizing the future was already pushing it. In my past life, that was a technique I only used much later.
I realized this too late, but the deed was already done.
"W-Wait, hey...?! Hey, hey—"
And just like that... I lost consciousness.
Three hours later.
"...Where on earth did he even get this?"
Hope finished the analysis.